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readingrobin 's review for:
The Absinthe Underground
by Jamie Pacton
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Being the sucker for art nouveau that I am, I was immediately drawn to The Absinthe Underground through its gorgeous and imaginative cover. It really does sell the overall atmosphere and tone of the book, something enchanting, inviting, and maybe a touch mysterious. The romance between Sybil and Esme is genuinely sweet and I adore the trope of "two oblivious lovebirds that can't realize the other is SUPER into them."
The book started off well, giving an interesting buildup to Sybil's thieving background and Esme's calculating mind, but I think it loses steam right when the action is just getting started. I never really felt like they were going on a heist, more like an overextended fetch quest. I wasn't on the edge of my seat at any point since the writing style didn't really do much to enhance the mood. It's just going to Point A to Point B to Point C and then yay success. For this kind of high risk high reward plot, there really didn't seem to be much difficulty to the tasks.
When it comes to the magic of the world, there doesn't seem to be much world building other than name dropping Fae courts and showing some general displays of magic, It works within this particular story, as the world of the Fae isn't the main focus but rather a quick destination to achieve a goal. It would be nice to see more of that world should the book get a sequel, but, from what is seen here, it's enough.
Overall, I was hoping for a bit more, but it settled nicely in my mind as a just okay sapphic, friends-to-lovers fantasy.
Being the sucker for art nouveau that I am, I was immediately drawn to The Absinthe Underground through its gorgeous and imaginative cover. It really does sell the overall atmosphere and tone of the book, something enchanting, inviting, and maybe a touch mysterious. The romance between Sybil and Esme is genuinely sweet and I adore the trope of "two oblivious lovebirds that can't realize the other is SUPER into them."
The book started off well, giving an interesting buildup to Sybil's thieving background and Esme's calculating mind, but I think it loses steam right when the action is just getting started. I never really felt like they were going on a heist, more like an overextended fetch quest. I wasn't on the edge of my seat at any point since the writing style didn't really do much to enhance the mood. It's just going to Point A to Point B to Point C and then yay success. For this kind of high risk high reward plot, there really didn't seem to be much difficulty to the tasks.
When it comes to the magic of the world, there doesn't seem to be much world building other than name dropping Fae courts and showing some general displays of magic, It works within this particular story, as the world of the Fae isn't the main focus but rather a quick destination to achieve a goal. It would be nice to see more of that world should the book get a sequel, but, from what is seen here, it's enough.
Overall, I was hoping for a bit more, but it settled nicely in my mind as a just okay sapphic, friends-to-lovers fantasy.