Really excited to be on the blog tour for Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley! Thank you to TBR & Beyond for choosing me, and McElderry for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review. If you'd like to check out the rest of the tour schedule, check here, and enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post!
The Book and its Author
In this charming debut fantasy perfect for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Girls of Paper and Fire, a witch cursed to never love meets a girl hiding her own dangerous magic, and the two strike a dangerous bargain to save their queendom.
Tamsin is the most powerful witch of her generation. But after committing the worst magical sin, she’s exiled by the ruling Coven and cursed with the inability to love. The only way she can get those feelings back—even for just a little while—is to steal love from others. Wren is a source—a rare kind of person who is made of magic, despite being unable to use it herself. Sources are required to train with the Coven as soon as they discover their abilities, but Wren—the only caretaker to her ailing father—has spent her life hiding her secret. When a magical plague ravages the queendom, Wren’s father falls victim. To save him, Wren proposes a bargain: if Tamsin will help her catch the dark witch responsible for creating the plague, then Wren will give Tamsin her love for her father. Of course, love bargains are a tricky thing, and these two have a long, perilous journey ahead of them—that is, if they don’t kill each other first..
Adrienne Tooley was born and raised in the desert suburbs of Southern California. She grew up in the theater, earning her B.A. in Musical Theatre from Point Park University. She and her wife currently live in New York City where she works in hospitality tech. In addition to writing novels she is also a singer/songwriter and has released several EPs which are available on Spotify & other streaming sites. Her debut novel, SWEET & BITTER MAGIC, will publish from S&S/McElderry in Spring 2021. Her second novel, SOFI AND THE BONE SONG, will release from S&S/McElderry in 2022.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads Photo credit - Sylvie Rosokoff Review
Slow sapphic romance! Enemies-to-lovers! Heck yeah!! This is basically everything I'd want out of a new fantasy book, so I really enjoyed this novel. Tooley hit the nail on the head with the intrigue--I especially enjoyed the development of Wren and Tamsin's relationship. It's slow burn as I just mentioned, so we get to see that tenderness blossom through their hardships. Also, I couldn't go without mentioning the "only one bed" trope is involved, one of my absolute favorites in romance.
Tamsin's curse is fairly unique--her loss of love is complete: not just affection for other people, but also just enjoyment in general. I don't think I've ever seen that for a character before. At first the link was unclear to me, but I became invested in what that meant for her character quickly. I'm willing to buy into a sense of suspension of disbelief for the sake of a good romance, and I get the sense that's necessary here. If you're the sort of reader who likes to pull plot threads to try and find holes... yeah, you might have a bit of an issue. But I'm not that type, so I was content to sit back and watch the brooding turn to real love. I saw this connection on someone's Instagram story (I'm so sorry, I've forgotten who! If this was you, please let me know and I'll credit!) and I think it's apt: Sweet & Bitter Magic is sort of a high-fantasy version of These Witches Don't Burn. Sapphic romance, reluctant allies, stopping a plague (S&BM)/dark magic (TWDB). Fans of one will enjoy the other. I'm giving Sweet & Bitter Magic 4/5 stars. MoodboardGiveaway
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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