I had the best introduction to this book. I went to The Strand in New York and browsed their "blind date with a book" table, hoping to find something intriguing enough for me to take the risk. As you probably know by now, I love anything fantasy or sci-fi, but all the books were romcoms, romances, or literary fiction. They were perhaps wonderful novels, just not my cup of tea, especially with no description besides "coffee shop AU" or whatever the tag was. And then I saw this one:
I'm a sucker for a good fantasy novel with a romance subplot—make it enemies to lovers and add LGBTQ+ representation, and I'm gone. There was only one copy of this book, so, of course, I bought it and waited impatiently to get home and find out what it was. I took off the wrapping, careful not to rip it so I could preserve it since it's so cute, and revealed:
Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley is such a treat. I was worried I wouldn't like it since I bought it without reading anything about it, but as soon as I started reading, I was happy to discover my fears were unfounded. It is a sweet book about embracing who you are, standing up for what you want, and learning to live with the consequences of your actions and grow from them.
The book is told in alternating POVs: Tamsin, a seventeen-year-old witch banished from what the ordinary folk call the Witchlands—to witches, it's called Within—and cursed never to love, so she takes love as payment for the spells she performs; and Wren, a magical source—someone made of magic, but who cannot use it themselves—who has hidden her power since dark magic broke apart her family years ago. When a plague caused by dark magic takes the memories of Wren's father and threatens to kill him and everyone else, she teams up with Tamsin to hunt the witch responsible—in return, she will give Tamsin her love for her father. But of course, nothing is ever that simple.
It was very satisfying to discover Tamsin's tragic backstory and Wren's longing to embrace her magical side, in conflict with her devotion to her father. I adored witnessing the two of them grow closer, which was especially interesting given that Tasmin cannot love. The take on magic and how it affects the world was something I hadn't seen much of before, which was exciting. Despite being a typical fantasy story with an expected happy ending, it still feels as though everything they discovered and went through profoundly impacted them. They recognize that things can't be magically fixed instantly and that it will take time and effort to do better and maintain their relationships.
I happily rate Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley 5/5 stars. If you are a fantasy fan and love queer stories, please read it. And maybe next time you're in a bookstore and see a "blind date with a book" table, take a chance on it—you never know what you'll find!
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