Opium and Absinthe is the first book I've read by Lydia Kang and I wasn't sure what to expect. 
I'm a big fan of vampire and gothic literature as a whole, and in that aspect, this book really delivered. 

The writing style was thoroughly enjoyable and I found myself transported to New York City in 1899, envisioning it all so clearly in my minds eye. 
There were a few plot points that I wasn't expecting, and it did have me guessing on a couple of occasions. A great mystery. 

I would definitely pick up another book by this author. 

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

Thank you @netgalley for the gifted eARC of ’Opium and Absinthe’ by @lydiakang.
—
First BIPOC author read of 2021! 🎉 Where are all my gothic/historical fiction lovers at? (Think Mexican Gothic and Dracula).

𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺, 1899. 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬. 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢, 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦—𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵?

𝙏𝙒: 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙜 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 (𝙊𝙥𝙞𝙪𝙢, 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣) 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩

Key Highlights:
🧪 Sister/Sister dynamic relationship 
🩸Amateur sleuthing detective work 🕵🏻‍♀️
🧪19th century New York royalty
🩸Opioid addiction awareness
🧪Strong lead female character
🩸Somewhat slow burn gothic setting 
🧪Great blend of mystery & drama 

If you love the slow burn historical gothic fiction vibe and setting, then this is for you!

As soon as I read the synopsis for this one, I knew it was right up my alley...historical fiction AND vampires? Yes please. I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed at all. Tillie was such a fun character to follow and I felt for her so much in her addiction and her desire to solve her sister's murder. The side characters were all interesting as well. The setting was one of my favorite parts, as the author spent time using medical practices from that era and that's one of my favorite things to see in novels. It immediately became a new favorite for me and I ordered a signed copy so I could have it on my physical shelf. Definitely recommend!

Found the heroine to be immature and not likable, and the story just didn't seem to hold onto its own legs with everything that was thrown in and then the whole 'functioning under all these drugs' just did not seem realistic. Points for who the killer was end their motive, but it was a lot of gritting teeth to get to that conclusion

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for my e-ARC copy, in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I must say, I went into this novel entirely blind, unsure of the premise, genre, or ANYTHING. I fully admit to judging a book by it's cover, and in this case it paid off. I would definitely give it a solid 4.4/5 stars, but I decided to round up because it was just so damn enjoyable. Lydia King, you have knocked this one out of the park! And this is your debut novel?! Consider yourself an auto-buy author in my book (pun intended.) 

This gothic style historical fiction follows a young, rich, socialite, Tillie Pembroke. Tillie is used to having it all, and a life perfectly laid out for her, until her perfect goody-two shoes sister is murdered. Tillie refuses to just move on, and become the lady she is "intended" to be, and decides to investigate her sister's suspicious death. This story has a dash of "who-dunnit", sprinkled with the supernatural, and a spark of romance. 

Highly recommend, I couldn't put it down and devoured it in a few sittings! This was a book that was playing scenes in my mind in-between readings, and I would definitely read again.

CW: Drug abuse, and physical abuse

I was a big fan of The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang, so when Opium and Absinthe came along I was ecstatic. 
And then I was let down. 
It's not bad, it's just not as good, not as engaging, not as ... it's just not. Something was missing and I still do't know what it was. 
I devoured The Impossible Girl in one day, this took me a long while to get through. I think the repetitiveness of everything got to me - every time I'd pick up a book it would same events over and over and over. It was also way too long. 50-80 pages shorter would have been much more preferable.

Kang's writing is still wonderful, and her ideas are well versed and modern. The topic was an important one, I just wish I felt more things while reading it.

This gothic tale of mystery, investigation, and 19th century society is beautifully written.  You are immersed in Tilly's world of the high expectations and stifling rules that come with being a young girl from a well-to-do family.  Tilly's world turns upside-down when her sister is murdered - puncture wounds and exsanguination point to a vampire of all things.  As she recovers from a broken collarbone, Tilly begins to research vampires and investigate her sister's murder.  While Tilly initially takes opium and laudanum for her pain, the drugs become a crutch for her to survive her restrictive circumstances.  Eventually, others exploit her addiction and try to deter her from investigating her sister's murder and corresponding with journalists.  But she will not give up her search for justice for Lucy - even if it costs her life.

This story starts off promising and the ending is very satisfying (and surprising!), but a great deal of the book is slow.  Tilly is a fine FMC - I found her most compelling when she was lucid (which is not a lot of the book).  She puts herself and others in dangerous positions and honestly is very gullible.  I did appreciate her commitment to her writing and finding justice for Lucy, and she was kind-hearted.  But she wasn't enough to keep the story moving at a good pace.  So while this book is beautifully descriptive and detailed, it took far too long for the story to pick up and head to its resolution.  

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. *

I really enjoyed The Impossible Girl, so I was excited to read Kang’s latest book. I have been on a huge Gothic kick lately, and this book sounded right up my alley. Sadly, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Ok, it should be obvious from the title that the story has drug use in it. I was expecting that. But I was not expecting the degree that it dominated the entire story. There was simply too much focus on the drug use. It overshadowed (almost to the point of elimination) the murder mystery plot, the Gothic atmosphere, and any personality of the main character.

It was too hard to be invested in Tilly because the reader does not get to know her before she becomes addicted to opium (not a spoiler since that is in the publisher’s description). And her addiction overshadowed her whole personality. She was supposed to be nerdy and quirky and rebellious against society’s restrictions. But her addiction controlled her life from the very first chapter and left no room for any depth of character. Instead, the reader is bombarded with countless descriptions of her highs, withdrawals, and constant search for her next fix. It literally drives the whole story.

Admittedly, this was the second book in a row that I read which featured drug addiction, so I was already getting worn out on the subject. That only magnified my disappointment that the other elements of the story were shoved aside so much in favor of showcasing Tilly’s time chasing the dragon.

I do understand why the story was set up this way. The point is true that addictive drugs were prescribed for every ailment, large or small, with no thought to how damaging and addictive those drugs were. Lots of bad things were advertised as “medicine.” And this was before government regulations about drug prescription and warning labels. Opium, heroin, and other strong drugs truly were prescribed regularly without knowledge of the risks. It was interesting that Keeley’s Gold Cure was included in the story too. Although the story did not elaborate on it, the Gold Cure was supposed to cure alcoholism and other addictions. Unfortunately, it contained problematic ingredients including strychnine, boric acid, and atropine. Yes, seriously.

But while I appreciate the social commentary, it didn’t make for an entertaining read. As I mentioned, the mystery and the Gothic atmosphere were frequently shoved aside in favor of describing Tilly’s addiction. The entire story is seen through that lens, so all of the other elements were obscured. I wish the story had been more balanced to allow the good ideas of the story to shine through. It was an interesting premise, and the time period was well-researched. But the focus on drug use was a bit too much for me.

Could vampires be real? That is what Tillie Pembroke has to ask herself after she found her sister's body drained of blood. Could Bram Stoker's book been more than a work of fiction? 

"Opium and Absinthe" reminds me a bit of "The Yellow Wallpaper." The truth is clouded by the poison (medicine?). 

It is a bit interesting to contemplate drug use (or over use) in an earlier era. This slow moving mystery will keep your interest throughout!

I'm so obsessed with this type of story right now. It's that just-right blend that's hard to describe and perfect for pandemic reading days where I'm not quite sure what I want but I do know I want to be swept away. Intelligent and atmospheric.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing style, pacing and characters were all just perfect. I haven't read anything by Lydia Kang before but I will definitely be looking for more to read by her.

Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang is a gothic mystery novel that involves a young protagonist trying to solve her elder sister's murder mystery, while trying to make a name of her own in the world where her family wants her to get married and settle like other 'ladies' of their stature.

The central theme of the book includes the newly released Bram Stoker's Dracula, since the story is set in the same year. The modus operandi of the murders appears to be a lot like the fictional dracula, and the protagonist has to work hard to prove that it is a mere human capable of doing such tasks. The way a young mind goes about the research and then reaches learned conclusions is what I liked the most in this book. The way she falls upon drugs at a low moment in her life, and then understands their weakness and gets over it is the moral lesson everyone can take away from the read.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: Recommended.

I so love the cover and title of this book! I was intrigued by the blurb and was saving it for the "Halloween" season. 🧛🏻‍♂️

It is 1899 in New York City. Bram Stoker's book, "Dracula" is all the rage to read. Mathilda "Tillie" Pembroke's sister, Lucy, has just been found dead. Lying in an alleyway drained of her blood and with two puncture marks around her neck. They look like vampire bites. Tillie herself has just had a bad fall from a horse and is convalescing in bed trying to cope with her pain and grief. She is prescribed Opium (Laudanum) and Morphine by the doctor. She begins to read the popular book and goes on a quest to solve her sister's murder.

I really wanted to love this book but it just ended up being okay. Parts of it were unbelievable and it just got a bit repetitive. It read almost like a YA novel to me. It is still written well and easy to read and I did enjoy the nail-biting ending.

The setting is 1899, New York City. There have been a series of "vampire" murders including heiress Lucy Pembroke. On the day of Lucy's murder, her sister, Tillie, is in a horse riding accident and breaks a bone in her shoulder which results in an opioid addiction. As unlikely as it seems, this combination of events plus Tillie's passion for writing lead her through her addiction and on to the streets of New York to find out who killed her sister and why. The story has plenty of drama and suspense and kept me guessing pretty much until the end. There is quite a lot in the story about how grief manifests and how elements of grief are resolved or not. One way to attempt to resolve elements of grief is through substances; in this story the substances are forms of opiods. The use of laudenum, opium and heroin were very common at the end of the 19th century and BAYER (yes, the aspro people) made and sold heroin quite openly and legally. Apparently, it was not uncommon for wealthy women to be sent away for short periods of time for rest, detox and rehab. The story involves well drawn characters from several walks of life. A few of these characters are sinister and malevolent.

It is 1899, and Bram Stoker's Dracula has just been published. 

Tillie Pembroke has just suffered a terrible injury while out riding her horse. Her collarbone is surely broken. As the doctor attends to her, he prescribes her laudanum for the pain. Just then she receives word that her sister has been murdered. The body has been found, drained of all its blood with two puncture wounds in the neck. It would appear her sister was killed by a vampire.

Tillie, being a young woman who loves to study and research, even in her opium-induced daze, knows she must get a copy of Dracula. As Tillie goes on the hunt for a copy, she runs into Ian, a “newsie”, selling papers that tell of her sister’s death. He seems just as intent on finding the killer as she is. 

As Tillie continues to dig deeper into the murder, her doctor sends her down a spiraling path of addiction. Tillie becomes a Morphinomanic. Then the murderer strikes again, the same puncture marks in the neck, all the blood drained from the body. Could it be possible that a vampire is stalking the streets of New York? 

This almost felt like a classic gothic mystery. It had historical elements, vampires, addiction, family secrets, and murder. I enjoyed Tillie’s character. She was bright, inquisitive, and independent. Yet through her, Kang told the true story of how so many women in the late 19th century become addicted to opium and morphine. 

The author’s notes are a must-read! Please don’t pass them over.

TW: addiction, disease & death, sexual assault.

Thank you to @netgalley, @lakeunionauthors and @LydiaKang for this digital copy for review.

i always enjoy Ms. Kang's work it always has a great supernatural and mystery theme going on with them. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I look forward to more from the author.

This is a new to me author, and I really enjoyed this book! It was a great combination of murder mystery, historical fiction, and fantasy. I loved the character development and plot twists. I would definitely recommend this book and will be reading more by this author. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Opium and Absinthe follows our titular character, Tillie Pembrooke as she tries to solve the mystery of her sister's death - suspected to be done by a vampire. However, after a recent injury, Tillie has to rely on opium to ease the pain, but this hinders her ability to solve her sister's murder.

Overall, I find this okay. The plot was really intriguing but so disjointed. This was due to the weird pacing since nothing really happens in the first half of the book. Additionally, the ending was predictable.
I found Tillie to be a bit naive and annoying. I could not connect to her character. However, it was interesting to read about how she dealt with her addiction.

The writing was stunning though and I enjoyed the descriptions of the surrounding areas and scenes. Those were so vivid and enjoyable to read about.

Overall, this was okay. The book had so much potential to be better.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Loved this book! was looking forward to reading it for awhile finally got around to it and it was great

While not usually a murder mystery fan, the setting for this novel was hard to resist, as was the character of Tillie Pembroke, amateur sleuth and devoted sister (also a typical Victorian girl). Looking for her sister's murderer puts Tillie into many unknown situations, and her strength and conviction are the only things working for her. Recommended reading.