Pop-Culturalist.com

Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley will be ideal for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and Girls of Paper and Fire. It’s a bittersweet fantasy book about a cursed witch who isn’t able to love and a girl who wants to save her ailing father. The girl strikes a love bargain with the cursed witch to save her father. But, in order to save her father the girl, Wren, must sacrifice her love for her father and give it to Tamsin. Wren tells Tamsin she’ll only do this if Tamsin can capture the dark witch who is responsible for causing the plague that made her father sick. On top of that, Wren’s got secret powers of her own, but she’s kept it hidden because she’s the sole caregiver for her father. You can get your copy of Sweet & Bitter Magic here.

One of the major themes in this book is that: “Love is not something to be taken lightly.” I loved that this book had a theme of acceptance and love. If you’re into slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers books then this is for you! I adored the chemistry between the characters. Wren and Tamsin both had inner demons to deal with, but they also learned the importance of leaning on one another to heal from their trauma. There are a lot of almost-kisses and I love moments like that because it makes the kiss even more special. This is also similar to what Korean dramas do a lot of the time and I liked that this book had plenty of those scenes. Tamsin’s got one of the most complicated backstories and I loved reading about Tamsin.

Tamsin’s sister, Marlena was another character that I really loved because she added to Tamsin’s story. The one thing that can be difficult when having a dual perspective in a book is confusing the point of view. But, Wren and Tamsin’s voices are so distinct so that’s not an issue. The writing is incredible and the pacing was perfect. This is definitely a new favorite book!

Final Thoughts: Unfortunately, I did guess the plot twist, but I still loved this book! I highly recommend this book for anyone who is into slow-burn romances!

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, and Margaret K. McElderry Books for this complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!