Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley

Sweet & Bitter Magic

by Adrienne Tooley

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.

Reviewed by herseriallife on

4 of 5 stars

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I received a beautiful signed special edition of [b:Sweet & Bitter Magic|54304189|Sweet & Bitter Magic|Adrienne Tooley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593355124l/54304189._SY75_.jpg|67712912] by [a:Adrienne Tooley|15526762|Adrienne Tooley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1583600861p2/15526762.jpg] in my March 2021 'Of Witches and Wonder' OwlCrate box (click here to check our unboxing + review). And I've been wanting to read this book since I opened the box. Although excited to read it, I still had medium-low expectations, because it's a YA, a stand-alone book, and a debut novel. But I was pleasantly surprised, and I found myself really enjoying reading Sweet & Bitter Magic. Maybe it can also be because of the gorgeous book cover and purple sprayed edges, which I really like.




What I liked about Sweet & Bitter Magic

So, [b:Sweet & Bitter Magic|54304189|Sweet & Bitter Magic|Adrienne Tooley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593355124l/54304189._SY75_.jpg|67712912] is a sapphic YA fantasy stand-alone debut novel from singer/songwriter Adrienne Tooley. Let's start with what I enjoyed about [b:Sweet & Bitter Magic|54304189|Sweet & Bitter Magic|Adrienne Tooley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593355124l/54304189._SY75_.jpg|67712912]. The writing is good and the world setting is beautifully crafted. We follow the point of view (POV) of the two main characters Tamsin and Wren. I liked having multiple POV and liked even more that in one chapter we were with Tamsin and the following with Wren, alternating POV all through the book. I also really appreciate the mostly feminine energy of the book, the magic system, as well as the high stakes and adventures. Moreover, the chemistry and banter between the main characters are well-developed and add sweetness and humor to the story.




What I liked less. . .

Now, let's talk about what I liked less about Sweet & Bitter Magic, and what I thought was a bit lacking. I did enjoy the first 3/4th of the book way more than the last quarter. Not that I didn't like the ending, it was satisfying, and I think the epilogue is very well-written. But I think I would have appreciated a more difficult and harder resolution. I also would have appreciated a little bit more romancing and challenges to the relationships. Sometimes it was a little bit too easy for the characters and I think more challenges and difficulties would've made it even better.



That's why I graded the book 3.5 so 4-star on Goodreads. I highly recommend Sweet & Bitter Magic for every YA fantasy reader who also likes adventure and high stake fantasy books. I'm looking forward to read more from the author, [a:Adrienne Tooley|15526762|Adrienne Tooley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1583600861p2/15526762.jpg].

Check this review of Sweet & Bitter Magic and more on Serialtwinz.com

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 13 July, 2021: Finished reading
  • 13 July, 2021: Reviewed