Bitter Medicine

Starred review from October 10, 2022
Sparks fly in Tsai’s refreshing and enchanting paranormal debut. A sordid family past has driven gifted immortal Elle Mei, a descendant of Shénnóng, the Chinese god of medicine, into leading a quiet, unassuming life. Though Elle’s exceptional talent at magical calligraphy could easily earn her a lucrative career, she chooses to cover up the extent of her gift, hiding in plain sight as an “ordinary” glyphmaker in Raleigh, N.C. It’s the only way she knows how to protect her family, as using too much power would surely draw attention. But the temptation to use her full abilities becomes too much to resist when it comes to her favorite customer (and crush), the dashing half-elf security expert Luc Villois. When Luc realizes what Elle’s truly capable of, he commissions her to create custom glyphs for an upcoming assignment, and, against her better judgment, she agrees. Meanwhile, Luc has a secret of his own, and he knows that Elle would never choose to spend more time with him if she knew who he truly was. Despite their mutual reservations, their friendship deepens into love—but will their trust in each other be enough to save them when their twisted pasts come back to haunt them? With brilliantly developed, multifaceted characters; a clever magic system; and witty prose, the pages of this fantasy fly. This marks Tsai as a writer to watch. Agent: Anne Tibbets, Donald J. Maass Agency.

December 1, 2022

DEBUT A half-elf mobster falls for a descendent of the Chinese god of medicine in this lushly romantic urban fantasy that mixes ancient Celtic heroes with svart�lfar of Norse folklore and fox spirits from Chinese mythology (there are also epic flying battles). Elle Jiang is hiding in plain sight, pretending she's a low-level magical calligrapher, while also pretending that her older brother is dead, even as she takes the blame for the younger brother who killed him. Her elaborate pretense unravels when she falls for Luc, the "Fixer" who is supposed to bring what's left of her family to justice. Luc's boss expects him to sacrifice Elle for duty--as he has sacrificed everything else. But Elle shows him there's another way if he's willing to give up everything he is for a future they might not live to see. VERDICT Urban fantasy readers will appreciate the well-crafted hidden world, and lovers of bad boy or Mafia romances will see Luc as their darkly delicious type, all while Elle's long sacrifice will break readers' hearts. Fans of Sarah J. Maas's epic paranormal fantasies will also find much to savor in Tsai's debut.--Marlene Harris

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2023
Tsai delights with this fast-paced, romantic-fantasy debut brimming with ancient xianxia magic, simmering heat, and murderous family feuds that cross time and space. Elle is the middle child of a Chinese medicine god, living off the grid to avoid a brutal younger brother and using her magical talents to create subpar calligraphy for the Roland and Riddle agency. The only joy life holds is her infrequent interactions with Luc, a sexy and mysterious half-elf fixer. When Luc commissions a special set of glyphs at the start of a new case, he unwittingly kicks off a series of events that pull Elle from the dusty confines of her stagnant day-to-day into the open, where everything she wants is there for the taking. Tsai is incredibly skilled at ratcheting up the heat between her two main characters through charming banter, informed consent, and honest discussions about wants and needs. The end result is a refreshing and cleverly written novel that is finely attuned to both fantasy and romance and highlights the best of each genre.

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