Book Review: Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley

So, I meant to finish Sweet & Bitter Magic and post the book review at least a week ago, but then life got in the way, and I fell sick. Anyway, I’m excited to review Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley because it is witches and sapphics, two of my favorite things. Let’s get started!

Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley: Fast Facts

Release Date: March 9, 2021
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 359
Genre: fantasy, high fantasy, romance, young adult
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Content Warning: death, exile, physical illness, violence

Synopsis

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 . . .

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— i.

That was the trouble with dark magic. People always assumed that the stories were exaggerated, that the truth was not nearly so terrible, when in fact the opposite was true.

I went into Sweet & Bitter Magic with somewhat mysterious expectations. On one hand, witches and sapphics! But on the other hand, I don’t usually read standalone fantasy novels (especially if they are high fantasy) because I find it challenging to wrap up a story like that in one book. So, when considering the aspects of Sweet & Bitter Magic, I thought about how Adrienne Tooley pulled off a standalone fantasy novel centered on a sapphic romance. I find that I was satisfied with some aspects, but I was disappointed in others.

Let’s review the protagonist(s). There are two main characters. We have Wren, a source—a person who holds magic but cannot use it. Sources are pretty much magic; I don’t know how else to explain it. They sense other magic, and witches can draw power from them. Sources, like witches, must live Within, i.e., the Witchwood. But Wren never went because she hid her source magic. Growing up in an ordinary town, she quickly learned her abilities were magical and unusual, so she kept quiet about them.

Wren is somewhat of a typical YA protagonist, but that does not make her any less compelling. She is highly relatable, with her longing for freedom beyond caring for her sick father. On the other hand, Wren feels bound to him because he would be alone if she left. Wren only becomes more complex when we learn the reason for hiding her source abilities is because magic had negatively impacted her family, killing her brother before she was even born. So, how could she tell her parents that she is magic? These may be classic protagonist tropes, but Wren is still a well-written character, and Adrienne Tooley did an excellent job in conveying Wren’s personality and conflict.

And then there is Tamsin, a banished witch. She is a more layered character because she has quite the backstory—banished from Within for using dark magic at the ripe old age of twelve, cursed with the inability to love. But the most heartbreaking part is that Tamsin did not use dark magic out of malice or evil. Tamsin was desperate to save her dying sister, so she tried anything to keep her alive, even if it cost other people’s lives, and eventually, her future Within. Tamsin struggles with her past throughout the novel, and Adrienne Tooley did a great job writing Tamsin’s conflicts consistently without sounding repetitive.

There are some minors characters, but Sweet & Bitter Magic primarily focuses on Wren and Tamsin and their journey to the Witchwood. Considering that this is a standalone novel, focusing mainly on two characters was the right choice. It allowed the narrative to give full undivided attention to Wren and Tamsin. So, by the time the book ends, their character arcs are completed.

— ii.

The feeling was startling yet certain. Unfathomable yet entirely true. Wren didn’t know when it had happened, when she had begun to see Tamsin as someone to be desired. Never learn to love someone untouchable, the woman in Farn had said, but of course Wren had disobeyed. Had found herself in this impossible situation: falling for a girl who could not love.

Of course, having two main characters generally means one primary relationship, especially since Sweet & Bitter Magic is a fantasy romance novel. I’m pretty vocal about the fact that I’m not super into the enemies-to-lovers trope, but I tend to find exceptions with sapphic romances. Sweet & Bitter Magic is one of those exceptions. While the book has a lot of plot and character development, the core focus is Tamsin and Wren’s relationship—beginning as enemies and eventually falling in love. Adrienne Tooley truly captured their relationship development spectacularly; it felt authentic and compelling. Their romance was not rushed, moving at the right pace. I felt like I was falling in love with their relationship at the same time they were developing feelings for each other. I enjoyed this novel’s romance.

Considering that all the other characters are minor, the other dynamics are more about Wren and Tamsin as individuals—i.e., Wren and her father, Tamsin and Marlena. We do not see Wren’s father or Marlena for most of the book, but we still catch glimpses of these relationships through Wren and Tamsin’s arcs. This was another aspect that Adrienne Tooley accomplished well.

— iii.

Dark magic was forbidden because it was unbalanced. It was power pulled directly from the earth without anything offered in return. When Tamsin described the earth’s reaction to dark magic, she made it sound as though it was the world that was behaving badly: The world rebelled. But how else could the earth exist if not for the power it held just beneath the surface? It was magic that made the rain fall, magic that made the trees grow, magic that guided the winds. It was magic that made flowers bloom and birthed animals and caused the sun to shine.
Now Marlena was stealing that magic, taking and taking and never returning. The sun had disappeared from the sky. People were losing their memories. Water howled and stone screamed. The earth wasn’t rebelling.
The earth was dying.

One of the aspects that disappointed me was the plot. I will say that Sweet & Bitter Magic surprised me in a good way—Adrienne Tooley proved that high fantasy stories could act as standalone novels. Sweet & Bitter Magic had a good plot. Even though the first third of the book was slow, it picked up shortly after that, hooking me until the very end. Even when the pacing was slow, I was still interested in Wren and Tamsin’s romance, so this was not necessarily a bad thing.

My issue lies with the resolutions toward the end. I will not spoil anything, but I will say that I found how the narrative resolved its conflicts was way too simple. The story wrapped everything neatly in a tight bow, and all the characters lived happily ever after. I do not just mean the romance, which of course, I would expect. I am talking about Wren and Tamsin’s arcs. They went through so much trauma, adventure, and conflict throughout the book, but everything worked out the way it would in a children’s fairy tale. Sweet & Bitter Magic set up great character arcs and a great storyline, only for the narrative to resolve everything in such a boring way.

When Wren and Tamsin reach the end of their respective arcs, I don’t expect them to be miserable, but I expect them to come to terms with their conflicts in a natural way. The narrative does not take this approach—instead, it eliminates the conflicts before Wren and Tamsin even have a chance to resolve or confront them. Essentially, the novel’s complexities disappear rather than dealing with them. So, it is safe to say I was pretty disappointed in how things turned out, and it brought the rating down for me.

— iv.

She thought she ought to panic. She thought she ought to be afraid. Instead something within her swelled. She was in the Witchwood. It was a moment she had spent her life dreaming of—the sort of dream that existed only in the darkest part of the night. It had never occurred to her that such a dream could come true. Yet here she was, between the trees. Each step forward took her closer to the world Within. To the Witchlands.
To the place where she belonged.
For the longer Wren had spent on the road with Tamsin, and the more she learned about the world that she had always denied herself, the more certain she was that she needed to see it. She had to know. No more running. It was time to start embracing her true self.
And her true self was brought out by Tamsin. There was a tentative kindness forming there. Taking down the men together had been exhilarating, had made Wren feel invincible. It had made her feel like the connection between them wasn’t a coincidence—that they had been meant to find each other.
And then, before they’d stepped into the Wood, all her hard work had paid off. Tamsin had shared a secret of her own accord. She had finally stopped fighting Wren, stopped hiding, and had offered a momentary view of true vulnerability. They were making progress. Progress toward what, Wren didn’t know. But it felt like something vast and wild and important.

But the world-building was a more positive aspect of Sweet & Bitter Magic. For a standalone high fantasy book, Adrienne Tooley did an excellent job constructing these lands. Within the first few chapters, I established a sense of what this world looked like, how its magic system worked, and how the world affects our characters. With every new setting that the narrative introduces, Adrienne Tooley captures its details well. I had a clear picture of the world-building aspects from beginning to end without overkilling it.

Furthermore, everything regarding world-building checked out. The characteristics were believable and consistent. Nothing felt out of place, irrelevant, or confusing. World-building aspects came about at the right points in the novel, constructing the story perfectly without interrupting or delaying the narrative.

— v.

That was the trouble with ordinary folk. They loved magic, but they were frightfully flippant about the consequences. They’d trade a cow for a handful of magic seeds. They would offer up their voice to a mermaid in exchange for a smaller nose. They would seek out the trolls that lurked beneath bridges in the swampy Southlands, hoping to be granted a wish. But there was always a price for their impulsivity—the seeds bloomed flowers that sang incessantly, the new nose was always running, and trolls, who were notoriously indifferent to nuance, tended to misinterpret intention.

For the most part, I liked Adrienne Tooley’s writing, especially the dialogue. Once I got a clear picture of the novel’s world-building, the eloquent dialogue felt natural (it made sense before, but the world-building heightened the dialogue). Spoken communication was realistic, not contrived. Dialogue is one of Adrienne Tooley’s strongest writing aspects, potentially the strongest.

My only issues (if you would even consider them as such) revolved around literary devices. There were just so many similes and comparisons that it felt like overkill by the end of the novel. Sometimes, Adrienne Tooley would repeat words or phrases with no apparent reason why. It was cringe-worthy when similes were repetitive. However, this aspect did not affect my opinion too much; it only slightly annoyed me. Overall, I’d still say Adrienne Tooley is a great writer.

— vi.

“Because when you’re near me, I smell lavender on your hair. When you smile, I catch a taste of honey. Your skin is warm against mine, and when you touch me, I feel more than magic.” She kicked at a pebble, her face flushing furiously. “None of that should be possible, not with my curse. I used to only be able to experience that kind of joy when I was drawing on stolen love. My reserves are empty, have been for ages, so I’m starting to wonder if, maybe, I’m drawing on yours”—Tamsin glanced up from the grass, her eyes boring hopefully into Wren’s—”because you love me.”
Something loosened in Wren’s chest. “You feel?”
Tamsin took a step toward her. “When I’m with you, I do.”

Overall, Sweet & Bitter Magic has some great traits. The novel’s strength lies in its characters, dynamics, and world-building. However, the book also has its negative qualities, especially regarding the plot. This was probably the biggest letdown in my reading experience. I also had minor issues with some writing elements, but otherwise, the book was great. The plot is not necessarily a big deal for me in every situation, but this time, it affected the characters, ruining their complexities. And characters are always so, so important to me. Although the positive aspects outweighed the negative ones, I still think I cannot give this book a rating higher than I did.

I would still recommend Sweet & Bitter Magic. It was a fun read, and I did enjoy it for the most part. I especially recommend it if you’re looking for more sapphic romances in fantasy novels. But please do not take my negative opinions too seriously since I still liked the book, and everyone has a different reading experience. If I did not like the book, I would not recommend it. Adrienne Tooley produced a decent story, and I’m still interested in picking up any future novels she may write.

Final Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆

— vii.

There was a long road ahead. So many hurdles they had not yet encountered. Perhaps this love would last only a season. Maybe it would last forever. But if the many things Tamsin was afraid of, Wren was not one of them.
Love was not one of them.
And so she stood, her body pressed against another’s, their hearts beating in time, and she hoped. Tamsin turned toward Wren, closed her eyes, and tasted joy.

And that is it for my review! Did any of you get a chance to pick up Sweet & Bitter Magic? If so, what did you think? If you have not read it, do you plan to? And if you have no plans to read the book, what do you think about standalone fantasy novels? Do you think there are good examples out there? If so, what are they? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

If you have not had the chance to read my last book review (Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare), you can find it here. As always, I write for TV Fanatic—an entertainment website dedicated to all things television. You can check out my articles here.