Lydia Kang

From the bestselling author of A Beautiful Poison comes another spellbinding historical novel full of intrigue, occult mystery, and unexpected twists. 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? A ravenous reader and researcher, Tillie has something of an addiction to truth, and she won't rest until she unravels the mystery of her sister's death. Unfortunately, Tillie's addicted to more than just truth; to ease the pain from a recent injury, she's taking more and more laudanum...and some in her immediate circle are happy to keep her well supplied. Tillie can't bring herself to believe vampires exist. But with the hysteria surrounding her sister's death, the continued vampiric slayings, and the opium swirling through her body, it's becoming increasingly difficult for a girl who relies on facts and figures to know what's real--or whether she can trust those closest to her.

Opium and Absinthe

Colleen

3 Stars
 
*A great premise overshadowed by too much focus on substance abuse*

ARC provided by Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest 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.


  “Opium, she thought vaguely as she drifted away. And absinthe. I must learn more about these marvelous wonders.”

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.

Side note: this story does contain spoilers for Dracula.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Cerys

Really enjoyed the book. I didn't have massive hopes for it but that is what made it even better. A take on a murder mystery that I have never read before but thoroughly enjoyed. Tilly as a main character was really intriguing a turn of the century woman who is socially awkward and wants to be a journalist. There are characters that you that you love, characters that you hate and characters that you are unsure about the whole time. Would thoroughly recommend giving this a read and I will be looking into Lydia Kang's other works.

Jennifer

A vividly written and graphical novel. The historical background relating to the book is carefully researched and with a good amount of details. The protagonist has an interesting personality and I enjoyed her drive to seek for the truth. 

My primary concern is that the book contains highly triggering content and some of the supporting characters are a bit predictable (so I wouldn't recommend if medical stuff is one of your triggers). Other than these concerns, the novel explores important thematic materials and the figurative passages are gorgeous.

Angelique Cather

I read this book for the Uncorked Readers June challenge and I absolutely loved it. It kept my interest the whole way through and it was not as predictable as other mystery books I have read recently. I also really liked the historical fiction aspect of the book. It takes place in Victorian New York right at the turn of the century. Tilly is a sheltered girl who comes from an affluent family. Her older sister gets murdered by an apparent vampire around the same time that Tilly gets injured in a horse fall. She must solve the murder of her sister while at the same time dealing with an opium and morphine addiction. Along the way she befriends a few newsies and has to figure out how to deal with the advances of her sister’s fiancé. 
I liked that this book stayed pretty accurate to historical events of the time. Tilly uses Bram Stoker’s Dracula to research vampires and her sister’s name matches the first victim in Dracula as well. Dracula was first published in 1897 so it perfectly fits into the time frame of the book. Tilly’s addiction to opium through Laudanum and as well as Morphine also make sense as both of these medicines were given to patients to control pain and hysteria and many people quickly became addicted to them. 
I found most of the characters to be likeable. Tilly is a very flawed character and at times makes very naive decisions. Some of them did annoy me; such as her wandering around New York City at all hours especially because she is aware that there is a murderer around. Some of her other decisions can chalked up to her sheltered upbringing and her addiction opium and morphine. Ian was another interesting character. He is a newsie with aspirations of becoming a writer and he seems to motivate to help Tilly in part because his own brother was killed while in the care of another woman who did not face any penalties for his death. He does not want the same to happen to Tilly’s killer. 
Overall I enjoyed this book and I am very glad that I chose it for my June read.

Randy Robbins

I loved reading about Tillie. She was a great lead and I hope she makes this into a series. It was also an interesting setting reading about NY culture in that timeframe. Definitely a fun read.

Opium and Absinthe

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