Historical

Opium and Absinthe

Opium and Absinthe

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-20 08:53:43
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lydia Kang
  • ISBN：1542017793
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Cheryl ，

2。5。 Could have used a good editor to cut length of book。 Lots of needless details。

Rekha O'Sullivan ，

Thank you to the publishers， Netgalley and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Yes， I know this book has been out for over a year 。。。 my TBR is ridiculous。 But I am so glad that I went looking for a gothic story to mark the beginning of Spooky month， and stumbled across this one。 The story centres around a rather shy and awkward young woman， Tillie， whose sister is found murdered and who is determined to find the killer。 She has suffered a painful injury Thank you to the publishers， Netgalley and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Yes， I know this book has been out for over a year 。。。 my TBR is ridiculous。 But I am so glad that I went looking for a gothic story to mark the beginning of Spooky month， and stumbled across this one。 The story centres around a rather shy and awkward young woman， Tillie， whose sister is found murdered and who is determined to find the killer。 She has suffered a painful injury and， at a time when treating injuries and illness with 'cures' such as morphine and heroin， develops a habit that clouds her brain and makes investigating difficult。 It also seems that her sister's fiance is keen on keeping her complacent， and she does not understand his motivations。While investigating her sister， Lucy's murder， Tillie becomes obsessed with the idea that a vampire might be the killer and compulsively reads 'Dracula'。 She meets a young Jewish boy， Ian， who helps her understand the world a little better and， eventually， the scales fall from Tillie's life。As she starts to take control of her life the killer draws closer and soon Tillie is fighting for more than her independence。This is a gripping read， beautifully written and researched。 I loved the characters， especially the female ones， who were complex and layered。I am sure this author is well-known， but this is the first of her books I have read。 Although， it certainly will not be the last。 。。。more

Brooke， ，

⭐⭐⭐。5 （rounded up）。“Forgetting is an act of survival 。 We are women， Mathilda。 We endure to survive。"。What a surprise 'Opium & Absinthe' by @lydiakang turned out to be。 Initially I was uncertain about the dialogue and I struggled to hear the voices as believable people but as I moved further into the story， the dialogue started to feel more natural。 By the end I'd forgotten all about it。 Seems the Shakespeare effect struck。。Tillie is what you want in a protagonist。 Strong willed， flawed， & self ⭐⭐⭐。5 （rounded up）。“Forgetting is an act of survival 。 We are women， Mathilda。 We endure to survive。"。What a surprise 'Opium & Absinthe' by @lydiakang turned out to be。 Initially I was uncertain about the dialogue and I struggled to hear the voices as believable people but as I moved further into the story， the dialogue started to feel more natural。 By the end I'd forgotten all about it。 Seems the Shakespeare effect struck。。Tillie is what you want in a protagonist。 Strong willed， flawed， & self assured once she learns her strengths， Tillie goes about solving the murder of her sister in the best way she can。 Ian， Piper， Pops & Sweetie provide a wonderful support cast to all her ideas & schemes。。I don't know how accurate the history or geography is within this story but I'm not sure it matters。 The mental images created by Kang's lyrical descriptions builds a picture of substance that makes reality fell less necessary。。This is a great read for anyone looking for a semi-gothic， Dracula infused， Halloween read。 。。。more

Stefania ，

I did enjoy this novel。 Kang provided an interesting perspective on how drugs and mental illness can be a dangerous mix and how the mind can be greatly clouded while under the influence。 I'm a big fan of historical fiction as it always has an underlying truth to the events。 It was no surprise that I enjoyed learning small bits of fact that I did not otherwise know before reading this book。 I will say that compared to other mysteries that I have read， this one was average， and I found the conclus I did enjoy this novel。 Kang provided an interesting perspective on how drugs and mental illness can be a dangerous mix and how the mind can be greatly clouded while under the influence。 I'm a big fan of historical fiction as it always has an underlying truth to the events。 It was no surprise that I enjoyed learning small bits of fact that I did not otherwise know before reading this book。 I will say that compared to other mysteries that I have read， this one was average， and I found the conclusion to be a bit rushed。Kang was very good at putting the reader in Tillie's mind and exploring her loyalties and experiencing the events she was experiencing， I commend her for her ability to do so。 Speaking from my experience of writing stories， it can be quite difficult at times。 。。。more

Verča Blahová ，

*3，5Opium a apsint je historický román s prvky detektivky a se skvělou tajemnou atmosférou。 Na podzim je kniha jako dělaná。 Vraždy má totiž možná na svědomí upír！！！ A nebo je to jenom člověk， který si na upíra hraje？ To se dozvíte až si knihu prečtete。 A já vám jí rozhodně doporučuji。Příběh je hezky napsaný a obsahuje spoustu zajímavých pasáží o léčebných procesech 19。 století。 Hlavní hrdinka Tillie je velmi roztomilá dívka， která se chce dozvědět vše o světě， ale narodila se do bohaté rodiny a *3，5Opium a apsint je historický román s prvky detektivky a se skvělou tajemnou atmosférou。 Na podzim je kniha jako dělaná。 Vraždy má totiž možná na svědomí upír！！！ A nebo je to jenom člověk， který si na upíra hraje？ To se dozvíte až si knihu prečtete。 A já vám jí rozhodně doporučuji。Příběh je hezky napsaný a obsahuje spoustu zajímavých pasáží o léčebných procesech 19。 století。 Hlavní hrdinka Tillie je velmi roztomilá dívka， která se chce dozvědět vše o světě， ale narodila se do bohaté rodiny a po smrti sestry je taky jedinou dědičkou， což pro ní znamená， že se musí výhodně vdát a založí rodinu。 Tillie， ale touží po vyřešení vraždy její sestry a taky po vysokoškolském vzdělání。 V knize najdete i romantickou linku， která se mi líbila。 Občas se v knize objevovaly nezajímavé a zdlouhavé pasáže， které jsem trošku přeskakovala。Ale jinak je příběh napínavý， nečekaný a hezky se čte。 Líbí se mi jaký Tillie pomalu odkrývá pravdu o své sestře a dalších členech její rodiny nebo přátel。 Rozhodně vám knihu můžu doporučit。 Je to příjemné odpočinkové čtení。 。。。more

Carmen ，

Outstanding story！！I loved how this is not the same old story lines we have read over & over。 I can't count how often I've been reading （or listening to） a story & I can predict what's gonna happen。 But this book kept me guessing till the end。 I also can relate to Tilly & her struggle but thats another story 。。。。 This book is well worth buying。 Outstanding story！！I loved how this is not the same old story lines we have read over & over。 I can't count how often I've been reading （or listening to） a story & I can predict what's gonna happen。 But this book kept me guessing till the end。 I also can relate to Tilly & her struggle but thats another story 。。。。 This book is well worth buying。 。。。more

David Parker ，

Opium and AbstinenceI was originally drawn to the book by the title。 The allegory to Dracula seemed a bad spin as well as a young rich girl walking after midnight alone through the worst areas of New York。Why absinthe？

Lenny ，

V prvom rade ďakujem vydavateľstvu Grada za poskytnutie knihy na recenziu。V druhom rade priznávam， že som niekedy a v niektorých veciach povrchný človek。 Prečo to o sebe tvrdím？ Pretože knihu som si vybrala na základe jej krásnej obálky。 No uznajte， krásna， farebná， trochu tajomná。No potom som sa do knihy začítala a obálky je nepochybne krásna， ale ani príbeh nezaostáva。 Jedná sa o vyšetrovanie vraždy， kedy naši hrdinovania nemajú takmer žiadny prístup k dôkazom， ale aj napriek tomu sa snažia zi V prvom rade ďakujem vydavateľstvu Grada za poskytnutie knihy na recenziu。V druhom rade priznávam， že som niekedy a v niektorých veciach povrchný človek。 Prečo to o sebe tvrdím？ Pretože knihu som si vybrala na základe jej krásnej obálky。 No uznajte， krásna， farebná， trochu tajomná。No potom som sa do knihy začítala a obálky je nepochybne krásna， ale ani príbeh nezaostáva。 Jedná sa o vyšetrovanie vraždy， kedy naši hrdinovania nemajú takmer žiadny prístup k dôkazom， ale aj napriek tomu sa snažia zistiť， kto mladú ženu zavraždil。K príjemného čitateľskej zážitku dopomáha aj skutočnosť， že v knihe je spomínaná kniha Dracula， ktorá bola prvýkrát vydaná v roku 1899 a práve v tomto roku sa odohráva aj dej nášho príbehu。 Čím je však táto vražda ojedinelá？ Tým， že je prevedená na spôsob zabíjania upírom - obeť má na krku dve malé ranky a v tele žiadnu krv。Spáchal vraždu skutočne upír？ Alebo sa ho snažil na základe knihy iba niekto napodobniť？ Či je to dokonca niekto， koho Tillie osobne pozná？Okrem toho som mohla sledovať vývin závislosti。 Najprv na laudane， neskôr na morfíne a napokon na heroine。 Zaujímavé je， že všetky tieto látky boli v minulosti považované za bezpečný a úplne bežný liek， či už na kašeľ， bolesť alebo nervy。A čo záver？ Priznávam， že až do konca som netušila， kto je týmto záhadným vrahom。 Podozrievala som pre istotu všetkých （takmer všetkých）， až na samotného vraha a aj tak som ostala prekvapená pri jeho odhalení。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

Modern writing for a victorian America which made the scene come to life。 Kang created her characters to both be likeable and tolerable in cases of some。 Kept guessing til the very end revelation。 Would like to read others by her

Jacqui ，

Bit rambly but fascinating setting and I learnt quite a lot about opium and absinthe！

Rachel ，

I absolutely loved it！ It was incredibly well researched from the late 19th century （one of my favorite， if not my favorite， time periods）。 I learned many new words， and this is always fun for me！I thought it was extremely well written。 There were so many places in the book I felt like I was actually there， the wording was so realistic。 This is very hard to capture， and be successful with it。 I read so many books that read like an actual book， but this one didn’t。 I don’t know if this makes sens I absolutely loved it！ It was incredibly well researched from the late 19th century （one of my favorite， if not my favorite， time periods）。 I learned many new words， and this is always fun for me！I thought it was extremely well written。 There were so many places in the book I felt like I was actually there， the wording was so realistic。 This is very hard to capture， and be successful with it。 I read so many books that read like an actual book， but this one didn’t。 I don’t know if this makes sense， but it does to me 🤷🏼‍♀️。There were several quirky sentences that I just adored， vivid imagery that sometimes made me laugh out loud。 Like Tillie saying her scars were as noticeable as a fly doing a backstroke in a bowl of cream soup 😂I also was impressed with the accuracy of Tillie’s addiction。 Either the author has personal experience with it， or it’s just another incredibly well researched detail Lydia Kang has a gift for putting on paper。 Very well done。 。。。more

Mary ，

Nicely written story of people， addiction， FRIENDS， AND FAMILY

CATastrophe ，

RTC

Azzelia ，

A macabre mystery This book was splendid; absolutely splendid！ I loved how the antagonist grows to love and appreciate herself more through the tale all while trying to discover how her sister died with clues from Bran Stoker’s “Dracula” interspersed throughout。 This book keeps you enthralled from the first page and ends unexpectedly。 A must read。

Melissa ，

A good premise but could have used more grit and read like a YA novel

Kara & ，

OK book， worth reading once。No real criticisms， but it isn't one of my favorites， so I probably won't read again。 OK book， worth reading once。No real criticisms， but it isn't one of my favorites， so I probably won't read again。 。。。more

Celeste ，

I really enjoyed this book a lot。 It just kept me turning and turning the pages。 It also kept me up worried about a vampire killing me late at night。 The true charm of the book I think lies in the characters。 I find Ian and Tillie in particular easy characters to root for。 Even when Tillie is quite frustrating she has a spark in her that makes you hope she manages to get through whatever is holding her back。 Many of the other characters are not likable， but this serves a purpose too， and while a I really enjoyed this book a lot。 It just kept me turning and turning the pages。 It also kept me up worried about a vampire killing me late at night。 The true charm of the book I think lies in the characters。 I find Ian and Tillie in particular easy characters to root for。 Even when Tillie is quite frustrating she has a spark in her that makes you hope she manages to get through whatever is holding her back。 Many of the other characters are not likable， but this serves a purpose too， and while at moments everyone feels like a suspect， perhaps it is because they are all guilty of something。 While reading I kept wanting to finish do I could be satisfied and simultaneously not looking forward to finishing and leaving Ian， Tillie， Ada and the newsies behind。 。。。more

Emily ，

I absolutely LOVED this。 So， so， so good。 The protagonist is actually likeable too！ TW for sexual assault though。

Mandy Crumb ，

A boring and basic story about an opium addiction。 Slow going and hugely unbelievable even for those of us that enjoy Gothic literature。

Joseph Donigian ，

Really good historical fictionA play on vampires and history in New York， revealing Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and serial killing in New York are related。 Really good historical fictionA play on vampires and history in New York， revealing Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and serial killing in New York are related。 。。。more

K L ，

I have to admit that this book was a complete cover buy。 It’s gorgeous！ Fortunately， the story itself lived up to the cover。A historical murder mystery， that may or may not have vampiric activity， I thoroughly enjoyed this story。 I really jelled with the main character， even if she was pretty naive at times。 Her struggle with opium addiction was an interesting angle and I thought the author did a good job portraying her thought processes as she went through her ordeal。I enjoyed the New York sett I have to admit that this book was a complete cover buy。 It’s gorgeous！ Fortunately， the story itself lived up to the cover。A historical murder mystery， that may or may not have vampiric activity， I thoroughly enjoyed this story。 I really jelled with the main character， even if she was pretty naive at times。 Her struggle with opium addiction was an interesting angle and I thought the author did a good job portraying her thought processes as she went through her ordeal。I enjoyed the New York setting and maybe I wished there was a bit more of that。 The ending and resolution to the murder was not entirely unexpected， but I did not mind and it worked for me！Overall， I think this was a very good novel and I would definitely read more books by this author。 It read away easily and I liked the writing style。I highly recommend this one！ 。。。more

Jenni ，

It was the gaze of someone [Hazel] who recognized that their life was one blink away from a different life altogether。 （Ch 10）Stories are how the world evolves。 （Ch 25）

Jamie ，

While Tillie is bedridden after a riding accident， her beloved older sister is murdered and Tillie is determined to find out the truth of what happened and the source of the vampire marks left on her sister's neck while Tillie herself struggles with a new addiction to opium。I've struggled to find mysteries that take place in this time period that I really like， and this is by far the best one。 It has great well-rounded and developed characters with real struggles。 The story highlights interestin While Tillie is bedridden after a riding accident， her beloved older sister is murdered and Tillie is determined to find out the truth of what happened and the source of the vampire marks left on her sister's neck while Tillie herself struggles with a new addiction to opium。I've struggled to find mysteries that take place in this time period that I really like， and this is by far the best one。 It has great well-rounded and developed characters with real struggles。 The story highlights interesting aspects of the time such as the medical field， use of highly addictive drugs， child labor， and a peak into newspaper life， all of which pain a vivid picture and really bring the period to life in the book。It's a story about different kinds of monsters - drugs， family， abusers， society， and literal killers。 The insight into Tillie's addiction is stark and raw。 Following along with her on the journey it's easy to see how anyone could get hooked on something so feel-good and easily accessible。 The plot development and climax of the story worked well。 There are a couple of truly terrifying moments in which the author does a stellar job of brining you along and into despair and desperation。 。。。more

Virginia ，

It was slow to start， and overall I felt the book was heavy-handed and a bit clunky， but it was an easy read with growing momentum as the story continued， and offered some insight into the time period and upper-class drug addiction that I hadn’t previously encountered。 So 3 stars。

B。 ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I wanted to like this book more than I did。 Started out this review ready to round up to three， but the more I think about it the less I like it。 I found the whole historical medical angle/casual drug use of the upper class interesting but I couldn’t divorce myself from my modern perspective so I was mostly just irritated and angry at everyone and everything。 The red herrings were clunky， but relatively effective - I was surprised at the final reveal of the killer and thought it was an interesti I wanted to like this book more than I did。 Started out this review ready to round up to three， but the more I think about it the less I like it。 I found the whole historical medical angle/casual drug use of the upper class interesting but I couldn’t divorce myself from my modern perspective so I was mostly just irritated and angry at everyone and everything。 The red herrings were clunky， but relatively effective - I was surprised at the final reveal of the killer and thought it was an interesting enough motive that fit well enough with the characters， setting and time period。 I felt there were some anachronistic language choices in places （did they really use the term “boyfriend” in upper-crusty circles at that time？ Doubtful）， but a few nice turns of phrase。 But why bother with the throwaway mention of Tillie’s Chinese heritage， unless you’re really going to dig into it in the context of the opium trade， racism and exploitation， etc。 I feel like the unplanned pregnancy would’ve been enough of a scandal to act as the grandmothers motivation in that time period （why go there if you’re not going to GO there， you know？）。 Overall it just was not a win - quite cardboard-y and ham-fisted （see the wing-clipping scene as evidence）。 Still， it was readable and fairly light despite the murder plot， which is all I was prepared to handle this week。My favourite parts were probably the quotes from Dracula and the letters about elephant smells。ALSO， What WAS in the tonic？ I don’t think she ever revealed the results of the analysis！ If I missed it， please illuminate， because I doubt I’ll reread to find the answer。 。。。more

Mark ，

Enjoyable classic mystery thriller story！

Quinn Quarantine ，

FantasticAbsolutely fantastic。 Though set in a past time is relatable to present struggles in society。 Wonderful story that kept me well engaged from the first chapter to the last！

Richard Mulholland ，

Kinda like Tess Gerritsen meets Jane Austen， this comparison may be a wee bit hyperbolic， but you get the idea。 An enjoyable and interesting read with great characters。 I'll certainly read more of Kang's work。 Kinda like Tess Gerritsen meets Jane Austen， this comparison may be a wee bit hyperbolic， but you get the idea。 An enjoyable and interesting read with great characters。 I'll certainly read more of Kang's work。 。。。more

Muveei ，

"Opium and Absinthe is the richly seductive tale of a young Gilded Age heiress's journey down a beguiling but dangerous path in search of her sister's blood-draining killer。 Chillingly timely in its portrait of opiates' deadly allure， Kang's story shimmers with betrayed innocence and the power of trusting one's inner compass。"~Muveei's "Opium and Absinthe is the richly seductive tale of a young Gilded Age heiress's journey down a beguiling but dangerous path in search of her sister's blood-draining killer。 Chillingly timely in its portrait of opiates' deadly allure， Kang's story shimmers with betrayed innocence and the power of trusting one's inner compass。"~Muveei's 。。。more

Kelly ，

I enjoyed this book。 And to make things even better， I did not predict who the killer was！ That’s rather unusual for me。 Liked the story well enough to try another by this author。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Opium and Absinthe

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Opium and Absinthe&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Opium and Absinthe&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0