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Cover art by JiaLing Pan
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Praise for Bitter Medicine Sparks fly in Tsai’s refreshing and enchanting paranormal debut . . . 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. - Publishers Weekly starred review
Creative, tense, and extremely swoonworthy, Mia Tsai's Bitter Medicine brings together cultures, mythical creatures, and genres for an unforgettable mash-up debut that will appeal to fans of Fonda Lee and paranormal romance enthusiasts. - Mike Chen, New York Times Bestselling Author of Star Wars: Brotherhood
A romp of a supernatural action-romance, Bitter Medicine is a sparkling mix of angsty yearning, cool magic, family drama, and intriguing side characters, with a garnish of wonderful use of language! - Malka Older, Infomacracy
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Description
As a descendant of the Chinese god of medicine, ignored middle child Elle was destined to be a doctor. Instead, she is underemployed as a mediocre magical calligrapher at the fairy temp agency. Nevertheless, she challenges herself by covertly outfitting Luc, her client and crush, with high-powered glyphs.
Half-elf Luc, the agency's top security expert, has his own secret: he's responsible for a curse laid from an old assignment. To heal them, he'll need to perform his job duties with unrelenting excellence and earn time off from his tyrannical boss.
When Elle saves Luc's life, they begin a dangerous collaboration, but their chemistry blooms. Happiness, for once, is an option for them both. But Elle is loyal to her family, and Luc is bound by his true name. To win freedom from duty, they must make unexpected sacrifices.
Half-elf Luc, the agency's top security expert, has his own secret: he's responsible for a curse laid from an old assignment. To heal them, he'll need to perform his job duties with unrelenting excellence and earn time off from his tyrannical boss.
When Elle saves Luc's life, they begin a dangerous collaboration, but their chemistry blooms. Happiness, for once, is an option for them both. But Elle is loyal to her family, and Luc is bound by his true name. To win freedom from duty, they must make unexpected sacrifices.
More praise for Bitter Medicine:
"An intoxicating blend of mythology, family love and betrayal, and magic, Tsai's debut is an absolute stunner! Mix together one fiercely talented calligrapher, one swoony French half-elf, and a magical world filled with danger and mystery, and you get a breathlessly compelling contemporary fantasy. Bitter Medicine is as elegant and potent as one of Elle's spells." — Sierra Simone, USA Today bestselling author
The modern Chinese diaspora fantasy that I’ve yearned for—fresh, exciting, with characters who leap off the page. - Courtney Milan, author of The Devil Comes Courting
Overflowing with effervescent charm and sly humor, Bitter Medicine intoxicates with its steamy romance, globe-trotting adventure, family drama mystery, and a fabulously inventive world of magic inspired by cross-cultural lore. The delights are plenty--especially potent are gorgeous descriptions of magic inspired by Chinese calligraphy and brushwork along with a tender, sweeping love story crafted so thoughtfully from the characters’ individual journeys of self-knowledge and redemption. - Angela Mi Young Hur, author of Folklorn, a New York Times Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novel of 2021 and an NPR Best Book of 2021
Magical, sexy, and snarky, Bitter Medicine is perfect for grown up fans of Artemis Fowl looking to scratch that fairy heist itch. - Lara Elena Donnelly, author of the Amberlough Dossier and Base Notes
Bitter Medicine goes down like a spoonful of sugar with a dash of spice: a dazzling and adventurous romantic fantasy with tons of heart. I can't wait to see what Mai Tsai does next! - Hugo Award-winning editor Diana M. Pho
