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

BITTER MEDICINE

by
Mia Tsai

ISBN: Print: 978-1-61696-384-2 / Digital: 978-1-61696-385-9

Published: March 2023

Available Format(s): Trade paperback, digital formats

In this xianxia-inspired contemporary fantasy, a Chinese immortal and a French elf navigate romance, family loyalty, and workplace demands. In her debut novel, Mia Tsai has created a paranormal adventure that is full of humor, passion, and depth.

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, author of Infomocracy

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, paranoid that her murderous younger brother will find her and their elder brother.

Using her full abilities will expose Elle’s location. 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 on two children 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 on a mission, he brings her a gift and a request for stronger magic to ensure success on the next job—except the next job is hunting down Elle’s younger brother.

As Luc and Elle collaborate, 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.

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