Publishers Weekly
★ 11/13/2023
Seventeen-year-old Sybil Clarion makes a living stealing highly collectable artistic posters used for advertising around the Belle Époque–inspired city of Severon, where she lives with her roommate and best friend Esme Rimbaud. When she swipes an ad for the popular cabaret, Absinthe Underground, the establishment’s owner, elegant and charismatic Maeve, offers Sybil and Esme a lucrative job. All they have to do is use the magical key that Sybil inherited from her late Fae mother to sneak into the Fae realm, infiltrate Fae Queen Mab’s palace, and steal the crown jewels. In return, Maeve will set them up financially, allowing them to pursue Esme’s Plan for a Good Life, which involves living together in a small seaside cottage overrun by cats. The heist proves much more complicated than expected, however, especially when Sybil’s long-lost brother Lucien gets involved. In this haunting tale, set in the world of Vermilion Emporium, Pacton weaves a romantic and thrilling story of ambition, magic, and peril. Sybil and Esme’s chemistry is palpable, and Pacton’s lush portrayal of Severon as a city filled with art and beauty reminiscent of fin de siècle Paris adds additional layers of enchantment and appeal to the setting. Protagonists read as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kate Testerman, KT Literary. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
★ "In this haunting tale, Pacton weaves a romantic and thrilling story of ambition, magic, and peril. Sybil and Esme’s chemistry is palpable, and Pacton’s lush portrayal of Severon as a city filled with art and beauty reminiscent of fin de siècle Paris adds additional layers of enchantment and appeal to the setting."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"A delightful, magical tale that’s as comforting as a hot cup of tea."—Kirkus Reviews
"[A] sweetly enchanting ‘romantasy’ for fans of quasi-historical fiction."—Booklist
"A sweetly undemanding, cozy sapphic romance sprinkled with magic and adventure."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"This is a heartwarming Sapphic love story with a gauzy heist plot for cozy-fantasy lovers and art fans."—School Library Journal
What BookTok is saying about The Absinthe Underground!
"My heart is so full after reading The Absinthe Underground! The Moulin Rouge setting, the enchanting magic, and the lush writing – it's a must-read!" —@megstearoom
"A lush tale of sapphic pining, heists, and a fae world that will enchant you." —@emilysarahart
"Sapphic pining for your bestie, a heist in Fae, and the feeling of a cozy fantasy!? Pacton truly strikes a goldilocks chord with this one. The Absinthe Underground gave me everything I wanted and more!" —@booksdogsandcoffee
"With hints and flavors of Barbie & The Diamond Castle and Barbie in A Mermaid Tale, mixed with steampunk, fae, and a dangerous heist, The Absinthe Underground is a quick but intriguing read that is sure to grab readers' attention." —@pagesofbellerose
From Booksellers and Librarians!
"In this beautiful story about found family and adventure, Sybil and Esme embark on a journey between the human world and the world of the fae. As secrets are uncovered, so are desires. If you enjoy sassy heroines, a good heist, and a friends-to-lovers story, then this is the book for you." —Indigo, Schuler Books, Grand Rapids, MI
"In The Absinthe Underground, Jamie Pacton weaves a tender, unabashedly sapphic love story with a thrilling heist wrapped in a fairytale. Cozy and adventurous, heroines Sybil and Esme form an unstoppable duo they you can’t help but cheer for." —Mike Lasagna, Barnes and Noble Poughkeepsie
"For lovers of Barbie and the Diamond Castle & for those who claimed it as a sapphic story, this is your book! A dazzlingly enchanting portal fantasy filled with the whimsy, & overflowing with sapphic yearning. An ultimate cozy comfort read!" —Faye Larson, Indigo Bookseller
"There is no shortage of enchantment in this sapphic romantasy and readers will pine for another visit to Severon." —Megan Nigh, Teen Services Librarian, Kenosha, Wisconsin
"This adventure completely stole me away! The Absinthe Underground is for both the soft girlies who want to stay home with their cats AND the girlies who want to ride dragons first, ask questions later. Glittery, lush, and oh-so-swoony, this sapphic Belle Époque faerie-tale romantasy is the book we've been waiting for!" —Kassie King, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, MO
From Authors!
"Behold: the queer Belle Époque fantasy of my dreams, brimming with yearning and adventure and written by a true master of whimsy! From cats in cozy clock towers to schemes in the glittering world of Fae, Pacton spins a tale that enchants like a glass of absinthe." —Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic
"An enchanting romantasy brimming with glittering, intoxicating prose and wild Fae magic. These quick-handed thieves will steal your heart from your first meeting, and their escapades will keep it racing until the last page." —Elizabeth Kilcoyne, Wake the Bones, William Morris Award finalist
"Thrilling and romantic, The Absinthe Underground is an intricately woven tale filled with sapphic yearning, daring thieves, and glittering fae magic. I loved every word of it." —Alicia Jasinska, author of The Midnight Girls
School Library Journal
04/01/2024
Gr 9 Up—In this light, sweet adventure, Sybil and Esme fall in love as they go on a mission to steal the crown jewels from a fairy queen on behalf of a mysterious nightclub owner. The girls start in Severon, an alternate 19th-century Paris, where they scrape by waiting tables (Esme) and stealing art posters (Sybil), while secretly pining for each other. Depending on their pooled resources for survival, neither is willing to risk friendship for romance. When Maeve, a powerful nightclub owner, catches the girls stealing a poster advertising her exclusive nightclub, she offers them a deal: cross into Fae and steal Queen Mab's jewels, or she turns them in. The novel's central interest is Esme and Sybil's emotional awakening, full of longing and love. This mostly makes up for the way the friends go through their adventures a tad bit too easily, meeting exactly the right person with the right information at the right time. What makes marginally successful poster thieves remotely qualified for infiltrating another realm and a royal palace in just two days? However, a twist ending offers satisfaction. The world of Severon is most welcome, taking its cues from the multicultural, queer artistic milieu of the Belle Époque. Pacton's human and Fae worlds also clearly do not depend on men—the only male character of note is Sybil's adventurer brother who spends most of the novel locked in a dungeon. VERDICT This is a heartwarming Sapphic love story with a gauzy heist plot for cozy-fantasy lovers and art fans.—Katherine Magyarody
Kirkus Reviews
2023-11-04
Best friends with secret feelings for each other are hired to steal jewels from a queen in the Fae realm.
Ever since adventurous, half-human Sybil left her wealthy family after her Fae mother’s death, she’s been making money as a thief, selling stolen posters by famous artists to collectors. She has help from her homebody roommate, Esme. The pair unexpectedly meet Maeve, the model from their latest stolen poster—one advertising a nightclub called the Absinthe Underground—and Maeve reveals that she’s a green fairy who’s stuck in their world. She offers the roommates riches to journey into the land of Fae, a world Esme hadn’t known existed, and return with the crown jewels of Queen Mab, which can set her free. As the friends find themselves in increasingly perilous situations, their desire for each other grows. Admitting their feelings will take just as much courage as the heist itself. Inspired by belle epoque Paris and set in the same world as The Vermilion Emporium (2022), this cozy fantasy has lush imagery and a fun, magic-filled heist plot that’s more charming than stressful. Because most of the conflicts Sybil and Esme encounter are quickly overcome, the story maintains a low-stakes feel, allowing readers to savor the whimsy. The romance between the two white women is cute but doesn’t evolve much. Still, the happiness they find together is gratifying.
A delightful, magical tale that’s as comforting as a hot cup of tea. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 13-18)
