Excellent fantasy adventure about a lovable toxic mess of an idiot plant-man by Azalea Forrest.

I thoroughly enjoyed my previous read by Azalea Forrest, Witch in the Lighthouse, but after reading A Bitter Drink, I think this one is my new favourite of the two. Less Ghibli, and dialing back on the coziness a little, to instead bring us great character work and higher stakes in an imaginative fantasy world. So, let’s have a deeper look.

Blurb

As the center of trade for the four major races, Bisia is the perfect city for a Dahlseid—a young race of plant folk—like Rowan to experience whatever his heart desires, and his position as ambassador for the Dahlsia makes affording those desires easy. But when he overhears a plot of treason against his people, all of that could end.

But will it?

My people can take care of themselves, Rowan thinks. The humans will give up once they realize the Dahlsia have nothing of value. Because all humans want is gold, right?

They’ll be just fine.

Full of magic and misadventure, A Bitter Drink tangles Rowan in the vines as he's forced to team up with a pacifist human vagabond, a deadly serious elven spy, and a cheerful dwarf with a strangely calming presence. Together, they're determined to put a stop to the twisting heinous plot that threatens to destroy everything they love. But Rowan’s heart isn’t in it: he’s a coward and he knows it. Joining them would mean risking his life, and to challenge one’s true colors is a bitter drink indeed.

Review

Azalea really struck gold with Rowan. He’s such a memorable protagonist, and a great character right from the get-go. A hedonistic coward and inexperienced politician with a fascinating background playing ambassador, but who fell quickly to the trappings and corruption of privileged living. As a reader, I was instantly enamoured. His character growth is certainly the focal point of the book, and it all comes to a satisfying conclusion.

I also really enjoyed the worldbuilding of the Dahlsia—the plant-people who are born directly of their Mother, a powerful godlike being who became the tree at the centre of their country, Gresha. It raises some interesting discussions and implications about the state of religion in the realm, and the strange ways in which magic works (here called aether). Throughout the book, we hear a lot about the political tensions and wars occurring in the wider world, but the focus of this story is strictly on the plot happening within the court in Bisia. Our dual antagonists were compelling and took the story to very dark places that contrasted well with the more optimistic tone of the rest of the book.

Despite being the clear stand-out, and the story’s main focus, Rowan wasn’t the only great character. Dagan, the aforementioned pacifist human vagabond; Tani, the elf spy and warrior, and Clover, the upbeat dwarf with a strangely calming presence. Each were brilliant and distinctive, and the romance element was interesting. I especially liked how even into the ending they stayed very true to their characters, especially Tani who was absolutely brutal.

A Bitter Drink is paced perfectly, and is well-written. I enjoyed the writing style, and I would love to see more from this world, and from Rowan, Dagan and their friends.