The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton

The Absinthe Underground

Jamie Pacton

Candlewick Press · Paperback · May 27, 2025

An INSTANT National Bestseller!

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A decadent magical caper pairs slow-burn sapphic longing with fae intrigue.
Themes
Sapphic romance, Magic and Fae lore, Ambition and peril
Genres
YA Fantasy Romance, YA LGBTQ+, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Teens

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genre: YA Fantasy Romance.

  1. SibyllineMelissa de la Cruz60% match
  2. Dream by the ShadowsLogan Karlie61% match
  3. The Wicked Lies of Habren FaireBeth Noonan-Roberts, Anna Fiteni70% match
  4. The Witch HuntSasha Peyton Smith63% match
  5. The Scarlet Veil Deluxe Limited EditionShelby Mahurin64% match
  6. Stars, Hide Your FiresJessica Mary Best65% match
  7. House of Roots and RuinErin A. Craig63% match
  8. Queen of FacesPetra Lord65% match

For older readers: The Palace of Eros, This Gilded Abyss, The Book of Blood and Roses

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

An INSTANT National Bestseller! This lavish and decedent sapphic friends-to-lovers romantasy will leave fans of Moulin Rouge and Divine Rivals utterly enchanted! “A romantic and thrilling story of ambition, magic, and peril.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review After running away from home, Sybil Clarion is eager to embrace all the freedom the Belle Époque city of Severon has to offer. Instead, she’s traded high-society soirées for empty pockets.

Continue reading

At least she has Esme, the girl who offered Sybil a home, and if either of them dared, something more. While Esme would rather spend the night tinkering with her clocks and snuggling her cats, Sybil craves excitement and needs money. She plans to get both by stealing the rare posters that crop up around town. But when she’s caught selling a poster by none other than its subject, Maeve, the glamorous girl invites Sybil and Esme to The Absinthe Underground, the exclusive club she co-owns, and reveals herself to be a Green Faerie, trapped in this world. Maeve wants to hire thieves for a daring heist in Fae and is willing to pay enough that Sybil and Esme never have to worry about money again. It’s too good of an offer to pass up, even if Maeve’s tragic story doesn’t quite add up, and the secrets could jeopardize everything the girls have so carefully built. Jamie Pacton, author of The Vermilion Emporium, dazzles in this whimsical and daring romantic fantasy. Fans of Fae lore, slow-burn sapphic pining, and decadently magical worlds will find The Absinthe Underground as ensorcelling as a fairy delight.

Pining and Peril

A decadent magical caper pairs slow-burn sapphic longing with fae intrigue.

Come here for

  • Slow-burn sapphic pining threaded through a daring fae heist
  • Belle Époque glamour with magic at its edges

Expect

  • Romance, ambition, and peril in a whimsical fantasy
  • Secrets that put hard-won security at risk

Where it sits

YA Fantasy Romance90%
YA LGBTQ+69%
Fairy Tales & Folklore for Teens36%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • YA LGBTQ+
  • YA Supernatural Thrillers
Authors
Jamie Pacton
Publisher
Candlewick Press
Published
May 27, 2025
Format
Paperback
Theme
Sapphic romance · Magic and Fae lore · Ambition and peril
Reading lane
YA Fantasy Romance