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nixieba25f's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Confinement, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Bullying, Grief, Body horror, Violence, Death of parent, Alcohol, Murder, Animal cruelty, and War
monicalaurette's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book was so fun to read and such a fun concept, magic tea and the magic from those who can pour it. I was so upset that I wasn’t able to actually view them pouring or the magic steam and instead just having to try and imagine it in my head. I may have to try and look up some fanart to see it in action.
I also liked Ning and her love for her father and Shu, the reasons she even went to Jia. So much happened, and sometimes when it would I’d say out loud ‘oh of COURSE this would happen/this person would do that’ but even with those moments that just seemed a little too convenient, the story was surprising and I was gripped to it.
“Strangling me with continuous thoughts of my own inferiority and doubt.”
Very happy that I was able to get both books in a thrift store so I can just start the next one now - so wish me luck!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Medical content, Death of parent, Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Murder, and War
xvicesx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was surprisingly good. I picked it up in the library after I'd been in two minds about it online several times thinking that it would not be my cup of tea (see what I did there? 😜) but after I read the first paragraph, I couldn't put it back. How powerful an opening!
They say you can spot a true shennong-shi by their hands - palms colored by the stain of the earth, fingertips scarred from thorns, a permanent crust of soil and blood darkening the crescents of their nails.
I used to look at my hands with pride.
Now, all I can think is, These are the hands that buried my mother.
The pacing was really good throughout, every scene purposeful and leading the reader through the baffling world of court politics and intrigue from the eyes of a girl of simple goals. All Ning wants to do is save her sister.
The romance was cute, although brief, so I'm hoping for a bit more in the follow-up, and the end does come to a bit of a cliffhanger overall but I enjoyed it all enough to not argue too much.
Strongly recommend. A love letter to Chinese myth, food that is a form of art, and most of all, tea.
On a side note, because I've seen this flagged as LGBTQ elsewhere and it's not necessarily clear if it's the main focus of the book or there is representation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Deportation, Classism, and Chronic illness
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Death, War, Animal cruelty, Torture, and Blood
I flag a note on animal cruelty because a snake dies as a vehicle for one of the trials, but all other animals featured in the book do just fine.vixenreader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Despite some plot thread being left unresolved, and some overstuffing, this debut is impressive in its concept, sensitive protagonist, and strong female relationships. The tea has been spilled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Animal death, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, War, Classism, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Medical trauma, Death, and Drug use
Moderate: Gaslighting, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Bullying, Colonisation, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcohol, Excrement, Cursing, Pregnancy, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
There is a heavy amount of poisoning and a conspiracy theory driving the plot.aseel_reads's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I really liked the magic system of the world and the descriptions of the tea but otherwise, it had a very basic fantasy/empire plot and I ended up skimming a lot of the text because nothing was happening. I also felt that at times the MC was acting in an out of character manner? She wasn't fleshed out enough for us to believe she would act/say something so rebellious
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Classism, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual harassment
pm_me_book_recs's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The beginning is a slow burn, introducing us carefully and patiently to the world politics and tea magic system, dropping hints of danger and conspiracy to draw us in. About a quarter of the way in, it starts to pick up with the danger and submerges us into the deeply forged ways of Ning's powers with tea. She is a wonderful character, myself being an older sibling I completely resonated with her drive to keep her sister alive. She is indignant toward condescending politicians, sassy with flirtatious strangers, and quick to defend others. I love her and cannot wait to read the second installment to see how this all unfolds. Full of twists, Judy I. Lin leaves us wondering who we can trust.
Queer representation is pretty good in this one. There is only one relationship (not MC), but it is tender and sweet, fierce, and absolutely normalized and not made a point of.
Queer representation is pretty good in this one. There is only one relationship (not MC), but it is tender and sweet, fierce, and absolutely normalized and not made a point of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Bullying, Classism, Death, and Death of parent
emburke's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexism, Alcohol, and Bullying
magnan1mouse's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Bullying, and Medical content
Minor: Torture, Self harm, and War
k_aro's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I honestly wished I enjoyed this book more.
This is not to say by any means that this was a bad book, but I think I've grown out of this genre more generally (what genre? Good question. My mind always calls it YA Fic, but then that's a massive genre - so, just think something between Hunger Games, Six of Crows, and Marie Lu's whole oeuvre. I think you get an idea). On the other hand, I also enjoy that there's more Chinese representation in fields I didn't see myself represented in, though on the third, mutant hand, my brain treacherously (and cynically) wonders whether this is just regurgitation of tokenization etc etc. Not to belabor the point.
I enjoyed the way that Lin really does infuse a lot of Chinese culture (but again, third mutant hand, etc etc. I had similar problems with Six Crimson Cranes, which I didn't mention because, like, it's a kid's book lol who cares). I love seeing familiar foods being represented, even without having them named - whoever mentioned that this book has lush food descriptions was totally right. I love the concept of tea as a magic, even if it didn't really turn out the way I entirely expected?
As for my misgivings... well, the culture thing has been mentioned. But I am also kind of ambiguous on how Chinese medicine/tea is being framed as magical, which is obviously the central conceit but does also reflect modern attitudes on Chinese medicine. I mean I don't think it'll heal a broken leg or anything, but it has legitimately helped where "Western" has failed.
I'm also not entirely sure I like the characters. I appreciate that Ning is so headstrong, but, I don't know, I think she exhibits a lot of problems I have with YA Fic headstrong female characters. Something like she's an archetype? It's just, I don't know, been done before. I honestly prefer Lian, even though I don't necessarily agree with some of Lian's actions and words - she just felt more, unconstrained by conventions of characters in YA Fic.
I'm not convinced of Ning and Kang's relationship, either. It feels a little forced, and like it never ends up anywhere before, oh I guess they're kissing now that's great. And this is not to say I am biased against this kind of relationship - one of my favourite books of all time, Alanna: The First Adventure, features a relationship that is honestly pretty close to one-for-one, I guess aside from Kang needing to hide his identity. And like I said, I really like it! And I'm honestly convinced of Alannna and Jonathan's relationship. I do have similar misgivings about Alanna and this book tho, lol.
I also don't know about where the book lands on the monarchy/emperorship (what is the correct term???). I think it's kind of hard about this genre of Chinese drama where, like, on the one hand the monarchy is OBVIOUSLY corrupt to a certain degree because that's how trying to tame an ever-swelling bureaucracy is like. But then like, it's okay? I don't know, I guess I just don't love monarchy generally. I guess the empress is only 19 though. It's difficult.
This is not to say by any means that this was a bad book, but I think I've grown out of this genre more generally (what genre? Good question. My mind always calls it YA Fic, but then that's a massive genre - so, just think something between Hunger Games, Six of Crows, and Marie Lu's whole oeuvre. I think you get an idea). On the other hand, I also enjoy that there's more Chinese representation in fields I didn't see myself represented in, though on the third, mutant hand, my brain treacherously (and cynically) wonders whether this is just regurgitation of tokenization etc etc. Not to belabor the point.
I enjoyed the way that Lin really does infuse a lot of Chinese culture (but again, third mutant hand, etc etc. I had similar problems with Six Crimson Cranes, which I didn't mention because, like, it's a kid's book lol who cares). I love seeing familiar foods being represented, even without having them named - whoever mentioned that this book has lush food descriptions was totally right. I love the concept of tea as a magic, even if it didn't really turn out the way I entirely expected?
As for my misgivings... well, the culture thing has been mentioned. But I am also kind of ambiguous on how Chinese medicine/tea is being framed as magical, which is obviously the central conceit but does also reflect modern attitudes on Chinese medicine. I mean I don't think it'll heal a broken leg or anything, but it has legitimately helped where "Western" has failed.
I'm also not entirely sure I like the characters. I appreciate that Ning is so headstrong, but, I don't know, I think she exhibits a lot of problems I have with YA Fic headstrong female characters. Something like she's an archetype? It's just, I don't know, been done before. I honestly prefer Lian, even though I don't necessarily agree with some of Lian's actions and words - she just felt more, unconstrained by conventions of characters in YA Fic.
I also don't know about where the book lands on the monarchy/emperorship (what is the correct term???). I think it's kind of hard about this genre of Chinese drama where, like, on the one hand the monarchy is OBVIOUSLY corrupt to a certain degree because that's how trying to tame an ever-swelling bureaucracy is like. But then like, it's okay? I don't know, I guess I just don't love monarchy generally. I guess the empress is only 19 though. It's difficult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, Medical content, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Death, and War
snowwhitehatesapples's review
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.
Filled with beautiful imagery and rich depictions of Chinese culture, A Magic Steeped in Poison is the first book in a duology featuring a girl named Ning who can perform magical feats using tea, desperately trying to save her dying sister whom she accidentally poisoned along with their mother. In an attempt to achieve this goal, Ning heads over to the imperial palace to compete in a competition where the winner is allowed one favour from the princess. However, things don’t go smoothly for her because of saboteurs and issues brought forth by her lack of awareness, knowledge and social status.
Despite all the aforementioned problems normally being what I enjoy reading about, I found myself feeling very lukewarm toward the book. Although reading A Magic Steeped in Poison was a practice in holding back my hunger and refraining from being tempted by the many delicious descriptions of tea and food, it also was boring because it took a long time for the interesting and crucial parts to develop. The pacing was really off because on one hand, we have a dying sister but then on the other, there’s this competition that’s taking weeks to progress and a lot of other events taking the tension and anxiety away from that sister’s impending death. Honestly, it felt like the story kicked off at the first page but only truly continued in the last few chapters. Everything else in between had filler vibes.
The romance also felt out of place as I thought it was too much for Ning to fall in insta-love with a stranger (attributing their strong attraction to the powers of the magical tea they drank together is questionable too) while her sister is dying. Like, girl, did you not run away from home just so you can try your best to win a favour from a princess to save your sister who’s on her deathbed and only able to hang on because of the experimental antidotes she ingests? FOCUS, please!
Other than that, I’m disappointed by the flat characters. There’s been a lot of care placed on the tea, the food and the culture but not enough of the same care was given to developing the characters into more complex ones. Sure, there were some internal struggles Ning had but they were too little and came too late. Nevertheless, I’m optimistic that it’ll get better in the sequel as there won’t be a competition limiting anything.
All in all, A Magic Steeped in Poison wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t entirely good either. I look forward to how everything develops further in the second book, though I’m not going to have high hopes—just in case.
Filled with beautiful imagery and rich depictions of Chinese culture, A Magic Steeped in Poison is the first book in a duology featuring a girl named Ning who can perform magical feats using tea, desperately trying to save her dying sister whom she accidentally poisoned along with their mother. In an attempt to achieve this goal, Ning heads over to the imperial palace to compete in a competition where the winner is allowed one favour from the princess. However, things don’t go smoothly for her because of saboteurs and issues brought forth by her lack of awareness, knowledge and social status.
Despite all the aforementioned problems normally being what I enjoy reading about, I found myself feeling very lukewarm toward the book. Although reading A Magic Steeped in Poison was a practice in holding back my hunger and refraining from being tempted by the many delicious descriptions of tea and food, it also was boring because it took a long time for the interesting and crucial parts to develop. The pacing was really off because on one hand, we have a dying sister but then on the other, there’s this competition that’s taking weeks to progress and a lot of other events taking the tension and anxiety away from that sister’s impending death. Honestly, it felt like the story kicked off at the first page but only truly continued in the last few chapters. Everything else in between had filler vibes.
The romance also felt out of place as I thought it was too much for Ning to fall in insta-love with a stranger (attributing their strong attraction to the powers of the magical tea they drank together is questionable too) while her sister is dying. Like, girl, did you not run away from home just so you can try your best to win a favour from a princess to save your sister who’s on her deathbed and only able to hang on because of the experimental antidotes she ingests? FOCUS, please!
Other than that, I’m disappointed by the flat characters. There’s been a lot of care placed on the tea, the food and the culture but not enough of the same care was given to developing the characters into more complex ones. Sure, there were some internal struggles Ning had but they were too little and came too late. Nevertheless, I’m optimistic that it’ll get better in the sequel as there won’t be a competition limiting anything.
All in all, A Magic Steeped in Poison wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t entirely good either. I look forward to how everything develops further in the second book, though I’m not going to have high hopes—just in case.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Death of parent, Classism, Bullying, and Death