Reviews with content warning for Classism - A Magic Steeped in Poison

Reviews tagging 'Classism'

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin

42 reviews

kirstenf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

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monicalaurette's review

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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!

I just always hated when Shao was in a scene because he was like classic rich boy with connections, but I feel like he might have a change in book 2, or pass away

At first I was like ‘Wenyi no I thought you were chill’ when he messed with Kang’s tea and then when we saw him in the dungeon I literally yelled out ‘OH WAIT YOU’RE STILL CHILL’ and got sad that he wasn’t able to be saved

Was Zhen really going to marry her cousin (adopted or not?) or was she like forced to accept the betrothal?

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amberinpieces's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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morininung's review

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adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

a love story built on necessary deceit & a war that broke those ties

despite its flaws (namely some meandering descriptions and stilted dialogues), AMSIP manages to captivate its audience through soulful narratives and eloquent explorations of the lengths one will go to in order to protect their loved ones. at its core, it is a tale of family and sacrifice, displayed before a royal court too wrapped up in the maintaining of its own image to care. ning's desire to both burn and be a part of said court provides a fresh perspective, one i don't see much in east-asian fantasy but which i can deeply relate to.

on paper, this should have been my favorite book this year, and i'm incredibly sad that i didn't get to fully enjoy it. here's hoping AVDAS will be my saving grace.

quotes that scratched that weird itch in my brain

Grief has a taste, bitter and lingering, but so soft it sometimes disguises itself as sweetness.

If you were told at birth that the world is supposed to bow down to you, you would think it natural that you are destined to climb.

Human hands make mistakes, Ning, but they are the hands the gods gave us. We use them to make amends, to do good things.

You cannot pull the truth from the unwilling, and you cannot tear something out of a mind that is closed off.

We all have people we care about, those we would give our lives for. It puts us in danger, or makes us dangerous.

"You can raze plants to the ground, burn them, but some will always return the next year, and the year after that."

"The tree may stand strong, but the rot starts from within."

quotes that dissolved me into a puddle on the floor

"Careful, clever one," he says next to my ear, his breath stirring my hair.

The quick flash of his smile in the night is lightning against a dark sky.

"Ning," he sighs, and a shiver runs through me.

"I have to go," Kang says, yet he makes no effort to move.
"You should," I say, yearning for him to stay.

The lightest brush of my lips against his. He tips my head up and deepens the kiss, until it is a different sort of drowning, until we are forced to draw breath.

"I've tried to send her away for her own protection, and she crossed the empire to save me. I will never leave her again."

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xvicesx's review against another edition

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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.

It's the princess who is a lesbian, not Ning, so the queer romance is not the main focus of the book.

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vixenreader's review

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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.

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mariebrunelm's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring 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

4.75

Ning is apprentice to her father, a physician, while her sister Shu follows in their mother’s footsteps and prepares to become a shénnóng-tú, a student in the magic of tea. That is until a brick of tea, similar to the hundreds of bricks gifted by the emperor to his subjects, kills Ning and Shu’s mother and leaves the latter in a state close to it. Ning has practiced tea magic as well and developed promising abilities, but she can’t save her sister. Her only hope is winning the attention of the imperial palace and securing the help of a royal physician. To do that, Ning enrols in a competition to become the future empress’s shénnóng-shī, master of tea.
This high-stake, Chinese-inspired fantasy novel is easy to love. With a stubborn heroine devoted to saving her family, tea-magic and a magic tea competition, there’s no time to lose and the chapters fly by. I love that the author still took the time to introduce plenty of details describing the culture (the clothing, architecture, traditions) and the art of tea. It made for a very thoughtful narrative that was quite intense and fun. As usual, I didn’t care for the hint of romance, but by now I'm used to it and I don't hold it against the author.
Just so you know, this is the first volume in a duology and by the end you’re strongly encouraged to pick up the next one.

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trips's review

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adventurous challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book had great ideas and the markings of an author who certainly knows how to tell a great story. I love the magic system and reading about the world itself was awesome.

However, there were unfortunately a lot of points I really think needed more time steeping before the book got publish.
-Some pretty big chunks of this book that didn't really serve much purpose in worldbuilding/character building/plot progression, they were just...there.
-the above point made it was hard to get a true gauge on the characters, they got a little muddled together.
-Many points in the book didn't make much sense?
-The instalove was boring. I can accept instalove in YA but make it fun!! It was just sad to me :(

I will read this authors next series however, because the author genuinely has decent worldbuilding and magic systems, and they will definitely grow as an author!!

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aseel_reads's review

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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

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sophiesmallhands's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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