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

I thought A Magic Steeped in Poison was good, but not great. I appreciate the twist Judy I. Lin employed in this book, leaning in to tea as magic. My understanding is that the tea ceremony and traditions surrounding it are revered by many Asian cultures, and as such, I loved that Judy I. Lin gave tea this additional sway.

That said, the emotions were flat in this book. I’m not sure if it was intentional. The world was interesting enough to bring me in every time I read it, but the characters weren’t so compelling that I felt invested, excited, or disappointed. They simply… were. For that, this gets 3.5 stars instead of 4. The book was interesting and I’m curious to see where it’s going, but I’m not compelled to reread it or own it.

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bearbookshelf's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.5

Wow! A fast-paced, intriguing fantasy that I couldn't put down! I really enjoyed the way Lin threw the reader straight into the action and let the world build in harmony with it instead of just parallel to it. What an intricate magic-system, thought out political landscape, and cultural clarity. The characters presented themselves only in as much as the narrator/main character Ning could understand them, and this maintained the tension and suspense across the narrative as Ning's perspective melded with our own and our understanding of the text was guided by Ning's own emotional landscape.
It is infrequent that I find Young Adult Fantasy so spell-binding. I tend to get bored by the break-neck speed of the plot and crave more character insight. Lin, however, struck the perfect balance for a reader like myself. If you like a fantasy read with delicate and detailed magic systems, mystery, political intrigue, emotional depth, and class-based commentary, this is a read for you.

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allisonbrooke's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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ruthhelizabeth's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The magic system of this book was sensational. I also loved the world building and the characterisation of the protagonist. However, the story felt like it had been plotted out in scenes, and then each written separately. I didn't feel like they flowed. On top of this, I loved many of the side characters, but they ceased to exist 95% of the time when the main character didn't exist. It wasn't even that the story needed to specifically describe what they were up to, but the fact that a group of powerful people in the world whose ongoing actions should have strongly impacted our main character made them feel hollow and wasted. Nevertheless, the world building, characters and magic system will still make me want to read the next book in the series. I just hope that the story is not so severely focused directly on the actions of the protagonist next time round.

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indeedithappens's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

2.75

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mattiedancer's review

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adventurous fast-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

4.0

Writing: 4⭐️/5

The writing is strong throughout the book and yet a few sections throughout the novel really pulled me from the story. When the writing is good, it’s great. When it’s not, I wished an editor had pushed a little harder on the prose because it’s jarring. The weaker sections of writing – mixed with a few grammatical errors that really screwed with my head – really marred the otherwise strong writing in other sections.

Characters: 4⭐️/5

The characters were lovable and felt mostly rounded. A few side characters relied on us just innately understanding that they were worth knowing, though, which I didn’t love. I wanted a bit more exploration of these characters to understand why they were so worthy of our love and faith.

Plot: 4.25⭐️/5

A few moments of “trust me even though I’m your enemy shit talking your friend” aside, I did like the overarching plot. It seems like the second book (which I have yet to read) is going to dive into the main story. This book started to feel like its main job was to set up the next plot, which isn’t a bad thing as it makes me more excited to read the next one.

Post-Reading Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

Should have bought book two already.

Who Should Read This?

Fans of YA fantasy
Someone looking for a fun and often well-written book, who doesn’t mind a few errors
A unique plot mixing magic and nobility

CW: Death, death of a parent, vomiting, animal abuse

Final Rating: 4⭐️/5

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romie_chat's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

4.25

“And this is what this brew is about. The taste of being human. Of making mistakes. Of being young again. The reminder that sometimes we are the labourer and sometimes we are the one at rest.”

I guess A Magic Steeped in Poison is one of those books that immediately grabs your attention, and although you still expected it to, you’re still thinking, “wow, what a lovely surprise!” I did expect to love this book, but I didn’t know how comforting it would be.

I’ve never been good at imagining scenes from a book, I struggle visualising what I’m reading, but this book said, ‘it’s okay, I’ll simply make you taste and smell instead.’ I could simply smell each tea being prepared, or taste the food described, and that made this read so delightful and comforting!

Of course, it does not mean this book was not action-packed and simply cosy. It heavily deals with court intrigue, classicism and elitism. Seeing Ning becoming her own person, fighting for what she believes in and experiencing all these new things was brilliant. I truly felt like I knew her and was rooting for her the entire time!

I’m extremely excited to read A Venom Dark and Sweet as I simply adored spending time with all our characters and truly connected to the writing style! (4.15)

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