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alexinitalics's review against another edition
4.5
I really loved the writing style of this book. It's hard to pinpoint why but Ning's voice just drew me in every time I picked up the book. I also loved the world building and magic system. It's very unique but also consistent and interesting, the use of tea to form connections.
With the book being set at seemingly the start of a revolution, it took me a while to figure out Ning's view, even with the first person perspective. She seems to go from very unaware and neutral to very passionate quite suddenly and I'm not sure if I just missed something in the first half of the book.
Also, my favourite character was probably Lian. We love Lian.
With the book being set at seemingly the start of a revolution, it took me a while to figure out Ning's view, even with the first person perspective. She seems to go from very unaware and neutral to very passionate quite suddenly and I'm not sure if I just missed something in the first half of the book.
Also, my favourite character was probably Lian. We love Lian.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
oakairi's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Torture, Vomit, and War
amberinpieces's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Classism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol, Violence, Torture, Animal death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
morininung's review
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
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."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Grief and Classism
Minor: Death of parent, Blood, and Misogyny
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.solarel's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I enjoyed the world, though the first half of it felt very similar to other books I’ve read.
The ending was a cliffhanger but didn’t manage to give any sense of finishing to the story arc? That’s just my thoughts.
Overall I think this was pretty middle of the road. It was a fun read, enjoyable and mysterious. But there were parts I found fell short of what they could have been.
The ending was a cliffhanger but didn’t manage to give any sense of finishing to the story arc? That’s just my thoughts.
Overall I think this was pretty middle of the road. It was a fun read, enjoyable and mysterious. But there were parts I found fell short of what they could have been.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, War, Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Police brutality, and Torture
daley_mckdonald's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
jes_reads00's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood
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.nxpe's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book was not at all what I was expecting. I went into this thinking it would be a relatively simple fantasy about tea magic, but it ended up being hella political. And that doesn't make it bad, but it's not by any means, I just wasn't expecting it.
I enjoyed the tea magic a lot more that I thought I would, and it was described in a very lovely way. Definitely craved tea more than I have in a hot minute.
This was also my first Asian-inspired fantasy, which was pretty interesting! I was nervous about it going into it, but I was really fun! Definitely will be picking up the sequel.
I enjoyed the tea magic a lot more that I thought I would, and it was described in a very lovely way. Definitely craved tea more than I have in a hot minute.
This was also my first Asian-inspired fantasy, which was pretty interesting! I was nervous about it going into it, but I was really fun! Definitely will be picking up the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Torture, Animal cruelty, and Vomit