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rory1387's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
pros:
- literally everything
- CASUAL QUEER REPRESENTATION??!!!! (it's TWO side/peripheral couples)
cons:
- made me crave good tea but I don’t have anywhere to buy it
- made me say "Alexa play folklore by Taylor Swift" 37859437 times, except I don't have an Alexa, so it pissed off my Siri
- literally everything
- CASUAL QUEER REPRESENTATION??!!!! (it's TWO side/peripheral couples)
cons:
- made me crave good tea but I don’t have anywhere to buy it
- made me say "Alexa play folklore by Taylor Swift" 37859437 times, except I don't have an Alexa, so it pissed off my Siri
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Torture, Vomit, and War
takarakei's review
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
If you are a tea lover - you must be drinking tea while reading to provide the ultimate experience. I also a lot of the time listened to 'teashop sounds' to really round it out.
The tea magic system is by far the most interesting thing about this book. I have a friend who is a Chinese medicine practitioner and I want to give her this book to see what her thoughts are! I would have loved even more of the tea magic and possibly to read about the background of the magic, the history or principles more. The passages when the tea magic is happening are by far the best and most beautiful sequences to read.
I think it's a fairly fast paced book and action packed (there's not a ton of internal dialogue etc which makes it feel like the story is always moving along). The political dynamic is a big part of the book and adds an element of mystery/intrigue. You're not quite sure who the MC can trust at any point. However, I was a bit confused by all the players and felt that the history wasn't really explained well, so I kept getting characters confused. The author puts references in the back of the book, but the 'character' chart only explains name pronunciation and not who people are, which I felt would have helped a lot.
Despite the book being fairly well paced, I didn't really connect with the political storyline until the very end when things get a bit nuts. I will likely read the sequel because of how it ended and my brain can't handle not knowing.
Also, personally I felt the romance to be a bit insta-lovey, but perhaps that is on purpose given how things play out...?
The tea magic system is by far the most interesting thing about this book. I have a friend who is a Chinese medicine practitioner and I want to give her this book to see what her thoughts are! I would have loved even more of the tea magic and possibly to read about the background of the magic, the history or principles more. The passages when the tea magic is happening are by far the best and most beautiful sequences to read.
I think it's a fairly fast paced book and action packed (there's not a ton of internal dialogue etc which makes it feel like the story is always moving along). The political dynamic is a big part of the book and adds an element of mystery/intrigue. You're not quite sure who the MC can trust at any point. However, I was a bit confused by all the players and felt that the history wasn't really explained well, so I kept getting characters confused. The author puts references in the back of the book, but the 'character' chart only explains name pronunciation and not who people are, which I felt would have helped a lot.
Despite the book being fairly well paced, I didn't really connect with the political storyline until the very end when things get a bit nuts. I will likely read the sequel because of how it ended and my brain can't handle not knowing.
Also, personally I felt the romance to be a bit insta-lovey, but perhaps that is on purpose given how things play out...?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, and Grief
graciejames'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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
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
4.0
This was such an interesting new fantasy! The world building in this was fantastic; I felt like I was sucked right in from the very first page. The whole magic intertwined with tea thing was really cool. And with that ending, I need the next book right now!
The characters and the plot don't suffer at the cost of the world bulding. Ning, Kang, and all the other main characters were well fleshed out. And there are some nice twists and turns in here that keep you guessing from page to page. I'd definitely recommend this to any YA fantasty fan!
The characters and the plot don't suffer at the cost of the world bulding. Ning, Kang, and all the other main characters were well fleshed out. And there are some nice twists and turns in here that keep you guessing from page to page. I'd definitely recommend this to any YA fantasty fan!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Murder
Minor: Torture, Vomit, and War
leedolee's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
A great debut!
This novel was such a great read with an interesting, fast-paced storyline! I absolutely enjoyed reading about this mystical art of tea brewing and the magic it possessed. I love reading books about competitions held in a kingdom's capital and about the political turmoils that occur within a nation.
I also enjoyed reading about the relationships between all the main and minor characters within this novel and I'm very much looking forward to the sequel!
This novel was such a great read with an interesting, fast-paced storyline! I absolutely enjoyed reading about this mystical art of tea brewing and the magic it possessed. I love reading books about competitions held in a kingdom's capital and about the political turmoils that occur within a nation.
I also enjoyed reading about the relationships between all the main and minor characters within this novel and I'm very much looking forward to the sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
theespressoedition's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Alright, well, that was a book.
Tea-based magic system? Yes, please.
Magical completion almost reminiscent of Spin the Dawn? Sign me up.
Secret prince blamed for his father's actions and no clue whether he's good or bad? Tell me more.
Ridiculously convoluted politics, history, and lore with final chapters so packed that there's no way to really decipher what just happened and you're left feeling dazed and confused about the whole thing? Yeah, that's where things went awry.
I had high hopes for this one. I really did. The cover is absolutely breathtaking and tea magic piqued my interest immediately. However, much of the story was drawn out (reminding me a bit of JLA books with tons of detail and description of what's happening and the events leading up to that moment) and then the last few chapters had so much information crammed into them that I lost track of everything. I would say I needed to go back and reread, but I felt like none of the necessary information had really been divulged earlier on. It just all happened and I was left scrambling for purchase.
I'm on the fence about wanting to read the sequel. On one hand, I'd like to see how everything turns out for Ning. On the other hand, if I read the sequel, WILL I even understand what happens??? The world has yet to know.
Tea-based magic system? Yes, please.
Magical completion almost reminiscent of Spin the Dawn? Sign me up.
Secret prince blamed for his father's actions and no clue whether he's good or bad? Tell me more.
Ridiculously convoluted politics, history, and lore with final chapters so packed that there's no way to really decipher what just happened and you're left feeling dazed and confused about the whole thing? Yeah, that's where things went awry.
I had high hopes for this one. I really did. The cover is absolutely breathtaking and tea magic piqued my interest immediately. However, much of the story was drawn out (reminding me a bit of JLA books with tons of detail and description of what's happening and the events leading up to that moment) and then the last few chapters had so much information crammed into them that I lost track of everything. I would say I needed to go back and reread, but I felt like none of the necessary information had really been divulged earlier on. It just all happened and I was left scrambling for purchase.
I'm on the fence about wanting to read the sequel. On one hand, I'd like to see how everything turns out for Ning. On the other hand, if I read the sequel, WILL I even understand what happens??? The world has yet to know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts
clovelatte's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
librarybookscene's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
rorikae's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
'A Magic Steeped in Poison' by Judy I. Lin is an evocative YA fantasy that focuses on one girl trying to save her family by entering a tea competition.
Ning's mother dies and her sister is fighting for her life all due to a poison that Ning brewed herself. Seeking to find a way to save her sister and absolve herself of the guilt she feels, Ning travels to the capital to compete in the competition to crown the next royal shennong-shi, those who wield the magical art of tea making. Though her sister was her mother's apprentice and was studying to be a shennong-shi, Ning knows enough to enter the competition and move forward. If she wins, she will receive a favor from the princess, which could save her sister's life. But political machinations going on behind the scenes of the competition threaten Ning's place and the country as a whole.
Lin creates a fascinating world and an enticing magic system though I found the characters in this story fall a bit flat. Despite Ning being the main character, I never found myself caring for her beyond hoping that she could win the competition to help her sister. There is also a light love story in this novel that I didn't care for and I think took away from the competition aspects though I do like the ways that Lin utilized the characters' feelings toward the end of the book to heighten tension.
The moments where this story excels is in the political intrigue going on behind the scenes, the complicated rounds of the shennong-shi competition, and the light touch of magic that permeates the tea making process. All of these pieces come together in interesting ways and are what have interested me enough to pick up the second book in this duology when it comes out.
If you are looking for a book with an interesting world, a quiet but intriguing magic system, and a competition that demands creativity from its contestants, then I would recommend 'A Magic Steeped in Poison.'
Ning's mother dies and her sister is fighting for her life all due to a poison that Ning brewed herself. Seeking to find a way to save her sister and absolve herself of the guilt she feels, Ning travels to the capital to compete in the competition to crown the next royal shennong-shi, those who wield the magical art of tea making. Though her sister was her mother's apprentice and was studying to be a shennong-shi, Ning knows enough to enter the competition and move forward. If she wins, she will receive a favor from the princess, which could save her sister's life. But political machinations going on behind the scenes of the competition threaten Ning's place and the country as a whole.
Lin creates a fascinating world and an enticing magic system though I found the characters in this story fall a bit flat. Despite Ning being the main character, I never found myself caring for her beyond hoping that she could win the competition to help her sister. There is also a light love story in this novel that I didn't care for and I think took away from the competition aspects though I do like the ways that Lin utilized the characters' feelings toward the end of the book to heighten tension.
The moments where this story excels is in the political intrigue going on behind the scenes, the complicated rounds of the shennong-shi competition, and the light touch of magic that permeates the tea making process. All of these pieces come together in interesting ways and are what have interested me enough to pick up the second book in this duology when it comes out.
If you are looking for a book with an interesting world, a quiet but intriguing magic system, and a competition that demands creativity from its contestants, then I would recommend 'A Magic Steeped in Poison.'
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
karcitis'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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism
Minor: Police brutality, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment