Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

A Coup of Tea by Casey Blair

4 reviews

arcanaemia's review

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hopeful inspiring relaxing 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

4.5


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cozybooksandgoldenembers's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense slow-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

4.75


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vivavia's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious slow-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


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lastblossom's review

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adventurous challenging hopeful 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
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy!

tl;dr
Fun cozy fantasy with plenty of tea-centric narrative, light romance, and a hopeful message about the power of human connection.

About
Miyara, the fourth princess of Istalam, feels lost. Her sisters all seem to know what they want, but when it comes time for her to dedicate herself, the only path she sees is to give up her crown entirely. And so she goes on the run, hiding in a small town at the edge of the kingdom where strange magic laps at the borders, and the only safe haven she finds is a small, struggling tea shop.

Thoughts
What a pleasant read! While I love an action story, it's also a delight to read a story where conflict is solved largely by listening, developing emotional connections, and the power of community hope. Runaway princess stories have a tendency to speed through the "turns out I was sheltered" portion of the story, but this book focuses entirely on Miyara learning how much her old status in life really kept her out of reality. She's is an interesting lead, equal parts determined fighter and privileged princess, with the determined fighter winning out over the course of the story. Supporting cast all bring alternating perspectives to the story, with Entero probably being my favorite. There's also a very soft drama-free romance, great for fans of hand-holding and copious blushing. Segments about serving tea are thorough and well-researched. The world-building pulls a handful of East Asian influences with a Chinese-inspired tea ceremony, and some Japanese-inspired cultural markers for one of the people groups, but the world itself is not a direct one-to-one metaphor for any particular place. Overall, a great cozy read for anyone who wants a hopeful book about the power of human connection.

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