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queergoth_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
Got this as an eARC but all thoughts are my own.
I saw so many people in the US talking about this book when it came out over there so I was so excited when I saw it on NetGalley.
It follows Ning as she journeys to the capital to take part in a competition to appoint the next shennong-shi to serve in the palace and as an advisor to the princess. Ning hasn't had the proper training but she needs this to save her sister. Unfortunately she ends up embroiled in the politics of the empire and in much more danger than she could have expected.
I really loved this book. It's right up my street, full of action, magic and mystery. The magic system is just so great. I really loved how much detail you get into it. Many cups of tea were brewed while reading this.
My only issue is that the pacing was a little fast in some places and I had to go back and reread what was going on.
I saw so many people in the US talking about this book when it came out over there so I was so excited when I saw it on NetGalley.
It follows Ning as she journeys to the capital to take part in a competition to appoint the next shennong-shi to serve in the palace and as an advisor to the princess. Ning hasn't had the proper training but she needs this to save her sister. Unfortunately she ends up embroiled in the politics of the empire and in much more danger than she could have expected.
I really loved this book. It's right up my street, full of action, magic and mystery. The magic system is just so great. I really loved how much detail you get into it. Many cups of tea were brewed while reading this.
My only issue is that the pacing was a little fast in some places and I had to go back and reread what was going on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence
bookishkale's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
I kept hearing about this book on BookTok. Of course, what I noticed first is the beautiful cover, and I am always a slut for a good cover.
I am kind of a fantasy snob, where if the book has any magical element to it, I am all for it. It has to be intriguing however, and this book hits it right on the head. This book is inspired by both Chinese and Taiwanese mythology, and Lin does an amazing job. Her writing is so magical and poetic. Any time Ning brews a cup of tea, the descriptions are so fluid and delightful, that I found myself craving a cup of tea any time I picked up the book. I was fully immersed in this world, and if this ever gets picked up by a production company, the only format that would do it justice is animation. I loved the descriptions of food, it made my mouth water every time.
I wasn't surprised by the plot in anyway, I felt like for the first time in a while a cover blurb actually did the book justice! The plot moves a bit slower than I wanted it too, however that doesn't mean it's bad at all. When it was moving, I couldn't tear my eyes off the page. Parts of me wishes the competition part of the book was longer, but I understand why it was wrapped up the way it was. I thought all of the rounds in the book made sense, with ample explanation as to why it was going in this direction. The book was very easy to understand, making sure that even people who don't understand Chinese and Taiwanese culture, or tea culture that well can still follow along easily. The plot twists make sense and add suspense without adding any unnecessary drama. There's a hint of a miscommunication trope, which I don't usually care for, but it does actually add to the plot so I am not upset about it. The end of the book moves a lot faster than the rest of the book. I wish it was either fully expanded upon and added another two-three big chapters, or we had a much bigger cliffhanger earlier and it was expanded upon in the sequel. I can look passed this since there is a sequel to the book, so I feel like anyone who reads these back to back won't feel that as much.
The characters are somewhat lackluster in some places, but I have a feeling that the second book will flesh them all out some more. I think as a whole, from start to finish there was a ton of character development. That to say, it's a bad thing, especially with another book in this series to expand on everyone. Ning has a lot of flaws, but it's not really the main point of the book, but it's not ignored either. She tends to get herself in trouble because she doesn't fully think through her actions. All Ning wants to do is save her sister, so she's focused on winning the competition to do so. Ning is an easy character to relate to and understand her motives. However, parts of her character do lack depth. Everything was about her saving her sister and avenging her mother's death. I just wish that it was emphasized more by the end of the book how much she has grown to love being and practicing as a shénnóng-shi, but I think we'll see more of that in the sequel. I still love Ning though, and she is a great character to base these books around. I am going to talk briefly about some characters that I feel are spoilers to the book, since it does a fantastic job at revealing characters as it goes along. Kang is a character I wish was either fully expanded on or put at more of a distance from Ning. Don't get me wrong, I love the hint at romance, but it feels a little disjointed at times. I am really hoping that the second book expands on him more, especially seeing the ending of the book. I do believe he cares for Ning and I would like to see them together. I just felt like he was a little flat at times. Zhen, the princess, was probably my favorite character other than Lian. The way we meet her, as Zhen, and not just the princess is my favorite scene in the whole book. Riyu and Zhen add to each other's depth, which has me excited for the next book. I was so scared that Lian was going to betray Ning the whole book. She is so sweet and loveable, an excellent foil to Ning's character. I really enjoyed their interactions throughout the book, I hope we see more of her!
Overall, highly recommend as good end of summer read, as the nights get longer again and the weather gets a bit chiller.
I am kind of a fantasy snob, where if the book has any magical element to it, I am all for it. It has to be intriguing however, and this book hits it right on the head. This book is inspired by both Chinese and Taiwanese mythology, and Lin does an amazing job. Her writing is so magical and poetic. Any time Ning brews a cup of tea, the descriptions are so fluid and delightful, that I found myself craving a cup of tea any time I picked up the book. I was fully immersed in this world, and if this ever gets picked up by a production company, the only format that would do it justice is animation. I loved the descriptions of food, it made my mouth water every time.
I wasn't surprised by the plot in anyway, I felt like for the first time in a while a cover blurb actually did the book justice! The plot moves a bit slower than I wanted it too, however that doesn't mean it's bad at all. When it was moving, I couldn't tear my eyes off the page. Parts of me wishes the competition part of the book was longer, but I understand why it was wrapped up the way it was. I thought all of the rounds in the book made sense, with ample explanation as to why it was going in this direction. The book was very easy to understand, making sure that even people who don't understand Chinese and Taiwanese culture, or tea culture that well can still follow along easily. The plot twists make sense and add suspense without adding any unnecessary drama. There's a hint of a miscommunication trope, which I don't usually care for, but it does actually add to the plot so I am not upset about it. The end of the book moves a lot faster than the rest of the book. I wish it was either fully expanded upon and added another two-three big chapters, or we had a much bigger cliffhanger earlier and it was expanded upon in the sequel. I can look passed this since there is a sequel to the book, so I feel like anyone who reads these back to back won't feel that as much.
The characters are somewhat lackluster in some places, but I have a feeling that the second book will flesh them all out some more. I think as a whole, from start to finish there was a ton of character development. That to say, it's a bad thing, especially with another book in this series to expand on everyone. Ning has a lot of flaws, but it's not really the main point of the book, but it's not ignored either. She tends to get herself in trouble because she doesn't fully think through her actions. All Ning wants to do is save her sister, so she's focused on winning the competition to do so. Ning is an easy character to relate to and understand her motives. However, parts of her character do lack depth. Everything was about her saving her sister and avenging her mother's death.
Overall, highly recommend as good end of summer read, as the nights get longer again and the weather gets a bit chiller.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Classism, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, and War
rory1387's review against another edition
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: Grief, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Terminal illness
Minor: Vomit, War, Animal death, and Torture
cozylifewithabby's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I love the idea of this book. I have always gravitated toward food as magic books and when I heard this was a tea magic system I was hooked. However, the politics of the society were confusing, there was almost no character development, and I kept feeling like it was trying to be a whole trilogy in one book even though nothing happened most of it. The lyrical writing was nice, but it was a little disappointing
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
schnaucl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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
4.0
I enjoyed it. I liked the use of tea as a medium for magic.
Content Warnings
Minor: Vomit, War, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Violence
takarakei's review against another edition
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, Classism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The magic system was cool and I did like the portions with the competition scenes but I just didn't gel with the rest of the story. Hints of sapphic vibes but nothing confirmed for sure. I don't think I liked it enough to read the sequel but if you like YA fantasy romance (historical, diverse, mystery sub-plot), this is definitely that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
graciejames's review against another edition
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
booksthatburn's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Ning leaves her village to try and save her sister's life, joining a competition in the palace in hopes of winning a favor from the princess.
A lot of the worldbuilding revolves around every bit of her surroundings looks. The descriptions are usually brief enough to not slow things down too much, but this is a book that makes sure you get a sense of how most rooms (or at least the people in them) appear. There's also a lot of sensory information related to the tea. The magic system is consistent enough to make sense but loose enough to allow for a bunch of cool stuff which fits the kind of thing we know can be done even if it wasn't mentioned before it initially appears.
The audiobook narrator is great, her style fit the story and it was pretty easy to tell everyone apart (even minor characters).
One thing which was a bit frustrating is that Ning kept obsessing (and trying not to obsess) about this guy who at first appears unconnected to the palace but turns out to be much more than he appears. He works well as a plot device but I don't feel like I know anything about him and I don't get why she's interested in him (other than him being mysterious). Plots where people are lying stress me out, and having Ning not seem to know why she was so interested in him made it a bit harder for me to believe their romantic tension as well.
I'm confused by some of the strategies in the competition and the treatment of animals. It's so morally grey (even within the book, as evidenced by the judges' reactions) that it made me wonder if this is actually a villain arc rather than a hero arc. It establishes how far Ning will go to try to get this position and save her sister, but I can't tell whether that's meant to be good or bad.
As the first book in a duology, this ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Most major things from early in the book get a resolution, but right at the end several things happen which set up a direction for the sequel, but leave this book frustratingly unresolved on some key points. It works in the book, but whether it works for any reader will depend on your tolerance (or desire) for unresolved endings. This is the first half of a specific longer story, and it shows. I'm interested enough to finish that story and find out.
A lot of the worldbuilding revolves around every bit of her surroundings looks. The descriptions are usually brief enough to not slow things down too much, but this is a book that makes sure you get a sense of how most rooms (or at least the people in them) appear. There's also a lot of sensory information related to the tea. The magic system is consistent enough to make sense but loose enough to allow for a bunch of cool stuff which fits the kind of thing we know can be done even if it wasn't mentioned before it initially appears.
The audiobook narrator is great, her style fit the story and it was pretty easy to tell everyone apart (even minor characters).
One thing which was a bit frustrating is that Ning kept obsessing (and trying not to obsess) about this guy who at first appears unconnected to the palace but turns out to be much more than he appears. He works well as a plot device but I don't feel like I know anything about him and I don't get why she's interested in him (other than him being mysterious). Plots where people are lying stress me out, and having Ning not seem to know why she was so interested in him made it a bit harder for me to believe their romantic tension as well.
I'm confused by some of the strategies in the competition and the treatment of animals. It's so morally grey (even within the book, as evidenced by the judges' reactions) that it made me wonder if this is actually a villain arc rather than a hero arc. It establishes how far Ning will go to try to get this position and save her sister, but I can't tell whether that's meant to be good or bad.
As the first book in a duology, this ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Most major things from early in the book get a resolution, but right at the end several things happen which set up a direction for the sequel, but leave this book frustratingly unresolved on some key points. It works in the book, but whether it works for any reader will depend on your tolerance (or desire) for unresolved endings. This is the first half of a specific longer story, and it shows. I'm interested enough to finish that story and find out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Classism, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Confinement, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Torture, and Death
Minor: Vomit
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
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: Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Murder
Minor: Torture, Vomit, and War