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saratonin_stories's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
This book was beautiful, in this case definitely judge a book by the cover. This gorgeous cover absolutely
encompasses the beauty of this book, from the magic of the tea, to the flowery prose, and the magestic
landscapes, Lin builds a world that captivates readers. The magic system was fascinating, and one of a kind; learning about the significance of tea and ceremony around it was wondrous. Definitely don't be fooled because the contrast to all this beauty is the dark rooted political games that lead to tenuous situations that Ning finds herself. Some of the relationship development between Ning and other characters was a bit clunky to me, but it didn't impact the story line significantly and ultimately the character relationships came to fruition. Ning's twisty relationship with Kang didn't quite hit the way it was intended, it felt like it needed more build-up and tension. Ning's friendship and partnership with Zheng and Ruyi equally needed more development. That being said, the gay tension between Zheng and Ruyi was perfection, and hopefully in the sequel we get to see more of their relationship. Ning and her sister's relationship is also something to hopefully look forward to in the next book Ultimately excited to read more about this magical world in the sequel.
encompasses the beauty of this book, from the magic of the tea, to the flowery prose, and the magestic
landscapes, Lin builds a world that captivates readers. The magic system was fascinating, and one of a kind; learning about the significance of tea and ceremony around it was wondrous. Definitely don't be fooled because the contrast to all this beauty is the dark rooted political games that lead to tenuous situations that Ning finds herself. Some of the relationship development between Ning and other characters was a bit clunky to me, but it didn't impact the story line significantly and ultimately the character relationships came to fruition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Death, Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Child abuse, War, and Medical trauma
indeedithappens's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Medical trauma, Medical content, Blood, Gaslighting, Classism, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Grief, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Torture, War, Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Murder
rtaire's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Violence, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Vomit
yaoipaddle'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I like this book and I'm glad it's so popular!
I am really excited that more books in Chinese inspired settings, lore, everything are being published and recognized.
The world Lin has built for this book feels like it's a real fully fledged place that exists. Nothing about it is described in an annoying high fantasy info dump. Instead I feel like the world is integrated well with the plot and characters.
I love the cast of characters and their interactions with Ning are some of my favorite parts of the story. Some of it is a little predictable like oh this is the new friend, this is the boy she likes, this is xyz but I still found it fun.
My biggest gripe was that some of the characterization of Ning felt poorly paced. Without spoilers, I think she was very flip-flop and intense about things that came as a surprise to me as a reader. It felt like "Whoa since when did she feel THIS strongly about it and had the balls to say it?" Ning also had a lot of "I'm not like other girls" moments in the first third of the book, but it tapers off as the book continues. Kang also at times felt too overly forgiving and flat as a character.
The magic being in tea would seem kind of strange or lame to some people, but it's very well done. It's interesting and unique and almost feels like mixing potions! I really liked the problem solving Ning demonstrated throughout the book in regards to her tea skills.
Some of the plot details felt predictable and like I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop, but this is YA and maybe for the target age range it's less predictable. I would go into it with an open mind but gosh sometimes Ning is irritating with her flip-flopping.
I recommend the book a lot! I was intrigued, I teared up at moments, and I'm excited for the sequel.
PS in the back of the book there's a glossary with pronunciation, definitions, and the characters for various terms and character names! (I didn't find it until the end... woops)
I am really excited that more books in Chinese inspired settings, lore, everything are being published and recognized.
The world Lin has built for this book feels like it's a real fully fledged place that exists. Nothing about it is described in an annoying high fantasy info dump. Instead I feel like the world is integrated well with the plot and characters.
I love the cast of characters and their interactions with Ning are some of my favorite parts of the story. Some of it is a little predictable like oh this is the new friend, this is the boy she likes, this is xyz but I still found it fun.
My biggest gripe was that some of the characterization of Ning felt poorly paced. Without spoilers, I think she was very flip-flop and intense about things that came as a surprise to me as a reader. It felt like "Whoa since when did she feel THIS strongly about it and had the balls to say it?" Ning also had a lot of "I'm not like other girls" moments in the first third of the book, but it tapers off as the book continues. Kang also at times felt too overly forgiving and flat as a character.
The magic being in tea would seem kind of strange or lame to some people, but it's very well done. It's interesting and unique and almost feels like mixing potions! I really liked the problem solving Ning demonstrated throughout the book in regards to her tea skills.
Some of the plot details felt predictable and like I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop, but this is YA and maybe for the target age range it's less predictable. I would go into it with an open mind but gosh sometimes Ning is irritating with her flip-flopping.
I recommend the book a lot! I was intrigued, I teared up at moments, and I'm excited for the sequel.
PS in the back of the book there's a glossary with pronunciation, definitions, and the characters for various terms and character names! (I didn't find it until the end... woops)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Sexism
mattiedancer's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Blood, Animal cruelty, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Torture, Murder, Death, Grief, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, War, and Violence
rusereviews's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin is a solid debut YA fantasy and the first book in The Book of Tea duology. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at around eleven hours and is narrated by Carolyn Kang. We follow main character with a first-person point-of-view.
Ning's mother is dead, after drinking poisoned tea that she unknowingly brewed. Her sister, Shu, is terribly sick from the tea as well. In an attempt to save her, Ning travels to the imperial city to compete in a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi--masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making. The winner receives a favor from the princess, and Ning plans to ask to save her sister's life. It's a lot more than she expected, though, among the court politics, jerk competitors, and a mysterious--but cute--boy with a deeply hidden secret.
The worldbuilding in general is pretty tight for a debut. I really dig the magic system here, especially the parts tied to different types of tea! The author did a great job weaving in Chinese mythology and traditional medicines. Her prose is wonderfully lyrical.
The plot felt mostly like a typical YA fantasy story, and sometimes it didn't really feel like the stakes were very high.
All that being said, I read this book in basically one sitting and I definitely plan to read the final book in the duology. That cliffhanger though!
Also can we talk bout this cover! The artist, Sija Hong, did a phenomenal job.
Tropes in this book include: folklore retelling (Chinese mythology), secret identity
CW: death of a parent (referenced), grief, violence, medical trauma, torture, blood, emesis, poison, death, snakes, murder, attempted murder
Ning's mother is dead, after drinking poisoned tea that she unknowingly brewed. Her sister, Shu, is terribly sick from the tea as well. In an attempt to save her, Ning travels to the imperial city to compete in a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi--masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making. The winner receives a favor from the princess, and Ning plans to ask to save her sister's life. It's a lot more than she expected, though, among the court politics, jerk competitors, and a mysterious--but cute--boy with a deeply hidden secret.
The worldbuilding in general is pretty tight for a debut. I really dig the magic system here, especially the parts tied to different types of tea! The author did a great job weaving in Chinese mythology and traditional medicines. Her prose is wonderfully lyrical.
The plot felt mostly like a typical YA fantasy story, and sometimes it didn't really feel like the stakes were very high.
All that being said, I read this book in basically one sitting and I definitely plan to read the final book in the duology. That cliffhanger though!
Also can we talk bout this cover! The artist, Sija Hong, did a phenomenal job.
Tropes in this book include: folklore retelling (Chinese mythology), secret identity
CW: death of a parent (referenced), grief, violence, medical trauma, torture, blood, emesis, poison, death, snakes, murder, attempted murder
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Death, Violence, Medical trauma, Vomit, Grief, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
azrah786's review against another edition
4.25
**I was gifted a copy by Titan Books in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, murder, death, death of parent, animal cruelty, animal death, terminal illness, medical content, grief, bullying, confinement, torture, sexism, misogyny, classicism
--
As a massive tea lover the mention of a magic system involving tea had me running to pick up A Magic Steeped in Poison and it did not disappoint!
Wracked with guilt after unknowingly serving her mother and sister poisoned tea, Ning is determined to do anything to save her sister. So when word from the Imperial Palace arrives inviting the apprentices of the Shennong-Shi (masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making) from across the kingdom to compete to be the court’s tea-maker, Ning is driven to participate by the promise of a favour from the princess for the winner.
However, being double-crossed by fellow opponents soon become the least of Ning’s worries as she unintentionally becomes entangled with the politics and conspiracies around court.
Judy I Lin’s prose is just as dreamy as the books cover and immediately draws you in to a page-turning story and setting imbued with spellbinding magic. Not only will the magical tea charm your senses but the vivid descriptions of places and all the mouth-watering food will undoubtedly immerse you fully into the world.
The pacing really keeps you on your toes in this one because the plot is just constantly rolling with Ning being swept away into the competition almost immediately. Now this tempo keeps up for pretty much the whole book and once you settle into the story it isn’t too much of a problem.
The only real place that I had an issue with it was when it came to the romance.. It definitely came around a little too fast and felt quite insta lovey which isn’t a favourite trope of mine. Though I will say the banter and spark that there was between the MC and LI was great, I just wish more development could have been shown between them on page.
That aside the overall plot was fascinating and though there were some twists that were a little obvious the political tensions of the empire were brilliantly woven around Ning’s personal story. Her love for her family was big driving force over the course of the story which I really loved and it was great to see wholesome female friendships there too!
Really looking forward to picking up the sequel!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
CW: violence, blood, injury, murder, death, death of parent, animal cruelty, animal death, terminal illness, medical content, grief, bullying, confinement, torture, sexism, misogyny, classicism
--
As a massive tea lover the mention of a magic system involving tea had me running to pick up A Magic Steeped in Poison and it did not disappoint!
Wracked with guilt after unknowingly serving her mother and sister poisoned tea, Ning is determined to do anything to save her sister. So when word from the Imperial Palace arrives inviting the apprentices of the Shennong-Shi (masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making) from across the kingdom to compete to be the court’s tea-maker, Ning is driven to participate by the promise of a favour from the princess for the winner.
However, being double-crossed by fellow opponents soon become the least of Ning’s worries as she unintentionally becomes entangled with the politics and conspiracies around court.
Judy I Lin’s prose is just as dreamy as the books cover and immediately draws you in to a page-turning story and setting imbued with spellbinding magic. Not only will the magical tea charm your senses but the vivid descriptions of places and all the mouth-watering food will undoubtedly immerse you fully into the world.
The pacing really keeps you on your toes in this one because the plot is just constantly rolling with Ning being swept away into the competition almost immediately. Now this tempo keeps up for pretty much the whole book and once you settle into the story it isn’t too much of a problem.
The only real place that I had an issue with it was when it came to the romance.. It definitely came around a little too fast and felt quite insta lovey which isn’t a favourite trope of mine. Though I will say the banter and spark that there was between the MC and LI was great, I just wish more development could have been shown between them on page.
That aside the overall plot was fascinating and though there were some twists that were a little obvious the political tensions of the empire were brilliantly woven around Ning’s personal story. Her love for her family was big driving force over the course of the story which I really loved and it was great to see wholesome female friendships there too!
Really looking forward to picking up the sequel!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death of parent, Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Classism, Death, Terminal illness, Bullying, Confinement, Torture, Sexism, Grief, and Misogyny
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
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
atamano's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Misogyny
Moderate: Medical content, Murder, and Torture