A review by xvicesx
A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin

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.
It's the princess who is a lesbian, not Ning, so the queer romance is not the main focus of the book.
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