A review by grace_astudentreading
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

adventurous mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I did not think it was possible for Hafsah Faizal to break me again after having read We Hunt the Flame and We Free the Stars. I thought I knew all her tricks to destroy me. I was naive. Completely and totally wrong. This book still turned me into an absolute wreck, kept me from my sleep, and consumed my every thought. It was that amazing. For starters, I loved the characters so much. Arthie is an incredibly complex and compelling main character, while Jin is caring and charismatic. Their sibling dynamic was everything and made me love both of them even more. Flick was so sweet and had amazing development, Matteo was a hilarious wild card, and Laith had me desperate to reread the previous duology. I loved them all, even with all their secrets and lies and fears and rage and pain. As for the plot, it was one hundred percent chaos, scheming, and general vibes. I loved the mystery and tension working behind the scenes, as well as the heist and adventure in the foreground. There was so much going on at all times I could barely keep track. As for the ending, it absolutely wrecked me. There was insane twist after insane twist and I need the next book as soon as possible just to fully understand what exactly went down. And the fall out that I am certain will be significant in all regards, but especially in terms of character and relationship development. Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it (though I also recommend waiting for book two to be out to save yourself some pain and suffering).