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finozbleck 's review for:
A Tempest of Tea
by Hafsah Faizal
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
While this book is a pretty decent book, I did enjoy reading it. It also has a nice cover that I really like. It's a weird uniquely fast-paced book that reads like a medium-paced book.
The concept of a teahouse turned bloodhouse for vampires was very interesting and I really like this idea. Yet, my brain just did not connect a vampire teahouse with heists for some reason, but it works out by the end of the novel as the teahouse/bloodhouse is an important thing to the story. I do like the inclusion of the vampires as a major part of the story, though. I kind of wish the heist would be completed sooner so we can experience the consequences and problems leading up to the end so it doesn't feel rushed near the end, but I do understand it being a potential climax point in the story as it looks like there is another book coming out at some point, so we'll see what happens next.
The world-building felt a little bit too shallow and just not enough. I would've loved to have more world-building stuff so I could fully immerse myself in the world the story takes place in. The characters were loveable, but a tiny bit shallow. The plot twist near the end with Arthie was an unexpected plot twist that had me doing a double take and nearly broke me and I had to pause reading for a little bit to process it.
Only problem that I struggled with was the heavy-handed romance. It felt like a spoonful of sugar being forced down my throat constantly and it just felt a little weird and unnatural to me. Maybe if the story was longer, the romance could be properly spaced out instead of almost immediately being shoved down your throat.
The concept of a teahouse turned bloodhouse for vampires was very interesting and I really like this idea. Yet, my brain just did not connect a vampire teahouse with heists for some reason, but it works out by the end of the novel as the teahouse/bloodhouse is an important thing to the story. I do like the inclusion of the vampires as a major part of the story, though. I kind of wish the heist would be completed sooner so we can experience the consequences and problems leading up to the end so it doesn't feel rushed near the end, but I do understand it being a potential climax point in the story as it looks like there is another book coming out at some point, so we'll see what happens next.
The world-building felt a little bit too shallow and just not enough. I would've loved to have more world-building stuff so I could fully immerse myself in the world the story takes place in. The characters were loveable, but a tiny bit shallow. The plot twist near the end with Arthie was an unexpected plot twist that had me doing a double take and nearly broke me and I had to pause reading for a little bit to process it.
Only problem that I struggled with was the heavy-handed romance. It felt like a spoonful of sugar being forced down my throat constantly and it just felt a little weird and unnatural to me. Maybe if the story was longer, the romance could be properly spaced out instead of almost immediately being shoved down your throat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Trafficking, Stalking