A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea #1) by Judy I. Lin

By Lean and Love �� - November 28, 2022

Tittle      : A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea #1)
Author        : Judy I. Lin
Pub Date : March 29, 2022
Pages         : 480
My Rating : ★★★

The Summary

Knowing that she is to blame is the only thing harder for Ning than losing her mother. She was the one who accidentally produced the poison tea that killed her and that now poses a threat to also kill Shu.

Ning goes to the imperial metropolis to compete after learning about a contest to determine the best shennong-shi in the kingdom—masters of the venerable and magical art of preparing tea. The princess will provide a favor to the victor, and this might be Ning's only opportunity to save her sister.

Ning, though, may be more in danger due to the treacherous rivals, violent court politics, and a mystery (and attractive) lad with a startling secret.

My Review

This young adult fantasy book was far better than I had expected. I loved how important tea was to the plot of the entire book. This story truly comes together because to the classic Chinese technique for brewing tea, which has a certain charm. Learning about traditional Chinese medicine as well as earlier Chinese customs, such as how to make tea, was intriguing.

The magic system and the story fit the author's incredibly lyrical writing style perfectly. The created planet is wonderful, unique, and full of rich heritage and history, aside from its ties to some Asian mythology. The charm and culture of this narrative were great.

The tournament provided a wonderful opportunity for readers to learn more about the magic system. The challenges were unique and enjoyable, frequently blending elements of the political instability.

Unfortunately, the characters are rather conventional YA fantasy characters. Although the characters weren't especially nuanced and lacked internal conflict outside of romantic relationships, they were nevertheless compelling enough to follow and support. Despite the fact that there are numerous characters, we only end up learning more about a select few of them. The majority of the supporting cast don't change much and rarely contribute fresh details to the plot.

Ning spent a lot of time waiting or pondering at first as the pace was slow. The build-up was almost too long, but the second half really upped the ante in terms of the plot's stakes.

Secondly, Ning's relationship with her love interest is the archetypal insta-love relationship, and I'm not the biggest fan of the cliché. Despite the fact that they were obviously cute together, I personally found them uninteresting because there was no spark between them that would have led to their romance developing throughout the story.

Although it may come off like I didn't like it, I truly did enjoy reading this. In the hopes that I will learn what I was missing in the first book, I am anticipating the sequel.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done!

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot.