My book reviews for The Book of Tea Duology by Judy I. Lin, including A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet.  Please be aware that the review for the second book contains spoilers.

Ning has brewed many teas in her life, learning the art of shénnóng-shī, the ancient and magical art of tea making, from her mother. But when she unwittingly brews a tea tainted with poison, it has devastating consequences, and her mother loses her life as a result. Poison tea bricks are showing up everywhere, and Ning’s loss is compounded when her sister also falls ill. Desperate not to lose her as well, she makes an impulsive decision to run away from home to take part in a competition to find the kingdom’s greatest shénnóng-shī who will serve at the Imperial court. The winner will be granted a favour from the Empress herself, and Ning is determined to use that to save her sister’s life.

When she reaches the Imperial court, she finds that it isn’t going to be as simple as proving that she’s the best. There’s much more happening behind the scenes at the competition with politics and deadly plots, and Ning finds herself embroiled in situations that put her in danger. Her focus becomes surviving the competition, not just winning it.

The idea of magic tea in A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin is what drew me in, and I did not regret this decision for a second. Lin’s world-building is brilliant from start to finish, and coupled with her wonderful characters that defy stereotypes and have strong character development, this is a must-read fantasy book. Ning was very easy to like, and I became emotionally engaged easily with her story from the beginning. Likewise, for many of the characters, including several minor characters. It is also always great to see an LGBTQIA+ rep, and the Book of Tea duology has a beautiful sapphic relationship.

While tea is a huge part of this book, obviously, I should mention, as someone who isn’t a massive tea lover (yes, not all Brits love tea), that this isn’t a book about people sitting around drinking lots of tea. It’s so much more than that. This is very much a political fantasy with some romance and a lot of court drama and brilliant world-building thrown in. If you love interesting and unique magic systems, then this is the one for you.

Lin is a writer who knows how to play with a reader’s emotions, and this is one you are definitely going to need tissues handy for. It does end on a huge cliffhanger, so I would suggest having the second book handy if that is not your thing. I did, and I’m not sure if I could have handled waiting to see what happened next!

A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin
Published by Titan Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Asian Authors, Asian Characters, OwnVoices Representation, Sapphic Characters, Magic Users, Outlaw Characters, Royalty Characters, Mythological Creatures, Action, Adventure, Romantasy, Xianxia, Tea Magic, Various Magic, Chinese, Alternative Universe, Coming of Age, Family Drama, Food & Drink, Found Family
Series: The Book of Tea Duology #2
My Rating:
Published on: 17th January 2023
Pages: 368
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Forbidden Planet / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK / Waterstones / BookBeat Audio
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The enthralling conclusion to Judy I. Lin's Book of Tea duology—"A Magic Steeped in Poison" and "A Venom Dark and Sweet"—is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.

A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept the people bound in fear and distrust.

Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shī—a wielder of magic using the ancient and delicate art of tea-making—has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess' loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning's newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen's rightful throne.

But the golden serpent still haunts Ning's nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. An evil far more ancient than the petty conflicts of men has awoken, and all the magic in the land may not be enough to stop it from consuming the world...

Content Warnings:

A Venom Dark and Sweet follows directly on from the end of A Magic Steeped in Poison, with Ning, Princess Zhen and Ruyi on the run after escaping the Imperial city. They narrowly escaped after the Princess was betrayed, a betrayal that saw the Banished Prince returning to Dáxi and seizing power. While Ning gained the secret to saving her sister’s life, it came at a steeper price than she was willing to pay: the lives of her friends. Her time during the competition was nothing like she expected, with Ning making unexpected friends, allies and enemies. She’s caught the attention of an ancient evil, and it’s not done with her or Dáxi yet.

In the second book of The Book of Tea duology, Lin ramps up the suspense and action. Ning’s sister Shu makes a fantastic addition to the cast of characters, bouncing off her sister and bringing out a side of her we haven’t seen before.  If you thought the stakes were high in the first book, you’ve seen nothing yet. I was on the edge of my seat for every moment of A Venom Dark and Sweet. I enjoyed putting the pieces together and the Chinese mythology woven into the story.

This was a fantastic sequel that hit all the right notes for me, and I highly recommend picking up this duology if you like fantastic world-building, interesting magic systems and strong, interesting characters.

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About Judy I. Lin

Judy Lin was born in Taiwan and moved to Canada when she was eight years old. She grew up with her nose in a book and loved to escape to imaginary worlds. She now divides her time between working as an occupational therapist and creating imaginary worlds of her own. She lives on the Canadian prairies with her husband and daughter.

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Thanks for reading my reviews for The Book of Tea duology, A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin!

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