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pinocchionline's review against another edition
5.0
Finalmente un libro super carino dove i protagonisti hanno un cervello funzionante e, nonostante i cliché, ti godi la lettura.
Punti bonus perché si basa su una mistica arte del te, quindi per una kitchen witch come me non può che essere super interessante
Punti bonus perché si basa su una mistica arte del te, quindi per una kitchen witch come me non può che essere super interessante
kaliha_03's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I really enjoyed this book but it have a bit of a lull in the middle of the book
exegi_monumentum's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jrpgirlie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Aside from the absolutely GORGEOUS cover and the fantastic descriptions of food, this book was mediocre in plot, delivery, and characterization. I wanted to enjoy it so much more than I did, and I only finished it because I hate DNF’ing books, but nothing about the story itself actually stood out to me.
anneliseb23's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up. As an avid tea drinker myself, the tea brewing magic system drew me to this story. I enjoyed the book well enough, but the plot and characters weren't always a win for me.
Ning is the main character and we follow her as she competes in a royal tea-steeping competition so that she can win the favor of the princess and potentially learn of a cure for her sister, who is dying of poison. Someone is poisoning tea bricks! The dichotomy of tea being both the necessary good and the evil poison is great. Ning needs tea to work her magic, but someone is tainting tea bricks and the poison is undetectable to even the best tea-brewers.
Ning was a little bit of a letdown. She was very passive - most things just happened to her and because of plot armor she made it to the end. Also I couldn't stand her behavior with Kang, another character who is a semi-love interest. She brewed a truth serum tea (near the beginning of the competition) and had him drink it, questioned him about various plot elements she needed answers to, and then still didn't trust him and said some very cruel things to him near the end of the book - even after they had become closer and opened up to one another over the course of the book. She was very wishy-washy in terms of who she trusted or not, and why. She also just changed her mind on a dime, or without fact checking information given to her. That was what angered me so much. She's given information and instead of having a conversation with the person the info is about she just decides it's true and they are horrible. She has no clue though.
I don't really know how to describe the book. The premise was good, but even in what should be very tense moments I didn't feel any emotion. I think this relays back to Ning being so passive herself. This was a very basic YA story. The stakes were never super high and I wasn't emotionally invested but it was still a good story and I'll read the next in the series to see where it goes from here.
Ning is the main character and we follow her as she competes in a royal tea-steeping competition so that she can win the favor of the princess and potentially learn of a cure for her sister, who is dying of poison. Someone is poisoning tea bricks! The dichotomy of tea being both the necessary good and the evil poison is great. Ning needs tea to work her magic, but someone is tainting tea bricks and the poison is undetectable to even the best tea-brewers.
Ning was a little bit of a letdown. She was very passive - most things just happened to her and because of plot armor she made it to the end. Also I couldn't stand her behavior with Kang, another character who is a semi-love interest. She brewed a truth serum tea (near the beginning of the competition) and had him drink it, questioned him about various plot elements she needed answers to, and then still didn't trust him and said some very cruel things to him near the end of the book - even after they had become closer and opened up to one another over the course of the book. She was very wishy-washy in terms of who she trusted or not, and why. She also just changed her mind on a dime, or without fact checking information given to her. That was what angered me so much. She's given information and instead of having a conversation with the person the info is about she just decides it's true and they are horrible. She has no clue though.
I don't really know how to describe the book. The premise was good, but even in what should be very tense moments I didn't feel any emotion. I think this relays back to Ning being so passive herself. This was a very basic YA story. The stakes were never super high and I wasn't emotionally invested but it was still a good story and I'll read the next in the series to see where it goes from here.
hopereads123's review against another edition
4.0
This one was such a good read! Even with high stakes, the book felt calming, like a warm cup of tea on a cold day. It started off seeming very similar to other YA books, and, although it did have some moments that felt like every other YA book, it managed to bring its one unique flair. I loved the magic system. I love tea, so maybe I'm biased, but it was so cool. I was entranced each time they made tea, no matter what the tea's purpose was. I'm actually excited to read the sequel, which is not how I usually feel. This was such a good book. If you love tea, soothing books, or competitions similar to Master Chef, this book is for you!
cosette_w's review against another edition
2.0
no plot just vibes ☕️
I really wanted to like this but I was a little bored… and that’s the tea
I really wanted to like this but I was a little bored… and that’s the tea