Reviews with content warning for Sexism - A Magic Steeped in Poison

The magic system is the best part of this book. I personally am not too interested in fight scenes, so the fact that this magic system is more psychologically-based makes it much more interesting to me. When Ning goes into the Shift, we are able to experience the emotional connections between the characters as well as the psychological, and that influences the outside world. For those that like fight scenes, there are a good amount present, so there's no need to worry. I am not a big fantasy girlie, so to me this was just middle of the road, but I think if you are super into fantasy, then you'll really like this. The ending of the book really nailed it (though I wasn't expecting how brutal it would get), and the author also did a very good job in making me question who to trust (even now, I'm not entirely sure that Ning has chosen the right people to trust, though it didn't seem that she had much of a choice). I personally thought that, while the set up and commentary on the politics of the kingdom was done well, with regards to the competition aspect of the book, the pacing was a bit too fast. The same goes for Ning's relationship with Kang, though I did like their relationship, at the same time there was nothing particularly special about it. It was entertaining, endearing, and sweet, but not unique.

I do sincerely hope that they reconcile in the next book. I will be quite disappointed if they don't.

I liked the ending, but I'm not sure that I'm totally on board with every detail.

The presence of an ancient being the source of the poison is interesting, but I am not as invested as I would be if it stayed with what had already been established. I am happy that Ning succeeded in healing her sister, thus completing her goal and arc for the first book. With the drink she had from the general, it would make sense that it made her immune to the poison, so hopefully that isn't discarded in the next book for the sake of raising the stakes. Also, since it was established that Shu (her younger sister) was supposed to be the apprentice, then that would mean that Shu is a stronger shennong-shi than Ning, so I wonder how that is going to be played into the next book, or if that will be ignored (maybe explain it away by saying she is still recovering from the poison?) I'm not entirely sure, but I hope that things that are already established will still have weight and won't be conveniently explained way in the the sequel.

Side note, the way that food was described in the book always made me hungry (it happened quite often, so you really work up an appetite!).

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amberinpieces's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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vixenreader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Despite some plot thread being left unresolved, and some overstuffing, this debut is impressive in its concept, sensitive protagonist, and strong female relationships. The tea has been spilled.

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mariebrunelm's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring tense fast-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

4.75

Ning is apprentice to her father, a physician, while her sister Shu follows in their mother’s footsteps and prepares to become a shénnóng-tú, a student in the magic of tea. That is until a brick of tea, similar to the hundreds of bricks gifted by the emperor to his subjects, kills Ning and Shu’s mother and leaves the latter in a state close to it. Ning has practiced tea magic as well and developed promising abilities, but she can’t save her sister. Her only hope is winning the attention of the imperial palace and securing the help of a royal physician. To do that, Ning enrols in a competition to become the future empress’s shénnóng-shī, master of tea.
This high-stake, Chinese-inspired fantasy novel is easy to love. With a stubborn heroine devoted to saving her family, tea-magic and a magic tea competition, there’s no time to lose and the chapters fly by. I love that the author still took the time to introduce plenty of details describing the culture (the clothing, architecture, traditions) and the art of tea. It made for a very thoughtful narrative that was quite intense and fun. As usual, I didn’t care for the hint of romance, but by now I'm used to it and I don't hold it against the author.
Just so you know, this is the first volume in a duology and by the end you’re strongly encouraged to pick up the next one.

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sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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penofpossibilities's review against another edition

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The writing is good.... its just sO YA and I cant sit through it unless its queer 🫠 its time to accept that its not my genre anymore I think... the mc is so juvenile and makes the stupidest mistakes and she seems to have 0 personality. And I CANNOT with the romance 🫠😭 its so cringe and insta-lovey and I dont careeeeee about straight ppl !!!!

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emburke's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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