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mattiedancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
- Fans of YA fantasy
- Someone looking for a fun and often well-written book, who doesn’t mind a few errors
- A unique plot mixing magic and nobility
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
azrah786's review against another edition
4.25
CW: violence, blood, injury, murder, death, death of parent, animal cruelty, animal death, terminal illness, medical content, grief, bullying, confinement, torture, sexism, misogyny, classicism
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As a massive tea lover the mention of a magic system involving tea had me running to pick up A Magic Steeped in Poison and it did not disappoint!
Wracked with guilt after unknowingly serving her mother and sister poisoned tea, Ning is determined to do anything to save her sister. So when word from the Imperial Palace arrives inviting the apprentices of the Shennong-Shi (masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making) from across the kingdom to compete to be the court’s tea-maker, Ning is driven to participate by the promise of a favour from the princess for the winner.
However, being double-crossed by fellow opponents soon become the least of Ning’s worries as she unintentionally becomes entangled with the politics and conspiracies around court.
Judy I Lin’s prose is just as dreamy as the books cover and immediately draws you in to a page-turning story and setting imbued with spellbinding magic. Not only will the magical tea charm your senses but the vivid descriptions of places and all the mouth-watering food will undoubtedly immerse you fully into the world.
The pacing really keeps you on your toes in this one because the plot is just constantly rolling with Ning being swept away into the competition almost immediately. Now this tempo keeps up for pretty much the whole book and once you settle into the story it isn’t too much of a problem.
The only real place that I had an issue with it was when it came to the romance.. It definitely came around a little too fast and felt quite insta lovey which isn’t a favourite trope of mine. Though I will say the banter and spark that there was between the MC and LI was great, I just wish more development could have been shown between them on page.
That aside the overall plot was fascinating and though there were some twists that were a little obvious the political tensions of the empire were brilliantly woven around Ning’s personal story. Her love for her family was big driving force over the course of the story which I really loved and it was great to see wholesome female friendships there too!
Really looking forward to picking up the sequel!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
rory1387's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
- literally everything
- CASUAL QUEER REPRESENTATION??!!!! (it's TWO side/peripheral couples)
cons:
- made me crave good tea but I don’t have anywhere to buy it
- made me say "Alexa play folklore by Taylor Swift" 37859437 times, except I don't have an Alexa, so it pissed off my Siri
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Torture, Vomit, and War
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The characters and the plot don't suffer at the cost of the world bulding. Ning, Kang, and all the other main characters were well fleshed out. And there are some nice twists and turns in here that keep you guessing from page to page. I'd definitely recommend this to any YA fantasty fan!
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Murder
Minor: Torture, Vomit, and War
karcitis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism
Minor: Police brutality, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
pvbobrien's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Medical content
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
mmccombs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
Graphic: Terminal illness and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
Minor: War
sydneybedell's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Terminal illness and Injury/Injury detail
foreverinastory's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
4.5/5 rounded up! I need everyone to pick up this book immediately!
A Magic Steeped in Poison features a magic system based on Taiwanese tea culture! This story follows Ning as she navigates the grief over her mother's death and trying to find a cure for her sister who is deathly ill. When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi, she travels to the imperial city to compete in the hopes that winning will grant her a favor to cure her sister.
Between dark court politics, backstabbing competitors and the challenging contest, Ning has her hands full. Not to mention Ning wasn't actually her mother's apprentice, so her knowledge about the art of brewing tea is not as strong as other competitors.
I was swept away by the world building and amazing magic system. I loved seeing Ning navigate the challenges of the shennong-shi. Competition books like this are some of my favorite fantasy books to read. The competition is so fun and cool. I loved the various events, except the one that involved birds. Ning's skill and magic was so freaking cool. I loved that she could do so many things with tea and I need her to come over and make me so magic tea.
I loved Ning’s character. She was curious, protective and dedicated. I have a feeling we’ve only seen the tip of her magical abilities and I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes in the sequel.
Chinese coded cast. Cis female MC, sapphic female side characters, achillean male side characters, various side characters are poisoned and terminally ill.
CW: Violence, bullying, grief, death of parent, classism, animal cruelty, animal death, death, attempted murder/murder, blood, medical content, injury/injury detail. Moderate: alcohol consumption, misogyny, sexism, terminal illness. Minor: vomit, confinement, torture, war.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Torture, Vomit, and War
olivialandryxo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
The only reason I didn’t give it a higher rating is because I found myself not very attached to or interested in Ning, the protagonist. My favorite characters—Kang, Lian and Zhen—were all part of the supporting cast; they had sizable roles in the story, yes, but nonetheless were side characters.
Despite that, I’ll definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out. I have high hopes, especially after that brutal cliffhanger. 😮💨
I would recommend this book to you if you like magical competitions and unique magic systems, and/or the books Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim and Lobizona by Romina Garber. (Which, by the way, are both amazing!! So check those out along with this one. ;))
Representation
- full Chinese-inspired cast
- sapphic side couple
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
Minor: Torture and Blood