A review by romie_chat
A Magic Steeped In Poison by Judy I. Lin
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.25
“And this is what this brew is about. The taste of being human. Of making mistakes. Of being young again. The reminder that sometimes we are the labourer and sometimes we are the one at rest.”
I guess A Magic Steeped in Poison is one of those books that immediately grabs your attention, and although you still expected it to, you’re still thinking, “wow, what a lovely surprise!” I did expect to love this book, but I didn’t know how comforting it would be.
I’ve never been good at imagining scenes from a book, I struggle visualising what I’m reading, but this book said, ‘it’s okay, I’ll simply make you taste and smell instead.’ I could simply smell each tea being prepared, or taste the food described, and that made this read so delightful and comforting!
Of course, it does not mean this book was not action-packed and simply cosy. It heavily deals with court intrigue, classicism and elitism. Seeing Ning becoming her own person, fighting for what she believes in and experiencing all these new things was brilliant. I truly felt like I knew her and was rooting for her the entire time!
I’m extremely excited to read A Venom Dark and Sweet as I simply adored spending time with all our characters and truly connected to the writing style! (4.15)
I guess A Magic Steeped in Poison is one of those books that immediately grabs your attention, and although you still expected it to, you’re still thinking, “wow, what a lovely surprise!” I did expect to love this book, but I didn’t know how comforting it would be.
I’ve never been good at imagining scenes from a book, I struggle visualising what I’m reading, but this book said, ‘it’s okay, I’ll simply make you taste and smell instead.’ I could simply smell each tea being prepared, or taste the food described, and that made this read so delightful and comforting!
Of course, it does not mean this book was not action-packed and simply cosy. It heavily deals with court intrigue, classicism and elitism. Seeing Ning becoming her own person, fighting for what she believes in and experiencing all these new things was brilliant. I truly felt like I knew her and was rooting for her the entire time!
I’m extremely excited to read A Venom Dark and Sweet as I simply adored spending time with all our characters and truly connected to the writing style! (4.15)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Torture