This book was different, but in such a good way! I loved every second of it. It was original and completely memorable. I will take this book with me until the day I die!!!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful fantasy novel with rich, enchanting prose and irresistible descriptions of food and, of course, tea. The world-building was really well done, including all of the court intrigue and palace politics. The mystery aspect of the story kept me guessing until the end, and I really enjoyed how all the pieces came together. I did find myself wishing that we got to know some of the side characters a little more, and I'm hoping that we will get to do so in the sequel along with exploring more areas of the empire.

I'm so glad that this is a duology, and I can't wait to cozy up with a cup of tea to read the conclusion!

I received an ARC fresh on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The anger feels good. It feels real, a welcome reprieve from my usual helplessness."

A Magic Steeped in Poison was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and no, it wasn't JUST because of that gorgeous cover. Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to the anticipation for me.

To give credit where it's due, the world of this story was fascinating, the tea based magic system was super unique, and the prose super lyrical.

So, now to the problems. There was a ton of telling, not showing. Like, Lin basically just flat out told me what was happening, instead of letting me experience it for myself, which always annoys me - like, respect your reader dude. The dialogue felt super forced as well.

There were also a ton of spelling and grammatical errors, though I assume this will be fixed in the final copy.

This is hands-down the best fantasy I will read this year. The descriptions of the characters, the clothes, the setting, the teas and the food were just impeccable and beautiful. Well crafted, interesting story - I am so glad the second book will be out this year already!

"I used to look at my hands with pride. Now, all I can think is, these are the hands that buried my mother."

A Magic Steeped in Poison is a lovely debut from Judy I. Lin, who I'm certain we'll be seeing more from after reading this book (in addition to the sequel which comes out in five months!). Also I know this is not part of the review, but the cover is stunning and fit the book so well. And I'm not sure what's going on with YA fantasy covers lately, but I am NOT MAD.

The magic in this book is delicate, as you might expect a tea magic to be, and the writing is sensory without being an overload of purple prose. I particularly loved the scenes where the tea magic is highlighted because I felt like I could see the moments happening, and it felt so cinematic. I wanted to hear the musical score that would accompany it!

Ning is a sympathetic narrator whose goals and priorities all make sense to the reader, and while the romance is not a super heavy part of the plot, I also thought it was well done.

My only criticism, and it's not a heavy one, is that at times, especially in the first half of the book, the narration and pulling together of the plot feels a bit slow. Things are definitely happening, but it feels a bit directionless in certain moments, and random at other moments. Then everything starts to come together, but I could see how it might read that way for some readers.

Ultimately, I would definitely give this book a chance as it was a well told story, and I'm excited for the sequel!

I have had amazing luck picking 2022 fantasies lately and I’m so happy that A Magic Steeped in Poison has continued that streak. Maybe it’s because of my new strategy: only read things with elite cover art.

Ning doesn’t have many choices left. After her mother died of the same poison that’s slowly killing her sister, she’s running out of options—and also time. Her hopes to save Shu’s life are now tethered to a competition in their kingdom’s capital. The princess has sent an invitation to all who study magical tea-making to compete for a chance to be the next royal shennong-shi. The odds are slim, but along with the title and prestige the winner will be able to ask the emperor for one favor. And what Ning needs more than anything is access to the best medical treatment in the kingdom for her dying sister.

The competition is brutal, though, populated by underhanded tactics and ruthless contenders. And with a number of power plays and political maneuvers being enacted behind the scenes, Ning will have to be careful not to step into the line of fire.

Judy I. Lin writes with a softer touch, even though the stakes are just as dire as other YA fantasies. But there’s something almost soothing about the description of her tea magic, no matter what is actually being depicted in the text. The blend of a cultural staple, like tea, with with traditional medicine and magic, is such an incredible way to incorporate real-world customs into fantasy, and I hope we see more of it. I’d love for tea magic to become its own its own sub-genre the way ‘wizard schools’ have.

This wasn’t as fast-paced as some others I’ve read recently, but it’s just as engaging as the best of them, especially by the end. The political components were fun to try to unravel. You think you understand who the major players are and where their loyalty lies, only for everything to be eventually flipped on its head. We’re left on a cliffhanger, not one that will totally destroy your life, but one that will simply haunt your every waking hour. Probably even some sleeping ones, too.

If you love lush food descriptions, intricate and unique magic systems and fantastical competitions, you will enjoy A Magic Steeped in Poison. And luckily for us, the sequel in this duology, A Venom Dark and Sweet, is coming out only FIVE (5) months after the first one!!! If you’re not aware, this is basically unheard of for a YA fantasy series and I’m taking it as a blessing.

Ah yes. This book. When my eyes fell upon it, I thought that it seemed so so promising. From the gorgeous cover, to the intriguing title, to the captivating synopsis, I’ll admit that I may have allowed these aspects to set high expectations. Perhaps, expectations that were too high because while I can’t say the book is bad, after reading it I can say that it left me quite disappointed.

Again, when I heard the premise of the novel, I was very excited. It sounded super interesting and refreshing and generally, books by POC just keep my interest for longer. But once I started the book, I found myself not quite enjoying it, and frankly, struggling to make myself keep reading, primarily because of the following:

The writing style
This book was written in first person present tense, and while that already is my least favorite tense and POV, this book managed to make it even less enjoyable. While some of it landed, most of the time the prose felt clunky and unsophisticated, and there were moments where the author was trying very hard to be poetic, but fell flat and just made it distracting instead. The book had a problem with the “showing not telling” rule as well, pointing out the most painfully obvious developments (seriously this line: “I have a new purpose…to discover the antidote,” gave me secondhand embarrassment), instead of letting the readers take the two seconds it would take them to come to the same conclusion. The dialogue (internal and external) was also a tad cringey and clunky at times, making Ning seem younger than she actually was.

The plot
THE PLOT. Oh my GOD the premise had so much potential it caused me physical pain to see that the plot did not live up to it. Don’t get me wrong, the premise isn’t lying by any means, but the pacing and the development of the story were so awkward and underdeveloped that instead of rushing through excitedly to finish the book, I was so unbearably bored. As this is an ARC, it must be a spoiler free review, so I cannot be specific but seriously, I’m mourning the wasted potential. The book lent more time to random scenes that added nothing to characterization or did little to move forward the main plot line, while rushing through anything that was beginning to make the book interesting. We barely got insight into characters besides Ning, and honestly, barely even Ning because by the end of it, Ning herself was just not that interesting outside of the situation she was in. Overall there was just a focus on the wrong things that did not suit the narrative and it was so unfortunate, because the book could’ve been so GOOD. Despite that ending, I am unfortunately not engaged enough to want to continue reading the series.

The romance
This will be quick: there was no chemistry. None. Could not care less about the relationship. Was it really necessary? I care more about the hinted-at lesbians

While I have complained, I did enjoy some aspects. The first, being the magic system. Although I didn’t always follow at time, I thought it was fascinating and so refreshing. A 10/10 on that front, that part of the worldbuilding was undoubtedly my favorite. Second, I thought the concepts behind some of the tests (especially the last one!) to be really cool. Again, the author exhibited some great creativity. It just didn’t hold up throughout the entire book.

Overall, A Magic Steeped in Poison wasn’t ALL bad. Or even, really BAD at all. It’s just very mediocre, on par with how I feel about books like The Cruel Prince or Lore. A category of books that had really cool concepts, but delivered very “meh” products. As a result, I think I’d give this one a 2.25/5, a disappointing rating for a disappointing book.

This book should come with a warning: Do not read when hungry or Do not read if easily swayed into hunger. I would give this book 5 stars based on food description alone. And another 5 stars for the cover art because wow. It might actually be my favorite cover so far (which is saying a lot considering Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea).

I do wish I could rate A Magic Steeped in Poison higher, but there was just some parts that fell flat for me. Overall I give it 3.5 stars. I may come back and change this after I read the sequel.

The writing is quite perfect for the story. Its whimsical, fast-paced and will keep you engaged throughout (especially if you like food). I loved how the author touched upon the different types of food and tea pairings for each province. The competition trope is pretty played out but I devoured it all the same. Ning is a great character, her coming into her own story is beautifully done and I'm really quite intrigued to learn more about the Princess.

My main issue with this book is the romance. The relationship and actions between Ning and Kang felt forced, rushed too much even for an insta-love arc. Their confrontation scene was confusing and gave me whiplash. I think I would have really preferred this to be a slow burn romance, or even not featured at all.

I also couldn't tell if there's other magic in this world aside from the shennong-shi. I feel like it's hinted at with certain characters but never really explored or confirmed.. kind of felt like a thought the author wanted to explore but maybe got left on the editing floor?

The last part of the book is fantastic, minus the cliff hanger ending--buuttt I can forgive that since second book will be out in Sept and I don't have to wait a year+ to find out what happens next.

Thank you Netgalley and Fierce Reads for the ARC!

Love, love, love. A magic steeped in Poison was beautiful on both the inside and out. Ning is a strong, female character who leads us on an exciting journey to find out who is causing unrest in the kingdom and poisoned her mom. She is completely devoted to her family, becomes a fierce friend and keeps you wanting more of her story.

"Stars are not a straight road but a split stream, each breaking into smaller ones, infinite possibilities outlined across the sky."

Thank you Macmillan's Children Publishing for the eARC via NetGalley. The following review is my own opinion.

Ning has set out to the city to compete in being the best shennong-shi to save her sister. She has accidentally poisoned her sister and her mother from a tea she made. Unfortunately, her mother didn't make it but was able to quickly brew tea to save Shu, but the poison is still coursing through her body. It's suspected that someone laced poison in the tea bricks and poisoning the people but the big question is why? There's unrest among the empire, a possible uprising, and more questions arise as Ning tries to win the competition and solve the mystery.

I love the beautifully woven story inspired by rich Chinese culture that is centered around crafts such as embroidery and different provinces that are known for their unique cuisines and pairing it with tea. There's an amazing magic system where these tea makers can infuse it with magic to give temporary powers, but it always comes at a cost either taking the tea maker or the recipient. The magic can be for show like making shapes from the steam to giving endurance for a long journey.

I could not put this book down. I wanted to devour every word. It's such an amazing read and I anxiously await for the next book.

A Magic Steeped in Poison is an Asian-inspired magic/fantasy YA novel that was beautifully descriptive and the first in a duology. It features a really cool, original magic system that is based on the preparation of tea and tea ceremonies, which I loved!! There were gorgeous descriptions of the tea ceremonies and different types of food that were mouth-watering, which really brought the story to life.

I absolutely loved the world and the magic, but unfortunately, I didn’t really connect with the MC too much, and I had pretty much no interest in the romance. There didn’t seem to be enough chemistry with the love interest to justify the actions that took place… but I just love this world so much so I will happily overlook that lol.

An important note - this book ends in a TOTAL cliffhanger but it was sooooo good. But just an FYI if those kinda things destroy you 😂

A Magic Steeped in Poison caught my eye way back when, while it was still going by an old title, because a novel set in ancient China with tea-inspired magic? Hell fucking yes. And then Sija Hong’s beautiful cover was released and I fell in love all over again. Just go look at the full textless spread. It’s breathtaking. As always, I am leery of YA debuts but author Judy I Lin makes a solid showing in A Magic Steeped in Poison.

What I have to comment on first are the descriptors throughout this book. The prose in A Magic Steeped in Poison is a symphony for the senses. Every tea, every food dish, the bustle of the markets and busy kitchens, elegant poise of the palaces, and the details of the clothes, all described in such rich detail I truly felt transported. With the emphasis on tea in this story, I really admire Lin’s efforts to show a diverse range of teas and their manners of preparation, from all different regions of ancient China. The integration of tea with magic felt so deeply intertwined, each brew of tea has its own unique properties, with their consumption almost ceremonial, story-like.

The plot of A Magic Steeped in Poison is fairly straightforward. Ning, a young girl from a small village, travels to the capital to compete in a national tea brewing competition as a shennongshi – in hopes of winning a to cure her ailing sister back at home. The magic competition elements, with the young naive inexperienced country girl competing against pedigreed city-born competitors, and the overall plot is fairly play-by-numbers for a YA novel. Yet, the execution, plot twists, and worldbuilding were well done that I enjoyed the overall story.

For me, the weakest part were the characters. As mentioned, Ning fits a fairly common archetype of naive female MC who stumbles her way to the top via pure determination. The supporting cast I found rather one note, relegated to either friend, person who helps Ning at a critical junction, or rich asshole. The one exception to this is Kang, exiled prince and Ning’s somewhat love-interest. I’ve heard he’s the main character of book two and I’m excited to see where his story goes.

Overall, I rate this book a 3.5/5. A Magic Steeped in Poison is a solid debut YA novel, incorporating tea magic in a Song Dynasty inspired setting with absolutely beautiful writing.

Review will go live on my blog 11 March 2022

Publication date: March 29, 2022 (this blog post will be published on 2/22/22

My Thoughts:

This debut Asian fantasy book by Judy I. Lin just adds magic and world building to the other Asian fantasy books making a mark on the YA scene. In this year of the water tiger, arts will be strong, and I find that Magic can hold up along with other strong YA Asian fantasy books that are also getting lots of love.

Ning, the main character, may not be ready to take her mother's place in the shennong-shi competition, and her sister Shu is supposed to be her mother's apprentice, but when her mother and sister fall victim to poisoned tea, like Maia from Spin the Dawn, Ning must win a competition to save her family. Shennong-shi are magic tea makers, but each person has magic in different areas. Some are healers, like Ning and her mother. Some wield magic in tea that can give strength to the drinker. Although Ning has not officially trained with her mother, she must rely on her gift for plants, her ability to speak to flowers and her training with her father, a physician.

Like Mina, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, Nng is headstrong and brash. She often acts first without thinking through consequences which makes this first of two books twisty and exacerbating, packed with action, high court intrigue, revolution and espionage.

This book is going to be another hit. I am just loving these beautiful covers and the devour worthy AAPI fantasy books coming out. This one is good for YA and middle grades if readers are ok with the violence and death.

From the Publisher:
I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, "These are the hands that buried my mother."

For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her―the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.

When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi―masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making―she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning's only chance to save her sister's life.

But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.

I continue to stay a sucker for dark, broody love interests apparently.

This was such a great book! Feeling guilty for the death of her mother and for her sister who is slowly dying, we follow our female protagonist Ning as she journeys to the capital to join a competition to win a place in court and the chance to save her sister’s life. The only problem is…she isn’t officially qualified to enter the competition. Only her mother’s teachings will help her as she hides her lack of credentials and works hard to save her family while also trying to identify who in the capital may be responsible for the rampant poison in the kingdom. As Ning finds herself in the midst of court politics and rigged competitions, she finds herself drawn to the son of the most traitorous man in the kingdom. Her loyalties will be tested, and she will fight to find her own path.

I loved this book!

The prose of this book was absolutely beautiful. This YA debut is everything! This book will indefinitely be a comfort read to those who want to sit back and enjoy a nice read.

Not to mention, the cover is beautiful!

First off, can we appreciate that COVER?!?!? Definitely one of my all time favorite book covers. I’m obsessed. I was worried the book wouldn’t live up to the cover, but the book was even better, so that’s just a whole win-win situation.

The skeleton of the plot was intriguing; a peasant girl goes to palace for a big competition, trying to save her family from a mysterious poison spreading through the kingdom. Sounds fun, right? Then you add all of the flesh to the bones and it really took off. The politics, the competition, the poison, the magic, and the tea?! Amazing. The plot was fast paced, well done, and thorough. I wasn’t left looking through plot holes, and the plot twists were slight but still exciting.

My absolute favorite thing about A Magic Steeped in Poison was the worldbuilding. The tea based magic system was incredible, and the world itself was lush and beautiful without being unrealistic. Honestly I’m just losing my mind over a tea based magic system. Tea!

The character development was also incredible. Ning was an incredible heroine, with realistic flaws and a personality far better than the stereotypical YA main character. The supporting characters were super well done. I loved the Princess’s character, she was exactly what I would expect from someone in her position, and I loved how that played out with Ning’s brashness. I also appreciated that the romance was a very slight part of this book. It was there, but just barely, and it wasn’t overdone.

Overall the plot, the characters, and the worldbuilding were all incredible and I can’t wait for book two!

Okay, this book was really cool. The magic was by far my favorite aspect of it. I loved getting to understand the tea and how it was used to do so much. I also really liked Ning's character. She was the driving force of this. It was evident how toxic the courtly life was and we see the influence of that on her the longer she's there. The character growth is tied a lot to that surrounding and how she has to adjust in order to survive there, especially when so many want her dead.

The side characters were great, though I think I liked some of the lesser seen side characters more than some of the more prominent ones? There is a tiny bit of romantic feelings in here and I enjoyed the love interest. He was so interesting to me and I can't wait to learn more about him and his family's backstory in book 2 because they had some dark history that I wanted even more details on. Overall, this book was fun. For me, it got a bit slow sometimes with the challenges and I got to a point where I was antsy for that moment when things were going to really pick up, but luckily when things did pick up, they really got going and this book took off. It went in a direction I didn't expect, which I was grateful for as it kept all of the surprises and, yes, HUGE betrayals, that much more powerful.

"A Magic Steeped in Poison" is a young adult fantasy novel about a young woman determined to save her dying sister through winning a royal tea-making competition and appealing to the princess for help. The kingdom is in chaos as an unknown assailant is lacing blocks of tea with a deadly poison and distributing them far and wide. Initially, Ning's goals are straightforward: she believes that if she wins the competition, the princess can use a magical stone to cure her sister of the poison ravaging her body. However, the longer she stays at the palace, the more embroiled in palace politics she becomes, as Ning begins to realize that nothing is as it seems and that the country itself is facing a secretive and awful threat.

"A Magic Steeped in Poison" exceeded my expectations in a lot of ways, and didn't quite meet the mark in others. First of all - the good. The world is richly textured, and the descriptions of food and fashion are sumptuous and interesting. I love Ning's brand of magic: her ability to read things in teas and imbue them with certain effects is really well-used and she comes across as powerful without falling into the "Most Powerful Girl Ever" young adult trope. The competition itself was also well-realized: I particularly liked that while Ning has some detractors, she also receives a lot of support. So often YA heroines in competition-style books have to deal with EVERYONE HATING THEM and they have to prove themselves ALL ON THEIR OWN, but that isn't the case here. Ning makes an effort to get along with people while also not allowing herself to be a doormat, and it's a really lovely take on the competition trope because her polite-but-self-sufficient attitude earns her friends and confidantes. Finally, the politics! I was pleasantly surprised how deep the political world-building was in this book; it was easily the most unique aspect of this story and set up a lot of plots nicely for Book Two.

What didn't I enjoy? Yes, there is Insta-Love here. It's not as egregious as some examples of the trope, but it's still *there*, and while the book ended on a complication that likely will prove interesting in Book Two, I can easily say that the romance is the least interesting and least complex part of the text.

If you're in the mood for a dreamy take on court politics with a competition aspect, I highly recommend "Magic Steeped in Poison". I truly enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting its sequel! Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC.

If you're not a tea drinker, this book will absolutely convert you! There's a proliferation of amazing asian fantasies coming out this year (Daughter of the Moon Goddess, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea), and I think it's great that this is one of them!

It does start of slow, but with the intricate world building present in this book, it would be hard to not expect the slow start. The characters are lovable-- you can't help but root for our main protagonist Ning as she navigates court politics in order to try to save her sister. Whimsical and lyrical, this is such a wonderful fantasy filled with the best of two worlds: asian mythology and Chinese history. Highly recommend, and you can bet this is going on our shelves!

Oh my god, this book is so beautiful both inside and out!! The story was perfectly flushed out, the world building was poignant and rich in detail, and the character development was well executed. One of the many things I enjoyed about this book was the unique, magical take to the tradition of tea making. The way the author twisted this old time tradition and gave it a fresh new take was absolutely marvelous!