I love the feeling of starting a new book, reading the first few lines and immediately getting drawn into a story - and that was my experience with this novel. I've been eager to read this one since I first heard about it, and luckily, it ended up being really enjoyable! It does lean on familiar YA fantasy tropes, and in particular, the plot isn't something that I haven't seen before in other reads. But I did appreciate the magical lore (from the legends mentioned to the magical properties of tea - from the ingredients to the brewing process to the person performing the tea ceremony), the way that this tournament was woven in and around political unrest and subterfuge (court intrigue, basically). I do wish I'd felt a stronger connection to our cast of characters, but I'm definitely glad I read this one and am eager to pick up the sequel!

I felt this was a great debut fantasy novel. I loved the vivid imagery the author Judy I Lin used. I’m looking forward to the next book.

I really loved the world-building in this one and I definitely wanted more character development. Lin is clearly a talented writer and I'm so excited to see what she does next. The world-building was out of this world and I can't believe that I, coming from a culture that is also obsessed with teas and such, haven't thought of this concept before this book! It was such a fun read and I'm equally excited to read book two and to see what happens next to my beloved characters and what Lin comes up with in her next books! Lucky for me. book 2 is out so I don't have to wait long at all.

Truly a lovely story with brilliant themes and imagery. I really enjoyed this story. The cover is just as enticing as the words between the pages

A wonderful debut fantasy novel! Full of everything you want in a fantasy. Political drama, mystery and just a bit of romance to off set the tension. Extremely well written for a debut - so congratulations Lin ! Can't wait to read book two!

Who knew the world of tea could be so riveting and enthralling?! This was a fast paced, action packed first in the duology. I truly enjoyed the ride of this book. Ning enters a competition to become the royal tea maker. This happens within the first chapter. She is thrown into a series of tea trials where she discovers the true magic within. I absolutely loved this novel! And honestly, I feel like it does well as a stand alone. Will I pick up the sequel? Probably. But this book alone satisfied an itch I didn’t know I had.

I can't bring myself to lie, I realized at about the 50% mark that I was absolutely not retaining any of the story anymore. While I can admit that the Tea magic was absolutely beautiful and a wonderful idea, it was something truly new in terms of magic building, the rest of the story is just so heavy in the same formula that all YA books are written in that it left nothing to be desired.

No amount of Tea of magic could make me care about what was going on in the overall story, it ticked off every single exact point that all YA books hit. A girl who isn't like the others, and her life is so hard, meets mysterious guy, falls in love with the mysterious guy after like 5 seconds, mysterious guy turns out to be some super important person, girl gets wrapped in the political affairs of the country, and so on and so on, its just the same formula again.

The writing is pretty, and many times I found myself wanting to eat something due to the beautiful descriptions of food, especially the Baozi has I have had that before and love it. When it comes to the story, though, it felt slow, and I didn't care for the competition angle, or how Ning got wrapped up in the political affairs, most of it I just glassed over and don't remember.

Its another YA story that unfortunately doesn't appeal to me due to it not feeling like anything new, expect for the magic.

Amazing YA book. I loved the main character and the inclusion of all the information about tea and tea ceremonies.

*eARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Very interesting magic system.

Plot was predictable and very YA, but this is a YA book.

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.

The magic and magic descriptions, amazing! The plot, only really got into it during the last few chapters, beginning could’ve moved a little faster for me.

This book was so good! This was an enchanting and stunning fantasy full of Chinese mythology, magic, and political intrigue. 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.

Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, for providing me with an ARC of A Magic Steeped in Poison in exchange for an honest review!

Overall, I thought A Magic Steeped in Poison was a fun and surprising, unique political fantasy. Judy Lin did an excellent job weaving a narrative about court politics, family, and tradition. The storyline was easy to get lost in, and the magic system is different from any other YA fantasy book.

Ning blames herself for her mother's death, so she set out on a journey to find a cure for her sister's illness. She arrives at the imperial city and enters a competition to become a master tea maker, hoping to gain favor from the princess. Ning finds a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and love.

I enjoyed the story and the characters. Sometimes the competition aspect did drag on, but as a whole, the storyline was well-written and well-paced. I'd give the book four stars. It's definitely one of the more unique stories I've read this year.

I started this book and only made it about halfway through before I put it down. I picked it up again once the second book came out. I liked learning about shennong-shi and the art of tea-making. It made the storyline and plot unique. It does follow the familiar concept of a competition, but I think the added Chinese culture kept it separate and engaging from other books. Despite not having finished the book the first time around, I liked it enough the second time around to start the second one immediately after.

The first thing that stood out to me is the beautiful writing style! It matches the magical and lyrical vibe of the story incredibly well.

I really enjoyed how nothing felt too convenient plot wise. There were twists I foresaw and many I didn’t! And it’s fast paced with practically zero lulls!

I’m HERE for the friendships in this story!!! Ning is not too trusting of anyone at first, but in time, many friendships flourish throughout the competition.

Finally, I want touch on how cool of a magic system this world has. The craft of tea making in prominent in many cultures and I loved how Judy Lin weaves in folklore and magic with such a common daily practice. The mention of ‘The Shift’ really stood out to me as well. It just really kept me engaged through out.

While this story follows the YA fantasy formula, the tea magic and the rules centered around it are quite fun to read about, and are what kept me coming back to the story. The characters and most everything else were fairly standard fare, but Ning and Kang’s intertwining story did keep me reading. It did take me awhile to get through this one, but I plan on getting to the sequel at some point soon to see how the story wraps up. I think it will engage super fans of the genre, but the formulaic aspects left me wanting a bit more narratively.

What a joy to read! This story was unique, beginning to end, and had this exciting world we slowly explored with the main character.

𝙏𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙚: A Magic Steeped in Poison
𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Ning’s sister is dying. She’s been poisoned, and the only way for Ning to save her is to join the competition at the capital to find the greatest shennong-shi. After she wins the competition and becomes the official master of the art of tea-based magic, the princess will owe her a favor. Then she can save her sister.
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I read this book on kindle some but mostly listened to this on audible. The narrator Carolyn Kang was wonderful and brought the story alive. The writing was very good. The twists and turns had me hooked to the story.
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I loved the world building and how the author incorporated the fantasy, magic, and poison. I especially loved the magic which was incredibly unique. The tea facilitated a unique psychological connection with the magic user and the recipient.
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The competition was fierce and I was on the edge of my seat for each round. The deadly competition kept a great pace for the story and introduced so many fantastic characters.
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The story ended on a delicious cliffhanger. Luckily book 2 is already out! I can’t wait to read it.
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Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a review copy!

What isn't there to love about this book? Even before you open the book, you are in awe of that incredibly stunning cover--one of the most beautiful book covers I've ever seen. And the story inside is just as stunning.

This is the story of Ning, a young woman who was studying under her mother to be a shennong-shi, a master in the art of making tea. All was going well until her mother mysteriously died of poisoned tea, and Ning's younger sister is also dying. She has one choice--to compete in a contest in order to be the installed in the palace as their shennong-shi, and a chance at saving her sister's life. When she arrives to the capital after spending her life in a rural village, her life is turned upside down almost immediately. As she moves up through the contest, her life increasingly becomes more endangered, and Ning must make some difficult choices about where her loyalties lie and what she is willing to do to save her family.

I was totally hooked from the first page. I loved the gorgeous, lyrical writing style. I loved the characters and how complex all of them were. The world building was beautifully done, and the art of tea making was such a beautiful idea. I would do almost anything to sample some of the teas described in this book.

I loved the Asian voices, the use of the language, and the art of tea as the magic system in this book. It is a welcome entry into the YA canon inspired by Eastern Asian legends. Definitely one of my favorite YA books this year.

Holy moly I loved this book. Gimme the second book now.

The magic was SO cool. I love tea but they can use the tea to do magic?? And heal people? Or see into their brains?? That's sick.

Ning was such a good main character. She's brave and smart and thoughtful. She's never too self-absorbed but she also isn't too focused on saving everyone but herself. She's pretty balanced when it comes to her goals and motivations.

The supporting characters are all so fun too. Lian is such a sweetie. And I wasn't expecting to love Zhen and Ruyi but I did.

I wish we could have seen a little more of Kang, he seemed to be such a cool character and he's not there for very much of the book.

Overall this was such a blast to read and I'm so glad I finally got around to it.