THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!

it was your typical YA structured novel but oh my god was it so much more! the tournament and magic system in this was eeeeverything i adored it so much.

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC.

I really enjoyed this book and am so excited to read book 2 soon!! This was such a soild read. I love the mytholgy tinge this book had to it and also the competioon at the heart of it. I normally struggle with smaller casts of chracters and thik some of the characters could have been expanded on a tad. I also think the world building had some confusion points but i am so excited to see where book 2 goes!!

Gorgeous and lush, with tension tightly threaded all the way through--I loved rooting for Ning as she navigated the beautiful and dangerous world of the court. Also, tea magic!! Awesome, awesome tea magic.

The first of a series, I really enjoyed this period-drama YA novel. Giving some C-drama vibes, the main character is a well-rounded girl with luck on her side. Ning is focused on finding a way into the palace thanks to a kingdom competition, hoping to find a cure to the poison that killed her mother and endangered her little sister. With a little bit of romance, and a strong female presence, it's a strong YA fantasy book that changes the gender narrative with a little bit of magic.

A Magic steeped in poison is such a wonderful debut fantasy novel! a huge congrats To Judy I Lin!

This was everything i expected in a fantasy ya book, I really enjoyed the character and the world-building in this one how I felt like I wanted a lot more character development with in this story but as there's a second book maybe it'll be in there!

A really enjoyable read - thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to have a copy of this e-arc

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.