Thanks to St. Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of the book for my honest review.

First off, the cover is absolutely stunning.

Inspired by Chinese history and mythology. The story follows Ning. She is gifted in the art of tea-making, and she fights to save her dying sister by entering the magical tea-brewing competition that was held in the palace.

The idea of the shénnóng magic was interesting to read, and the plot was fast-paced and well-written. I loved the atmosphere of this book and the bonds between the characters. The book ends with a cliffhanger, and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

Overall, I recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy books.

3.5 stars

Truly a noteworthy YA fantasy set in ancient China that was heavily steeped in myth and lore.The use of tea as a medium for magic within the book was a unique choice that I really enjoyed reading about. I definitely would recommend this to any fans of period dramas, the writing was rich with vivid detail and lush imagery.

The plot does take a while to pick up and the political intrigue left a bit to be desired as at times it felt to be thick with interlude without any of the intrigue. That being said, the second half of the book was when things really picked up and it quickly became unputdownable. I found this to be a very solid debut with a strong, capable protagonist and I thought the finale was a gripping buildup for the sequel.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Magic Steeped in Poison has a great beginning and ending, but a bit of a confused middle part with some logic holes and things that made no sense to me, as if the author had not had the time to edit the middle as thoroughly as the rest.

I'm actually still looking forward to the sequel--this is only a debut, and the author clearly has a lot of talent for beautiful prose and creating tension. With a bit more attention to more thoughtful plotting, characterization and world-building, this series could become a favorite.

I wanted to read this book ever since I saw the cover, and the story did not disappoint. This had one of the most unique magic systems I've read in quite a while. Ning was a complex and lovely protagonist and her relationship with her sister was one of my favorite parts. Politics in fantasy always get me, and this one was just as exciting, but somehow with even more elevated stakes. The person I will become when its sequel comes out...

An interesting read! I liked the magical tea aspect and the mythological tie in. I find myself liking the political aspects of fantasy reads more and more and Lin does a great job of keeping you intrigued by the happenings within the palace. The worldbuilding was also well done and I think this book does a great job of setting the stage for the final book in the duology.

My only qualm with the book is with it being so fast paced, I don't think the relationships (friendships and otherwise) were adequately fleshed out and so some of the interactions between characters fell flat for me. That being said, I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ruyi and the princess in Book 2 as well as Ning's power and maybe even a wider look into the world of the Gods.

A dazzlingly gorgeous story about magic, tea, and court intrigue. First of all, this is one of the most beautiful book covers I've seen and it really captures the vivid and enchanting prose of the novel. Secondly, for whatever reason I had a difficult time focusing on the story but I think that's a me problem. It's an immersive world and I think my brain was too distracted for the deep dive into fantasy. What impressed me the most was the mouthwatering descriptions of food and the magic invoked from tea. The main character, Ning, is also very impressive. She's determined to find answers, right wrongs, and speak up for her people. Unfortunately, she comes to realize that the royal court is super shady, and she struggles to find someone to trust. Her entry into the competition to become the emperor's next shennong-shi is further complicated by duplicitous contestants, scheming court officials, and a surprising romantic intrigue with one of the empire's most wanted. There's a lot to enjoy in this sensuous feast of a book, and it definitely leaves you anxious for the sequel!

Once I read "the magical art of tea making" and "competition", I was all in. What else do you need to know? Ning will do anything for her family and with her sister dying of poison, she decides to travel to the imperial city to win access to a cure. Ning is strong, even when she's afraid, and kind to others. She immediately makes some friends and catches the attention of the princess. Things get crazy and Ning has to decide who to trust and who's out to take the kingdom for themself.

I enjoyed listening to this and thought the story was engaging and well written. The different events in the competition were fun to follow and the tea magic was so awesome. I did think the romance was a bit flat and it could have been left out. Maybe it will develop more in the sequel and I'll be more invested in the couple.

Thank goodness the sequel isn't far out because this doesn't wrap up anything and I still have a lot of questions. I'll be eagerly waiting for August over here.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Feiwel and Friends and NetGalley for the copy.

“She is my family, and they tried to hurt me through her. I’ve tried to send her away for her own protection, and she crossed the entire empire to save me. I will never leave her again.”

This book has those familiar YA fantasy tropes but the magical properties of tea - from the ingredients to the brewing process to the person performing the tea ceremony -  thow the tournament was played, the female friendships and lovely descriptions all made for  a fun and quick read.
I thought the plot was kind of boring and so similar to a LOT of young adult books, and I enjoyed the side characters more than the MC, but I still barreled through. I haven't decided if ill be picking up the next installment of this series.

A Magic Steeped in Poison is so atmospheric. I enjoyed the historical drama aspect as well as the tea based magic system. There is a revenge plotline, hidden family secrets, assassinations and court intrigue. The pacing is slow burn, just like the tea.

Here in the UK we take tea very seriously but reading MAGIC STEEPED IN POISON makes it clear that the basic British brew is no comparison to the beautiful art of Chinese tea making that is exquisitely showcased in this book.

Tea can poison, Tea can heal, tea is magic and in the search to find a cure to save her sisters life, Ning travels to the imperial city to compete to become the kingdom's next greatest shennong-shi—a master in the ancient and magical art of tea-making. If Ning wins she will gain the favour of the princess but what she didn’t expect to find is that there is a lot more to this competition and court life that meets the eye.

There was a beauty to the descriptive language and world building of MAGIC STEEPED IN POISON that immersed me into the story. It is rich in Chinese mythology and culture which naturally comes through even as the political drama and court intrigue thickens. I enjoyed the budding romance, the betrayals, the mysterious villains, the sapphic rep and of course, the creation and essence of tea shone through. I felt I needed more background to or interaction with the other competitors however, as it would have given an additional tension and enhanced the class and gender prejudices. Saying that, the surprising friendships and alliances were lovely to witness and after the shocker ending I must find out what happens next. I am so looking forward to the next book in this duology, A VENOM DARK AND SWEET, which will be published August 23rd 2022!!

I need everyone to pick up this book immediately! Thank you to @B2Weird, @FierceReads and @JudyILinAuthor for including me on the tour and for my copy of the book!

A Magic Steeped in Poison features a magic system based on Taiwanese tea culture! Ning uses her magic while brewing tea and different kinds of tea allow her to do different things.

I was swept away by the world building and amazing magic system. I loved seeing Ning navigate the challenges of the shennong-shi. 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 the eARC of A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin in exchange for my honest review.

What a stunning debut. This book was everything I look for in a fantasy novel -- found family, an interesting and complex magic system, intriguing characters. I loved every second of it and can't wait until the next book comes out.

Every second I wasn't reading this book, I wanted to be. Not only is the cover a work of art, but so is this book. It immediately draws you in and holds your attention the whole way through. The magic system is interesting and the characters are well rounded and intricate. It's so good and I can't wait for the next one.

5/5 stars, highly recommend.

I loved the book. It was so interesting and used a new magic system with tea! The descriptions of food and teas had me snacking all through out. Also the love story was so good and a true slow burn! This book was steeped for too long because it left me bitter with that cliffhanger!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book has a very intriguing premise, and while I did enjoy certain aspects of the plot and the main character’s personality and journey, the story overall felt a little disjointed.

I think my biggest issue was that key world building information was not well established at the beginning of the story, so therefore I always felt a little lost as to how the magic of the tea worked, the importance of the competition, even the history of the political unrest. Perhaps if there would have been a prologue of some sort to initially explain the key characters and the setting, then the story would have flowed better for me.

The second thing that I both liked and found to be challenging is that there are a lot of things happening in this story: Ning enters a royal competition in order to save her sister who has been poisoned; there is a mystery of who is poisoning the tea bricks and why; there are a lot of court politics and conflicts to sort through; there is a subtle romantic storyline; and then there’s a cliffhanger ending that will take readers to the second book in the duology.

The descriptions of food and clothing and the tea-making traditions are excellent, and I appreciate the author’s attention to detail in all aspects of the setting and characters.

Overall, this book was enjoyable, but for me personally it was not a favorite.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4663308786?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I was instantly pulled into this #YoungAdultFantasy. I wanted to know all about Ning, her mother, and Shu. Also we get a glimpse of #TheShadow pretty early so my intrigue was on high alert.​​​​​​​​
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The trials themselves are very intriguing. The magic is complex and ever changing depending on the tea, which kept my interest the entire book. The palace politics were also another element that hooked me in as I tried to figure out who was trustworthy and who was not. ​​​​​​​​
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Normally I hate it when authors throw romance into my fantasy, but romance did not bother me. I liked their interactions and the author used it as a way to give us some of the background we needed to understand the palace intrigue and some of the characters motivations. The last couple of chapters had me on the edge of my seat.​​​​​​​​
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Book two comes out this year and I need it now!

3.25

I had a fun time with this book, but ultimately don't think this will be a new favourite of mine. This is partially due to the fact that this is written in first person present tense, which is honestly just not a narrative choice that I enjoy at all. I ended up waiting for the audiobook release to read this because that's really the only way I can read first person present tense without it actively bothering me. On that note though, I will say that the narration by Carolyn Kang was absolutely superb - she has a very calming voice that's not over the top at all, which I felt like suited both the author's prose and my own tastes very well.

In terms of the book itself, this is a YA xianxia novel, with court politics, political intrigue, a competition element, and what is sold as tea magic, though I would say it's also equally as inspired by Chinese medicine as it is by traditional tea ceremony practices. On paper, this has all the elements of a book I would love, but unfortunately, I just didn't fall in love with the characters or the plot the way I wanted to.

I definitely think that the strongest aspect of the book is the worldbuilding. I think Lin does a great job of painting a picture of what the world is like through sensory descriptions (the food descriptions!!!!), imagery, and the magic system. There's definitely a whimsical aspect to it that I think is a staple in the xianxia genre, and I think in terms of capturing the essence of the genre, I think Lin did a fantastic job.

As a result, I think I enjoyed the first half of this book far more than I did the second half. I thought that Lin took a lot of time and care throughout the first half building the world and setting up the story and the politics in a way that showed a lot of promise, but ultimately once we started focusing more on the plot and characters, it fell a little flat for me. I felt like the same amount of detail and nuance was not present in the character relationships in particular - I didn't really care for the romantic relationship, but even the friendships that Ning makes in the palace are not, in my opinion, all that believable, and I just didn't find myself caring about the characters at all. I thought the plot was solid, though the competition element felt like it dragged on a bit too much for me, and after the halfway point, I kind of forgot it was still happening until someone explicitly mentioned it.

All in all, I think this is a very solid debut, and I will likely still be continuing on and finishing off the duology, especially if Carolyn Kang will be narrating the audiobook. I really enjoyed Lin's prose and worldbuilding, and I do wonder what she could do in the adult SFF genre where I think she could really just go with the worldbuilding and just run with it (something akin to Nghi Vo's books where the worldbuilding and prose is at the forefront).

I love this book so much! I was fully immersed in the story. PSA that the book ends in a savage cliffhanger. I absolutely hate cliffhangers and this one was tough, but thankfully, the sequel releases this year! Honestly, I’m not sure how to write my review because I loved so many things about this tory. The magic, plot, characters, and magic were awesome.

The writing is lyrical and descriptive, but not overly flowery. There were so many lines in the book I tabbed. The descriptions made me feel like I could smell and taste all the different teas and food. The story was beautifully atmospheric.

Magic System
The magic is mesmerizing. Master tea brewers are called shennong-shi. Not everyone can be a shennong-shi just because they brew tea. It seems like they have to be born with the magical ability.

Ning’s mother was a shennong-shi and it says that Ning showed signs of the magical ability when she was young so she was taught the magical art of tea-making even though her younger sister was her mother’s official apprentice.

There are also levels of magic. Simple teas can imbue the drinker with courage or alertness. Shennong-shi can also do complex magic like healing, illusions, and even animate dead creatures. Specific teas along with the shennong-shi’s will allows them to connect with the drinker. The connection allows the shennong-shi to guide the magic. However, the magic takes from the wielder too. For example when the shennong-shi heals someone, they draw in the drinker’s sickness.

Characters
Ning is an awesome protagonist. She’s talented, smart, and street smart. I love how focused she is on her purpose. Her sole goal was to find an antidote for her sister. Her fellow competitor and friend Lian added some levity to the story. I loved their friendship. There is a romantic interest, which I won’t name due to spoilers. I liked how he pursued Ning first and his backstory. The romance was well-paced and believable. I hope there will be more development between them in the sequel.

Court Politics
The Daxi kingdom is on shaky ground as the ruler is ill. The princess and heir is hosting the competition to find a new shennong-shi who will be added to her group of advisors. As Ning moves through the competition, the political climate gets more intense. There are a lot twists and turns. I didn’t know who to trust. Characters have secret agendas. By the end of the book, I still have doubts as to who is a genuine ally to Ning and who is using her.

Overall, this is one of the top YA fantasies I’ve read this year so far and highly anticipating the sequel.

** Thank you to Fierce Reads for providing me with an arc to review.

This book is a STUNNER! This Chinese-folklore inspired YA fantasy novel features phenomenal, flowery writing and descriptive, mesmerizing prose. With steady pacing and a clear-cut magic system (I’ve never read about tea magic before!), A MAGIC STEEPED IN POISON has the perfect blend of magic, a competition-centered storyline, and court intrigue. There is an itty bitty romance, but it doesn’t overshadow anything. I’m excited for the journey to continue in A Venom Dark and Sweet (already pre-ordered it, so you know it’s serious 🤪) and to see a deeper exploration the relationships and plot lines introduced in this book.

This debut novel from Judy Lin was so magical. An entire magical system created from different types of tea and the way they are prepared is so unique. I cannot wait for the next installment in this series! Judy is on my auto-buy list for sure!

Definitely more of a 4.5 but I’m rounding up.

This book has been on my radar since the first time I saw the title and premise and I knew it was gonna be awesome. Then came the stunning and colorful cover reveal and since then, I’ve been eagerly waiting for the release date so that I could pick it up. And I’m so so happy that I’m getting to participate in a blog tour for this book which wowed me all the way through.

I remember reading a three chapter excerpt of the book a couple of months ago and I was so impressed in just those few pages. The descriptions in this book are just ethereal. Whether it’s the gorgeous pavilions and gardens in the palace, the detailed art of making tea or the way tea magic works - every thing is described so beautifully that we can totally feel it happening right in front of our eyes. The plot itself is also so engaging because we know the stakes right from the beginning and as we gradually get to know more dangers lurking in the dark and don’t know who to trust, it just becomes all the important for us to know what’s coming next and that made me not wanna put it down even for a second. It also helped that I was alone in a clinic waiting room full of people for more than 6 hours and this book was the only thing keeping me awake and not irritated. The author is very talented at keeping all the cards close to her chest and I never could really guess who some of the betrayers were gonna be, so it was a very thrilling ride. And while I’m not a fan of tea at all, I was just so damn impressed by the whole intricate process and it’s corresponding magic and I wish we had coffee versions of it all so I could try.

And the characters… just wow. Ning is someone who I fell in love with in the first chapter itself. She loves her family so much and will do anything for her sister, her mother’s loss is still overwhelming but she sets it aside because her purpose is different. But her mother is always with her through her tea making and it’s magic and I was glad that Ning still had that connection to her mom. She also can be a bit impulsive but brave and gets into many tough situations but somehow manages to get out of them too. However what endeared me most towards her was that she will always stick to her principles and speak up when she gets a chance, even it might be detrimental for her personally. It’s hard not to root for such a wonderful girl.

The story is told exclusively through Ning’s POV, so we get to see the others through her eyes. Her spark with Kang is instantaneous and there were many lovely moments between them but their path is also forged on a heap of secrets and divided loyalties, so I’m very intrigued to see how it develops next. Kang did feel like a person who had good intentions but I also felt like he didn’t understand all the stakes well enough. The princess Zhen took some time for me to get invested in but she turned out to be a strong willed woman having to fight very tough odds. I hope we get more of her in the next book because I really wanna get to know her up close. But the one character we get most page time with is Lian, the one friend that Ning makes in the capital, her roommate and competitor and partner all rolled into one. Lian is the daughter of diplomats and she has a lovely cheerful personality and seems to make friends very easily, almost taking Ning under her wing and not letting her feel alone. I loved their friendship and I also wish we will explore their bond more in the rest of the story. We also have quite a few other characters who show up frequently and leave deep impressions and I can’t wait to see how the author weaves all of their arcs together.

In the end, this debut turned out to be as lovely as I was expecting it to be and I’m not at all surprised that it debuted at #1 on the NYT Bestsellers list. This Chinese mythology and Taiwanese tea making inspired novel is gorgeously written, very evocative, has characters you get feel invested in right from the moment you meet them, and enough twists and betrayals to keep you hooked throughout. And for a change, I’m ecstatic that we’ll get the sequel in just a few more months and I don’t have to cry waiting for it.