Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
Kang's perspectives took me out the story. Half of the story surrounds Kang's plot and I did not find it to be engaging, and it took me out of Ning and her journey.

The Venom Dark and Sweet is an amazing follow-up to A Magic Steeped in Poison. Judy I. Lin takes us back into her enchanting world with even more magic, danger, and drama. Ning’s journey continues as she faces new threats and explores her powers, all while dealing with intense political intrigue and personal challenges. The book is full of rich details, great character development, and twists that keep you hooked from start to finish. If you loved the first book, you won’t want to miss this one!

This was a good duology overall. I preferred the first book because I really liked the tea magic. There was still plenty of magical things happening and a few tea scenes.

I liked seeing the world open up, but the pacing felt off to me. I normally like a quest fantasy but the middle dragged on. The last quarter of the book has a lot of action and reveals, which made it more exciting to read. And then it was over. Lol. Things get resolved rather quickly.

I also felt like the relationships made in the first book didn’t really deepen much. That said, I did love all the scenes with Ning and her sister Shu. The romance definitely takes a back seat to the main plot, which I didn’t mind. The romance is sweet, but needed more development for it to be really believable.

A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin is a perfect fit for readers who crave a thrilling and emotional fantasy adventure, particularly those who appreciate stories that weave together themes of family, tea, and fantasy, and are drawn to complex characters and epic battles between good and evil.

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an eARC of "A Venom Dark and Sweet" to provide an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Usually, I would say that school prevented me from reading this book, but even when I DID have time to read it, I didn't really want to pick it up (which is why it took me until freaking JUNE to finish it). I reread the first book finally to read this sequel since I had been so excited about it back when it was first released (okay, I might have skimmed) because I didn't want the fact that I didn't remember much of the first book to influence my thoughts on this sequel.

However, after rereading "A Magic Steeped in Poison", I was a little nervous to read this book since my rating dropped from 5-stars to 3.75-4 stars. I shouldn't have jinxed it, but too late now (lol).

I was EXTREMELY disappointed by this sequel. I was looking forward to action (fighting against evil, war) and a quest for allies in said war (based on the ending of AMSiP and the synopsis). In contrast to what my expectations were, the important parts of this book were told solely by Ning in first-person POV (though Kang had some chapters too, albeit in third person). I never felt any danger from the "great evil" that arrived to the world in book 1, the climax was lackluster, and the only people who really made allies to defeat said "great evil" were Princess Zhen and Ruyi.

The other issue I had with this book was that the characters' POVs were toneless and often, the writing mistake of "telling, not showing" occurred. Also, a lot of strings weren't REALLY tied up at the end (i.e. What happened to Kang's teacher? Where did they hide the remaining pieces of Gongyu so he could never be found again? How were they going to rebuild the palace? Was Kang found to be a traitor? etc.).

The strongest part of this book was the worldbuilding (though, with less political intrigue than book 1). I also liked the fact that the snake from the poisoned tea was still a part of the story in this one, albeit in a different way.

Overall, the only things I'll probably remember about this book is that I thought it was forgettable, but had a pretty cover. However, I am willing to try Lin's new release, "Song of the Six Realms" before I give up on her writing.

The second book in a duology, A Venom Dark and Sweet is the thrilling conclusion to Lin’s Book Of Tea series. In Volume 2, Ning must solve the mystery of the dark magic that is creeping through the kingdom of Daxi, or die trying. Alongside her sister, the cast out princess and her body guard, they embark on a quest to save their realm from forces of evil. There is so much beyond their understanding and outside of their control. With the odds stacked against them, it seems likely they won’t succeed.

I loved that the main forces of good in this novel were the women, and they come from all walks of life. Previously on opposite ends of their socioeconomic spectrum, they are united in their fight against the dark to save the citizens of Daxi, and find that they have more in common than they could have imagined. This is a book full of strong female characters who are in positions to lead and to harness great powers. It’s a diverse cast of characters and a fantastic conclusion to what has been one of the most unique stories of this year.

I’m actually so glad this series was a duology. It was perfect length for this story and it allowed the author enough time to build robust and fully-fleshed out characters, without dragging the story out. I was fortunate to be able to read both halves of the story within a few weeks of one another, which heightened my enjoyment of the experience. To top it off, the magic in the tea is such a unique idea, and the power only grows Ning learns and expands her abilities. It was so cool to see this journey unfold. Though I had a bit of a tough time adjusting to the writing in the first book, by this book I was fully entrenched and immerse in the beauty of the story.

I loved everything about this fantasy book and the characters within it, we are dropped right back into our same universe but so much has transpired since we last saw our main character. I did feel as though the plot of this book moved a little slower but overall it was such a fun read and such a love letter to the fantasy genre in general, we got a fantastic FMC who fights to protect what she loves dearly.

I was really excited about this one. The first book in this series gave me some really high expectations. Unfortunately, this book just didn't live up to the hype. I really liked the tea magic of the first book and this one didn't have as much. It also was hard to keep track with the increasing number of POVs. The pacing was a bit on the slow side.

This was a stunning conclusion to A Magic Steeped in Poison! I loved the turn that this story took in the sequel, and how the story was told in both Ning and Kang's POV's instead of just Ning's. I loved the growth in Ning's relationship with Shu and with Kang. The magic system in this book is also incredible, and I loved seeing Ning (and Shu) grow into their powers beyond just their shénnóng magic. My only wish is that the epilogue was more extended and had a stronger conclusion! Especially regarding Ning and Kang, after everything they had been through and shared, it felt strange that the book ended with them kinda being amicable friends.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book if you were a fan of the first book, or of books like Spin the Dawn!

The Book of Tea duology is phenomenal and beautifully written, the kind of story that takes your breath away at times and keeps you up late into the hours of the night to find out what happens next! You all need to do yourselves a favor and read these books immediately!
A Venom Dark & Sweet picks up where the first book left off and pulls you right back in for an epic conclusion! Full of magical imagery and jaw dropping moments, this duology has become one of my favorites of all time and the author is a new favorite that I can’t wait to read more from!

A gripping, page-turning follow-up to Lin's first—I love the concept and world of this series, and getting to spend more time in it was a total treat!

This book was exactly what I wanted in the conclusion of the Book of Tea duology! The action, the drama, the romance! Everything was absolutely fantastic. And don't even get me started on the cover! Everything about this book is phenomenal!

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

I love the book cover so much. I believe I like the first book better than the second but it was good. What I loved about the first one was the magic and the tea making but the second book didn’t have a much as that. I personally don’t like when characters are split up. I just didn’t leave me fulfilled and I can’t place why.

Judy I. Lin's "A Venom Dark and Sweet" is a richly satisfying close to the duology. Lin takes the time to fully bring to life the food and culture of the world she has created. Truly a wonderful read.

It took me a long time to get into the first book, but I ended up enjoying it for the most part. I really had high hopes that the story would pick up with this one, and in some ways it did. The plot got more intriguing, but for me the pace never picked up.

I also really loved the tea-magic aspect of the first book. I feel like that was a really big key part of what made the story, and it wasn't kept up with well and though I appreciated the other perspective, I just don't really care for dual character narratives that switch back and forth.

Its a bit tragic to me that the stories fall so short! The covers are absolutely beautiful and there is so much potential. I still had fun, but I could have enjoyed them a lot more.

There is a lot of movement in the second book in this duology and it comes at the expense of the world building and magic. But everything get wrapped up and it was a satisfying end to a really creative story.

This is the second/final book of The Book of Tea duology. I read the first book almost exactly a year ago, and I gave it 4.5 stars, so I know I really enjoyed it. But I also know that 2022 was a pretty crazy year and there was so much going on that my memory gets pretty hazy of some of it.

So I probably could have used a little refresher before jumping into this one. Because it doesn’t ease you into things or spend time reacquainting you with the characters and the world and what happened in the previous book. You just jump straight into the action so to speak.

We bounce back and forth between Ning’s and Kang’s chapters, following both of their journeys after the events of the first book.

There was not nearly as much tea magic this time around, and that was pretty disappointing for me. The tea brewing magic was such a cool element of the first book, and I was so hoping to see even more of it.

And with this book, I feel like the actual adventure/quest aspect didn’t start until more than halfway through the book. So it felt like even though we start off with Ning and the others in her group traveling and trying to keep themselves safe, overall the story felt like it was a meandering journey to get to where the story has a focus and a direction that leads to the conclusion.

That final drive with an adventure to complete in order to achieve their goals and save themselves and their people, was an entertaining one, and I think I would have liked more with that, instead of rushing to fit it into the latter portion of the book.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this duology, and I’m glad I read it. The magic system was something unique and interesting. I will definitely keep on the lookout for future books by Judy I. Lin.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I had hoped to get to this sequel finale when it was released last summer, but I'm happy to finally be able to say that I've finished out The Book of Tea duology! Fresh off a reread of the first book, it was nice to just hop right into the continuation of Ning's story. While the first one had its hints of magic and lore in it, this follow-up just infused the tale with even more wonderful, fantastical elements that broadened the scope of the world and the lore. It really set up the stakes to be even higher, made the relationships even more poignant on all fronts and ultimately wrapped things up in a way that felt really satisfying for me as a reader. I quite enjoyed my time reading the series and would highly recommend it!