The Book of Tea duology is one of the most original and well-written fantasies I’ve had the pleasure of reading. And after the conclusion of the first novel, A Magic Steeped In Poison, I know readers are desperate to find out what happens next. Magical, sweet, and with writing that will make you crave a cup of tea, this is not a series to miss.

This was such an exciting and action-packed conclusion to the duology. I'll definitely be recommending this to my teen readers at my library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an epic ending to a a beautifully magical duology!

The gang narrowly escaped at the end of book 1 when the King is killed and much of the population is poisoned, including Ning’s sister. So Princess Zhen, Ruyi, and Ning go in search of a cure to save the people, enlisting the help of Gods.

Judy I Lin does a masterful job once again weaving Chinese & Taiwanese Mythology & Folklore into her second book. Ning has kept her powers secret from everyone, only letting bits out throughout the competition to help her get by. But now she has to survive and make sure her sister lives. Calling on the Gods for guidance, she has to bring the dead back from the brink.

We also get Zang’s POV in this book, which was really needed. He may have only been the love interest to Ning in book 1, but now he’s the Prince. His father, the warlord, is running the show and with his point of view, we get to have our eye on a lot more of the action.

I love these books! A Venom Dark & Sweet brought a ton more magic and a lot more action. I can’t wait to see what more Judy I Lin has in store for us in the future.

After really enjoying A Magic Steeped in Poison I was incredibly excited to pick up A Venom Dark and Sweet. Unfortunately, it felt very lackluster compared to book one.

The ending of book one was tense and exciting with the coup and betrayal. I was excited to see the conflict expand to an empire-wide scale and to learn more about the princess and her bodyguard. And yet, none of that happened in book two. Despite the high stakes, the book started very slowly. The first 70% of the book felt like set up for the finale. Instead of a rebellion with scheming and court intrigue, we get a very random and generic quest to find some mysterious object. The grand finale wasn't even satisfying. It was rushed and campy. The first book touches on unrest and inequality in the kingdom and yet none of that is addressed in the sequel. The story is way too focused on the magical side of the world. The tea based magic is one of the most unique magic systems I have ever read about I understand why Lin chose to expand the magic beyond the tea system as there are many more gods in this world. However, by expanding the magic system it became much more generic and poorly explained. As Ning spends most of the book on the road she cannot use the tea magic and the other types of magic aren't that interesting.

I have mixed feelings about the addition of Kang's POV. Though I thought he was an interesting character, his perspective added very little to the story. It was nice to know what was happening at the palace while everyone else was away, however, the need for these chapters just highlights how dull Ning's chapters were. Kang didn't even really need a "redemption arc" because it was clear in the first book that he was actually a good person.

A Venom Dark and Sweet was a very fast and easy read. The writing was still very strong though at times a bit over the top. Unfortunately, it lacked many of the elements that made the first book interesting and felt very generic in comparison.

I actually ended up loving this book more than the first, which I had given a 3.5. The issues I had with the first was that it felt a little slow at times, but this one definitely amped up the plot and storytelling much more. There was less focus on the tea and more on magic which was alright to me because we got so much of the opposite in the first book. I loved getting more of the characters in this and seeing more of them in different situations. The romances were sweet and it was nice to have them develop even more. I especially liked that we got a new POV in this book because I think that added to the other all picture of things. I think overall, this isn't my favorite series of all time, but it's definitely enjoyable and I do plan on buying both books and having them in my library, as the stories are gorgeous and the prose is so beautifully written. Really liked this conclusion to the series and I'm excited to read more from this author!

This book was absolutely phenomenal. Magic Steeped in Poison is a huge hit at the library so the kids were insanely excited for the next book. I can’t wait to get it for them.

I didn’t like this one as much as the first.

The plot pacing felt very different from book 1. Where Magic seemed very slow and methodical, Venom just kind of threw everything at the wall. There was less focus on the tea aspect too.

All in all, 4 days after finishing it, it’s kind of unmemorable.

A Venom Dark and Sweet is the second in Judy I. Lin's Book of Tea duology. The first book caught me from page one with the unique way that she wove magic into the book. I love that it is based on the art of tea making. In the second book, I feel that we really got a deeper understanding of how the magic interacted with the shennong-shi and the ingredients used to make the tea. Because we had a good introduction in the first book, I feel that the deeper understanding helped to better understand the world Lin created. I love that all of the women in this book are strong females who will not sit back and let things fall where they may. One of my favorite additions to this book from the first is to see what is happening from Kang's perspective. Not only does this give a more well rounded view of the events, but I liked the way that he did his best to navigate both family and politics. I wish he had subverted his father a bit sooner, but I felt like the struggle was humanizing. I am very eager to see what Judy I. Lin gives us next!

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.

I loved this duology so much! I feel as though this was an incredible wrap up to the duology. This series brought a nice breath of fresh air to the YA fantasy genre.

A great second book in the series. I cannot wait to see more from this author. These characters really came alive.

What a fun sequel to a stellar initial release. I didn’t want the story to end. I just love the ideas and creativity that the author brought to us. This was so fresh and new and high is so enamored by the incredibly intricate story that we got to read.

I was a little disappointed in this book in comparison to the first one. I feel like the relationships fell a little flat. The plot was fast paced enough, but it all felt a little too predictable. I also felt like the ending came and went too quickly. There was a lot of build up for not a lot of pay off. I could've not read this book and been okay.

A Venom Dark and Sweet is a good conclusion in The Book of Tea duology and I enjoyed seeing the end of Ning's journey and story. Overall, I found this book a bit slower pace than the first book but I liked having both Ning and Kang's perspective throughout the story. The ending was satisfactory and I look forward to reading more of Judy I. Lin's stories soon!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Venom Dark and Sweet is the sequel in The Book of Tea duology. This book is a dual point of view of two of our main characters from the first book, Ning and Kang, as the new power has taken the throne. Ning is journeying with the former princess, the princess' bodyguard, and Ning's sister to attain allies to take back the power and throne that was stripped from the princess all while trying to stop the poison and destruction that is happening in the country. Kang, on the other hand, has taken the role of prince in this shift to a new power holder.

I did not love this book, however there were things that were done well in this novel. For example, I really enjoyed the author's writing style, as it is what made me stick through reading this book. The writing was very flowery and descriptive. I really enjoyed the food and tea descriptions and it made me really interested in learning more about this rich culture and world. Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book wad that it was action packed. The book was filled with adventure and action that held my attention. I also found it really interesting that this book was in dual point of view, which really contrasted with the single point of view of the first book.

Now let's dive into the aspects of this book that I did not like or that, in my opinion, were not done well. Going off of a point that I made in the previous paragraph, I think that Ning's point of view was stronger than Kang's point of view, and there was no balance in screen time between the two. Additionally, I think that Kang's point of view did not really need to be in the book until Ning and Hang meet up nearing the 60 percent mark. I also feel as though the characters lacked depth. I had that issue even in the first book, and thought that they may develop and gain depth in character, but I do not think that that was the case. Additionally, I think that because the characters lacked depth, it was harder to care about them and the stakes that they had. I could not find the chemistry between Kang and Ning, and that was why I thought that the romance in this book was not that believable. Furthermore, I think that the fact that Ning is so willing to put her motivations to the side and disregard her character for the people around her makes some of the plot points of this book a little bit of a reach. Going off of another point I made in the previous paragraph, though the book is action packed, there was so much going on in this book that it made it such that it felt like two books smashed into one. Though the book, there were several plot points from the first book that were unresolved and then there were so many plot points and magic system and world building aspects that were added to this that it felt too overwhelming, such that by the end of the book, I was a little bit numb towards what was happening in the book. Another thing that I am confused about, even after finishing this book, is the magic system. I understand that the magic system is tea based, but I wanted to know more about the intricacies of it and everything that went into the magic system because I was very confused by it.

To wrap this up, I think that because I don't think this world, magic system, characters, or relationships were very fleshed out, I did not really connect with this book.

I really enjoyed the first in the series and am so excited to be back in this world!
This book was a little slower than the first but just as immersed in mythology and culture. It was told through multiple POVs as we follow Ning and Kang.
The magic system through the tea brewing was very interesting and when they didn’t have tea they improvised interestingly. This book was a little darker than the first since they were trying to take over the Crown and there were also some darker forces at work.
It was a great conclusion to the duology. The covers are so gorgeous too!
Thank you macmillan and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

The Book of Tea by Judy I. Lin is a YA fantasy duology that will blow your mind. For a debut, this series has so much that fans of the genre will enjoy. The world-building and the characters are well-crafted, and Lin has a lyrical way with words that makes this an unputdownable read.

REASONS TO READ THE BOOK OF TEA BY JUDY I. LIN

A MAGIC STEEPED IN POISON & A VENOM DARK AND SWEET

Incredible world-building
Well-developed characters
Tea competition
Taiwanese mythology
Themes of family and friendship
Court politics
Amazing magic system
Vivid and descriptive writing
Suspenseful atmosphere
Dual POVs in Book Two, A Venom Dark and Sweet

"A Venom Dark and Sweet" was a climactic conclusion to the "Book of Tea" Duology by Judy I. Lin. It was a fun read that I am sure a fantasy lover who is intrigued by East Asian culture will enjoy.

A breathtaking conclusion to a truly unique duology set in a fantasy world influenced and inspired by Chinese and Taiwanese mythology.

With greater stakes, the sequel picks up immediately where A Magic Steeped in Poison leaves off. Ning must work to stop an ancient and great evil from taking over the kingdom of Dàxi and killing the people of the empire. Heavy in political intrigue and steeped (excuse the pun) in world-building, Lin weaves an engrossing and strong sophomore novel that ties together the loose threads of her debut. With beautiful prose and lush descriptions of both tea and food, one cannot help but be pulled into the mythical world Lin has created.

A good end to an excellent duology. There were parts where the plot moved a little slow, and the ending felt a little anticlimactic, especially after all the buildup from the first book and beginning of this one. It took a bit to get used to the dual perspectives, but it was ultimately well done.