A Magic Steeped in Poison was one of my favorite new releases of the year, which is why I had such high hopes for A Venom Dark and Sweet. Though I thought the book was fine enough, I found myself completely underwhelmed. I particularly struggled with the book's pacing, with it seeming to dedicate far too much time on setting up the action rather than digging into the meat of the plot or capitalizing off the momentum of the first book's conclusion. And though the stakes were quite high, there was a complete lack of suspense -- in part because how hard of a time I was having to develop any sort of emotional connect with the characters.. There were some really interesting moments in A Venom Dark and Sweet, but it went from one of my most anticipated releases to one of my most disappointing.

I wanted to like this so much more, as I was obsessed with the first book. But, unfortunately, this was more like a 3-3.5 star rating because of the pacing. Everything seemed to go super slow right up until the last 10% or so, which then felt like a race to the finish line where everything started happening. I already forget quite a bit of what happened even though I just finished the book about 3 days ago, which means it was utterly forgettable in my mind (meanwhile, parts of the first book STILL live in my mind even though I read that months ago).

Overall? Still worth it to read the first book and finish the series since it's only two books long, but don't expect a fantastic ending.

Not a bad sequel, but not a super-read either. It was as enjoyable as the first, but the pacing had issues, which makes sense when I look at the physical copy of the book and immediately think it's a bit small for what needs to be covered. It's a problem that carries over from the first book, so it's not...new? It didn't get worse? But it didn't really improve by leaps and bounds, and considering they both came out in the same year,,,,why didn't they just get published as a single novel?

The enemies-to-lovers scenario between our romantic leads reminded me a lot of the conflict between Zélie and Inan in Children of Blood and Bone, but I think that novel did it a tiny bit better. A book that I dearly wished would hold up to its gorgeous cover, but at times did, but overall was just good.

I had a really hard time getting into this one. Like A Magic Steeped in Poison, the writing felt choppy and disconnected. I enjoyed the relationships between characters and the group dynamics, but the prose made it hard for me to fully enjoy.

insipired by chinese mythology and traditional tea ceremonies, a venom dark and sweet is a beautifully written fantasy and the conclusion to the book of tea duology. the novel follows ning after her escape from the palace at the end of the first book as well as adding a new point of view for kang.

i absolutely loved a magic steeped in poison, and while i didn’t like the second book as much, i still really loved venom and it’s an amazing sequel to conclude the duology. it was such an interesting experience to dive back into the familiar world, learning more about the history and mythology. and judy i. lin’s writing is so compelling and vivid. i could not put this book down as i was reading it!!

a venom dark and sweet feels like a well written progression from the first book. it expands upon the world and the magic as ning discovers more about shénnóng. it also continues to further flesh out the characters, especially for ning and kang, and the ending scenes were so good and i felt like it really wrapped up their journeys well.

This was a great book. This book picks up with the main character trying to save the princess and her country from the rebels, and the evil magic. I love the main character, she is fierce and smart. If live books with magic and adventure defiantly read this book.

Amazing writing, beautiful art style cover, love the fantasy of this book! I haven't read a great fantasy book series in such a long time and this duology definitely brought me into the fantasy world

A good sequel to A Magic Steeped in Poison! Felt about the same with this one and enjoy Lin's writing and world-building. I love the MC and liked the journey in this installment, and the magic system continues to be beautifully fleshed out. Enjoyed the conclusion and will definitely re-read the duology soon.

I'd definitely recommend the series to my friends.

Since A Venom Dark and Sweet is the second book in the Book of Tea duology, I won't be going into much detail about the plot. I'd hate to ruin the end of the A Magic Steeped in Poison for anyone!

I really enjoyed A Venom Dark and Sweet! I wasn't sure what to expect after the way the first book ended, but I was pleasantly surprised. The first book was told from Ning's perspective, but Venom switches back and forth between Ning and Kang. It was helpful to have Kang's POV this time, but it was a little jarring at first going from first person in Ning's perspective to third person in Kang's chapters. Still, it did help differentiate the sections! I was never unsure whose story I was following.

This second installment in the Book of Tea duology really ups the scope of the story and the stakes. In A Magic Steeped in Poison, Ning's main goal is saving her sister. The second book is about who takes the throne and whether Ning and her companions can stop an ancient evil from rising. I'm still obsessed with the magic system surrounding tea in this duology and was fascinated by the use of mythology in this story! I'd highly recommend this duology to YA fantasy fans, especially those who love unique magic systems and mythology! I'm looking forward to seeing what Lin will write next! (And I wouldn't be mad if it was a Zhen and Ruyi story because I LOVE them!)

After book 1, this was delightful to read + finish <3. The author's writing style is amazing and I would definitely recommend this to fantasy fans!

As with the first volume of the Book of Tea duology, A Venom Dark and Sweet is beautifully written, with elegant imagery suiting the mythology. This volume also mixes the mythology of Asia with the culture of tea, returning to Zhang Ning and her quest to find the relics necessary to defeat the serpent god before he can complete his quest for domination.

As much as I enjoyed this novel, it was somewhat predictable, especially for someone like myself who has read a great deal of mythology. The setting and characters are outside my experience, but the plots of many myths are similar, and this one is no exception. However, for those who are unfamiliar with Asian culture, this is a wonderful introduction to the culture and history of the region. The similarities and differences between European and Asian mythology underscore the similarities and differences in the cultures that gave rise to them, and this novel does a good job of making them comprehensible. While I would recommend reading the two novels as published, this volume would be a good read as a stand-alone novel as well. Recommended for readers of all ages.

I absolutely devoured the first book, and I 100% understand why they decided to pub both parts of this duology within the same year.

We've taken up almost where we left off, but skipping ahead just a tiny bit. Ning found her sister, but then fell ill herself and when she awakens, her sister is on the journey with Ning, Ruyi, and the princess. But they had to leave their father behind, she finds. Alternately, Kang is with his father who is basically killing everyone and possibly possessed?

A fitting and enjoyable conclusion to this duology. Looking forward to more from Lin.

This was an awesome ending to this duology! It was full of suspense, adventure and magic. Again I love the magic system in these books so much.

Lin’s writing suffers intensely from a glut of telling and not showing. The almost exclusive use of inner monologue as story-telling device creates a painfully boring narrative that amounts to a list of overwrought emotions and plodding tasks and actions with no character development to speak of. I had hoped an expansion into the broader world of the story would have added some intrigue, but from the first chapter I struggled to care or even understand why any of the characters were doing anything at all. This is one of worst instances of cool cover design, terribly dull book syndrome that I’ve ever encountered. I would have DNF’d if not for the fact that I felt obligated to finish after receiving an ARC from NetGalley.

A fantastic conclusion to the Book of Tea duology. The concept of tea serving as a magical form is amazing. In chinese culture, different types of tea are paired with foods and seasons to serve different purposes, and the combination of tea leaves with herbs and spices helps to bring out the flavors and "powers" of the tea leaves. This book combines that history and natural magic with real and actual magic. Which makes for a simple yet diversely complex magical world. The duology also draws on Chinese history and lore, and A Venom Dark and Sweet really pulls from the history of the land to create a powerful and fluid tale that draws in the reader and makes them connect with what they are reading.

A stunning conclusion to Lin's duology, rife with the same lush description I loved so much in the first installment. This was just as un-put-downable as the first, as well. I look forward to seeing more of Lin's work in the future; I think she has a bright future ahead.

This brilliant conclusion to Magic Steeped in Poison kept me enthralled from the very first page! The plot, the character development and how it all comes together at the end just made this such an epic journey

I did a spoiler-free Q&A with the author, the link is attached. This was apart of the end of the post: Now if you haven’t added this book to your TBR, you need to change that! This duology is filled with court intrigue, mythology, found friends/family and MAGIC (which is truly the making of a great book/series)!

Needless to say, I loved this book and it was a great conclusion to the duology! I share other thoughts in the blog post so please go check it out!

These books are lush, imaginative, full of tea and magic, and a perfect introduction to court intrigue for young adults who aren’t ready for (or don’t like!) Game of Thrones. Four stars.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year! It didnt disappoint. I loved the unraveling of the plot. The characters were likable. I really enjoyed the elements in the story and the development of both the plot and the characters. Looking forward to reading more by this author.