Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

AHHHH! This book was so cute and amazing and got me out of a severe reading slump. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.

This was an enjoyable tale. It was not your typical urban fantasy in the best way. It's the perfect thing to lift your spirits when you are down. It makes me think of Legends and Lattes. It gives me the same kind of low-stakes fantasy that I loved so much in that book. I hope more of this writing style comes out.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC of this title. I enjoyed reading this title. Would recommend for my library.

Absolutely loved this. The title instantly intrigued me because I love tea and plays on words. I loved the magic elements at play, it was extremely unique. I loved the princess elements too. Overall so much fun to read.

I will absolutely read the rest of the books in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an early copy of the book to review.

A Coup of Tea is the first book in a YA fantasy romance series by Casey Blair. Originally published in 2017, this reformat and re-release, out 2nd Aug 2022 is 324 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a cozy riches-to-rags princess fantasy set in a pastiche Asian world. Princess Miyara runs away from her royal life with basically the clothes on her back and washes up in another town, working in a tea shop. It's a sweetly romantic fantasy and will appeal to a young(ish) audience. There are positive female and non-binary portrayals. The book is mostly character driven and it's not a high stress/drama filled read. Reading comfort food.

There are three books in the series plus a few shorter stories already published. It's the product of a kickstarter backed project (not traditional in-house publishing), so the book could likely have benefited from a more thorough editing/polishing process; but it's perfectly readable and entertaining in this form.

Four stars. For fans of The House Witch and Miss Percy, there's a lot of similar comforting female positive fantasy here as well. Eminently readable. Probably mostly appealing to YA/NA readers.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This was a fascinating YA fantasy tale about a princess figuring out who she is and where she belongs in a new world. This is something that I would have adored as a young teen and would have loved as an adult. I believe it has some lovely sentiments embedded in it as well, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to the audience it was intended for.

After a prolonged reading slump, this cozy fantasy book helped me get back on track. Aside from the pretty book cover, I enjoyed this book so much because of the fun, brilliant character Miyara that will risk her newfound freedom for self-discovery. I highly recommend this to lovers of fantasy, an incredibly cozy story, and I am so excited to continue with the series!

Thank you, NetGalley, publisher, and author, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Look, I need escapism as much as the next person who's living through *gestures vaguely*, but I have my limits. I was willing to buy the story of Miyara, a princess, who randomly and without any planning decides to run away from home with nothing but the clothes on her back. I was willing to accept that she is almost immediately offered a job. Because after that it got quite cute. Miyara works in a tea-shop, makes friends and tries to solve minor problems. I would have loved a book that is just some low-stakes magical tea-shop shenanigans. It would have been delightful escapism. But that's not what this book was about. No, it needed to be high-stakes. And for that, Miyara has one conversation that makes her realize her privilege and then she immediately goes off and fights gentrification and internalised racism.

Yeah. Escapism is great but I am too cynical for this.

I guess this falls in the "cozy" category, but with sincerity. It also feels YA. After renouncing her royalty, ex-princess Miyara has the implausible and incredible good fortune to immediately encounter someone who gives her a job and arranges a place for her to live with an estranged friend, that includes clothing and even some food. She quickly bonds with these two women, and easily enters into a romance with someone else she meets. In spite of all this incredible luck, not everything falls perfectly into place. She still needs to find her purpose, and overcome some not insignificant hurdles to carve a way for herself in her new life. All the main characters are very likeable, and the story is engrossing and enjoyable. There's definitely a suggestion that there will be more books to come in this series, but it ends nicely without frustrating loose ends.

This had all the elements of things I love most (tea! princesses! social justice! adventure!), so I'm not really sure why I had such a difficult time getting into this. The writing was objectively fine, but I never really connected with it. It might just be that cozy fantasy isn't my genre.

Despite me not being able to get into it, I do think this was a lovely little story about a princess who renounces her title and begins training to be a tea master. The magical system in the world was also interesting.

The pacing is very steady, albeit a bit slow at times. It wasn't for me, but I'd recommend for a calm and steady fantasy.

Content: clean

I was really in the mood for a cozy fantasy. Since reading Legends & Latte's, I have been on the hunt for more and A Coup of Tea was perfect.

There's lots of everything in this first book, tea, family and relationship themes, romance, adventure, some action and political intrigue. I loved the character development and focus on finding your purpose. The pacing was good and the plot interesting.

I'm definitely checking out the next books in the series. I can highly recommend this to anyone who needs a cozy fantasy fix.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I saw another reviewer use the term "cozy fantasy", which I thought was the perfect description of this book.
However, this book didn't end up being my cup of tea.

About mid-way through the book, I became extremely bored and it was a struggle to finish because for me, it was too slow and "cozy".

I did not like the main character, but I did like her friends. The MC seemed way too naive about everything. She ran away with nothing, but didn't really have to struggle at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Coup of Tea is the first book in a completed trilogy, which makes me so happy! I really enjoyed reading this book and went right out and got the other books in this trilogy. If you've been looking for a cozy fantasy book, start here. The idea of low-stakes fantasy is a really fun one and this one is such a delight to read.

Because A Coup of Tea is a cozy fantasy, conflict won't keep you on the edge of your seat in worry, in fact it's awesome if you tend towards anxiety. The story gets to flow without jarring conflict, while still having obstacles that move the story forward. The writing flows really well and I was sucked into the story. I enjoyed it so much that I read it in a day, which is really unusual when I review anything.

I loved reading this book and can't wait to see what is next for this author!

This book was a struggle. We follow a princess who turns her royal role of service to the crown. She then goes into hiding and that’s when the adventure is supposed to begin. But, it doesn’t.

What I liked about it at first was the female friendship, which I always want more of. However, that was not enough to save this book. The MC just has everything magically work out for her. She’s super privileged and tries to understand the “outcast” or what appears to be the group of people who face racism, but it comes of as “white savior” type trope. The politics did not work for me.

This book takes a lot from Asian culture, being Asian, I tend get a little worried when non-Asian authors do this. While nothing seemed disrespectful, it didn’t really feel like it worked. The setting and characters don’t feel Asian, yet they are doing, wearing, and eating a lot of things that are Asian. I’m not saying it should be cancelled, and to other people it might work. But for me it just didn’t feel relatable at all.

Halfway through I felt so bored. It was really hard to keep reading. There are some twists, and some romance but meh.

I just didn’t like the MC. I did like her friends.

I think this would be a 3 star and that’s being a bit generous.

A Coup of Tea is the First installment in a cozy fantasy series centered on a princess who chose exile over power.

What worked for me
1. Unique magic system
2.loved the main character
3. Political intrigue that was interesting without overwhelming all other story elements.

What Didn't work for me as well

Honestly I struggle to find any criticism to deliver here as this book is everything I hoped it would be. I am only sad that I must now wait for book two.

Who I would recommend the book for?

A Coup of Tea by Casey Blair is perfect for lovers of cozy fantasy looking for female centered stories with a unique perspective on magic and power.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this awesome story!

This was such a heartwarming, cozy fantasy story that I truly enjoyed reading. Miyara is a breath of fresh air, Llorwyn is hilarious, Risteri is fantastic, Denial is dreamy, and Entero is mysterious - the whole cast feels like you're meeting your new best friend. The world is interesting, the story is unique, and the magic system is simple but well done. It isn't like any other story I've read before but had a lot of the great elements I love - political intrigue, found family, magic and high fantasy, and self-discovery. I highly recommend this to lovers of fantasy, especially cozy fantasy, and I am so excited to continue on with the series!

3.5 stars but almost 4. I did really love the world build and the characters sooo much, however I believe the book would benefit from an editor. It really took me out of the experience and made it hard to stay involved in the fantastic story. Besides the editing, this is a pretty great story.

Thank you NetGalley and Casey Blair for access to this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I was not sure what I was getting going into this book. I love tea and I love the name of the book. That is what made me stop and look at it. I found this a very friend-forward adventure. There is nothing wrong with that and it made me enjoy the characters even more. I princess hiding out in her own self-imposed exile. I love that she runs a tea shop and the tea is magical. It is very cozy fantasy and I love it. I can't wait to read the rest of them.

When the fourth princess of Istalam is due to dedicate herself to a path serving the crown, she makes a choice that shocks everyone, herself most of all: She leaves.

In hiding and exiled from power, Miyara finds her place running a tea shop in a struggling community that sits on the edge of a magical disaster zone. But there's more brewing under the surface of this city—hidden magic, and hidden machinations—that threaten all the people who've helped her make her own way.

Miyara may not be a princess anymore, but with a teapot in hand she'll risk her newfound freedom to discover a more meaningful kind of power.

A Coup of Tea is the first book of the Tea Princess Chronicles, a cozy fantasy series full of magic tea, friendship, and lifting people up even when the odds seem impossible.