Arthie Casimir is a force to be reckoned with—a cunning mastermind who runs a prestigious tea house that secretly serves as an illegal bloodhouse for vampires. But when her empire is threatened, she’s forced to make a dangerous deal that throws her into the heart of the sinister vampire society, the Athereum. With a crew of outcasts by her side, she plans to pull off an impossible heist. But trust is a fragile thing, and betrayal lurks in the shadows. As secrets unravel, Arthie soon realizes that this job is bigger than just saving her tearoom—it might change the world as she knows it.


Here are the 15 reactions I had while reading this book:


1. "Okay, but this tea house is EVERYTHING."

Right from the start, I was obsessed with Arthie’s tea house/bloodhouse. The concept of an elegant tearoom doubling as an underground business for vampires? Genius. The atmosphere was so richly described that I wanted to step into White Roaring and experience it myself.


2. "Arthie Casimir is my new favorite morally grey queen." 👑

Arthie is fierce, intelligent, and unapologetically ambitious. She’s not just surviving—she’s thriving in a cutthroat world. I loved how she commands respect while keeping a tight grip on her secrets.


3. "Oh, we’re getting a heist? Say less."

A well-planned, high-stakes heist always gets my attention, and I was thrilled when Arthie started assembling her crew. I could tell from the start that this wouldn’t be a straightforward job—something big was bound to go wrong.


4. "Wait, who can we actually trust?!"

Every character had their own motivations, and I kept second-guessing their loyalties. The tension was real. Not everyone in Arthie’s crew was fully on board, and that uncertainty made for some chef’s kiss drama.


5. "Why is the city of White Roaring so beautifully dark?" 🌙

Hafsah Faizal has a way of making settings feel like characters themselves. White Roaring is gritty yet glamorous, and I could practically hear the echo of footsteps in its shadowy alleyways.


6. "The vampire society is both mesmerizing and terrifying." 🧛‍♂️

The Athereum is not just a group of bloodthirsty creatures—it’s a full-on, power-hungry, high-society elite. The way Faizal crafted their world felt fresh, intricate, and full of intrigue.


7. "Oh no… we’re catching FEELINGS, aren’t we?" 💕

Arthie’s relationships—both romantic and platonic—felt real. I won’t spoil anything, but let’s just say there were moments that made my heart race in the best way possible.


8. "Betrayal is in the air, and I’m NOT OKAY."

You know a book is good when you start yelling at the pages. That one moment (you’ll know it when you get there) had me clutching my chest.


9. "The action scenes? Absolutely cinematic." 🎬

Hafsah Faizal knows how to write a fight scene. Every movement felt fluid, intense, and high-stakes—I could see the chaos unfolding in my head.


10. "Arthie is so much more than a criminal mastermind."

She’s tough, yes, but she’s also vulnerable in ways that made her incredibly compelling. Seeing her softer side peek through, especially in unexpected moments, was a highlight for me.


11. "This book has some top-tier banter." 😆

The dialogue? Sharp, witty, and often hilarious. The crew’s dynamic reminded me of the found family trope at its finest.


12. "Can we take a second to appreciate the representation?" 🌍

Seeing South Asian and POC representation in a lush fantasy world like this? Yes, yes, yes! It was seamlessly woven into the story, adding layers of richness and authenticity.


13. "That plot twist just wrecked me."

I thought I was prepared. I thought I saw it coming. I was wrong. Hafsah Faizal is a master of shocking turns.


14. "I can’t believe we have to wait for the sequel." 😭

The ending left me desperate for book two. There are so many unanswered questions and unresolved tensions—I need to know what happens next!


15. "This is one of my favorite fantasy reads of the year." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the worldbuilding to the heist, from the romance to the betrayals—everything about this book hit just right. It’s one of those stories that lingers in your mind long after you turn the last page.

A desperate heist featuring intrigue, betrayal, vengeance, and vampires.

A TEMPEST OF TEA is the first book in author Hafsah Faizal’s much-anticipated new fantasy duology, "Blood and Tea," and fans of the genre are in for a treat. A dark and foreboding atmosphere and setting, engaging but shady co-conspirators, forbidden attractions, and a desperate heist all combine for an unputdownable tale of intrigue, betrayal, vengeance, and vampires.

The story boasts an engaging and distinctive crew of co-conspirators, each of whom has an unusual backstory to share. I enjoyed them all, but Jin and Flick were my favorites, and I struggled initially to warm up to and really know Arthie. The author does a fantastic job teasing us with the forbidden attractions between several of the characters. There are secrets everywhere, and some will plot twist the heck out of this story.

The settings and the atmosphere are dark and brooding. The author’s descriptions are artful and immersed me in the place and action alongside the characters. An imaginative and fictional empire, Etteria resembles Britain during its colonial period, and the impact on the people and places the empire absorbed is a critical theme in the book.

The plot builds around an almost impossible plan to steal a ledger straight out of the stronghold of the wealthy and elite vampire community in White Roaring. While the planning is essential, I felt it went on a little too long, working through so many details that I felt myself losing my connections with the story. Thankfully, the action picked up and added some gasp-inducing twists, and I was fully engaged once again.

I recommend A TEMPEST OF TEA to young adult fantasy readers, especially those who enjoy heist stories and forbidden attractions.

Actual Rating - 3.5

I loved this author's debut duology! When I saw that this book was about vampires and a heist I was instantly intrigued. The story started out super strong for me, but somewhere around the halfway mark I kind of found myself losing interest? I just wasn't feeling drawn back to read more. I did finish it but it took me almost two months... Not fully the book's fault, life happened too.

The heist wasn't as action packed and I anticipated. Many parts of the story felt slow and drawn out. I will say that I loved the characters and the found family aspect of this story. It's a popular trope right now and for good reason! I think we all need to be reminded that family isn't always about blood. I also have to say that the twists towards the end have me looking forward to reading the follow up and I hope I enjoy it a bit more than this one.

The pacing was a bit off for me, but it kept me entertained. There was a lot of showing instead of telling. I loved the multiple povs, but I wished either all the main characters involved got a point of view or just focused on Arthie. The heist kept me intrigued, but I wanted more. Overall, I was intrigued and I’m interested to keep going.

This is actually my first book by Hafsah and I will say the idea of the heist themed novel is interesting but I kept wishing more....

I loved A Tempest of Tea so much. I always enjoy books with vampires, and this one did it just right.

The characters were incredible, especially Archie and Jin. Their brother-sister relationship was so beautiful, and the found family trope was executed perfectly. The love relationships were also so well done.

This book definitely gives Six of Crows vibes, which is my all-time favorite book. The female protagonist being an Indian rep was amazing, and her wearing a saree in the climax was just awesome.

The twists were completely unexpected, I didn’t guess a single thing. The climax left me hanging, making me desperate for more. Overall, this book was an incredible read. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SECOND BOOK.

I really wanted to like this story, but had such a hard time getting into it. The writing style was just not for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

This is such a fascinating book. Interesting writing, has multiple POVs, vampires, and a diverse of characters! What surprises me is that there is romance, I'm giving a great bonus on that! I notice some things that are not interesting, but oh well. Overall, I'm going to say that I enjoy the book (mostly)! I see that this is a first book of the series, so I'll see if I would be willingly to read the next book.

Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours, author, and publisher for a gifted copy of the book! All opinions are my own.

This wasn’t bad, but it was such a slow burn and then by the end of the book I found myself literally falling asleep. I love how she writes and it’s breathtaking, but she needs to be faster when telling a story.

OMGG I SHOULD HAVE READ IT SOONER!! IT WAS SO GOOD!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. This book had the best banter. I loved the characters and their backstories. The word building was done amazing. Each charcter felt unique and special. There were so many adventures, I was thoroughly entertained. I loved arthie and jin's bond sm. "We were made for trouble, you and me.”

Also I need more of matteo pls🤭 can't wait for the next book!!
Read this book if you like:
- found family
- heist
- vampires
- ya fantasy

Thanks again TBR and BEYOND TOURS FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE ON THIS TOUR AND TO the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc of the book for my honest review.

The cover of the book sparked my interest right away, just BEAUTIFUL!!! Then reading it was about vampires, revenge, gangs and a tea room had me intrigued!! The story was a slow burn for me, but Ms.Arthie was a no nonsense take charge kinda gal and I respected that. I appreciated how she brought together her ragtag group of misfits together to create a found family. I really enjoyed the male characters POV's, especially Jin's. I thought the heist could've been a bit better but I enjoyed the twist and turns along the way. I do recommend this to my Y.A. Readers looking for a simple fantasy.

I really enjoyed the anti colonial themes of this book, which is chock full of POC characters suffering under the colonial powers of this fictional empire. This isn't a romance but more of an adventure novel centering around a heist, except the heist seemed to be continuously interrupted and ignored in favor of all the romantic connections between the team. There is an incredible amount of pining as pretty much everyone is horny for each other.

I found that the romance was a bit too much - it made the characters seem immature and unprofessional, and the multiple pairings made it hard to decide who to root for. I also didn't like that most of the exposition was done in descriptions aimed at the reader, but not via characters talking to each other. There is a lot of distrust and secrets between the characters which is never addressed, and many emotional revelatory moments are missing because they all keep their secrets so close to their chest. I would've liked to see more of the revelations actually take place in things the characters choose or are forced to say to each other so that we could see all the reverberations of these in the story.

I did find the story interesting enough, especially the mythology around vampires and all the power structures at play here, and will probably continue the series to see what happens next, but at the end of the day this book is just "okay" and not one that I will be raving about to others.

Thank you to @tbrbeyondtours for including me in this tour to celebrate the paperback release of A Tempest of Tea. Here are my thoughts on the novel!

Arthie runs a quaint little tea shop during the day, but at night her tea shop turns into a den for vampires to get a drink to quench their own thirsts. The government suspects but can’t prove the sort of folk Arthie’s establishment welcomes so they are trying to shut it down. Arthie and her group of acquaintances work together to try to blackmail their way into keeping the shop open!

This book has been on my TBR for quite some time and I regret not having got to it sooner! It was a very fun adventure with several twists and turns that weren’t expected. The world that the author built felt fully realized and immersive allowing me to focus in on the characters and plot without getting confused.

My favourite part of this novel is the characters. I absolutely love when a group of ragtag characters join forces to accomplish a goal. This was done super well. Everyone had their own well-explored pasts and intentions for why they want to help Arthie. They learn things about themselves and their companions allowing for character development and for readers to feel more towards these characters.

This is a unique spin on a vampire story that was engaging and I see a lot of potential for the rest of the series!

4.5 stars!

The first line of the blurb says “why save the world when you can have tea?” This was more than enough for me to add this book to my TBR. As someone who drinks tea practically everyday, I knew this book would be perfect for me. And while it wasn’t what I was expecting, I loved it SO much!

The two things I loved most about this book are the writing and the banter amongst the characters. The writing is so unique! At first, I had a bit of trouble following the story because of the writing because it felt so new, but once I got used to it, I felt like the story was being enhanced by the writing style! It fits so perfectly with the plot and characters and adds to the vibe as well.

This book probably had the best banter I’ve ever seen. And I don’t mean just between love interests, but amongst all the MCs and important supporting characters. There were so many moments where I just burst out laughing, even in the middle of the night. The dialogue is so witty, and it emphasizes the characters’ different personalities so well!

I also loved the characters and their backstories. There’s quite a few important characters, but the worldbuilding is done very well, and each character feels unique. Some characters are still very mysterious, so I can’t wait to learn more in the sequel! Romance isn’t as prevalent as I had expected, but I enjoyed it!

The ending. Is the worst cliffhanger I’ve experienced in a LONG time 😭. Like, what was that? I need the sequel NOW. This is why I usually don’t read ongoing series 😫. But I still enjoyed this book so, so much, and I know I will keep thinking about it until I read the sequel later this year.

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much! Outside of the story itself, I loved the commentary on immigrant life and colonialism. There’s a ton of parallels to the real world, and it was very reflective.


Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours and the publisher for the gifted copy! All opinions are my own.

A fun and exciting tale of a group of misfits turned thieves set against a lush and intricate world, A TEMPEST OF TEA was a fantastic read from start to finish. I’ve seen this one compared to Six of Crows on numerous occasions and I’d say that’s a pretty apt comparison.

The world building of this book is really the star of the show. It’s equal parts glitz and glamour but there’s also a seedy underbelly fraught with danger. And vampires, let’s not forget them. The characters are all interesting in their own rights with compelling backstories and I loved how they come together to form their own band of misfits. There’s a bit of romance in this one as well, which I always appreciate.

The main plot was exciting, there’s plenty of action and adventure to keep readers interested, and everything combined to make this a hard book to put down. The ending will definitely leave readers craving the next book and I hope it’s coming soon because I need to know what happens next. Pick this up if you enjoy:

⇢ Found family
⇢ Heists and thieves
⇢ Vampires
⇢ Intricate world-building
⇢ Important themes, mainly colonialism
⇢ Multiple POVs

I didn’t know I was a fantasy reader until this book and another that I just read and A Tempest of Tea was the for-sure push I needed for the genre! I think this may be one of my favorite books this month. It was a definite page-turner and I can’t speak highly enough of the world building in this. I was able to feel like I was watching a movie when reading through this. I also really appreciated the use of diverse characters and found family. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good read!

This is a good Ya for those starting to read the genre. If we don't compare to other titles, it gives us interesting badass characters, loss, conspiracies, a heist, and it's a slow read, so it takes time to get into things.

A Tempest of Tea
by Hafsah Faizal
Pub Date: Feb 20 2024

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by night, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

★ ★ ★ ★ ✬
Length: 338p
Source: physical copy - TBR & Beyond Tours
Release Date: February 2024

🫖 I’ll admit I kind of went into this one blind—which I rarely, if ever, do. All I saw was a single comparison of King Arthur meeting Peaky Blinders with a vampire twist and I was intrigued.

🗺️ What I wasn’t expecting? The absolutely FABULOUS ragtag crew that becomes a delightful found family of skilled outcasts. These characters were unique on their own but together I had SO MUCH fun with their witty banter and interactions.

🫖 The action was pretty good! Heists galore and I loved it! The romance caught me by surprise. Not the spiciest by far but more spicy than I was expecting for this genre. The love interest leaves a bit to be desired BUT there’s more to come!

🗺️ There were a few slow parts, a few dry parts, and a few parts with GAPING holes left, but what I also was unaware of—this is just the FIRST book in the series and there’s more to come. The next book is scheduled to release SEPTEMBER 2025!

♡ fantasy/paranormal romance
♥ lots of action sequences
♡ unique vampire lore
♥ a little bit of 🌶️
♡ found family

{I received a complimentary copy of this book. All reviews are my own.}

Part gangster/speakeasy story, part heist, part slow-burn romance, and probably a few other parts, A Tempest of Tea was great fun to read. With diverse characters and many interwoven bits of intrigue and romantic tension, readers will be on the edge of their seats until the very last page -- which is the reason this review is 4 stars instead of 5. The book doesn't so much end as it just... stops. Very little is resolved; there's no satisfying resolution of any plotline.

Suffice it to say I'll be anxiously awaiting book 2 (due out in September 2025). Offer this to fans of Six of Crows.