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.

Arthie Casimir owns and operates Spindrift, a tea house in White Roaring. Spindrift has two sides—an exceptional and popular tea house during the day and a bloodhouse for vampires at night. Arthie runs Spindrift with Jen Casimir, her partner who has been with her since she rescued him from his burnt-out home after an arsonist attempted to kill him and his family.

They receive information the ruler of the country wants Spindrift shut down. There is a way to save it. They may need to call in some markers, threaten to publish some embarrassing secrets, and pull off the heist of a lifetime with a minimum crew and time to plan.

That's the simple set-up for the plot. The chapters alternate among Arthie's, Jen's, and Flick's points of view. While that would seem to allow the story to go forward in a straight story arc--it doesn't. There are a lot of flashbacks to earlier periods in the characters' lives. Everyone has secrets and those secrets drive them in their decision making but the reader has no idea what is going on most of the time.

Honestly, the plot appears straightforward. Gather intel and plan the steps necessary to succeed. Execute the plan. Except ... secrets. Everyone is playing their cards close to the chest. Some information is available to the reader but most isn't. Several of the characters are finally finding someone they feel they could love but never trust, but most seem not to recognize their feelings for what they are or know how to deal with them.

I read the entire book and I'm still unsure about who was dead and who was alive at the end. Or even if they succeeded, or not, in achieving the goal of saving a version of Spindrift.

An interesting set of characters in an interesting world where vampires and maybe witches or an equivalent exist. There also seems to be magic and science or a mix of the two ... maybe. There was the EJC which appeared to be this story's version of the worst aspects of our world's East India Tea Company. There was a side thread about coconuts that was only partially explained in the last few chapters, but with a lack of solid information didn't make sense.

All in all, an interesting concept with an exotic cast of characters in a world that doesn't seem to work. It dragged in parts and was frustrating in others but did have a resolution to the major plot arc, although that resolution raised more questions than it answered. If you love stories awash in ambiguity this may be the book for you.

Faizal has done it again! A Tempest of Tea is an excellent fantasy heist for fans of Six of Crows. The plotting was incredibly well done, the characters are fleshed out but still have room for development, and the imperialism connotations add an excellent layer of depth. Definitely a first tier recommendation and readers will be anxiously waiting for book two.

Mixed feelings on this one!!

“The girl who was doomed to greatness.”

I ADORED our protagonist. Arthie (King Arthur retelling vibes?? There’s even a magical, modern version of Excalibur… I can’t remember enough about the rest of the lore to make further connections) was so, so cool. I have nothing more to say!!! She took no shit, she was determined, loyal, and hated the colonisers with the passion of a thousand suns. I adored her!!! She absolutely gave Kaz Brekker vibes - dealt in secrets, plus she was the leader of an elaborate heist… oh she was brilliant.

“The peakies eat it mostly raw as homage to the cannibalistic carnage they commit throughout the world.”

I also thought the worldbuilding and plot was quite interesting - it was a heist book, but with the addition of vampires?? And massive down-with-the-colonisers vibes. A very intriguing combo, but very fun, because those three plots always bring on a good time!!
I did think the heist aspect was slightly lacking - maybe I just compared it a bit too much to Six of Crows, but there were less dramatic plot-twists and daring feats than I hoped for, which had me a bit less captivated. I also did find that I guessed 90% of the plot-twists throughout the book - they just seemed slightly basic, and fairly predictable.

“We were made for trouble, you and me.”

I did love precious Jin though - he’s a little sunshine flirty ball of love and preciousness, and him and Arthie had the BEST platonic bond. I’m a damn sucker for a strong platonic bond, and this gave me alllll of that. I wanted more of them, honestly!!!

“He could lose Spindrift a thousand times, but he could never lose his sister.”

But the rest of the characters… I just wasn’t convinced. Unfortunately, I did not get the found family vibes that I dreamed of (except for Arthie and Jin, of course). The characters just didn’t seem to get enough bonding time together, or actually have conversations with each other outside of planning the heist??
Flick irritated me a little - she was soft and precious, but just… I’m not sure, but her naivety just made my eye twitch a little. Also she was kinda boring. But I did think her development was brilliant, and I hope to get more of her new (and improved, in my opinion) self!!

“Every good love story starts with a bullet to the heart.”

Then the members of the love triangle… hmph. I’m not a fan of love triangles at the best of times, but add in the lack of development with either love interest, and the vague insta-obsession with the LI I liked LEAST, and I was not a happy camper. I did think that Matteo was a cutie patootie (I like the flirts, I don’t know what to tell you) but we definitely did not get enough of him!!! More Matteo content please!

All in all, this was certainly a really interesting story with some BRILLIANT characters (and some less brilliant ones…), and while I was disappointing by some aspects, it was a promising start to the series. I’ll be keeping an eye out for book 2! Thank you to the author, publisher, and TBR & Beyond Tours for the ARC copy!!

Oh. My. Goodness. There’s a reason this was one of my highest anticipated reads of the year. King Arthur meets Peaky Blinders with a heist and vampires? And tea, of course. I ate it up. The characters were lovable and it was such a page turner that once I finished the first act I knew I was staying up all night to finish the book. And it does really pick up after the first act. It starts off slow but that’s because the author does a lot of the setup in the first act, and then the action kicks in.

At first I was surprised that it was in 3 povs, but considering the character development between the three characters it totally made sense. The other members of the group, while present, don’t get as much development and backstory. I’m hoping that changes in the next book. I also like how dynamic the pov changes are. It’s like whatever is happening in the story is told from the perspective of who it makes the most sense to be with at the time. And it’s not balanced. The perspectives jump around, and some get more than others. It’s unique, and I liked it a lot.

One end reveal in particular took me by surprise, and I still can’t believe so much happened in those last few pages. This book filled the void that’s been in my heart since Six of Crows. So often I see a book promise to be like Six of Crows, and it just doesn’t compare. This one finally did. I am going to be so impatiently waiting for this sequel.

It's got tea - along with gorgeous descriptions of the tea - and vampires...and it's a duology! I love duologies! Okay, but seriously, I have recommended this book to the teens at my library and they loved it.