A Tempest of Tea was a wonderful YA heist story, made complete by a tea shop, found family, and vampires. What more could you want? A very strong follower to Hafsah Faizal's Sands of Arawiya series, this book takes place in the same world as We Hunt the Flame, but on a different continent. Woven into the heist are themes of colonization and how to move on after grief, which I thought were handled wonderfully. The characters are are unique and fun and are the perfect sort of rag-tag crew for a heist story. I hope there will be more in this series because, while this story mostly stands alone, there are plenty of opportunities to continue the characters' stories, and I hope it's not the last we see of any of them.

I think this was more of a book not meeting my personal preference. It was 2.5 for my enjoyment but maybe a 4 for the general plot and writing. I just never felt excited to pick this up and it took me way too long to get through this.

I can see that there is an exciting story here. The characters are interesting, the plot is intriguing. But it just felt like it was lacking something. Everything was kind of shallow? Like I didn't believe any of the relationships except maybe Arthie and Jin. It was more telling than showing and I felt like I had to re-read things to understand what was happening exactly or to remember whose POV we were in. There was a lot of setup and then the actual heist seemed very quick. But the ending had so many reveals and twists that my attention was finally grabbed in the last 20%.

So it faltered, but ultimately Faizal is setting up a unique story. I'm still torn if I'll read the next one.

Also - maybe this is my adult brain talking - but this is literally about a 16 year old girl who owns and operates a whole business?? Like what?? And then that girl is so scary and intimidating that she has most of the equally scary and violent adult men in this city afraid of her? Even if she was aged up to 19-20 it would make a little more sense.

A Tempest of Tea was such a fun time, I just flew right through it. It contains a rich blend of historical fantasy, twisty heists, gritty streets teeming with crime, vampires, and a found family that you will adore. I know that fans of Six of Crows and The Gilded Wolves will absolutely adore this book as much as I did. I fell right into the world and this story, and loved having the opportunity to grow to love these characters. I cannot wait until the second book (seriously cannot wait I mean that ending!!!) and I definitely would recommend this one to everyone!!

I have not read anything else by Faizal, or Six of Crows, which I see many comparing this to.
The story takes place in a sort of alternate British Empire (all the names have been changed, but we know which is which) of the haves and the have nots, and humans and vampires. Arthie and her business partner Jin own a tea by day/ blood by night establishment where most of Arthie's profit comes from the secrets she gathers there and knows how to use. When the Tearoom becomes threatened, Arthie pulls together a group to steal a mysterious ledger at an event at the Athereum, the tightly protected center for vampires. Things do not go exactly as planned.
As many have said, the story is definitely character-driven and travels between the points of view of Arthie, Jin and Flick, a young master counterfeiter. There is attraction between many of the characters, which builds up a little suspense throughout. Introducing the characters and the setting take up all the air in the book however, the plot just sits there for quite a while and doesn't take off until the end. So occasional slow going. The characters are intriguing. The cryptic ending is less so, but this is first of a series, so eventually all should be made clear.

Thank you NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), and Hafsah Faizal for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I’m really sorry to say that this book isn’t for me. The premise is interesting and reminded me a lot of Six of Crows, but I tried reading it three times and never got more than 30% in. I think others may enjoy it more though and I still recommend it - but maybe for people who prefer slower-paced reads.

I am oddly torn about this one! I loved the world that the author created and the characters that live in it - but something about the writing and the way the plot unfolded felt strangely disjointed. I could not immerse myself like I normally can and want to when it comes to fantasy books - but there was so much potential! I loved the heist and the various twists throughout. I think the ending was the perfect level of cliffhanger and left me thinking I know an answer which will probably have me picking up the second book when it comes out. Overall I enjoyed it but didn’t love it.

Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me wi to an eARC!

This was my number one most anticipated read of the year and it did NOT disappoint. Of course, I’m already biased because I love Hafsah Faizal and I will automatically love anything she writes. But this book was absolutely insane!

The vibes are almost identical to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (an all time favorite of mine). With messy teenagers in business suits and with a supernatural twist as well! I adored all the characters so much. Jin was my absolute favorite and I can’t wait for more of him and the rest of the crew.

The book is rich with prose, imaginative, fantastical, and just beautiful. I highly recommend it to anyone who loved the Grishaverse and We Hunt the Flame.

A gritty team takes on a vampire-related heist! Major Six-of-Crows vibes! Tragic backstories and tension-filled romance!

This was a majorly anticipated read for me and super engaging. I loooooove the coming together of characters with different histories, interests, secrets, and ambitions to complete a quest (of whatever sort) and A TEMPEST OF TEA has this in spades. Would have loved more wordbuilding, but overall, a really solid and readable story.

It definitely set itself up for a second book and I'm really excited to see where a duology takes the characters and this dark, complicated universe of vampires and secrets.

Thank you to and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. A TEMPEST OF TEA is out now!

It was no surprise at all that I absolutely loved this book. I mean what’s not to love? Peaky Blinders meets Tea House meets Vampires?! I mean seriously, a book couldn’t have cooler elements if it tried. Also, Hafsah Faizal’s writing is top notch. AND, did I forget, there’s a tie in to the world of WE HUNT THE FLAME?! Because that was perfection! The ending of this book destroyed me and I NEED the sequel immediately.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, not only because of plot, but because there are some big names (whom I love) singing their praise on the back blurbs. But unfortunately this just fell a little flat for me.

You hear vampires, heists, romance, and you expect this action packed read, but it’s far from that. This entire book revolves around one heist, which is completed with little to no issues. All of the big plot twists/conflict happens in the last 5% and while good.. the book is over lmao.

Now this is the first of a series, so I can see this all being a lot of set up for what is to come. But to be honest, thank goodness this was only 340 pages because I was bored 🙈

This just needed more of everything. More vampires, more heists, more action, more romance, etc. Anything of interest or emotional impact took place in the past and was talked about in the past tense. It’s almost as if this entire book was meant to tell the backstory of Jin & Arthie, our main characters.

This ended on such a cliffhanger that I am intrigued enough to read the second book. But this one was just ok :/

Rating: 3.5/5 ✨

A big thanks to NetGalley, BookishFirst, and MacMillian for providing both an eARC, advance audiobook, AND an advance finished copy in exchange for an honest review.

I seriously needed this book after finishing Assassin's Creed Syndicate and Six of Crows. And I blame it on the vibes alone.

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal is a YA fantasy novel that is comped as Peaky Blinders but with vampires and tea. 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.

This book is literally everything. I loved every second of it. And now I can't wait for the sequel. I will gladly read and love everything that Hafsah Faizal puts out. No matter what it is.

In the city of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir runs a tea house that secretly doubles as an illegal blood house for vampires. However, when the Owl threatens to shut her establishment down, she plans a daring heist to steal incriminating evidence against them in order to blackmail them into letting her keep the place.

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal is a delightful romp that made me realize how much I missed fantasy heists along the lines of Six of Crows. There’s witty banter, found family, and a ride or die crew.

The main cast is charming and endearing, and each of them feels distinct and fleshed out, which I’ve sadly been missing out from a lot of other fantasy novels with larger casts lately.

However, for a high fantasy with multiple POVs, this is definitely a book that should have been longer since the final third felt incredibly rushed. There were so many plot twists and major events back-to-back that it gave me whiplash, and they began to lose their emotional impact. I wish the story had been at least a good 40 pages longer so it could spend more time on certain plot threads and character beats. Heck, some of the reveals probably should have been saved for the sequel.

Pacing flaws aside though, this is still a highly entertaining read and that cliffhanger at the end has left me frothing for the sequel.

DNF 25%. This book wasn't bad but I didn't love it. This book is heavy on business and deals which I should have expected based on the description. The writing didn't amaze me and nothing happened in the parts that I listened too. Maybe I will return to in the future but as of right now it is not my cup of tea. (less) [edit]

The growth in Hafsah's writing is incredible . I enjoyed her duology but tempest blew my mind ! the concept and execution was well done and arthie is my favorite character ever !

thank you for the arc .

A special thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for sending me an arc of A Tempest of Tea!

A Tempest of Tea follows the Sands of Arawiya duology and the destruction of the Arz. Hafsah’s writing has greatly improved since her debut. If you’re a fan of Hafsah Faizal already, you’ll like this one. Without giving anything away, the plot is vaguely reminiscent of Captain Britain and MI13’s Vampire State in that Arthie reminds me a lot of Faiza Hussain. I have some students who will be happy to continue this series.

The start of what looks to be a promising new series full of mystery and adventure. The fantastical elements are great, but what really shines through is the character development - they are well rounded and have depth.

Do you like Six of Crows? Do you want Six of Crows with more diverse characters and fewer details on the actual heist and vampires instead of magic? Then this is the book for you.

I enjoyed this book, but the entire time, I kept thinking about Six of Crows and comparing it to that book. We got Arthie (Kaz), her crew, and the side characters she brought together to pull off a heist, infiltrating the vampire society and stealing an item that apparently will save their city and topple the current tyrant. I loved all the characters, especially Arthie's adopted brother Jin. Flick was a great character who grew up within the pages and was able to see past her innocence and see the corruption that was before her. The other heist members were a little confusing, and we didn't get much from them. This may be because we didn't get their POV, but I feel like Laith and Mateo felt lacking compared to the others (especially Laith).

I liked most of what was there, but I wanted more. Many things could have been expanded on, like the environment and what the city felt and looked like. There could have been more times of the characters riffing off each other so we could understand their dynamics more before the heist began. And there should have been more to all the instant love with Arthie (I thought the Jin love was handled better). I thought the book's romantic parts were rushed and unnecessary and should have been left out unless they were expanded upon.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will probably read the next one, especially since it ended on a cliffhanger, but I am slightly disappointed with what could have been an AMAZING book that turned out just good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really enjoyed this book. It was my first by this author. There was a lot going on and it was all brought together by the end very well. Lots of twists and turns, some I predicted but others not. And the ending was killer! I need the next book.

A MILLION TIMES YES!!!!! I absolutely loved this book. Genuinely, THE YA release of the year!!! I know we're only two months in but this is a star. Six of Crows with vampires like what more could you ask for??

We have Arthie, an orphan and absolute badass, who runs a blood bank that moonlights as a tea shop in the daytime. She runs the shop with her CHARMING AND BADASS brother of sorts, Jin. He's violent and sneaky and an excellent pickpocket.

When Arthie is approached by a member of the government guard, (enter Laith), to steal a ledger back from the society of vampires, Arthie assembles a fantastic crew to succeed. With the shy aristocratic forger Flick and the seductive vampire artist Matteo, the crew attempts to steal back a ledger from a house full of vampires.

Fantastic cast of characters, amazing romantic tension, banter, love triangles, bad ass middle eastern main character, SEXY vampire, SEXY ASSASSIN. Basically everyone in this book is hot. I could not PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! I already own two copies of it I'm foaming at the mouth for the sequel. Go read this book!!!!!

Compare any novel to Six of Crows, and I’m pretty much guaranteed to read it. Same with vampires and heist stories, so this was a no brainer to request from NetGalley.

A criminal mastermind and collector of secrets who owns a tearoom she transforms into a bloodhouse at night for vampires in a Victorian London setting? I wanted to meet this character, and Arthie didn’t disappoint. She doesn’t trust easily and will protect those she does with her life. As a child on her own in the world, she encounters Jin, a boy her age who just lost his parents in a fire, and she takes him under her wing. Years later, they consider each other siblings, and Jin works for Arthie doing – various things. Their relationship is one of my favorite parts of the story – I love the found family trope. Jin is clever and charming, while Arthie is cold and calculating. They make a good team.

The King, aka the Ram, takes notice of Arthie and the power she holds over the city with her secrets and is determined to put her out of business. The Ram also isn’t a friend of the vampires, and many have gone missing. To save her business/home, Arthie puts together a team made up of herself, Jin, Flick (forger), Leith (guard and cat lover), and Matteo (vampire) to steal the Ram’s ledger filled with dastardly deeds. Although the heist is full of tension and some surprise, it’s overshadowed a bit by a couple romances and didn’t take up as much of the plot as I’d expected. I liked all five of these characters, and the story is made up of three POVs (Arthie, Jin, and Flick).

The jaw-dropping twist near the end made me wonder why I didn’t see it coming, and there’s a perfect setup for the next book. Which I will absolutely be impatiently waiting for. I’d recommend this novel to fans of found family, strong female MCs, and surprising betrayals.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.