The story just does not pick up. There's an interesting cast of characters, but so much internal dialogue. Normally this is fine but the characters' voices are not distinct and the chapters all blur together. Also, their internal voices do not match their actions or personalities, and I was confused by the almost instant attraction the couples feel for each other.

Really wanted to love this one but I have no idea where the story is going.

I’m not always impressed by stories with vampires, but the vampire lore in A Tempest of Tea proved thought-out and integrated into the rest of the world. Seeing as the world also includes criticisms of colonization, betrayal, found family, Arthurian legend, and more, weaving the supernatural and the historical together is no small feat.

The characters fascinated me the most. Arthie Casimir is the clever, loyal, intensely intimidating protagonist I’ve been missing since Six of Crows. Like Kaz Brekker, she assembles a ragtag crew of characters from all walks of life—and from often competing loyalties. I admired the banter between her and her brother-in-crime Jin Casimir, whose charisma nicely complements her abrasiveness. His developing romantic relationship with Felicity “Flick,” a highborn young woman who talentedly dabbles in forgery, was also wholesome, and I looked forward to their flirtatious interactions. I didn’t expect to be as invested as I was in Arthie’s love triangle with Laith, a high guard and Arthie’s opposite, and Matteo, an artsy, even pretentious vampire. They both teased out new sides of Arthie’s personality, and I liked that it’s still unclear which of them will end up together.

To accommodate this unique worldbuilding and wide cast of characters, the plot occasionally slowed. The writing dwelled on the gang discussing and planning for the heist more than them implementing it, so by the time it happened, I felt a bit disinterested. The aftermath, though, threw me for one satisfying loop after another. I enjoyed the characters’ snark and the Victorian-meets-vampires atmosphere, but the ending is what’s driving my anticipation for the sequel.

I have been waiting to read this book since it was announced in 2021 and it truly does not disappoint. I loved Arthie and her crew, especially Jin, and the way vampires were included in this world was so fresh and unique. This was everything I wanted it to be and more, the reveals at the end completely shocked me, even if I had a little inkling of what was going to happen I was never able to guess the full scope of the events. One of the best heist books I have ever read!

How refreshing to be so absolutely entranced by a setting and pulled back into a world of vampires and tea. What a combination topped off with the legendary Arthie as a main character. Tearoom and spilling the tea. Heist-like activities. Plots and counterplots. Fighting back, taking charge. As I'm a season into Peaky Blinders, I can see the connections but I also love the old-world feel while bringing modern flairs too.

The alternating POVs of Arthie and Jin worked but I adored Arthie enough it could have been her full-time and I wouldn't have been mad. What creativity and genius with an underbelly world that also reminds me a bit of [book:These Violent Delights|50892212].

I will definitely read the second!

A full review has been posted on Eulalie Magazine.

3.5 stars
The world is the highlight of the novel. It's such a rich world, and I wanted to spend even more time in it and learn more about it. The romance/love triangle did not work for me, and I'm not sure it needed to be a multiple-POV novel, but, overall, I enjoyed A Tempest of Tea.

4 -⭐⭐⭐⭐

"We are the same, Arthie. We understand what it's like to grieve with fire and not tears. What it's like to do anything for those we love."

A Tempest of Tea is the first novel in the YA Historical Fantasy series, Blood and Tea. The premise follows Arthie, a criminal mastermind who runs a tea shop by day and a blood den at night. As one who deals in secrets she surrounds herself with a group an eclectic people help conduct a heist that will save her establishment. Yet as she further navigates the vampiric society to prepare she is confronted with conspiracies and revelations that will force her either accept the change in the world she knows or succumb to the imperial presence that seeks to destroy her.

This is an incredibly fun and easy book to dive into! It has a Six of Crows vibe alongside Peaky Blinders and I felt both comparisons are given justice here.

Arthie is a woman determined to protect the only home she knows but she is also a dealer of secrets. I found her story evolving truly grabbed my attention and the secrets she keeps are tantalizing. She is fierce and a power in her own right...but she's still learning.

Jin is Arthie's adopted brother, a boy she saved when a fire destroyed his life. He is a charmer but steadfast and loyal. He is a tinker of mechanics and watching his romance bloom with Flick was adorable.

Flick is the disgraced daughter of a noble...and also happens to be an excellent forger. She is brought in to help with the heist with a hope she can uncover something to bring her back into the good graces of her family. I found her innocence of the underbelly to be quite sweet despite her rather illustrious career. Also...her and Jin are the sweetest of slow burns.

Matteo is a vampire who connections. Not fully a friend of Arthie...so she blackmails him. In a world where vampires are feared, Matteo is reluctant to reveal himself but he sarcasm and banter made him a fun addition to the bunch.

Last, but not least, is Laith is a royal guard with a vendetta and is willing to help Arthie with her problem...if she steals something from his superiors for him. He also has an adorable cat companion that stole the show. I found the layers of Laith matched Arthie in many ways so their antagonistic romance worked so well and I have hopes for the future.

This book is young adult so do not expect spice. There is kissing. The book follows three POVS and there are two romances but there are side plots. I found Flick and Jin's to be the sweetness to the spice of Laith and Arthie's.

"I loathed you...I hated you for the span of a heartache before I realized how much I craved you. And I know you yearn for me the same."

In terms of story and world, I found the story fascinating and draws you in. The lore around vampires and imperials powers also piqued my interest in many ways. There is still so much to unravel as we navigated this gritty world of the industrial age. I enjoyed the banter and interactions of all the characters. I will say this book is a slow pace...so the heist takes a while to even happen and not must feels like its happened...then you get hit with LOTS of twists and turns. It has me incredibly excited for book two.

Overall, if you want a heists, a light romance, and vampire society in a fantasy world, and grit, this story will be your cup of tea!

Thank you Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for this ARC!

It's always the hardest for me to write reviews for books that I found to be just alright. This is the sort of book where it was a good time while I read it, but ultimately not going to be a tale that I find very memorable after a little time has passed.

Conceptually, A Tempest of Tea sounds really fun. There's a place that's a tearoom by day, bloodhouse by night that's run by a crew of orphans, who find themselves involved in a heist in order to save the place they call home. And there's certainly fun to be had when it comes to the witty remarks exchanged, the logistics of the heist (and its preparations) and the moments of revelation (especially in the latter portion of the book).

Unfortunately, it's in the execution where this one fell a little flat. The plot orchestration was perfectly adequate, if also convenient and haphazard at turns. The characters were certainly portrayed to be unique with their different physical attributes and backgrounds, but I didn't feel like they really popped off the page or like I had any personal investment in any of them (and subsequently, that meant my interest in the relationships was very light at best).

Honestly, this book is fine, and though it did fall short of my expectations, I may eventually give the second book a shot just to see how things continue from where it end.

I’m actually quite blown away with Faizal’s writing style because it’s been so long since I’ve read “show not tell” in a book. Each character is incredibly well-rounded with clear representations of their intentions and motivations, and I’m kind of obsessed with Arthie’s character?? I didn’t expect her to hold such a resemblance to Kaz Brekkar but with a little immigrant narrative thrown in. I am totally in love with her character!

The anti-colonial presence is very strong within this story and I appreciate how Faizal has created an accurate fictitious representation of the East India Trading Company and the havoc they wreaked on the Global South. I do feel that the presence of the vampires/vampirism in the story is a bit underdeveloped and think we could have used some more lore about the presence of vampires in this world to form a more complete picture. (But to my understanding, this was set in the same world as We Hunt the Flame so I could just be missing some context!) The characters are so well-written that this becomes easy to overlook. The world-building in the industrial revolution setting is done fantastically and I appreciated the amount of detail!

Highly recommend to fans of Six of Crows, folks who are looking for more POC representation in fantasy, and those of us who are healing our inner child with stories that accurately represent our histories. 🫶🏾

🫖 POC Vampires
🫖 Gang rivalries
🫖 Heists
🫖 Found family
🫖 YEARNING

3.5 stars!

There were definitely some strengths to this book, but there were also some things that fell just a bit short. To start, I wanted more of the world. I wanted to know more about what vampires were like and honestly, I wanted more of the tearoom/bloodhouse. Personally, this book was missing some excitement, especially for the heist. There didn't seem to be much at stake and I think that's part of the reason why the middle of the book was almost a little too slow. There also wasn't much struggle so it didn't have me on the edge of my seat or anything. Another thing I struggled with was the character development. I still don't really know the characters all that well and I wish we saw more of the connections/relationships developing. The characters could be more complex and I would have loved to see more of a found family trope. In terms of characters, they can definitely be stronger and unique.

Though the middle of the book wasn't all that exciting to me, the ending of the book was thrilling. I would say the last 10 chapters was when I started to get nervous and I really got into the story. There were some things that were pretty predictable in the book (I knew what direction the author was going with for Arthie right from the start), but the ending did have some interesting twists. As we got to learn about more secrets, I really wish we got more about the characters' backgrounds (Arthie and Jin's connection, for example) because it would have created a more emotional layer and it would have hit harder. The pacing was a bit odd at times too. I do plan on reading the sequel but I'm very much hoping that we get more of the characters (individually and together) and I'm interested to see what happens. Oh and also, I was expecting a lot more with tea! I'm kind of disappointed we don't get much of it.

This was everything I wanted it to be and just as good as I knew it would be! I fell in love with WHTF, and was super stoked to step back into this world! Featuring vampys, a twist on the legend of ming Arthur, a heist, and some pretty fantastic plot twists — that absolutely delivered! Patiently awaiting book #2 (And any and all future books). Thanks to Netgalley for ARC access!

Despite being one of my most anticipated reads and the excitement I had being selected for this ARC, this book ultimately did not measure up. I was hoping for an exciting tale of vampires and a heist and it just fell flat for me. While the story was good, it wasn't great. The beginning of the story felt like traipsing through mud and not getting very far. I felt no connection to the characters and that left me not invested in the story. Once I got to the heist part of the story, it picked up, but I still was not overly compelled to pick up the book. It left me feeling disappointed quite frankly.

The one aspect that Hafsah did well in this story was the commentary on colonialism and its impact. The details of Athie's homeland being colonized and destroyed were heartbreaking. That scene was an incredibly powerful visual of the impacts that colonialism has had and continue to have on those who have been colonized. This commentary was woven through out the story and really felt it to be masterfully done.

However, overall, as this story was good. Not great. I don't know that I would read the next book, because I still do not feel any connection to the characters. That has left me not truly invested in this story.

4.5 stars
A Tempest of Tea is a fantastic start to Hafsah Faizal’s long-awaited sophomore series. It follows a ragtag found-family team of lovable lawbreakers as they engage on a heist to save what they love most—their tea room.
With vampires, real world anti-colonial politics, and Arthurian legend, this book had me hooked from premise alone.
I appreciated execution of the multi-POV. It struck the balance between giving necessary viewpoints, but not over-cluttering with constant POV switches. We read from Arthie, Jin, and Flick’s perspective, but instead of alternating equally (ie, chapter one is Arthie, chapter 2 is Jin, Chapter 3 is Flick, repeat), the POV seems to be solely determined by whose viewpoint is most necessary or impactful for any given scene. This means we get an almost equal amount of chapters from Arthie and Jin’s POV with a lesser smattering of Flick’s. Sometimes we would get three chapter’s from Jin in a row, other times we wouldn’t see his POV for almost 50 pages. It wasn’t equal, but it felt natural and helped the narrative flow smoothly.
The found family aspect of this book was easily my favorite part. I appreciated getting to know Arthie and Jin, and seeing their history and Spindrift’s history woven throughout the story, as well as seeing how Flick began to integrate into their little unit. It was one of the most compelling found family book’s I’ve read in a long time. I enjoyed the heist, though it felt more secondary to the characters. It was engaging and I was interested in watching it come together.
My only complaint, and the only thing keeping this book from reaching its full 5-star potential is the pacing of the reveals. There were plot twists in this book that were tons of fun, but I think they dragged out a little too far. It’s going to be difficult to make this point without spoilers, so bear with me if it’s quite vague and a little confusing.
There are many fun, twisty reveals but there are two major ones that apply to this. They are both revealed in the last 20% of the book, and then there are these things that happen in the climax that get their emotional weight from those reveals. However, since the reveal and then the subsequent culmination happen within 50 pages of each other, we haven’t had enough time to sit with and explore this new information, leaving what had the potential for an intense emotional reaction to instead be much more subdued. I felt as if, if I’d had another 50 pages exploring these reveals and their consequences, I would have been able to connect and engage with them more fully, and thus would have been more intensely impacted. Instead, these climactic events felt a little underwhelming, especially since I could picture the unmet potential.
That said, I am completely in love with these characters and this world, and I am desperately awaiting book 2. A Tempest of Tea has cemented Hafsah Faizal as one of my favorite authors, and I know that book 2 will be phenomenal.

A Tempest of Tea is easily my favorite Faizal offering thus far!!

I am an atmosphere junkie at heart and I found the "teahouse" setting oh so satisfying. It was such a brilliant backdrop for all the shenanigans, found family, and romance offered in this story. The story is riddled with some of the best YA tropes and they are done well enough to remind readers that a troupe can be a good thing! YA readers will feel at home in these pages and be left clamoring for more!!

A Tempest of Tea was advertised as Six of Crows meets Peaky Blinders, which turned out to be too good to be true. I DNF'd this book at 52%.

Arthie Casimir and her brother Jin run a highly respected tearoom that turns sinister at night- it becomes an illegal bloodhouse catering to vampires. Arthie is a criminal mastermind, and her wits and skill become apparent when her tearoom becomes threatened. Along with her brother and their team of underdogs, they plan a heist to take down an elite vampire society.

I really think that this book was trying to do so much that it turned into a muddled mess. This book tried to combine Six of Crows and Peaky Blinders with Arthurian Legend and vampires. The plot was slow, and the characters felt under developed. There are a lot of rave reviews for this book because of the ending so maybe don't listen to me! Unfortunately the book and I didn't get along so well and I couldn't even make it to the end.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book masterfully blends fantasy and heist elements, creating a captivating tale of camaraderie and tension. The plot twists had me on the edge of my seat, and the shocking reveal at the end left me speechless. I can't wait for the next installment after that cliffhanger ending. Jin's complex character stole the show for me, but I enjoyed all the characters especially Opal. Perfect for fans of heist stories in a fantasy world, I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping read.

When I heard the pitch for this book, I was so excited. I love vampires, criminal London-esque locations, and tea. So I thought this would be perfect for me, and it was an enjoyable read that I had a good time with. My one critique is I needed 50+ more pages. I needed to feel more for the characters. There were so many good aspects of this book, but I needed more. The writing was incredible and Hafsah Faizal is an author to look out for, but it just lacked depth. A lot of things seemed surface level.

I would still recommend this book and I am very interested in the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

It's is a combination vampire, heist and so many things that i literally craved for in a book fantasy book. Currently all we read is romantasy or spicy contemporary romance, so this was definitely like a fresh brand new breeze inbetween those.
I haven't read the earlier works of this author and as soon as I heard this is the first installment of a brand new series, I couldn't keep myself from picking up this one.
The writing and world building is definitely good and now I am understanding the hype of this author's last works too. Definitely looking forward to the next upcoming books in this series and also will check out the old works of the author.

Revenge, a deadly heists, betrayal, romance, and blood. Arthie Casimir is the owner of a tea shop... that also sells blood and she deals in secrets. She is a criminal mastermind who has created her own little kingdom in the streets of White Roaring, where vampires roam and politics are at every doorstep. Arthie is an orphan who has made herself into something more and she'll do anything to maintain her self-made kingdom. When her establishment is threatened she is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it, and that means getting a crew together. Along for the ride is Jin, Arthie's brother ( a boy who she saved when his parents, scientists, were taken and his home was burnt down), Felicity (the adopted daughter to a wealthy lady with a talent for forging who has fallen out of grace with her mother), Matteo ( a charming and handsome half vampire who has an interest in Arthie), and Laith ( a general of the Ram, the military guards who hunt the streets, who is from Arawiya (yes this series is connected and set in the world of the Sands of Arawiya series) and wants to hunt down an artifact to kill the king of Arawiya cuz he blames him for the death of his sister). Laith comes to Arthie with a deal : they'll both steal a ledger that will destroy the Ram, the same Ram group who is threatening Arthie's business and the one Laith works for. Arthie is suspicious of Laith yet attracted to him.... and she knows she can't trust him. Arthie and her crew must find a way to make it out alive... but with the Ram hunting them down and betrayals and secrets within the group itself... who knows who will make it out alive. This is the first book in the duology and it was so good. I love Arthie so much and can't wait to see where the second one goes, especially with the way this one ended!! This is the perfect read for fans of Six of Crows or The Gilded Wolves, it's got romance, an fun crew of characters, heists, and my favorite: vampires.

<spoiler> Arthie is actually half vampire half human, she was turned when she was sick by the doctor in her land... right as the colonizers killed and took it over. She was then taken in by Penn, an ancient vampire ruler of sorts who took her in as his own daughter. She ran away four years ago and met jin and made her own little kingdom but with this job she runs back into Penn ( he is her father figure she actually does love him) . Jin assumed his parents died in the fire but he discovers that they were taken by the Ram as the Ram were using experiments to turn vampires into war machines as they fabricated the entire events of the massacre of the Wolf of White Roaring ( in which a starved vampire went on a rampage and killed people). Felicity wanted to get back into the good graces of her mother by working with Arthie and then exposing Arthie and co to her mom so her mom would forgive her but the more time she spends with them the more she is realizing they might be her found family and that her mother really never loved her (she never betrays them but leaves her mother instead). Jin and Flick have been crushing on each other for years and finally kiss at the end of this one. Laith is from Arawiya and is hunting down the artifact his. sister was sent to retrieve by the king of Arawiya to protect the kingdom. His sister died on the boat ( he was ill at the time of the voyage). He and Arthie do kiss but he betrays Arthie as he realizes that Arthie's beloved weapon is the artifact and steals it from her while killing Penn. Arthie hunts him down and reveals that he actually killed his sister, he was sick during the voyage and got her sick and then she died. They both shoot each other and then the Wolf of White Roaring comes and takes Arthie ( I'm guessing it is Matteo as he tells her they are both alike and that they are both half vampire half human). Throughout the book Arthie is attracted to both Laith and Matteo. Arthie's little kingdom is burnt down and she has the option to rebuild it or to move on. (she hunts down laith and the book ends with her and laith both shooting each other and bleeding, and the Wolf of White Roaring coming to her). </spoiler>

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3/5

I was sold based on the premise of this book. The world is incredibly interesting. The vampire lore is familiar but brings enough new elements to the table to keep it fresh and intriguing. The characters are diverse and Arthie and Jin especially are both the kind of efficient, no-nonsense protagonists I tend to love. And I love a good high stakes fantasy heist. I love the clear commentary on colonization and imperialism as well. Those things weren't enough to overcome some of the structural issues I kept running into with this book.

One of the primary issues A Tempest of Tea had for me is the pacing. The stakes escalate very quickly and things progress very fast in this book. That isn't an issue by itself but it's combined with a plot that is trying to develop meaningful bonds between characters and is not subtle about what kind of relationships the author is planning for these characters to have. However, for me, these characters do not spend enough time developing together for me to really feel connected and emotionally invested in them. This is especially true once the twists and dramatic scenes in the last third of the book start dropping. I also felt like the vampires weren't really well incorporated into the narrative, which is a shame given how much the plot hinges on them.

This book also has the New Adult problem we are seeing a lot in publishing right now. This book does not feel like it's fully YA or Adult and I do think it would have been stronger if it had pivoted and committed more to one audience.

I am interested to see if some of these problems are less impactful once the second book in the duology comes out and we have a complete narrative. But for now, I am hesitant to whole heartedly recommend this book to readers.

Everyone polish your tea cups and get ready for an absolute smash of a book. Not only is this a stunning fantasy but the wit of the tea jokes? show stopping and very worthy of the title.

Arthie runs a prestigious tearoom, but behind closed doors it doubles as a front for her illegal bloodhouse for vampires. White Roaring's very own criminal mastermind is put in a predicament when someone threatens her and her establishment, and is forced to bring together an unlikely group of people to strike first before they can.

If you love a good heist book, this is for you.
If you love vampires, this book is for you,
If you love refreshing and powerful fmcs, this is for you.
If you love books with multiple incredible romance sideplots, this is for you.
And obviously, if you love TEA, this is for you.

There is something for everyone in this book. My personal favorite was the dynamic between Arthie and all the other characters. You have her brother Jin, those she despises, those she secretly loves, and those she will double cross. She is so interesting and I love seeing who she keeps her mask up with and who she lets it fall around. Jin is also another star, he is definitely someone that people will swoon over. Hafsah does an amazing job of keeping every character distinct in not only their characteristics but their view of the world. You can tell who each character is and how they've grown up in each of their POVs with no confusion. And with a cast of so many characters, that is no simple task. Like with Flick, who grew up in a bit more of a rich environment than Arthie and Jin who were on the streets, her POV is heavily influenced by her background. She has her own battles that we can't understand from Arthie's POV and that is what is so insane about Hafsah's writing. The characters came to life and I found myself rooting for all of them.
Yet she doesn't just excel at character work, there are fight scenes that are so well choreographed they are picturesque. There is one scene that had me on the edge of my seat and elated over the smallest details. I can picture White Roaring so distinctly and feel the pressure of their time constraints and efforts. You truly feel as if you are in this book.

Hafsah absolutely rose to the occasion with this sister series to We Hunt the Flame, where it is absolutely unique and of its own but does have some call backs to her first duology. I simply cannot wait to see what happens in the next installment, and will be returning to reread and revisit these characters very soon. I would highly recommend, but no one is surprised when its Hafsah Faizal. She never disappoints!