Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC of this book!

Do you like heists? Vampires? Tea? Then you are going to want to read this new book, which is the first in the Blood and Tea duology. Arthie runs a tearoom by day that transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by night. When Spindrift is threatened, her brother (found family) Jin and her set out to gather a group for a heist that could save everything she has built. Even though this is a fictional world, it is strongly rooted in colonialism and the brutality people faced at the hands of the English. Throughout we learn about Arthie and Jin's past and a few secrets are revealed along the way. Mix in some romance and betrayal and you get the perfect blend for a book that will keep you hooked. Definitely looking forward to book 2.

I LOVED this book. I loved that it's a slight retelling of the King Arthur story. I love that its heroine, Arthie, is badass, morally grey, and a snappy dresser. I love her found family relationship with Jin, who is a badass character in his own right. I love that the book is a love letter to tea. I love that the teahouse is also a front for a vampire hangout where vamps can drink blood socially. I love the heist! I love that a kitten was a key part of the heist. More books need heists and kittens. I love Arthie's anger at the colonist society that destroyed her home. Her rage fills her every action.

I also LOVED Faizal's writing. Her style is just as snappy and fierce as Arthie. I look forward to reading her other books and getting them all for my library!

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan for the ARC.

When Hafsah revealed A TEMPEST OF TEA, I was so incredibly excited! I went in not knowing much, actually, which did make the vampires a pleasant surprise 😂. I love the book name, the discussion of colonialism/empire/and leaders who do not care about you. I loved how Hafsah muses on how to distinguish rage that propels you and inspires you to *do* versus rage that beats you down. Through Arthie, Jin, Flick, and Laith's stories, A TEMPEST OF TEA discusses what it means to channel rage and oppression into reclaiming what was lost — although, most of the time, the things/people that were lost can never be fully recovered.

I was drawn most to Flick and Jin's voices and their chapters (definitely enjoyed the multiple perspectives!). The latter, probably because she undergoes the most obvious growth. Also, as I mentioned before, I found myself quite immersed in the world of Ettenia. I loved the world building where vampires are part of society and also ostracized because of who they are. I'm very curious about how the Ettenian government/the "Ram" works, i.e. what's the history here? How did Ettenia come to have "masked leaders?" I absolutely would devour a history text on this!! 👀

However, there were some moments in A TEMPEST OF TEA that confused me and made the reading journey a little rockier — mostly in the second half of the book. I was actually a bit confused during the heist part; speaking in general terms, I wish there was more obvious pushback, if that makes sense 😅 I was expecting for my heart to pound a bit faster during those scenes. Furthermore, I noticed I was feeling more distant from the story and the characters — maybe it was my headspace or because I was confused about where the story was heading versus enjoying the ride. Maybe it was because heist stories just might not work for me as well on paper (which is so so sad) 🥲.

Anyway, loved the concept, loved the characters, loved Hafsah's prose, and I'm definitely interested in the next book and how the story continues to unfold!

Thank you to the publisher and the author for providing me a copy of "A Tempest of Tea" through Netgalley!

Hafsah Faizal has made a name for herself in the Young Adult world industry, with her fantastic duology, "Sands of Arawiya. I was excited to give this one a try.
A fantastic heist with a team of the city's most skilled outcasts, paired with vampires, gangs, and tea, and the mood to be one of that I would compare with the likes of a mix between "Peaky Blinders" and "Six of Crows".
While it took about 150 pages in for the pacing to pick up, once it did, the adventures could not be slowed down, and was action- packed, filled with many surprises along the way.
This title and story was a step out of my usual type of YA books to read, but I can say by the end, I honestly enjoyed the experience.

Faizal’s latest page-turner is the perfect blend of vampires, heists, and tea with a hint of romance!

“A Tempest of Tea” follows Arthie Casimir, a criminal mastermind who runs a tearoom by day and a bloodhouse that caters to the local vampires by night. When her establishment is threatened, she’s forced strike a deal with an unlikely adversary in order to save it.

Admittedly, the slow pacing at the start threw me off, but once Faizal set the scene, the action and suspense surrounding Arthie and her crew of misfits infiltrating the vampire underworld captivated me. Faizal’s writing is immersive and she cleverly conceals all that Arthie has up her sleeves until the very last second, which allows for many jaw-dropping moments.

I was most drawn to reading from Arthie’s pov. As the mastermind of the operation, it was fascinating to see her scheme and navigate through the tangled web of heists spanning across the books. I also appreciate how her character represents the anger and pain that stems from colonialism. Before dominating the streets of White Roaring, Arthie lived in a country much like Sri Lanka that was invaded by Ettenia (a fantastical version of 1920s England). Many of the choices that she makes are intentional in exposing the dangers and repercussions of conquest.

It was also exciting to read from the povs of two members of Arthie’s crew! Their perspectives offer insight into each person’s role in the heist and their motivations for being involved.

I LOVED We Hunt the Flame. And for me this book feels like Leigh Bardugo's transition from Shadow and Bone to Six of Crows. This beautifully written novel follows Arthie Casimir, who is a criminal mastermind with a Tearoom that is known widely across White Roaring. Except this isn't your normal teahouse, serving a different breed after hours: vampires. Arthie ends up gathering a group of less-than-ideal companions to help her when her business is threatened. Leading to an action-packed story with three different POVs's, a beautifully written masterpiece you will not want to put down.

Well, this was a fun one. I definitely see why this books is getting a lot of comparisons to Six of Crows.

The writing in this was superb. I think she does really great character work. I enjoyed the dynamics between all of members of the crew. I am not usually one for heist stories, but overall I enjoyed myself.

There were definitely things that I didn't see coming, and not to toot my own horn or anything, but that's kind of hard to do.

The only thing that I maybe wasn't a huge fan of was the ending, I'm not into abrupt cliffhangers like that. I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early. I will definitely be recommending this to customers, especially those who are into found family, vampires, heists, Peaky Blinders type enterprises, and Six of Crows.

This has a lot of elements that I thought I would enjoy more than I did. I love when tea is involved in fantasy and I've been reading a lot of vampire books, but the vampires didn't vampire as much as I wanted them to. The story has a good pace, especially near the end as the heist to infiltrate vampire society picks up, but I didn't feel drawn into the world or the characters.

INCREDIBLE. AMAZING. If you mixed Six of Crows with Chloe Gong's These Violent Delights duology, this is what you'd get...but there's also VAMPIRES. OBSESSED.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of "A Tempest of Tea": by Hafsah Faizal in exchange for an honest review.

Criminal "mastermind" Arthie Casimir does whatever it takes to survive in the gritty world she grew up in. She has flamboyantly colored hair, a magic gun of questionable (but Arthurian-ish?) origins, and a ride-or-die friend/business partner named Jin. She and Jin run Spindrift, a tea house by day and illicit blood parlor by night. She also collects secrets from the mighty and low alike, using these secrets to pressure and manipulate people all over the city. Unfortunately, she's made a lot of enemies along the way, including the city guard.

Pressure from the city guard has increased enough to threaten her tea house and Arthie finds herself desperate to save Spindrift. A mysterious Guard approaches her to help with a seemingly-impossible heist, the score of which will give her a great deal of negotiating power. So she and Jin recruit a team and get to work.

Well. This book. It's A LOT. So much world-building. The story takes real historical details -particularly the atrocities of British colonialism and the East India Company- and twists them into a fantasy world populated with vampires. There's magic but there's also some light industrialism, like the lightest dab of steampunk.

The story is a little inconsistent at times, both in terms of plot and pacing. The first 25% drags a little because there is so much to learn. It picks up once the heist planning and execution are underway, and the last 25% flies by in a blur. There a number of details that don't really make sense: small "What, what- WHY?" moments that seem either incomplete or sloppy.

But there is plenty in this book for people to enjoy too. The dual romance plots worked well. The heist was fun. It's adventurous and sexy and the plot will pull readers right in.

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

First, I want to say that choosing a quote for my review was HARD. This entire book is quotable. Hafsah's writing is magical but a bit like the character of Arthie herself--edged like a blade.

This book was so, so good. The pacing is tight and quick, the characters are so well fleshed out and have great arcs, the setting is vivid, the world is interesting...I could go on and on and on.

The best part about this book is definitely the characters. Arthie is a lot like Kaz Brekker, except shorter. Jin and Flick are also amazing characters and each of these three POV characters really came alive on the page. The side characters were also a delight--Matteo and Laith (and his kitten!) especially.

The plot is also incredibly good. The book is on the shorter side, and it felt like not a single word was wasted. Things build up slowly, then happen very quickly. I was definitely on the edge of my seat the entire book, right up until the VERY last page. There was one plot twist I guessed--which really felt satisfying, let me tell you--and then a couple more plot twists that REALLY threw me for a loop.

I loved this author's previous duology, but this book is on another level entirely. I HIGHLY recommend this book, especially if you love Six of Crows or vampires!

This is my first book that I have read by Hafsah Faizal but it will not be my last. Heist, vampires, found family. This book has it all but it was not overwhelming, beautifully put together. It was funny, exciting, and fun. The world building was developed and easy to follow, the characters are amazing and Faizal wrote them in ways that makes you invested in the story. Cannot wait for the second book.


Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an ARC.

4.5 stars rounded up

Ever since I read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, I've been searching for a book that blew my mind in the same way it did. An unbelievable heist, secrets, twists, found family...everything combining to create one of my favorite books of all time.

Enter Tempest of Tea. This is the first heist novel I've read that I think can compare to Six of Crows. It was SO GOOD. And this is coming from me, who hates vampires. Yes, this book has vampires. Yes, I almost stopped reading because of it. Vampires just aren't my thing. But I'm glad I stuck this one out because regardless of the vampires (haha), it was mind blowingly incredible. The characters were amazing, the world was so interesting, and the heist. THE HEIST! I wish there was an endless supply of heist novels in the league of this one and Six of Crows. I would simply never stop reading them.

All this to say, if you hate vampires as much as I do, give this one a go anyway. I found it to be more than worth it.

In A Tempest of Tea Arthie just wants to save her tearoom. And what starts out as a quest to save our home, turns into a story about revenge, decade long secrets, and pulling a rug out of the secrets of this society. With a group crew dynamic, and multiple POV, A Tempest of Tea is a fantasy world steeped in colonization, in vampire lore, and heists. Set in the same world as We Hunt the Flame, this is a world of dangerous secrets, information as currency, and sharp edges.

Books that you can read with tea and are also all about taking down oppressive power systems are somehow rare, but this definitely fits the bill. The love triangle managed to not be too tiresome and there were definitely twists I didn't see coming.

Utterly amazing!

This was marketed as a gothic Peaky Blinders and I see it truly - the FMC [just love saying her last name Casimir, so badass] heads a tea room by day called Spindrift and bloodhouse by night. Aided by a loyal friend, Jin [imagining Kim Seokjin as a fancast at this point], a mysterious Horned Guard named Laithe and a sly forger named Flick [well, Lady Felicity as a noble name]. Banded together to steal a ledger that can bring the monarchy down.

This rag tag of heroes really caught my heart. Each have their own reason for agreeing. Each have their own past to overcome. Reminds me of the Six of Crows gang too honestly.

I haven't read the duology of Sands of Arawiya yet but I read somewhere that it is set on the same world so this just makes me excited to read more of the author.

Part Six of Crows, part Oliver Twist, part gaslamp fantasy, part vampire fiction, a tiny touch of Camelot, and a hefty dollop of “British colonialism sucked for everyone not British” (except with fictional country names), this novel was absolutely amazing. As complex, deep, and beautiful as any lovely tea blend described in the book, I was swept away from the first page and loathed coming for air at all until I was finished.

Arthie plays the role of the Artful Dodger of a teahouse named Spindrift: they serve lovely tea blends by day and let beds by night. What Arthie and Spindrift collect best is secrets. Secrets let Arthie and her best friend, Jin, buy a whole lot that actual money can’t. Secrets aren’t going to keep Spindrift safe when the crown comes for the building, though, and a member of the guard with a secret agenda comes to Arthie with an offer she can’t refuse because with one heist she can save Spindrift and blackmail the crown.

I loved everything about this book, and I do mean everything. Hafsal Faizal is a wonderful storyteller who weaves real history with alternative history, spinning fantasy with the paranormal, and does it all with a breathtaking writing style most authors could only hope to imitate. Her prose is elegant without being precocious and philosophical without being pedantic. The world building is thorough and the imagery is glittering.

The characters are delightful, diverse, and multi-faceted. There’s cunning and pensive Arthie, elegant and gregarious Jin, naive and lonely Flick, rakish and manipulative Matteo, even the enigmatic and beguiling Laithe. A crew of misfits, led by Arthie, to a thunderclap end. It’s a cliffhanger, of sorts, and I can’t wait to read the next one.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Vampire Fiction/YA Fantasy

“It’s teatime, scoundrels.”

I’m gonna be honest, this book didn’t capture my heart immediately. I blame it on being in a slumpy mood and low energy levels, but it took me 40% of the book to fall in love with it. Once I got past that point I couldn’t stop reading! As the action ramped up, the chapters got shorter, and the writing was propulsive. There were twists, shocking reveals, and emotional moments.

I loved most of the characters, but Jin was definitely my fave. He is my spirit animal with his love for pastries.

If you plan on buying or borrowing this I highly recommend reading it with your eyes. The writing can be very detailed at times (I know I’d have missed details during an audiobook listen). Plus, our characters are multilingual so I used the translate option in my Kindle for some Arabic words and Latin phrases.

At its heart, it is a story about the evils of colonialism and the desire for vengeance against those powers. So if that sounds like something you can get behind, or you think a YA vampire fantasy with a heist sounds intriguing, read it asap!

I liked this! Our main character Arthie is Kaz Brekker meets Thomas Shelby which I liked. This story’s got heists, vampires, found family, and a little Arthurian legend woven together. I appreciated the characters’ friendships and suspicionships (yeah yeah, I’m making up words now), as well as the major look at colonization and the damage that follows. I loved Jin (a charming, swaggering, non-stereotypical Asian man? Thank you 🙏🏼) and really liked all the side characters as well.

I can see people not liking the vibey-vibes/over descriptive writing (like Schwab books- I love Schwab though). I love vibes and found family so it worked for me.
I’ll be reading the next one when it comes along.

“We all have our secrets or the world would be out of currency”

Arthie Casimir, owner of legendary tea-shoppe, the Spindrift, which caters both to human folk and vampires, is forced to infiltrate an elite Vampire society and retrieve an incriminating ledger when her establishment is threatened by the Ram, the kingdom’s masked tyrant. Sprinkled throughout this story are mythical objects, supernatural creatures, and of course tea! The author also provides commentary on the impact of colonization and exploitation which are relevant subjects in our current global climate.

I saw a lot of comparisons with this book and Six of Crows, and was disappointed with the outcome on that front. The characters are vastly different from the Crows, and perhaps it was their motivations or personalities, but I didn’t find them as likeable. There were also some moments in the book where I thought the story required more development and that the dialogue didn’t work for me. A relatively quick read, I think there are some readers who will find a Tempest of Tea to be an untrustworthy delight, baked with strong character bonds and betrayals. Regrettably, that just wasn’t me. (3/5 stars)

I want to extend my gratitude to Chantal at Macmillan’s Publishing who very kindly responded to my last minute email and provided me with an early e-arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.