A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faisalis fun heist story but add in the element of vampires. It is very reminiscent of Six of Crows being there is a high stake mission with a band of characters. I was not the biggest fan of Six of crows but this was better since adds the element of vampire society. Spindrift the tea house that is a front for a blood house is in peril of closing and our group has to save it.At first the story was slow for me and not making me excited to pick up but it did get there luckily.

The ending was super action packed and literally made me go…wait what it’s over. Yes there will be a sequel so that is great. The audiobook narrator was great and did each character wonderfully.

Thank you to Net Galley, Macmillan Audio and Hafsah Faisal for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ohhh, this was such a fun and creative heist story! Also love a good vampire story, so I really enjoyed this!

So many fun twists and turns! There were several POVs, but the distribution was well-balanced, and I cared pretty equally about all of the characters.

The ending was rough, and I'm looking forward to book 2!

Cue the book hangover! A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal was so good. I went into this book not really knowing what to expect and now I need to read everything Faizal has written. Just wow! The world of this historical romantasy sucked me in. From its vampires and magic to its heist and found family, this book was everything I didn’t know I was looking for in a read. Also, the audio added an element of depth to the story that I adored.

*Thank you Netgalley, Hagsah Faizal, and Macmillan for an audio arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book is incredibly atmospheric. Vampires hold a place as outsiders in this world and this novel’s tea room holds space for them. Set among a world of gangs and struggle, this is a must read!

On top of a phenomenal narrator, Faizal followed through on the promise of an immersive world! Such a unique setting with the tea house, vampires, and a hesit. This jsut felt like everything I love about YA fantasy smushed in one!

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal is one of my most anticipated books of 2024, so I was elated at having the opportunity to review the audiobook. The narrator was so easy to listen to and did an excellent job!

As far as the story goes, the idea of a tea house/blood house, vampires, and a heist was enough to hook me! I really enjoyed the world that this story took place in and I’m looking forward to revisiting it in the future. The characters were also amazing! I knew that I’d love Arthur, but Jin and Flick also grew to become favorites. The book had a lot going on at times and the plot was relatively complex, but I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review an eARC of this audiobook!

Are you ready for a heist? But make it with vampires! Arthie and Jin Casimir (siblings but not by blood) run the teahouse known as Spindrift, a proper place to get all the best teas in White Roaring. However, by night, Spindrift becomes a bloodhouse, a place where vampires can feast on those willing humans without judgment. When their business is threatened, they employ some of the last people they ever thought they'd be dealing with. Master forger Felicity aka Flick joins the heist along with the handsome and alluring artist, Matteo. And did I mention there's a kitten? What's not to love?

First of all, I loved this this book (obvi). I appreciate a good heist story, and this one is up there in my opinion, Secondly this book offers a scathing commentary on colonialism as Arthie lives and works in the very country that colonized her own. Then we add, my favorite trope in all of fiction, found family. Again, what's not to love? I'm not sure if this book is YA or adult, but it felt more adult to me. Either way, I don't think that's a bad thing. Maybe it's NA? It toes the line for sure. There's a sprinkling of romance in this book, but it felt a bit lusty rather than romantic. Again, that's not a bad thing. In the moment kind of feelings do take over sometimes. I loved Arthie as a character. Jin and Flick were interesting too, but Arthie, the badass, take no nonsense female lead, really had my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. This book had been on my radar for some time, and I was over the moon to get it. Maya Saroya was a great narrator, and I cannot recommend this book enough!

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for an ARC copy of the audiobook. I was so excited to get one because everything about this book sounded right up my alley, and it did not disappoint!

A female main character, Arthie, who has made her way in an unforgiving town... full of vampires. Arthie must lead a crew, that doesn't get along, to carry off a heist that will allow her business & "family" to stay afloat. And did I mention vampires. Fans of Six of Crows will definitely enjoy this book.

As each chapter was from a different characters point of view, I thought the narrator did an amazing job giving all of them their own voice & personality. Additionally, the multi-character chapters hooked me into the story immediately. The only downside is having to wait for book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
A Tempest of Tea releases February 20, 2024

A tearoom by day, converted to a bloodhouse for vampires by night; this establishment run by found family in theory, is an innovative idea, but I could not get into the story. I don’t know if it was the narrator, the writing itself, or a combination of the two.

I can’t get behind the logistics (or lack thereof) of a world that exists with “half vampires” when the blood in the human body cycles out and replenishes itself… it just doesn’t make sense.
You can age slowly if you drink vampire blood when you're alive, but do you have to then continuously consume vampire blood for the rest of your life? Do human blood cells not take over from the living half as they naturally regenerate? SOMEONE MAKE IT MAKE SENSE FOR ME.

Heists should be fun, but this was the most boring few hours of my life.

I listened to this through netgalley as an ARC. The narrator was good. The written style was good. I liked the idea and the description of the book got me interested. I'm in a reading slump for sure so nothing is really scratching my itch, and I don't even know what it's for. I can summarize the first 60% in 3 sentences, but the last 40% was good, it was able to keep my attention and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I don't have strong feelings about the love stories which is unusual for me, I LOVE romance. Maybe I'm not into heist plots like I thought, but I feel like I had to power through a lot to get to anything entertaining. I never start series that are incomplete, and I ALWAYS finish a series when I start one. I'm on the fence if I want to continue but I guess I'll think about it while I wait for the next book to come out and what my year-long lingering feelings will be on this book.

Hafsah Faizal is among the best Fantasy writers out there at world building, probably because she somehow manages to create an intense and often brutal atmosphere that somehow fuses together with a sense of place that feels cozy in the best way.

The juxtaposition of a tea shop with a vampire feeding outlet is perhaps the best literal example of that, but the whole book seems to work comfortably within these two evocations of sense of place.

The book also has an intriguingly nuanced cast of characters, where the line between hero and anti-hero (or should I say heroine and anti-heroine) often blurs in a way that both makes you think and leaves you appreciative of a writer who never keeps it all neat and clean but gets you fully on board with a protagonist who makes some decisions you might not like very much.

Great stuff, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the second book in the duology. And in case it wasn’t apparent from the title, you’re going to need to brew some tea to drink while reading this one. Specifically some Ceylon tea.

A Tempest of tea was so extremely interesting! Think, Six of Crows, but with vampires and lower stakes! I loved reading about the characters, especially Arthie, the main character, who owns a tea-shop by day, and a bloodhouse by night! The character Gin reminded me so much of Kaz from Six of Crows, I feel like they would have been great friends!
When Arthie and Gin’s tea shop is threatened, they go into stealth mode, digging up all the tea (see what I did there) on the local vampires in order to get dirt on whoever they need to, to protect their shop and keep it under their ownership.

Who doesn’t love back stabbing, heists, a nice cup of tea, and some vampires? Absolutely fantastic read!

Be sure to pick this lovely story up today February 22nd!

Ok , staring by thanking the publisher for this copy, second the audio omg 😱, beyond amazing , the voice was on point. The story got me hooked right away and the plot was beyond amazing. The cliffhanger was masterful and the plot twist amazing. Can’t wait for the second book

Such a beautifuly written book!!
The quotes were amazing.
This is my first but I want to read the rest of Hafsahs books. The world building was amazing.
There was so many twists and turns. I didn’t see so much of that coming! Can’t wait for the next book and I’m so sad this one is over! Just absolutely amazing.

I thought this book was very engaging and had an intriguing story. Vampires, magic, a heist, a little bit of romance, caffeinated beverages,--what else do you need in a good book? I am definitely going to recommend this title to teens coming to my library. I cannot wait for the second title in this duology because the cliffhanger was brutal!

A Tempest of Tea presents a captivating blend with its unique world, engaging characters, and unexpected twists. Despite a lackluster romance and a slow start to the heist-themed plot, the novel, marked by a standout character like Arthie, delivers an enjoyable and gritty experience. Jin's charm adds depth to the narrative, but Flick's perspective feels unnecessary. The fantasy world, reminiscent of Victorian England, stands out as a strong suit, although the romance tends to overshadow the high-stakes elements. The ending surprises elevate the overall rating, making it a compelling read for Hafsah Faizal fans who appreciate improvements from her debut. Patience for a captivating finale and a tolerance for cheesy romance are advised for readers diving into this tempestuous tale.

Maya Saroya did a wonderful job narrating, however distinguishing between some characters in the audiobook proved challenging due to there not being enough variation in the tones/accents used.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book is going to be huge! Fans of "Six of Crows" will enjoy the heist plot and found family aspect, and fans of Rebecca Ross will enjoy the lovely writing. Plus vampires, need I say more?!?

This was morally gray, found family at its best!
This was my first Hafsah Faizal book and I can’t wait to read more.
A Tempest of Tea has beautiful prose that sucks you right into the wild streets of White Roaring.
This is the first installment in the Blood and Tea duology.
Criminal mastermind Arthie and her brother Jin run a tea shop that doubles at night as an illegal bloodhouse for vampires. As her business is threatened she’s visited by a mysterious boy who enlists her into a heist in order to save it. Creating an unlikely crew of misfits Arthie, Jin, Flick, Matteo and Laith enter into a deadly job filled with revenge, conspiracies, secrets and betrayals.
Arthie is one of my favorite characters. She’s basically the female equivalent of Kaz Brekker. She collects secrets like jewels and isn’t afraid to use them to her advantage. Arthie is morally gray at its finest but we get glimpses of tenderness as she interacts with her chosen brother, Jin.
I love their relationship. Both orphans on the streets, they found each other when they needed family the most and adopted each other as kin, creating a new life for themselves.
They band together with Flick, a master forger, Matteo, a beautiful, vampire artist and Laith, a high guard.
Faizal gives us found family, high stake heists and slow burn romances with a backdrop of the Victorian-esk streets of White Roaring.
Although I did guess a lot of the twists I was still FLOORED by that absolutely wild ending.
I loved this book and can’t wait for the next!
This is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Tempest of Tea is a YA heist novel in a similar vein to Six of Crows.

Being a much shorter book and first in a trilogy (I think) instead of a duology, I think it doesn't have all the world building of Bardugo's book, or even The Gilded Wolves, but has a similar strong emphasis on the pairings between characters and the progression of those romantic entanglements.

This take on vampires both differentiates itself from previous vampire lore enough to be interesting and unique, while still squarely fitting traditional notions that it can rightly call them vampires.

I found the writing style very easy to get into, and the narrator does a great job on the audiobook where I kind of forget she's there, but also can appreciate the different character voices and still hear them in my head after the audiobook is done.

But I did find the initial pacing to be a bit slow, the number of POVs and characters is difficult to track in the audiobook format because they're not differentiated enough to feel very distinct, and it never quite hooked me enough. While it's competent enough, unfortunately I have read several similar books that I enjoyed more and would be more likely to recommend. I didn't feel like it was holding my hand or having characters make obviously stupid decisions to propel the narrative, which is a common gripe I can have with YA.

All that to say I think it's very well suited to the YA demographic and that audience will eat this up. I can see myself growing to love some of these characters given more time, but I will personally probably not continue on with the series as I prefer a bit more Fantasy and world-building in my books.

I REALLY wanted to love this. I've heard great things and dove right in on release day but.....I couldn't seem to connect with these characters. And I listened to the audiobook twice 😅
This book was supposed to be a heist, which is a premise I usually find exciting but I found myself zoning out. The narrators were great so I don't think it was that. I enjoyed that this audio also included an author interview too!
But the interview also hit home that I just wasn't in love with this story seeing as they mentioned readers suffering about what went on and I....just didn't feel that emotional connection. The romance didn't make me swoon. The ending.....should have been shocking but I didn't feel that attached.
It felt a bit all over with some politics involved, vampires and special objects and I just wish I got it 😅 Not bad but just didn't excite me 😶