I really wanted to like this book, but I felt like it was a bit slow and didn’t find myself drawn in or caring about the characters that much.
I did enjoy the overall plot and always like a good heist. The tea themes throughout were fun.
I listened to the audiobook and it would have been nice to be able to tell the different POV better, sometimes it took a few minutes to figure out which character we were following.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

A Tempest of Tea is a darkly brilliant and captivating YA with a heist, romance, and witty characters that hooked me from the beginning!

I really enjoyed this one! It was intelligent and sharp, with lots of fun interactions, puzzles, and dynamics. I loved the heist and swoon-worthy characters. Some parts of the story felt familiar compared to other fantasy books I’ve read, but I still enjoyed their inclusions. I also enjoyed the diverse characters and discussions of colonialism throughout the story.

The narrator for this book also did a FANTASTIC job! Her voice and accents blended beautifully with the story and made for a delightful experience! 10/10 recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review summary: Peaky Blinders meets Vampires with tea. Say less. Diverse characters and tackles ideas of colonialism while exploring the world of vampires.

In the shadowed alleys of White Roaring, "A Tempest of Tea" unfurls a tale of ambition, alliance, and rebellion, where Arthie Casimir, an orphan turned criminal virtuoso, reigns over a realm woven from secrets and lies. With her teahouse, Spindrift, serving as both sanctuary and spy network for the rich and the undead, Arthie stands as a beacon of resistance against the tyrannical grip of colonial power. But when the survival of her empire is jeopardized, she is thrust into an uneasy alliance, sparking a heist that promises to dismantle the very fabric of vampire society and challenge the oppressive Ettenian rule.

Surrounded by a cadre of misfits, including Jin, her brother-not-by-blood, whose past haunts him like a shadow, Arthie's quest for vengeance against the masked monarch of Ettenia, known as the Ram, weaves through the heart of darkness and light. Their mission: is to infiltrate the opulent and sinister Athereum, retrieve a ledger pivotal to their cause, and navigate the treacherous waters of loyalty and deceit. As the stakes ascend, and the lines between friend and foe blur, Arthie's narrative becomes a tempest of its own, challenging the colonial forces that seek to divide and conquer.

With a backdrop that melds the grit of Peaky Blinders with the allure of the vampire mythos, Hafsah Faizal crafts a narrative rich in political intrigue and the quest for justice. "A Tempest of Tea" is not merely a story of survival but a defiant cry against the forces that seek to silence the oppressed. It's a symphony of action, romance, and the unyielding power of found family, set against a world where magic and machinery intertwine, and where the fight for freedom is as intoxicating as the finest brew of tea.

If you love:
-intricate heists
-vampire lore
-Powerful FMCs
-Rebellion romance

Then this book is for you! Huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal follows Arthie Casimir, a criminal mastermind in White Roaring who runs a prestigious tearoom turned illegal bloodhouse catering to vampires. When her establishment faces a threat, Arthie strikes a deal with an adversary to save it, gathering a team of misfits to infiltrate the vampire society Athereum. However, betrayal lurks within her crew, and as secrets unravel, Arthie discovers a conspiracy that could endanger her world.

I had high hopes for this, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. While the idea of a Peaky Blinders-style teahouse catering to vampires and a heist sounded exciting, the reality left much to be desired. Despite touching on themes of colonialism and immigrant life, the characters lacked depth, and their interactions fell flat. The plot felt messy and hard to follow, with reveals that weren't particularly surprising or well-executed. The world-building also left a lot to be desired, with key elements like the tearoom and vampires feeling underdeveloped. In the end, A Tempest of Tea left me feeling more underwhelmed than fulfilled.

A heist to damn the Man? A middle finger to those that have taken too much?
Yup, this is what you get with A Tempest of Tea. As well as a retelling of Arthur.
Arthie is ready to seek revenge on those that colonized her home and killed her parents. We get that lovely Kaz Brekker vibe we all love so much. She gathers a crew, including a vampire, and makes her plans.
This book has action throughout and characters you'll be eager to root for.
And be warned the ending is a cliffhanger....

Arthie Casimir is the owner of the infamous tearoom (by day) turned illegal blood house (by night), in White Roaring. Her and her ragtag group of cohorts work to cater to humans and vampires alike. The king’s guards are just itching for a way to shut her down but she outsmarts them time and time again. But when her establishment becomes threatened, she must make a dangerous deal to protect her business and save the home of the ones she loves.

I know a lot of people are saying this but this reminded me of the group from Six of Crows a lot. It has found family and a heist and vampires and all set in Victorian times. There’s a lot of good character set up here which is helpful and a bit if a hinderance. I think it’s very possible the rest of the series going forward will have a lot more action and wider plot development but this first book is definitely setting the stage. The tension between the characters was great and had me wishing it wasn’t a YA book. The world is interesting. We get a lot of Victorian time books but this puts its own spin on the period with vampires living among humans somewhat out in the open and a hint of Arthurian legend. My main reason for not rating it higher is I feel like it needed a bit more to feel complete. I know a lot of first books are world building but I’m not sure if the plot in this one by itself was enough. But I will be checking out the rest of the series as it releases. The narration for the audio was great. It was clear and concise and the accents really helped bring you into the world.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this one SO BADLY but it often felt a bit too chaotic for me and the world building was hard to wrap my brain around enough not to be distracted and then start missing entire plot points.

This book gave me the vibes of Six of Crows but with vampires and honestly, maybe it’s a me thing, but that should make this book amazing and it just fell flat for me and I ended up forcing myself to make it through most of the book.

I can tell the author is so so so very talented and I think everyone should give this one a shot, especially because the audiobook narrators did an exceptional job with their voice acting. I’ll probably give the second book (and this one another chance on reread) a go in the future to confirm if it’s a me problem or not.

I wanted a heist novel with vampires. I got that with so much emotion! There is found family, romance, and life changing decisions. This is much more than I had hoped for!
Arthie and Jin worked so well together and really were like family, but there were still secrets they were holding. They still try to work through them to do what needs to be done, but there is so much more going on than they know. And then the decisions at the end!
I can’t wait to read the next one.

4.5 Stars.
I really enjoyed the story of Hafsah Faizal's "A Tempest of Tea" and the characters that reside in it. The narrative reminded me of what I've heard of "Six of Crows" in some ways, but in my personal reading, I took it more as "Peaky Blinders" with Vampires planning a heist.
The three viewpoint characters, Arthie Casimir, Jin Casimir, and their forger Flick (who has some connections to human high society) are all great, and well-developed. The side characters bring a lot to the table as well, with Laith and Matteo standing out. The romance angles, are light but well-woven into the story.
Pros:
- Strong and intricate worldbuilding.
- Beautiful prose coupled with well-defined characters.
- Intensely creative use of the three viewpoint characters, with each taking control of the story as the narrative demands.
- Deep and meaningful anti-colonial message.
Cons:
- Not as fast-paced as you might expect from the description and genre.
-*Not affecting my score* The narrator of the audio version was not to my taste for this genre, I am sure they do well in other types of books but I wish there was a more expressive narrator for this story,

★★★★★ - 𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓲𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
Book 1 - Blood and Tea Duology
༘Spoiler free ༘
🎙️⭐️5/5 *audiobook rating
📖⭐️ 4.75/5 *book rating
🌟 4.875/5 *combined rating
🌶️ the perfect level of spice to me (longing, yearning, flirty heated scenes with nothing explicit)
Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
🎙️ Maya Saroya **5⭐️**
➳ Vampires 🩸
➳ Band of Misfits 🤝
➳ Heist 💎
➳ King Arthur x Peaky Blinders ⚰️
➳ Tea 🫖
➳ Found Family 🫶🏻
➳ Anti-colonialism 🕊️
➳ Historical Fantasy 📜

✨It’s Tea Time Scoundrels✨
Peaky blinders with a dash of King Arthur steeped into the perfect fantasy heist featuring found family, magical relics, anti-colonialism themes, betrayals, vamps and steamy romance.

🎧Narration Review🎧

I am in awe of how beautifully crafted this audiobook was. Maya Saroya’s narration elevated the already exquisite ‘A Tempest of Tea’ by Hafsah Faizal. Her voice truly brought the aesthetics of the book to life. I’ll be completely honest and say sometimes when there’s a single narrator performing a multi-pov novel, i find the different voices to feel a bit forced and it makes certain characters slightly off-putting. Saroya’s performance bypasses the norm, and gives readers the chance to truly enjoy A Tempest of Tea and appreciate every character.

🫖💸🪞

Maya Saroya absolutely excelled at this performance. Her voice and the recording/production quality made it possible to listen to this audiobook at any speed seamlessly.

🎤At the end of this beautiful masterpiece of an audiobook is an interview with Hafsah Faizal, that absolutely cannot be missed. Not only do we get further insight into the characters, and their backstories but we also get a peak into the cute little tea vs coffee supremacy debate between Hafsah and her husband.

🫖Team Tea all the way🫖

❧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*❦Notable Quotes❦*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧❧

☕️Hatred. Because fear unchecked too often festers into loathing. It’s easy to look at the terrors of a few and blame an entire kind.

☕️What is a monster if not a man pushed to the brink?

☕️More and more it seemed that everyone she met had something terrible in their past. Whether they’d seen it or inflicted it, everyone walked with a burden.

❧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*❦*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧❧
📚 In Depth Review To Come 📚
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

💖
LIKES:
⋆ This book is dripping with moody peaky blinder/six of crows vibes. The aesthetic exceeded my expectations.
⋆ LEATH’S KITTEN 🐈 like excuse me?!?! He just has this cute kitten that travels around with him and rides in his shoulder and … like participates in the heists?!?! Quite possibly the cutest character ever. Please make a character card for Opal.
⋆ All the main characters showed us different forms and sides of strength. I can’t wait to see the healing journey for our characters in the next book.
⋆ For me, the romance had the perfect amount of spice. There was yearning, longing and flirty banter without any explicit scenes needing to occur on page. This may be a “dislike” for people who prefer spicier or explicit books, but to me this was the perfect level of heat.

❤️‍🩹
DISLIKES:
⋆ Listen… this dislike is technically not a bad thing, but THE CLIFFHANGER?!?!?! aghhhh i will be counting down the days until the next release. Until then i will reread in search of hidden clues.

**Fantasy Scoring**
Worldbuilding ➷ ✅ 5/5
Foreshadowing ➷ ✅ 4/5
Plot ➷ ✅ 5/5
Relationships ➷ ✅ 5/5

Thank you to the Hafsah Faizal, MacMillan Audio, MacMillan Young Listeners and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide my honest opinion on the ARC of this book.

UGH what an ending!!!!! How cruel to leave us hanging like that!?!?! I need the sequel pronto! This was a super fun, multilayered historical fantasy debut with tons of Peaky Blinders vibes, vampires, romance, found family, a great heist and several POVs. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of Divine rivals. This was my first book by Hafsah Faizal and I enjoyed it so much (especially the conversation she has at the end of the audiobook with her husband). Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I enjoyed A Tempest of Tea. I loved the world building. I felt like I was right there with Arthie and her crew. I loved getting to know all the characters and the found family. This was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to see what happened. I love found family, heists, and spunky, resilient characters. I highly recommend this book and will be purchasing it for our high school library.

A Tempest of Tea delivers a compelling mix of fantasy and intrigue, weaving together elements of heist and vampire lore in a vividly imagined world. Hafsah Faizal's writing is undeniably atmospheric, immersing readers into the gritty streets of White Roaring and the seductive yet dangerous world of the Ethereum.

The protagonist, Arthie Casimir, is a complex and intriguing character, a criminal mastermind with a penchant for collecting secrets. Her journey to save her tearoom-turned-bloodhouse is fraught with twists and turns, as she navigates alliances and betrayals among her eclectic crew of misfits. The heist itself is gripping, filled with tension and unexpected revelations that keep the pages turning.

Tempest of Tea is a solid entry into the fantasy genre, offering an engaging story with memorable characters and plenty of action. While it may not reach the heights of some of its predecessors, it still offers an enjoyable read for fans of fantasy heists and vampire intrigue.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Sumptuous worldbuilding and surprising action are the highlights of this vampire heist novel centering on a trilogy worthy main character.

This book takes its time and is not ideal for thriller readers who like constant surprises. But fantasy readers who who want a surprising flights of storytelling rewards readers with an adventure and a romance I didn't see coming. I want to relisten again in a couple weeks. Narration added to the story.


Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this review audio.

4.3 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Hafsah Faizal for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was I drawn in by the taglines everywhere for this book? Absolutely. Was it more than I expected? Again, absolutely.

As one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, A Tempest of Tea started me off with a bang. While being a mastermind criminal and trader of secrets, Arthie Casimir is somehow given the choice: help an adversary or lose what they hold dear—their tearoom.

With the help of a ragtag group, Arthie must perform the heist no one ever thought could be done.

As an audiobook lover, I feel like Maya Saroya did an outstanding job. The diction had my hairs rising, and I know that sounds weird, but it tickled my brain just the right way.

A Tempest of Tea was an outstanding read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new and unique spin on historical and paranormal fiction.

Interesting story. Peakey blinders meets vampires. Can’t wait for the sequel. Story was interesting and surprising in areas.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and MacMillian Audio for an advanced listener copy of this book that I highly anticipated. I feel like it was a fluke lol. A Tempest of Tea is my first read from Faizal, after listening to the interview at the end of the audiobook (highly recommend) I was given a bit more insight into how she takes on the writing process and clarity to how the characters handle situations. One of the main themes of this book was colonialism and being an immigrant in a new place. I feel that Faizal depicted this well and how these things affect and shape Arthie. I would be remiss to not mention Vampires! Upon further reflection, I enjoyed this story, it is not often that I read about an FMC that has an axe to grind with the world and creates a new sense of family with characters she meets along the way. The writing was slow-moving for me (I am not a huge fan of slower-paced stories). It was a bit of a slog for me during the middle of this book, but the payoff of the ending made it worth it.

Saucy Arthie and her band of misfits make a lucrative living providing illegal goods and services. Everything starts to go awry when she comes to the attention of a powerful crime lord, who is intent upon destroying her empire. Fantastic world building. Great narration. Very exciting cliff-hanger!

First things first, this audio was super pleasant to listen to. The narrator gets a 10/10 for me. Secondly, the book itself, was fantastic. Heist, found family, fantasy elements, and a hot take on colonization. The themes were immaculate and Faizal is a fantastic writer. This book had me laughing and crying through the entire thing. I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone I know!

A Tempest of Tea is a story of the impact of colonialism on societies, a story of found family, friendships, betrayal, heists, and more. This is the first of Hafsah Faisal’s books I have read, but I had high expectations having heard so many amazing things about We Hunt the Flame. I was not dissapointed. This definitely had the same vibes as Six of Crows, but in a non-copycat way. It was still an original story, with vampires and tea rooms. Arthie, our fmc, is a badass protagonist, not unlike Kaz Brekker ala Six of Crows. She leads a group of ragtag individuals in a plan to pull of a dangerous heist, set on exacting revenge for the death of her family at the hands of the colonial supremacists. Matteo and Laith are both mmcs, and both drawn to Arthie (and she to them) for different reasons. Matteo is the vampire, a shameless flirt, absurdly rich and very clearly has a crush on Arthie. Laith is a member of the guard, and by all accounts should be turning Arthie in or arresting her and her friends-not helping them. Arthie is drawn to him and his mysterious nature, and he is drawn to her for reasons yet unknown (you’ll find out when you read it!).

Narration: The narrator of this book, May Soroya, did a lovely job. I will say that at some points I had a hard time focusing on the story because her voice was so calming it made me sleepy! The narration was consistent, but I do wish it had a little more depth-in some of the situations that had emotions running high, the narration didn’t quite match up.