I loved the aesthetic of this book; the tea shop, the characters, and the lore for the vampires. I thought those elements were rather unique. I do wished we had gotten all of the main characters povs.

I got a bit bored in the first Parton the book, after the initial incident and the crew was put together, when they were going over their plan. The second and third part were done really well. They were fast pasted and action packed. And at the end I did not see any of the twists coming. The cliffhanger that this book ends on was a bit cruel. I enjoyed it and implore everyone to give this a go.

Thank you Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for sharing the arc for this audiobook with me!

Wow! What a fun read! This was like a Six of Crows meets Peaky Blinders with vampires in a money heist. I enjoyed the new twist of a tea cafe turned vampire club at night. It’s failing and threatening closure which is the reason for the money heist and plotting. I really enjoyed this book and the different POVs. The audiobook was well done!

I felt like a little pauper, begging for this book every chance I could, and then the heavens smiled upon me by not only approving me for an early audio copy, but also sending my pre-order TEN DAYS EARLY!

And was it ever worth the wait! Peaky Blinders meets Six of Crows with a touch of King Arthur and vampires. I know everyone always throws around the Six of Crows comp like its confetti at a parade but this is one of the few where the comparison is actually right. My rating is four point five because I wanted a little bit more from the heist, but the *characters*—a found family worthy of standing alongside the Crows.

The book is split into three POVs belonging to Arthie, Jin, and Flick. I adored them each equally. Truly, I cannot tell you a favourite. Arthie reminded me of a much less gloomy Kaz Brekker with too many secrets, a mind that never quit, and anger that will serve her well. Jin, her chosen brother and fellow tea shop owner, was a delightful counterbalance. He's a little bit of a rogue and I loved all their scenes together. And then there's Flick, a document forger living with her adopted government official mother, and they are not getting along at the moment. Outside of that, there was Matteo, vampire artist extraordinaire whose shirts are allergic to buttons, and Laith, a mysterious soft spoken man who carries a kitten in his pocket.

There were so many twists to this! The last portion of the audiobook was an interview with the author and her husband (which was so cute, by the way), and she mentioned that she felt that readers would absolutely guess the one twist, and because of that she could kind of hide the others behind the reader's focus on that one. Ma'am, you are wrong, because I saw NONE of these coming. But they were so wonderfully executed that I forgave her very quickly.

My big hope for the second book is more of a dive into the Arthurian angle. Right now, I really only clicked onto a character named Arthie who has a magical weapon pulled from a stone. I have so many questions about that weapon alone so I have my fingers crossed for more!

I loved Faizal's We Hunt the Flame and its sequel/duology completion, so I was very excited about this new series. This is set in the same world and we get pretty limited world-building here, so you may find yourself lost if you haven't read those first. Somehow the writing in this one didn't move me the same way as the last one - it's so overwritten sadly. The vampire trope has been so overdone and where the the previous books brought in so much cultural mythology, this just relied on the vampires and that didn't work for me. I didn't love the MC because most of the time I didn't understand why she did what she was doing. I will say, however, that I'm bumping this up a star because the anti-colonialism themes were on point.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Peacky blinders meets vampires meets money heist!

This is myst read for 2024. You have a tea shop that turns into a vampire 🧛 club at night! Like what that’s absolutely thrilling!!!

Arthie and gins relationship was my absolute favorite 2 siblings not related by blood conquering the world of blood thirdty vampires after both lost there parents

Unfortunately the tea shop is on the line they were being threatened but a savior came to there calling asking for them to steal a ledger, this requires a lot of work and whole team thats where flick an aristocrat and mateo a vampire who also is a painter

This book is a must read to find out what happens and how they conquer the mess they have brought on

IT'S LIKE SIX OF CROWS BUT WITH VAMPIRES AND TEA!!! I even like this MORE than Six of Crows! It has a heist, a large cast of characters (with a lot of lil romances 👀), and I'm gonna be honest: Arthie is like a female Kaz Brekker WHICH IS SO COOL TO SEE! The plot twists in the end are INSANE and SO unexpected and I just got SO absorbed in towards the end!
I'm also going to be completely honest: I feel like the narrator went HARD! This was a highly entertaining audiobook with such a large cast of characters (which can get a little confusing at times BUT it is worth it)!
This was such a fun listen and I'm so thankful I got the chance to listen to this audiobook! Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for an early copy of this audiobook!💖

In A Tempest of Tea the Casimir 'siblings' have built a successful business through secrets, blackmail and guile. Unfortunately, they risk losing it all with the only chance to save it being the heist of a governmental ledger held in an a vampire society's secure vault. To gain access, they'll have to put together a crew, revisit their pasts and risk emotional connections.

Hafsah Faizal has written a fantastical romance heist novel. The Casimir siblings, are that only in name, but have a strong bond of trust built up from when Arthie rescued Jin from the burning remains of his home. Chapters alternate viewpoints from Arthie, Jin and Flick (Felicity) the crews forger.

It's a fun story, with some predictable and other surprising plot twists. The characters are strongly detailed, at least the three main protagonists. And the world hints at a greater world outside the city where the events take place. We get their back stories, with some hints of other parts of their lives. Arthie and Jin both grow closer to new love interests, with Arthie's being the more fraught will they won't they tension. Jin's feels much more clear hinting towards an inevitability.

Drawing influence from history, themes of otherness, colonialism and found family are all represented. The Audiobook version is well acted and as a bonus included an interview with the author discussing the creation of the book and hinting towards its sequel.

Recommended for fans of vampire fantasy or well structured heists.

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 kinda worked for me. But I should mention that I listened to the audio ARC and I did frequently miss details. I often found myself wondering, “wait, should I have known this?” But I think I was just charmed by the narration and went along with it 😅 Her voice and accents were just really pleasant to listen to.

I’ll be reading the next one when it comes along.

A must-read for fans of fantasy heists like Six of Crows, this book pulls you into a world full of compelling characters, opposites-attract romance, delectable tea, and an enticingly dark aesthetic that, even as someone who has no interest in reading about vampires, I have to admit is just perfect for a vampire story. Recommended for readers who enjoy their YA fantasies heavy on the romance and world building side of things and dark from start to finish.

Audio rating: 5⭐️ Maya Saroya was a perfect narrator for this!!

1 sentence review: Peaky Blinders meets Six of Crows with vampires, loads of tea, and a dash of romance!

“It’s tea time, scoundrels” - my new catch phrase

A Tempest of TEA??? Obviously I had to read this one!! The descriptions of the tea were lovely and this made me want to open a cozy tea cafe (😉😉)! This was such a fun and enthralling heist story that dove into issues of colonialism, prejudice, exclusion, and belonging. I loved these characters and I was rooting for them throughout the story! Also… THE ENDING!!! I need book 2 immediately!

***There was a line in this book that said “hunt for the flame” and I thought that was a cute nod to Faizal’s other duology “We Hunt the Flame”!

“Why save the world when you can have tea?”

Read This if You Like:
🫖 Peaky Blinders meets Six of Crows
☕️ A well made cup of tea
🩸 Hot vampires

4.5 ⭐'s

VAMPIRES & FOUND FAMILY??? GANGS AND A HEIST??? oh best believe i DEVOURED this.

it was a lil slow at first so it took me a bit to get into, but as i kept reading i got more and more attached to the characters and lost in the story. this was my most anticipated read of the year and it didn't disappoint! i'll most definitely be looking forward to the next book!

4.5 rounded up.

This was a bit of a slow burn love for me. I think it’s between and 4 and 5 star book! I really love the characters, the twists, the setting, and the ENDING!! I think it was a 4.5 because I felt very detached a bit in the middle of the book but that slowly changed over the course of the last 200 pages. I was loving the characters more and more and the story got better and better.

Huge cliffhanger ending. And I can’t wait for the next one, I’ll definitely be reading it the minute I can.

I am so very in love with Jin and his umbrella. 🌂
And there were so many good quotes from this book!

Things I loved:

✨Found family
✨Heists
✨Magic and vampires
✨POVs are easy to follow - sometimes it’s hard to keep multiple characters but knew each character enough and could keep track of each storyline
✨Consumed it in 2 days - fast paced
✨The ✨tension✨
✨JIN. UMBRELLA.

A couple quotes that I loved:

“Why save the world when you can have tea?”

“Family isn’t who we live with but those we would die for”

- Thank you @fiercereads for an early copy of the ARC!
- Thank you @macmillan.audio for the audiobook, it’s SO WELL DONE! Great audiobook narration: 5/5

While this book started off a bit slow for me, it needed to build up to a heist. Arthie, the main character, owns a tearoom that turns into an illegal bloodhouse for vampires of the city by night. This is a world where humans know about vampires because vampires live among them. When Arthie's tearoom is at stake, she gathers up a motley crew of characters to help her get leverage for her tearoom to stay open. As the plan goes into action, enormous secrets are revealed about who each of their crew truly is. I highly enjoyed this book and the revelations that were made near the end were draw dropping!

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, author Hafsah Faizal, and Netgalley for providing me the ALC in exchange for my honest review. The audiobook will be released on February 20, 2024.

2.5 STARS

ARTHIE and JINN run a daytime tea room that doubles as a “blood house,” a nighttime safe haven for vampires to drink in peace. Arthie and Jinn are extremely protective of their business and found family. Threatening circumstances lead them to planning a grand heist against the elite vampires of Aethereum in order to steal a ledger belonging to the authoritarian leader, the Ram.

The comparison to Six of Crows really did A Tempest of Tea no favors! Sure, similarities exist within the broad plot and character elements—not similar aesthetics or atmosphere. We have a crew based in the slums who’s not authority-friendly. Then we have the heist plot. The difference is that the Tempest’s atmosphere feels less fraught and dangerous. The heist did not feeling thrilling and grand.

I was bored. The pacing felt glacial because the book’s composition is scene after scene of talking. There’s relatively little action given how the book is marketed and described. The vampires are just a decorative feature of the world. If a book is selling vampires, then they should be featured and ooze deadliness, sensuality, mystery, or a blend of the three. I didn’t care about the main characters because they didn’t have emotionally evocative arcs. None of them had distinctive personalities or felt real.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATION: 3/5. Maya Saroya’s performance has a smooth, polished quality if a dry delivery. It made for pleasant listening, but the narrator did not use distinctive voices to distinguish characters. I could have used those aids to heighten the entertainment value and sharpen the storytelling.

Plot twist wasn’t twisting enough
Weren’t enough clues left behind
Just feels like a heist from the oceans universe like a prequel with vampires
Vampires are told to be bad but we see very vague instances and I wish we could see more of the vampire worldbuilding
I don’t want the vampire worldbuilding 70% of the way through the book just finish the heist
The twist wasn’t done where I was shocked it was more like cool don’t care.

The heist was so easy.
It didn’t feel like anyone was ever in danger. You’re told they’re in danger but are they really?
No real connection to any of the characters
You’re told how to feel about these characters and their decisions and the plot twists
I really didn’t care about the characters
You’re following the characters but it doesn’t seems like an adventure
Tells her back story too late and it’s supposed to make you feel bad for her but that would’ve benefited from being told earlier
Villain introduced could’ve been introduced earlier too

We get more time getting told character stories but not actually getting to experience moments with them in the present.

Plot twists that happened with no build up. You know how they have those applause signs when they are recording sitcoms. Now imagine that when a twist is happening and you’re supposed to be surprised.

This was a lovely surprise. I was excited for this book because the special edition from Waterstones cover looked lovely, but I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did! Typically I am not a vampire enthusiast but I LIVE for tea so I thought I'd give it a try.

I absolutely LOVED the politics. In this the main character owns a tea shop that moonlights as a blood bar, but the politics of how everything is being managed, the introduction of the players, and the start of the game made this my favorite of the five books I read last week and an excellent setup for the sequel. I hope it is out soon (this is the first book of a series (Blood and Tea)). In addition, the address of the feelings regarding colonization and expatriation was done seamlessly in a way that was shown instead of just told.

Thank you for the ARC; I thoroughly enjoyed it! The narrator for the audible did a great job.

DNF at 20%.
Maybe I’m just not in the right headspace for this one, but I just could not get into it at all. I found the plot confusing and couldn’t keep track of who the characters were.

This was amazing! The vampires were so well done as was the adventure! And there's an awesome author interview.

I really enjoyed this book. This book was fast paced and kept me engaged. There is a lot of world-building throughout and the author keeps you guessing by slowly showing you more and more of Arthie’s world. I loved the found family in this and the loyalty that the two main characters had to each other, even throughout conflict and turmoil. The end leaves you stunned and I will definitely be reading book 2 to see what happens next!

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in return for an honest review.

A Tempest of Tea is a fantasy book set in a Victorian England style setting. It has vampires, magic, found family, a little romance, intrigue, tea, and of course, a heist. Our female main character is Arthie, an orphan who is a sort of a female Kaz Brekker. She is somewhat emotionally unavailable, fierce, cunning and loyal. Jin is her best friend, who is like a brother to her, and also maybe an orphan. Their relationship is amazing. Together they run a tearoom by day, and a bloodhouse by night. When her tea house is threatened, Arthie will do anything to protect it even if it means infiltrating the powerful vampire society know as the Athereum.

This book was such a fun listen. There was always something happening. I loved the world building and the characters were so well written. In the end, I was left with questions, and I cannot wait for the second book. I loved the narrator of this book. Her voice and the accents were so well done! I would highly recommend this to any of my students.