I came for the tea and the vampires. Stayed for the complex characters, the beautifully written world-building, and the twisty plot.

In this book, Peaky Blinders meets Arthurian legends with a big chunk of political intrigue and a web of conspiracies. All wrapped in a tight bow with betrayals, found family, self-discovery, and character growth.

You will love "A Tempest of Tea" by Hafsah Faizal if you're a fan of:

✨ Fantasy and adventure
✨ Strong female protagonists
✨ Heists
✨ Vampire lore
✨ Beautifully written prose
✨ Morally grey characters
✨ Clever dialogue

I particularly enjoyed the social commentary on colonialism shown in the parallels between this world and the British Empire.

I'm all for stories unfolding slowly, especially those where the author puts a lot of time and energy into creating a complex world. So, if you're a faster-paced plot reader, keep that in mind this might be out of your comfort zone.

This story starts strong, slows for a bit during the middle part, and then picks up the pace at the end. Also, be aware this is part of a series, therefore, we have (as expected) one heck of a cliffhanger. And I say "as expected" not only because it is the first book, but because the author has admitted she likes her readers to suffer. And while I am here for the pain (don't judge, we all have issues 😅) may be something to consider for people with different k... Tastes. Let's say tastes 😊

I also have to note that the romantic relationships felt a tad rushed for me, almost reaching instalove territory. It wasn't a big deal, because they're not at the front and center, and they are portrayed more like instalust which I found more believable and realistic.

Those little details made it a 4.25 ✨ shamelessly rounded to 5 ✨ because, in the end, it was a great reading experience for me. I'll definitely be reading the second book when it gets published.

I had so much fun listening to the audiobook. The narration was dynamic, and I particularly enjoyed the different accents; it was a very nice touch. The Q&A between the author and her husband at the end was interesting too.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date: February 20, 2024

Arthie and Jin deal in secrets. Though they run the most successful teahouse in the city, what they’re really after are the whispered details they overhear from their patrons. By day, their teahouse sells tea and biscuits to the wealthy and elite. By night, the teahouse turns into an illegal bloodhouse, selling cups of blood to the vampires of the city’s underworld. Intimidated by Arthie and Jin’s secrets and power, the Empire threatens their teashop and livelihood. When a job comes up – a heist that just might save the day – Arthie and Jin are forced to align themselves with people they’re not sure they can trust.

A Tempest of Tea is a multicultural powerhouse. There are characters of all colors and from all walks of life. Characters frequently discuss imperialism, colonialism, and racism. Unfortunately, A Tempest of Tea has a lot of tropes that bog down these themes. All the following tropes appear in heavy doses: a love triangle, enemies to lovers, vampires, “touch her and die,” and “she’s under my protection now.” I’m not against tropes, but they were heavily done here and never seemed to stop.

As for the heist crew, there’s a rake, a mastermind, a soldier, an artist, and a rich, naive girl. These are not new character archetypes, and many of them feel familiar. If you read a lot of young adult fantasy, you’ve probably seen similar characters in other books. For example, Felicity (aka Flick), the rich, naive girl, felt like a combination of Jessamine and Tessa from Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel. And Mateo? He’s incredibly similar to Magnus Bane.

Does it sound like I didn’t enjoy the A Tempest of Tea? Because I did. I think I’m just disappointed. About 25% of the way into this book, I thought it would be a 5+ star book. When A Tempest of Tea was about a devious tea house and secret vampire bloodhouse, it so worked for me. When there were conversations about colonialism and trade and imperialism, it was incredible. When it reduced itself to pandering tropes, it lost me.

Audiobook:

I listened to the audiobook of A Tempest of Tea, and I recommend it if you decide to pick up the book. The narrator performs each character with a different voice and some with different accents. For a multi-POV novel, it is well-narrated by only one narrator. I listened to the audiobook mostly at 1.25x speed – bit slower than my usual 1.5x speed.

Final Thoughts:

This wasn’t a perfect read for me, but I did actually enjoy it. If you like historical fantasy and YA romantasy with an edge of vampires and colonialism, A Tempest of Tea will suit you just fine. The audiobook narrator was great, so I recommend that format.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars for rating websites)

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for an advanced review copy! All thoughts are my own.

5 out of 5 teapots!

Them: "Critique colonialism, but make it a YA action-packed heist adventure."
Hafsah Faizal: "Hold my tea"

This book has been described as the Legend of King Arthur, meeting Peaky Blinders meets vampires. It takes place in an alternative 1800s (ish) London (called here White Roaring), where our two main characters Arthie and Jinn have escaped poverty together and now run a tearoom by day and serve blood to vampires in the evenings. When the tearoom's future is threatened Arthie and Jinn gather a ragtag group of misfits to steal a ledger in order to leverage their freedom - chaos, plot twists and angsty teenage love ensues.

I love the setting Hafsah has created for us, this alternative London (White Roaring) serves as a a third main character as we follow the crew along the gas lamp lit streets, through alleys and behind locked doors in this community.

I really resonated with the conversation of racism, classism and colonialism, as they were essential to our characters' history, motivation and sense of self.

Narrator, Maya Saroya, is perfect for this book. She easily flips between the six characters that make up the core team and a whole host of other side characters from children to elderly adults. This is my first time hearing them narrate, but I'll be looking for Maya more often now. The audiobook is 13 hours, which is the perfect length for this story.

I won't give away the ending, but let me tell you, I can not wait for the second one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC. I devoured it.

This book is best read while shopping for an umbrella on a foggy day in 1800s London. If it feels like someone is following you, you're probably right.

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think it’s going to be a hit with a lot of people. The comps to Peaky Blinders and Six of Crows are highly warranted and i adored being in this world. The romances were romancing, I’m obsessed with Arthie and Jinn, the ending was so explosive, cannot wait for book 2 already.

The only thing that took away from my experience a little bit was the heist itself, it felt like there were characters introduced pretty late in the game that i didn’t feel emotionally connected to and it got a bit confusing there for a second.

Also the narrator was excellent, captured each of the characters perfectly.

An all-time YA fantasy favorite. Hafsah Faizal's writing and Maya Saroya's performance are a match made in bookish heaven. Peaky Blinders with a badass heroine and breathtaking critique of colonialism that is woven seamlessly into a propulsive heist story. Saroya brings all the pathos to the hardships these characters face from life on the street to trying to save the criminal empire they created while make the sass pop in all that banter. I am trying to come up with something useful to say but I'm landing on buy it, borrow it, read it so we can scream together and wonder when the next book is coming! I think both teen and adult readers are going to love this one. Highly recommend. Thank you for the chance to read early!!!

Talk about the right book coming along at the right time and the vibes hitting just right! This story was fantastically gritty, intoxicating, and twisty, but I was not expecting that ending! I cannot wait to return to this dark, glittering world and these morally gray characters.

Arthie was wonderfully complex and imperfect, and I loved how fiercely loyal she was to her found family. She is a fighter, resourceful, always five steps ahead and not to be outsmarted, and though she is incredibly fierce, there’s also a tenderness deep down, but she reserves that care for those who prove their worth. I really enjoyed the multi POV and the chance to peak into the minds of the other MCs and get to know them and their backgrounds better.

The pacing is on the slower side, especially in the beginning as the story unfolds and worlds builds, but once heist planning commences, the pacing picks up.

The audiobook was a fantastic experience and Maya Saroya’s narration was impeccable. I truly hope Saroya is selected to narrate the next installment! And! I loved that the audiobook contained an interview with Faizal - what a fun surprise!

If you love vampires, heists, twists on Arthurian legend, fantasy mixed with political intrigue, and morally gray characters (basically every single character), this is the book for you.

What a glorious start to a series!

If you love

- heists
- characters of the morally gray variety
- found family dynamics
- vampires (!!!!!)
- potential love triangles that make you SWOON (I certainly did)
- a diverse cast of characters that are FULLY fleshed out

then please put this down on your TBR!

This book follows Arthie and Jinn, two siblings by choice who operate a teahouse and secret haunt for local vampires to safely consume blood. When their business is put at risk by the guard and government, Arthie concocts a plan to ensure they keep their business.

Enlisting the help of a forger (she was my favourite!), a flirtatious, aristocratic vampire, and a guard, they plan to steal a ledger that could help save their teahouse.

This story explores themes of colonization heavily, and was done with such thought, care and emphasis on the evils of colonization.

Betrayal, romance, and secrets are abound and I simply could not believe just how much I was physically shaking towards the end! I was screaming "NO" one second, and crying the next.

Please, oh my gosh, PLEASE read A Tempest of Tea! I cannot wait to read the sequel.

i'm not a big plot person, i'm definitely a character girl. and i also tend to not love fantasies. that being said, this had so many intriguing things about it! i just felt like i didn't really get to KNOW the characters that well, especially their bond with each other. i hope the second book explores that a little more. but if you like worldbuilding, i think you'll like this.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The things I loved about this book I LOVED and the things I hated about this book I HATED. It was a more positive experience than negative, but damn, there were some things I could not stand. The narration was stellar and I have no complaints in that regard.

I'll start with the positives:
1. The world building: I ADORE this world. The steampunk/vampire/cozy tea vibes were immaculate, as well as the recognition and effects of colonialism in this world. I really liked the idea of the vampires in society being less noticeable than your usual vampire and that they were both a respected and a feared social class. The descriptions of Spindrift were so fun and intriguing and it's a place I would LOVE to check out. The idea of the masked rulers was also very cool and unique.

2. The plot twists at the end: I like a good cliffhanger ending on occasion, and this book did that well. I enjoyed the various reveals at the end and found the tying together of Flick, Jin, and Arthie's storylines quite satisfying.

Now onto the negatives:
1. The characters: oh god. I must say, it has been a while since I have read a book and disliked every single character, especially considering they were supposed to be likable. I found all of them rather insufferable, with Flick being too annoyingly naive and Arthie and Jin reminding the reader of their tragic backstories far too often. Not to mention Matteo just feeling like an unfortunate rip-off of Baldur Gate 3's Astarion.

2. The romances: I disliked this the most out of everything. The attraction between any and all parties was nonsensical to me. It felt too quick and instant, with every attempt at building up tension making me cringe. The weird ass love triangle that Arthie found herself in made me absolutely furious because of how pointless it all felt. I had to stop listening at so many points because the way the romance was written made me want to claw my eyes out. All this to say, I know I was supposed to be invested in these characters love lives, but I wasn't in the slightest, and it took a lot out of this book for me.


3. The heist: Far too much time was spent talking about the heist rather than the actual heist. The heist itself felt anticlimactic and I really wished for more. I couldn't help but to compare this book to Six of Crows, which felt far more balanced as far as planning the heist and executing it, and building the slow burn romance between characters.

Despite my mixed feelings about this book, I do want to continue reading the sequel because of the excellent set up. I also enjoyed the writing style a lot. While I'll agree with other reviewers that it is rather purple, I admittedly love some purple prose, so I have no problems with this. I do hope my issues with this first book somewhat resolve in the sequel.

Publication Date: Feb 20, 2024

A Tempest of Tea is my first read by Hafsah Faizal, and I doubt it will be my last. I've had my eye on A Tempest of Tea long before its release and I was excited to see it offered by NetGalley. I was instantly intrigued by the blurb and the gorgeous, mysterious cover. I own a copy of We Hunt the Flame, have yet to read it, but had the impression that A Tempest of Tea would be more my, well... my cup of tea.

The writing was concise, consistent and engaging. I truly enjoyed the strong, dynamic characters and adequate world building. Unfortunately, the pacing was just ok, and there were lulls at times when the story felt stagnant. The story was original, fun, and entertaining overall.

Thank you to NetGalley for offering this title in their catalogue. The views portrayed above are strictly my own.

A Tempest of Tea is an interesting and original story, merging ensemble heist tropes with vampires and colonialism. In a Victorian World where vampires live alongside humans, all Arthie Casimir wants to do is run her teashop. An immigrant orphan herself, the Tea Shop represents a place of safety and independence within a colonial world that threatens to literally suck you dry. When Arthie's lease on the teashop is compromised, she assembles a crew of humans and vampires to break into the heart of power in the city in order gain the leverage needed to keep what she and most of her crew call home.

While the story is full of action and adventure it also takes its time in developing each of the characters and setting the stage for what is ahead. You care about them all as Faizal gradually lets us into the source of their insecurities and the secrets they hold. The writing is fabulous and keeps you guessing up until the very end. It's an incredible, yet painful, ride.

I enjoyed listening to this story as an audiobook. The narrator does a great job of giving each character a distinct voice and heightening the tension as the fight scenes and action progress. She also knows when to slow down and really help us feel for the characters, especially Arthie and Jinn. I am grateful to Macmillian audio for allowing me access to an early listening copy of this book. It made it enjoyable all the more.

I certainly recommend this book bo on your TBR and I will be excited to see where this story goes in future books.

3.5 rounded up.

Long story short I liked it but didn’t love it. It does have six of crows vibes but doesn’t feel like a rip off, IMO. Based on reviews if you’ve like other books by her you’ll probably like this one and if you didn’t you probably won’t.

This is definitely a world building heavy books and because of that I felt like I kept missing parts of the plot (could’ve also been an audiobook issues) but the ending is bonkers and I think book two will be stronger and have a deeper plot and I’m definitely willing to stick to the series. Part of what I struggled with was just a ton of characters. I found one of the twists kind of predictable but she spoke in the interview at the end of the audiobook that she did that on purpose to distract from other twists - which did indeed work.

Bonus points for a cat!

3.5 Rating

I think this book had a really great concept and interesting plot. I enjoyed the atmospheric setting of this world too. I don’t think the narration did it justice, however, so it lost a lot of its impact.

There were a lot of characters in the story and the narrator used a very similar voice for them all. It made it hard to know who was saying what in order to truly follow the story. I got distracted a few time because of this. I felt like I had a general idea of what was going on with the plot at large most of the time but was not fully in tune with all the smaller details. That also made it really hard to connect to the characters emotionally. And when the book finished, I felt confused. It didn’t feel like the end.

Overall though, I think it’s a good story, but this is one that I would pick up the physical copy of the book instead to be able to get fully immersed in it. And I’m intrigued enough to want to pick up the next book!

I had a hard time getting into this book. I started it over multiple times and still couldn’t follow along. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the narrator, and felt the monotone reading made the story drone on

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this. The heist story and getting together a team really helped me to get to know each of the characters individually and helped me care about them more. Fearless leader Arthie, trusted best friend Jin, caring Flick, mysterious Laith, and flirty Matteo all make an amazing team. They each have their own secrets and motivations that just lure you in and there’s an added plus of vampires in this story. I’m so excited for the next book!

Really interesting and keeps you hooked til the very end and keeps you guessing. I really loved the character dynamics.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5!

These days, I tend to be a vibes-forward reader, and vampires, Arthurian legend, and Peaky Blinders?? The vibes in A Tempest of Tea were immaculate. I had a great time with the world and writing, and I always think a heist and heist crew is fun. The commentary on colonialism was also great, and the ending was compelling and I’m definitely curious to see what happens next.

Faizal does an excellent job weaving her world and making it feel lived in, though I did think that the plot felt a little uneven and despite the fact I loved being “in” the world, so to speak, I felt a certain distance from the story itself. I liked the characters but I didn’t feel particularly attached to them, though I think this is more a matter of my personal state of being when I read this (I do think I’ll feel differently on a re-read, I’m in a bit of an odd slump right now and I think the bare bones are there, and I just need to be in the right mood). I felt a little… whatever about the romance aspect of this, but this is unsurprising for me, as I tend to not gravitate towards romance to begin with.

I do think the start and the end are noticeably stronger than the middle, and there were definitely times where the pacing felt a bit stilted and uneven. The characters could’ve been fleshed out a little more (I felt like Arthie was the strongest), and there were times where I felt the character voices could’ve been a smidgen more differentiated. While a lot of things felt like they could be stronger, I still overall enjoyed reading this and will be picking up the sequel. I don’t know how well this book will stick with me as time goes on, but also at the end of the day I had fun. And again—I loved the vibes. Absolutely loved them.

The audio for this was well-produced and Maya Saroya did a great job narrating. There’s also a bonus interview at the end, which is great fun. Definitely recommend the audiobook if that’s a format that works for you!

There was a moment that had my jaw on the FLOOR!

The history, turmoil,and power struggle in this book is truly fascinating! So we enter a world where an empire is invading and colonising other nations in their greedy pursuit of wealth and control. This world hosts monsters of greed & monsters of the night - vampires
A group of characters are led by a girl who arrived on the shore years ago covered in blood and revenge in her heart for what that country cost her.

We LOVE a chaotic crew that has to earn each other's trust. Now, this is an approach to finding a family that I am ready for.

Each member of this crew have their own hopes, plans & agendas that both align/go against their group plan. Lines will be crossed, and secrets will come to light, and this book is ready to leave you satisfied and hungry for more!

The narrator did a great job and did this spellbinding books justice!

A Tempest of Tea seems to have everything I love in a story. There are Vampires, a heist, found family, and a complex interesting world. I may have done better with reading the story instead of listening to it. With the plethora of characters with back stories, I had to relisten to chapters to make sure I understood what was happening and who everyone was. To me, the story feels like a big set up for the next book. We are introduced to the world and the characters in depth and of course, we are given the big overarching story. The first part of the book and the heist felt off and it really dragged down the story. I wanted to be captivated by what was occurring, but that didn't occur until much later in the story. The ending really came through strong and now that the set up for everything is done, I am hoping for the next book to flow better. The characters of Arthie and Jin, as well as the other characters in the crew were very well developed. I think the author has done a good job in giving us characters that we can really care about. Narrator Maya Saroya has done a wonderful job with the characters. I enjoyed her voice and inflections throughout.


Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener copy. This is my honest review.

Rags to riches to tea to blood...???

This book, wow, quite a ride! This story is very much Gangs of New Your meets Gilded Age, in my opinion, the most sophisticated vampire story I've ever encountered. Hafsah Faizal has done an amazing job of building this world, creating solid multiple POV's, and making the characters relatable. The expression of how important the tea room was to the entire gang, how it saved each of them in some way, how important family is, how important it is to remain aware of yourself and how words and emotion can be used to manipulate. There were so many twists and turns in this book that kept my mouth open with shock and surprise. I listened to the audio version of this book and the voice acting in this book was spot on, it honestly made the listening experience cinematic!

I will be purchasing this book when it is released!