Arthie runs a tea shop by day that turns into a vampire den at night. She is also a criminal mastermind drawing out information from her customers to later use to blackmail them. Arthie is disliked by many for her criminal activity and the fact that she is an immigrant in a land of colonizers. She is forced into a heist to save her tea shop and the family she has created.

This book was so much fun! I adored The Sands of Arawiya duology and was really excited when this series was announced. I love a heist, a heist with vampires is even better. The characters and the world are so interesting. I also really love a found family story and this book really hits on that level. I can't wait to get a physical copy when this comes out. I will be counting the days until I get to read the next one!

I really enjoyed the narration from Maya Saroyan!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

My first read by this author, and now We Hunt the Flame has been bumped way higher up my TBR list. I wasn’t totally gripped in the first half, but I think it was due to the medium of the audiobook rather than the story itself (also, I don’t think heists are my thing). The twists and turns (and the cliffhanger!!!) were unexpected and so, so good. The themes of colonialism and found family were excellent, I hope I forget this whole story in a year and can reread it physically with greater appreciation. I do wish this was adult than YA, but it toes that line so in the end it I don’t mind much.

Vampires, teas and heists! If you like Six of Crows, this will be for you!

I did struggle with the narration though. It could have benefitted from multiple narrators.

My first Hafsah Faizal book was a success! I really liked this and the narrator brought it to life for me.

It has everything I like; vampires, found family, slow-burn romance, pining, a strong female lead, lovable side characters, a heist, and a nice atmosphere.

I will say that the multiple POVs got confusing sometimes because I didn't always know who was who at the beginning of chapters, but I could get my bearings.

That cliffhanger ending has me wishing I already had my hands on book two!

Where is the 6 star option, Goodreads?

This book will hook you in the first chapter. There are so many twists and turns, I couldn't put it down. Arthie runs a tearoom by day and an illegal bloodhouse by night. She manages to keep her establishment out of the eyes of the law by collecting the secrets of those who make use of her services (THE VAMPIRES). Until one day, the Athereum decides to crush her tearoom...

The book has discussion about the best way to brew tea, descriptions of cute cats, vampires, semi-vampires (renesme is that you?), a heist, sprinkles of romance. It's soooo good!

This book reminded me a lot of Babel by RF Kuang, not in terms of plot, but more because it has 5 people thrown together and they don't know how much they can trust ach other. I can't wait for the next book in the series - literally cause like this one is not even out yet. The book ends in a major cliffhanger.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this captivating read, the author masterfully weaves a narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking. Through a blend of richly developed characters and a meticulously crafted plot, the book offers a unique exploration of its central themes, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the story's depth and complexity. The narrative is paced perfectly, balancing moments of intense action with thoughtful reflection, ensuring that readers are hooked from the first page to the last. The author's ability to evoke emotion and create a vivid, immersive world is truly remarkable, making this book a must-read for anyone looking for an exceptional literary experience.

Beyond its compelling storyline, the book stands out for its insightful commentary on the human condition, weaving philosophical questions into the fabric of its narrative. The author's skillful use of language not only enriches the text but also elevates the reader's experience, offering new perspectives on familiar themes. Whether it's the intricate dynamics of relationships, the exploration of identity, or the confrontation with ethical dilemmas, this book tackles complex issues with sensitivity and intelligence. It's a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the nuances of life, making it a valuable addition to any book lover's collection. Regardless of genre, this is a work that resonates on multiple levels, affirming the enduring impact of well-crafted literature.

Came for the Vampires and heist, stayed for the betrayal, detached love-triangle, twists, and turns. My first Faizal novel and I was very pleased with the experience. Really enjoyed the multi-POVs and found each character unique, likable in their own way, and complex. Checks all the Fantasy Y.A. boxes (vampires are back, baby) I could ask for and then some. It was a tad slower-paced than some but very well laid with a page-turning, cliff-hanging ending, perfectly setting up for the duology's conclusion in book two.

There were many fine details throughout that elevated the reading experience. I particularly liked the use of flowers to convey messages and feelings/emotions and the nameless kitten (I'm a sucker for hard-edged men with a soft side for animals). While reading, there were a few instances where I couldn’t quite see how one thing was connected to the other but by the end, it all came together beautifully.

The slower pace was at times harder to get through and the heist wasn’t as heisty as I would have liked to see, but overall, this was a great Y.A. Fantasy and even better for bringing back vampires. I’ll be counting down the days until book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC. The audiobook was superb and the narrator even more so, no notes.

Wow this book was incredible and I am now dying to know when the next book is coming out! I absoultely loved that each chapter was someone's POV and how their separate backgrounds helped lend itself to the heist similar to Ocean's 11.

The character development for Arthie, Felicity and Jin was well done but I was dying to learn more about the other members of their crew especially the vampire Mateo.

I enjoyed the world building of White Roaring but wish there had been more description of the city history itself and more background on how the vampires came to call that place home. I also wanted to know more about the colonization that was happening to the other lands that were mentioned which spurred some of the conflict.

I'm hoping in the next book there will be more world development and character backstories revealed.

I listened to the audiobook, while I enjoyed the performance by Maya Saroya I felt that this book could have lent itself to a full cast narration.

This book was wonderful with a fun group of likable main characters, a fascinating yet easy-to-understand historical urban fantasy world, and an exciting heist! Faizal’s writing is gripping, I felt very immersed in the world and the characters and their motivations. At times the language was a little too flowery, especially the dialogue, but other than that everything was well written.

I loved the take on the world that Faizal has built; there were brief mentions of her other series but you don’t have to have read them to understand what was happening in this book. There are also vampires in this one but it felt very different from other vampire novels, which I appreciated!

I found the heist to be a little bit slow, so this gets a 4.5 from me. But there’s a fun twist at the end and this is going to be a series that I'll be following!

This is like a better-written but less intense Gilded Wolves, so take that as you will!

🌈 Queer rep: no queer characters are mentioned, but there’s a brief moment where a man hits on one of the main male characters and it’s seen as normal. So maybe some room for queer characters going forward, but none in this book.

I want to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

A Tempest of Tea has been on my radar for quite some time.

I'm a tremendous fan of the current vampire trend in books. It takes me back to my teenage years, and I love feeling that nostalgia. This book is marketed towards fans of Six of Crows, and I can confirm that it gives off similar vibes.

A Tempest of Tea offers readers a dark atmosphere with a fun group of misfits. I enjoyed the world-building, the characters, the action, and the conspiracy and betrayals woven throughout the book. Hafsah Faizal excels at creating an engaging read from the beginning, and her rich imagination is woven nicely into the story. The twists were executed skillfully, and there were a few that I didn't see coming. The romance in this book was also very well-written.

In my opinion, I liked this book more than We Hunt the Flames, and if we want to compare the heist aspect to Six of Crows, then I'll be the first to admit that this is better.

The only issue I had with this book was that near the end, my interest waned a bit, but overall, I enjoyed it. Once it's released, I'm sure this book will be a hit, and many people will sing praises.

Thank you for the opportunity to read A Temptest of Tea audio-arc. The cover is absolutely perfect and the narrator was a perfect choice. Maya Saroya kept a good cadence throughout and switching between characters accent was smooth.

It's a lot slower than I was expecting. The story didn't really pick up until 30% in, but even then the pace still struggled to keep me wanting to keep picking it up to read. I think that having the first chunk be world and character building focused is what caused the feeling endless. Especially since it's an eleven hour audiobook.

All in all, I think that others will enjoy it but it just was too slowly paced for me and that's okay.

Arthie and Jin and Flick and Laith and Matteo.
Arthie and Jin own a tea house called Spin Drift by day, but in the evening it's a blood house serving the vampires of White Roaring. When the tea house is threatened, Arthie is approched by a captain of the masked ruler of White Roaring with a plan to fight back.

Three words: heists with vampires. There's found family, reluctant alliances, vampires, half vampires, a shadowy masked ruler, and secrets on secrets. Colonialism is a major theme, and a main driver of Arthie's anger. I listened to the audio book which was excellent, narrated by Maya Saroya. Note, this is the first book of a duology, so don't be surprised if a few things are unresolved (or hang from a cliff). The author interview with her husband at the end of the audio book is a cherry on top of an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook on NetGalley.

"He was giving her flowers while she was planning his funeral."

This book is great. The way the author incorporated so many different elements in without me feeling overwhelmed as the reader was really impressive. I've seen it marketed as a heist with vampires and a hint of King Arthur, for fans of Peaky Blinders. While it is all those things, it is so much more.
It is a story about building something from nothing after losing everything and fighting to keep it. It examines colonialism and its true effects, and criticizes exploitation of people and erasure of history. There is found family, love, loss, secrets, betrayal, and learning what it costs to care.
The book features a diverse cast of characters, multiple POVs, and a cat too! It's not your typical vampire book, which I appreciated. The pace was a little slow in the first half, but it picked up as the book went on. The twists had me on the edge of my seat and I can't wait to read the next book!

Thank you so much to Fierce Reads, Bookish First, and Macmillan for my advance copy of this book. I received both the physical ARC from the publisher and an audiobook ALC from NetGalley.

Audiobook review: The narrator, Maya Saroya, was great as well. Their accent fit perfectly with the setting of the story, and I enjoyed the way they read for each different character and POV. The speed of speaking and cadence was spot on, with a crisp, clear voice that was pleasant to listen to.
The audio itself was also great, I had no issues at all and the sound quality and overall production quality was top-notch.
The bonus interview at the end between Hafsah Faizal and her husband was so cool and I loved getting to hear that too, what a special treat!

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my advance listeners copy of this audiobook!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

This was a charmer: Vampire speakeasy tea shop, say no more! Goodness, so much to chat about while doing my best to keep spoilers at bay. Themes of this book were plentiful with the major one being colonialism with a side of tea. There’s a decently large cast to keep track of. Jin quickly became my favorite. Where Arthie sees details and is quick to solve puzzles, Jin sees people and has a deep sense of empathy. Jin is the first to say “It’s so much more than a tearoom”. It takes the entire book for the reader and Arthie to truly grasp the meaning behind those words. Freedom can have so many caveats. There are an incredible number of twists and turns; I think some are fairly predictable while others caught me by complete surprise. I’d go as far to consider mystery as a fair sub-genre category. You’ve been warned: obnoxiously not nice cliffhanger awaits you at the ending. (Insert Faizal’s evil laugh here)

The audiobook was so enjoyable. I thought the narrator sounded very similar to the female narrator of Divine Rivals, which is a good thing. I loved the added husband/wife interview at the end of the book. They’re very charming! (Coffee is far superior. I said what I said.)

Please excuse any spelling errors as I don’t have a print copy of this book.

A great intertwining of vampire and heist story. I'm picky when it comes to vampire stories because of them usually being cliche, but Faizal created a new take and I loved how she wove tea lore into the story. The characters were believable and relatable.

What a unique and captivating book! In the beginning, I was unsure how I would feel about this one. But as the story started to unfold I found myself unable to put this down. The plot was so unique. I've never read anything like this before. It was a very refreshing change from the usual fantasy books I read. Even the slower parts of the story were engaging and full of character development. The world building was rich and beautiful. I loved the characters in this book, good and bad. They were so well thought out. They were deep and felt so real. The friendships and relationships that were made in this were so intense and heartwarming. I highly recommend this for any fans of fantasy, vampires, gangs, and of course, tea!

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this book is phenomenal and absolutely drew me in.

However the meat of the book left me confused a good chunk of the time. I might just be an idiot but I had a really hard time following what was going on.

The characters were great, the world set up was awesome - especially in the exploration of colonialism’s impact of the characters and their countries of origins and even how they’re treated/viewed in their new home, and I like the concept. But I have to admit the execution fell flat for me.

I adored this book. The heist aspect along with the different classes of vampires and tea and wow! I think this is in my top 3 for the year already and it is the best YA novel I have read in a long time. I cannot wait to share this with patrons.

First and foremost, let’s take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous cover.

Okay, now onto the book. The gritty aesthetic, the London crime gang vibes, the imperfect melding of upper class and slum dwelling, the grim and cynical self-made girl and her sunshine bestie / bruiser… and that’s just the setup. Add in the balance of a “poor little rich girl” (personally, I love me a poor little rich girl character) and throw in two more people that may or may not be trustworthy - oh and did I mention there were vampires? - and you’ve got a recipe for a fascinating heist.

I loved our POV trio (Arthie, Jin, and Flick) but the other two, particularly in their roles as potential love interests for Arthie, didn’t quite work for me. I think we didn’t really get to know them well enough, ESPECIALLY Matteo, for their respective roles to really play out.

But where this story really shines is in its twists. There’s a few you definitely call early on or at least before they happen, but it keeps the momentum and the tension high, particularly in the last 1/3. Though I think there’s going to be a bit more backstory needed for some of these in the next book to help cement their impact.

I already read this in book form and totally loved it so had to request the audio to give a full review and see about purchasing for our library. There have been many times the book is fantastic but the audiobook falls short and this was not the case at all! I loved the narrator and it really brought to love the characters. I think it was even helpful as my only criticism of the book was at times it was a bit confusing with all the different characters but the audiobook really helped that. It is totally a book for fans of six of crows/Peaky Blinders but also such it’s own thing and I can’t wait for everyone to read or listen. Will be adding to our library!