In the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind with a secret tearoom that transforms into an illegal bloodhouse at night, catering to the feared vampires of society. When her establishment is threatened, Arthie strikes an unlikely deal with an adversary, embarking on a daring heist to save her kingdom. But not everyone in her crew is loyal, and as dark secrets unravel, Arthie finds herself entangled in a conspiracy that threatens everything she holds dear.

Led by the fierce and resourceful Arthie, Faizal's cast of characters is diverse, complex, and utterly captivating. From skilled outcasts to glittering vampires, each character brings their own unique strengths and vulnerabilities to the story, keeping listeners on the edge of their seats with every twist and turn.

This was the first book I read by Hafsah Faizal. The book was slow in the beginning and quite character driven. It was a little slow in the beginning of the novel, but fast paced closer to the end. I loved Arthie's character and looking forward to seeing how she grows in the second novel.

A Tempest of Tea is the first book in the Blood and Tea series. It is a paranormal fantasy romance and was a solid 4/5 stars. The best way I can describe this is think Six of Crows with vampires. I listened to the audiobook through Netgalley (thank you NetGalley family!!!) and it was absolutely amazing.

-a big heist
-adventurous
-plot twists
-vampires
-medium paced

3.5 Stars.
I had a difficult time following along in the beginning and just couldn't pay attention to this audiobook. I restarted it maybe 4 times before giving up and just letting it play. Some audiobooks grip me from the beginning and I hang onto every word. I wanted that feeling for this book but it just didn't come even though I tried. It did pick up towards the end of the book when the twists started happening. That's really the only time my thoughts didn't wonder off. I didn't enjoy the heist that much but to be entirely honest that could be due to my attention span with this one. I am interested in the sequel because I feel like the tone will be different now that all of the secrets are out!
This books has vampires, tea, magic weapons, and slight romance. Each character has trauma and you get to see how that unfurls.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for this ALC! ♥

I was so excited to be able to listen to "A Tempest of Tea" by Hafsah Faizal on audiobook! First, I thought the recording was well-done, and I appreciated the quality narration. Second, I think this novel lived up to the hype surrounding it and surrounding the author. I enjoyed the world building and the characters, and while I am not usually into fantasy heists, I enjoyed this one. Solid, recommendable book for people who enjoy found family, heists, and vampires!

I'm going back and forth on rating this title, which is why my review is late. I love Hafsah Faizal's writing, and I've been looking forward to A TEMPEST OF TEA. However, this audiobook did not do the book justice. Maya Saroya is not a good fit as a narrator for the entire book. Saroya would have been perfect for Arthie but not for the whole cast. This should have been a full-cast audio. Saroya's voice was too bland for what this book needed. It needed an entire cast of narrators. Without this being a Faizal story, I would not have pushed through and finished the audiobook. I still know I missed things because I got bored and my mind wandered. I only bought the physical book because the story was intriguing, and I trusted the author enough to go back and read it. But I won't recommend the audiobook or continue with the series on audio, nor can I recommend the book until I'm ready to return to the story and read it with my eyes.

Thanks, Macmillan Audio, for the gifted audiobook!

I really enjoyed this book, it had me hooked! This had such a good found family! I love the characters. There were some really good plot twists as well that I didn’t see coming. I can’t wait until the next one!

Excellent story with interesting characters. Loved the setting and the twists. It tells the horror and reality of colonialism within a fantastical setting. I love when fantasy rings true, and this one does just that.

I love this one so much!
I was obsessed with the heist aspect. This was my first one with this kind of storyline and I really liked it!
There were si many twists and turns I couldn’t have even predicted!!!
I also loved the romance subplot.
Can’t wait for the next!

<i>“Aren’t you afraid?” she asked. “Fear stops life, not death,”</i>
4.5 stars

Vampires. High stakes. Heists. Corrupt government. Tea. This book has it all! Just when I thought that I knew where the story was going, I was met with twists at every turn. The world is such an interesting space to be in and I really enjoyed the imagery that the author brought to life.

When I first heard about this book, it was described as Peaky Blinders meets Vampires - which is a strange concept yet worked SO well. I really enjoyed this book and the characters. I felt like I knew them all and had a connection to each of them. I definitely shed some tears!

The narrator was also PERFECT for this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for this ARC. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hafsah Fizal for this audio ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I was very excited for this book because it was highly praised by a good friend. Plus, I love vampires and am always down for a King Arthur retelling. Unfortunately, I struggled with it. It was difficult to differentiate from the different POVs and I would lose track of which character we were following frequently. If it had been told entirely from Arthie's POV, it would have been much easier for me to get into.

I did truly love Jin and Flick's storyline, though. Very cute.

I came into this story without expectation because I am not familiar with this author’s writing. This book has received a lot of mixed reviews from some of the book tubers I follow, but I take everything with a grain of salt. This story was wow! It was full of twists and turns with lots of things I didn’t see coming.

On the surface this story centers Arthie Casimir, mastermind criminal and proprietor of Spindrift, tea room by day blood lounge by night. Threatened with the loss of her business, Arthie along with her brother Jin, and a few other characters scheme to pull of a grand and almost impossible heist. As the story proceeds one comes to like or even love these characters and begin to understand that there is more than meets the eye. These characters are more than we first thought, they are well rounded, cunning, and flawed. This story is about more than a heist but to delve deeper would spoil some things.

This story is very much character driven and we get to see how they deal with situations both in and out of their control. How a character affects another and pushes them to grow and even change their perspective. There was at times where the story would seem tedious and things would come out of nowhere. But, the ending promises that answers will be addressed in a second installment.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an Arc of the audio book in exchange for an honest review. I must say that the narrator was a plus. Their voice and accent helped keep me interested in the story because I was able to hear the characters through her voices.
I rated it 4 ⭐️s.

This was a fun fantasy heist novel set in a land where vampires and humans live among each other. I liked the discussion of colonialism and the importance of found family.

This book didn't grab me as much as I had hoped based on the description, but it was a fun adventure nonetheless.

Hafsah Faizal's "A Tempest of Tea" is a gripping story that combines aspects of found family, high-stakes robbery, and a world where vampires dwell with humans in a captivating Gaslamp fantasy setting. While not without problems, this novel provides an amazing experience that will keep readers engaged until the finish.

I love the diverse range of characters. Each character in the novel, from the strongly found siblings, Arthie and Jin to the fascinating Flick and the frightening Ram, adds their own flavor. While I didn't feel particularly connected to any one character, I was intrigued by the undercurrents of imperialism and colonialism and their consequences.

The romance aspect felt a little forced and didn't feel like it contributed to the plot in a meaningful way, though I was still rooting for Laith and Arthie (I'm a romantic, ok?). The setting is reminiscent of the moody atmosphere found in "Peaky Blinders," giving the story a sense of intrigue and danger. Faizal masterfully weaves together multiple points of view, offering readers a rich and immersive experience as they navigate the complex political landscape of the world she has crafted.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hafsah Faizal, and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook!

#netgalley #atempestoftea #booktok #bookstagram #vampires

*4 stars*

This was a fun young adult heist adventure with vampires. If you like heists and found family, I think you would like this book.

I think the comparisons to Six of Crows do this book a disservice. While this book did feel a little thin, it also doesn’t have a full trilogy of world building behind it. I think the book would have benefited from being a little longer to build up the world and newer relationships. I would have liked to see more of the tea house operations too. I think the big twist was a little obvious but it didn’t detract from the story for me. I think all the characters having different motives and backgrounds made the aftermath of the heist more interesting. I will definitely be reading the sequel.

The audio was well done, clear and fitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

I want to start this review off with saying that I didn't finish reading the book.
I was mesmerized by the the author's insta video showing us the new book and all the details. It is beautiful, so much!
This said, the book either wasn't for me at this time, or one that might just be better for others.
It is a YA so there will be lots of kiddos I will be able to share it with. They will love the idea of the novel.
I can't wait to share it with them.
Congratulations for making it to number one of the best seller list!
NetGalley thanks for the audio copy for review.

I enjoyed Hafsah Faizal's previous series a lot but I liked this one even better! It was such a unique idea with great characters and the narration in the audiobook was very well done. I highly recommend this book and can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio & Hafsah Faizal for an audio arc of A Tempest of Tea in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very popular author and I know I am going to be in the minority, but I didn’t care for this book – AT ALL

Synopsis Quoted:

“In the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city's most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.”

Slooooooooooow & boring – failed to keep my attention. Comparing this to Six of Crows is an insult to Leigh Bardugo & Six of Crows. The author may have been going for that vibe, but it was not pulled off.

I will not be signing up to read the rest of the series and will not be recommending it to my followers.

I’m sorry!

I thought the author did a great job with the characters of “A Tempest of Tea.” I enjoyed seeing the development of these characters and the interactions throughout the book. I also loved the setting and thought the author did a beautiful job with word building in helping to set the scenes. I did however think that the story was a little slow in the beginning and middle but felt it was rushed at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook review copy.

This is my first Hafsah Faizal book, but I had heard great things about her work. After this I have put her other books on my radar. This book had all the right vibes for me. It was hard to tell some of the POVs from each other at first, which could be partially due to the narrator. I don't think the narrator did as well as a job making each sound distinct.

Rainting: 3.5/5