This book rides a 2.5/5 for me, but I will say, it had a lot working against it - namely that I’m generally not the biggest fan of heist books. I find them to be confusing and often weirdly paced, and this was no different. The characters fell flat and the romances felt forced, and the plot just feels kind of… random? I pushed through because this was an audiobook, but unsure if I would’ve made it through a physical copy. I must emphasize, though, that I also DNFed Six of Crows, so if you love heist books maybe don’t listen to me.

As always my utmost thanks to Netgalley for the audiobook arc!!

Thank you Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for the e-arc!
An absolute masterpiece! This is my first book by Hafsah Faizal and I need to pick up her other works! I honestly didn't know what I was getting into when this story I started. When I got the audiobook, I knew that it was about the tea room, but I couldn't have even expected all of the different elements and how well they went together. I honestly thought I was going to get overwhelmed with some of the different elements or it wouldn't work out, but it turned out fantastic. It really speaks the Faizal's skills as a writer that the story is easily read and very cohesive with so many different factors.
Arthie is unbelievable; She is so clever and quippy. I think her story is so emotional, and the way she moves through the world and story is so precise. Her character really stood out as a personal favorite. I also LOVED the love triangle elements in the story. It wasn't overdone, and I could feel the chemistry between the characters is AMAZING. I do wish we got to see more of Mateo; He is more present at the end, but I wanted more as I think he is such an interesting character, especially as a mirror to Arthie. Laith is such a well-done character. Kinda wanted the three to end up all together or both with Arthie cause I think they both complement her so well (then I finished the book, and STUFF HAPPENED!!!).
Jin is also hilarious. Him being flirty and quippy is so fun to read. Flic is a great character; I actually didn't love her character when starting the book. I think she is a character that grows and develops as the story goes on and becomes more relatable and likable.
And let me tell you, the twists and turns! I kept being surprised by the twists of the story, and I honestly can't wait for the next installment.
Also if you loved The Infernal Devices trilogy you will probably love this book. Similar atmosphere and Jin gives Will/Jem vibes so hard!

Wonderful narrator, a daring heist, and nuanced characters. I am not typically a YA reader so please take that into consideration when reading this review. That being said, I really enjoyed the story and characters in a Tempest of Tea as well as the political backdrop of the plot. Faizal has done a wonderful job of creating characters that feel real and lovable, as well as unexpected. My only gripe with this book was that I felt like I got dropped into the story without the needed context to know what was happening. A simple prologue would have been sufficient to catch me up to speed, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. Oh, and that CLIFFHANGER! Eagerly awaiting to see what happens next, especially for Arthie and Matteo!

Hafsah Faizal has a true talent with words. Her prose flows beautifully and her descriptions are engaging and make you feel like you are experiencing things with the characters.
The story is told from multiple points of view and this provides the reader with an in-depth view of what is occurring. Each character provides an important and unique thread to the story. This story is one of the making of a home and finding family. Only two of the characters were close to start and the rest of the team was pieced together for the main mission. There are some Six of Crows feels, but this book (and story) stands for itself. I wouldn’t waste time trying to make a comparison. This band of misfits are cobbled together for the heist and didn’t begin together; they grow together. There are some good twists - some you see coming and some you don’t. Pretty sure my jaw dropped when the book ended. The author gave us a very atmospheric read and I am eager for the next instalment.
The narrator for the audiobook did a excellent job of bringing the story to life for the listener. I remained engaged throughout and hung on her every word. Of course, that is also an indicator of a good story to begin with.
An added bonus to listening to the audiobook over reading the physical book is the interview between Hafsah and her husband at the end of the book. The questioning was insightful and complete. I really enjoyed getting that deeper look into the authors process, her intentions and motivations for the story and the characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the audiobook. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the listening copy in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫/5 (4.5 Stars)
Steam: kissing, Upper YA

Narration: loved the narrator! Did an excellent job narrating the various characters

No spoiler review 👇🏻

This was such a fun book! Found family, badass crew, tearoom, vampires, secret blood houses. It was so fun! It had elements that reminded me of Six of Crows and I loved it! This was a great start to a fantasy duology.

I enjoyed the characters, setting and world. Though I do wish some were explained a bit more (reason for 4.5 stars) overall this was a fun read. Action packed!! I can’t wait for the next book.

I thought I would share my favourite mug and tea with this book review! Though mine is just regular tea and not “tea” vampires drink.

CW: blood, violence, death, racism, classism, colonialism

A Tempest of Tea solidifies Hafsah Faizal as a powerhouse in the world of YA fantasy. Her writing is so immersive and beautiful and she never failed to make the atmosphere so incredibly tangible.
I tried to read her previous duology a few years back but seemed to not click with it. I do believe it had something to do with the pace of the novel, which is what I would say the main issue for this book was as well. Although never boring, the novel took a while to pick up the pace, probably around 60-70% through.
Faizal’s character work is brilliant; however, and that does indeed override any apprehension to continue in the series.

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

I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover and when I read the blurb this became one of my highest anticipated books of the year. The premise is so unique from what I've read before and it sounded like it would be so much fun.

The characters in this book were written so well. I related to some of them in different ways. I connected most to the mommy issues. I felt that desire to please and be loved/wanted in my soul.

The plot was a little slow at times, but I never really lost interest. It sometimes felt like there was more talking and planning going on than actually pulling off the heist, but I do understand that something like that can't be planned overnight.

I wasn't really feeling the romance in the book. I'm hoping it starts to feel more natural in the second book, but it didn't feel right; something felt off about it, I'm not sure what.

The narrator of the audiobook did a great job. There were some times where I struggled to figure out which character's POV I was in, but I was always able to figure it out rather quickly.

I will be doing a physical reread of this book before the sequel comes out so I can be more immersed in this world.

What do a vampire, an assassin, and a tea connoisseur have in common? They’re part of team that are planning a heist. The planning takes up quite a bit of the book. It’s been compared by the author to Peaky Blinders. With that description in mind I was prepared for the pace. This is definitely a slower paced book that builds at the end.

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing a glimpse of their back stories. Found family is always a win for me. There’s a hint of a love triangle, and I flip flopped until the end on who I was rooting for. I’m hoping for more romance in the next book.

I’m also hoping we get more action in the next book. The ending of this book was exciting. I’m interested in what happens next.

This hit at the right time for me. I enjoyed every minute I spent in this world and look forward to spending more time in it.

I listened to this on audio and while the narrator was good, this really needed to be read by multiple narrators. There’s more than one point of view, and switching between them with only one narrator was confusing.

This book contains no profanity and has kissing only.

Imagine the aesthetic of Peaky Blinders with the heist vibes of Oceans Eleven and your favorite romantic yet deadly vampires and you have the world that Hafsah Faizal has created. Oh, and throw in just a smidge of King Arthur just for kicks.

Arthie and Jin are found family in the best of ways, both with dark pasts and unhealed scars. Together, they've created a successful business in a less-than-successful part of town - a tea room during the day turned blood bar at night for the, ahem, more nocturnal townsfolk. But when the corrupt government leader (The Ram) decides that Arthie and Jin are getting in the way of bigger plans, Arthie and Jin must find out how to protect their assets and their people.

Ms. Faizal has created a world that leapt off the page and into my mind. Her characters moved as if on screen as I listened to the audiobook and her heist scenes played out as if I was watching a film. Cinematic doesn't even begin to describe how well the scenes were written. I cannot wait for a sequel and to jump back into the world of Arthie and Jin, Matteo and Flick, and all the others they have brought into their fold.

Thank you to NG, Hafsah Faizal, and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in order for an honest review.

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

I love magical heist books, as well as cozy tea shop books, so I thought this would be the perfect book for me! I’m not sure if I wasn’t in the right headspace for it or if I would feel the same reading it at another time, but I just didn’t connect with it as much as I’d hoped to. What I love about heists is the group dynamic and all of the underhanded and layered plotting in order to get the job done, and it felt like the romantic tension took the limelight away from both of those dynamics.

That being said, it might just be me and I’ll probably read the sequel when it comes out because I am interested in what happens to each of the main characters.

You may enjoy this book if you like:

☕️ Heists with a bit of magic or supernatural ability

☕️ Vampire novels of the YA variety

☕️ Books that discuss the perspectives of those whose lands were colonized instead of those doing the colonizing

☕️ The found family trope, especially when trust is hard to come by when it comes to anyone outside the group

☕️ Enjoy angsty drama and books with characters who spill the tea

DNF 25%. This book wasn't bad but I didn't love it. This book is heavy on business and deals which I should have expected based on the description. The writing didn't amaze me and nothing happened in the parts that I listened too. Maybe I will return to in the future but as of right now it is not my cup of tea.

This is my first book by Faizal, and one I’ve looked forward to for several months. I’m a HUGE fan of tea and vampires, so once I discovered this book, I needed to enter this world. This book was SO MUCH FUN, and I am excited for the second half of the duology.

I thoroughly enjoyed Faizal’s writing style. This is a YA fantasy, but it didn’t feel withdrawn. It was packed with complex characters, high stakes, action, secrets, and conspiracy. It’s a quick read as it’s mostly dialogue, and jumps from different POV’s, but there are deep moments of reflection as well.

“If he rubbed at his soul hard enough to get past the grime of the streets, he might even find optimism.”

I think this would be a good choice for fans of Six of Crow’s by Leigh Bardugo, or A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I Lin. The found family is lovely!

A big thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Publishing for an early copy of the Audio. Maya Saroya did an excellent job delivering the narration as this book has so much dialogue and many main characters. Her voice is also very calming.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review this book!

I did enjoy the book! I didn’t get a chance to fully listen to the audiobook before it was archived but I did just finish it as I also got the book!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book :(

I really enjoyed the vibes of Peaky Blinders and Six of Crows, but ultimately about 2/3 through, it just didn't keep my attention and I didn't wait to continue a book I wasn't enjoying. So sad about it since I was really looking forward to this book!

The growth in Hafsah's writing is incredible . I enjoyed her duology but tempest blew my mind ! the concept and execution was well done and arthie is my favorite character ever !
the audiobook was phenomenal as well.

thank you for the arc .

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy.
This book was a bit slow, and the last 80% of the book being used to Amp things up is bogus. Like at this point I wanted the story to be over.

An EXCELLENT audiobook with a phenomenal narrator. I was loving listening to this while doing my chores around the house. The premise is excellent and the world is very visually fleshed out. I loved all of the characters and their flaws, I also really enjoyed the accents and commentary on colonialism wrapped within this story.

I chose not to continue this title at 30% into the audiobook.

I enjoyed the opening of the book and its character development. As the story progressed, however, I found there to be too much dialogue while the plot dragged along. I would have loved to hear more about the setting by 30% into the book and for there to have been more action at that point as well.

Maya Saroya did a fantastic job narrating this book. She showed a glorious range of accents which were essential to the different characters.

I loved the little glimpse of Arawiya we got through Laith and although I want more of it, I am happy to stay in White Roaring and see what other hijinks Arthie and her crew get up to. I loved the POVs this was told through - but I can't help but want more POVs in the next one. I need to know what Mateo is thinking!

The version of vampires in Hafsah Faizal's world is very interesting. I like her take on it. It plays well into the teahouse as a business too - I loved the scene where the tea house is getting raided and the transformation sequence with all their little tricks - showing that Arthie is always one step ahead of everyone around her.

I am a huge fan of anything even tangentially related to Arthurian Legend - Hafsah's version of Excalibur is an excellent twist on this idea - I hope we see more Arthurian pearls in the next one.

Definitely reminiscent of Six of Crows in the best ways - particularly Found Family. Arthie and Jin's relationship was the heart of this book.

And the twists and shocking reveals landed perfectly.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for an arc of this audiobook.

I loved this book so much. It very much has Peaky Blinders meets Six of Crows feels but in a way that’s different and unique. My only complaints were that the world building took up the first half of the book before the action happened and that the audio book narrator confused me with her pronunciation of Arthie (it sounded like Alphie the entire time due to her accent).

Arthie Casimir rules her portion of White Roaring with an iron fist in the form of her tea house, which doubles as a blood house after the lights go out. And it’s a very lucrative business, until all of what she and her brother have built is threatened. So Arthie devises a plan. But she needs a ragtag group of misfits to do it. Or lose the tea house forever…

Arthie was cold through most of the book but she eventually did open up as the story progressed and changed her. The growth development of the characters was lovely and you couldn’t help but fall in love with said characters. This book does end on a cliffhanger but it was done in the best way. I loved this.