Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Published Date: March 29, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy, Mythology
Rating: ★★★☆☆
REVIEW
This is the first in a young adult duology and is also a debut. The sequel, A Venom Dark and Sweet, is released next month, so those that enjoyed this first one don't need to wait long to finish the series. I always love when I don't have to wait long to continue, and more series are being quickly published sequentially. However, I'm not sure if I'll be continuing on.
SYNOPSIS
"For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.
When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making—she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning's only chance to save her sister's life.
But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger."
MY THOUGHTS
Let's start with the things that I liked about this book. First off, the cover has got to be one of the most beautiful books I've read all year. The pops of bright color, the watercoloresque Illustrations. So pretty! I also really enjoyed the magic system. I think it was definitely unique and well explained. Tea, depending on the ingredients and how it's prepared, results in different types of magic. I have never read something quite like it, and the descriptions of how the magic felt and looked were just as beautiful as the cover. I also liked the bonds that the main character, Ning, had. Her family came first and foremost, and she always had her main goal being to save her sisters life. There was a great friendship between her and Lian, another competitor.
Speaking of the competition, I thought, while it was interesting, it should have been more of the focus. The beginning and ending of this book had my full attention, however during the middle it felt like the plot wandered a bit. There were a few times where it felt like the author wrote certain scenes for convenience rather than because they made sense to the plot. An example would be when the contestants were told to remain in a certain part of the palace, yet multiple times Ning was able to dodge the guards and go to different areas, where she would conveniently discover something that would help her remain in the competition. There was just a lot of coincidences that didn't necessarily feel like they were included for any reason other than the fact that Ning had to advance. For such a well secured place, she sure was able to move around unseen quite a bit.
Another thing I didn't enjoy very much was the romance. I understand that many YA books include a somewhat insta-love trope. However, this book took it to a different level. It didn't seem like the characters had anything in common other than secrets and lies. They both lied to each other on multiple occasions, and went from not knowing each other to holding maybe two conversations. It would have been better, in my opinion, if Lin went with enemies to lovers, but we don't really get to know Kang at all, so the romance just wasn't believable to me. I didn't feel any chemistry. Instead, the romance seemed to be thrown in just to fit with other YA fantasies. Authors...not every book needs a romance and this one definitely didn't need it.
Overall, I may continue the series, but there was just a so much that frustrated me while reading this. While the ending was fast paced and wrapped up nicely, I am not sure if I enjoyed it enough to read the conclusion.
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