Intriguing beginning! The book drew me in right away because I am a tea lover and consider myself to be somewhat of a tea purist. I want to find out more about the magic of tea and the significance of the competition that the main character is traveling towards. And, I am also intrigued by the “thriller” aspect of the mysterious thief and the poison tea. I did think that referring to the thief as “they” when it was a single person seemed weird and confusing. Thanks for the first look!