A Magic Steeped in Poison is a really fun and complex YA fantasy. This book's beautiful cover is what initially caught my interest, and the tea references is what had me hooked.
Ning's sister is dying from the same poison that killed her mother and she is not ready to give up. A brutal competition from the kingdom's princess provides a way for Ning to finally save her sister. The competition is for all those who study tea-making-competing for a chance to be the next royal shennong-shi. Ning will have to be careful but her determination is high being that the winner of this competition is allowed one favor from the princess that Ning intends to use for her sister's survival.
First the good--I loved the depictions of tea magic in this book and I loved the character of Ning. She is strong, independent and full of spunk--a really easy character to root for. But, I did, unfortunately, find this book to be slow-paced and a bit choppy. I understand the need for world building since this seems to be the start of a series but I found myself getting quite bored in the first half of this book. The pace does pick up and becomes more enjoyable toward the end so if you can push through, it is worth it!
Ning's sister is dying from the same poison that killed her mother and she is not ready to give up. A brutal competition from the kingdom's princess provides a way for Ning to finally save her sister. The competition is for all those who study tea-making-competing for a chance to be the next royal shennong-shi. Ning will have to be careful but her determination is high being that the winner of this competition is allowed one favor from the princess that Ning intends to use for her sister's survival.
First the good--I loved the depictions of tea magic in this book and I loved the character of Ning. She is strong, independent and full of spunk--a really easy character to root for. But, I did, unfortunately, find this book to be slow-paced and a bit choppy. I understand the need for world building since this seems to be the start of a series but I found myself getting quite bored in the first half of this book. The pace does pick up and becomes more enjoyable toward the end so if you can push through, it is worth it!