A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin is a solid debut YA fantasy and the first book in The Book of Tea duology. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at around eleven hours and is narrated by Carolyn Kang. We follow main character with a first-person point-of-view.
Ning's mother is dead, after drinking poisoned tea that she unknowingly brewed. Her sister, Shu, is terribly sick from the tea as well. In an attempt to save her, Ning travels to the imperial city to compete in a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi--masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making. The winner receives a favor from the princess, and Ning plans to ask to save her sister's life. It's a lot more than she expected, though, among the court politics, jerk competitors, and a mysterious--but cute--boy with a deeply hidden secret.
The worldbuilding in general is pretty tight for a debut. I really dig the magic system here, especially the parts tied to different types of tea! The author did a great job weaving in Chinese mythology and traditional medicines. Her prose is wonderfully lyrical.
The plot felt mostly like a typical YA fantasy story, and sometimes it didn't really feel like the stakes were very high.
All that being said, I read this book in basically one sitting and I definitely plan to read the final book in the duology. That cliffhanger though!
Tropes in this book include: folklore retelling (Chinese mythology), secret identity
CW: death of a parent (referenced), grief, violence, medical trauma, torture, blood, emesis, poison, death, snakes, murder, attempted murder
Ning's mother is dead, after drinking poisoned tea that she unknowingly brewed. Her sister, Shu, is terribly sick from the tea as well. In an attempt to save her, Ning travels to the imperial city to compete in a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi--masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making. The winner receives a favor from the princess, and Ning plans to ask to save her sister's life. It's a lot more than she expected, though, among the court politics, jerk competitors, and a mysterious--but cute--boy with a deeply hidden secret.
The worldbuilding in general is pretty tight for a debut. I really dig the magic system here, especially the parts tied to different types of tea! The author did a great job weaving in Chinese mythology and traditional medicines. Her prose is wonderfully lyrical.
The plot felt mostly like a typical YA fantasy story, and sometimes it didn't really feel like the stakes were very high.
All that being said, I read this book in basically one sitting and I definitely plan to read the final book in the duology. That cliffhanger though!
Tropes in this book include: folklore retelling (Chinese mythology), secret identity
CW: death of a parent (referenced), grief, violence, medical trauma, torture, blood, emesis, poison, death, snakes, murder, attempted murder