I have had amazing luck picking 2022 fantasies lately and I’m so happy that A Magic Steeped in Poison has continued that streak. Maybe it’s because of my new strategy: only read things with elite cover art.
Ning doesn’t have many choices left. After her mother died of the same poison that’s slowly killing her sister, she’s running out of options—and also time. Her hopes to save Shu’s life are now tethered to a competition in their kingdom’s capital. The princess has sent an invitation to all who study magical tea-making to compete for a chance to be the next royal shennong-shi. The odds are slim, but along with the title and prestige the winner will be able to ask the emperor for one favor. And what Ning needs more than anything is access to the best medical treatment in the kingdom for her dying sister.
The competition is brutal, though, populated by underhanded tactics and ruthless contenders. And with a number of power plays and political maneuvers being enacted behind the scenes, Ning will have to be careful not to step into the line of fire.
Judy I. Lin writes with a softer touch, even though the stakes are just as dire as other YA fantasies. But there’s something almost soothing about the description of her tea magic, no matter what is actually being depicted in the text. The blend of a cultural staple, like tea, with with traditional medicine and magic, is such an incredible way to incorporate real-world customs into fantasy, and I hope we see more of it. I’d love for tea magic to become its own its own sub-genre the way ‘wizard schools’ have.
This wasn’t as fast-paced as some others I’ve read recently, but it’s just as engaging as the best of them, especially by the end. The political components were fun to try to unravel. You think you understand who the major players are and where their loyalty lies, only for everything to be eventually flipped on its head. We’re left on a cliffhanger, not one that will totally destroy your life, but one that will simply haunt your every waking hour. Probably even some sleeping ones, too.
If you love lush food descriptions, intricate and unique magic systems and fantastical competitions, you will enjoy A Magic Steeped in Poison. And luckily for us, the sequel in this duology, A Venom Dark and Sweet, is coming out only FIVE (5) months after the first one!!! If you’re not aware, this is basically unheard of for a YA fantasy series and I’m taking it as a blessing.
Ning doesn’t have many choices left. After her mother died of the same poison that’s slowly killing her sister, she’s running out of options—and also time. Her hopes to save Shu’s life are now tethered to a competition in their kingdom’s capital. The princess has sent an invitation to all who study magical tea-making to compete for a chance to be the next royal shennong-shi. The odds are slim, but along with the title and prestige the winner will be able to ask the emperor for one favor. And what Ning needs more than anything is access to the best medical treatment in the kingdom for her dying sister.
The competition is brutal, though, populated by underhanded tactics and ruthless contenders. And with a number of power plays and political maneuvers being enacted behind the scenes, Ning will have to be careful not to step into the line of fire.
Judy I. Lin writes with a softer touch, even though the stakes are just as dire as other YA fantasies. But there’s something almost soothing about the description of her tea magic, no matter what is actually being depicted in the text. The blend of a cultural staple, like tea, with with traditional medicine and magic, is such an incredible way to incorporate real-world customs into fantasy, and I hope we see more of it. I’d love for tea magic to become its own its own sub-genre the way ‘wizard schools’ have.
This wasn’t as fast-paced as some others I’ve read recently, but it’s just as engaging as the best of them, especially by the end. The political components were fun to try to unravel. You think you understand who the major players are and where their loyalty lies, only for everything to be eventually flipped on its head. We’re left on a cliffhanger, not one that will totally destroy your life, but one that will simply haunt your every waking hour. Probably even some sleeping ones, too.
If you love lush food descriptions, intricate and unique magic systems and fantastical competitions, you will enjoy A Magic Steeped in Poison. And luckily for us, the sequel in this duology, A Venom Dark and Sweet, is coming out only FIVE (5) months after the first one!!! If you’re not aware, this is basically unheard of for a YA fantasy series and I’m taking it as a blessing.