I have to admit I never would have imagined a world where what tea and how it is brewed could be magic, but I have to say I enjoyed it. The beginning was a little slower than I would have liked, but overall the story was fun and I am ready for the second book. The characters were a bit predictable but fun and the main character definitely had me rooting for her. Ning may have been talented as a shennong-shi she was needed to learn the art of being a physician to assist her father. Her mother died from a poison that has been hidden into blocks of tea and Ning feels shame since she brewed that tea. Her sister is now dying from the same poison and she feels her only chance to save her sister is to took her sisters invitation to the palace for a contest to become the new royal shennong-shi. She finds more intrigue than she expected, but she also finds friends and allies that will help her because dark times are coming for the kingdom.