Thanks to Netgally for the ARC.

This is a YA book about a poor girl, Ning who goes to the Palace to compete in a competition to become the royal tea master. She uncovers truths of her mother, insight about the poison that is slowly killing her sister back home and a royal conspiracy.

Overall, I flew through this book and I did enjoy it. But at the same time I enjoyed it, I also felt like it was filled with many traditional tropes. The most unque thing about this was the magic system and the main character's above average ability to wield the tea based magic system.

I do intend on reading the second book in this duology, because I'm invested enough to want to know how everything ends.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin is a visually stunning and enchanting read that had me hooked from the start. The concept of a magic tea brewing competition was unique and fascinating, and I loved immersing myself in the world of the Shennong-shi. Ning, the brave protagonist driven by her love for her sister, faced numerous challenges that kept me on the edge of my seat. The political intrigue added an extra layer of excitement, and the touch of romance between Ning and Kang was sweet without overpowering the main plot. Lin's world-building skills were exceptional, transporting me to vividly depicted settings. Despite wanting to know more about Kang, the mystery surrounding him only heightened my curiosity for the next book. If you're looking for a fast-paced and captivating fantasy with intriguing characters and a dash of romance, A Magic Steeped in Poison is the perfect choice!

CW: Death by Poison

YA books are not usually my thing, but I’m a huge lover of tea, magic, and poison, so this book was too tempting to resist. I brewed up a pot of sencha green tea, settled in, and devoured this read in 2 days! Ning’s story tugs at your heartstrings from the beginning, and her journey is packed with adventure as she travels far away from home to enter the competition. Daggers fly, secrets abound, and danger lies around every corner. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a twisting mystery with a dash of magic.

4*

As a tea drinker and a magic lover, this book combined two of my favorite things in a very enjoyable way. Ning is a nuanced and relatable main character, wading through grief and committed to her sister. The world itself was richly woven and blended Asian mythology and tradition with fantasy seamlessly.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Pretty good over all, lots of action and intrigue. It just felt a little bit too drawn out for me. I did enjoy the main character though, she was very persistent in her goal.

This debut is stunning, and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to read it early. A MAGIC STEEPED IN POISON tells the story of Ning, a girl who, while searching for the cure for the poison slowly killing her sister, travels to the capital of Jia to compete in a contest to find the next shennong-shi wo will serve at the royal court. But the competition is steeped (ha!) in political maneuvering and dark plots, and Ning finds herself caught up in the center of it all.

I loved so many things about this book, but what really stood out for me was the magic system. Judy I. Lin manages to make a magic system based on tea that feels both mystical and real, with rules and systems based on what seemed to be a lot of research. Unlike many magic systems in fantasy which tend to be more active (think throwing fire at opponents...etc.), the magic system in this book feels more like a ritual or a ceremony, and yet the scenes in which it's used don't feel slow or lacking in tension. Don't get me wrong, I love elemental magic and spell-slinging too, but I really enjoyed reading about how different practitioners used various ingredients to solve similar problems, and how different ingredients and teas were used to generate different effects.

I loved the characters in this book too. I connected a lot with Ning, who's just trying to do the right thing and save her sister, but who gets caught up in far more than she bargained for. The other characters are tangled up in the political machinations happening in the background of this book, and it took me until the end of the book to understand where certain characters' stood. This book kept me guessing the whole way through, and with the way that it ended, I'm so glad we're getting a sequel (A Venom Dark and Sweet) in a few months!

Long story short, I am obsessed.

Ugh, I *LOVED* this! It was so cool and unique from start to finish. The political and court intrigue, the tea magic, the characters, the secrets and mysteries--I could not put this down. It's another one where I've had it sitting on my shelf for a while and am now mad I waited this long. But what I don't have to wait for is the sequel, and I have it in my possession too!

Can we first take a moment to appreciate just how gorgeous this cover is?! This is one of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL covers that I have seen in a long time, just *chef’s kiss*. The world building, magic system and general atmospheric writing was so beautifully done — I love a good atmospheric book! This book was the perfect pace that had me guessing what was going to happen with every turn of the page.

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!

it was your typical YA structured novel but oh my god was it so much more! the tournament and magic system in this was eeeeverything i adored it so much.

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC.

I really enjoyed this book and am so excited to read book 2 soon!! This was such a soild read. I love the mytholgy tinge this book had to it and also the competioon at the heart of it. I normally struggle with smaller casts of chracters and thik some of the characters could have been expanded on a tad. I also think the world building had some confusion points but i am so excited to see where book 2 goes!!

Gorgeous and lush, with tension tightly threaded all the way through--I loved rooting for Ning as she navigated the beautiful and dangerous world of the court. Also, tea magic!! Awesome, awesome tea magic.

The first of a series, I really enjoyed this period-drama YA novel. Giving some C-drama vibes, the main character is a well-rounded girl with luck on her side. Ning is focused on finding a way into the palace thanks to a kingdom competition, hoping to find a cure to the poison that killed her mother and endangered her little sister. With a little bit of romance, and a strong female presence, it's a strong YA fantasy book that changes the gender narrative with a little bit of magic.

A Magic steeped in poison is such a wonderful debut fantasy novel! a huge congrats To Judy I Lin!

This was everything i expected in a fantasy ya book, I really enjoyed the character and the world-building in this one how I felt like I wanted a lot more character development with in this story but as there's a second book maybe it'll be in there!

A really enjoyable read - thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to have a copy of this e-arc

I love the feeling of starting a new book, reading the first few lines and immediately getting drawn into a story - and that was my experience with this novel. I've been eager to read this one since I first heard about it, and luckily, it ended up being really enjoyable! It does lean on familiar YA fantasy tropes, and in particular, the plot isn't something that I haven't seen before in other reads. But I did appreciate the magical lore (from the legends mentioned to the magical properties of tea - from the ingredients to the brewing process to the person performing the tea ceremony), the way that this tournament was woven in and around political unrest and subterfuge (court intrigue, basically). I do wish I'd felt a stronger connection to our cast of characters, but I'm definitely glad I read this one and am eager to pick up the sequel!

I felt this was a great debut fantasy novel. I loved the vivid imagery the author Judy I Lin used. I’m looking forward to the next book.

I really loved the world-building in this one and I definitely wanted more character development. Lin is clearly a talented writer and I'm so excited to see what she does next. The world-building was out of this world and I can't believe that I, coming from a culture that is also obsessed with teas and such, haven't thought of this concept before this book! It was such a fun read and I'm equally excited to read book two and to see what happens next to my beloved characters and what Lin comes up with in her next books! Lucky for me. book 2 is out so I don't have to wait long at all.

Truly a lovely story with brilliant themes and imagery. I really enjoyed this story. The cover is just as enticing as the words between the pages

A wonderful debut fantasy novel! Full of everything you want in a fantasy. Political drama, mystery and just a bit of romance to off set the tension. Extremely well written for a debut - so congratulations Lin ! Can't wait to read book two!

Who knew the world of tea could be so riveting and enthralling?! This was a fast paced, action packed first in the duology. I truly enjoyed the ride of this book. Ning enters a competition to become the royal tea maker. This happens within the first chapter. She is thrown into a series of tea trials where she discovers the true magic within. I absolutely loved this novel! And honestly, I feel like it does well as a stand alone. Will I pick up the sequel? Probably. But this book alone satisfied an itch I didn’t know I had.