I had such high expectations for this one, and it let me down. I wish the world building, magic system, and romance were more developed. I enjoyed the betrayal scenes, but I felt like the resolutions were rushed, and everything was a little too convenient for the main character. Overall a good concept, but the execution was not my cup of...tea.

4.5 stars

First off, did you see that cover? I’m sorry, I love the way both this cover and the sequel/conclusion’s cover look, especially side by side. Cover designers do such incredible work, and even if the title or the author name doesn’t grab your attention, this cover should at least get you to pick the book up.

Then there’s the synopsis. I do enjoy magical competition stories, and a good court politics/political intrigue story is typically something I like to read as well, so this story definitely intrigued me. I’m also currently playing an herbalist/apothecary/healer type character in Dungeons & Dragons, so the tea making aspect of this story absolutely appealed to me.

And with all the anticipation and expectation I felt before picking this book up, I can say that it did deliver a satisfying story, which is great. I finished this in just a couple sittings, as part of my long Memorial Day weekend reading relaxation event this year….I read like 5 books in 4 days, which felt pretty damn great, and honestly they were all pretty solid reads.

The worldbuilding and lore and magical setup were interesting, and I definitely found myself compelled to keep reading, which is usually a good sign, but felt especially good after how slumpy I had been these past months. So honestly if you’re looking for an absorbingly quick read that will keep you turning pages, perhaps this is one you should look into.

The characters were interesting, and with the political intrigue elements, it made me question every character I met, wondering what ulterior motives they had, if any, and trying to figure out where everyone’s loyalties aligned. And with how all the characters ended up and how the plots wove together by the end, I do believe that I’ll be trying to pick up the sequel pretty soon. It would be nice to get the review up before release day near the end of August.

I am very into the sections with the competition, tea magic, bonding with the enemy, but less into the boring political side of it. Just, give me Project Teaway!

This was a gorgeous first novel in a duology that combines tea magic and a destabilizing government. With a similar vibe to the The Blood of Stars duology, this book was a quick read with a setting that drew me in and characters that kept me there. There is just the right amount of a love story while keeping the focus on the mystery and trial. If you enjoyed The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and The Blood of Stars duology, give this book a try!

(I was given an arc of this book through Netgalley in return for an honest review).
Overall Rating:
-Characters: 4/5
-Plot:5/5
-Setting: 5/5
-Romance: 4/5
-Description:5/5
-Enjoyment: 4/5

A Magic Steeped in Poison is a story about a girl named Ning who enters a competition to become the emperor's shennong-shi (a master of the magical art of tea-making) in hopes to find a cure for a poison that killed her mother and is now threatening her sister. However, the competition is not the only thing Ning will have to deal with once she reaches the palace.
The plot of this story was very intriguing and kept me hooked, however some of the characters seemed very one-sided. The setting of the novel contributed greatly to the plot and I found that the author used it to her advantage to add intrigue and complexity. The politics and relationships were well written and added more depth to the story.

A Magic Steeped in Poison is the story of Ning, a teen from a small village whose father is a doctor and mother a shennong-shi, that is, she did channeled magic through the making of tea. Her mother however, is now dead, killed by an undetectable poison someone has been putting into the tea leaves. Ning, who is not her mother's apprentice but her fathers, brewed the tea which killed her mother, and which nearly killed her sister. Now she must journey to the capital to compete in a competition being held to choose the next royal shennong-shi, and hopefully gain access to a cure for her sister. Much tea making and intrigue awaits.

I really liked this book. Ning is a great character, I was rooting for her from the beginning. She is in a difficult position, not having actually been an apprentice to her mother, but being desperate to help her sister, and the choices she make reflect this. I loved the descriptions of the tea making, both regular and magical. I definitely recommend having a cup ready to drink while you read! It was a fascinating magic system that I am eager to learn even more about in the second book. I also really enjoyed a lot of the side characters. Even the ones with small parts felt like real people. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait for the sequel!

This book is just stunning and I don't just mean the cover (but honestly I would buy it based on that alone). Luckily the words inside are just as lovely as the outside images. This story is unique and just gorgeous! It is fresh and takes the reader on a ride. A must have for YA collections!

i’m starting the sequel as soon as i finish this review because WHAT WAS THAT CLIFFHANGER?!

a magic steeped in poison is a chinese-inspired fantasy centered around a magical tea-brewing competition. ning enters under false pretenses to win a cure for her sister, who is slowly dying from the same poison that killed their mother, and finds herself caught up in court politics, secret plots, and a shattered royal family.

i loved the tea-based magic system. it was original and clever and really set the book apart. ning was an enjoyable main character and i thought the romance and main friendship were cute, but i wish the side characters had been developed more; because i didn’t know them well, those relationships sometimes felt shallow. the court politics and palace setting were otherwise delightful, so i just wanted to know more about certain characters who appeared frequently.

this was a strong start to a duology. ning had my attention from the first chapter—the first line, really—and i’m excited to see how everything wraps in a venom dark and sweet.

<i>"We all have people we care about, those we would give our lives for. It puts us in danger, or makes us dangerous. In a way, I resent the village I come from. I resent the ties that bind me there, because the people there remember my mother returning to the village, unwed and pregnant. They know my awkward ways, my ineptitude for social niceties, my many mistakes. But they are also a part of me. The dirt under my nails, the blood in my veins. I belong with those tea trees, the rice fields, the clay of the riverbanks, the fire in the kilns.
I am selfish, and I know now that I will no longer apologize for it. Let the world burn, if Shu can live."</i>

TL;DR: A gorgeous, lush, immersive fantasy-folk-tale with a truly unique magic system and empowered female heroines.
<b><i>I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></i>

Vibes: Disney's Mulan + dashes of Aladdin & Cinderella + glossed over with some of more PG-13 elements of Squid Game

Genre: NA / YA Fantasy-Folktale-Mythology
[or maybe magical realism...there are more magical elements to this story than the power of the gods, as in mythology, and the magic is never really explained: it just exists within the world, and there are definitely elements of political critique.]
Also would appeal to New Adults. IDK exactly how old Ning is supposed to be, but her exact age doesn't matter -- just that she is younger than most of the males around her.

Romance Meter: 🖤 🖤 ♡ ♡ ♡
*There is a romantic subplot (rather inevitable these days), and it doesn't involve a (serious) love triangle. I did find the romance bits distracting though, and felt they pulled focus away from the more engaging aspects of the story.
I've also seen "insta-love" floating around some other reviews...but I didn't really see that here. "Insta-Connection," yes. But Ning doesn't pine or swoon over "Bo" as much as some other heroines in Insta-Love stories do. She is curious about him, feels a (magical) connection with him, and is attracted to him, but I wouldn't call that Insta-Love.

Character MVP: Lian, Ning's (first?) friend and roommate. She was kind and spunky and smart -- all the things I love in a side-character.

Verdict: 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 because I couldn't put this book down and genuinely loved the story.

I did think the world-building / magic system was a little abrupt -- especially at the beginning, and even at the end, I felt thrown into it very abruptly.

Don't get me wrong, I 100% loved the idea that "Magic = Brewing Tea," kinda like potion making but not as witchy.

But there were only a few passages that really seemed to get at the "logic," of it, for lack of a better word -- how the magic worked and what it was capable of.

I get that some of that may have been because Ning herself didn't really know; she had only demonstrated an affinity for the magic before being apprenticed to her more scientific, physician father, so she was kinda learning as she went. But as someone who loves world-building in a fantasy, I wanted more. (Which may be why I'm more inclined to think of it as magical realism, since the magic there isn't usually explained; it just "is.")

Other things that worked for me:

✔️ -- I thought it was really well plotted, with little details from the beginning coming back in the end (something I'm realizing I appreciate more, the more I read).

✔️ -- I also really loved the subtle/casual questioning of "the norm." Soldiers were both male *and* female (instead of being all male), as were servants. There were also casual references to same-sex couples, as if this alternate society wasn't particularly bothered by them. IDK if that applies to *all* the characters, but I appreciate the attempt to normalize queer relationships.

✔️ -- I also loved that this book is about female empowerment -- and set against a backdrop of what we typically think of a very sexist culture. <i>Mulan</i> is one of the worst offenders (of Disney films) because of the heavy emphasis on patriarchal values (perhaps a bit too overboard), and I definitely got some Mulan vibes with this story: Lin's story starts (a bit too) abruptly, with Ning stealing away in the middle of the night, with a scroll intended for one of her parents, to enter a world for which she is woefully under-trained and under-prepared. (And where she's attracted to a man who is "above her station.")
And, like <i>Mulan</i>, many of the male characters in this story are the cause of the drama and conflict, while the women shake their heads, knowing they could do it better. Which I always appreciate.

I also very much appreciate that, while this is a duology, both books will be released within a calendar year. No 2-year-wait inbetween books so that you forget what happens--although I need the sequel NOW, and not in 2 months.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy Lin had been one of my most anticipated releases for this year. Partly because of the gorgeous cover, partly because it’s basically a magical competition but mostly because of the tea. As a tea-lover, I was absolutely delighted to hear of a book with magic being carried out using tea and establishing connections with others like wow, what an idea!

The art of shennong is carried out by shennong-shis and shennong-tus as they make different kinds of tea to connect with others in order to heal them, grant them different abilities, alter reality, and so on. You name it and it can be done. I just found the whole art of tea-making and the descriptions so fascinating! Different ingredients and different combinations led to different results. And the idea of connecting with other people at a soul level and being able to work magic there was so beautiful and very well executed by the author.

This book had a prose that I was ready to get lost in, barring for when I reached out for a cup of tea myself. Everything feels enchanting and intriguing and overall the author does a great job of luring the reader into the world. And I’m just a sucker for contests, okay? This one was really engaging and had some usual twists and turns that I anticipated but coupled with the fantasy elements of magic and tea it made for a really entertaining plot. And apart from the contest the rest of the plot was well-paced with some twists and tricks.

My only complaint with A Magic Steeped in Poison was the insta-love. I won’t say that Ning and Kang’s relationship was forced but they just fell in love kind of within an hour of their first meeting. They shared such intimate moments so quickly and I just couldn’t come to terms with it. Other than that I greatly enjoyed the book and am very excited to read the sequel!
(also so glad that I don’t have to wait for years to read the sequel)

This was such a beautiful and intricate world and I loved every minute of reading it <3

Our main character is honestly such a refreshing read - she's not the advertised morally grey nor the mary sue just simply a girl who experienced loss and is trying to make her family proud.

I'm definitely excited for book 2 and I hope every Asian girl who wants to be immersed in a fantasy and tea-influenced world reads this.

This book was so beautiful written and truly has a poetic quality hidden in each of its descriptions. I loved how the author took so much care in the world building and crafting each of the characters and fine tune each aspect to compliment the plot.
Getting to explore the history of teas and their ties with magic and poison was so intriguing to me. I loved how each of the competitors had their different touches based on where they were from and how that played into their family roles as well as their loyalties to the monarchy.
I’m so excited to read the next installment because I cant wait to see what happens to Ning as well as Kang and other beloved characters. And I’m excited to see where the story leads.

This book is a modern masterpiece! If I could give A Magic Steeped in Poison 1,000 stars, I would! I could not read fast enough, because I was enjoying it so much. I want to start over again immediately. It’s definitely a new favorite book!!!

If you loved Spin the Dawn or Girls of Paper & Fire, then you need to read this! It’s like the two had a beautiful baby. Now when I say beautiful, I mean that looking at this baby will blind you… that’s how beautiful they are! I’d jump in front of a bus for this baby! This baby could rule the world! People will see them and go blind!

As a tea lover, I definitely wanted to try all of the different varieties that were talked about. I have no idea if they’re all real or just made up for the storyline, but they sounded magical… I mean, the were for the characters, but still! DELICIOUS!

I love how incredible the imagery was. I could see everything in my mind as it was happening and I felt like I was actually there! Judy I Lin did such a masterful job and as this is her debut novel, I am so impressed. I’m in awe of the sheer magnitude of my love for this book.

Do yourself a favor and immediately READ THIS BOOK!!!!

Welcome to my stop for #AMagicSteepedinPoisontour
Thank you @judyilinauthor , @fiercereads, @coloredpagesblogtours for this wonderful eARC

Review: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Quote: “Things change, but they cycle back, too. The stars continue along their course, the cowherd is always reunited with the maiden.”

———

🍵 This novel starts of with Ning heading to the capital to join the shennong-shi competition in an effort to save her sister, Shu after a horrific poisoning accident that took the life of her mother and bought her sister close to death. During the competition, she indirectly got caught up in the politcal intrigue of the court. Who can she trust as she navigates this while staying true to her own mission?

🍵 The pacing of the novel started slow as the world building takes which can lead to some dragginess . I appreciate the author’s world building by providing wonderfully vivid descriptions of the food, tea and the culture . I had to say I was craving dim sum so much while reading this.

🍵 Overall, the book was a solid read with the ending set up for book 2! I highly suggest reading this if you are looking for: an intriguing love interest, an alternative to a political court Chinese Drama, betrayal and backstabbing, Chinese mythologies, the vivid food descriptions, tea, tea and tea.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

First off, the cover of this book is absolutely stunning, as is the upcoming sequels. It is what caught my eye and made me check out this book ,and I don't regret it.

This book is definitely very original. Ning is the daughter of a doctor and a shennong-shi, a master of tea magic-yes, you read that right, this book is about the ancient magical art of tea making. Ning brewed the tea that accidentally killed her mother by brewing a poisonous tea that has been shipped all over the kingdom, and now, the same poison is slowly killing her sister. She has a chance to save her by traveling to the capital to compete in a competition to become the next imperial shennong-shi.

Even though I love the idea of tea magic, I'm still a bit confused about the whole thing. I never felt like I got enough information surrounding the magic, the history of the art, and how it worked. However, I loved getting to see the diversity of the regions of tea, seeing how important it was in their culture, and all of the effort they go through to create different teas. I've never been much of a tea person, but I feel like I need to go out and sample 1000 kinds now.

I had mixed feelings about Ning. I loved how devoted she was to her family, especially her sister, but she was so wishy washy about everything. It felt out of the blue when she was suddenly spouting rebellious ideas. She spent so little time thinking about Kung between meetings, but then she would run into him (or sneak out to see him) and then couldn't stop thinking about him?

The pacing was pretty good. There were a few points where it dragged a little, but those were relatively few and far between. I might have already request the sequel from NetGalley, so here's hoping I get it, because that ended on a CLIFFHANGER.

This book is perfect for fantasy lovers and those who enjoy magical competitions.

Ning lost her mother recently and it's because of her own failure as she unintentionally brewed a tae that caused her death and now her sister is sick due to the same. Her father is the constant reminder of these loses and she can't stop thinking about it over and over again.

She wants to save her sister and the solution she seeks is a miracle! Fortunately, she gets the news of a competition where the winner, the master of tea-making art, will get a favour from the princess.

She steps in the competition aiming solely to win in order to save her sister but the discoveries she makes leave her stunned! Life isn't predictable and Ning realises it as soon as she engages herself into this!

I thought this book was going to be something totally different, and I'm glad it wasn't. This book was absolutely wonderful. As soon as I started, I was eager to finish. Besides being a beautifully designed book cover, the story was very well developed. I loved the idea of tea being infused with magic and give me a competition any day! Ning traveled to the imperial city to compete, even though her sister was the one who was being officially trained. Whoever wins the competition receives a favor from the Princess and with Ning's sister being sick, she's hoping this favor can help save her sister's life. During this competition, Ning learns a lot more than what she bargained for. There are plots and a mysterious boy, who is not who he initially seemed. I really enjoyed the way everything fit together and the description of the food and tea were just impeccable. I cannot wait for the next installment to come out to figure out what happens after that wild ending.

Ning is the main character and the only provided point of view. I'm glad that it was only her story as I felt that it was enough. It was intriguing seeing her compete and how she felt about her tea. It was beautiful the way the tea was brewed reflects the person brewing it. And Ning was a character that it was super easy to root for. I like how she came to the capital just to compete with no ill intentions of doing more. But what is a book without the character getting dragged into other issues? I think Ning was very realistic in how she handled situations and herself. She definitely grew a lot as a character with her time in the royal capital and I really enjoyed her arc in this first book.

Overall, A Magic Steeped in Poison was a phenomenal book. With this being Lin's debut title, I cannot wait to see what else she brews (you see what I did there). The story was well written and I absolutely loved the twist of magic with the tea. There were definitely more plot points to this story and I thought they were integrated very well. I enjoyed Ning's character a whole lot. She was someone I easily connected with and really rooted for. I cannot wait for the second book to continue this story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys magical competitions with political discourse and competitors that cannot be trusted.

A wonderful idea, but the writing was lacking in excitement.

This book was slow to start and harder to finish, and I say that as a fan of competition books/arcs. Its unique setting and mythology were huge bonuses to the book, but it felt like something I had read before. It also, unfortunately, fell into a predictable YA-romance that just felt unfounded.

I'll read the sequel, but I've read similar stories that just felt more interesting.

what a fun and unique fantasy book! this book felt like a breath of fresh air and i was so appreciate of it.
I have had trouble finding new YA fantasy books that really spoke to me but this one did
I am on the edge of my seat to read about what happens next

First of all let me just says that the cover is so super pretty 🥺🥺😭😭.. this book was one of my anticipated release of the year.The tea, culture, magic system everything was so perfect 🥺😭😭. There were so many description about food and tea i was hungry all while reading the book. The way author written about tea brewing is so comforting (idk if that's makes sense). Characters were so well written. Our main girl Ning. She kind of annoyed me sometimes. I don't know what message was the author trying to convince to the readers through her. I am not really sure how I feel about Kang character. And the queen i am really interested in her. I really wanted to know more of her story. But my favorite was Lian. She is such a sweet girl and great friend. The cliffhanger left me devastated . This book wasn't my favorite but I will definitely read the next book.