The second book in a duology, A Venom Dark and Sweet is the thrilling conclusion to Lin’s Book Of Tea series. In Volume 2, Ning must solve the mystery of the dark magic that is creeping through the kingdom of Daxi, or die trying. Alongside her sister, the cast out princess and her body guard, they embark on a quest to save their realm from forces of evil. There is so much beyond their understanding and outside of their control. With the odds stacked against them, it seems likely they won’t succeed.

I loved that the main forces of good in this novel were the women, and they come from all walks of life. Previously on opposite ends of their socioeconomic spectrum, they are united in their fight against the dark to save the citizens of Daxi, and find that they have more in common than they could have imagined. This is a book full of strong female characters who are in positions to lead and to harness great powers. It’s a diverse cast of characters and a fantastic conclusion to what has been one of the most unique stories of this year.

I’m actually so glad this series was a duology. It was perfect length for this story and it allowed the author enough time to build robust and fully-fleshed out characters, without dragging the story out. I was fortunate to be able to read both halves of the story within a few weeks of one another, which heightened my enjoyment of the experience. To top it off, the magic in the tea is such a unique idea, and the power only grows Ning learns and expands her abilities. It was so cool to see this journey unfold. Though I had a bit of a tough time adjusting to the writing in the first book, by this book I was fully entrenched and immerse in the beauty of the story.

I loved everything about this fantasy book and the characters within it, we are dropped right back into our same universe but so much has transpired since we last saw our main character. I did feel as though the plot of this book moved a little slower but overall it was such a fun read and such a love letter to the fantasy genre in general, we got a fantastic FMC who fights to protect what she loves dearly.

I was really excited about this one. The first book in this series gave me some really high expectations. Unfortunately, this book just didn't live up to the hype. I really liked the tea magic of the first book and this one didn't have as much. It also was hard to keep track with the increasing number of POVs. The pacing was a bit on the slow side.

This was a stunning conclusion to A Magic Steeped in Poison! I loved the turn that this story took in the sequel, and how the story was told in both Ning and Kang's POV's instead of just Ning's. I loved the growth in Ning's relationship with Shu and with Kang. The magic system in this book is also incredible, and I loved seeing Ning (and Shu) grow into their powers beyond just their shénnóng magic. My only wish is that the epilogue was more extended and had a stronger conclusion! Especially regarding Ning and Kang, after everything they had been through and shared, it felt strange that the book ended with them kinda being amicable friends.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book if you were a fan of the first book, or of books like Spin the Dawn!

The Book of Tea duology is phenomenal and beautifully written, the kind of story that takes your breath away at times and keeps you up late into the hours of the night to find out what happens next! You all need to do yourselves a favor and read these books immediately!
A Venom Dark & Sweet picks up where the first book left off and pulls you right back in for an epic conclusion! Full of magical imagery and jaw dropping moments, this duology has become one of my favorites of all time and the author is a new favorite that I can’t wait to read more from!

A gripping, page-turning follow-up to Lin's first—I love the concept and world of this series, and getting to spend more time in it was a total treat!

This book was exactly what I wanted in the conclusion of the Book of Tea duology! The action, the drama, the romance! Everything was absolutely fantastic. And don't even get me started on the cover! Everything about this book is phenomenal!

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

I love the book cover so much. I believe I like the first book better than the second but it was good. What I loved about the first one was the magic and the tea making but the second book didn’t have a much as that. I personally don’t like when characters are split up. I just didn’t leave me fulfilled and I can’t place why.

Judy I. Lin's "A Venom Dark and Sweet" is a richly satisfying close to the duology. Lin takes the time to fully bring to life the food and culture of the world she has created. Truly a wonderful read.

It took me a long time to get into the first book, but I ended up enjoying it for the most part. I really had high hopes that the story would pick up with this one, and in some ways it did. The plot got more intriguing, but for me the pace never picked up.

I also really loved the tea-magic aspect of the first book. I feel like that was a really big key part of what made the story, and it wasn't kept up with well and though I appreciated the other perspective, I just don't really care for dual character narratives that switch back and forth.

Its a bit tragic to me that the stories fall so short! The covers are absolutely beautiful and there is so much potential. I still had fun, but I could have enjoyed them a lot more.

There is a lot of movement in the second book in this duology and it comes at the expense of the world building and magic. But everything get wrapped up and it was a satisfying end to a really creative story.

This is the second/final book of The Book of Tea duology. I read the first book almost exactly a year ago, and I gave it 4.5 stars, so I know I really enjoyed it. But I also know that 2022 was a pretty crazy year and there was so much going on that my memory gets pretty hazy of some of it.

So I probably could have used a little refresher before jumping into this one. Because it doesn’t ease you into things or spend time reacquainting you with the characters and the world and what happened in the previous book. You just jump straight into the action so to speak.

We bounce back and forth between Ning’s and Kang’s chapters, following both of their journeys after the events of the first book.

There was not nearly as much tea magic this time around, and that was pretty disappointing for me. The tea brewing magic was such a cool element of the first book, and I was so hoping to see even more of it.

And with this book, I feel like the actual adventure/quest aspect didn’t start until more than halfway through the book. So it felt like even though we start off with Ning and the others in her group traveling and trying to keep themselves safe, overall the story felt like it was a meandering journey to get to where the story has a focus and a direction that leads to the conclusion.

That final drive with an adventure to complete in order to achieve their goals and save themselves and their people, was an entertaining one, and I think I would have liked more with that, instead of rushing to fit it into the latter portion of the book.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this duology, and I’m glad I read it. The magic system was something unique and interesting. I will definitely keep on the lookout for future books by Judy I. Lin.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I had hoped to get to this sequel finale when it was released last summer, but I'm happy to finally be able to say that I've finished out The Book of Tea duology! Fresh off a reread of the first book, it was nice to just hop right into the continuation of Ning's story. While the first one had its hints of magic and lore in it, this follow-up just infused the tale with even more wonderful, fantastical elements that broadened the scope of the world and the lore. It really set up the stakes to be even higher, made the relationships even more poignant on all fronts and ultimately wrapped things up in a way that felt really satisfying for me as a reader. I quite enjoyed my time reading the series and would highly recommend it!

While I absolutely loved book one, A Venom Dark and Sweet fell short for me. There was a drastic change in tone. I missed the magic of tea making - the intricacies and thought that went into it. There were also parts that felt rushed. It’s been a bit since I read the story and I’m admittedly struggling to remember set of the story. I think that’s telling within itself.

I still recommend reading A Magic Steeped in Poison with lowered expectations going into book two.

i want to start out by saying that this book was so good. I really liked the story and it kept me hook and interested the whole entire time. That hasn't been happening to me lately so i was glad when i couldnt put this book down. I also really enjoyed the characters. The author wrote them in a way where it is impossible not to connect with them nor care about them.

Overall this was a great read and I definitely recommend it.

3.5. The worldbuilding was still fascinating but something about the ending just didn't stick it for me. I wish this had either been worked into one standalone novel, or expanded a little more into three and go into some aspects of the story, like what happens with Shu, a little more. Still an enjoyable read, and if you've read the first one you might as well read the second.

Hmmm, I need a minute.

I enjoyed this, I did, but it did not do what it was supposed to. I gave the first book five stars because I loved it. Well-written, cool magic system, and awesome political intrigue. However, and this feels so strange to say because I don't think there's really anyone to blame for this, but when I compare it to this sequel, I want to drop it to three stars.

More seeds needed to be planted in the first book to make the second just as strong. The Serpent as the villain did not hit as hard as it could have because it felt like it was barely mentioned in the first book, so I wasn't sure what was going on. The relics and the gods too, wish more had been sprinkled in the first book so that the story was a bit more contiguous. As it is, it felt a bit like two separate stories.

That said, the political and court intrigue I loved from the start is still present here, and we get to see it from two different sides. If you loved Kang, he gets his own POV in this book! And while accompanying him we get to see what's going on in the palace with his general father and the chancellor. Meanwhile, Ning takes us away with the princess in the hunt for allies to reclaim her throne.

I'll still happily read whatever Judy I. Lin puts out next. This was a solid debut duology with such an intricate magic system and I'm excited to see what else she has.

The sequel! I usually never like the sequel as much as the first in a series, so I am really bad at follow through with reading them. However, the covers for both of these novels are just so visually stunning and beautiful that I couldn't resist picking this one up. Plus, the cliffhanger... I needed to know what happened next.

While this novel reads like a mix of mythology and a history book, it was still engaging and kept my interest. Ning is an unlikely heroine. She knows all about tea from her mom and healing/medicine from her dad. Her time at the palace was laced with mistrust, betrayals and in the end, an overthrowing of the princess. Ning goes with Princess Zhen and her love Ruyi into exile. Along the way, they pick up her sister Shu. Evil grows and the serpent's shadow haunts Ning's waking and dreaming hours. Can Ning destroy the serpent once and for all.

What I loved most: the twisted serpent at the end, the love and devotion between Ning and Shu, the whole ending

What I Wish I had More of: politics, magic, magical tea, follow up to the ending

What I didn't love so much: at times, this novel does feel like a history lesson and it drags a little, but if your jam is historical fiction -> this is the novel for you!