4 ⭐️ I really enjoyed this duology my main complaint would be I wish it was longer. The lord and world building and magic are all so unique and cool and yet familiar, this was definitely a comfort read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed how the lord got massively expanded upon in this book and if you are a sucker for the gods among us trope than book 2 is where it’s at!! Did things wrap up a little cleanly and quickly? Sure. Do I mind? Not really I had a great time with this one and would highly recommend if you’re looking for a fun quick YA fantasy duology with super unique magic.

This is the finale of the Book of Tea duology and we get right back into the story. Stuff got a bit more dire than they were previously. Just a giant nightmare snake and a coup going on, no big deal. We follow Ning and Kang's povs as they put the pieces of their nation's history together, meddle with magics mortals have forgotten, and come to grips with their own pasts.

Reasons to read:
-That cover by @sijahongart, until I had it in my hands I didn't realize they were snakes and those colors
-It's just one more book, when had that ever hurt you?
-Just adding new recipes I need to learn to cook with the food descriptions
-The foreshadowing is even in geographic details 👏
-It gets kinda metal there for a bit
-Ominous bamboo
-Pronunciation guides! My limited Mandarin helps with the tone marks, but I love to be sure

Cons
-I have to get another book shelf somehow because I just ran out of room with this one off the tbr pile

An absolutely stunning conclusion to a beautiful duology! Higher stakes, increased action - but still that almost whimsical sort of cozy vibe.

I've already ordered copies at my store and can't wait to see them in the hands of readers who will love them!

Lovely, beautiful, wonderful conclusion to the duology. While 'A Magic Steeped in Poison' was a slow burn, ASMRy introduction to Ning and her world, the sequel is more action with higher stakes, so take that into consideration. The story moves beyond the palace as it picks up right where it left off, with Ning and her friends on the run. The magic is explored more in this one, and introduces more of the mythology. Adding in Kang's POV helped build the story as well, as Lin was able to add in a beautiful redemption story. This character driven story is a strong follow up and just amazing.

While I really adored the first book in this duology, something about this title didn't completely work out for me. I am not someone who is a fan of multiple perspectives, especially when it is completely different from how the first book is written. I see WHY the author did it for this novel, but it pulled me out of the story and I kept getting frustrated when it switched from Ning's POV.

The writing, like the first book, was simple yet lyrical, with gorgeous descriptions of landscapes and foods. The writing itself is immersive and really lends itself to the story.

The plot was slow going, and I found myself skimming many times just because I wanted something to happen. I also wanted to see Ning grow in her magical capabilities a bit more than she actually did as it seemed like things were easily won instead of true character growth.

My true rating is 3.5, rounded up. I would still absolutely put this series in the hands of readers who enjoyed books such as Six Crimson Cranes or Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

We are back with the conclusion and final thoughts of A Venom Dark and Sweet. AVDAS was an okay book and series. The world-building is something you wish you could hop on a plane and find, the food and tea-making descriptions are still immaculate as hell, and well, we get to see a female protagonist whoop ass, and that's what I'm here for.

The new multiple POV format didn't really do it for me, as I didn't care for Kang's version of events. And the story started to drag a little, but still an okay book.

I am interested in seeing what Lin comes up with in the future because I know it will be magical!

I was ecstatic about this book and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. This book picks up where book one leaves off, and I quite enjoyed it. I missed these characters and the politics.

I enjoyed the dual points of view; it was awesome to get other perspectives, and I felt like I learned more about Kang. I still have my issues with him, but he is a well-written character. Ning continues to be my hero. She is still the strong, brave and kind; with everything she has been through in book one, for me, she fully stepped into the role of heroine.

The writing is still phenomenal. The magic and world-building still leave me in awe. While not every page was an action-packed page-turner, the pacing worked for me. However, as I was reading, I had difficulty remembering what happened in the first book. While it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book, sometimes, I had to take a second to remember how we got to specific points.

This duology is great for anyone interested in reading fantasy but doesn’t know where to start. The writing is exceptional, and the character development, along with the world-building is a clinic on how it should be done.

Amazing followup to the first novel. This installment keeps the same magic and excitement as the first.

picking up where a magic steeped in poison left off, a venom dark and sweet finds ning and the princess fleeing until they can find a way for zhen to reclaim the throne from her uncle. kang is left to watch his father—who is not quite the man he remembers—assume power as an ancient evil threatens the kingdom.

as much as i wanted to love a venom dark and sweet, it didn’t quite live up to the first novel. while it was a solid conclusion to the duology, i missed the more intimate setting of the first book and i think this one tried to do too much, too quickly and the character development and relationships suffered as a result. i did enjoy the continued exploration of the magic system and how that played into the conclusion.

Thank you for a copy of this book!! It is a stunning sequel and I love the way the world opened up bigger and hearing from multiple perspectives and new voices. The pacing was really well done and it didn't feel like a lot of stalling for time.

In the conclusion to The Book of Tea duology, A Venom Dark and Sweet picks up where A Magic Steeped in Poison left off. Ning and Kang are separated. Ning has been reunited with her sister Shu and they are aiding the exiled princess Zhen to help her reclaim her throne. Meanwhile, Kang is dealing with his own problems, namely his awful dad.

There was a certain bit of magic that I felt this book was lacking, and I don't mean that literally. First of all, Lin made an interesting choice in telling this book from dual POVs. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but here we have Ning telling the story from 1st person and Kang from 3rd. To be honest, it felt awkward and was a bit jarring with every switch. The 3rd person also creates some distance between the reader and Kang. If that was Lin's intent, I mean, good job, but I didn't enjoy it. The world building was great, but I'm less interested in that than characters. I felt including Kang's POV did little for his character. This book was slow at times, and I wasn't as invested in the story as with the first. The ending was wrapped up in a nice little bow, so no worries there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Title: A Venom Dark and Sweet
Author: Judy I. Lin
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept the people bound in fear and distrust.

Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shi—a wielder of magic using the ancient and delicate art of tea-making—has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess' loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning's newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen's rightful throne.

But the golden serpent still haunts Ning's nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. An evil far more ancient than the petty conflicts of men has awoken, and all the magic in the land may not be enough to stop it from consuming the world...

I loved the first book in this duology, A Magic Steeped in Poison, but I don’t think this book quite lived up to that first one. I still loved the characters and the world, but the last half of the book felt a bit rushed and almost superficial, like the author was describing what happened—but not actually letting the reader experience it.

Judy I. Lin lives in Canada. A Venom Dark and Sweet is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.)

This is the exciting conclusion to the Book of Tea duology by Judy Lin - what beautiful covers am I right? The last book left off with Ning, Ruyi, and Princess Zhen on the run, along with Ning's sister Shu. This book is a little different in that we get two POV's - Ning and Kang! As with the first book, we get a beautiful mixture of Chinese mythology with amazing world-building and solid character development.

Ning is yet again a fierce, kick-ass female lead. She will stop at nothing to ensure her sister's safety as well as the safety of her newfound friends. Her compassion, loyalty, and strength really shine through in this book. It was also such a treat to get Kang's side of the story in such detail this time around. We finally get to delve deep into his mind, and see his motivations and whether or not he is deserving of redemption.

The writing style here is yet again brilliant! I love this author's ability to weave such an intricate story into the pages. The end was good, but could have perhaps been just a tad longer. Not to say it didn't end well, just a bit quick is all! Regardless, I look forward to seeing what else Judy Lin comes out with!

A great continuation to the first book. I loved just as much. The covers are SUPERDUPERPRETTYYYYY. I Thank you so much for the copy.

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

LOVED THIS DUOLOGY SO FREAKING MUCH!

A high-stakes, utterly transportive, action packed conclusion to The Book Of Tea Duology!

“Soon there will no longer be an empire to rule, and we'll all reside in the serpent's realm of nightmares.
Soon none of it will matter at all.”

This was a beautifully laid out Chinese mythology-based tale of Gods, monsters, & the legends of shénnóng-shī. I cannot express enough how lush, beautiful, yet absolutely readable prose was! I fell even harder for this story than I could have ever imagined! Judy I. Lin’s take on the magical tea makers of Chinese legend is just SO original— an absolute breath of fresh air. I look forward to reading so much more from her!

I LOVED having Kang’s POV this time around! His tale of redemption was woven with care, and this tale is as much his, as Ning’s.

Ning was as kick ass as EVER ! I love seeing female POCs in SUCH. STRONG. ROLES! Ning is both lovely and kind, & cutthroat & vicious! She is a character I couldn’t help but fall deeper & deeper in love with !

“I want to kiss him, and hit him, in equal measure.”

Lmfao! Yas we loves this!
I ADORED (duh) the enemies to lovers dynamic present here, as I always do, haha. This is more of a background theme, but you can definitely still feel that tension!

Gah I just fell head over heels for this duology!

1000% recommend!!!


Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher—Fewel & Friends/ Macmillan, & Judy I. Lin for the e-arc!!!!

________________

these covers are just… my god… PLSSSSSSSS
🥹😍🤩

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this conclusion to the Book of Tea duology. The first book was one of my favorite YA fantasies to date, and this was a great ending to Ning's story! As with the first book, I absolutely love the well fleshed-out world building and the super unique tea-based magic system.
This sequel had the addition of Kang's POV, which was told in third person present tense, instead of just Ning's first person past tense POV. The switching of POVs and tenses was a bit strange for me and took me out of the story a little. I also felt that this book had a LOT more politics than the first, which is great (I love political intrigue), but that made it a bit slower-paced for me, especially at the beginning.
All in all, a great magical read and a great duology overall!

I'm sorry but it was boring. I don't know how to explain but the vibes felt too serious, it reminds me of She Who Became the Sun and it was so hard to concentrate on the narrative. the characters were dry and didn't stand out. the romance didn't have chemistry. literally dragged myself to finish this but at what cost. what a loss since the first book was quite fine for me

I was so lucky to receive an eARC of this after just having finished A Magic Steeped in Poison. I love this duology. While this second installment may not be as high-stakes as the first (which may disappoint some readers), I personally think it was a solid conclusion to the story. I wish it was a bit longer, but I am also only just now starting to get back into reading more fantasy novels/series, so maybe in retrospect I’ll think it was the right length after all, who knows lol. That said, I loved how Lin created such a beautifully layered fantasy world, filled with so much cultural influence behind it. The writing here is phenomenal, so I highly recommend picking this one up if you haven’t already!

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review"""

A Venom Dark and Sweet is a great adventure with a unique magic system and complex characters. I found the connection between Ning and Kang compelling if a little lacking in that extra spark. Overall, I did enjoy the book and the ending was interesting. However, I just don’t think this series was quite my thing. The writing was good but not engaging. The characters were well though out but just didn’t make me fall in love with them.

Honestly, I had to wait for the audiobook from my library to finish this because the ebook just wasn’t drawing me back in. The audio narrators did an amazing job and really brought the story to life in a way I didn’t get on the page.

I share all of this as an honest review. I do genuinely recommend this book! I think this was just a case of it not being the book/series for me.