Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of "A Tempest of Tea": by Hafsah Faizal in exchange for an honest review.

Criminal "mastermind" Arthie Casimir does whatever it takes to survive in the gritty world she grew up in. She has flamboyantly colored hair, a magic gun of questionable (but Arthurian-ish?) origins, and a ride-or-die friend/business partner named Jin. She and Jin run Spindrift, a tea house by day and illicit blood parlor by night. She also collects secrets from the mighty and low alike, using these secrets to pressure and manipulate people all over the city. Unfortunately, she's made a lot of enemies along the way, including the city guard.

Pressure from the city guard has increased enough to threaten her tea house and Arthie finds herself desperate to save Spindrift. A mysterious Guard approaches her to help with a seemingly-impossible heist, the score of which will give her a great deal of negotiating power. So she and Jin recruit a team and get to work.

Well. This book. It's A LOT. So much world-building. The story takes real historical details -particularly the atrocities of British colonialism and the East India Company- and twists them into a fantasy world populated with vampires. There's magic but there's also some light industrialism, like the lightest dab of steampunk.

The story is a little inconsistent at times, both in terms of plot and pacing. The first 25% drags a little because there is so much to learn. It picks up once the heist planning and execution are underway, and the last 25% flies by in a blur. There a number of details that don't really make sense: small "What, what- WHY?" moments that seem either incomplete or sloppy.

But there is plenty in this book for people to enjoy too. The dual romance plots worked well. The heist was fun. It's adventurous and sexy and the plot will pull readers right in.

"Every good love story starts with a bullet to the heart."

First, I want to say that choosing a quote for my review was HARD. This entire book is quotable. Hafsah's writing is magical but a bit like the character of Arthie herself--edged like a blade.

This book was so, so good. The pacing is tight and quick, the characters are so well fleshed out and have great arcs, the setting is vivid, the world is interesting...I could go on and on and on.

The best part about this book is definitely the characters. Arthie is a lot like Kaz Brekker, except shorter. Jin and Flick are also amazing characters and each of these three POV characters really came alive on the page. The side characters were also a delight--Matteo and Laith (and his kitten!) especially.

The plot is also incredibly good. The book is on the shorter side, and it felt like not a single word was wasted. Things build up slowly, then happen very quickly. I was definitely on the edge of my seat the entire book, right up until the VERY last page. There was one plot twist I guessed--which really felt satisfying, let me tell you--and then a couple more plot twists that REALLY threw me for a loop.

I loved this author's previous duology, but this book is on another level entirely. I HIGHLY recommend this book, especially if you love Six of Crows or vampires!

This is my first book that I have read by Hafsah Faizal but it will not be my last. Heist, vampires, found family. This book has it all but it was not overwhelming, beautifully put together. It was funny, exciting, and fun. The world building was developed and easy to follow, the characters are amazing and Faizal wrote them in ways that makes you invested in the story. Cannot wait for the second book.


Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an ARC.

4.5 stars rounded up

Ever since I read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, I've been searching for a book that blew my mind in the same way it did. An unbelievable heist, secrets, twists, found family...everything combining to create one of my favorite books of all time.

Enter Tempest of Tea. This is the first heist novel I've read that I think can compare to Six of Crows. It was SO GOOD. And this is coming from me, who hates vampires. Yes, this book has vampires. Yes, I almost stopped reading because of it. Vampires just aren't my thing. But I'm glad I stuck this one out because regardless of the vampires (haha), it was mind blowingly incredible. The characters were amazing, the world was so interesting, and the heist. THE HEIST! I wish there was an endless supply of heist novels in the league of this one and Six of Crows. I would simply never stop reading them.

All this to say, if you hate vampires as much as I do, give this one a go anyway. I found it to be more than worth it.

In A Tempest of Tea Arthie just wants to save her tearoom. And what starts out as a quest to save our home, turns into a story about revenge, decade long secrets, and pulling a rug out of the secrets of this society. With a group crew dynamic, and multiple POV, A Tempest of Tea is a fantasy world steeped in colonization, in vampire lore, and heists. Set in the same world as We Hunt the Flame, this is a world of dangerous secrets, information as currency, and sharp edges.

Books that you can read with tea and are also all about taking down oppressive power systems are somehow rare, but this definitely fits the bill. The love triangle managed to not be too tiresome and there were definitely twists I didn't see coming.

Utterly amazing!

This was marketed as a gothic Peaky Blinders and I see it truly - the FMC [just love saying her last name Casimir, so badass] heads a tea room by day called Spindrift and bloodhouse by night. Aided by a loyal friend, Jin [imagining Kim Seokjin as a fancast at this point], a mysterious Horned Guard named Laithe and a sly forger named Flick [well, Lady Felicity as a noble name]. Banded together to steal a ledger that can bring the monarchy down.

This rag tag of heroes really caught my heart. Each have their own reason for agreeing. Each have their own past to overcome. Reminds me of the Six of Crows gang too honestly.

I haven't read the duology of Sands of Arawiya yet but I read somewhere that it is set on the same world so this just makes me excited to read more of the author.

Part Six of Crows, part Oliver Twist, part gaslamp fantasy, part vampire fiction, a tiny touch of Camelot, and a hefty dollop of “British colonialism sucked for everyone not British” (except with fictional country names), this novel was absolutely amazing. As complex, deep, and beautiful as any lovely tea blend described in the book, I was swept away from the first page and loathed coming for air at all until I was finished.

Arthie plays the role of the Artful Dodger of a teahouse named Spindrift: they serve lovely tea blends by day and let beds by night. What Arthie and Spindrift collect best is secrets. Secrets let Arthie and her best friend, Jin, buy a whole lot that actual money can’t. Secrets aren’t going to keep Spindrift safe when the crown comes for the building, though, and a member of the guard with a secret agenda comes to Arthie with an offer she can’t refuse because with one heist she can save Spindrift and blackmail the crown.

I loved everything about this book, and I do mean everything. Hafsal Faizal is a wonderful storyteller who weaves real history with alternative history, spinning fantasy with the paranormal, and does it all with a breathtaking writing style most authors could only hope to imitate. Her prose is elegant without being precocious and philosophical without being pedantic. The world building is thorough and the imagery is glittering.

The characters are delightful, diverse, and multi-faceted. There’s cunning and pensive Arthie, elegant and gregarious Jin, naive and lonely Flick, rakish and manipulative Matteo, even the enigmatic and beguiling Laithe. A crew of misfits, led by Arthie, to a thunderclap end. It’s a cliffhanger, of sorts, and I can’t wait to read the next one.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Book Series/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/Vampire Fiction/YA Fantasy

“It’s teatime, scoundrels.”

I’m gonna be honest, this book didn’t capture my heart immediately. I blame it on being in a slumpy mood and low energy levels, but it took me 40% of the book to fall in love with it. Once I got past that point I couldn’t stop reading! As the action ramped up, the chapters got shorter, and the writing was propulsive. There were twists, shocking reveals, and emotional moments.

I loved most of the characters, but Jin was definitely my fave. He is my spirit animal with his love for pastries.

If you plan on buying or borrowing this I highly recommend reading it with your eyes. The writing can be very detailed at times (I know I’d have missed details during an audiobook listen). Plus, our characters are multilingual so I used the translate option in my Kindle for some Arabic words and Latin phrases.

At its heart, it is a story about the evils of colonialism and the desire for vengeance against those powers. So if that sounds like something you can get behind, or you think a YA vampire fantasy with a heist sounds intriguing, read it asap!

I liked this! Our main character Arthie is Kaz Brekker meets Thomas Shelby which I liked. This story’s got heists, vampires, found family, and a little Arthurian legend woven together. I appreciated the characters’ friendships and suspicionships (yeah yeah, I’m making up words now), as well as the major look at colonization and the damage that follows. I loved Jin (a charming, swaggering, non-stereotypical Asian man? Thank you 🙏🏼) and really liked all the side characters as well.

I can see people not liking the vibey-vibes/over descriptive writing (like Schwab books- I love Schwab though). I love vibes and found family so it worked for me.
I’ll be reading the next one when it comes along.

“We all have our secrets or the world would be out of currency”

Arthie Casimir, owner of legendary tea-shoppe, the Spindrift, which caters both to human folk and vampires, is forced to infiltrate an elite Vampire society and retrieve an incriminating ledger when her establishment is threatened by the Ram, the kingdom’s masked tyrant. Sprinkled throughout this story are mythical objects, supernatural creatures, and of course tea! The author also provides commentary on the impact of colonization and exploitation which are relevant subjects in our current global climate.

I saw a lot of comparisons with this book and Six of Crows, and was disappointed with the outcome on that front. The characters are vastly different from the Crows, and perhaps it was their motivations or personalities, but I didn’t find them as likeable. There were also some moments in the book where I thought the story required more development and that the dialogue didn’t work for me. A relatively quick read, I think there are some readers who will find a Tempest of Tea to be an untrustworthy delight, baked with strong character bonds and betrayals. Regrettably, that just wasn’t me. (3/5 stars)

I want to extend my gratitude to Chantal at Macmillan’s Publishing who very kindly responded to my last minute email and provided me with an early e-arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for giving me this arc.

What can I say other than HAFSAH FAIZAL does not fail. Spectacular writing. Captivating storytelling. I am beyond excited to get the hard copy.

Found family ✅
Vampires ✅
Amazing plot✅

I, highly enjoyed this romance fantasy story. I will say it more fantasy/magical realism than romance heavy. The pace was good and the world building was easy to follow. I, look forward to the next book, there are still unanswered questions that I need to know.

I think I need to stop trying out books that are marketed for fans of my favorite books, I have been striking out! Now, I have no problem reading the same plot over and over in different books as long as the characters are interesting and it is written well. A Tempest of Tea does not fall in this category for me unfortunately...

The book follows Arthie and Jin, proprietors of a tea business by day, vampire sanctuary by night. Arthie is immediately portrayed as the Kaz Brekker of this story but she doesn't have that effortless badassness that drips from Kaz.

Faizal does a lot of spelling out everyone's feelings in detail which takes away the ambiguity for the reader to discover for themself what's going on. Beating certain details of characters' personalities over the reader's head over and over does not necessarily endear a character to the reader, rather it makes them roll their eyes at the obvious tactic.

The other duology Faizal wrote is still popular at our library so we'll definitely be ordering it, it just wasn't for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Tempest of Tea is a fantasy book set in a Victorian England style setting. It has vampires, magic, found family, a little romance, intrigue, tea, and of course, a heist. Our female main character is Arthie, an orphan who is a sort of a female Kaz Brekker. She is somewhat emotionally unavailable, fierce, cunning and loyal. Jin is her best friend, who is like a brother to her, and also maybe an orphan. Their relationship is amazing. Together they run a tearoom by day, and a bloodhouse by night. When her tea house is threatened, Arthie will do anything to protect it even if it means infiltrating the powerful vampire society know as the Athereum.

This book was such a fun read. There was always something happening. I loved the world building and the characters were so well written. In the end, I was left with questions, and I cannot wait for the second book. I would highly recommend this to any of my students.

A Tempest of Tea is the long awaited new novel by the brilliant Hafsah Faizal. In it, there are vampires and troublemakers, blood and tea, but amongst them all sits the monster herself, Arthie Casimir.

I devoured this book and enjoyed each bite. I mean page! Written in beautiful prose with glittering characters, Tempest lived up to my expectations and surpassed what I hoped for.

Arthie is a classic morally grey character that I loved for her vengeance and rage. Jin is a good time, but complex enough to have a personality that’s interesting and not just there for comedic relief. Flick is small, but oh so mighty in her journey to discover herself.

I enjoyed getting their three pov’s.

Laith and Matteo? Iconic characters that readers will fall for immediately.

The first half of the book slightly drag, but the second half slayed.

Loved everything about this book.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4!

All in all, I enjoyed this book, but the first 60% of this book suffered from some major issues.

The first half of this book has a ton of similarities to Six of Crows- I was able to match each of the Tempest characters to their SoC counterparts. The author even wrote a line like “Five is the perfect number for a crew,” which felt like her trying to differentiate from SoC.

Additionally, the first 60% of this book suffered from pacing issues. It took me almost a week to read that portion, but I read the last 40% in a day.

I really enjoyed the last 40%, and this could’ve been a 5 star read if the front end had been as good as the back half. However, I will still pick up the sequel!

Thank you for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I'm ashamed to admit this is actually my first Hafsah Faizal book (I know, I know, We Hunt the Flame is staring at me from my bookshelf right now) so I went in with zero expectations and this book blew me away.

A high-stakes heist, found family, multiple POVs, angsty goodness, sexy vampires, calling out the awful horrors of colonialism, morally gray baddies, my new favorite weapon, and a delicious desire for revenge... pick this book up. Seriously, just do it.

The characters. THE CHARACTERS. Sometimes I find it hard to connect with multiple POVs but this book had the opposite problem. Zero exaggeration, I'm in love with every character in this book, especially Jin. Jin is the best boy and I would die for him. And Arthie... the Kaz Brekker vibes were immaculate. This girl took no shit and made zero apologies for her rage, as she should. Felicity, Matteo, and Laith were also great, and dare I say, delightfully horny. This is such a horny book and I was on board with all of it. Horny and rage-filled, which is just the best combo.

And can I just say, there's nothing more satisfying than when a book promises a heist and actually delivers. Give me the twists and turns, the plan going smoothly until everything goes to hell, backstabbing and angst, characters who have to think on their feet. I'll gobble it up every time.

Obsessed. Obsessed with this book, this world, these characters, and this author.

Endless thanks to NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Omg where to begin… first I lived the We Hunt the Flame series so of course I needed to read this.

A tempest of Tea I has pretty much everything I was looking for: suspense, betrayal, heists and vampires!!

“ Why save the world when you can have tea? ”


It was a little slow at some parts but then the action started and it was all I could think about…

I’m actually mad I have to wait for the second book😂😂😂I definitely recommend this book and this author is an immediate buy for me now💗💗💗

I think that the book is fast paced and there is always something to focus on, for me there were too many main characters or they seemed to bleed together for me. Overall a very good book and looking forward to the sequel.