It's fine. Perfect for YA who want action and fighting and characters who you want to root for. No love triangles ((thank you!)) and you're always on the move with the story. Keeps you invested with twists and realizations. I found it fun.

For those who are waiting for the return of Jin and Arthie , I think you'll hopefully pleasantly surprised the directions of this upcoming publication.

The found family is my favorite trope, and I'm glad it was really used in this series.

Thank you, Netgalley.com, for the free ARC to this upcoming publication.

**3.5**

I have been honored with receiving the arc of the second novel of the Blood and Tea duology so naturally I have the honor of spilling the tea (ha) on this book- without spoilers of course.

This book follows the same characters and the same mission they wanted to complete in the first novel, A Tempest of Tea. I feel like I can’t say anything about the plot so I will keep things vague.

Ms. Faizal continues to show her expertise in plot twists throughout the novel; they are continuous and my short attention span thanks her. The plot was very engaging. She also knows how to write about romance without making it the center of the book. Seriously, all you shippers out there will cry from the content in this book. It is exquisite.

Comparing this book to the first, I found the pacing to be a little off. I was seriously mad about the pacing at the ending; there was so much to process and not enough time. The beginning was slow, the middle (40% - 60% mark) was great, and then the ending had so much happening at once that you don’t really get time to process and it feels rushed.

This book is slightly more character driven than plot. If you follow this series for the characters, you will love the development and the found family trope, which really sets in stone in this book. I am going to be honest though in mentioning that I don’t think the author really knew what she was doing with Arthie in the beginning of the book. It was just continuously mentioned how small she is… my eye was twitching for real like I know what the author was trying to do in the sense that Arthie has been through a lot but she could have executed it better by not making her sound as though she is a damsel in distress who needs to be saved by a man.

And finally, for my fellow adults, I want to mention that it is important to remember that this book is catered towards young adults. If I was a teenager I would have loved this more. I loved Six of Crows in high school and I am firm in my belief that they’re similar. This isn’t to say that adults can’t enjoy A Steeping of Blood but for adults who have tried also reading YA, you just know it will never be the same. Hafsah’s writing style makes up for it though!

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

It was so bittersweet to turn the last page on this book and say goodbye to characters and a world that I adore. Arthie, Matteo, Flick, Jin....Hafsah-thank you for a satisfying ending to this book series.

I love a book with a good heist, and A Steeping of Blood continues that offering. Fans of Six of Crows will find similarities, but that is one of the things I actually loved about this series. The heist is well written. The stakes are clearly defined. The drama and build-up are exquisite. And the characters are well developed.

It is so hard to write this review without giving spoilers-but know you will love characters, hate characters, stay up until 2 am to see what happens, cry, and absolutely adore every second of it.

My one and only critique of this series---there is actually very little to do about tea. It is more of a love letter to coconuts of all things haha. Such a trivial thing, but here we are anyway.

my heart has been ripped out and is lying on the floor. this book. wow.

a steeping of blood was a heart wrench yet satisfying sequel to one of my favorite fantasy novels. my review will be kept short for the sake of not including spoilers for either book but i’ll just say that the ending of this book, i could’ve never predicted. this cast of characters is the perfect found family and this world feels atmospheric that makes you nostalgic for a place you’ve never been. i will say, i enjoyed the plot of the first novel more and found myself getting a bit bored in the middle of this book, but it was worth powering through. my heart will never be the same but i don’t regret reading this duology one bit.

I loved how the book started right where the last one left off. Reading this book was like transporting to another dimension/time. I really enjoy how Hafsah Faizal is almost poetic in her story telling. I get lost reading the world she has built for us. I definitely recommend you read it if you like bad ass vampires

Nice conclusion to this story. It did feel a smidge too long, but I enjoyed it. Would love to read more from this author

Absolutely LOVED this conclusion! Wasn't feeling book one much due to.....well lets just say the heist i was promised didnt live up to what I imagined 😅
It was good, but left me wanting. Well, A Steeping of Blood fix EVERYTHING so satisfyingly that im not sure which set I want to keep now haha
The action and plotting was even bigger in this book, the relationships where complex before grew into a bond tighter than ever. I loved seeing some of the characters come into their own and loved how even when apart they pulled off something amazing together 😍
It really turned out to be an amazing found family story and just loved how it all tied together after how it all went down in book one. I applaud the author for making me fall in love with this world and its characters and renewed my interest in vampire stories 🤭😂

A Steeping of Blood delivers a thrilling, high-stakes conclusion to the Blood & Tea duology. Vampires, heists, and political tension collide as protagonist Arthie Casimir leads her ragtag crew in a desperate fight for justice amidst chaos .

A Steeping of Blood is a wonderful follow-up to A Tempest of Tea. Where the first book is a great heist with twists and turns, this one is a great prison break (two!) with tragedy and heartbreak and emotion. Another fun adventure and twisty mystery.

Obsessed. Hafsah Faizal nailed the gothic vibes. Blood, tea, vengeance, and a main character who’s equal parts dangerous and grieving? Yes please. The writing is gorgeous without being over the top, and the slow unraveling of the mystery kept me flipping pages late into the night. If you like morally gray girls and secretive magic, you will love this!
Definitely one of my favorite reads this year.

Well that was devastating. I think this one will be very divisive, mainly due to the ending. But before we got there, it was great to be back with the group and see them working through all the aftermath of the first book. I loved seeing Flick really gain confidence and other relationships grow. I loved it but just know, its gonna hurt.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars.

first of all, ow. that hurt my feelings.

second of all, thank you @macmillian for this arc. it was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025 🫶🏼

if you loved book 1, you’re gonna love this one. It’s rare when you have a book/series where every character has such immense meaning to you - and this is all the same. i have such strong feelings about every character.

the plot, the ouch, the internal monologue was all top tier ✨

vampires, missions, emotional torture… what else could you want in a romantic fantasy?

After enjoying the heck out of A Tempest of Tea last year, I was super excited to get an ARC of its follow-up A Steeping of Blood. While the original holds a special place in my heart the sequel is entertaining in its own right. I loved the main cast and each of their chapters felt distinctly different. My main gripe was that I felt the story was a teenie bit rushed. The latter half of the book felt like a blur and I kinda felt a little lost in it. Some of the twists were a little predictable although I was honestly shocked by one towards the very end. Also what the heck at that epilogue!! I need moreeee. Overall a great and easy read, 3.75 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC copy!!

That was NOT ok!!!!!!!!!!! I fear i will never emotionally recover from that ending????? What the actual heck i was not ok!!!

Seriously though in all honestly, read this book!! It was such a beautiful ending to one of my favorite books from 2024🥰 Hafsah’s writing style is just so beautiful and heart wrenching and i just love it. 😍 The only but problem i had with the book is that the ending felt so rushed! I felt like i didn’t get any closer with my comfort characters. All and all though I would genuinely recommend this duolgy a thousand times over!!

OMG MY HEART! This final installment was wonderfully done but that ending … I kept hoping until I turned the final page but alas Hafsah was determined to break my heart! I adore these characters and can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you for the early copy

thank you to Macmillan Childrens Publishing Group for the netgalley arc

Hey so that ending was not okay. Please excuse any errors in this review because my vision is blurry from sobbing. As we revisit Arthie's crew in the sequel to A Tempest of Tea, you will find the same loveable characters, learning and growing and changing while trying to overcome each of their challenges. Every part of this book was so special to me, I loved reading every second, even if it took me an embarrassing amount of time to get through if only because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to this duology that has been such a memorable experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hafsah Faizal, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This was such an incredible sequel. I enjoyed book one, but this book was on a different level. It's hard to say goodbye to these great characters. I would love to have read more books with Arthie, Jin, Flick, and Matteo. I will be re-reading this duology again. There were many unexpected twists and turns that I appreciated. That ending was unexpected. There is something that Hafsah Faizal writes in her novels that is addictive. I can't wait to read her next work. I enjoyed how everything came to be. If you're looking for another book with heists and found family, then this completed duology is for you.

The second book. in Hafsah Faizal's Blood series was a great continuation of A Temptest of Tea. The world building, characters, and power struggle kept me intrigued and I couldn't put the book down! I'm anxiously awaiting the next volume in the series.

i can always trust Hafsah to break my heart and put it back together with her books. i loved Arthie’s story so much and im devastated it’s come to an end and i have to part ways with them. i loved getting to see these characters grow into a family and into their arcs through another exciting plot that was reminiscent of all of my favorite stories - SOC, King Arthur, with a big f you to colonization and the evil that runs the injustices of our world. the ending was truly heartbreaking and this is probably the first time i wish a series was longer so i could spend more time in the world. ily Arthie will miss you!

I really enjoy reading Hafsah’s work! A Tempest of Tea was a favorite and I loved each character so much. A Steeping of Blood was a great follow up, I feel like each character showed development and growth. Especially with Flick, she had so much more confidence in herself and her actions/decisions. The ending was very heartbreaking yet very satisfying. I would definitely recommend this YA duology in the future!