Many thanks to Netgalley, Titan Books and the author, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been on my TBR ever since I read it blurb on goodreads. Tea magic is one of my favorite kinds of magic and it never lets me down.

A Magic Steeped In Poison follows the story of Ning, a shennong-shi, who is master at tea magic. Ning is travelling to the capital of Daxi to participate in the competition to be the next master shennong-shi. But Ning has a goal of her own, she needs to win the competition to be able to get help to save her sister who got poisoned from the poisonned tea bricks that were distributed through out Daxi. Ning's mother had sadly passed form this same poison tea, which by the hand of fate Ning had brewed. Ning now has to do everything she can to save her sister. But what she doesn't know is that the path she is taking is leading her into a plot much more vast and dangerous than what she is expecting.

The first half of the book is really slow paced. But there is a good reason for it. The vivid descriptions of Daxi and the world building is worth the pace. The story is intricately carved into the tapestry of culture, lore and mythology. I was so drawn into the story that I went hunting for book 2. I am glad I read this after book 2 came out otherwise the wait would have been very hard. Overall amazing story, magic system, world building with slow burn romance and intrinsic political plot.

TW: Blood, Death, Murder attempts, Grief, Torture

I’ve waited ages to read this book and I was not disappointed. Everything was so whimsical and magical, the characters, the scene created in your mind and I need more from this author

This was one of my highly anticipated reads this year and omg, can we just admire how gorgeous this cover is? All the details are just *chefs kiss* The plot reminds me a little of Elizabeth Lim’s Duology of Stars except the magical element here is tea brewing.
 
We follow Ning, a shennong-shi, who is a master in the art of tea-making. She learnt the art from her mother before she died from a poisoned tea that Ning brewed. She soon learnt that her sister, Shu is also sick from drinking the same poisoned tea. Determined to not let history repeat itself, she enters a competition in the palace tin a bid to win the title of the best shennong-shi in the kingdom and win a favour from the Emperor. This is her only chance to save Shu but she realised that it is more challenging than she thought as she deals with power play and ruthless competitors.
 
The pacing was a little slow at first but I was pulled into the beautiful world that Lin created! The writing was soft and soothing even in bitter times, just like a cup of tea! I love the unravelling of politics at play here which really added more thrill to the plot. All the mind games had me guessing who is really the good guy here.

Ning is definitely a MC we would all be rooting for. She is resilient and strong, her loyalty for her family is admirable and I love how she never gives up even when hope is bleak which is really my fav kind of character.
 
What I really love about the story is the elements of tea and magic infused into the plot. Lin cleverly infused the art of tea brewing with magic which creates a great balance of fantasy and tradition. I love how diversity of different regions is shown here through their unique teas and magic.
 
THAT TWIST AT THE END! I need to read the sequel ASAP! I definitely love this enough to buy a hard copy! Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for the arc.

I really liked this book, it's descriptions were vivid and created a world I felt I could recreate if I closed my eyes. I loved the look into teas and what differences there can be depending on so many things. I really can't read the next book and find out what happens to all my favourite characters

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for giving me a chance to read A magic steeped in poison by Judy I Lin.

First and foremost, I have to say this was my first time reading an asian mythology-inspired story and I was far from disappointed.
A magic steeped in poison starts of beautifully, setting the story in an artfully written Daxi ,showing aspects of rural countryside and capital city life and of course court politics, all tied together beautifully with a unique magic system surrounding tea ceremonies.
I loved how the magic surrounding the tea was different with every other character, showcasing in a mystical way both their character aspects, flaws and growth. The use of magic through the tea brewing and serving process is referenced countless times in the book,as is the undertone of the moral use of magic through the tea e.g. the poisoned tea bricks are thought by most characters to be a foul and horrid act and whoever was behind it must be a trully despicable character.
Plotwise, it was easy to follow the journey of Ning in the competion to gain the position of favour that would allow her to search for a way to save her sister, even through the plot twists and the heavy court politics and schemes throwing the reader in the hook of "I have to read what happens next".
The one thing I must say I found predictable was how the main love interest was introduced.In all honesty, the way Kang was turned from the handsome boy at the market to be the exiled prince's son, was the only flaw I can mention in this book, because it's an overused trope.
What I didn't expect however was the book to end with such a cliffhanger! This is honestly the first time I wanted to read a sequel so bad ,and thankfully A venom dark and sweet is out already so I can go and read what happens next !

What drew me I was the truly beautiful cover, but I absolutely adored this book, it was full of absolutely everything I love in a book! I am extremely excited and looking forward to devouring the next book !!

“If you can feel someone else’s suffering, how can you look away?”

This was SUCH a different and enjoyable read! The entire magic system was so well thought out, the premise being based around the art of making tea and gaining magic properties from it?!? How cool! The second I found out about this I was SOLD. ☕️

The book itself is about Ning, a commoner from a small village, who in order to save her sister who is dying, puts herself forward to take part in a competition for the art of magic and tea brewing - honestly sounds a weird concept when I type it out…but it WORKED!

What follows is the competition itself along with assassination attempts, political turmoil and a lovely little budding romance along the way.

Overall very much enjoyed and I can wait to read the next one!!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely loved this novel, a brilliant magic system very original! I love our main protagonist as well, she knew what she wanted and went for it. And I can't wait for the second novel!!

My only gripe is the pacing but it was still a great read!

3.75

I liked this book, it was an interesting plot and an even more interesting worldbuilding, finely crafted with the political issues of the empire, and I also found the several references to myths and legends very cute and enjoyable. However, I have to admit that at first I wasn't completely satisfied with the initial pace of the novel and with some parts and decisions that seemed a bit too much cliché.
But despite this, I was anyway caught up in the story and I can't wait to read the second book too!

I really enjoyed this! I’m definitely going it be reading the second book when it comes out next year. I’d recommend this to anyone who loves a rich YA fantasy story.

A Magic Steeped in Poison is an enchanting fantasy for fans of Axie Oh and Sue Lynn Tan. The story follows Ning on her quest to become her Kingdom's next shennong-shi, master of the art of tea brewing, which may be her only chance to save her sister's life.

The art of tea brewing really is the foundation for this luscious story. It is fundamental to every facet of the plot, weaving the characters and their magic together. It really is a distinctive and unique system of magic I haven't come across in the several hundred YA novels I have read. I loved the plot twists and the cliffhanger left me begging for the second book. Ning is a fierce and caring protagonist and I loved her blossoming friendship with Lian. The characters were well established and the romance between Ning and Kang was sweet. It was insta-love which isn't my favourite, but I did like them together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the sequel. If you like stories based on Chinese folktales with exquisite writing and world building then this is for you.

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Starting off, the cover is gorgeous and really sets the tone of the book. The tea magic was fascinating and enchanting. Everything was so beautifully described, I really enjoyed the writing style. Also, the food sounded delicious 🤤.

But in all honesty, I'm not really emotionally invested in the characters. They could have been a bit more fleshed out, especially Lian, who hopefully does reappear in the sequel. For now, it feels like she was there just for the purpose of being Ning's ally, to help her succeed in the competition, rather than a genuine spontaneous friendship. On the other hand, I didn't get the feel of Ning's sister being just a plot device.

I've come to realize that court politics is a theme I really love in books. The ending took a turn I did not expect. Overall a solid debut, I will continue with the sequel

I fell in love with the colourful cover and then i fell in love with the plot, a compelling and gripping plot that kept me hooked till the last page.
The author is a talented storyteller and is able to make you visualise what you are reading and enjoying it.
Love it and can't wait to read the next book in this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Look at that glorious cover~ This was just what I wanted – a rich history, tea-based magic, a main character who actually seems to be making the right decisions for once, lovely. There was a bit of left-field developments in the second half of the book – in regards to villainy and such – that I felt caught off guard for, no real true hints to be able to pick up, as far as I could tell, though I will be checking out some reviews to see if I was the only one! Very intrigued to continue this story, it’s quite open-ended in what exactly will happen in the sequel. The actual hardcopy of this book only came out recently in the UK, and I will be so tempted to add this stunner to my shelves~

A magic steeped in poison is about our main character Ning's quest to find the antidote for the poison that has killed her mother and is killing her sister before its to late to save Shu (sister).

I enjoyed the competition through this book with the different interesting trials and political edge which I feel will be alot more prevalent in book 2. The magic system was different to anything I have read before, using different ingredients steeped in tea to give a purpose to the magic.

Overall I liked this book and will be interested in reading the 2nd but it didn't blow me away just a nice cosy read 3.5⭐️

“And this is what this brew is about. The taste of being human. Of making mistakes. Of being young again. The reminder that sometimes we are the labourer and sometimes we are the one at rest.”

I guess A Magic Steeped in Poison is one of those books that immediately grabs your attention, and although you still expected it to, you’re still thinking, “wow, what a lovely surprise!” I did expect to love this book, but I didn’t know how comforting it would be.

I’ve never been good at imagining scenes from a book, I struggle visualising what I’m reading, but this book said, ‘it’s okay, I’ll simply make you taste and smell instead.’ I could simply smell each tea being prepared, or taste the food described, and that made this read so delightful and comforting!

Of course, it does not mean this book was not action-packed and simply cosy. It heavily deals with court intrigue, classicism and elitism. Seeing Ning becoming her own person, fighting for what she believes in and experiencing all these new things was brilliant. I truly felt like I knew her and was rooting for her the entire time!

Excellent read!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

I am sooooo incredibly sad I ran out of time with this one. It sounded really good and the sequel has come out already so i was really interested in reading it. But alas, life got in the way. I can say the cover is gorgeous though.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I absolutely loved the way this book details the shennong-shi's magic which I thought was very refreshing and clever. Not only did it skilfully blend two major aspects of Chinese culture (Traditional Chinese Medicine and Tea drinking), it was also very intricate and evocative. If I ever get started on Dungeons and Dragons, I might even try and ask to play as a Tea Master now.

What I did not like about this book was it's main character. Perhaps it's because I thought Lin tried too hard to convey that stereotypically Asian sense of humility and reservedness such that it came across as rather corny. In that sense, even through a major criticism I have for this book is the way it framed all Asian fantasies as a monolith (a concern that I explore in further detail on my journal which I will link to below), there is some justification to that in that Ning is actually very similar to Xingyin from Sue Lynn Tan's Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Either way, I feel like such personalities do not translate well onto words for the literary form lets us get too much into their head. That said, the book was a fun read and I'm very much looking forward to it's sequel.

https://nicandhisantihegemonicthoughts.medium.com/are-all-asian-fantasies-similar-dcc3efd00bf9

Absolutely loved this! Immediately went out and bought a hard copy to reread - brilliant! I loved the magic based around brewing tea and the relationships between the characters, especially as it seemed that everyone was hiding secrets of some description. The romance was very sweet and I liked how friendships were developed throughout, as well as the importance of family ties and duties.