I loved the fist book in this duology and liked this one as I found it very slow at the beginning.
It was great to be back in this world and I love the world building and the style of writing.
The cover is a good introduction to this very original world.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

3.75 ⭐️ It was great diving back into this world with its intrigue and magic. I did find it really slow going for the first half of the book but once there was a reunion I was desperate to finish it. For me, Kang felt a little weak and I would have preferred him to have a bit more gumption. He sort of became tamed after the first book so I was left wanting more. Loved the world building and magic system and the conclusion was great!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I procrastinated with writing this review due to my exams, so unfortunately it’s going to be a bit of a mess, since it’s been a while since I read this and a lot has happened in my life since then.
But, I really enjoyed this book. It was a stunning conclusion to the series and I loved the worldbuilding, inclusion of another POV and the descriptions of stuff like food. Overall a very satisfying read.

A fabulous follow up to one of my favourite debuts of last year. Dazzling, powerful and enchanting in all the best ways.

I really enjoyed the previous book, A Magic Steeped In Poison so knew I had to read this. This picks up soon after the events of the last book. I enjoyed this follow-up almost as much. It’s a bit darker than the first book. The world building is just as exemplary, and the book is rich with vivid details and descriptions and fantastic places and characters. I also liked the fact the chapters are from different character POV’s. This was a pleasure to get lost in.

A Venom Dark and Sweet is by no means a terrible book, but it does feel like a bit of a misfire. The signature tea magic, mixing spirituality with precise culinary aspects, doesn't really feel like the focus here, and it even moves away from the light political intrigue that shaped book 1. Instead, this is a really typical tale of gods and magic items, with protagonists, villains, and supporting characters that hit exactly the notes expected, but little more. I just didn't feel connected to anything here, and my biggest sense is that I will forget most of this too quickly. I did find some aspects of the climax genuinely impactful, but unfortunately those bits were balanced with narrative choices that just felt a little safe and unremarkable. For a YA duology, you could go much worse, but it's hard to imagine recommending this over alternatives.

Since I received this novel, I had completely forgotten that I had it on the Kindle. After a quick review of the first volume, this second one was just as good.
You can see a care in the research of Chinese mythology and then, not to be underestimated, it is well written.
It is not the duology that makes me say wow, but it is still an enjoyable series that I recommend.

I try to avoid reading, or reviewing, sequel books without reading the original. Considering how much sci-fi and fantasy is now published as series or trilogies, and how little catch-up matter is put in the books, its only fair. There is a big philosophical issue (which the big two comics companies seem to battle over) whether recap pages are useful or a waste of space. And it is true that a one or two-page summary of a previous four-hundred-page book does seem to suggest that you can boil something down into a summary (that said getting a reminder of where we started is often useful even when I have read the previous one). Anyway, there is my mea culpa, and my biggest criticism of A Venom Dark And Sweet was that it threw us into the action assuming some previous relationships which it didn't seem to earn - which of course was done in the first volume. So, beyond this issue, I got up to speed with the action and machinations here bodes rather well for the book.

This is an addition to the growing shelves of Chinese Fantasy, popping a more Western narrative structure on variations of Chinese myths and magical concepts. This has magic via tea-making and ceremonies - one that I would like to see extended to Yorkshire - and a dual narrative of an exiled Princess and her sorcerer, and the son of the usurper realising that there is a more sinister power behind the throne. There is a solid quest narrative, and the descriptions of how the flavours of the tea affect the magic are good. There is the court intrigue I expect from something based loosely on the Chinese court, though it always requires a leader to be dumb and the grand vizier type to be hiding very much in plain sight (and the unmasking is always about as subtle as Scooby Doo). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the read even without the previous one, and would probably revisit it as a duology in a few years' time, starting with the first book first.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for giving me a chance to review in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderfully wrapped duology!

This book was a beautifully written Chinese mythology-based tale. I truly still can't wrap my head around how beautiful the writing in this book was. (One of my favourite parts of the book was the incredible writing) I feel the writing is the strong point of the story.

A venom dark and sweet was a quick and easy read, which surprised me. I could not put the book down. Of course, I rated it four stars as the story as a whole didn't feel as strong as book one; I feel some elements were missing; still, that didn't mean it was any less enjoyable.

I really enjoyed A Magic Steeped in Poison, the first part of this duology, and the book featured on my list of best books for 2022. As such, I was really looking forward to seeing what Judy I. Lin would do with the second part of the story; especially as the first book seemed to indicate that what was coming next would be quite different.

The first book saw Ning, a young woman from a remote rural village, travelling to the capital city to take part in a competition to find the next shénnóng-shi, a magic user that uses tea making to craft their powers, that will advise the royal family. Ning, who had faked her credentials to get in, simply wanted to win in order to help find help for her younger sister, who had been poisoned in a series of attacks that are threatening people across the kingdom. Knowing that if she wins she can get whatever help she needs, she enters a dangerous world of lies, intrigue, and double crosses.

And whilst she does well during the competition, even coming to form something of a friendship and mutual respect with the princess, things go horribly wrong when an exiled general performs a coup, and ousts the princess from her throne. Worse still, Ning is framed for multiple crimes. Forced to go on the run, Ning, the princess, and the princess' lover and bodyguard flee the capital. Travelling home, Ning uses the magic she's learned to cure her sister, and the four young women set out to find a solution to the issues facing the kingdom.

And this is where this second book begins. Where the first seemed to be something of a fantasy take on competitions like The Apprentice, with a group of young hopefuls competing for power and position, slowly whittling down the competition and impressing the judges, this book has none of that. The tone changes dramatically. Instead of court intrigue and mystery we have a quest to save the kingdom; one that involves searching for mysterious figures, gathering ancient relics, and preparing to fight an evil god. Despite sounding like this book should have nothing in common with the first, it feels like the perfect continuation. Things have changed, dramatically so, but it absolutely feels right for the story.

One of the things that's really wonderful about this second book is that is expands the world Lin has created. The first book was pretty much set in one city, and mostly in one area of that city (the royal palace). And whilst we got to meet people from all over the country, and learned a lot about the rest of Dàxi from conversations and small pieces of lore dropped throughout the book, we never really got to see it or experience it. This book changes that, as Ning and her companions travel to several new locations; some of which border of the fantastical.

Much of the first book felt like a story that could take place in the real world too, with the magic existing in what seemed to be a fairly fantasy light environment. The second book, in contrast, has magic possession, alternate planes, a living forest, ancient warriors, and evil gods trying to return to corporeal form. It goes hard on the fantastical parts, and because so long was spent on getting readers used to the more recognisable and realistic parts, as well as the characters, it became a lot easier to accept the wilder elements.

But even through all of these new developments, changes, and fantastical moments, it's still a story about Ning; and she's still very much at the heart of the book. Her mission has changed, but she's still finding herself caught up in something that she never wanted. She's pushed in ways that she never expected, and one of the best things about this book is her learning that she's much more powerful, more intelligent, and more important than she ever really gave herself credit for. She spends much of the first book doubting herself, unsure if she's doing the right thing, but here she's really come into her own, she's taking an active role, and proves why she's the best choice to be the royal shénnóng-shi.

This proves to be a pleasant, enjoyable conclusion to the story that goes in directions I honestly couldn't have predicted. Lin seemed to be creating a certain kind of story with the first book, and manages to completely subvert my expectations at every turn with this one. And whilst the book is very different, it proves to be a fantastic conclusion to the story.

I loved A Magic Steeped in Poison and was so excited to see how this duology was concluded. While I felt this book took a darker turn than it’s predecessor I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I felt it still held all the components I loved within the first book while also allowing us to delve deeper into both the story and other characters. I loved the insight into Kang’s POV and enjoyed how the relationship between he and Ning developed. I also liked that the romance was only a minor element to the story, and the majority of the focus on the plot. I did however feel like the ending was a little abrupt, and would have liked it to have been expanded a little further, th epilogue felt like it came out of nowhere despite being an appropriate conclusion to the duology.

Really disappointed with this one. I’m not a regular fantasy reader, but I read A Magic Steeped in Poison and really enjoyed it. I loved the tea element and the story was easy to follow. It irritated me that the book ended so abruptly and it felt like a money making scheme rather than what was best for the story. Now having read this, I am certain I was correct. This easily could have been one book!! There was so much unnecessary faff in this that it felt like nothing was happening until right at the end. Kind of wish I’d just read the first one and left it at that. This book held no value for me.

A Venom Dark and Sweet

After the eventful ending of A Magic Steeped in Poison, we find Princess Zhen escorted into exile by loyal Ruyi. There are accompanied by Ning, a young shennong shi— an adept at the mysterious art of tea-making. Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Daxi, the Banished Prince returns to rule over the court full of intrigues and secrets...

A Venom Dark and Sweet is a pleasure to read. Especially if you enjoy Asian myth retellings like I usually do. There is fast-paced action, political intrigues, love and friendship, and secrets and magic, but what I loved most in the first instalment of the series was missing from this book. Tea preparation scenes! While reading A Magic Steeped in Poison, I was fascinated by the original magic system, the complex descriptions of tea preparation as a ceremony, the ingredients used and how the process and the effects were completely different depending on who was performing it. It’s a shame that tea-making was pushed into the background in this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for providing the arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars!

Synopsis: The competition is over and an enemy is rising. Ning must help the Princess to stop the darkness returning.

CW/TW: Nightmares/Death/Blood/Sickness/Poisoning/Imprisonment/others may be present.

Rep: Chinese inspired cast/setting | Sapphic side characters.

Book 1: Mini Book Review: A Magic Steeped In Poison (The Book Of Tea #1), by Judy I Lin.

Another gorgeous, lush and intricate instalment and conclusion to this beautiful duology.

A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I Lin picks up where book 1 left off, the competition is over, the Princess is on the run, the Dark prince and exiled general have returned and something dangerous is trying to emerge.

This book i8s equally as gorgeous and rich as book 1 was, with a dual POV and the tea-infused magic, it was a delight to read. The magic was beautifully weaved into the book and gorgeously depicted. The plot was an intricate web of politics, magic and power, and the characters were as determined as there were in book one.

Ning and Kang are our main two POV’s, on seemingly opposite sides of the war that is growing the two still have a connection and their motives pure. The dynamic between the two is similar to that of book one, longing, wanting to trust, but holding back – it worked well within the plot. Similarly, the dual pov worked well for the progression of the plot, allowing us to see both sides of the story.

Love for family again prevails in this book, most obviously through Ning and her sister, but we also get to see more of Kang and his father’s relationship which helped flesh out the characters and the story a bit more. I also really enjoyed the glimpses we got into Zhen and Ruyi’s relationship, the trust and love between them.

Overall, this was a quick but gorgeous read that was a delight to read.

*I received an eARC via Netgalley from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review – Thank you!*

https://kbbookreviews867789450.wordpress.com/2023/01/17/mini-book-review-a-venom-dark-and-sweet-the-book-of-tea-2-by-judy-i-lin/

This book was the prefect conclusion to this YA fantasy duology. When I read A Magic Steeped in Poison I fell in love with the author's writing, and this sequel doesn't disappoint.

Apprentice shénnóng-shi Ning has decided to accompany the rightful heir to the throne into exile. But Princess Zhen won't go quietly. The throne is hers, so with the help of her bodyguard, Ning and Ning's sister, they try to find ally to reclaim the throne. Moreover, they still need to put a stop on all of these tea poisonings. Between political intrigues and a love Ning might not trust, she's in for a wild and magical ride.

This picks up straight after the events of A Magic Steeped in Poison. I don't want to spoil that for anyone that hasn't read it so I'll keep it vague. We follow Ning as she journeys across the kingdom, not knowing who to trust or where she belongs, but determined to save it.

The second book had a different feel to the first one for me. It was darker and while it still focuses heavily on magic, it wasn't quite in the same way as the first. I guess the strong focus on Ning developing her magic in the first book was to introduce the magic system but I just the ceremonies and problem solving of the first one. This one focuses more on the threats to the kingdom and the journey taken to save it and I would have liked a blend of the two a little more.

I still really enjoyed this though. The magic and mythology are so wonderfully weaved into this story and the author does an amazing job of making you care about every character, even if they have a relatively small part. And as always, I love a good description of food in books and this book gives me that and more.

I loved book one of this series and I was excited to see where book two went! A YA duology sequel has, for me, always been something of a tricky thing to land and Judy I Lin manages to dodge one of the particular pitfalls that they always seem to fall down - she keep the cool magic in!
Those who loved the magical tea brewing of A Magic Steeped in Poison will be delighted to hear that there is just as much magic in book two, I actually enjoyed getting to dig a little more into Ning's powers - it felt like a levelling up of sorts which was enjoyable to read.
If you also enjoyed the romance of the first book I think book two will hit similar notes, though there is more than one teaspoon of angst and pining thrown into the mix which isn't my personal preference but will surely appeal to many YA readers.
The plot and the politics are also there to show their faces, a high stakes adventure that shows even more of the world than we were able to glean from the first book.
I think the only reason this book fell a tiny bit short for me was an issue that a lot of YA sequels fall into where the competition structure of the first book is gone and as such there doesn't feel like as strong of an anchor exists for the story as a whole. I found myself not feeling particularly immersed in the book - at least in comparison to book one which had me hooked.
Overall I'd recommend this to fans of the series and to those who haven't started yet I would say it would be a great read for those who typically enjoy YA fantasy duologies!
My rating: 3.75 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

Steeped in Chinese mythology and fantastical world building, this is a beautiful fantasy duology. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book as I really loved the competition element in A Magic Steeped in Poison and that is all over in this book obviously. This one has more of an adventure/quest theme.

A Venom Dark and Sweet took a complete left turn compared to the other book! I both loved this and was unsure at the same time. I am a sucker for dual POV’s, I love that we see Kang’s point of view (even if it’s in third person) and Ning’s as well. It gives us a broader understanding on what is going on in different parts of the plot. There is a lot of political intrigue and strategy in this one as well which I enjoyed.

This world and magic system is so richly developed, sometimes I get confused with a complex system and a lot of mythology to remember but the author explained everything well and if didn’t feel like the information was dumped on me, it flowed freely with the story. Again, as with the first book, food is so richly described, don’t read this while hungry!

My main issue with this book is a lack of character development which was also my only issue with the first book. In my opinion the main character Ning is extremely unlikeable and one dimensional. A lot of the side characters feel well developed but just like with the first book, Ning is extremely flat and I honestly couldn’t even tell you what she looks like or how her personality is even after reading two books from her point of view. I felt more connected to Kang as a character and his point of view was entirely in third person not first. I will say that I found the romance between Kang and Ning to be a lot more believable in this book though. My other issue is the fact that the ending felt very rushed, most of the book is a slow build up to a climax and I felt the end result didn’t live up to that. I do think the duology was concluded well though and I was satisfied with the ending overall.

Judy I. Lin is an incredibly talented writer and for a debut duology this is absolutely fantastic. The writing style, world building, and magic system was all brilliant. I would definitely love to see what this author writes in the future! I definitely recommend this duology, especially if you enjoy mythological elements and a unique magic system!

Having loved the first book, I couldn't wait to read this one. The magic and the characters were so unique, and I looked forward to reading more about them. In this book they were pushed aside for political intrigue, however, and the magic only really came out in the second half. Having said that, I enjoyed the story - the writing is as captivating as ever, and the addition of Shu accompanying Ning on her quest let us see the relationship evolve between the two sisters. Overall, this is a wonderful duology that I would recommend to lovers of fantasy.

I definitely preferred the first book a lot more sadly. All of a sudden there was another POV introduced, which threw me off, and to be honest I wasn't that interested in Kang's POV, I just wanted to know what was going on with Ning. I found the first book to be so much more magical and whimsical, particularly surrounding the tea aspect, but with this one there just wasn't that spark of magic. The ending also felt really rushed. The best way I can describe it is that this book just felt so... generic. The first one felt so different to other fantasy books out there, with the tea making competition, but this one could have been any other of the hundreds of fantasies in existence sadly. Considering how excited I was to read this sequel, I'm pretty disappointed, and I wish that the first book had just been a standalone.