Beautiful writing and characters, and a world I’m reluctant to say goodbye to. A strong finish. Full review to come.

The first book in this series, A Magic Steeped in Poison, was one of my favourite reads of this year. I think A Venom Dark and Sweet was an absolutely satisfying conclusion, but it didn’t have exactly the same magic as the first book. I think some of the characters had too much growth too quickly, and I missed the relationship between the narrator and her love interest for the good part of the book. That being said, a lot of the truly magical things about this series— the gorgeous descriptions of tea and food, the strong sense of so many types of love, the rich world with a complex history— are absolute still present and make this very worth reading.

The second part to A Magic Steeped in Poison of the duology. I was excited to read this as the first part was so good and different and this book did not disappoint. Compared to the first this is more of a quest and the book draws out the characters far more so it is possible to really get to know them.
The magic is once again linked to tea and I loved this idea and so I hope that this continues with other books exploring further realms.
Highly recommended.

A magical and lush story sees an ancient evil awaken in A VENOM DARK AND SWEET.

A solid book from start to finish – magical, lush, and beautifully written, A VENOM DARK AND SWEET is a worthwhile follow-up to the wonderful A MAGIC STEEPED IN POISON.

I did have the expectation that Ning would, at least, have some sort of regressive transformation of the self – in the same vein as Maia Tamarin in Elizabeth Lim's UNRAVEL THE DUSK, who was also infected by demonic power – and have to wrestle with the darkness within her. This doesn't happen and the book doesn't quite feel like it meets its potential because of it. Without Shu's debilitating illness, Ning's only purpose is to keep her safe – but then Shu ends up coming along and getting into all sorts of danger anyway.

I did, however, very much like Ning and Shu's close relationship, and Shu's expanded role as the world's myths and legends threaded into the narrative. What pleasantly surprised me the most was a POV from Kang, Ning's love interest from the previous book, and the secret son of the banished general, whose successful coup has brought him to the highest position of power. Kang brings a unique perspective of the opposing side, and the all-consuming evil that threatens not just the court by the entire country, with more personal stakes concerning his father, who may or may not have his own ulterior motives.

If anything I'd say that the ending was too short and felt very one-and-done. The protagonists succeed with very little problem. Then again, VENOM has the feel of a literary novel: introspective and thoughtful, and often not action-heavy with more focus on the characters and their inner selves, but it still manages a good balance of this thoughtfulness with the story, making it easy and accessible to read. Any longer, I think, and it would've dragged the story.

I enjoyed this one overall – and I know a lot of people will enjoy this too.

WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR? For now no, but that could change if Lin's next book's premise grabs me.

A Magic Steeped in Poison was such a standout fantasy for me earlier this year. I thought it was ingenious, innovative and has its own unique flavour. This is unlike anything I have read before and stands out amongst the crowd. It reminded me just why I love YA fantasy. Safe to say my expectations for A Venom Dark and Sweet were in the stratosphere. Lin lived up to them in this stellar sequel.

I fell in love with Ning in A Magic Steeped in Poison, but here Lin splits the narration between her and Kang. This allowed me to delve into the layers of his character, complicating his loyalties and backstory. Lin also continues those political machinations that always fascinate me. The power dynamics and true allegiances are constantly shifting and through Kang’s eyes, the pieces start to come together. With Ning, we get even more exquisite worldbuilding. The places and people hinted at in the first book become places we get to visit here. Lin weaves in even more Taiwanese and Chinese mythology, particularly through the connections between the gods and Ning’s powers.

The writing of this duology is something that I adore. Lin has such a beautiful way of writing, fully sweeping you off your feet and into her imaginative and intricately crafted world. At once, it is tense and extremely fast-paced. I actually raced through this in one sitting, as the stakes were always increasing and the pages flowed so well. There are also these amazing moments where Lin allows a moment to breathe, with a flourish of romance or character development. The bonds between these characters excel and those quieter moments make the stakes resonate that much more.

A Venom Dark and Sweet concludes a duology that deserves the world. I cannot recommend them enough.

The second book of the duology is quite different from the first one in many ways, and since I read one right after the other, the difference was even more striking. The first half of the book is very slow, and even though you cannot say that nothing happens, I found it really hard to concentrate on what's going on. It was more of an apocalyptic gothic story than an enchanting book of the art and magic of tea-making.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for an Advance Review Copy.

In the first book of Ning's adventures, she is still trying to obtain the coveted position of shénnón-shi so that she can obtain an antidote to the poison that threatened to take his sister Shu to another world. But besides all this, she also got to know the princess and the prince and also learned the story of her parents, why they lived so far from the capital. But they can't enjoy the happiness that the sister is healthy again for long, because in the process of rescuing her, in the world behind the curtain, she encountered something much more terrible than people who crave power, but it's those people who crave power who are weak and let themselves to be manipulated and exploited by ancient creatures.

This time the tea is not as important in the story as it was in the first book, but it is still important. This time, ancient stories, friendship, trust and greed are important. It is greed that has unleashed evil into the human world this time, but trust is what helps to imprison it again.

You kind of read it like a story from Greek mythology - ancient beings who have fought each other and the loser has now tricked himself out of captivity, using weak people to gain the power he was once denied. But it's these same weaklings who imprison him again, even with the help of other ancient beings who don't particularly want to get involved this time. In a way, it is also like Elisabeth Lim's The Dragon's Promise, but this ancient evil appears in a different form.

It's exciting to read because it's sooo different from the books I usually read.

I had mixed feelings about the first book in this YA duology, A Magic Steeped in Poison, especially its sketchy characterisation, but was ultimately compelled by the beauty of the tea magic that Judy I. Lin invents and the elegance of its minimal world building. Unfortunately, little of this carried through to A Venom Dark and Sweet, which picks off where the first book ended, as Ning and her sister Shu flee the imperial palace with the disgraced princess and the princess's female lover. Now they must discover who is trying to destroy their kingdom by reawakening an ancient evil. Meanwhile, Kang, Ning's quasi-romantic interest from the first book, leads a separate thread of the narrative as he works for his father, the general who now occupies a key place in the imperial court.

So many YA trilogies or duologies start with a high-concept set-piece first book, often with our protagonist taking part in some kind of competition or navigating a specific situation within a constricted courtly world, and then try to throw open the gates in the second (/third) book, introducing the protagonist to the wider politics of the world they've created while they go on the run from the original setting. This almost never works for me. Partly, this is personal preference - I love intricate locked-room settings and hate quest or travel narratives. But partly, I think it's because these writers rarely have the level of skill required to deal with a much bigger political canvas. This is definitely the case with the Book of Tea duology. Lin loses her way as she tries to introduce too many elements into Ning's story, and even when these are promisingly atmospheric - an endless bamboo forest, mysterious monasteries - they add little. And because Ning is travelling, we don't get much of the USP of the whole series - magical tea! Lin even tries to lampshade this at one point by having Ning reflect how frustrating it is to practice a kind of magic that requires so many resources, but still. And far from developing the interesting quartet of female characters that formed at the end of the first book, Lin lets most of them fade into the background.

There's a reason why I haven't finished so many YA trilogies and duologies, and I'd still recommend the first book in this pairing - just pretend that it's a standalone.

This was even better than the first part of the duology, getting the story from the different perspectives gave it an added depth. This was an epic adventure and I loved the quest element especially. Great characters and a wonderful story.
The writer has created the most fascinating magical system, and I would love to see more books written in this universe.

I cannot rate this book as I sadly had to dnf the first in this series. I thought I would really enjoy it which is why I requested this one but unfortunately it just isn't for me.
I have given this 3 stars because I cannot judge it.

Having enjoyed the first one, I was looking forward to this sequel. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. For me, it is very slow and the characters lack chemistry so I wasn't as invested as I was with the first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC of 'A Venom Dark and Sweet' by Judy I. Lin

'A Venom Dark and Sweet' is the final book in the Book of Tea Duology and I think it ended the story perfectly. Judy's writing style is impeccable and it rings true throughout this book adding perfection to this Fantasy world and style. Honestly, all I can do is sing the praises for this book because it is definitely worth the read.

After really enjoying A Magic Steeped in Poison I was incredibly excited to pick up A Venom Dark and Sweet. Unfortunately, it felt very lackluster compared to book one.

The ending of book one was tense and exciting with the coup and betrayal. I was excited to see the conflict expand to an empire-wide scale and to learn more about the princess and her bodyguard. And yet, none of that happened in book two. Despite the high stakes, the book started very slowly. The first 70% of the book felt like set up for the finale. Instead of a rebellion with scheming and court intrigue, we get a very random and generic quest to find some mysterious object. The grand finale wasn't even satisfying. It was rushed and campy. The first book touches on unrest and inequality in the kingdom and yet none of that is addressed in the sequel. The story is way too focused on the magical side of the world. The tea based magic is one of the most unique magic systems I have ever read about I understand why Lin chose to expand the magic beyond the tea system as there are many more gods in this world. However, by expanding the magic system it became much more generic and poorly explained. As Ning spends most of the book on the road she cannot use the tea magic and the other types of magic aren't that interesting.

I have mixed feelings about the addition of Kang's POV. Though I thought he was an interesting character, his perspective added very little to the story. It was nice to know what was happening at the palace while everyone else was away, however, the need for these chapters just highlights how dull Ning's chapters were. Kang didn't even really need a "redemption arc" because it was clear in the first book that he was actually a good person.

A Venom Dark and Sweet was a very fast and easy read. The writing was still very strong though at times a bit over the top. Unfortunately, it lacked many of the elements that made the first book interesting and felt very generic in comparison. By about the 50% mark I was just reading to finish the book. I am really disappointed to say that this isn't one that will stick with me for very long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Bokks for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for the arc of A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I Lin in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I truly adored A Magic Steeped in Poison and had no qualms into stepping back into Ning’s world, especially after that ending with Ning, the princess and Nuhri fleeing the palace to escape Khang, the banished prince and his father.

Diving straight back into the action was quite a feat and at times it was a little bit difficult to recall characters but, I was soon immersed in the story as Lin continued to apply such beautiful descriptions of the legends of the tea magicians, gods and demons that brought them to life. The description of the hermit’s home was particularly strong for me and I could see the little hut and lake and kitchen garden.

I’m not sure the pacing was as good in the second book but, it was good to see both Ning and Khang’s perspective as each worked to solve their own issues and puzzles. The final quarter of the book totally flew for me and the climax was truly impressive.

Overall, a satisfying conclusion to the duology, pulling together all the strands to weave together a beautiful story that truly shines a light on myths and legends that should never be dimmed.

3.5stars

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