ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED!

I had no idea going into this book that I would love it this much! We follow Arthie, the owner of a teahouse that also doubles as a blood house for vampires known as Spindrift. To try and save her establishment, she needs to pull off a heist and recruits a gang of misfits to help her.

Starting with Arthie herself, I loved her right from the moment she was introduced on the page. She didn't take rubbish from anyone and did her own thing. Her relationship with the other characters slowly developed, but seeing her and her brother Jin was the highlight. Jin is one of the best characters in this book- he's witty, funny and emotional but I loved how both of their backstories were slowly revealed. I felt so bad for the Casimir siblings, despite them not being blood related, they had such a strong bond built on trauma.

Arthie and Laith's relationship was also very intriguing. They disliked each other but there was a hint of angst and chemistry underlying through it all. Laith's obsession with cats, and his witty remarks made him endearing and I was rooting for their relationship to develop the more I read. In a similar way, Flick the expert forgery artist and JIn's romance slowly bloomed as well, although they had more moments together due to the circumstances they were faced with.

And then there was Matteo. I just loved all the characters, but there was something about him that just made me love him despite always doubting him. He seems to be sort of in love with Arthie as well, and there was much more angst with him and Arthie than between any of the other characters!

As for the plott and worldbuilding, I think the worldbuilding could've gone into more detail. I wanted to know more about the teahouse and how it came about. We know this world has magic and artefacts, but it would've been nice to delve deeper into the history of it all. The plot does start slow, the heist takes place later in the book, but I think it worked well as we learn more about the characters and their lives, so by the end I felt much more connected to them when all the chaos ensued.

The last 30% of this book left me gasping for air. It was so fast and emotional, and so many reveals and twists made me wish I had the sequel in my hands RIGHT NOW. I LOVED Hafsah's writing- it was the perfect fantasy read i needed, with angst and twists at an all-time high. I loved the pacing despite the slow start, and I cannot wait for book 2!!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc!

I really wanted to love this book but it's. so. HARD.

the writing felt really fancy, just like the Sands of Arawiya series but without the Arabic terms. But i think i'm too stupid to understand every word & every sentence... even the heist-in-action confused me, like I don't know what to imagine here excuse meee?

on the other note, the main casts were interesting, each have distinct personality. especially Jin with his easy charm (Flick... I understand you). Arthie felt like Kaz Brekker in different font. no actually tho whole book reminded me of Six of Crows, which was cool.

I was about to give this 3 stars but thanks to the miltiple twists at the end, it got additional 0.5 star. woohoo. but definitely going to read the sequel when it comes out!

4 stars

This book contains a heist with a lot of action, some good twists, and vampires!

We read in the perspectives of 3 characters; I was invested in all of the characters and their backstories, and I can definitely understand why it is likened to Six of Crows and Peaky Blinders. I loved the main character, particularly her anger and rage at the injustice of colonialism, and I was rooting for her every step of the way.

However, where I found it struggled was the pacing - while at times it was quick and action-packed, there were also parts that dragged on a bit and I found myself losing interest.

The story is adventurous and dark while also containing cosy aspects of found family and a love for tea. I really enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to seeing how it progresses in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 50%

Arthie Casimir is the owner of Spindrift, a tearoom catering to people after fine teas during the day, and vampires looking for blood at night. When her precious tearoom is threatened, Arthie, keeper and trader of secrets has a plan to save it, but it’ll involve a crew and a mission that could see any or all of them killed or imprisoned.

I really wanted to love this one. It’s been on my TBR since it was announced, as the synopsis had me hooked. Tea, vampires, and a dangerous heist to save a tearoom? Yes. Except… this just fell so flat. It was so slow. Everything seemed to take ages to happen, and it was definitely more character driven than plot. Which I don’t mind, but it just wasn’t what I was expecting for this book.

The characters are interesting enough, don’t get me wrong, and I really liked Arthie and her need for revenge, to avenge the family and home brutally stolen from her. I liked how every member of the crew had their own reasons for being involved, and how no one could be trusted.

It just wasn’t enough for me to keep going, and I struggled for well over two weeks to get to the halfway mark. Every time I picked it up, I just felt done with it, and I knew early on I wasn’t enjoying the book, but wanted to push on in case that changed later on.

Whilst it wasn’t for me, this is definitely a great read for anyone looking for a character driven heist book with vampires. Maybe it’ll be a great read for someone else, but just not me.



Did I like the book? I liked the characters.

Did I love it? No. It was too slow for me.

Would I recommend it? If you liked Six of Crows and wanted something a little slower, yes.

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

Peaky Blinders meets Six of Crows in this vampire fantasy.
Tell me that premise doesn’t make you drool along that gorgeous cover 🧛‍♀️

Hafsah didn’t fail to deliver on the magical writing in the Flame duet, but she might have surpassed even herself with this book.
Arthie and Jin own Spindrift; a tea house that’s secretly serves blood for vampires after hours. Only there’s a lot of behind the scenes going on in Arthie’s life that might put her and everything she worked for in danger’s path where she, Jin, and 3 more will go on heist. Twists and turns that keep you at the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Cliffhanger that’ll have you collecting your jaw off the floor. I cannot wait for more books in this world, in the meantime, going to reread WHTF!

I was lucky enough to get an early audio copy and DEVOURED it. The narrator did such a great job bringing this story to life!

I would've preferred this I think if we had stuck to Arthie and Jin's POVs - I didn't feel like Flick's perspective added much to the story that couldn't have been found in Arthie and Jin's. However, the writing was compelling and the fast pace suited the story perfectly, I never felt bored while reading this and was always eager to find out what was going to happen next. I think it's very difficult to be a heist book in the current era of YA, because you will not be able to escape the Six of Crows comparisons - and while I do prefer Six of Crows to A Tempest of Tea (namely because I feel the found family aspect in SoC is much stronger), this still was enjoyable, suspenseful, and intriguing. And the romance in this book??? We have two romance subplots going on and I was INVESTED in both of them (but especially the one involving Jin). Definitely a YA fantasy worth reading and after that ending? I NEED the sequel like TODAY.

I was so excited to pick this book up as reader of anything vampire related. Sadly this book just didn't work for me it is well written but following mainly character driven plot without much excitement I was just bored as I didn't care about the characters at all or where the story was going and found it difficult to get through. If this wasn't an ARC I would of DNF😔 but that's more down to me not loving character driven stories and this book not being what I expected going in.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Children's Books and Hafsah Faizal for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun read! Mystery, betrayal, heists, vampires!? (Also some found family chucked in there which is always good!)
What more could someone ask for?
It took a bit to get the pace going but once it picked up, I can say it PICKED UP. I flew to the end once it all got going!
Great characters, dark, mysterious, and elusive settings - this book was a treasure to read.
One thing to preface is the cliffhanger ending… I need book two ASAP!
For fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, this is a must!

I had heard a lot about this book on instagram and really loved Hafsah's posts leading up to its release and so was thrilled when I got access to a copy!

I really loved her writing style and the sense of familarity she created with each character. I love a book that is easy to read but still engaging and beautifully written.

I loved Arthie and Jin's narrations - i'm not sure we really needed chapters from other characters such as Flick who really could have just been side characters but I enjoyed the story all the same.

The characters must work together to steal a ledger from a near impenetrable vampire fortress (well... house) in order to use it as leverage to save Arthie and Jin's beloved teahouse. The heist itself is a relatively small part of the book which is a shame as it was definitely the most exciting - howver Faizal makes up for this with her beautiful prose and character development in the earlier chapters.

I definitely look forward to reading more by her and am going to try and find a copy of her first novel now.

As you can tell I’m very much on a dark atmosphere and vampire kick with my books recently. This book is basically full of everything you could ever want. It’s a heist story, with vampires, overthrowing a corrupt government, morally grey characters, with a sprinkle of Aurthorian Legend in there. Writing it all together like that looks like a lot but trust me it all works so well.

This book is full of suspense and intrigue, well rounded badass characters, great world building and Hafsah knows how to write a romance. Also for some reason I thought this was a standalone and so I was estatic to find out that we are getting another book. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.

Trigger warnings for blood, gore, colonialism, loss of a parent.

5 Stars
This book was incredible. I loved the characters and their plans.
Plus the world-building behind the tea-house and the coconuts has got me intrigued - I want more!

I ADORED THIS SO SSO VERY MUCH.

the found family. Let's discuss the found family please because this is my third favourite found family other than acotar and soc. They were AMAZING, the coziness, the bander the humor of their interactions- I was absolutely 100% whipped I need to be a part of this group thanks.

The romance as always delivered but then again can't expect anything less from this author <3

The plot wasn't fast nor slow moving but something in-between which I found perfect! We had so much time for character exploration while also never forgetting about the plot!

The vibes of this book were absolutely IMMACULATE!

This reignited my love for books with old London type settings, with found family, heists and dodgy dealings!

The plot was so intricately woven, Hafsah Faizal is a master storyteller.

I'm so glad I got an e-ARC for this because it goes onto my list of favourite books of the year for sure!

(I might have also bought a special edition copy of this already to display on my shelves like a trophy...)

Vampires?
Heist?
Found Family?
Gangs?
Secret Society?

What else could one want from a fantasy with a hint of historical background of the early 1900s. Archie is a tea-shop owner that becomes another type of tea-shop at night. It is put in jeopardy by some society in power. Archie and Jin would do anything to protect what they have built for so many years with their hard work. They have to come up with a clever scheme involving other powerful and crafty characters to keep what's theirs. A heist will have to take place. Let the fun begin.

I didn't want to put it down. Characters are probably the highlight of this book as they're fun and have depth which is brought by their personal journeys interwoven into the bigger scheme of the main plot. I love a strong female protagonist with a darker past that we know little about but that we get to discover as the story unfolds. Archie is powerful and she doesn't need anyone but still finds ways to rely on others despite her background. Her sibling-like relationship with Jin is quite heartwarming to see and Jin's backstory is also quite interesting. The dialogue is dynamic and fun, bringing a bit of lightness to the otherwise rather serious story.

The plot is full of twists and turns and although the heist is only a small part of the plot, the scheming and planning part was really entertaining to follow. It's quick paced and would probably get you out of a reading slump. The world is pretty straight forward and is brought to the reader gradually, allowing for quick absorption of new elements while not slowing down the pace of the book.

There is a smidge of romance going on in the background, with even a few quite tempting characters and maybe even a 'love-triangle'(?), but it is definitely not the main focus and in my opinion it adds to the story instead of taking away from it. I could have done without one of the relationships but that might be due to the fact that I'm not a massive fan on Flick. Which brings me to the maybe only downside of this book and it is that it follows 3 POVs. Flick's POV hasn't really convinced me as essential in this story. This might be a personal bias as I wasn't the biggest fan of the character, and I didn't hate it. She even grew on me towards the end but only very slightly and her naivety was a bit jarring to read at times.

Overall, this is a fun, quick-paced, full of twists and morally grey characters story which I am still thinking about weeks after having finished it and one of those I wished had the second book already published so I can pick it up straight away. But I guess I will have to be patient like everybody else and wait a year for the sequel's release... Would recommend for fans of tea, heists, vampires, Six of Crows or Peaky Blinders.

The pacing was really off in this story, I feel it could have been enjoyable if there weren't such slow long scenes that seemed unnecessary to the plot. The stakes also didn't feel very high which is the whole point of a heist story. I think the reveals at the end would have had more pay off if I hadn't been desperate to just finish and be over with it because of how bored I'd gotten. I enjoyed the writing but other than the first 30%, I'm not a huge fan of this one.

to be honest this isn’t actually a bad book it just didn’t live up to my expectations. you can’t compare it to peaky blinders and six of crows and this be what you deliver. i also thought it might give legends and lattes vibe with the tea shop but that also fell flat.
i didn’t like the characters, and the plot and world wasn’t fleshed out enough. there was barely even a heist so definitely don’t go into this book for the plot, it’s definitely character and vibes driven.

this book was INCREDIBLE!!
it was so well written, and the setting felt real. the characters where all so brilliant to read about, and i truly was shocked at some of the reveals. it felt so unique, and was almost impossible to put down. Arthie especially was a delight to read. she reminds me of a lot of YAs male mcs, but even better. she has so much history, and is powerful in a way you can tell is rare. i liked how she isn’t worried about morals, and just wants her and her (found) family to survive in a world that doesn’t want them to

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

A Tempest Of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

I loved this book so much.

It follows Arthie Casimir, on the streets of White Roaring, a criminal mastermind and secret collector. By nightfall, her elegant tearoom becomes an illegal bloodhouse that feeds the vampires that the public fears. Arthie must, however, make an unlikely bargain with an alluring adversary to save her establishment when it is in danger, but she can't manage the task on her own.

Using some of the most talented outcasts in the city, Arthie devises a scheme to enter the Athereum, a glittering, gloomy vampire society.However, not every member of her motley team is on her side, and when the heist's true motives become clear. Arthie finds herself at the centre of a plot that threatens the world as she knows it.

It's marketed as a combination of Six of Crows, Peaky Blinders and King Arthur's legend. There are vampires, heists, found family, plot twists and it's just so much fun. I love the themes of colonialism incorporated into the story. The setting and worldbuilding is intentional. It's actionpacked right from page one. It features two romantic storylines, one with the main character caught up in a love triangle and another with Jin. I am not really a fan of love triangles, especially when it is unclear who is endgame and it was the case here That being said, they are both swoonworthy and your heart will be tugged by its strings.

Arthie was a really badass female lead and I enjoyed exploring White Roaring with her. Her rage against the colonizers was very relatable. I love fierce characters and Arthie is as fierce as they come. She's not very tall but she commands power and that was very satisfying to read about. I loved her relationshie with Jin, it was really beautifully written and wholesome. They care so much about each other and it was so cute to read.

The heist part was so fun too. However, I found it hard to picture the plans for the heist but the images helped a bit. I loved the twists, shocking revelations, the betrayals of course because what's a heist without one ? It ends off on a criminal clifthanger and all I have to say is that I need the next book right NOW.

This book had so much potential but sadly for me it didn’t deliver.

There were so many interesting ideas but maybe a few too many as I didn’t feel that they were fully realised. I found the plot somewhat confusing and multiple times I had to go back and reread a section because there was so much exposition in the middle of a conversation that I’d forgotten what the first person had said but the time to other one replied.

The characters seemed intriguing at first but they weren’t fleshed out enough for me so the relationships didn’t feel like they had any real depth.

I struggled with the writing style although there were a few one-liners which were very poignant.

I think I felt more disappointed with this book than I could have been because I liked so many of the concepts and ideas, I would just have preferred to have been executed differently.

Perfect for fans of Six of Crows, A Tempest of Tea was an exciting heist story full of twists, turns, and vampires.

I absolutely loved Arthie and her band of misfits, and was engaged through the whole story waiting to see what would happen and how it was all going to come together. The way the different characters and personalities melded was really interesting, and I can only imagine they will become more so in the next book.

The plot was fast paced and intriguing, and came to a satisfying conclusion while still making me want to see what will happen in the next book.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed A Tempest of Tea and would highly recommend it for fans of YA fantasy heists.