wow. this book truly has been worth the wait, literally had no idea what i was expecting going into this but miss hafsah blew me away immediately. six of crows meets peaky blinders with vampires!! this book was fast paced and also filled with suspense, twists and betrayals dare i add, the world building was well written and captivating and it drew me in rather quickly. arthie was beyond incredible and i loved how her character developed even more throughout the book, she was truly everything, the found family aspect here got me so bad, everyone was so amazing and their own storyline and i loved every second of it, arthie and jin.. my favorite siblings youre wholeheartedly loved by me. they were so amazing. i genuinely cant wait to see more of matteo and see how his story develops in the next book, i just know hes gonna serve so hard. idk what hafsah has in store for us but i NEED the next book right now, anyways team arthiematteo all the way. still love laith tho! AND OPAL

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Books for the advance reader copy.

I enjoyed reading this story but did find that there were things I would have liked to be fleshed out - including the world building and the vampire lore.

The ending was confusing and I felt like I missed something within the story that led to the conclusion.

I’m not sure how old the characters are meant to be, but imagined them as early 20’s based on some of the innuendos; I hope they are older than teen as that would make it an uncomfortable read.

This is my first book by the author and I’m still not sure how I felt about the book as a whole.

This was a really enjoyable heist novel set in a world where vampires exist and are an accepted part of society. I loved the vibe of the Spindrift tea shop/blood house and the relationship between the Casimir siblings Jin and Arthie was wonderful. Arthie was a good protagonist and the plot was simple to follow without spoonfeeding the reader, which I appreciated. There were some good reveals and some great character moments and overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by this one and will definitely be picking up the sequel.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Disclaimer: e-Arc provided by MacMillan Children’s Books, via Net Galley for Review. All thoughts are my own. My thanks to MacMillan Children’s Books, for providing me with the arc for review.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Thoughts
Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me.

I think the pacing and characters were way off in this book. The book was too slow and then fast at times. The characters were very one dimensional, and I didn’t care about any of them.

The problem with Heist books is they are always compared to Six of Crows, which features a great cast of characters and it well written and thought out. This book did not live up to that comparison.

This was such a fantastic start to this series and i cannot wait for the next installments! I read this so quickly and could not put it down!

This book was my most anticipated read of 2023 and honestly 2024 as well. I adored Hafsah's duology WHTF- I remember being absolutely swept away by the world and the magic and the romance in her first books, But for some reason this one not quite do it for me? I'm not sure if I can quite put my finger on what was missing, but I've been left feeling a little confused and disappointed.

That being said, this book was full of things I like. The found family trope, an epic heist and a good dollop of romance mixed in too. A lot of the characters were extremely endearing, with the boys especially (Jin, Matteo and Laith) being the right amount of cheeky and suave that really brought them to life in my mind. The girls on the other hand didn't really match up. Arthie had a good arc, but the way the book was paced meant that for the majority of the book she was just angry and vengeful and not entirely likeable (like a lot of female protagonists in books unfortunately). Her rage was entirely justified, but it would have been nice to witness a softer side to her, because at times even when she was with Jin she came across as too cold and wholly focused on planning how to manipulate people post-heist. I'm glad she had that change at the end of the book, when she reflected on where she'd let her revenge hold her back, because if not I think I would have little hope for the following books. Flick on the other hand was most likely meant to be her foil, sweet and innocent and very naïve. Whilst she was all of these things and at times still very likeable, there were moments when she felt like she was just along for the ride and was a bit flat and not fleshed out enough- like a filler character whose perspective didn't really add much to the plot of the story.

The romantic elements of this book did occasionally steal my heart, and I was enjoying the development of the relationship between Laith and Arthie particularly until of course he shot her adoptive dad and then also shot her? Him being some what of a villain but also a love interest in this story was so confusing for me. And can we just talk about THAT scene?! Where did that come from? Laith, who up until that point was subtle and respectful just pulled an Uno reverse and turned into this weirdly forceful beg? When I was reading that I genuinely thought Arthie was dreaming or having a hunger hallucination because what about Laith's past actions led to that happening? None that I could see anyway.

It's also tricky because the triangle is between Arthie and Laith and Matteo, and maybe it's clever of Hafsah to leave me with literally no idea who Arthie should be with but as a reader I don't think I particularly like being kept this in the dark about who's the right guy. She's clearly equally attracted to both of them, and the ending leaves me thinking Laith is a no go (which breaks my heart a bit) but I genuinely don't see how Hafsah can make Laith good again or make me vouch more for Matteo over Laith? Am I a psycho for that? (book two better be on it's way to print quickly because I need closure).

But, in conclusion, it's left me with a lot of thoughts. The WHTF crossover make me SO happy, and as a whole the reading experience was similar to that of Six of Crows which is honestly my bench mark for any book now. I didn't predict all of the plot twists which was great, and as far as endings go I'm itching to read what happens next. The concept was really fun, and there were definitely a few five star moments in this book for me. I'll likely still read anything Hafsah writes, I just think I would have just enjoyed this book more if there had been more happy / peaceful moments in and amongst all of the rage and plotting and vengeance.

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal, the author of the TikTok sensation We Hunt the Flame (Blood and Tea), is an absolute must-read YA fantasy of 2024, set to release on February 22nd.

Imagine a captivating blend of King Arthur and Peaky Blinders, infused with vampires and swoon worthy romance, all set in the enchanting world of Ettenia—a place that seamlessly merges the essence of 1920s and Victorian London.

The story revolves around a brilliant and chaotic ragtag group that come together to execute a spectacular heist. I was captivated by the well-developed characters, engaging dialogue, thought-provoking commentary on colonization, and the perfect blend of humor and shocking twists and turns. Hafsah's writing is nothing short of phenomenal. I found myself completely invested in the characters, the prose, the compelling plot, and intricate world-building. Highly recommend! But brace yourself, as the ending will undoubtedly blow your mind!

4.7 stars

BOOK REVIEW: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal @macmillankidsuk

 3 Stars

After seeing this book being compared to Six of Crows, I was excited to read it. I did enjoy A Tempest of Tea but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

A Tempest of Tea is based around a tea shop that caters to tea lovers during the day and blood for vampires at night. The lead characters are Arthie and Jin who met as children in difficult circumstances and grew together and produced their tea shop Spindrift. They are also criminals who collect secrets to use for blackmail. Unfortunately the ferocious leader of their city "The Ram" is determined to ruin them. They concoct a plan to find evidence to bring The Ram down which leads to a heist.
The story for me was good, but pretty obvious. I sadly guessed the majority of the twists and turns. It needed more intricacies as the plot was pretty slow and plodded along, which isn't what I want for a heist book.
I did think the worldbuilding was done well, especially with the colonisation of countries that some characters originated from.
I also struggled with the lack of humour. There were a few funny parts but generally, the dialogue was pretty bland which was a surprise as there were so many great characters to get humour from.

My favourite character was Jin. He is clever and strong but also loving and vulnerable. Arthie is an interesting character and I liked learning more about her as the story progressed but I struggled to connect with her. The other three characters in the heist are Flick, Laith and Matteo. Matteo stood out for me for his humour and if I do read the next book it will be for him and Jin.

The writing was good with some great quotable lines, but the pace was just too slow and made me less interested to pick it back up.

Overall, a good heist YA book, but nothing special in my eyes. The pace needed to be quicker and with less obvious twists. It has a solid foundation but didn't live up to it's potential.

Please note that I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 ⭐ A Tempest of Tea is a YA Urban Fantasy with an intriguing concept- it's Peaky Blinders with vampires and a sprinkling of King Arthur. The protagonist, Arthie Casimir, is the leader of the Casimir Crime Family known for collecting secrets and running Spindrift, a famous teahouse that transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by night. There was also a heist element to this book which I enjoyed but I did feel the build up was quite slow- I loved the vibes of the glamourous but cutthroat Vampire society and I wish more of the plot had taken place there. I’m hoping Book 2 of the duology is predominantly set there because honestly I would read a whole book dedicated to it!

There were a few things that I felt were a bit…meh…about this, the biggest being Laith and the love triangle between him, Arthie and Matteo. I loved Matteo and the banter between him and Arthie led to them having romantic tension that felt organic and believable whereas Laith just felt quite flat for me and the supposed connection between him and Arthie felt forced.

I liked that this book was more than just a fantasy- in a similar way to Fathomfolk is a commentary on racism, immigration, poverty and environmental issues, A Tempest of Tea portrayed colonialism and the devastating consequences of this as well as corruption of power and class difference, all of which I felt were done well and having multiple POVs helped with this. The secondary romance between Flick and Jin was sweet- I absolutely adored them both as individuals and as a potential romantic pairing and I genuinely felt more invested in them than Arthie’s love triangle (they could have easily been the primary romance pairing and the book would be just as good if not better for it).

What I will say about this book is that the last quarter of the narrative was SO GOOD and really bumped the rating of this book up for me. The pace picked up and we were rewarded with twists and turns so I’m glad I stuck with it and I really hope book 2 continues at this pace as it has the potential to be great. I’m interested to find out what happens next so I will definitely be reading book 2 but part of me has to wonder if this duology will be a case of two average books when there was the potential for them to be a fantastic standalone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Books for an e-arc. All thoughts are unbiased and my own.

This was nice, and very clever with some great plot twists. But ultimately, I found it a little anticlimactic.

The heist was over so incredibly quickly, after all that time spent planning.

There are multiple POVs, yet I didn't feel that the characters were developed enough. The entire book felt too short for me, I think a little more detail in a multi-character book is needed.

And the romance! I just really didn't find the attraction between Arthie and Laith believable, it felt so superficial. I loved Jin and Flick though.

I also don't understand the point of the half-vampires; what exactly is their purpose? Why not just regular vampires? Why is there another type?

Overall, whilst the premise of this book is very intriguing, it didn't quite deliver and I think it's a forgettable story.

after The Hunger Games there were like a gazillion YA dystopia rip-offs everywhere; Gone Girl resulted in a whole bunch of domestic thrillers with the same he/said/she/said vibes; madeline miller's Circe paved the way to countless feminist retellings of greek myths; and now, thanks to Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows, heist fantasy novels are the lateest trend. maybe younger readers will be able to enjoy this or feel less cynical about it...i tried giving it a shot but found the writing, from the banter to the character dynamics, childish

I really enjoyed this book. It is a fun fantasy that is different from any book I have read recently.
The book follows a group of characters as the plot a heist in order to save Arthie and Jin's tea shop. They face lots of twists and turns along the way with the plot really picking up pace towards the end of the book and setting the scene for the second book.
The characters are unique and well developed. I really enjoyed Arthie's character and the sense of mystery that she built throughout the book. It was clear that she had a few secrets and that the plot would develop further. My favourite characters were Jin and Flick and the development of their relationship and I cant wait to see more of them in the next book.

We Hunt the Flame was one of the biggest hots in our Library and recent years and my students are already anticipating this release. This action packed adventure with a paranormal twist is another surefire hit for Faizal

I really wish publishers would stop marketing books by saying like they are Six of Crows crossed with whatever else. In the case of this book, that just highlighted a number of different minor things which are overly similar to SoC and was also disappointing, because even though this book desperately wanted to be SoC, it was nowhere near as well plotted or developed.
Firstly, the vampires are not well explained and are barely significant, aside from to assist (obvious) plot twists later on and the Tea Shop/Blood House is barely involved for more than a few chapters, as they shut it down to focus on the heist. The story is very slow, except when there is finally some action, which is over very quickly. The heist was very underwhelming and often the writing is geographically unclear and doesn't make sense. There's one scene where someone throws themselves out of a window and clings to the ledge, which I couldn't figure out, but it turns out they were across the street hanging onto a different building. Action sequences also get interrupted with characters pressed up against each other in doorways or whatever, thinking at length poetically about one another and detracting from what's going on. The love triangle was unnecessary and I didn't buy either relationship, at least the other main character had a longer term connection to his love interest, but I didn't believe either of the attractions in the love triangle. It's like the author just picked a load of popular tropes/themes and crammed them all in. All in all a miss for me, which is a shame, because it sounded like a great premise.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Let me tell you, when I was approved for the arc of this book I was SO excited. Heists, bloodhouses disguised as tearooms, vampires and victorian London?! What a thrilling premise. So when I dragged myself through it and finished it feeling pretty deflated I was disappointed to say the least.

I don't know whether it was the poorly paced plot, the lack of world building, or the flat characters that ruined it the most. It truly just felt like a slog to get through.

The main character feels like a Kaz Brekker knock off with her Jesper like partner. The side characters were underdeveloped with minimal backstory. Both romances felt contrived and, my pet peeve, very insta-lovey.

The story really seemed to drag and I really did have to force myself through it. There were some plot twists that I didn't see coming but they didn't really add much to the story for me.

Overall, it was a acceptable YA novel but perhaps lower your expectations before reading it. The concept is more thrilling than the execution.

From the best selling author of We Hunt the flame, comes a new duology which features some tea, a group of bandits, some vampires and a job that could change everything.

Tempest of Tea is told from character based views with each chapter dedicated to a character so the story is told from multiple perspectives. The story introduces us to White Roaring; a society that is built around the colonialist values of Ettenia where humans and vampires live side by side. Arthie, Jin and their crew run a tearoom called “Spindrift” which deals in more than tea; it deals in blood and secrets. If there is a secret in White Roaring, Arthie will uncover it and use it when needed.

However, when Spindrift is threatened with being closed forever, Arthie and the gang must make deals with adversaries and vampires to save it - but in undertaking a job that could solve all their problems, they find themselves walking into something much bigger; something that could turn the current ruling order on its head.

Tempest of Tea is a great read, with secrets within the story itself. I love the broad range of characters from Arthie and Flick to Jin and Matteo; all of whom have had different experiences with Ettenia and its treatment of its “citizens”. The story is evenly paced and with each chapter by a character it’s easy to come back to if you need to step away for a bit.

Highly looking forward to the next part of the duology :)

I absolutely adored this book! The writing style and prose are stunning.
All of the characters were so well fleshed out, and I loved all of them,I wanted to dive headfirst into the book, and run around with Jin, and have tea with Arthie and flick.
The cliffhanger was insane and I can't wait to read the second one.

Super fantasy (somewhat), heist story, a bit of romance, lots of tempest, along with more than just a tea shop and a cat. For older teens and up. Back story is to do with colonial aggression and orphans and deciding to not take grief from anyone. Easier said than done! The characters all have baggage, which adds to the fun and twists. Be warned big cliff hanger, but I’m sure that just means there is more fun reading to be had in the near (I hope) future. Thank you to Macmillan children’s Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Hafsah Faizal is a genius. I've been looking forward to this book for ages, ever since I first read the pitch and saw the INCREDIBLE cover. Vampires are BACK, baby, and oh boy is this book proof of it. It has everything: a feisty female MC, a super suspenseful and clever heist, a super vivid setting... this is such a pacy, mischievous, imaginative, DELICIOUS novel. A real romp, and swoon-worthy in every sense. DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK.

Absolutely adored this book, 10/10, please get me book 2 right now. I did NOT see the twist coming and absolute had my jaw dropped for a good 10 min. This was such a good older YA book, and beautiful writing from Hafsah