A huge thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan UK Audio for giving me a chance to listen to A tempest of tea by Hafsah Faizal narrated by Maya Saroya in exchange for my honest review. 


I knew that Hafsah Faizal's writing would hook me into the story the moment I hit play in the audiobook and I was not disappointed. This YA found family high stakes heist story full of vampires and intrigue and schemes had me in a chokehold and until the last minute it wouldn't let me go. I gasped so many times ,for so many different reasons and THAT ENDING had me losing my godamn mind and squealing in horror and suspense and then excitement for what's to happen in the sequel. This is the closest a book with the heist and found family trope has come to reaching the Six of Crows duology (which is an all-time favourite of mine) and I'm so happy and excited that I had a chance to receive and audiobook arc of it and have it keep me company when I was commuting to and from work everyday. 

Maya Maroya brought all the characters to life in a wonderfull way, with subtle changes in tone and accent to tell them apart, that blended seamlessly in the narrative of the story.I will definetely be on the lookout for more books narrated by her. 
Hafsah Faizal entered my reading radar in the best way possible, by giving me a book I simply know that's going to be on my top ten of the year. Definetely recommend it to all !

Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for giving me an audio ARC. 💜 Y'all slay. 💜

I listened to the first fifteen chapters and was confused, so I had to start over. There were parts at the end where, if I didn't pay attention, I became very confused.

I liked all the characters, but Archie was a little annoying. I started to like her after learning about her past; then she became more interesting. There was a lot of telling and not showing. She is very cruel and evil, but we don't know why—only that "nobody dared to say anything to Archie Casemir; she was dangerous"—but besides that, I loved the book.

Can't wait for book 2. 🫶

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC.

I went into A Tempest of Tea expecting dark, atmospheric vibes and a unique spin on vampires, and I wasn’t disappointed! The narration really brought White Roaring to life, pulling me into the shadowy world of bloodhouses, tea, and conspiracies. While I loved the found family dynamic and the banter between the crew, I’ll admit that juggling all the POVs sometimes made it tricky to stay fully invested in each character’s journey. That said, the worldbuilding was rich and immersive, and the blend of cozy tearoom charm with a gritty underworld kept me hooked. The heist itself felt a little chaotic at times, but the stakes were high, and I was rooting for Arthie and her crew all the way through. If you’re into lush fantasy worlds, vampire lore, and stories where the lines between allies and enemies blur, this is one to pick up.

I have to be honest, while the premise of this book was extremely promising, the first 70% of this were a drag. The narrator talks at such low volume that I had to listen to this on a far louder setting than any other audiobook or music which was a little annoying as well.
As for the story itself, it was confusing and I could never remember the character names at first. Near the end however the story picked up and I enjoyed it tremendously. I'm looking forward to the next book now but it's sad you have to struggle through more than half the book until you reach the point where it gets good.

I enjoyed this book and narration.
It has an interesting fantasy setting with found family and a heist.
I liked the story and character development.

I was not aware this was an audio book.
I tried but it was too difficult to follow. I got a physical copy myself but not reading it anytime soon hence the short review for now…

I did hear a lot of positive reviews for this so I want to stay neutral and put it at 3 stars

I was really excited about this book—vampires, tea, and a dark, mysterious atmosphere are exactly my cup of tea. With comparisons to Peaky Blinders, I had high hopes for the vibe. The setting of the tea-slash-blood house, Spindrift, offers a unique atmosphere and intriguing lore. I found myself wanting to spend more time in this fascinating place, exploring its mysteries and getting to know the characters who frequent it. The world building was good, but I wished there was more of it.

The characters were where things got a bit tricky for me. With multiple protagonists to follow, it felt like there wasn't enough time to really connect with any of them. I ended up feeling a bit detached from their journeys, not really getting to know them and I kept getting them confused. Each character had potential, but their stories often felt scattered, making it hard to get fully engaged.

The central heist, which I expected to be the book's big, exciting moment, didn't quite hit the mark for me. The concept was exciting, but I struggled to keep up and got confused about the stakes and the characters' motivations. I had a hard time keeping track of what was happening and why, but maybe that's just me! Despite these issues, there were some great elements in the book. The political intrigue and scheming added an interesting twist, and there were plenty of moments with genuine wit and charm. The author's playful spin on the traditional vampire story, mixing a cozy tearoom with a dark, underworld vibe, was a real delight.

While my experience with the book was a bit of a mixed bag, it might still be a great fit for you. If you’re into a blend of cozy tea culture with dark vampire elements and enjoy a good heist, plus don’t mind multiple points of view in a YA setting, this could be the perfect read for you!

I quite enjoyed the narration for this one but I did find it to be a little mumbly in parts.

The actual story itself wasn't too bad, character development was interesting and enjoyed a lot of the nuance of the overarching story.

I did get a little confused as to how some of the heist went down and relistened to the chapter but it wasn't a huge part and I could work out vague details so was able to continue on with relative ease

The story was absolutely amazing - one of my favourite reads this year and the narration was brilliant.

I like to listen to audio books on a slightly higher speed and the audio was still just as immersive when I did this. I would definitely listen to more books read by this narrator.

DNF - chapter 18.

The narrator of this was wonderful, however, the story itself was not for me at all. I found it all too convoluted, so much prep and build up for the heist but not much of anything happening. I found that there was not a need for the amount of POVs - basically it should have been the 2 siblings POVs the additional one added nothing. Was very YA - marketed as peaky blinders like….it wishes.

I have seen lots of people very much enjoyed this and I am glad! But not for me at all

Really struggled to get into this one.

I don't know if it was the narration or the delivery of the actual writing.
It seems a bit lacklustre and put together on a whim

An interesting read, not something I’d usually pick up but I was hooked from the start and can’t wait for more

This book just had all the right *vibes*. I'm a sucker for a heist fantasy adventure and this one started strong and just kept running.

Loved the audio. The narration was spot on. Loved the plot. It was a great read. The heist was entertaining. Would have loved to have more backstory for the characters. It was a fast, easy read

Eine wunderbare Geschichte über Freunde, die zu Familie werden, die um ihr Zuhause kämpfen und dabei in einen Strudel aus Ereignissen geraten, mit dem sie nicht gerechnet hatten. Die Welt ist atmosphärisch, schön beschrieben und nachvollziehbar aufgebaut. Die Charaktere sind liebenswert und machen interessante Entwicklungen durch. Bin gespannt, wie es weitergeht!

"Why save the world when you can have tea?"

When Hafsah Faizal started teasing about this book, stating it was "Peaky Blinders meets King Arthur with vampires and a heist", I knew I just had to get my hands on it somehow.
Such a description put the bar very high for me and I'm so happy to say, Faizal ate and left no crumbs.
February/March was really my vampire era because I was also reading An Education in Malice at the same time. And I just love how authors are able to take a mystical creature, add their personal touches and create a whole world around them.
The wordlbuilding here is incredible. You can feel how much research the author did to make sure she created such an authentic and meaningful. Everything is so vivid, especially with the audiobook. The narrator did such an amazing job, transporting me in White Roaring, making me feel all the feels and the vibes just right.

This story is one that shows how a band of misfits can come together and create a wonderful found family. In the words of Arthie, "Family isn't who we live with, but those we would die for." I loved seeing how they all interact with each other, the banter, the fights, how they showed each other love, how they fought for one another.

But most of all, this story is about colonisation and the actual impact it has on people. I feel like it's something that is glossed over in history books. Colonisation is presented as something that happened, a long time ago. Something that we should all get over because it's done, and there is no visible consequence today. Well no, colonisation is still happening everywhere in today's world and it's important to have these conversations.
Here Faizal tackles the issue brilliantly. She's not afraid to actually say the words; and it makes you reflect and ponder about how we deal with colonialism today.

Sidenote : I had read We Hunt The Flame but not We Free The Stars at the time of listening to this book, and I had zero difficulty understanding everything. While both series are set in the same world, they can be read in whichever order you prefer.

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan UK Audio and the author for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll start with the narrator, I really enjoyed them. Their voice was brilliant and really fit the vibe and helped immerse the reader.

I was very excited for this book but unfortunately I just don’t think it was quite for me. But that’s okay, not everything is. I do think a lot of other people will appreciate this book and really enjoy it though! For me the pace was a bit all over the place and I also didn’t care much for the heist overall. It felt rather drawn out and I just couldn’t concentrate.

However I did really like some of the characters and thought they were genuinely pretty cool. Whilst I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I was hoping, I do think many others may find their favourite book in this.

Just a lil side note: this cover?? Beyond gorgeous! I also purchased the Waterstones Exclusive with the most gorgeous sprayed edges and it has to be one of my favourite covers this year!

“Why save the world when you can have tea?
I enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the next one when it comes out.

If not for reviewing purposes and me having already pre-ordered this book(and me hating myself apparently) I would and probably should have DNF'd this book.

This has to be my most disappointing reading experience so far in 2024.

he writing style was INSUFFERABLE and it's a real talent to make a plot that is this straightforward be so confusing! The story is so bogged down in dialogue & was trying so hard to be ~quotable~ that it ended up coming across unnatural, clunky & pretentious. The characters were flat caricatures of "British gangster" clearly written by someone who isn't British.
You're really trying to tell me that royal guards are intimidated by two teenagers? Because she "knows secrets"?? PLEASE be for real.

The narrator added nothing but to make the whole thing more insufferable.

Predictable, cringe-worthy and wholly disappointing, I honestly do not know what would have saved this book,

I went in to reading this book knowing that this was a heist book with a vampire twist, and I loved it. I hadn't read anything by Hafsah Faizal before, but i definitely will now. I loved the concept of the teashop Spindrift as a front for a blood den for vampires, and I thought the world building was really well done.

I love a book with a group dynamic, i wish all of them had POV chapters! Personally Flick was my favourite POV to read. All characters have their secrets, and I can say i did not see some of them coming at all. I did enjoy Arthie immensely, and i was a big fan of her dynamics with Leith and Matteo.

As someone who is British and half Indian, colonialism was explored really well. I hope we get more development of the different countries in the next book because i'm very interested! Speaking of, i had no idea when i picked it up that it was going to be a duology and im so glad because i want to be in this world for longer!

I will be talking about this book on my youtube channel! Thank you for approving me!