Week 14 Reviews: A Magic Steeped in Poison, A Venom Dark and Sweet

From Goodreads:

For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.

When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making—she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning's only chance to save her sister's life.

But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.

From Goodreads:

The enthralling conclusion to Judy I. Lin's Book of Tea duology—A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet—is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.

A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept the people bound in fear and distrust.

Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shi—a wielder of magic using the ancient and delicate art of tea-making—has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess' loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning's newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen's rightful throne.

But the golden serpent still haunts Ning's nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. An evil far more ancient than the petty conflicts of men has awoken, and all the magic in the land may not be enough to stop it from consuming the world...

My Review:
Oh man, these books were so fantastic to read! I dived right into this world with this tea competition, of Ning who isn't the one that trained to do this but on a quest to save her sister. There was so much going on in these books, and I couldn't get enough! 

Ning wasn't really trained to be a shennong-shi, that was her sister, Ning was trained by their physician father. But her mother passed from a poison tea, and her sister is hanging on by a thread because of the quick actions of their mother before she died. Given that Ning was the one that served the tea, she's dealing with a lot of complicated emotions when she finds out about the competition. But given that it's a chance to save her sister, she jumps at it. 

The main plot of the first book is the tea competition. It sets everything up, the history and politics of the country, which is pretty important given that not that long ago, there was rebellion within the imperial family, and now the adopted son of the general, the Banished Prince, who was a part of this family, is back, with questionable motives. I really enjoyed their interactions! 

Then the sequel really dives into the magic and politics, and we get to see a wide variety of places in this world, and learn more, about the enemy and what they were planning and how to oppose it. That ending, oh, that was rough, and I felt so badly for these characters, but they made it through! 

These were really amazing reads, and I can't wait to read more by Judy I. Lin! 

Author: Judy I. Lin
Series: The Book of Tea #1, 2
Read: April 2nd, 3rd, 2023
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2023 Books, and A Magic Steeped in Poison is a DAC Book, and A Venom Dark and Sweet is a End of Series 2023 Book and a Sophomore Challenge 2023 Book! 
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Published: March 29th 2022, August 23rd 2022

A Magic Steeped in Poison:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Venom Dark and Sweet:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars