A Magic Steeped in Poison
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-30 07:19:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Judy I. Lin
- ISBN：B09B8N5QLR
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
I used to look at my hands with pride。 Now all I can think is， "These are the hands that buried my mother。"
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。
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。
Reviews
Zoe
，
This is an engaging read， with an enchanting tea-based magic system。 It is the first in a series， and I have already requested an ARC of the sequel！
Raena Pellichet
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Okay this book is so good， wow！ I love that the magic is used through tea and the story itself is really interesting and engaging。 But mainly I just can’t believe that this author would just go and end the book like that。。。 Now I have to immediately try to find an early copy of book 2 because I HAVE to know what happens！！
Maddie （Inking & Thinking）
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4 Stars RTC
Jessica
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What an amazing fantasy debut。 A Magic Steeped in Poison entices readers with a gorgeous cover and keeps readers turning the pages with a beautiful story。 Lin has created a whimsical， fast-paced， thoroughly enjoyable read。Ning is a magician learning the art of tea-making seeking to save the life of her sister。 Lin weaves together love， grief， duty， and loyalty， bringing life to characters in a story that could easily feel too fantastical。 I enjoy fantasy， but I tend to worry about debut novels。 What an amazing fantasy debut。 A Magic Steeped in Poison entices readers with a gorgeous cover and keeps readers turning the pages with a beautiful story。 Lin has created a whimsical， fast-paced， thoroughly enjoyable read。Ning is a magician learning the art of tea-making seeking to save the life of her sister。 Lin weaves together love， grief， duty， and loyalty， bringing life to characters in a story that could easily feel too fantastical。 I enjoy fantasy， but I tend to worry about debut novels。 There is a part of me that enjoys the unknown; however， there's always that part that worries that I'm about to waste my time。 Boy oh boy， did this novel surpass all expectations。 The characters are interesting and likable， the story is engaging， and although it is not a unique structure， the concept and approach are very original。Very fun， quick read。 I can't wait for what Lin has in store for us next！ 。。。more
Kimmy
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3。5 stars rounded up
Mahnoor
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I am glad I received this ARC through NetGalley， and this does not influence my review。 I loved the world building， there was a thorough depiction of the culture。 Personally， I don't think I can look at tea the same way again （lol）。 The competition had me thoroughly invested， and in a way it reminded me of the book Spin the Dawn。 The romance was disappointing in my opinion， there was no chemistry。 Also I wanted a certain someone to have been the Shadow， but it wasn't。。。 Anyways， I will probably I am glad I received this ARC through NetGalley， and this does not influence my review。 I loved the world building， there was a thorough depiction of the culture。 Personally， I don't think I can look at tea the same way again （lol）。 The competition had me thoroughly invested， and in a way it reminded me of the book Spin the Dawn。 The romance was disappointing in my opinion， there was no chemistry。 Also I wanted a certain someone to have been the Shadow， but it wasn't。。。 Anyways， I will probably be reading the sequel。 。。。more
Paige
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Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: A Magic Steeped in PoisonAuthor: Judy I。 LinBook Series: The Book of Tea Book 1Rating: 4/5Diversity: Chinese charactersRecommended For。。。: young adult readers， fantasy， historical fiction， Chinese mythology， Asian Literature， court intriguePublication Date: March 29， 2022Genre: YA FantasyAge Relevance: 14+ （death， Grief， Murder， Mugging， Violence， Gore， Classism， Sickness， Romance）Explan Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: A Magic Steeped in PoisonAuthor: Judy I。 LinBook Series: The Book of Tea Book 1Rating: 4/5Diversity: Chinese charactersRecommended For。。。: young adult readers， fantasy， historical fiction， Chinese mythology， Asian Literature， court intriguePublication Date: March 29， 2022Genre: YA FantasyAge Relevance: 14+ （death， Grief， Murder， Mugging， Violence， Gore， Classism， Sickness， Romance）Explanation of Above: There is death shown and mentioned in the book and there is violence， including a mugging and physical violence， shown in the book as well as gore with blood。 There is also murder mentioned in the book and grief is shown and described。 Classism is discussed and shown in the book。 There is sickness mentioned in the book。 There is some slight romance in the book。Publisher: Feiwel and FriendsPages: 384Synopsis: 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。Review: I really liked this book！ The book is inspired by Chinese mythology and it reminds me a lot of Spin the Dawn with the whole competition thing。 The book is a fun read and there’s a bunch of twists and turns。 The book was well developed and written。 The world building was well done as well as the character development。The only issues I had with the book are with the intrigue and the pacing。 The book contains a lot of political and court intrigue， which I felt muddled the plot down a bit。 The book is also a bit weirdly paced。 The beginning is fast and confusing， and then it slows down immensely。 The book is still full of action， but it’s just a bit weirdly paced。Verdict: It’s a good book！ Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Rebecca
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This book was such a delight。 Okay yes it starts with poison and contains murder， rebellion， and lots of danger。 But TEA！ I love love love tea and reading about the different types and additives and how it's used as a conduit for shennong-shi was fabulous。 The vivid descriptions of the tea， the aromas， and the process of preparing， brewing， and serving the tea was so interesting。 The story of the poisonings and further intrigue at the palace captivated me， while Ning meeting some seriously lova This book was such a delight。 Okay yes it starts with poison and contains murder， rebellion， and lots of danger。 But TEA！ I love love love tea and reading about the different types and additives and how it's used as a conduit for shennong-shi was fabulous。 The vivid descriptions of the tea， the aromas， and the process of preparing， brewing， and serving the tea was so interesting。 The story of the poisonings and further intrigue at the palace captivated me， while Ning meeting some seriously lovable people made me smile。 There was a splash of romance， but not enough to overpower the story or Ning's thoughts and actions which I really appreciated。 The longing to help her sister and avenge her mother， while also thinking about all the suffering people was so strong and really made me love Ning even more。 I loved watching her grow into her power and all the amazing things she was able to accomplish。 I can't wait to see more of her and her magic。 The world building was the sweet spot of interesting and unique， without any info dumping or pieces that were hard to reconcile。 The story flowed just right and I never really wanted to put it down because I could not be sure where it was going。 I loved the ending and need to get my hands on the next one ASAP。 Thanks to the publishers for a digital review copy。 。。。more
Xiran Jay Zhao
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The magic in this was SO COOL it's based on different types of tea？？ Like different tea does different magic depending on the leaves and how you prepare it？ JUDY， YOUR MIND- The magic in this was SO COOL it's based on different types of tea？？ Like different tea does different magic depending on the leaves and how you prepare it？ JUDY， YOUR MIND- 。。。more
CYIReadBooks （Claire）
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A Magic Steeped in Poison is author， Judy Lin’s first book in The Book of Tea duology。 It is everything that a teen and YA fantasy should have — action， adventure， magic， light romance， and mystery。There are quite a number of characters and Lin deftly fleshed out and developed the entire cast。 Some characters I liked。 There were other characters that I didn’t like and a few of them were just suspicious and conniving。I enjoyed the Chinese theme， and the historical atmosphere。 It made for a fascin A Magic Steeped in Poison is author， Judy Lin’s first book in The Book of Tea duology。 It is everything that a teen and YA fantasy should have — action， adventure， magic， light romance， and mystery。There are quite a number of characters and Lin deftly fleshed out and developed the entire cast。 Some characters I liked。 There were other characters that I didn’t like and a few of them were just suspicious and conniving。I enjoyed the Chinese theme， and the historical atmosphere。 It made for a fascinating read。 However， the Chinese words used throughout the book were a bit distracting。 But， it did add authenticity to the story。The plot starts out simple enough， but it gets complex with twists and cliffhangers after each chapter。 It is suspensful and yet entertaining at the same time。While I didn’t appreciate stumbling over the Chinese words interespersed within the novel， I eventually realized that their inclusion added so much depth to the narrative。 Especially since there is a glossary at the end of the book。Overall， A Magic Steeped in Poison is deserving of five stars。 I can’t wait for the final installment of this duology， which is estimated to be release in August， 2022。I received a finished copy of the book from Bookish First。 The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions。 。。。more
Lisa
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Thank you to MacMillan and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review。 Magic Steeped in Poison in a highly anticipated release for me。 So after two slow reading months in both January and February I was excited to receive this earc。 This book lived up to all my expectations and I highly suggest it to everyone who lives fantasy and rich story building。 Just a warning do not go into this world hungry。I honestly don't know where to begin as to why I loved this story so much。。。。 Thank you to MacMillan and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review。 Magic Steeped in Poison in a highly anticipated release for me。 So after two slow reading months in both January and February I was excited to receive this earc。 This book lived up to all my expectations and I highly suggest it to everyone who lives fantasy and rich story building。 Just a warning do not go into this world hungry。I honestly don't know where to begin as to why I loved this story so much。。。。 There's a competition， a race against time to save Ning's sister， and a ton of court intrigue， but Lin takes time in her sto1rytelling; nothing felt rushed。 Giving the readers lush details about Dàxī， the food， and the magic experienced through the tea ceremonies。 I love the history and culture that Lin has weaved within her story and the friendship that grows between Ning and Lian。 All building up to the climax of the story that left me reeling （and uh now really begging for book 2）。 After an ending like that I know there's so much more in store and I can't wait to continue this journey。 。。。more
Littlefoot Reader
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Thank you so much to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Netgalley for a copy of this for the review！This novel was a beautifully lyrical written story about a "nobody" in a tea brewing competition。 When I first read the synopsis， I was intrigued with the premise and was not disappointed。Although I rated this as a 3-star book - this is not a book problem; it's solely a ME problem。 This book will delight any fantasy reader who enjoys a story about competition， intrigue， and politics。 It is Thank you so much to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Netgalley for a copy of this for the review！This novel was a beautifully lyrical written story about a "nobody" in a tea brewing competition。 When I first read the synopsis， I was intrigued with the premise and was not disappointed。Although I rated this as a 3-star book - this is not a book problem; it's solely a ME problem。 This book will delight any fantasy reader who enjoys a story about competition， intrigue， and politics。 It is additionally exceptional in that it is an #ownvoices Asian-inspired story。 There's not much to gripe about here。 We have intrigue， a bit of mystery， political power struggles， and beautifully described surroundings。 We have angst， a bit of romance thrown in - all while competing！My only gripe and why I found this difficult to read is the long descriptions - way more than my little eyes and brain could handle。 I am a plot-driven reader， followed up by character arc stories。 While the plot was there， it was prolonged and drawn out。 I feel a lot of what we read could have been left out and still achieved the same results。 The characters， while endearing， were not as fleshed out as I wished them to be。 Written in a first-person narrative which I love; however， there is a lot of repetitive dialogue。 A few other characters shared the main spotlight， yet we just didn't get to learn much about them。The cliffhanger at the end was WOW。 I will be continuing this series as， overall， it is a beautiful story， and I want to see where Lin will take us next！ Aside from my complaints， I realize this is a first in the series， so I'm hopeful we will see more character development in the next book。 。。。more
Julie • bujo。books
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Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。In this YA fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology， there is magic in the ancient art of tea making。 Ning's mother is a local tea master who is tutoring Ning's sister to be her apprentice。 However， poisoned tea blocks are cropping up all over the nation， leading Ning to accidentally poison them both， leading to her mother's death。 When the kingdom announces a competition to find the best tea maker in exchange Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。In this YA fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology， there is magic in the ancient art of tea making。 Ning's mother is a local tea master who is tutoring Ning's sister to be her apprentice。 However， poisoned tea blocks are cropping up all over the nation， leading Ning to accidentally poison them both， leading to her mother's death。 When the kingdom announces a competition to find the best tea maker in exchange for a favor from the princess。 Hoping to save her sister's life， Ning goes to the capital to compete by pretending to be her mother's apprentice。 This magic system was so intriguing I had to pick this up。 We essentially have a magic system that is entirely based on making potions， where collecting ingredients is imperative。 While the magic system was fairly original， I did not feel that the rest of this was。 The set up and the characters are par for the course for YA fantasy; nothing really stood out in my mind。 I wanted more from the worldbuilding and establishment of the magic system。 No egregious mistakes were made， but nothing really engaged me and I found my mind drifting while reading。 I think that this could really work for some readers， but this was underwhelming for me。 。。。more
Laura
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This was a very magical and artfully descriptive read where Ning who is gifted in the art of tea-making， different combinations of leaves gives different magical results， comes from a small village to compete in a competition。 She is already at a disadvantage to the other wealthy connected competitors in this competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making。 But is this competition a cover for something bigger happening within the court This was a very magical and artfully descriptive read where Ning who is gifted in the art of tea-making， different combinations of leaves gives different magical results， comes from a small village to compete in a competition。 She is already at a disadvantage to the other wealthy connected competitors in this competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making。 But is this competition a cover for something bigger happening within the court。 Is there a power shift or power play about to happen？ Ning is trying to find who is poisoning the tea bricks randomly and her mother was one such victim。 But her mother also has a past in this palace。There was a lot of intrigue， betrayal， a little romance， lots of magic and tea making。 The magic system in this book was very unique and I can't wait to see where the 2nd book takes us cause it was a cliffhanger in a way but it stopped at a satisfying spot but we have a lot of work to do or they do。 Lol I got invested。 Loved the Chinese and Taiwanese culture and royalty in the the story。 This cover is amazing and the 2nd book that is releasing later this year has a just as eye catching cover。Recommend if you are looking for a🍵strong female lead and cast🍵atmospheric settings🍵 unique magic system and the food and tea descriptions 🤌Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group， Feiwel & Friends and Net Galley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Erin
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90% politics， 10% tea magic…。and I loved it？？With entrancing， almost soothing writing and layers of political and personal complexity， A Magic Steeped in Poison was a delicious read that I devoured in one sitting。Though definitely slower-paced， it was the lore， the art of tea-brewing， the class divide， and the INSANE， mouthwatering descriptions of food that really made this book shine。 I don’t usually enjoy books that mainly focus on the politics of the world， but the author’s light hand made it 90% politics， 10% tea magic…。and I loved it？？With entrancing， almost soothing writing and layers of political and personal complexity， A Magic Steeped in Poison was a delicious read that I devoured in one sitting。Though definitely slower-paced， it was the lore， the art of tea-brewing， the class divide， and the INSANE， mouthwatering descriptions of food that really made this book shine。 I don’t usually enjoy books that mainly focus on the politics of the world， but the author’s light hand made it delightfully digestible and the twists and turns of court intrigue had me on the edge of my seat！I didn’t connect very well with the characters， but I *felt* for them — very deeply — which I think made the ending even more emotional。Spectacular， beautiful， heartwrenching！ 。。。more
Sydnie
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I love the feeling of the immediate pull into a new fantasy book。 A Magic Steeped in Poison had me hooked from the first few lines and， to be honest， I had been eager to read this book since I first heard about it。 I was so glad it did not disappoint！ The plot was unique and well-crafted like the perfect cup of tea。 The characters were dynamic， and each had their own conflictions and nuances that set them apart from one another。 This added intrigue and layers into the story， especially into the I love the feeling of the immediate pull into a new fantasy book。 A Magic Steeped in Poison had me hooked from the first few lines and， to be honest， I had been eager to read this book since I first heard about it。 I was so glad it did not disappoint！ The plot was unique and well-crafted like the perfect cup of tea。 The characters were dynamic， and each had their own conflictions and nuances that set them apart from one another。 This added intrigue and layers into the story， especially into the competition aspect of the novel。 The magical art of tea brewing and the story’s unique lore set it apart from other fantasy stories that might be of a similar fashion， but I was blown away by the beauty of the prose and the well written world of the story。 I am on pins and needles for its sequel！**Special thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley and Bookish First for providing an ARC of this title， though all views are my own** 。。。more
Nicole N。 （A Myriad of Books）
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I picked up an early bound manuscript from a publisher giveaway booth at the North Texas Teen Book Festival in March 2022。This book was incredibly engrossing from page one。 I’m fortunate to have been able to read this early copy but because it is such an early copy I wonder how much will have changed in the final book。 I loved the concept and these characters， along with the setting though I think a map and a index of characters and places would have been helpful （maybe the final book will have I picked up an early bound manuscript from a publisher giveaway booth at the North Texas Teen Book Festival in March 2022。This book was incredibly engrossing from page one。 I’m fortunate to have been able to read this early copy but because it is such an early copy I wonder how much will have changed in the final book。 I loved the concept and these characters， along with the setting though I think a map and a index of characters and places would have been helpful （maybe the final book will have these）？I’m all about books that deal with court politics and we have a purely unknown person， Ning， stepping into this world and the tea competition not even knowing what she will face simply because of her desire and dedication to her family。 I liked that Ning was able to discover more about her mother and father， and I also enjoyed how tangled up Ning became with the princess and Kang。 I thought the romance between Ning and Kang was a good slow build， though I wonder at this point how real everything was considering the events。I liked the friendship Lian and Ning built as they both felt a bit like outsiders and Lian was able to provide Ning with some insight。 I do hope we see her again in the second book。 I’m eager to know more about the Princess， Zhen， and how events will unfold regarding her throne。 I think there’s a lot happening， and I don’t think Zhen is naive but rather being pulled in many directions by her advisors who think her too young or look down on her because she is a woman。 I would be interested in a POV of her in the next book， but I’m highly unsure if that will happen。Again， an engrossing read and if you’re interested in fantasy with a historical twist and are looking for something not set in Western-style world then this book should definitely be on your radar。 。。。more
Jaime Fellis
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Lin has created a tale steeped in loss and revenge， one that is masterfully sweetened with a taste of romance and Taiwanese lore。 In A Magic Steeped In Poison， You'll follow Ning， a young girl that's reeling from the loss of her mother while fighting to save her ill sister。 You'll travel with her to the Imperial City as she competes for the coveted position of the Royal Shennong shi in hopes of winning royal favor， perhap the only way to obtain information to save her beloved sister。 The stakes Lin has created a tale steeped in loss and revenge， one that is masterfully sweetened with a taste of romance and Taiwanese lore。 In A Magic Steeped In Poison， You'll follow Ning， a young girl that's reeling from the loss of her mother while fighting to save her ill sister。 You'll travel with her to the Imperial City as she competes for the coveted position of the Royal Shennong shi in hopes of winning royal favor， perhap the only way to obtain information to save her beloved sister。 The stakes couldn't be higher for Ning as she navigates the magic tea competition and quickly learns that deception and treachery lurk around ever corner。 This is a beautiful story filled with rich atmosphere and beautiful Taiwanese Lore。 While the politicking and competition aspect is fully engaging， I found the truly magnificent moments to be the quiter introspective ones。The on page magic took my breath away and the relationships forged in this first installment have me eagerly anticipating the sequel。 A Magic Steeped In Poison isn't a book that has me pulling all nighters to know what would happen next。 Instead， It was a story that kept creeping into my thoughts when I was away from its pages， quietly calling me back。 I think that's a special sort of bookish magic。 。。。more
Shannon
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