Pages

Thursday, March 2, 2023

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin

 shennong-shi:  masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making.

"The true wielders of shennong magic have their unique specialties. Some brew teas for emotions--compassion, hope, love. Others are able to imbue the body with energy or encourage the drinker to remember something long thought lost. They move past the walls of the body and into the soul itself. ... The greatest shennong-shi can see the future unfolding, wavering in the steam over a well-brewed cup."
 


Plot:  A poisoned cup of tea killed Ning's mother, who was a talented shennong-shi; it also made her younger sister, Shu, dangerously ill. Ning has some of that same talent as her mother, but she is not skilled enough to heal her sister. But there's hope. If she can win the tea-making competition in the Imperial City she'll be granted a favor from the princess herself. And surely the princess will know how to save her sister.

So Ning travels to Jia to compete against dozens of other shennong-tu (apprentices). But the palace is full of lies and intrigue, and the tasks she must face are difficult. Ning feels very out of place. And there are enemies all around, some even trying to sabotage her. Luckily, she's also made a few friends, like Lian, a fellow competitor, and Bo, the young, handsome and mysterious stranger she met on her first day who has his own ties to the palace, and his own dangerous secrets. Just knowing him puts her life in danger. And she doesn't know if she can trust him, or anyone else in the palace, including the princess. She can only hope her shennong magic will be enough to show her the truth and save not only her life, but her sister's, too.

My thoughts: This is an enchanting and entertaining fantasy, and another enjoyable Buddy Read with Melody. Lin's descriptive prose really brings to life the Imperial Palace and City. And I loved the way she blends tea-making with magic. Ning is naive and sometimes rash; she's also bold and outspoken. She frustrated me at times, but overall I really liked her. And I loved watching her work her magic. The different kinds of tea and the unique spells they invoke were fascinating. Then there's Bo, whose real name is Kang; he was another favorite character. I wanted to know more about him! This novel has a lot of action, magic, intrigue and mystery, as well as several suspenseful twists along the way. My only complaint is the cliffhanger ending. (I never love those.) Luckily, the second book is already out, so Melody and I will just have to read it sooner rather than later. Be sure to check out her review of this book.

Happy Reading!

Melody's questions to me:
Q. There are a lot of elements featured in this story; e.g. the tea magic, the hieracrchy and political system within the palace, the history and cultures within the provinces of Daxi, and the various relationships amongst the characters, etc. Which of these stands out the most to you and why?
A. While I appreciated Lin's world-building, I'm always more drawn to characters and magic than to political systems or history and culture. And I found the tea magic in this book SO fascinating. That was probably my favorite thing about this book, followed closely by the characters. 

Q. Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed during your reading journey?
A. I loved the moments with Ning and Kang...when they worked some tea magic together and discovered new things about the other person, and especially when they were in the caves hiding together, and then kissed. That was a very good moment. 💗
 

28 comments:

  1. I loved this book a lot! Thanks for reading it with me and I can't wait to read the sequel! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm looking forward to the sequel, too! I hope everything gets resolved in it. :D

      Delete
  2. The cover is gorgeous! My library talked about his book recently. I might have to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds like such a unique fantasy. I'll have to add it to my list. Great review! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's an entertaining one. I think you'd like it!

      Delete
  4. It does sound like a magical read, and what a pretty cover! Nice that you don't have to wait for the second book! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is nice! I hate when book #1 has a cliffhanger ending and book#2 hasn't even been written yet. Waiting for resolution can be so excruciating sometimes. ;D

      Delete
  5. I'm not a big fan of cliff hanger endings either so that is good to know the 2nd book is out! This does sound really wonderful and I love the combination of tea making and magic. It seems so fitting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would have been really mad if we had to wait a year to read the next book! Luckily, we can read it next month, and hopefully it will resolve everything in a good way.

      Delete
  6. Hi Lark, a very fine review and what an interesting subject, the art of tea brewing and the magic powers tea can have. And in real life tea can help with alot as well: weight loss, health, relaxation. But as you say the characters are what matter in a novel and it sounds like the author has succeeded here as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The tea aspect and the magic of it was so fun and fascinating. Probably my favorite part of the book.

      Delete
  7. At one time, I was a devoted reader of fantasy books; not so much anymore. Still, this does sound like an interesting idea for a book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean. I used to read a ton of fantasy books when I was younger, but I rarely read them now. This made a fun change.

      Delete
  8. Nice review, Lark. Glad you enjoyed it and your buddy read :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melody and I always have fun...even when the books we pick aren't the best.

      Delete
  9. This does sound fun. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was nice to read a fun fantasy for a change; I don't read a lot of fantasy any more, but I used to love it growing up.

      Delete
  10. This sounds like a fun read and I love that cover!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've heard from others this one is good. It's on my TBR

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds delightful, a fantasy I'd read even though I normally don't read this genre.

    https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm not a fan of cliffhangers but I'm hoping you like the next book too.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This sounds really good! Cliffhangers are annoying but not so bad when you can pick up the next book right away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the saving grace of this cliffhanger! Otherwise, I'd be very upset. ;D

      Delete