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chainsawmochi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It is very, very rare for me to read a book so good that it leaves me dazzled at the end, craving more, the taste of it lingering on every fold of my brain. "A Tempest of Tea" is one such novel.
Heists. High Stakes. Vampires. Tea Houses. A government rotten from inside. Anti-Colonial Understanding and Exploration. A main character with more tricks up her sleeve than a magician, and a supporting cast so varied and beautiful that they make the perfect found family in the end.
Yet the ending left me in shambles.
"A Tempest in Tea" is the story of Arthie, of her adoptive brother Jin, and the teahouse they own and run together. It is also a story about lies and half truths, about finding the people you belong with, and learning to love them despite their flaws--or, perhaps, because of them. Arthie here plays somewhat of the part of King Arthur, bringing together a full round table of Victorian flavored fantasy knights. Each of them has their own role to play, their own reason for their actions, and all of them are expertly woven into the overall story by Hafsah Faizal's beautiful, tragic writing.
No words were lost upon this book. "A Tempest in Tea" is a delight to read, with pulse pounding action and a wonderful exploration of character. Faizal dives into the lives of multiple characters, with the majority of the main cast being PoC's living in a Victorian-styled, colonizing country. A land that is not their own, and a country that sees them as 'other.' A country where they have carved out a small piece for themselves and planted their hearts. The writing is delicious and tender at times, while being biting and blinding a moment later. Faizal has a way with words that paints a beautifully harsh world; a world so like our own that one could hold it up as a mirror.
This review may be all over the place, and for that, I apologize. I just spent the last hour or so devouring the last third of this book. While it starts off slow, "A Tempest of Tea" ends with a bang--and then another. I await the follow up with hushed breath, eyes wide and mind ravenous for more from this world and these characters. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Heists. High Stakes. Vampires. Tea Houses. A government rotten from inside. Anti-Colonial Understanding and Exploration. A main character with more tricks up her sleeve than a magician, and a supporting cast so varied and beautiful that they make the perfect found family in the end.
Yet the ending left me in shambles.
"A Tempest in Tea" is the story of Arthie, of her adoptive brother Jin, and the teahouse they own and run together. It is also a story about lies and half truths, about finding the people you belong with, and learning to love them despite their flaws--or, perhaps, because of them. Arthie here plays somewhat of the part of King Arthur, bringing together a full round table of Victorian flavored fantasy knights. Each of them has their own role to play, their own reason for their actions, and all of them are expertly woven into the overall story by Hafsah Faizal's beautiful, tragic writing.
No words were lost upon this book. "A Tempest in Tea" is a delight to read, with pulse pounding action and a wonderful exploration of character. Faizal dives into the lives of multiple characters, with the majority of the main cast being PoC's living in a Victorian-styled, colonizing country. A land that is not their own, and a country that sees them as 'other.' A country where they have carved out a small piece for themselves and planted their hearts. The writing is delicious and tender at times, while being biting and blinding a moment later. Faizal has a way with words that paints a beautifully harsh world; a world so like our own that one could hold it up as a mirror.
This review may be all over the place, and for that, I apologize. I just spent the last hour or so devouring the last third of this book. While it starts off slow, "A Tempest of Tea" ends with a bang--and then another. I await the follow up with hushed breath, eyes wide and mind ravenous for more from this world and these characters. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Colonisation, Classism, Genocide, Gore, and Xenophobia
Minor: Deadnaming, Grief, Blood, Murder, Racial slurs, Infertility, Police brutality, Body horror, and Emotional abuse
riverlasol's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
found family heist but WITH VAMPIRES?? This was a dream come true.
It fully delivered on the premise and I can't wait for book two!
It fully delivered on the premise and I can't wait for book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, Violence, Racism, Gun violence, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
christene_littlelibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A Tempest of Tea has an interesting and unique setting a tea shop for the vampire yet I found it a bit slow at the beginning. It was character driven but the character was bland and cold. Though I like Jin and Flick. And the unexpected twist at the end surprised me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Blood
stitchbooks22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Classism, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Six of crows + Vampires
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I instantly got sucked into this world! Hafsah Faisal does a great job of creating a world that you can visually see, and that really helped me to understand Arthie and Jin from the get go! I also loved how the book was written like a mystery, where different characters kept being introduced with unknown intentions that left me with the feeling I love whenever there’s a semi-unreliable narrator!
The characters were definitely the best part! I think my favorite is Mateo simply because his entrance was iconic and I was invested in the idea of him and Arthie from that very moment (we’ll have to see what happens there…).
My main issue with the book is that I was left kind of confused. Like, the first 60% or so of the book, I was genuinely confused about how parts of the fantasy world worked and what the point of the heist was (I’m still not even sure…). I also was annoyed by a few characters that seemed to do things that didn’t make sense for their character. Flick is the best example, because for some reason, she is both a high-society daughter so desperate for mother’s love that she’ll betray anyone to earn it back, but she’ll also change her name to distance herself from her mother. I mean, I guess people can be contradictions of themselves sometimes, but it still felt out of place. I also saw someone else on Instagram saying that her name didn’t fit her and I totally agree! I get changing Felicity, it’s just that Flick wasn’t really her vibe.
I really enjoyed the audiobook production! I thought that the bonus interview with Hafsah Faisal and her husband was really cool and had a lot of great insight! The narrator also did a phenomenal job with all of the different characters!
Overall, I am excited for the next book (especially after that cliffhanger), I just think that maybe I need to read We Hunt The Flame (which has been on my physical TBR for over two years) so that I can understand the world better.
The characters were definitely the best part! I think my favorite is Mateo simply because his entrance was iconic and I was invested in the idea of him and Arthie from that very moment (we’ll have to see what happens there…).
My main issue with the book is that I was left kind of confused. Like, the first 60% or so of the book, I was genuinely confused about how parts of the fantasy world worked and what the point of the heist was (I’m still not even sure…). I also was annoyed by a few characters that seemed to do things that didn’t make sense for their character. Flick is the best example, because for some reason, she is both a high-society daughter so desperate for mother’s love that she’ll betray anyone to earn it back, but she’ll also change her name to distance herself from her mother. I mean, I guess people can be contradictions of themselves sometimes, but it still felt out of place. I also saw someone else on Instagram saying that her name didn’t fit her and I totally agree! I get changing Felicity, it’s just that Flick wasn’t really her vibe.
I really enjoyed the audiobook production! I thought that the bonus interview with Hafsah Faisal and her husband was really cool and had a lot of great insight! The narrator also did a phenomenal job with all of the different characters!
Overall, I am excited for the next book (especially after that cliffhanger), I just think that maybe I need to read We Hunt The Flame (which has been on my physical TBR for over two years) so that I can understand the world better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, Gun violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Abandonment
a_libra_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First off.
⭐ 5
I loved the story and characters.
⭐ 5
I loved the story and characters.
Thank you to Netgalley and FSG for this audio arc.
Maya Saroya, Thank you for bringing these characters to life.
This feels beautiful and fun and very fresh! Vampires, twists and tea. I love Arthie and I need every main character to be as fiery as she is. I am a huge found family lover and this book DELIVERS!
This is a very character driven book and the heist does take a backseat in act two and three, if you’re here for a heist you might not be happy. IF YOU WANT DRAMA AND PLOT TWIST… You want this book.
Spindrift is not just a tea house, it’s a home for everyone she loves and is afraid to love.
NOW Spoiler
Arthie being a vampire is very much in your face but it makes sense to distract you from other twists.
Jin turning into a vampire?? Trauma on trauma. I just want to give him a huge and find his parents.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Grief, Blood, Child death, Murder, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Medical content, and Medical trauma
abiofpellinor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Found family. So many plot twists. Fleshed out lore. Oh my gosh this was AMAZING. I need the rest of the series, like, NOW!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Gun violence, Abandonment, and Classism
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