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.

cover?! I physically want this book to just look at the cover and read it of course. :D

Actual rating: 2.75 stars

I was anticipating this novel from the moment I saw the cover and read the synopsis because I couldn't possibly turn down a Chinese fantasy featuring tea artistry/magic.

I really liked the characters, but aside from the main character, they were rather two-dimensional. I wish we got to know more about them and their involvement in the plot. I enjoyed the overall premise of the plot and the competition elements, but I felt like the pacing was a bit uneven at times.

In terms of the romance, this one was a little too instalovey for me. Their relationship was rather undeveloped and didn't really have much of a foundation. I hope their relationship will have more development in the sequel because I do see the potential. The relationship between the princess and her assistant was also vaguely described. It was definitely hinted that they had more than a friendship, so yay for queer representation in that case(??).

Overall, A Magic Steeped in Poison was a fun Chinese fantasy novel to read. Despite its flaws, the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading and I think fans of YA fantasy would enjoy it as well. I do look forward to reading the sequel to find out what happens next. ( )

Title: A Magic Steeped in Poison
Author: Judy I Lin

I love the cover it's so pretty. It's so sad the main characters sister is dying and if she wins the contest saving her sister would be a good prize like she wants. The fact she accidentally poisoned her and her mom must be hard to live with. I loved the quote that explained their beliefs in death: "Three souls contained within each of us separated from our bodies when we die. One returning to Earth, one to the air, and the final soul descending into the wheel of life." It's a nice way of putting how death works around this point is where I got hooked on the book. When she sold her only memory of her mom she had left in Nánjiāng was very sad. I agree with the makers of the game that they had to take a test to be let into the competition it'll help keep the cheaters out. I also loved how they gave them a price limit for the tea ingredients so make it more fair. The boy she met while shopping for ingredients my gut said don't trust him but later on he helped save the Princess from an assassin attempt. I don't want to go into more detail so I don't spoil the rest of the story for others but all around I loved this book and I would 100% reread it. ( )

A Magic Steeped in Poison is the story of Ning, a teen from a small village whose father is a doctor and mother a shennong-shi, that is, she did channeled magic through the making of tea. Her mother however, is now dead, killed by an undetectable poison someone has been putting into the tea leaves. Ning, who is not her mother's apprentice but her fathers, brewed the tea which killed her mother, and which nearly killed her sister. Now she must journey to the capital to compete in a competition being held to choose the next royal shennong-shi, and hopefully gain access to a cure for her sister. Much tea making and intrigue awaits.

I really liked this book. Ning is a great character, I was rooting for her from the beginning. She is in a difficult position, not having actually been an apprentice to her mother, but being desperate to help her sister, and the choices she make reflect this. I loved the descriptions of the tea making, both regular and magical. I definitely recommend having a cup ready to drink while you read! It was a fascinating magic system that I am eager to learn even more about in the second book. I also really enjoyed a lot of the side characters. Even the ones with small parts felt like real people. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait for the sequel! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )