User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
pre-read: the first book JUST dropped and this one comes out in august. nobody is working harder than judy lin.
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read: 3.5 stars. mixed feelings on this.
on one hand, the writing is so… matter of fact. while it works in some places, it creates a disconnect in most that makes it hard to get into the story (especially at times when the plot is moving slowly).
on the other hand, the imagery was written fantastically, there was magical tea, and i also really enjoyed the last 15%. i think the problem is that it felt like the first 85% was all written as setup for the last 15%, and so i guess my main issue would be the pacing. (side note: there’s a lot of disappointment going around that this book didn’t have much romance- i really didn’t mind. if anything, i preferred it. considering the circumstances and where we left off on book one, any romance towards the beginning would have felt misplaced and put in only to please the audience. sorry! i said it!)
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recommend: if you enjoyed the first one? absolutely!! my problems here were the exact same problems i had with book one, so i’d definitely recommend this to fans of the first.
Rating: really liked it
HELP THE FIRST BOOK ISN’T OUT FOR 7 MONTHS AND ALREADY THE SEQUEL HAS A SYNOPSIS
AND A COVER TOO NOW???😭
Rating: really liked it
edit: thank you
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gonna need this now please
Rating: really liked it
Star Rating:
—> 5 StarsLOVED THIS DUOLOGY SO FREAKING MUCH!
A high-stakes, utterly transportive, action packed conclusion to The Book Of Tea Duology!
“Soon there will no longer be an empire to rule, and we'll all reside in the serpent's realm of nightmares.
Soon none of it will matter at all.”
This was a beautifully laid out Chinese mythology-based tale of Gods, monsters, & the legends of shénnóng-shī. I cannot express enough how lush, beautiful, yet absolutely readable prose was! I fell even harder for this story than I could have ever imagined! Judy I. Lin’s take on the magical tea makers of Chinese legend is just SO original— an absolute breath of fresh air. I look forward to reading so much more from her!
I LOVED having Kang’s POV this time around! His tale of redemption was woven with care, and this tale is as much his, as Ning’s.
Ning was as kick ass as EVER ! I love seeing female POCs in SUCH. STRONG. ROLES! Ning is both lovely and kind, & cutthroat and vicious! She is a character I couldn’t help but fall deeper & deeper in love with !
“I want to kiss him, and hit him, in equal measure.”
Lmfao! Yas we loves this!
I ADORED (duh) the enemies to lovers dynamic present here, as I always do, haha. This is more of a background theme, but you can definitely still feel that tension!
Gah I just fell head over heels for this duology!
1000% recommend!!!
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher—Fewel & Friends/ Macmillan, & Judy I. Lin for the e-arc!!!!
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these covers are just… my god… PLSSSSSSSS
🥹😍🤩
Rating: really liked it
Thank you to B2 Weird bookclub, Fierce Reads and Feiwel and Friends for a review copy in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.4.5/5
A Venom Dark & Sweet picks up with Ning, Princess Zhen and their allies fleeing the palace to cure Ning’s sister of the poison and find proof that Zhen is the rightful ruler. But a greater evil than the Banished Prince is rising and Ning will need all her powers as a shénnóng-shī to defeat it.
This book was incredible!! I loved it so much. Ning goes on a journey and becomes even stronger. I loved seeing her character grow throughout this duology. In Venom we also get to see Kang’s POV. It took me a bit to warm to him. I really enjoyed him in Magic, but here we see his loyalties at war. Will he pick his father or will he pick Ning?
Venom dives more into Taiwanese and Chinese mythology. I loved the deeper connections between the gods and Ning’s powers that came about in this one. There was also a ton of action and tension, though the stakes definitely were higher in this one since the threat wasn’t elimination but death (or something worse).
All in all, I cannot recommend this duology enough! Also Princess Zhen is my fave along with her bodyguard.
Rep: Chinese coded cast. Cis female MC, sapphic female side characters, achillean male side characters.
Rating: really liked it
loved the concept + book 1 but I’m too tired to get into more fantasy rn. I’ll pick it up again someday hopefully!
Rating: really liked it
I may not be above begging. Thank you very much.
Rating: really liked it
With the astonishing ending to the tournament in book one, the battle for the empire is just beginning in book two. Ning, Princess Zhen and Ruyi are joined by Ning’s healed sister Shu in exile. After the Banished Prince has seized the throne, the foursome of fierce females seek allies to fight the intruders and take back Zhen’s rightful place. Kang, meanwhile, traverses his new life in the palace and navigates his conflicting emotions. More dire than this civil unrest, a greater evil is brewing in the kingdom of Dàxi and the Gods have come to play. Can they arrest this evil and place Zhen back in her rightful role?
This ending to the duology was good, but I don’t think it lived up to its counterpart. While the magic in this world was explored, explained and on display a bit more, the book itself lost some of the magic that was present in book one. There was something so sweet and whimsical and beautiful about the first book that was not present here. It’s hard to explain, but the simplicity of book one and the uniqueness was unparalleled. The magic in the tea making. Book two kind of took it in a less unique direction, as far as plotline goes. We also get two POVs, unlike the first, which did serve a purpose but made it a difference experience. That being said, I still loved it! Solid 4 stars. It took a little bit to pick up, but once it does it’s very exciting. It’s much “bigger” than the first book, if that makes sense. Lin’s writing is beautifully sensory and so rich in culture. AND LOOK AT THOSE COVERS! I mean, come on! Overall, I absolutely adore this duology and I will cherish it forever. I don’t want you to think that I didn’t like it, because I loved it. I just can’t stress how much I lived for book one!
Rating: really liked it
love the emphasis into the medicinal side to tea for book two. wish the ending was more drawn out, this probably could have been a trilogy
Rating: really liked it
FYI, review contains some slight spoilers from the end of the first book.
Because it was coming out so soon after the first one, I wanted to dive right in so the first book was still fresh in my head. Then I spent almost a month trying to finish it... It was definitely two-fold: partly my own lack of interest in picking up
any book and reading for the last month or so, and partly because the story just wasn't grabbing me.
The first book ended with a lot of movement, protagonists scattered, and then when this book starts it's...a lot of setup. We get this dual narrative suddenly between Ning and Kang, so we're seeing the palace from Kang's perspective and Ning's as she travels with exiled Zhen. Even though I JUST read the first one, there were so many I couldn't easily recall each palace traitor or lackey from the other (plus we'd never met them from Kang's perspective so their relationship/recognizable reactions to Ning were gone). It set a tone for me that I never really recovered from, unfortunately.
The outcome of final few chapters was also...fine. Look, endings are hard. It was serviceable, but didn't wow me. Ultimately I enjoyed the first one much more, with its promise of what was to come versus the actual execution of the conclusion. But I think I may be in the minority and, for many others, it will work well! I wouldn't be opposed to reading more by the author in a new world!
**FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Feiwel and Friends. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review.**
Rating: really liked it
After the amazing ending of Judy I. Lin’s A Magic Steeped in Poison, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on A Venom Dark and Sweet, so I’m thrilled to be part of the book tour for this climactic conclusion to the duology! This book is as well written as the first one, and I found myself highlighting and noting many poignant and powerful lines as I read. Lin’s writing sucks you into a magical and dangerous world with vivid and immersive descriptions and dialogue, layered and compelling characters and plots, and the seamless inclusion of magic, mythology, and folktales.
The story is told from dual perspectives, showing both Ning and Kang’s journeys. I thought this was a particularly effective way to not only show what is happening in different parts of the world but to also explore the feelings and motivations of both characters. I always enjoy reading books from two or more perspectives, as it gives the reader a more intimate look at different characters’ points of view and their feelings about a variety of things.
Having Kang’s perspective is such a bonus. He was an enigmatic character in the first book, so I was glad to have a more in-depth view of him in this book. He goes through so much, and I felt for this young man who is incredibly torn, suffering terribly, and facing unfathomable obstacles. Ning is also a fantastic protagonist, and I was so engrossed in her journey, both physically and emotionally, throughout the duology. She learns a ton about herself, her family, and the world around her, and she shows tremendous growth over the course of the story.
The book has a unique cast of characters, and, in the midst of all the action, danger, political intrigue, and dangerous quests, there is also a lovely exploration of relationships, both familial and romantic. The sisterly bond between Ning and Shu is one of my favorites, as is the budding romance between Ning and Kang! There’s also a ton of suspense and intrigue, as well as a few twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Between assassination attempts, dangerous quests, the usurpation of power, mythical gods and creatures, there is never a dull moment.
I would definitely recommend A Venom Dark and Sweet if you enjoyed the first book, and I’d recommend the duology if you love YA fantasy. Special thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars
this was okay. the pacing was a staccato rhythm i didn’t enjoy. one minute there was a ton of action and fantastical events and another minute we'd spend angry or confused in the main characters’ heads. it was always the same kind of frustrations, even going so far as to repeat the end goal from the first book. it made
a venom dark and sweet a slog to get through. not to mention, i’m not okay with the pro-monarchy narrative (even if she is sapphic) but that’s a whole other thesis i don’t have energy for lmao.
the finale was great and i loved every magical moment, but they felt like an oasis in the middle of a dry desert and that's not how i wanna feel reading a fantasy. the magic was still fun and i'd recommend this to fans of book 1.
Rating: really liked it
I loved this duology and very much look forward to more from Lin.
Rating: really liked it
Review to come!
Rating: really liked it
3.5*
I quite liked the
first book in this series, and was pretty excited to dive into this sequel/finale! I must admit, I struggled a bit to recall what exactly had gone down in the first book, so it did take me a minute to get back into the world. But it ended up being a pretty solid, if a bit safe, sequel.
First, we are given points of view from both Ning and Kang- one from first person, one from third, which is a trend I am seeing a lot of lately, and plan to write a post about sooner than later. Anyway, because they are split up, this makes sense. Ning is on the run, because of some political shenanigans from the last book which I won't get into, and Kang is being groomed as the next leader of the kingdom. Not the
rightful leader, mind, but the leader nonetheless.
So it's pretty exiting, in that everyone is basically afraid for their lives and trying to both survive, but make sure that their respective sides end up on the throne. Here's the thing: While I absolutely appreciated this, I didn't feel a sense of actual danger? Like sure, I knew that cognitively the characters were technically in danger, running for their lives and from their foes, but... I just didn't actually
feel it?
But the story is good, even if I didn't feel the sense of urgency, and I enjoyed the characters and their growth. The world-building was really good too, I loved how unique and well done it was. Overall, a solid ending that certainly tied the story together.
Bottom Line: A solid, albeit safe-feeling conclusion that left me satisfied.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
