Book Review | A Magic Steeped in Poison

After accidently serving the cup of tea that poisoned her mother, Ning is guilt-ridden, and now that same poison is slowly killing her sister.

Desperate, she enters the royal palace’s magical tea brewing contest for a chance to win the princess’ favor and save her sister. However, bloody court politics and backstabbing competitors make this far more difficult that she ever imagined.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin paints a lush world inspired by Chinese mythology and medicine. I really adored its poetic writing and how naturally the tea-based magic system blended in with the rest of the world.

However, this story could have benefited from further developmental editing since there are some logical inconstancies and careless character decisions that took me out of the story.

For instance, early on in the story, palace guards tell Ning that no contestant could bring in their own belongings due to the tea poisoning outbreak, and yet, the contestants in their very first trial are asked to purchase their ingredients at the market. This doesn't make sense to me. Wouldn't there be more consistent quality control if the contestants got to choose from the same ingredients? Wouldn't it make more sense to NOT risk poisoning the judges (who are the most important members of the court) since there doesn’t appear to be any royal taste testers?

On top of that, the characters are not-so sneaky and quick to divulge secrets, and honestly, I’m astounded they aren’t caught. If you’re looking specifically for court intrigue, Daughter of the Moon Goddess delivers better in that department.

Overall, I wish the story had spent a longer time brewing in order to create a stronger book because it had so much promise.

Thank you, NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : March 29, 2022

Publisher : ‎ Feiwel & Friends

ISBN : ‎1250767083

Pages : 384

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