The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: A Tempest of Tea

Series: Blood and Tea #1

Author: Hafsah Faizal

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Vampires, Romance, Family

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal master mind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by night, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it- and she can’t do the job alone. Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. – Summary from the inside flap

This book is not the Sands of Arawiya. I have heard many people say that this book is very different from Sands of Arawiya and they like Sands of Arawiya more. I will say this book is very different and is written very different. I think it helped that I read a completely unrelated book between We Free the Stars and A Tempest of Tea. It allowed me to get a little distance and be prepared for A Tempest of Tea.

I actually really enjoyed it. I think I will enjoy it even more when I reread it when the second book comes out. The story was intriguing, but the characters were where it really shined.

It was very Six of Crows-esque, though in terms of the heist it didn’t live up to the high expectations of Six of Crows. This doesn’t mean the heist was any less fun and well thought out.

I loved the characters. Hafsah Faizal has a way of writing characters that makes you love and understand them. We got the perspective of three different characters. The main character, Arthie, while great, I didn’t feel like I knew her until the final chapters of the book and even then. I hope she is developed more and more of her emotions are shown in the next book.

I am afraid there might be a slight love triangle in this book. I don’t love love triangles, but I also don’t hate them. But in this book, I didn’t feel a strong pull between any of the three in the triangle. I will admit that I was hoping for Liath and Arthie, but the ending had me reconsidering.

Jin stole the show. He was fun and emotional, and I felt like I really got to know him. I liked his banter with Flick (Felicity) and his interactions with Arthie. Flick was another character who I enjoyed but want a little more from.

The two other members of the crew were Matteo and Liath. I enjoyed Matteo’s carefree personality, and I hope we get his perspective in the future. Liath I was actually really enjoying for most of the book, but then some revelations were made at the end that made me reconsider. Maybe he will be able to redeem himself in the next book. Liath is also from Arawiya and a hashasin, so there were some indirect references to Nasir and Altair.

My absolute favorite part of the book was Jin and Arthie. They are siblings and I just loved their every interaction. I find that too often in books, sibling relationships are often missing. So, I especially loved this strong, caring sibling relationship. Especially since they were adopted siblings, but it wasn’t a big deal, and they were just siblings. I loved it! I think their strong relationship was shown throughout the whole book, but their love was really shown in the third-to-last chapter.

Of course, I also loved the vampires. While I loved the vampires in Once Upon a Broken Heart, I liked how the vampires in this story were much more a part of the story. I also enjoy how there are vampire politics. I did expect the vampires to be more trouble than they were, though.

I will say I love what Hafsah did with the phrase “Don’t think.” In Sands of Arawiya it was a slur and form of abuse. In this book it was a form of love and caring about another person. I really enjoyed how she took this phrase and changed it to have two meanings. I have no idea if this was intended, but I liked it.

I also really loved Spindrift. It is such a unique idea that I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed A Tempest of Tea and am super excited to reread it in the future. The story was fun, but the characters carried the book. The writing is different from Hafsah’s other books, but fun and new. I loved how she included a strong sibling relationship, which I find missing from many of the books I read. I am so excited to read the sequel later this year!

Quotes

“We were made for trouble, you and me.”

“Fear stops life, not death.”

“‘Stop punishing yourself by refusing to accept what you’ve become. Imagine your chaos, darling. Stop playing their games, and you can do so much worse.’

Her laugh was bitter.

‘You think I can just let go,’ she scoffed.

‘No. A wound must be tended to before it can heal, but oh my sweet, what you will unleash when you’re freed from that tether.’”

“Why save the world when you can have tea?”

“You’re lost, Felicity. And no one can find your way but yourself.”