A Magic Steeped in Poison

The Book of Tea, Book 1

By: Judy I. Lin

Narrated by: Carolyn Kang

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Judy I. Lin's sweeping debut A Magic Steeped in Poison, first in a duology, is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.

I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is "These are the hands that buried my mother".

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.

©2022 Judy I. Lin (P)2022 Listening Library

Stunning original tale

This is a wonderful book that captivates it’s readers. It has LGBT love interests MM AND FF as well as drama, betrayal and a beautifully written storyline. Can’t wait for book two

Loved it, can't wait for the next book.

If your looking for non-stop action and magic battles this isn't the book for you. It is not a quick-paced book, but I found it engaging and enjoyable. I related to the main character and understood how she felt. The descriptions were wonderfully done without being too descriptive and boring, I drift off if authors dive too much into the description. This was an original story and I enjoyed the magical world the author created, the narrator did a wonderful job, and will look for other books she's narrated.

Amazing

It's been awhile since a book that has vividly drawn a mental picture for me while listening. I could picture every detail and scene. This book is great. The start is slow. The middles picks up and runs with the story all the way to the end. Each turn of events surprising me. The ending hand me on the edge of my seat and I am ready for the next book.
The narrator fits the feeling of this book perfectly. Her inflections on words are precise. The slight difference in her voice acting for each character is distinct. Good job!

SO good

loved it! The story is enthralling and reader engaging. My only issue was sometimes the differentiation between Ning's narrative and actual dialog wasn't the clearest. However, this became less of an issue the further in I got as I became more familiar with the character and reader.

Left a lot to be desired

About the same level of writing as any other typical YA. Good for teens but leaves a lot to be desired for more experienced readers

THIS BOOK IS PERFECT

No notes.
I’m only writing more because there is a word minimum. No notes. NO NOTES.

The Magic of Tea and Trust

I enjoyed this story that mixed traditional practices of tea and a little martial arts with vibrant healing magic and poison. The main character is strong and smart and the supporting cast of characters raise the beautifully painted scenes to life.

Stunning

A very interesting premise. The heroine wasn’t silly or unreasonable. The system of magic is fully developed with clear rules and guidelines. LGBTQ+ characters

Credit well spent

Great story,. Great story teller.

Love this book. The narrator was great and the story was interesting. As son as the action got started, the book was over and I can't wait to start the next one.

Underwhelming

Not my favorite. To lengthy descriptions that didn't add anything to the story and just really slowed things down. Plus though creative the magic system was complicated and hard to understand, especially towards the end of the book where things shifted more to the super natural which hadn't been foreshadowed at all.