A Tempest of Tea
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4.1 • 19 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A #1 New York Times Bestseller
From the New York Times–bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly-anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom.
On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind 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—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. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After mauve-haired, brown-skinned Arthie Casimir—an orphaned youth from a colonized island who lives on the streets—gains notoriety for drawing the legendary pistol Calibore from a stone, she opens Spindrift, a popular tearoom by day and a "bloodhouse" covertly frequented by vampires and their thralls at night. Arthie and her staff, along with her chosen brother Jin, who reads as East Asian, gather the secrets of their moneyed patrons, using their influence to improve their own lives in White Roaring, the impoverished capital city of the gluttonous Ettenia empire. Arthie soon learns that the monarchy's armed guard is plotting to take ownership of Spindrift and shut it down for good, until a ranking guard presents Arthie with a deal: retrieve a stolen ledger capable of destroying the guard to save Spindrift, and possibly bring down the monarchy as well. In this captivating duology opener, Faizal (We Hunt the Flame) crafts a steadfast love letter to the security of found family, the strength and struggles of immigrants thriving in the face of violent colonialism and white supremacy, and the wondrous experience of a good cup of tea. Faizal draws on well-known adventure tropes then delightfully subverts them via sumptuous writing, making for a sublime heist novel and revenge tale. Ages 14–up.
Customer Reviews
LOVED IT
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal is a high stakes heist with found family, POC vampires, morally grey villains, swoon-worthy romance, and revenge. That’s actually more than enough to sell me on this book, but it’s not simply the inclusion of all of those delicious elements that made this book so incredible. It’s Hafsah Faizal’s beautiful prose and the delivery on the gripping heist, shocking twists and betrayals, and of course, the romance. Told from multiple POVs, the story keeps you moving through the tightly paced plot between perspectives—each character more engaging and more charming than the last. This book will leave you debating over your favorites and truly every opinion is correct because this is one of my favorite cast of characters in a YA ever. I highly recommend this book to all YA readers because it has something for everyone!
disappointing
Tempest of Tea follows Arthie, the owner of a tea shop that secretly serves vampires late at night. When the shop is threatened, Arthie and her friends must plan a heist and sneak into the city's vampire society in order to save her tea shop. This book had a lot of elements that I thought I would like, but I ultimately don't feel like they fit together well.
The pacing was off, and I felt like too much time was spent planning the heist. At the same time, I felt the details of the heist were convoluted and I couldn't follow. (tbh, it could just be me.)
I also thought the world building surrounding the vampires was lackluster. Besides the fact that Archie's business illegally catered to vampires, I didn't feel like their existence really added much to the story. There was also mystery surrounding vampires being killed. That plot line was barely mentioned SPOILER: (and didn't really get resolved. I know this is supposed to be a series, but it felt kind of out of place that it was mentioned but not really investigated.)
I will say I enjoyed the relationships between some of the characters. I seeing their found family dynamics, learning about the main characters' histories, and the banter.