This was a wildly frustrating experience.

The dual point of view is one of my least favorite choices, and the chapter by chapter switching made it borderline impossible to get engaged with either the plot or the characters. The mass amounts of exposition and minutiae were boring and extensive. I skim read most of this to just get done with it already.

The writer has a beautiful style, and the way language was used had so much potential! If the dual point of view had not handicapped the momentum so intensely I might have been able to enjoy it more. ( )

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book contains scenes of violence, blood, torture, forced institutionalism, poisoning, war, and deaths (on and off page) including the death of a parent on page. There are also scenes of captivity, blackmail, and grief in the novel. There is a toxic relationship between a parent and child, bordering on emotionally abusive.

A Venom Dark and Sweet follows directly on from the end of A Magic Steeped in Poison with Ning, Princess Zhen and Ruyi on the run after escaping the Imperial city. They narrowly escaped after the Princess was betrayed, a betrayal that saw The Banished Prince returning to Dáxi and seizing power. While Ning gained the secret to saving her sister’s life it came at a steeper price than she was willing to pay; the lives of her friends. Her time during the competition was nothing like she expected, with Ning making unexpected friends, allies and enemies. She’s caught the attention of an ancient evil, and it’s not done with her or Dáxi yet.

In the second book of The Book of Tea duology Lin ramps up the suspense and action. Ning’s sister Shu makes a fantastic addition to the cast of characters, bouncing off her sister and bringing out a side of her we haven’t seen before. If you thought the stakes were high in the first book, you’ve seen nothing yet. I was on the edge of my seat for every moment of A Venom Dark and Sweet. I enjoyed putting the pieces together and the Chinese mythology woven into the story.

This was a fantastic sequel that hit all the right notes for me, and I highly recommend picking up this duology if you like fantastic world-building, interesting magic systems and strong interesting characters.

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A much slower read than the first book, but still satisfying. The main characters seem to go from one dicey situation to another, but triumph in the end. ( )

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
“A Venom Dark and Sweet” is Judy I. Lin’s amazing conclusion to her duology that started with “A Magic Steeped in Poison.”
I love a good magic system, so this book’s unique form of magic was right up my alley. The concept of tea-based magic was fascinating. I loved to see how it was used. More importantly, I loved how it interacted with the culture that Lin had built.
I also really appreciated that this was not just another generic medieval European fantasy story. While it is growing more and more diverse, fantasy still often defaults to white. Yes, the world that is found in this book is imaginary, but it has its roots in a real culture. I find that the most powerful part of reading fantasy is that it allows us to explore outside ourselves and grow in empathy and understanding, so we need books like this. Books that challenge us to look past our own “normal” and recognize that there is so much more.
I recommend this book. Especially if you loved the first one. It is a great conclusion to the duology. ( )

A fitting ending to a strong fantasy duology.

Ning, the girl who nearly won the shennong-shi competition through her skilled wielding of tea as a source of magic, is on the run with Princess Zhen and her bodyguard, Ruyi. They bring Ning's healed sister as they flee across the continent in search of both human allies and magical relics that could help the Princess reclaim her throne.

Meanwhile, the boy Ning loved, Kang, is at court as the son of the Banished Prince, returned. Kang struggles to understand the competing agendas and magical powers at work in court as his father awaits an auspicious day to ascend to Emperor. He's also unhappy to find himself on the opposite side as Ning, the girl he still feels connected to.

Imbued with Chinese mythological influences, this book takes us beyond the teahouse and introduces additional forms of magic. While the other book took place mostly at court, the characters' travels in the sequel allow the author to show us the full breadth of the magical world she's created. While Ning and Kang didn't have as many scenes together as I would have liked - I always love a star-crossed romance! - I enjoyed the ones they did. This action-packed book takes the reader along a breathtaking journey to a surprising conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )