Book review: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Six of Crows meets The Coldest Girl in Coldtown in the first book of a new duology which sees a teashop owner assembling a heist team to infiltrate vampire high society.

A Tempest of Tea has been on many readers' 2024 wishlists - it's got an intriguing premise, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous cover and tons of hype behind it. Sadly, I think it'll leave a lot of readers disappointed. For me, this novel was a case of great ideas let down by mediocre execution.

Since heist stories often hinge on a group of characters working together, characterisation and interpersonal relationships are so important to get right. And unfortunately, the relationships in this book were definitely its weakest point. Specifically, the romantic relationships were written very strangely - awkwardly paced, with lots of contrived moments of tension. The dialogue, too, was clumsy at times; lots of the 'witty banter' between characters simply fell flat. The characters themselves had potential to be interesting, particularly Arthie and Jin, but I didn't end up feeling attached to them.

Ultimately, I think that A Tempest of Tea suffers from trying too hard to be the new Six of Crows. From the setting - a Victorian London-esque fantasy world, to the 'charming rogue' characters, to the writing style. Which is a shame, because the bits and pieces of originality were easily the best part. Faizal's vampire lore was interesting and creative, the tea shop was a great setting (unfortunately underutilised) and the fantasy worldbuilding worked well as a commentary on colonialism. These elements were enough to keep me invested in reading to the end of A Tempest of Tea, but I won't be continuing with the follow-up to this novel.

Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing a copy of A Tempest of Tea. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. A Tempest of Tea will be released on February 20th 2024.

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Rating:  2 stars | ★★✰✰✰ Review cross-posted to Goodreads

Book review: When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

A gorgeously atmospheric urban fantasy steeped in Polish mythology, which follows three unlikely allies as they spend a tumultuous 24 hours racing to find the legendary witch Baba Jaga.

When Among Crows is a surprisingly short novella, clocking in at just 176 pages. Usually, I'd consider that too little time to introduce and establish the rules of a complex fantasy setting, delve into the backstories and motivations of three main characters and allow readers to form an emotional connection with them. I stand corrected; When Among Crows might be the most successful fantasy novella I've ever read. Roth delivered on all fronts - beautiful writing, original fantasy worldbuilding, a wonderfully complex protagonist and intriguing side-characters with equally interesting backstories. I'm tempted to say that my only critique is that I want more, but I also think it was the perfect length for the story that Roth wanted to tell. Not every story needs to be 300+ pages, and this book proves it.

I haven't read anything from Roth since the Divergent trilogy, probably because I was a little jaded by the conclusion of that series. This novella has completely changed my mind about Roth as an author - I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from her now.

Many thanks to Tor Books for providing a copy of When Among Crows. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. When Among Crows will be released on May 14th 2024.

Publisher: Tor Books Rating:  5 stars | ★★★★★ Review cross-posted to Goodreads