By Meghan Mazzaferro
Content warning: violence, grief, death of a parent, medical trauma, torture, blood, vomit
Judy I. Lin’s YA fantasy debut is set in a world where magic is practiced by shénnóng-shī, masters of the ancient and magical art of tea making. Ning’s mother was a powerful shénnóng-shī, and the tea leaves speak to Ning as well, though it is her sister who is to study the magical art. After Ning brews a cup of poisoned tea that takes her mother’s life and leaves her sister’s body failing, Ning must enter a competition in the imperial city for the chance to win a favour from the princess if she has any hope of saving her sister’s life. But things in the capital are not all that they seem; Ning must face bloodthirsty competitors, nefarious court politics, a mysterious boy and scheming princess, and a country on the brink of disaster.
A Magic Steeped in Poison is an absolute masterpiece. Beautifully written, with a vibrant magic system, a complex plot full of twisting politics, and at the centre of it all, an imperfect girl desperate to save the life of her sister. What more could you ask for? Lin’s writing style is lyrical and emotional, and her descriptions of tea preparation are absolutely mesmerizing. The story surrounding this incredible magic system is complicated and captivating in the best way.
I don’t have a single negative thing to say about this book. From the excellently developed characters to the winding politics and the magic competition, everything about this book pulls you in and refuses to let you go. The story takes its time, weaving its way through the numerous plot threads and fleshing out Ning as a character. Though the plot moves slowly, the magic of Lin’s writing and the beauty of the world and magic system kept me engaged the entire time. I was so immersed in the story, so moved and drawn in, that I made a point to brew a cup of tea whenever I sat down to read, just to feel more connected with what I was reading. Even the one relationship that I felt developed quicker than I would normally like had a beauty and simplicity to it, complicated and corrupted by the world in which these characters find themselves, so it was impossible to hold that against the story.
The characters in this book are beautifully fleshed out, and Ning is one of my favourite YA protagonists in some time. She is imperfect and flawed, but also vibrant and strong and easy to relate to. She is driven by the love of her family and is thrust into a world she does not understand; I think we can all relate to that in some way or another. The side characters in this story are not all fleshed out to the same degree, but their roles in the story help propel the plot and we learn enough about them to get invested in how they will figure into the plot of book two. The most interesting side characters are definitely Bo and the princess, who will each play a major role in the story going forward.
I am intrigued by how this story will progress in the sequel, which is coming in August! It looks like things will be expanding within both the political and magical conflicts, and I can’t wait to see where things go.