Review: A Magic Steeped in Poison

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin

This has been on my physical TBR for sooooo long; I finally picked it up, and I was not expecting the chaos that is this book, oh lord. I am, unfortunately, a person who judges books by their covers (mostly), and this cover was absolutely gorgeous. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it. Of course, I was also drawn in by the plot and characters, but look at this cover and tell me it's not beautiful? Yeah, exactly, you can't. 

I have recently been a sucker for magical competitions and women who lie about their identities so Ning's attempt to win a magical tea-making competition to become the greatest shénnóng-shī? Hell yeah, you can count me in! The atmosphere and descriptions were breathtaking, and I loved the vivid pictures that Lin builds in this story. Lin creates an enchanting world that Ning and her companions travel through, trying to solve the mystery of the kingdom's poisoning and save her sister's life, as well as those who have also been afflicted with the poison. The central romance between Ning and Kang was tragic, but you know what was also tragic? The princess and her female bodyguard, with whom she grew up with! Originally, we start this story with Ning entering a tea-making competition posing as her sister, the apprentice of their shénnóng-shī mother, but as the stakes get higher, we see corruption, backstabbing, betrayal, lies, and danger lurking around every corner, eventually forcing Ning to face the truth or die. 

I liked seeing Ning grow into her powers and face everything through trial and error, though the magics behind the teas are a bit fuzzy since she also does not know, which I enjoyed! We learn as she learns, and boy, does she have to learn fast. The story devolving into something more than just a competition was very unexpected, but not unwelcome, and overall very enjoyable.