Book review of A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

An orphan and immigrant within the huge industrial metropolis of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir has made a reputation for herself because the proprietor of Spindrift, an progressive teahouse located on the intersection of the luxurious and dealing class sides of city. Alongside her adopted brother, Jin, Arthie is providing one thing distinctive at Spindrift—particularly to the town’s vampire inhabitants, which is  tolerated however not solely trusted, particularly below the regime of the Ram, the nation’s newest masked monarch. As insurance policies shift from hands-off ignorance to lively antagonism, the Casimirs notice the Ram intends for Spindrift to shut, a method or one other.

When Arthie receives a mysterious go to from Laith, a member of the Ram’s guard who claims to need to take down the Ram, she agrees to assist, regardless of understanding Laith is hiding his true agenda. Joined by allies comparable to a proficient forger from excessive society and a well-known artist who occurs to be a vampire, Arthie, Jin and Laith plan to problem the Ram by stealing a ledger containing damning secrets and techniques.

With A Tempest of Tea, Hafsah Faizal (We Hunt the Flame) plugs totally into the younger grownup fantasy zeitgeist whereas exploring the violence of colonialism, in addition to capitalism’s inextricable function in colonial enlargement and conquest. Vampires are portrayed pretty historically, with traits seen all through literature. Their sultry attract is on full show, and scenes the place our younger protagonists work together with the extra mature vampires are among the many novel’s strongest. While the multiple-perspective heist story is a well-recognized setup, A Tempest of Tea exemplifies many favored themes current all through YA novels: reevaluating familial ties, validating chosen household and exploring trauma’s function in character growth. Readers who get pleasure from Leigh Bardugo and Roshani Chokshi, are enthusiastic about vampires coming again into vogue, or are searching for historic fantasy and fast-paced, alluring drama will certainly drink up A Tempest of Tea.