Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Release Date: February 20, 2024
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
From Hafsah Faizal, New York Times bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame, comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.
On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.
Calling upon a band of misfits, Arthie formulates a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not every member of her crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.
A Tempest of Tea, by Hafsah Faizal, is the first installment in the author's Blood and Tea duology. If you liked the thrill ride of Six of Crows, you will want to read this book. On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. She runs Spindrift, a tea room that doubles as a bloodhouse for vampires with her adopted brother Jin, who like Arthie, is an orphan. It's not exactly legal, but Arthie holds enough of people's secrets that the authorities haven't been able to get to her yet.
Even when Spindrift, (once a museum known as the Curio boasting artifacts stolen from the colonies), is raided by the Horned Guard, they are always just a minute or two late from catching Arthie breaking the law. But when her establishment is threatened by the monarch called Ram, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone. Arthie, who is Ceylani, watched her people as they were slaughtered by Ettenia colonists. She was the only survivor. Arthie likes to stir up chaos to get her revenge on the people who wronged her.
Before she ran Spindrift, she was an orphan on the streets picking the pockets of those who could afford it. It is there that she discovered Jin after his home was burned to the ground leaving them both as orphans. She is also the girl who planned a brilliant scheme where she pulled a pistol called Calibore from the stone. Calibore is no ordinary gun. The gun can change into any weapon of her choosing and can kill anything—even a vampire. Arthie's mission is to infiltrate the vampire underground compound called Athereum, run by Penn Arundel, steal the ledger, and guarantee that Spindrift doesn't face any more threats.
Arthie's crew includes Jin, Arthie's most trusted partner in crime, Matteo Andoni, a vampire and shameless flirt who has a delightfully obvious crush on Arthie, Felicity "Flick" Linden, the adoptive child of a female government official who only cares about her public image and very talented at forgery, which she has put to use numerous times. Then there is Laith. Laith is a high guard captain, the complete opposite of Arthie's profession, and the unlikeliest member of their group. He is also mysterious which makes Arthie uneasy as much as it attracts her.
What becomes clear during the heist, is that not everyone is on her side. As the heist progresses, Arthie finds herself amid a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Not only will Arthie find out about trusting people, but her own secret will be revealed, and the consequences will linger until the finale is released. It is especially dangerous that vampires have been taken and disappeared. There are so many threads that you have to weave and yet are left with a stunning cliffhanger ending.
*Thoughts* Even though there are clear similarities between Arthie, Kez Bekker (Six of Crows) and Severin (The Gilded Wolves), she's intelligent and sneaky, but also loyal and fiercely protective. I did not read the author's two previous novels, but I understand that if you pay attention to who Laith is and where he allegedly comes from (Arawiya) you might find a connection. Arawiya is a country that is said to have been under a curse until recently. A country that has not fallen to the colonists of Ettenia. One could compare Ettenia to the United Kingdom and The East India Company in this book called East Jeevant Company.
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