It's Tea Time Scoundrels
A Tempest of Tea is a new, young adult book by author Hafsah Faizal, it is the start of new fantasy duology.
Arthie deals in secrets, one being that her tearoom is also a bloodhouse for the vampires of White Roaring at night. She collects secrets from everyone, especially those in power, to help keep her friends safe and her tearoom in business.
Everyone in the town knows her name, some fear it and others wish they could deal with business like she does. When her tearoom is threatened, she has to strike up an unlikely deal, with someone who is the enemy. If they can complete this heist, then Spindrift won't be taken over and those in power would be threatened. But she can't do it on her own, needing to get together a band of other misfits to help with the plan.
With her is her best friend and brother Jin, who has quick hands and charisma for days, they enlist the help of a forger as well as an artist vampire and a boy who works for the guard they are against.
As their plan goes into action, Arthie starts to realize some of the secrets she ahs been keeping about herself are about to be exposed. An orphan who washed up on shore alone, who meet with a boy who lost everything, and acquired a pistol with magical abilities that was stuck in a stone. Arthie has things to hide, but those things might be the most important parts of this plan.
I absolutely adored this book.
I have not read the other two novels by Faizal, but I'm excited to reach for them in the future. Her story telling skills are amazing and I love how the images kind of jumped off the page as I read. Arthie, and her entire gang, is full of complex characters and emotions, with each person dealing in their own secrets and goals while trying to work together.
I loved the misfit group and their ties to each other and how that effected the story as a whole. The heist was fun, with a lot at stake and a lot more at stake after. There were a few twists I really enjoyed as well.
The POV changes each chapter, with Arthie and Jin getting the most. Their dynamic as characters is really fun, and I enjoyed their 'found family' nature.
The vampires in this book were also a fun touch, I liked how society viewed them but also how they held themselves. I'm excited to see how the sequel dives into the politics of this world after the events of this book.
Arthie was a very powerful character, who had obviously been through a lot and I enjoyed seeing how she handled what was thrown at her, but also how she got riled up by certain characters and certain secrets she was trying to keep.
This book had a vibe very similar to Six of Crows and the attitude of Peaky Blinders, but with the addition of vampires.
Overall, this book is probably one of my favorite I have read so far this year and I'm going to be waiting impatiently for the sequel to come out.
5 out of 5 stars
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