Un veleno dolce e scuro

The Book of Tea #2

by Judy I. Lin, Alice Casarini (translator)

Sono tempi bui per il regno del Dàxī. Il generale che era stato bandito è tornato per riprendersi il potere, favorito nell'ascesa al trono del drago dagli avvelenamenti di massa che hanno terrorizzato il popolo. La principessa Zhen è stata esiliata. Accanto a lei ci sono Ruyi, la fedele guardia del corpo, Ning, una giovane quanto abile shénnóng-tú, in grado di usare la magia attraverso l'antica arte del tè, e sua sorella Shu. Quattro donne in viaggio attraverso il paese in cerca di alleati per cacciare gli invasori e rimettere Zhen sul trono che le spetta. Ma il Serpente d'Oro perseguita ancora Ning nei suoi incubi, con visioni di guerra e carneficine. Un male molto più antico delle meschine scaramucce umane si è risvegliato, e neppure tutta la magia del regno potrebbe essere sufficiente per impedirgli di divorare il mondo…

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, Mythology, Magic, Young Adult Fantasy

333 pages, Hardcover

First published August 23, 2022

About the author

Judy I. Lin is the #1 New York Times-bestselling and award-winning author of fantasy and horror books for young adults, including the Book of Tea duology, Song of the Six Realms, The Dark Becomes Her and the upcoming Avatar Legends: City of Echoes. Judy was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Canada with her family at a young age. She grew up with her nose in a book and loved to escape to imaginary worlds. She now works as an occupational therapist and still spends her nights dreaming up imaginary worlds of her own. She lives on the Canadian prairies with her husband and daughters.

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

while this is a decent conclusion to the duology and everything is wrapped up by the end, i didnt find this as enjoyable as the first book.

the first book is full of magic, court politics, daring relationships, and wondrous tea making. this book… not so much. characters are separated, there isnt as much magic or tea making, and the dual POVs leads to a rushed ending.

i actually think this series might have been better had the books been combined into a single standalone. that might have fixed some of the problems i had with this.

regardless, i do enjoy the inspiration behind this series and would definitely still recommend the first book to readers looking for a fun, intriguing story.

↠ 3 stars

[zuza_zaksiazkowane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7

[☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

pre-read: the first book JUST dropped and this one comes out in august. nobody is working harder than judy lin.

-
read: 3.5 stars. mixed feelings on this.

on one hand, the writing is so… matter of fact. while it works in some places, it creates a disconnect in most that makes it hard to get into the story (especially at times when the plot is moving slowly).

on the other hand, the imagery was written fantastically, there was magical tea, and i also really enjoyed the last 15%. i think the problem is that it felt like the first 85% was all written as setup for the last 15%, and so i guess my main issue would be the pacing. (side note: there’s a lot of disappointment going around that this book didn’t have much romance- i really didn’t mind. if anything, i preferred it. considering the circumstances and where we left off on book one, any romance towards the beginning would have felt misplaced and put in only to please the audience. sorry! i said it!)

-
recommend: if you enjoyed the first one? absolutely!! my problems here were the exact same problems i had with book one, so i’d definitely recommend this to fans of the first.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is an overall solid, pretty standard YA fantasy series. I preferred how much more tea magic was in book 1 but the quest line plot was more interesting in book 2.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

LOVED THIS DUOLOGY SO FREAKING MUCH!

A high-stakes, utterly transportive, action packed conclusion to The Book Of Tea Duology!

“Soon there will no longer be an empire to rule, and we'll all reside in the serpent's realm of nightmares.
Soon none of it will matter at all.”

This was a beautifully laid out Chinese mythology-based tale of Gods, monsters, & the legends of shénnóng-shī. I cannot express enough how lush, beautiful, yet absolutely readable prose was! I fell even harder for this story than I could have ever imagined! Judy I. Lin’s take on the magical tea makers of Chinese legend is just SO original— an absolute breath of fresh air. I look forward to reading so much more from her!

I LOVED having Kang’s POV this time around! His tale of redemption was woven with care, and this tale is as much his, as Ning’s.

Ning was as kick ass as EVER ! I love seeing female POCs in SUCH. STRONG. ROLES! Ning is both lovely and kind, & cutthroat and vicious! She is a character I couldn’t help but fall deeper & deeper in love with !

“I want to kiss him, and hit him, in equal measure.”

Lmfao! Yas we loves this!
I ADORED (duh) the enemies to lovers dynamic present here, as I always do, haha. This is more of a background theme, but you can definitely still feel that tension!

Gah I just fell head over heels for this duology!

1000% recommend!!!


Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher—Fewel & Friends/ Macmillan, & Judy I. Lin for the e-arc!!!!

________________

these covers are just… my god… PLSSSSSSSS
🥹😍🤩

[Anindita ლ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I think that the first volume in this series could have been written as a standalone and the rest of the series combined into it. Though it's not a bad book, While this is a decent duology outcome and everything is resolved by the end, I didn't find this as enjoyable as the first book, which I thought was doing okay and that I still enjoyed.

The journey itself was enjoyable, but I found the pace to be too slow. Even in the first half of the book, the plot's intentions were hazy. The major characters' thoughts would take up one minute while there was a ton of action and magical events taking place in the next minute. The grievances were consistently the same, even going so far as to reiterate the overarching goal from the first book.

Another POV was introduced out of the blue, which also confused me. The narrative is told from Ning's and Kang's perspectives, and aside from Kang's perspective being told in the third person, both perspectives sounded the same. Actually, almost all of the characters shared a similar sound. It was challenging to get engaged in the story because the entire thing was told in a detached, mass manner. This story felt drawn out and repetitive because Ning's thoughts and emotions were constantly described rather than actually demonstrated, a flaw I was willing to ignore in the first book.

I'm not upset with this book overall, but I just left a blank when I was done. Beyond all else, I still consider that this was a clever concept that was poorly executed.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Part of what I really loved about this duology was the nostalgia it gave me for when I was reading YA as a teen. It was prior to the marketing explosion in this category that has made most YA aimed at an adult audience rather than a teen one (yes I am aware of the irony of saying this as an adult who reads MG/YA ;)), and it didn't feel like every series was trying to become a breakout best seller in the vein of HP, Hunger Games, etc.
Anyways, all that to say, this was very cozy to me because it gave me those early YA fantasy vibes that feels actually aimed at a teen market. I'm not totally sure this shouldn't have been combined with the first book to make a standalone, but overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the story that built on what the first book established.

[Elle]

edit: thank you

_____________

gonna need this now please

[Grace (irisroman & evajacks' version) ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I had really expectations going into this- and i'm really sad to say this was a bit meh... 😒😒 It definitely wasn't bad and there were some things I enjoyed about it, but it's nowhere near as good as the first book in this series, sadly 🥲🥲

“We all believe we are the center of the universe, but we forget we are merely specks among the stars. Moving through the streams of possible futures, sometimes colliding.”

A Venom Dark and Sweet is the second book in the Book of Tea duology, an Asian fantasy series that follows our mc Ning, who is a shennong- shi- a master of the ancient and magical art of teamaking. Without spoiling anything, this sequel follows Ning as she fights to save the kingdom from both a power-hungry tyrant and a great evil stirring that threatens to destroy everything she loves...

“Only you … only you…,” he wheezes. “Only you would call the god of nightmares … a scheming rat.”

I read the first book in this series, A Magic Steeped in Poison, earlier this year and it was soo good, so I had high hopes for this sequel- and unfortunately I finished this feeling a little bit disappointed😒 🫤

Starting with what I liked!! ✨️ Bc this was definitely not bad and there were some things about it I enjoyed. I must say, I really love this author's writing style- it just has this magical quality to it that I enjoy a lot 😍 I love the way she describes the Asian culture in this series and I'd definitely be interested in picking up more from this author 🫶🫶💜💜 I also think the climax and the second half in general was entertaining and resolved the series in a satisfying way 🥰

I also really like the mc in this series, Ning- she's gone through sm and I'm so glad she got a happy ending ❤️🫶

“The bond of family is a kind of magic all its own.”

Now onto the things that made this book a bit disappointing for me... 🫤🫤 Two of my major issues were the pacing and the romance. The pacing in this book felt quite uneven- for me, the whole first half felt like a waste of time 😬😬 Literally nothing was happening and I was getting so frustrated 🙈🙈 The second half did get more interesting, but I still think the plot wasn't progressing at a fast enough pace to get me super invested in the story 😒

For me the romance started out well in this series- in #1, it was super cute and I felt the chemistry, so I was excited to see more of Ning and Kang in this book. But... it just fell so flat 🥲🥲☹️☹️ I really didn't feel a whole ton of chemistry or tension between them, which was SO disappointing 😭😭 The romance was also nonexistent for the first half and by the time we saw more of them in the second half i was just so uninvested in their relationship 🫤

Also, kang's pov chapters?? Literally so bland. I was so excited when I saw this was dual pov so that was a big bummer... 🙈🙈

“Never forget, she told us. The world began with a dream. Our lives are the same. Keep dreaming, my daughters. The world is greater than you know.”

Overall, this was a decent read- a bit disappointing but also not bad 🫶🫶 I would still recommend this duology if you're looking for:

✔ Gorgeous writing
✔ Unique magic system
✔ Great asian fantasy series

I'm glad I finished the series but this sequel was nothing special 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

2023 Challenge: Book 98 of 110

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really wanted to love this one bc Book #1 was so good- but I ended up having mixed feelings 🫤 It definitely wasn't bad and I still think this is such a good Asian fantasy series, but the pacing and romance in this one just wasn't it 😬🫣

Still a decent read tho 💖💖🫶🫶

RTC!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

FYI, review contains some slight spoilers from the end of the first book.

Because it was coming out so soon after the first one, I wanted to dive right in so the first book was still fresh in my head. Then I spent almost a month trying to finish it... It was definitely two-fold: partly my own lack of interest in picking up any book and reading for the last month or so, and partly because the story just wasn't grabbing me.

The first book ended with a lot of movement, protagonists scattered, and then when this book starts it's...a lot of setup. We get this dual narrative suddenly between Ning and Kang, so we're seeing the palace from Kang's perspective and Ning's as she travels with exiled Zhen. Even though I JUST read the first one, there were so many I couldn't easily recall each palace traitor or lackey from the other (plus we'd never met them from Kang's perspective so their relationship/recognizable reactions to Ning were gone). It set a tone for me that I never really recovered from, unfortunately.

The outcome of final few chapters was also...fine. Look, endings are hard. It was serviceable, but didn't wow me. Ultimately I enjoyed the first one much more, with its promise of what was to come versus the actual execution of the conclusion. But I think I may be in the minority and, for many others, it will work well! I wouldn't be opposed to reading more by the author in a new world!

**FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Feiwel and Friends. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review.**

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. While I went in with minimal expectations, A Venom Dark and Sweet made for a solid first read of the year and a satisfying conclusion to what I consider an incredibly solid YA fantasy duology.

[Kalena ୨୧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars, a solid read but less intense than the first book

"We all believe we are the center of the universe, but we forget we are merely specks among the stars. Moving through the streams of possible futures, sometimes colliding" (194)

First of all, this cover is devastatingly stunning, just as much if not more than the first book. That's probably my favorite thing about this series, which might seem trivial, but I truly enjoy how gorgeous these books look together. I remember giving the last book five stars, but not remembering everything that happened in it. Unfortunately, this book didn't completely live up to the high expectations I had for it, but I think it was still a nice story.

One of the things that didn't click with me as much as the last book did was definitely the plotline. I absolutely adored the magical tea competition from the last book, but a lot of things were turned on their head during that time so obviously this book was going to be different. Instead, it's more of a journey to find a magical artifact to defeat this ancient dark being. That's all well and good but I don't think Lin's writing style complimented this as much as the last book's story. There were frequent time jumps that I wish had not happened, as it would've given us more time with the characters, and so I think this book felt a lot more plot-driven. It also really didn't feel like anything was incredibly important, there wasn't a lot of tension in that regard. What were supposed to be important moments just felt like every other moment to me, and the plot twists, well, I don't even remember them after reading this a few days ago so I am assuming there weren't any or it was not as good as the last book.

As well, the author's writing style is very gorgeous and has a ton of potential to create a very expansive and wonderful story, but like I said before I just felt that it didn't blend as well with this book. There was an attempt at more expansive world-building in this book, but in my opinion, it felt very confusing. I didn't really seem to be able to grasp what the author was trying to do, and it really didn't seem to expand on the world that much. I know it was supposed to be important what did happen, but I think there was some tension missing.

While the plot and writing style didn't combine as well as in the last book for me, the characters were still just as wonderful as the last book. Ning is the main character, though the reader also gets chapters from Kang's perspective which I would argue is very important. Ning is a magician who uses her tea to help people and is very determined to help her sister with her magic. That part of the story, as she was around her sister a lot more in this book, was really elevated and I loved that part of her character. As well Ning is just inquisitive and stubborn in her own right and is rightfully determined to achieve her goals. Kang as a character isn't as nuanced as I've read from some other books, but he's still really interesting in the context of his situation. I enjoyed how we got to see more from his perspective and understand more of his thoughts or motivations.

Another thing that Lin does very well is the tension between Ning and Kang, both in the previous book and in this one. They went from having a blooming connection in the last one, to it being very complicated because of the betrayals that happened in the palace. Obviously, this affects how they view one another and react to one another. I think the tension they still had between them was very well done, both of them were affected by what happened but still wanted to be close to the other person.

Overall, while this sequel didn't live up to my hopes as much as the first one did, there's no doubt that Judy I. Lin is an author to look out for. Her ability to create a really unique magic system with Chinese mythology is amazing and wonderful, even if some of the writing style doesn't always bring out everything in the story it could. The cover of this book is so stunning and I cannot wait to see what sort of books she writes next.

[TW: poisoning, knife wounds, death of a parent and brother mentioned, massacre, beheading, large insects, parasites, torture, forcible breaking of legs]

[Dr. Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to B2 Weird bookclub, Fierce Reads and Feiwel and Friends for a review copy in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.

4.5/5

A Venom Dark & Sweet picks up with Ning, Princess Zhen and their allies fleeing the palace to cure Ning’s sister of the poison and find proof that Zhen is the rightful ruler. But a greater evil than the Banished Prince is rising and Ning will need all her powers as a shénnóng-shī to defeat it.

This book was incredible!! I loved it so much. Ning goes on a journey and becomes even stronger. I loved seeing her character grow throughout this duology. In Venom we also get to see Kang’s POV. It took me a bit to warm to him. I really enjoyed him in Magic, but here we see his loyalties at war. Will he pick his father or will he pick Ning?

Venom dives more into Taiwanese and Chinese mythology. I loved the deeper connections between the gods and Ning’s powers that came about in this one. There was also a ton of action and tension, though the stakes definitely were higher in this one since the threat wasn’t elimination but death (or something worse).

All in all, I cannot recommend this duology enough! Also Princess Zhen is my fave along with her bodyguard.

Rep: Chinese coded cast. Cis female MC, sapphic female side characters, achillean male side characters.

[rêverie]

loved the concept + book 1 but I’m too tired to get into more fantasy rn. I’ll pick it up again someday hopefully!

[Jackie ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I regret to say that in two business I will have forgotten the entire plot of this book.

[Maks Kuznowicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

To jedna z tych dylogii, przy których potrzeba czasu, aby w pełni wsiąknąć w świat i poznać bohaterów. Akcja początkowo może wydawać się powolna, ale tylko zaczekaj na ten boski system magii, intrygi polityczne, herbaciane sekrety i niebezpieczną rywalizację, którymi warto się delektować…

Masz to szczęście, że po pierwszym tomie przychodzi „Jad z mroku i słodyczy”, gdzie akcja goni akcję, magia jest wspaniała i żywa, wątek romantyczny rozwija się na naszych oczach, a natura będzie Twoim nowym sprzymierzeńcem.

Pomimo że wolę kawę, to te tytuły najlepiej pije się w akompaniamencie herbaty. Podejrzewam, że zagorzali herbaciarze są jeszcze bardziej zachwyceni pomysłem na fabułę.

Magia tkwi w herbacie i osobie, która ją przygotowuje, a ja całkowicie w to wierzę! Sam rytuał parzenia jest duchowym i wyjątkowym doświadczeniem, a autorka uwydatnia ten aspekt i przenosi go na poziom wyżej. Rywalizacja o bycie shennong-shi dla cesarza nadaje tej historii wysoką stawkę.

Must read nie tylko na wakacje, ale też na inne pory roku!

[⋆˚°✩*˖ Gohnar23 (•˕ •マ.ᐟ ˚⟡˖ ࣪ · Rating 5 out of 5]

#️⃣3️⃣7️⃣2️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 🏩🌷🦩
Date :💮 Saturday, July 26, 2025 🌸🌸
Word Count📃: 94k Words 🧼💒

🦑 ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ 🍧

⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝ ♡ My 57th read in "Why is Kesha's latest album so good" 🩷 July

5️⃣🌟, once again...for the second time in a row with this series....THAT COVER IS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING GORGEOUS
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➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗

I really did enjoy this more than the first book because it really makes every single character shine even more with their respective pov's. All the political and messy court rulings and kingdom fights and wars are all handled in Kang's pov. All while the fun and adventurous ones are in Nina's pov.

The plot is extremely engaging to with its fast paced and an absolute great discovery of DA CURE FOR THE TEA POISON!!!!!!! Along with three other main characters, Nina go through a journey with many fierce battles and many things to learn along the way to help her get the things she needs.

AND THE ENDING IS JUST PERFECTTT, ALL THE DIFFERENT SUBPLOTS AND PLOTS ALL COMING TOGETHER AND MAKING THE CONCLUSION OF THIS DUOLOGY THAT MAKES THIS ONE OF THE BEST FANTASY BOOKS I'VE EVER READ.

there aint even that much romance scenes in here because the two of them don't even meet each other very much in this. (Which just makes it even better because i don't like damn unnecessary romance 😁😁😁😁)

[Avada Kaddavra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Auch das Cover vom finalen Band ist wunderschön anzusehen, ich muss diese fantastische Gestaltung einfach mal betonen😍
Die Geschichte setzt an wo Band 1 endete, startet direkt rasant und wird auch schnell blutig. Das hat mir sehr gut gefallen, da man die gehetzte Stimmung gut miterleben und mitfühlend konnte.
Trotzdem fehlte es mir insgesamt etwas an Spannung, an Tiefe zwischen den Charakteren und es haben sich auch einige Längen eingeschlichen. Auch die Hauptfiguren Ning und Kang wirkten eher blass. Die Teemagie kam viel zu kurz, das fand ich besonders schade, da sie ja eigentlich das Herzstück der Story ist.
Alles in allem würde ich diese Dilogie jedoch als gelungenes asiatisches Märchen bezeichnen, wobei die Bücher mit ihren wunderschönen Covern eine Zierde im Bücherregal sind💞

[S. ≽^•⩊•^≼ I'm not here yet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good duology overall, recommend it, but I liked the first book more, was more magical and unique in pouring tea...

[Casey Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the astonishing ending to the tournament in book one, the battle for the empire is just beginning in book two. Ning, Princess Zhen and Ruyi are joined by Ning’s healed sister Shu in exile. After the Banished Prince has seized the throne, the foursome of fierce females seek allies to fight the intruders and take back Zhen’s rightful place. Kang, meanwhile, traverses his new life in the palace and navigates his conflicting emotions. More dire than this civil unrest, a greater evil is brewing in the kingdom of Dàxi and the Gods have come to play. Can they arrest this evil and place Zhen back in her rightful role?

This ending to the duology was good, but I don’t think it lived up to its counterpart. While the magic in this world was explored, explained and on display a bit more, the book itself lost some of the magic that was present in book one. There was something so sweet and whimsical and beautiful about the first book that was not present here. It’s hard to explain, but the simplicity of book one and the uniqueness was unparalleled. The magic in the tea making. Book two kind of took it in a less unique direction, as far as plotline goes. We also get two POVs, unlike the first, which did serve a purpose but made it a difference experience. That being said, I still loved it! Solid 4 stars. It took a little bit to pick up, but once it does it’s very exciting. It’s much “bigger” than the first book, if that makes sense. Lin’s writing is beautifully sensory and so rich in culture. AND LOOK AT THOSE COVERS! I mean, come on! Overall, I absolutely adore this duology and I will cherish it forever. I don’t want you to think that I didn’t like it, because I loved it. I just can’t stress how much I lived for book one!

[Booktastically Amazing]

I may not be above begging. Thank you very much.

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was objectively better written than the first book, but I didn't enjoy it as much. That's not due to the quality of the story, rather just the tropes and story beats I prefer in books. Overall though, this duology was really good and I liked the expansion of magic in this sequel. This series is really underrated.

[akacya ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the sequel to a magic steeped in poison.

ning, the exiled princess zhen, her bodyguard ruyi, and ning’s sister shu travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help take back princess zhen’s throne. but they have many enemies, including the golden serpent…

i really enjoyed all the action in this, especially toward the end, where it was more prevalent. the writing, as in book one, was so beautiful and really immersed me into the story. also, the moments between kang and ning really made me tear up, and i’m sad this is the last time i’ll see them☹️

[Sahiba · Rating 2 out of 5]

too much military content, not enough tea content

[Cortney - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the first book in this duology, but whatever made the first one so great was missing from the sequel. It was fine, but that's all it was.

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

+3
“El sabor de tu culpa, de tu vergüenza. ¡Es tan dulce!”

Esta novela no ha sido mi taza de té. Aún así me gustaría decir algunas cosas buenas sobre esta novela.

-La señora escribe muy bien.
-Está mejor que el primer libro.
-Tiene muy buena imaginación.
-La novela está llena de color.
-El trasfondo y el folclore que crea es precioso.

Recomendable.

[TheCrazyFanvergent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mille mille grazie ancora alla Oscar Vault per avermi inviato una copia di questo libro!!

Non ho molto da dire, ritengo che il libro abbia mantenuto le aspettative del primo e sia stata una conclusione più che degna alla dilogia

Seppur sia vero che rispetto al primo libro questo era un po' più 'sottotono', la cosa ha ovviamente i suoi perché: mentre in 'Una magia infusa di veleno' era tutto molto più misterioso e movimentato dato che la protagonista, Ning, sta partecipando alla sfida per diventare shennong-shi e nel frattempo trovare una cura per la sorella mentre finiva in mezzo ai misteri di corte, qui abbiamo abbandonato il palazzo e siamo perennemente in viaggio insieme ai protagonisti per un solo e semplice motivo: sopravvivere. Per la maggior parte del tempo si fugge e le 'avventure'/side quests che i protagonisti affrontano sembrano più situazioni di contorno per quello che resta il loro obiettivo principale, ovvero cercare di restare in vita continuando a proteggere quelli che amano
Non è una situazione che mi è ha infastidita, ma solo perché QUI ha senso: Ning non è la protagonista, almeno non della guerra. Lei è un personaggio secondario nelle vicende del regno, in questioni politiche e magiche che sono più grandi di lei. Non ci avviciniamo quasi per niente agli assetti politici del Generale o della Principessa, sappiamo i loro piani ma non davvero come li metteranno in atto e, soprattutto, non lo vediamo, perché i nostri occhi in questa storia appartengono a una ragazza che prepara il tè e che viene da uno dei luoghi più poveri del regno e da un ragazzo che dovrebbe diventare il nuovo principe ma che viene tenuto quasi sempre all'oscuro di tutto quello che accade attorno a lui (tra l'altro la scelta del doppio pov per questo libro è stata molto apprezzata, ed è stato bello entrare nella testa di Kang per un po')
Allo stesso tempo, però, quello che fanno, seppur 'piccolo' e 'secondario' ha comunque un suo perché nel disegno più grande della questione e della guerra che si affaccia, a mostrare quello che Ning stessa spesso dice e si ricorda: siamo tutti fili che fanno parte dell'arazzo del mondo.

Una cosa che però, sfortunatamente, mi ha lasciata un po' persa è stato l'ordine magico. Nel primo libro era molto più contenuta la questione magia, riferita solamente al potere e alla magia del the e quasi per niente venivano descritti e sviluppati gli altri poteri inerenti alle altre forme del sapere (l'erudizione, la guerra ecc). In questo libro, invece, tutti gli ambiti del sapere avevano un loro ruolo nella questione della possibile sconfitta del Serpente, e quindi tutti e 4 sono stati nominati e usati. Mi sono sentita un po' persa perché mi è sembrato che, quasi all'improvviso, questi mi venissero presentati e venissero usati senza però che io avessi ricevuto le basi necessarie per comprenderli fino in fondo. Mi sono sentita come se mancasse una spiegazione dettagliata, solida sul come e sul perché funzionino gli altri tipi di magia e, seppur sia vero che a noi interessa principalmente quella del the, è anche vero che in un fantasy una corretta descrizione del worldbuilding, lunga il giusto e non riduttiva, è necessaria. Qui invece a volte, purtroppo, si sentiva uno stacco abbastanza forte tra il primo, che sembrava quasi 'normale' perché 'limitato' dall'unico tipo di magia davvero presentata, e la realtà di questo libro in cui la presenza fantasy era decisamente più forte, e a gran ragione, giustamente - dopotutto, il nemico agiva per mezzo della magia e solo il potere degli dei poteva aiutare i protagonisti - ma questo passaggio di intensità poteva/doveva essere un po' più graduale e lasciare meno un senso di cosa improvvisa (magari dando esempi delle altre tipologie di magia più forti nel primo volume). Non è una critica pesante, giusto un'accortezza che però probabilmente avrebbe dato alla dilogia un'idea della storia più compatta di come invece è risultata

Nonostante questo appunto e nonostante sia, comunque, un libro che risulta meno attivo del precedente, continuo a ritenerlo un buon finale: giusto, comprensibile, forse all'apparenza 'spento', ma in realtà molto in linea rispetto a come la saga si è sempre presentata. Mi ha ricordato un po' la dilogia di Catturiamo la Fiamma, anche perché e per come hanno sconfitto il Serpente e, anche se qui non siamo allo stesso livello di quella dilogia, non per questo vale di meno.
Ritengo che meriti molto, soprattutto per l'idea di base del the che, in base alla sua preparazione, produce un incantesimo diverso, ma anche per la crescita della protagonista, per i rapporti tra i personaggi, i colpi di scena che ti tengono incollatə alle pagine e le descrizioni così poetiche e così piene di metafore che quasi ti cullano nella loro semplice bellezza.
Se poi consideriamo che è la dilogia d'esordio della Lin, non posso che restarne affascinata ancora di più e aspettare con ansia il suo prossimo volume in seguito ai bei ricordi e alle grandi potenzialità che questa saga mi ha lasciato

[zaczytana_julcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

pierwszy tom bardzo mi się podobał, ale duża część książki była dość powolna, jednak później fabuła i akcja zaczęły się rozkręcać, a samo zakończenie było naprawdę świetnie poprowadzone (i szokujące). w tym tomie jest bardzo podobnie, tyle że tutaj jednak dużo większą część książki jest powolna, a „dziać się” zaczyna dopiero na około stu ostatnich stronach. i czy to źle? z jednej strony tak, bo momentami mocno dłużyła mi się ta książka i czasami musiłam się zmuszać do jej czytania, ale z drugiej prowadziło to do czegoś większego, ważniejszego i było właśnie dobrym wprowadzeniem do tego (ale no mogłoby się dziać trochę więcej zwłaszcza w tej pierwszej połowie).

jeśli chodzi o resztę to bardzo lubię ning i kanga (główną parę bohaterów), a postacie poboczne (jak księżniczka zhen, jej strażniczą i sióstr ning przede wszystkim) były również bardzo ciekawe i miło mi się o nich czytało.
judy i. lin pięknie pisze, ale w sposób łatwy i przystępny dzięki czemu czyta się to absolutnie szybko.

ja osobiście kocham wszystko co chociaż zahacza o azjatycką kulturę, więc ta dylogia w jakimś stopniu skradła moje 💗

3,75/5⭐️

[Meli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enthält Spoiler zum Vorgänger!

Der zweite und letzte Band der Dilogie geht schon in eine andere Richtung als der Vorgänger, wo der Wettbewerb viel Platz einnahm, wodurch der Handlungsort eingeschränkt war und man auch ein langsames Tempo hatte. Hier fand ich es schon schade, dass Nings Magie und auch die Teemagie nur noch eine kleine Rolle spielten.

Hier geht es nicht nur um den Konflikt zwischen dem General, der die Macht an sich gerissen hat, und Prinzessin Zhen, die zusammen mit Ning auf der Flucht und auf der Suche nach Hilfe ist, sondern auch um alte Mächte, die ihre Finger im Spiel haben. Das war auf jeden Fall eine andere Art der Spannung, aber ich mochte auch die Intrigen und Geheimnisse im Vorgänger, hier gibt es eher Action und klare Gegner, die es zu besiegen gilt, wodurch die Handlung auch etwas vorhersehbar ist.

Zwischen Freundschaften, Bündnissen und Loyalitäten gibt es auch die Liebesgeschichte mit Kang, die noch komplizierter ist als zuvor, da er als Sohn des neuen Regenten zu den Feinden gehört. Er sieht aber auch die Probleme, die der Machtwechsel mit sich bringt und das bringt ihn in eine schwierige Lage.

Insgesamt konnte mich das Finale einfach nicht mitreißen, ich fand die Handlung nicht so spannend und die Magie konnte mich nicht so faszinieren wie im Vorgänger.

[Shannon Miz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

I quite liked the first book in this series, and was pretty excited to dive into this sequel/finale! I must admit, I struggled a bit to recall what exactly had gone down in the first book, so it did take me a minute to get back into the world. But it ended up being a pretty solid, if a bit safe, sequel. 

First, we are given points of view from both Ning and Kang- one from first person, one from third, which is a trend I am seeing a lot of lately, and plan to write a post about sooner than later. Anyway, because they are split up, this makes sense. Ning is on the run, because of some political shenanigans from the last book which I won't get into, and Kang is being groomed as the next leader of the kingdom. Not the rightful leader, mind, but the leader nonetheless.

So it's pretty exiting, in that everyone is basically afraid for their lives and trying to both survive, but make sure that their respective sides end up on the throne. Here's the thing: While I absolutely appreciated this, I didn't feel a sense of actual danger? Like sure, I knew that cognitively the characters were technically in danger, running for their lives and from their foes, but... I just didn't actually feel it?

But the story is good, even if I didn't feel the sense of urgency, and I enjoyed the characters and their growth.  The world-building was really good too, I loved how unique and well done it was. Overall, a solid ending that certainly tied the story together.

Bottom Line: A solid, albeit safe-feeling conclusion that left me satisfied.

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight