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Blood and Tea #1
A Tempest of Tea
Why save the world when you can have tea?
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 on some of the city's most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag 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.
From the New York Times—bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.
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 on some of the city's most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag 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.
From the New York Times—bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published February 20, 2024
3733 people are currently reading
194038 people want to read
About the author
Hafsah Faizal
12 books11.3k followersHafsah Faizal is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of WE HUNT THE FLAME, WE FREE THE STARS and A TEMPEST OF TEA, and the founder of IceyDesigns, where she creates websites for authors and beauteous goodies for everyone else. A Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, when she’s not writing, she can be found designing, playing Assassin’s Creed, or traversing the world. Born in Florida and raised in California, she now resides in Texas with a library of books waiting to be devoured.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,161 reviews
December 30, 2024
Unfortunately this is a huge DNF for me at @80% - yes, I don't even want to stick it out for the last 20% because I just don't care.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. This book tried way to hard to be Six of Crows and it came no where close in my opinion. All this planning and talking - like can you pull of the heist already?
The story is very character driven and the plot lacked majorly in my opinion. I kept zoning out, I couldn't stay engaged. In fact... I started this on my kindle and I really felt like I was having to put in major work, so I switched to the audio and omg it was just all down hill from there.
The only thing remotely close to Peaky Blinders is the setting of the story, and even that - I felt the world building was lacking.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. The 'romance' is cringe Arthie has the worst personality ever... that of a brick.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. The tea house sounded so promising but you never hear about it again after the first few chapters.
I'm likely in the minority here but I'm majorly disappointed.
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
Reminiscent of Six of Crows and a dash of Peaky Blinders- with vampires??? Say NO. MORE. 🖤
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. This book tried way to hard to be Six of Crows and it came no where close in my opinion. All this planning and talking - like can you pull of the heist already?
The story is very character driven and the plot lacked majorly in my opinion. I kept zoning out, I couldn't stay engaged. In fact... I started this on my kindle and I really felt like I was having to put in major work, so I switched to the audio and omg it was just all down hill from there.
The only thing remotely close to Peaky Blinders is the setting of the story, and even that - I felt the world building was lacking.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. The 'romance' is cringe Arthie has the worst personality ever... that of a brick.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ಇ. The tea house sounded so promising but you never hear about it again after the first few chapters.
I'm likely in the minority here but I'm majorly disappointed.
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
March 31, 2024
4.07
“That was the nature of man; born to nurture, determined to destroy”
I was initially going to give this book a 3.5 but the ending saved it + the author bias (hehe go read WHTF) I think my main issue was high expectations for a book that is completely different from what the author has written before and it felt to me as if Hafsah herself felt that this setting was new and was struggling with it at the beginning.
Her writing style is easily one of my favorites, easily captivating and bewitching which made reading this book so much more enjoyable and the pacing was fast too, with short chapters and high stakes so if you mix that up this book was bound to be good but the thing that I felt this book suffered from was:
1. Whenever I saw Hafsah describing this book, she always used to bring up the setting, which was a tea house by day and a blood house by night which intrigued me so much and I really thought that we would get more scenes with that setting but unfortunately this lacked that as it was just there for the first 10%
2. I found it so hard to like our main character Arthie, she didnt open up until the end...which I get what the author was trying to portray her as but it was not that well done because I could not connect with her for even a single moment and when you can not connect with the main character, thats a bummer!
3. Last but not the least, I found myself being confused at times (me issue) but I cant really blame Hafsah for it either because 😭 the same thing happened to me when I was reading Six of Crows, so I guess it's just that heist books are confusing.
I also can not leave the good parts out of this. Also, to let you know why I gave it a our stars:
1. The side characters easily stole the show, Flick was there and she was fine but my men Jin, Laith and Mateo fucking ate. They served so hard and made this book so much more enjoyable!! especially Jin and I was so glad the book was filled with his POV's because I had a blast reading them.
2. The romance, Jin and his flirting was the main event flick was again JUST THERE but it was Jinn who was shined and the other one was so good especially that once scene which I cant speak of HAD ME SWOONING which them turned to me screaming WHAT and then me BAWLING.
3. The action sequences were amazing and classy, especially the last one it had me at the edge of my seat.
4. The twists and the betrayals because let me tell you one thing Hafsah, I DID NOT DESERVE THAT AND I"LL BE BACK FOR REVENGE ( on a much better note: Can I get an arc for the next one pls?)
For the Hafsah Faizal fans, go into this with lower expectations and to everyone else, If you want a good, fast paced novel...this one is for you.
This part is for <а>"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1..."
I honestly did not think that it was like peaky blinders....I did think the setting and the overall vibe was similar but toned down but it was more like six of crows with a darker setting which is similar to peaky blinders but not quite like peaky blinders...so do not go in expecting it to be like peaky blinders.
Some quotes that I liked:
“The dark is no place for a dove.”
.
“Why save the world when you can have tea?!”
.
“Let me bleed for you.” (this part had me weak in the knees)
.
UPDATE: I JUST READ THE BONUS SCENE AND I AM SCREMAING 😭😭😭 OMG
~~~
Buddy reading this with Roxy because she was the one who forced me to read WHTF and I am forever grateful for it because that is one of my all time favorite duology and I saw why she loved. So, we both have been dreading for this book to come out since the past 3 years and now we finally have it 😭🖐🏻
~~~
My tbr must be crying rn 😭
I think most of the books on my tbr aren't even out yet and I am very excited for this one because hafsah did not disappoint at all with her duolgy!!
“That was the nature of man; born to nurture, determined to destroy”
I was initially going to give this book a 3.5 but the ending saved it + the author bias (hehe go read WHTF) I think my main issue was high expectations for a book that is completely different from what the author has written before and it felt to me as if Hafsah herself felt that this setting was new and was struggling with it at the beginning.
Her writing style is easily one of my favorites, easily captivating and bewitching which made reading this book so much more enjoyable and the pacing was fast too, with short chapters and high stakes so if you mix that up this book was bound to be good but the thing that I felt this book suffered from was:
1. Whenever I saw Hafsah describing this book, she always used to bring up the setting, which was a tea house by day and a blood house by night which intrigued me so much and I really thought that we would get more scenes with that setting but unfortunately this lacked that as it was just there for the first 10%
2. I found it so hard to like our main character Arthie, she didnt open up until the end...which I get what the author was trying to portray her as but it was not that well done because I could not connect with her for even a single moment and when you can not connect with the main character, thats a bummer!
3. Last but not the least, I found myself being confused at times (me issue) but I cant really blame Hafsah for it either because 😭 the same thing happened to me when I was reading Six of Crows, so I guess it's just that heist books are confusing.
I also can not leave the good parts out of this. Also, to let you know why I gave it a our stars:
1. The side characters easily stole the show, Flick was there and she was fine but my men Jin, Laith and Mateo fucking ate. They served so hard and made this book so much more enjoyable!! especially Jin and I was so glad the book was filled with his POV's because I had a blast reading them.
2. The romance, Jin and his flirting was the main event flick was again JUST THERE but it was Jinn who was shined and the other one was so good especially that once scene which I cant speak of HAD ME SWOONING which them turned to me screaming WHAT and then me BAWLING.
3. The action sequences were amazing and classy, especially the last one it had me at the edge of my seat.
4. The twists and the betrayals because let me tell you one thing Hafsah, I DID NOT DESERVE THAT AND I"LL BE BACK FOR REVENGE ( on a much better note: Can I get an arc for the next one pls?)
For the Hafsah Faizal fans, go into this with lower expectations and to everyone else, If you want a good, fast paced novel...this one is for you.
This part is for <а>"https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1..."
I honestly did not think that it was like peaky blinders....I did think the setting and the overall vibe was similar but toned down but it was more like six of crows with a darker setting which is similar to peaky blinders but not quite like peaky blinders...so do not go in expecting it to be like peaky blinders.
Some quotes that I liked:
“The dark is no place for a dove.”
.
“Why save the world when you can have tea?!”
.
“Let me bleed for you.” (this part had me weak in the knees)
.
UPDATE: I JUST READ THE BONUS SCENE AND I AM SCREMAING 😭😭😭 OMG
~~~
Buddy reading this with Roxy because she was the one who forced me to read WHTF and I am forever grateful for it because that is one of my all time favorite duology and I saw why she loved. So, we both have been dreading for this book to come out since the past 3 years and now we finally have it 😭🖐🏻
~~~
My tbr must be crying rn 😭
I think most of the books on my tbr aren't even out yet and I am very excited for this one because hafsah did not disappoint at all with her duolgy!!
November 15, 2023
POC vampires.
Gangs.
Tea.
Undead artist bois, but make it spicy.
Mmmmm.
Gangs.
Tea.
Undead artist bois, but make it spicy.
Mmmmm.
June 1, 2024
This is a fairly interesting concept with what I believe is a genuinely poor execution. The whole book feels unpolished. (This review is going to sound like I hate it, but really I'm mostly apathetic and once my frustration wears off I doubt I'll think of it much.)
I loved the Sands of Arawiya duology so this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and now that I've read it I can firmly say, well...it's a book.
This was a frustrating read. It constantly treats the reader like you're stupid, refusing to allow you to come to a single conclusion on your own and never trusting you to understand what's going on in the plot or emotionally with the characters. The sheer amount of overexplaining happening here had me doing a lot of "I KNOW, you don't need to tell me that!" It's not even just a matter of "show, don't tell," it's that the text often would show, and then just in case you didn't pick up on the very obvious thing it was showing you it would explicitly tell you too. Please, trust that readers can pick up on very obvious signs of sarcasm, emotional reactions, and plot connections.
Tempest is a heist novel and unfortunately I just don't think the heist is very good. Solutions are entirely too convenient, these characters we're supposed to believe are so smart and cunning that they can plan a heist in the most protected whatever-it-is make outrageously stupid mistakes that seriously undermine confidence in their ability to do any of this, and as always I simply cannot take seriously that these children are somehow renowned criminals respected and feared by actual adults. I would love to see a YA Heist novel like this that actually factors in that the characters are teenagers instead of expecting the reader to ignore that and pretend like it's totally normal that they're in these positions and no one questions their age. There is no reason why grown adults should be deferring to these teenagers other than the text telling me that they're definitely very well established and very successful criminals. Cool, show me some evidence of that.
The characters hold a lot of potential but because the book is so dead set on explaining every single interaction, there's never a chance to actually settle into a scene with them. This is especially prevalent in the romantic plotlines, which the book focuses entirely too much on in contrast to the actual plot. It often feels like it's ticking off trope boxes for the sake of it and lacks any real tension or sweetness because everything is being spoonfed to the reader. One of my favorite tropes is present in this book, one that usually suckers me right in every time, and the fact that it did nothing for me really hits home that the reason successful tropes are successful isn't simply for the fact that the thing happens, it's what the author then has a chance to do with the characters in that moment, and I just don't think this book did anything great with them. There's never a chance for the reader to really connect with the character and the moment when the text is constantly telling you how you're supposed to be feeling. The scene should just evoke the feeling without the text holding my hand through the correct emotional response.
The bizarre tie-in with Arthurian legend makes no sense and I believe is genuinely a detriment to the book. Maybe it will make sense later in the series, but I kept waiting for it here and it never did. The connection to the Sands of Arawiya books also feels completely unnecessary and weirdly convolutes the story. It was a fun little easter egg in the first mention but then it kept going and honestly I don't think it should have. It raises too many logistical questions the book doesn't have answers for, which is also a running theme in Tempest. The amount of times that something would be revealed/explained and my first reaction was wait a minute then how does... when it would open up a ton of questions it wants you to just not pay attention to, I guess. Quite a lot in this book feels like it wasn't entirely thought out and the reader is just supposed to accept things without questioning anything. Never ask an "and then what" question, because this book has no answers.
And because the book holds your hand through every single piece of it, it's wildly predictable. Every twist and turn is seen a mile away and typically feels like waiting for the book to catch up to the thing it telegraphed a hundred or more pages ago. The pacing is off too, I was genuinely shocked to realize I was 40% through the book when I thought I was still in the beginning stages. There's a strange, jerky motion to the pacing where it doesn't move at all and then moves all at once and it was poorly balanced.
As always, this three star review makes it sound like I completely hated it and I didn't. Really. I was just wildly apathetic and the most reactions it ever got out of me were being frustrated at the text. In the end it was on the lower end of a 3, but I can't find it in me to put it in the 2 level. It's not as bad as some others I've rated 2.5, so at a 3 it will stay.
Very unlikely that I will be continuing this series, but we'll see if I've forgotten my frustration by the time the second book comes out.
I loved the Sands of Arawiya duology so this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and now that I've read it I can firmly say, well...it's a book.
This was a frustrating read. It constantly treats the reader like you're stupid, refusing to allow you to come to a single conclusion on your own and never trusting you to understand what's going on in the plot or emotionally with the characters. The sheer amount of overexplaining happening here had me doing a lot of "I KNOW, you don't need to tell me that!" It's not even just a matter of "show, don't tell," it's that the text often would show, and then just in case you didn't pick up on the very obvious thing it was showing you it would explicitly tell you too. Please, trust that readers can pick up on very obvious signs of sarcasm, emotional reactions, and plot connections.
Tempest is a heist novel and unfortunately I just don't think the heist is very good. Solutions are entirely too convenient, these characters we're supposed to believe are so smart and cunning that they can plan a heist in the most protected whatever-it-is make outrageously stupid mistakes that seriously undermine confidence in their ability to do any of this, and as always I simply cannot take seriously that these children are somehow renowned criminals respected and feared by actual adults. I would love to see a YA Heist novel like this that actually factors in that the characters are teenagers instead of expecting the reader to ignore that and pretend like it's totally normal that they're in these positions and no one questions their age. There is no reason why grown adults should be deferring to these teenagers other than the text telling me that they're definitely very well established and very successful criminals. Cool, show me some evidence of that.
The characters hold a lot of potential but because the book is so dead set on explaining every single interaction, there's never a chance to actually settle into a scene with them. This is especially prevalent in the romantic plotlines, which the book focuses entirely too much on in contrast to the actual plot. It often feels like it's ticking off trope boxes for the sake of it and lacks any real tension or sweetness because everything is being spoonfed to the reader. One of my favorite tropes is present in this book, one that usually suckers me right in every time, and the fact that it did nothing for me really hits home that the reason successful tropes are successful isn't simply for the fact that the thing happens, it's what the author then has a chance to do with the characters in that moment, and I just don't think this book did anything great with them. There's never a chance for the reader to really connect with the character and the moment when the text is constantly telling you how you're supposed to be feeling. The scene should just evoke the feeling without the text holding my hand through the correct emotional response.
The bizarre tie-in with Arthurian legend makes no sense and I believe is genuinely a detriment to the book. Maybe it will make sense later in the series, but I kept waiting for it here and it never did. The connection to the Sands of Arawiya books also feels completely unnecessary and weirdly convolutes the story. It was a fun little easter egg in the first mention but then it kept going and honestly I don't think it should have. It raises too many logistical questions the book doesn't have answers for, which is also a running theme in Tempest. The amount of times that something would be revealed/explained and my first reaction was wait a minute then how does... when it would open up a ton of questions it wants you to just not pay attention to, I guess. Quite a lot in this book feels like it wasn't entirely thought out and the reader is just supposed to accept things without questioning anything. Never ask an "and then what" question, because this book has no answers.
And because the book holds your hand through every single piece of it, it's wildly predictable. Every twist and turn is seen a mile away and typically feels like waiting for the book to catch up to the thing it telegraphed a hundred or more pages ago. The pacing is off too, I was genuinely shocked to realize I was 40% through the book when I thought I was still in the beginning stages. There's a strange, jerky motion to the pacing where it doesn't move at all and then moves all at once and it was poorly balanced.
As always, this three star review makes it sound like I completely hated it and I didn't. Really. I was just wildly apathetic and the most reactions it ever got out of me were being frustrated at the text. In the end it was on the lower end of a 3, but I can't find it in me to put it in the 2 level. It's not as bad as some others I've rated 2.5, so at a 3 it will stay.
Very unlikely that I will be continuing this series, but we'll see if I've forgotten my frustration by the time the second book comes out.
January 26, 2025
I felt like this book was too focused on the characters meeting up and making plans, instead of actually executing those plans, and to me, that just wasn't all that interesting. :(
March 1, 2024
3.5 ★
this book had a lot going on while also being kinda slow and very character driven at the same time😭. there seems to be 5 main characters: Arthie, Jin, Laith, Matteo and Flick— but only 3 of them had actual povs🤔? idk why that choice was made tbh.. but anyways, i’m a huge fan of heist books in general and since this kept getting compared to six of crows i feel like that gave me the wrong/too high expectations. i liked the concept of the tearoom and how it doubles as a place to supply vampires with blood but i wish it was a bigger part of the story. i guess it just kinda felt like this book was trying too hard to be other things, instead of standing on it’s own.
“Family isn’t who we live with but those we would die for.”
my main problem is that i wasn’t very fond of Arthie specifically and her personality was way too flat and cold. we’re supposed to believe she’s some top notch criminal but there’s too much telling and not enough showing. i really liked Jin though and he’s probably my favorite out of the group, although im very intrigued by Laith as well. i don’t even know what to say.. just that my experience reading this book was all over the place💀. to me, something was clearly missing and i never fully connected to anything in particular. the last 50 pages went in a few directions that got me really curious to read the next book though, and i do want to see what’ll happen with the characters i did like.. so i’ll have my fingers crossed that the sequel can improve on what was lacking in this one.
this has been compared to Peaky Blinders, Six of Crows and has vampires.. ofc ima read it🧛🏼♀️🖤
this book had a lot going on while also being kinda slow and very character driven at the same time😭. there seems to be 5 main characters: Arthie, Jin, Laith, Matteo and Flick— but only 3 of them had actual povs🤔? idk why that choice was made tbh.. but anyways, i’m a huge fan of heist books in general and since this kept getting compared to six of crows i feel like that gave me the wrong/too high expectations. i liked the concept of the tearoom and how it doubles as a place to supply vampires with blood but i wish it was a bigger part of the story. i guess it just kinda felt like this book was trying too hard to be other things, instead of standing on it’s own.
“Family isn’t who we live with but those we would die for.”
my main problem is that i wasn’t very fond of Arthie specifically and her personality was way too flat and cold. we’re supposed to believe she’s some top notch criminal but there’s too much telling and not enough showing. i really liked Jin though and he’s probably my favorite out of the group, although im very intrigued by Laith as well. i don’t even know what to say.. just that my experience reading this book was all over the place💀. to me, something was clearly missing and i never fully connected to anything in particular. the last 50 pages went in a few directions that got me really curious to read the next book though, and i do want to see what’ll happen with the characters i did like.. so i’ll have my fingers crossed that the sequel can improve on what was lacking in this one.
May 7, 2024
2.5✨
« She had forged a crown for herself when the world told her she was not meant to have one »
What I liked
- Spindrift (tea house)
- Somewhat easy to read
- Pacing was ok
- Jin
What I disliked
- Poorly executed character driven book
- No depth, no background to the characters
- Telling rather than showing
- Unlikeable characters (except Jin and Matteo)
- The conversations were weirdly executed. There were lots and lots of them (the book was filled with conversations) but they most of the time didn’t bring anything to the storyline
- The romance was meh
- 3 POVS but there’s 5 characters (I wish we would’ve gotten Matteo’s POV)
———•
I bought the Owlcrate special edition and it is GORGEOUS. The sprayed edges are to die for 🥹 I heard this wasn’t action packed and I’m trying to find reads to help my brain a bit so here we go
« She had forged a crown for herself when the world told her she was not meant to have one »
What I liked
- Spindrift (tea house)
- Somewhat easy to read
- Pacing was ok
- Jin
What I disliked
- Poorly executed character driven book
- No depth, no background to the characters
- Telling rather than showing
- Unlikeable characters (except Jin and Matteo)
- The conversations were weirdly executed. There were lots and lots of them (the book was filled with conversations) but they most of the time didn’t bring anything to the storyline
- The romance was meh
- 3 POVS but there’s 5 characters (I wish we would’ve gotten Matteo’s POV)
———•
I bought the Owlcrate special edition and it is GORGEOUS. The sprayed edges are to die for 🥹 I heard this wasn’t action packed and I’m trying to find reads to help my brain a bit so here we go
February 11, 2024
RTC - but in the meantime, seeing the overall rating of this book makes me feel like I’m taking crazy pills
First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.
Y’all, what the hell happened here?
I requested this on NetGalley because I saw how high the average rating was and thought it had to be good, surely. By the time I actually got around to reading it, several of my friends had already read… And their reviews did not match the energy of the overall rating.
Suffice it to say, I ended up where many of my friends/mutuals did… This was just not an enjoyable read. I wouldn’t even say it was a worthwhile read in a I can’t look away from this train wreck sort of way a là Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (which I have watched [and enjoyed!] many times).
Frankly, this book felt to me as if Faizal was sitting around one day, thinking hmmm, what do the people like? What do the people CRAVE? and thus came up with a list of some of the more popular themes/tropes of our current time:
1. Love triangle (sort of?? What the hell was going on with that?)
2. Multiple POV (but only sort of, and frankly, the divide between POVs didn’t really make a ton of sense)
3. The Heist™ (Six of Crows, anyone?)
4. Vampires (I mean, House of Hunger & A Dowry of Blood did all right)
5. A super extra special teen/young adult who’s not like the other girls
6. And I don’t know this for sure but it seems like tea itself is something the cool kids are doing now (listen, I did like A Magic Steeped in Poison, and maybe it’s a stretch to compare the two, but…)
And Faizal thought hm, got to have some “original” ideas, and that’s where things started to go into “what the actual fuck” territory; I’m going to put this behind spoiler tags so reader beware, etc etc -
And then on top of all that, I just think the writing wasn’t good. The pacing wasn’t good. The dialogue wasn’t good. The relationships weren’t good, the weird flirting between literally everyone who was attempting to flirt felt like it was written by AI “trained” to write flirtatious interactions (so much cringing on my part, and I don’t think it was the I-am-too-old-and-not-the-target-audience cringing).
Normally my dislike of a book is really just a taste preference and I try not to yuck someone else’s potential yum, but this was just… objectively not good in my opinion.
To me, this read like the author had a wild ass dream one night and could only remember bits and pieces of it, and then decided “hey this would make a cool book”, and then had to fill in the gaps to make… some sort of an attempt at a cohesive story.
And then like that story got posted to tumblr or for NaMoWriMo or something and a few friends/relatives/grandma read it and were like “yeah!… that was… good!” And no other editing was done whatsoever and somehow it just got published as-is, nothing more done to it.
And this is a series/duology?? (I can’t be assed to look it up, sorry) Once again… um, hello? There were way too many plots that got unfinished/hastily finished/sort of… addressed?? In this book so like… yeah, I suppose (grudgingly I say) you’d have to write a next book but like… Woof. I ain’t gonna read it.
This is by far the longest review I’ve written in a long while, so I do have to say I feel like a mean person since this is quite a long-winded and rambling diss track… But frankly I feel lied to by all of the 4/5 star books. DID WE EVEN READ THE SAME BOOK EVERYONE WHO GAVE 5 STARS?? BE HONEST.
First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.
Y’all, what the hell happened here?
I requested this on NetGalley because I saw how high the average rating was and thought it had to be good, surely. By the time I actually got around to reading it, several of my friends had already read… And their reviews did not match the energy of the overall rating.
Suffice it to say, I ended up where many of my friends/mutuals did… This was just not an enjoyable read. I wouldn’t even say it was a worthwhile read in a I can’t look away from this train wreck sort of way a là Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (which I have watched [and enjoyed!] many times).
Frankly, this book felt to me as if Faizal was sitting around one day, thinking hmmm, what do the people like? What do the people CRAVE? and thus came up with a list of some of the more popular themes/tropes of our current time:
1. Love triangle (sort of?? What the hell was going on with that?)
2. Multiple POV (but only sort of, and frankly, the divide between POVs didn’t really make a ton of sense)
3. The Heist™ (Six of Crows, anyone?)
4. Vampires (I mean, House of Hunger & A Dowry of Blood did all right)
5. A super extra special teen/young adult who’s not like the other girls
6. And I don’t know this for sure but it seems like tea itself is something the cool kids are doing now (listen, I did like A Magic Steeped in Poison, and maybe it’s a stretch to compare the two, but…)
And Faizal thought hm, got to have some “original” ideas, and that’s where things started to go into “what the actual fuck” territory; I’m going to put this behind spoiler tags so reader beware, etc etc -
And then on top of all that, I just think the writing wasn’t good. The pacing wasn’t good. The dialogue wasn’t good. The relationships weren’t good, the weird flirting between literally everyone who was attempting to flirt felt like it was written by AI “trained” to write flirtatious interactions (so much cringing on my part, and I don’t think it was the I-am-too-old-and-not-the-target-audience cringing).
Normally my dislike of a book is really just a taste preference and I try not to yuck someone else’s potential yum, but this was just… objectively not good in my opinion.
To me, this read like the author had a wild ass dream one night and could only remember bits and pieces of it, and then decided “hey this would make a cool book”, and then had to fill in the gaps to make… some sort of an attempt at a cohesive story.
And then like that story got posted to tumblr or for NaMoWriMo or something and a few friends/relatives/grandma read it and were like “yeah!… that was… good!” And no other editing was done whatsoever and somehow it just got published as-is, nothing more done to it.
And this is a series/duology?? (I can’t be assed to look it up, sorry) Once again… um, hello? There were way too many plots that got unfinished/hastily finished/sort of… addressed?? In this book so like… yeah, I suppose (grudgingly I say) you’d have to write a next book but like… Woof. I ain’t gonna read it.
This is by far the longest review I’ve written in a long while, so I do have to say I feel like a mean person since this is quite a long-winded and rambling diss track… But frankly I feel lied to by all of the 4/5 star books. DID WE EVEN READ THE SAME BOOK EVERYONE WHO GAVE 5 STARS?? BE HONEST.
April 3, 2024
i am such a huge hafsah faizal fan, and i truly will anticipate and read everything they ever choose to create. their stories are always filled with so much heart and i think i will forever just become so obsessed with the characters they write. and the main character of this book, arthie, was maybe the easiest to love yet.
arthie runs a bloodhouse, well, a tearoom during the day, but a bloodhouse at night - both safe spaces for her crew. because in this historical london, vampires and known and feared, especially because twenty years ago a vampire killer was never found. but when the tearoom is threatened, arthie must set out to find secrets and gather her crew (both old and new) for a heist that could maybe change everything.
and that mini synopsis sounds amazing, right? but this is also a story about colonialism and living in the country that colonized your family. this book also heavily talks about the difference between first and second (or 0 and 1) generation immigrants and how they view the world and their colonizers. this also deeply discusses racism and colorism and the difference of being biracial and/or being more white passing (and how those first visual impressions from people/oppressors can offer very different outcomes in every single situation). arthie is a very angry character, and that might not work for everyone, but the girls who get it are going to get it and are going to fall very quickly in love with her, and just want to protect her from a historical world that feels a lot like 2024 at times. also, there are two other povs as well, even though i just accidentally wrote up a paragraph on arthie. but i promise jin and flick (and laith and matteo) are amazing as well!
also, this central setting/backdrop being a teahouse? with tea and comfort and safety and gathering and community? that's a very heartfelt galaxy brain setting, if i do say so myself. this book really just had so much to easily feel very deeply and fall in love with.
it does have a cliffhanger ending though, which i am still screaming about, but i am also counting the days until i can get my hands on book two. this book actually has a lot of twists and turns that i did not see coming, which was very unexpected, but made the reading experience even more fun. overall, i really recommend this one and truly can’t wait to see what hafsah faizal does next.
trigger + content warnings: blood, violence, gore, racism, colorism, kidnapping in past, colonization, colonialism, fire, explosions, loss of family in past, grief, human trafficking, drugging, abusive parents, forced military / soldiers
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1.) We Hunt the Flame ★★★★★
2.) We Free the Stars ★★★★★
arthie runs a bloodhouse, well, a tearoom during the day, but a bloodhouse at night - both safe spaces for her crew. because in this historical london, vampires and known and feared, especially because twenty years ago a vampire killer was never found. but when the tearoom is threatened, arthie must set out to find secrets and gather her crew (both old and new) for a heist that could maybe change everything.
and that mini synopsis sounds amazing, right? but this is also a story about colonialism and living in the country that colonized your family. this book also heavily talks about the difference between first and second (or 0 and 1) generation immigrants and how they view the world and their colonizers. this also deeply discusses racism and colorism and the difference of being biracial and/or being more white passing (and how those first visual impressions from people/oppressors can offer very different outcomes in every single situation). arthie is a very angry character, and that might not work for everyone, but the girls who get it are going to get it and are going to fall very quickly in love with her, and just want to protect her from a historical world that feels a lot like 2024 at times. also, there are two other povs as well, even though i just accidentally wrote up a paragraph on arthie. but i promise jin and flick (and laith and matteo) are amazing as well!
also, this central setting/backdrop being a teahouse? with tea and comfort and safety and gathering and community? that's a very heartfelt galaxy brain setting, if i do say so myself. this book really just had so much to easily feel very deeply and fall in love with.
it does have a cliffhanger ending though, which i am still screaming about, but i am also counting the days until i can get my hands on book two. this book actually has a lot of twists and turns that i did not see coming, which was very unexpected, but made the reading experience even more fun. overall, i really recommend this one and truly can’t wait to see what hafsah faizal does next.
trigger + content warnings: blood, violence, gore, racism, colorism, kidnapping in past, colonization, colonialism, fire, explosions, loss of family in past, grief, human trafficking, drugging, abusive parents, forced military / soldiers
blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
1.) We Hunt the Flame ★★★★★
2.) We Free the Stars ★★★★★
March 16, 2024
She was, simply put, a tempest in a bottle. Tiny and simmering. And ready to obliterate.
📍Release Date: February 22th
I've never read a Hafsah Faizal book before, but based on what I've heard of her work, I'm not surprised this book is so spectacular. It's such a stimulating and captivating story. It's a combination of vampires, Six of Crows, Peaky Blinders, and King Arthur's Legend, and yes, it is as good as it sounds. It has heists, revenge, betrayal, found family, and a love triangle. I don't need to say more, do I? Also, the world-building, especially the vampire lore, is fascinating and well-thought-out. The story is full of surprises and shocking revelations as well, and that ending left me speechless. Sufficed to say, I need Book Two as soon as possible.
Furthermore, Arthie Casimir is the super scary badass female protagonist. She gives off a strong Kaz Brekker vibe that made me like her right away. She's full of rage and hellbent on exacting revenge on the white supremacists who colonized her country and killed her parents. Despite being small in stature and a teenage girl, she can make even grown-ups feel uneasy. Her brother (not by blood), Jin Casimir, is this charming and handsome young man, and Arthie's most trusted partner in crime. He is apparently so handsome that all the ladies fantasize about him when they're alone at night. I love it when a character is so pretty that it haunts people. He and Arthie have been together ever since he lost his family and his home in a fire. The relationship between the two is so wholesome. They care about each other so much and their bond is so much stronger than any full-blooded siblings.
In addition, Felicity, also known as Flick, is a member of Arthie's heist plan. She is the adoptive child of a female government official who only cares about her public image and seems to be tired of her daughter. Regardless of Flick's high status, she is very talented at forgery, which she has put to use numerous times. Even though she is constantly surrounded by criminals, there are still some high-class manners she hasn't been able to shake, and in many ways, she is still an innocent young girl. Yet, she is an invaluable member of the team and forms a bond with the Casimir siblings, more so with Jin. In fact, all the interactions between her and Jin are delightful. The tension between them is so high I actually wondered for a while if this book is as YA as I thought. It is, unfortunately, but I know I'll still have fun.
Finally, Matteo and Laith are the two gentlemen who stole my heart as soon as they appeared on the page. Matteo is the pretty, rich, and artsy vampire of the heist team. He is a total charmer and a shameless flirt and has a delightfully obvious crush on Arthie. Although she refuses to encourage him in any way, she is clearly affected by his presence. However, Matteo is not the only boy who messes with her head. Laith is a high guard, the complete opposite of Arthie's profession, and the unlikeliest member of their group. He is as charming as the other boys in this book, and quite the gentleman. He is also mysterious which makes Arthie uneasy as much as it attracts her. It is a bit unclear which of the boys is endgame, although there are some definitive hints, especially towards the end.
📍Release Date: February 22th
I've never read a Hafsah Faizal book before, but based on what I've heard of her work, I'm not surprised this book is so spectacular. It's such a stimulating and captivating story. It's a combination of vampires, Six of Crows, Peaky Blinders, and King Arthur's Legend, and yes, it is as good as it sounds. It has heists, revenge, betrayal, found family, and a love triangle. I don't need to say more, do I? Also, the world-building, especially the vampire lore, is fascinating and well-thought-out. The story is full of surprises and shocking revelations as well, and that ending left me speechless. Sufficed to say, I need Book Two as soon as possible.
Furthermore, Arthie Casimir is the super scary badass female protagonist. She gives off a strong Kaz Brekker vibe that made me like her right away. She's full of rage and hellbent on exacting revenge on the white supremacists who colonized her country and killed her parents. Despite being small in stature and a teenage girl, she can make even grown-ups feel uneasy. Her brother (not by blood), Jin Casimir, is this charming and handsome young man, and Arthie's most trusted partner in crime. He is apparently so handsome that all the ladies fantasize about him when they're alone at night. I love it when a character is so pretty that it haunts people. He and Arthie have been together ever since he lost his family and his home in a fire. The relationship between the two is so wholesome. They care about each other so much and their bond is so much stronger than any full-blooded siblings.
In addition, Felicity, also known as Flick, is a member of Arthie's heist plan. She is the adoptive child of a female government official who only cares about her public image and seems to be tired of her daughter. Regardless of Flick's high status, she is very talented at forgery, which she has put to use numerous times. Even though she is constantly surrounded by criminals, there are still some high-class manners she hasn't been able to shake, and in many ways, she is still an innocent young girl. Yet, she is an invaluable member of the team and forms a bond with the Casimir siblings, more so with Jin. In fact, all the interactions between her and Jin are delightful. The tension between them is so high I actually wondered for a while if this book is as YA as I thought. It is, unfortunately, but I know I'll still have fun.
Finally, Matteo and Laith are the two gentlemen who stole my heart as soon as they appeared on the page. Matteo is the pretty, rich, and artsy vampire of the heist team. He is a total charmer and a shameless flirt and has a delightfully obvious crush on Arthie. Although she refuses to encourage him in any way, she is clearly affected by his presence. However, Matteo is not the only boy who messes with her head. Laith is a high guard, the complete opposite of Arthie's profession, and the unlikeliest member of their group. He is as charming as the other boys in this book, and quite the gentleman. He is also mysterious which makes Arthie uneasy as much as it attracts her. It is a bit unclear which of the boys is endgame, although there are some definitive hints, especially towards the end.
May 20, 2024
4.5 ⋆⭒˚｡⋆
❝ she looked to the stars as if they were home, and he wished, impossibly, that he could take her to them. ❞
➵ the quote?? y’all are not ready for this romance. I was on the floor omg.
🥀 ꒱ what a wild ride from start to finish; backstabbing, betrayal, and plot twists at every turn. the writing was so good and flowed so well; it was the kind of invisible writing that feels like watching a movie. hafsah faizal is also absolutely amazing at writing romances! we had an adorable grumpyxsunxhine, as well as a love triangle with two hot men… I was blushing.
🍷 ꒱ the ending had me actually convulsing. sometime happened, I’ll not say what, that I really was hoping wouldn’t happen, which was the only reason I’m not rating this five stars. Besides that, this book was basically perfect! it was the most fun I’ve had with a fantasy book in a while. I highly recommend it 🤭🫶
☕️ ꒱ you’re telling me I have to wait until 2025 for the next one?? how will I survive? 😭 I guess I’ll have to content myself with reading hafsah faizal’s other books until then <3
❝ We all have our secrets or the world would be out of currency. Isn’t that right, darling? ❞
❝ she looked to the stars as if they were home, and he wished, impossibly, that he could take her to them. ❞
➵ the quote?? y’all are not ready for this romance. I was on the floor omg.
🥀 ꒱ what a wild ride from start to finish; backstabbing, betrayal, and plot twists at every turn. the writing was so good and flowed so well; it was the kind of invisible writing that feels like watching a movie. hafsah faizal is also absolutely amazing at writing romances! we had an adorable grumpyxsunxhine, as well as a love triangle with two hot men… I was blushing.
🍷 ꒱ the ending had me actually convulsing. sometime happened, I’ll not say what, that I really was hoping wouldn’t happen, which was the only reason I’m not rating this five stars. Besides that, this book was basically perfect! it was the most fun I’ve had with a fantasy book in a while. I highly recommend it 🤭🫶
☕️ ꒱ you’re telling me I have to wait until 2025 for the next one?? how will I survive? 😭 I guess I’ll have to content myself with reading hafsah faizal’s other books until then <3
❝ We all have our secrets or the world would be out of currency. Isn’t that right, darling? ❞
Want to read
December 5, 2020VERY TEMPTED TO RATE THIS 5 STARS ALREADY. It’s set in the same world as we hunt the flame I AM READY.
March 12, 2024
I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise of the book was very interesting, but the execution was lacking. I liked the idea of a tearoom that transforms into a bloodhouse at night, but I felt that not enough time was spent on explaining the tearoom. The world was unique and intriguing, but it was complex at first. The pacing was uneven throughout the book, slow in the beginning and middle and fast at the end. The plot was interesting, but I felt that it dragged at times. I didn't become invested in the book until near the middle. I liked the characters, but I didn't feel a connection to them. I liked Arthie, but I didn't connect to her and her character development was lacking. I really liked Jin, he is charming, funny, caring and brave. I liked Flick, she is brave, loyal, persistent and resilient. I felt that the author missed an opportunity to develop the characters more and show their personal journey. I enjoyed the banter between Arthie and Jin, it made me smile. I felt that the romance between Jin and Flick was underdeveloped and there was a lack of chemistry. Their relationship evolved from like to love too quickly. The ending was so good and shocking. Overall, this book was an okay read for me because I didn't connect to the characters, the pacing was uneven and the plot dragged.
October 29, 2025
What the fuck was that ending??
Is Laith dead? Is The Wolf Matteo?
This was an enjoyable heist read, though I found myself constantly comparing to Six of Crows, which wasn't the best thing to do but oh well. Characters were pretty likeable, although I think it would have been much more interesting to get everyone's POV and not just three of them.
I really like Laith, so I'm torn on this ending. I'm not sure if he's just gone now or if he somehow survives and comes back? But even if he did survive, is he good or bad? And I liked him much better with Arthie than Matteo.
Matteo was mostly meh to me. So I'm not super stoked about his potential future here, maybe as The Wolf? Maybe as endgame for Arthie?
Best part of the whole book was of course Jin. I loved his character and his eventual relationship with Flick. And I'm pretty stoked to see him as a vampire 🤤
Overall, a good story though I think that WHTF was much more captivating for me.
Is Laith dead? Is The Wolf Matteo?
This was an enjoyable heist read, though I found myself constantly comparing to Six of Crows, which wasn't the best thing to do but oh well. Characters were pretty likeable, although I think it would have been much more interesting to get everyone's POV and not just three of them.
I really like Laith, so I'm torn on this ending. I'm not sure if he's just gone now or if he somehow survives and comes back? But even if he did survive, is he good or bad? And I liked him much better with Arthie than Matteo.
Matteo was mostly meh to me. So I'm not super stoked about his potential future here, maybe as The Wolf? Maybe as endgame for Arthie?
Best part of the whole book was of course Jin. I loved his character and his eventual relationship with Flick. And I'm pretty stoked to see him as a vampire 🤤
Overall, a good story though I think that WHTF was much more captivating for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2024
listen, allow me to be very frank - this changed my life and i fear if i bark any louder than i already am, the very surface of this planet may collapse before our very eyes
May 17, 2021
will add more to this review once the book is finished, but having read 100% of what exists, I can safely say that everything about it is intoxicating and hafsah has outdone herself. I loved zafira and nasir, but the characters in this oh boy
Want to read
May 7, 2022King Arthur meets Peaky Blinders???
Vampires + heists????
bitch i exist for this aaaaah!!!
Vampires + heists????
bitch i exist for this aaaaah!!!
January 29, 2024
What a MEH.
It is truly sad how much this book wants to be The Six of Crows by offering only a tiny fraction of what Kaz's crew's story delivered. And I feel almost personally offended when a book tries so hard to mimic an existing story, while it should focus on developing its own original plot instead. Especially when it turns out to be so unengaging, with spectacularly flat characters.
Most of the promises from the blurb are only half delivered. This tearoom that everyone's talking about is shown operating only in the first chapter, so I didn't really have a time to understand what was so special about it. The vampire lore is underdeveloped and deplored of any enticing mystery, and for a book about vampires there are not enough vampires in it. The heist is boring and plot twists didn't make me feel anything (even though I didn't predict one, but I think the author chose wrong character for it). I read more about the preparations for the heist than about the heist itself and at this point it was hard to tell what was actually happening in the plot.
Arthie is used as this Kaz-like criminal mastermind, except there is no masterfully crafted scheme there or any interesting scheme at all, if I have to be honest.
But there are two romantic pairings, out of which one's chemistry comes from nowhere, and they feel hot for each other just because there needs to be a romance. The other couple is only slightly better, but the characters involved are totally forgettable.
Towards the end of the story we get a new character who we should care about as their death seems like a big deal, but we know almost nothing about them.
Although I feel the book has good intentions with anticolonial themes, everything else is so bland here, that they seem to be thrown into this story just to cross out a buzzword with booktok potential.
All in all I wasn't engaged at all.
The writing is fine, standard YA level, but nothing special. Audiobook is decent work, with narrator trying to use different accents for characters of various ethnic descent.
It is truly sad how much this book wants to be The Six of Crows by offering only a tiny fraction of what Kaz's crew's story delivered. And I feel almost personally offended when a book tries so hard to mimic an existing story, while it should focus on developing its own original plot instead. Especially when it turns out to be so unengaging, with spectacularly flat characters.
Most of the promises from the blurb are only half delivered. This tearoom that everyone's talking about is shown operating only in the first chapter, so I didn't really have a time to understand what was so special about it. The vampire lore is underdeveloped and deplored of any enticing mystery, and for a book about vampires there are not enough vampires in it. The heist is boring and plot twists didn't make me feel anything (even though I didn't predict one, but I think the author chose wrong character for it). I read more about the preparations for the heist than about the heist itself and at this point it was hard to tell what was actually happening in the plot.
Arthie is used as this Kaz-like criminal mastermind, except there is no masterfully crafted scheme there or any interesting scheme at all, if I have to be honest.
But there are two romantic pairings, out of which one's chemistry comes from nowhere, and they feel hot for each other just because there needs to be a romance. The other couple is only slightly better, but the characters involved are totally forgettable.
Towards the end of the story we get a new character who we should care about as their death seems like a big deal, but we know almost nothing about them.
Although I feel the book has good intentions with anticolonial themes, everything else is so bland here, that they seem to be thrown into this story just to cross out a buzzword with booktok potential.
All in all I wasn't engaged at all.
The writing is fine, standard YA level, but nothing special. Audiobook is decent work, with narrator trying to use different accents for characters of various ethnic descent.
March 24, 2025
Based on the premise, I was anticipating an action packed fast paced novel. I most definitely did not expect to read this absolute snooze fest of a book. With all the inane planning sessions and talk talking, you would think I would have an extremely comprehensive grasp on the plot, but she somehow lost me along the way. Now I’m not even really sure what the point was? Did they ever pull off the heist? I think I must have blacked out or disassociated at the end there and all I can say is that it was necessary for my mental health.
This was one of the worst “popular” books I have ever read and I was truly so relieved when it ended. If this were written in first person perspective it might have been alright, but there were too many characters with completely undifferentiated character voices. I was so confused about who was who and who was speaking and even how many characters I was dealing with and none of them hooked me enough to care about their plight. I’ll be honest, I also hated We Hunt The Flame, so perhaps this author just isn’t my cup of tea. Pun intended. 😏☕️
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
This was one of the worst “popular” books I have ever read and I was truly so relieved when it ended. If this were written in first person perspective it might have been alright, but there were too many characters with completely undifferentiated character voices. I was so confused about who was who and who was speaking and even how many characters I was dealing with and none of them hooked me enough to care about their plight. I’ll be honest, I also hated We Hunt The Flame, so perhaps this author just isn’t my cup of tea. Pun intended. 😏☕️
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
March 1, 2024
this would’ve been SO good if there weren’t so many plot holes.
January 8, 2025
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November 7, 2024
➳ 3.9 ☆! ☕ (rounded) spoiler free!
"every good love story starts with a bullet to the heart."
🎧 - i know places
ᯓᡣ𐭩 they take their shots, but we're bullet proof
and I know for me, its always you
☕ | wow, i really enjoyed this!! even though i gave this a 3.9 im going to round it up to 4 because i dont really have any complaints! i just wish i read this faster 😔 but to convince you, this is only a 330 fantasy novel. ONLY around 300 pages, which is not bad for this genre!! its also six of crows coded. (but keep in mind six of crows is it's own thing, this book is ENTIRELY different) but think of SOC with vampires and more romance 🤭 I'd say this book is decently paced, but beginning is a bit slower, BUT I mean its only 330 pages so its not so bad!! I do recommend since I think this book is SUPER underrated and I need part 2 RIGHT NOW.
☕ | i would also like to state that i was really apprecaitive of the characters!! each one has their own backstory and baggage and i loved learning about that! i think that makes the characters have more depth and then you could emotionally connect to them. 🫂 plus, the romance snippets we got were everything! JIN AND FLICK MY LOVES <3 please protect them at all costs!!
character study
arthie I love her character, what we found out about her at the end was soo intriguing! I like her attitude and confidence she is such a boss and I could never plan like her 🫶 but I also understand that she has a lot of trauma and backstory that I want to get to know about, and overall I just want to give her the biggest hug ever <3 ALSO I NEED MORE OF MATTEO AND HER!!
jin + flick MY BABIES, they carried this book fr! they are soso precious <3 I love jin and his charisma, he is SO charming and that just adds to him being such a likeable character! he too, has some emotional baggage and he deserves nothing but the best. plus I adore his and arthie's relationship. AND FLICKK AGH shes the cutest ever! and she deserves all the best, I cant wait to see her again, I miss her already!! 🩷
this is a spoiler so skip!
☕ | so for my finishing thoughts, i 100% recommend! give this a try and see what you think! this was the perfect spooky october read, i mean, just look at the cover! and as always, i love trying new authors, so this was a win 🤭 also, rebecca ross, marissa meyer, ali hazelwood, and holly black all have a quote for this on the back, so if that doesn't convince you then idk what to say!! anywho thank you for reading, and i hope ur having a great day 🫂 love, ellie!
➳ “family isn't who we live with but those we would die for.”
➳ “it was hard to believe in fairy tales when she'd lived a nightmare.”
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☕ | POST-READ
theres gonna be a part 2 right? RIGHT?? idk what to rate this yet, but i had a fun time! also - rebecca ross, marissa meyer, ali hazelwood, and holly black ALL have a quote on the back of this book! so if that doesn't convince you, idk what will! rtc🫂
☕ | preview!
someone said vampires? but also six of crows coded?! 🤭 COUNT. ME. IN. also this looks perfect for october, can't wait!! 💌
"every good love story starts with a bullet to the heart."
🎧 - i know places
ᯓᡣ𐭩 they take their shots, but we're bullet proof
and I know for me, its always you
☕ | wow, i really enjoyed this!! even though i gave this a 3.9 im going to round it up to 4 because i dont really have any complaints! i just wish i read this faster 😔 but to convince you, this is only a 330 fantasy novel. ONLY around 300 pages, which is not bad for this genre!! its also six of crows coded. (but keep in mind six of crows is it's own thing, this book is ENTIRELY different) but think of SOC with vampires and more romance 🤭 I'd say this book is decently paced, but beginning is a bit slower, BUT I mean its only 330 pages so its not so bad!! I do recommend since I think this book is SUPER underrated and I need part 2 RIGHT NOW.
☕ | i would also like to state that i was really apprecaitive of the characters!! each one has their own backstory and baggage and i loved learning about that! i think that makes the characters have more depth and then you could emotionally connect to them. 🫂 plus, the romance snippets we got were everything! JIN AND FLICK MY LOVES <3 please protect them at all costs!!
character study
arthie I love her character, what we found out about her at the end was soo intriguing! I like her attitude and confidence she is such a boss and I could never plan like her 🫶 but I also understand that she has a lot of trauma and backstory that I want to get to know about, and overall I just want to give her the biggest hug ever <3 ALSO I NEED MORE OF MATTEO AND HER!!
jin + flick MY BABIES, they carried this book fr! they are soso precious <3 I love jin and his charisma, he is SO charming and that just adds to him being such a likeable character! he too, has some emotional baggage and he deserves nothing but the best. plus I adore his and arthie's relationship. AND FLICKK AGH shes the cutest ever! and she deserves all the best, I cant wait to see her again, I miss her already!! 🩷
this is a spoiler so skip!
☕ | so for my finishing thoughts, i 100% recommend! give this a try and see what you think! this was the perfect spooky october read, i mean, just look at the cover! and as always, i love trying new authors, so this was a win 🤭 also, rebecca ross, marissa meyer, ali hazelwood, and holly black all have a quote for this on the back, so if that doesn't convince you then idk what to say!! anywho thank you for reading, and i hope ur having a great day 🫂 love, ellie!
➳ “family isn't who we live with but those we would die for.”
➳ “it was hard to believe in fairy tales when she'd lived a nightmare.”
--------
☕ | POST-READ
theres gonna be a part 2 right? RIGHT?? idk what to rate this yet, but i had a fun time! also - rebecca ross, marissa meyer, ali hazelwood, and holly black ALL have a quote on the back of this book! so if that doesn't convince you, idk what will! rtc🫂
☕ | preview!
someone said vampires? but also six of crows coded?! 🤭 COUNT. ME. IN. also this looks perfect for october, can't wait!! 💌
February 22, 2024
I dropped everything and immediately went into this book, it was so good that i was engrossed in it from the start. The characters and the heist were do so perfectly. It reminded me of the time I read Six of Crows but oh my oh my this book was the perfect definition of the feeling of euphoria because that is actually what I got from it! I would definitely recommend it to everyone because its very fast paced, well written and so vivid, with the world building perfected!!
December 27, 2025
❝ family isn't who we live with but those we would die for. ❞
i should be finishing my reads before the year ends, but i realised that i never wrote a full review for this book, so—procrastination at its finest, ladies and gents.
vampire tea heist, they said. it’ll be fun, they said. and then i spent 400 pages waiting for the plot to steep. a tempest of tea? more like a mildly irritated lukewarm chamomile. i wanted chaos, crime, and sharp little heist gremlins. i got vibes, vibes, and more vibes?
₊˚꒰ 𖧷 ꒱ ⊹ i. plot and characters. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
welcome to white roaring, where colonialism is rotting the world, vampires are a very illegal problem, and one girl decides to fight the empire with peak customer service and blackmail. arthie casimir is an orphan who's also a “criminal mastermind” and the girlboss of spindrift, a classy teahouse by day and illegal bloodhouse for vampires by night. the setup genuinely slaps: fancy tea salon, hidden blood bar, vampires in their little outfits, empire politics simmering in the background, and a morally gray heroine who weaponizes information like currency. concept-wise, this book is eating. execution-wise, ehhhh.
then the plot walks in like, “hey bestie, the government-adjacent big bad (the ram) is coming for your license and livelihood, so how about a casino-style heist on a vampire social club to steal his ledger?” love that for us. to do this, arthie assembles her little chaos crew.
jin | her soft, competent, weaponized cinnamon-roll of a found brother, who is somehow the emotional backbone of this whole thing. genuinely the only one who feels like he has both a heart and a personality, god bless him.
flick | journalist with mommy issues and betrayal practically tattooed on her forehead.
laith | horned guard pretty boy with divided loyalties and "i can fix the system by committing treason" energy.
matéo | hot vampire, tragically underused considering the potential of "flirty immortal in a murder casino."
on paper, it’s tea + vampires + imperialism + heist. in execution, it’s mostly a lot of walking into rooms, explaining plans, explaining trauma, explaining politics, and then the heist shows up at the end of the book.
₊˚꒰ 𖧷 ꒱ ⊹ ii. romance. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
the romance made my eyes keep glazing over. this book looked at me and whispered, "we’re a heist story," and then spent 70% of its word count on feelings, colonization lectures, and people staring at each other’s mouths. there are hints of arthie × matéo (hot vampire, enemies-to-allies, could’ve been delicious), arthie × laith tension, flick’s messy motives. but instead of sharp, twisty tension, it sometimes felt like the book opened a pinterest board titled "slow burn angst" and then forgot to actually light anything on fire. everyone’s half-in-love, half-traumatized, and zero percent committed to giving me a single ship to scream about.
i kept waiting for one relationship to step up and declare itself the main event, but the only relationship that fully lands is "girlboss + her ride-or-die brother," and honestly, i’m not mad about that, but the marketing girlies did promise me more yearning than i actually got. listen, i adore a good rage-against-empire narrative. i love brown kids burning down colonial structures. but the pacing here felt like: colonization essay → quippy banter → heist logistics → someone broods about loyalty → repeat until your tea is cold and your attention span has died.
₊˚꒰ 𖧷 ꒱ ⊹ iii. conclusion. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
why is it two stars and not me being nice with three?
things i genuinely liked: the concept: criminal teahouse + illegal blood bar + colonial critique? stunning. that’s a five-star idea. i can see the pinterest boards, i can see the fanart, i can see the aesthetic tiktoks. the atmosphere: foggy streets, shadowy vampires, secret societies with terrible morality and excellent interior design. arthie & jin: the found-family sibling bond carries more emotional weight than all the romantic threads combined. if the whole book had just been "arthie and jin against the world & white roaring," i probably would’ve had a better time.
things that made me a hater: the heist is weirdly boring? the supposed centerpiece of the book feels anticlimactic and way too convenient, with low tension and "oh, that’s it?" solutions. if you’re going to sell yourself as a heist novel, i expect at least one scene that makes me feel like i’m about to be arrested with them. the pacing is choppy as hell, and the characterization leans archetypal and then kind of stops. i don’t need everyone to be kaz brekker-level unhinged, but if you pitch "criminal mastermind," i expect at least one plan that makes me gasp instead of shrug.
also, faizal’s prose is beautiful. it’s lush, moody, and genuinely gorgeous. there are lines that hit like a slap and others that feel like they wrote themselves straight onto a quote graphic.
— 2 stars. ⋆˚☆˖°.ᐟ
.° ༘🎧ྀི⋆ favourite quotes 🖇₊˚ෆ
“every good love story starts with a bullet to the heart.”
“what is a monster if not a man pushed to the brink?”
“touch her and, and you all will die, have i made myself clear?”
“that was the nature of man; born to nurture, determined to destroy.”
“for when one loved as much as felicity linden did, it was difficult to not be loved in return.”
“she had always believed there was something beautiful in the way a fire could start from nothing and rise into a beast. it told her that anything was possible. it told her that no matter how dark the world might be, all it needed was a spark.”
── ⟡ ˙ 🪻༘ ₊ main tropes.
⟢ love triangle
⟢ enemies to lovers
⟢ vampires
⟢ touch her and die
⟢ found family
⟢ fantasy heist
⟢ colonialism and racism
⟢ pink-obsessed murder gremlin
⌗ started: 02.19.24 ⌝
⌞ finished: 04.17.24 ✦
₊˚⊹ ᰔ pre-review: without jin casimir, i would not have finished this book. (and no, you guys did not see me take two months to read it.)
February 24, 2024
Guess whose going to my Auto-buy authors? Yes, it's Hafsah Faizal 🤭
February 21, 2024
Hafsah Faizal please don't ever quit writing! the world would be an awful place without it.
Read
September 17, 2024I am about to buddy-read this with Clace and I'm so excited, We Hunt the Flame was one of the first few fantasy books that I read, and forced Clace to read it as well; OFC its one of my all-time favs. Hopefully, she doesn't disappoint!!
February 22, 2024
Holy fuck!! Take a bow HAFSAH for delivering everything 💅🏻
February 23, 2024
I have no words. What I do have though is chills 🧍🏻♂️ because why would you do that
March 27, 2024
Blog | Instagram
Rating: 3.5 stars
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love the striking contrast between the pastel colours of the illustration and the black background of this design. The illustration also brilliantly captures major aspects of the story and hints at the mystery and danger within.
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Although the third-person narrative initially made it hard for me to immerse myself in this story, I was impressed by the captivating, vivid descriptions that effortlessly brought the characters and world to life. I was also fascinated by the intriguing and creative world that was established. However, I struggled with the clunky worldbuilding information dumps and wished some concepts, like the tea house, had been better developed.
"fear became hate when it festered long enough."
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟
After a slow start introducing key characters and the setting, a character-driven storyline centred on planning and executing a heist unfolds. Once things picked up, constant bursts of action and complex themes such as loss, loneliness and colonialism kept the storyline interesting and the stakes high. The dramatic/ cliffhanger ending also piqued my interest in the next book despite the underwhelming betrayals and twists in the climax.
Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟
Arthie Casimir is a fierce and clever criminal mastermind whose complex struggles are gradually detailed throughout the story. While this brought some complexity to her character and eventually made it easy to understand the anger that drives her, it took most of the story for me to connect with Arthie as most of her characterisation is mainly told, not shown.
"It’s easy to look at the errors of a few and blame an entire kind"
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The mismatched crew selected by Arthie were given distinct personalities, quirks and backstories that brought some complexity to their characters and made a few endearing. Their secrets and dynamics were also cleverly used to drive the storyline and made it more entertaining. A few other secondary characters pop in and out of the story and help add depth to the narrative, but I did not find these memorable.
Romance: 🌟🌟🌟
Arthie finds herself in a painfully forced triangle, with one connection slightly developed as the characters spend time together and the other being little more than attraction. Truthfully, I was more invested in a separate romance that develops between two secondary characters, as they had more chemistry and cute moments.
"Every good love story starts with a bullet to the heart."
Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The absence of character voices and vocal variety in the narration by Maya Saroya did little to enrich this story. However, I loved the conversation about the story between Hafsah Faizal and her husband at the end of the audiobook.
All in all, I cannot deny that ‘A Tempest of Tea’ gives a strong Six of Crow vibe, but the execution made it less compelling. I highly recommend the Six of Crow duology by Leigh Bardugo for a similar heist series with a complex character crew.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love the striking contrast between the pastel colours of the illustration and the black background of this design. The illustration also brilliantly captures major aspects of the story and hints at the mystery and danger within.
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Although the third-person narrative initially made it hard for me to immerse myself in this story, I was impressed by the captivating, vivid descriptions that effortlessly brought the characters and world to life. I was also fascinated by the intriguing and creative world that was established. However, I struggled with the clunky worldbuilding information dumps and wished some concepts, like the tea house, had been better developed.
"fear became hate when it festered long enough."
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟
After a slow start introducing key characters and the setting, a character-driven storyline centred on planning and executing a heist unfolds. Once things picked up, constant bursts of action and complex themes such as loss, loneliness and colonialism kept the storyline interesting and the stakes high. The dramatic/ cliffhanger ending also piqued my interest in the next book despite the underwhelming betrayals and twists in the climax.
Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟
Arthie Casimir is a fierce and clever criminal mastermind whose complex struggles are gradually detailed throughout the story. While this brought some complexity to her character and eventually made it easy to understand the anger that drives her, it took most of the story for me to connect with Arthie as most of her characterisation is mainly told, not shown.
"It’s easy to look at the errors of a few and blame an entire kind"
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The mismatched crew selected by Arthie were given distinct personalities, quirks and backstories that brought some complexity to their characters and made a few endearing. Their secrets and dynamics were also cleverly used to drive the storyline and made it more entertaining. A few other secondary characters pop in and out of the story and help add depth to the narrative, but I did not find these memorable.
Romance: 🌟🌟🌟
Arthie finds herself in a painfully forced triangle, with one connection slightly developed as the characters spend time together and the other being little more than attraction. Truthfully, I was more invested in a separate romance that develops between two secondary characters, as they had more chemistry and cute moments.
"Every good love story starts with a bullet to the heart."
Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The absence of character voices and vocal variety in the narration by Maya Saroya did little to enrich this story. However, I loved the conversation about the story between Hafsah Faizal and her husband at the end of the audiobook.
All in all, I cannot deny that ‘A Tempest of Tea’ gives a strong Six of Crow vibe, but the execution made it less compelling. I highly recommend the Six of Crow duology by Leigh Bardugo for a similar heist series with a complex character crew.
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