Hello and welcome to another blog tour bookworms! Today's tour features A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin, the second book in her Book of Tea series. I'd like to first thank TBR and Beyond Tours for choosing me to be a part of this book tour! Here is the schedule for the rest of the tour if you would like to follow the other stops! As part of this tour I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis The enthralling conclusion to Judy I. Lin’s Book of Tea duology— A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet—is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo. A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept the people bound in fear and distrust. Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shi—a wielder of magic using the ancient and delicate art of tea-making—has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess’ loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning’s newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen’s rightful throne. But the golden serpent still haunts Ning’s nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. An evil far more ancient than the petty conflicts of men has awoken, and all the magic in the land may not be enough to stop it from consuming the world... Release Date: August 23, 2022 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Content warnings
Violence, fight scenes, witnessed torture, death, disturbing events (mutilation, body horror, forced suicide, possession, and fire) My Review I read the first book in this duology back in July and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to see how this story would wrap up. The writing style was beautiful, just like it was in book one. I saved many quotes that spoke to me while reading. One distinct change that we see from the first book is that now we have the addition of Kang's perspective, which is in the third person as opposed to Ning's first person. I found the switch between perspectives a bit jarring, but I think this was mainly because of the different perspective types. Kang's perspective was important to the story and I enjoyed seeing what was going on in the palace while Ning was on her journey. Speaking of Ning, she was still my favourite character. She kept the same spark and determination from the first book and felt very real and relatable. Even though she tried to remain positive, we saw her in moments of weakness that she grew from. I enjoyed seeing Ning using her powers and learning more about them. The pacing of this sequel started off a bit slow and took a while to pick up. We mostly follow Ning travelling through the country until closer to the end where the action came quick and fast. This led to the conclusion feeling a bit rushed. I would have enjoyed if it were more drawn out and there was more of a struggle to accomplish their end goal. Overall, this sequel tied up all the loose ends from book one but was missing some of the aspects that I really enjoyed. I think this series would have been better as a trilogy instead of a duology so we could have more time to explore the magic system and characters. I gave this book 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨. Mood Board Author Information
Book Purchase Links
0 Comments
Happy Saturday bookworms! Welcome to my review of Doughnuts and Doom by Balazs Lorinczi. Thank you to the author and their team for sending me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is in stores September 6th! Content Warnings
None In this world where witches and magic are part of the norm, Margot is a stressed out witch who's just trying to pass her spell test. And she's under a lot of pressure because after all, she needs it to get her potions business off the ground. When her latest test goes horribly wrong, she ends up accidentally cursing a doughnut at the bakery where Elena works. And when Elena, a struggling musician, eats it and ends up having terrible bad luck, Margot reaches out to see if she can help. Maybe these enemies aren't as different as they thought, and could their newfound friendship turn into something more?
I have been loving graphic novels lately so when I had the opportunity to pick this up I knew I had to try it out. Doughnuts and Doom initially peaked my interest because of the cute title and the art style. I can definitely say that this book is lighthearted and has a bit of good natured mayhem. Margot's test anxiety was super relatable and her potions business was also fun to read about. I would have liked for this book to be longer so that we could learn more about the characters' personalities and the magic system. At times certain plot points and Margot and Elena's relationship felt a bit rushed. One aspect that I thought was super cute was Margot's snake familiar Stanley. He was like a cute golden retriever in snake form. I also enjoyed the art style and colour theme. It went well with the aesthetic and vibe of the story. This was overall a cute read but I wish it were a bit longer. I gave this book 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️. That's a wrap on my review of Doughnuts and Doom by Balazs Lorinczi! I hope you enjoyed it! What's your favourite kind of donut? Let me know in the comments below! |
AuthorPaige is a bookstagrammer and blogger who loves all things bookish. From fantasy to mystery she can’t get enough! She’s always ready to recommend you a book and she can talk about her favourites all day. When she’s not reading, you can find her watching Marvel movies, playing video games, and taking bookstagram photos. Visit her on Instagram and Twitter for more updates. CategoriesArchives
April 2024
|