This book is a thrilling, immersive, page-turner!!! The political intrigue is so well done; truly everyone seems capable of the who-dunnit at various points in the story. I was worried that the foreground - the tea ceremony - would be too cozy a setting, but not at all. The author does a brilliant job evoking the feelings, powers, and messages behind each brew, AND of incorporating Ning's knowledge into harrowing situations.

There were only two minor aspects of the book which gave me pause:

1) Ning and Kang's enemies-to-lovers (to enemies?) thing was a little YA Bingo. They meet in the marketplace, but she learns later he's no street rat. She almost trips into traffic, he saves her, she swoons over his muscles. She falls in water, he rescues her, adrenaline is pumping, they smooch. She breaks up with him because, "You lied to me!" even though it's probably just a misunderstanding.... A lot of Disney Princess vibes. They have enough about THEM personally that is original, so I was invested, whether their romance pans out or not. But their romantic scenes almost felt like hard cuts, like a publisher said, "Now, do something shippy right here! Shipping fodder is how you sell books, you know!"

2) In the opening chapters it's revealed that tea can be brewed to magically enhance all kinds of things: Courage, Persuasiveness, Perception...and later we learn that truly magical abilities, like illusions, or necromancy, are a thing! But this book largely has Ning healing poisons or magical imbalances. Neither her deceptions, nor the larger politics, seem to be doing much with the range of magics available. I would love to learn that someone's understanding of who to trust/what was happening was corrupted by magical influence.

But despite those two little nitpicks, I was well invested in the story and the world unfolding. I love that the magic system is about understanding and empathizing with another person. It comes with a price: Yes, strength can be imparted, but only by first making oneself vulnerable. And a lingering connection remains even after the ritual is complete; bonded by shared experience. I love that the intention is to /give/ to another, to offer support, to even help shoulder their suffering as your own; and it is taboo to /take/ something, to use a bond to subjugate or manipulate another person.

Stunning, beautiful writing, and a complicated web being woven. I cannot wait to read the next book!