The art was amazing, the story was pretty good, the writing was deeply disappointing.

Gorga, however, is a gem of a character.

While this series hasn’t been perfect, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know this Guinevere. It’s a take on Arthurian legend that I’ve come to love and appreciate, and this book has been my favorite of the series.

Not only did The Excalibur Curse have the most action, it also had the most character growth. And really where this author’s writing shines is in her dialogue and character relationships. (While I do like Guinevere, whenever we got stuck in her head for too long, things would get redundant imo.)

But this book gave us Fina, and it developed all of Guin’s existing relationships so well. The characters really came alive for this book, and I just hold a soft spot for this retelling because of the characters. Especially because the women are all so vastly different and unique, and prove that strength is not a monolith.

The worst part, I thought, was getting trapped in Guinevere’s thoughts. She’s a bit of a broken record, let’s be honest. Those were the weakest parts of the book, but I could see where she was coming from…sometimes. My biggest qualm is that G continuously made stupid decisions that were just staggeringly unhelpful…until the end. I was very proud of her by the end.

The reason I consider this to be the best installment is because in the other books, Guinevere would grow as a character only to regress. This time, I felt like her growth “stuck.” She did so much good, even if she was in too much pain to see it

While I found the first half of the book a bit slow, the second half really picks up and has a lot of cool action and plot points. And there were quite a few moments between our band of heroes that made me laugh—I really enjoyed the banter.

As far as heroines go, Larken is pretty great. She makes smart decisions and has a really big heart. She also gets a really powerful moment in the book that ~almost~ made me chuck the book in a fit of rage, until I realized (like she did) what was really happening. Also, she’s a plus size queen and I love that

I want to write more later, but for now I’ll just say that I really enjoyed this story! It’s always fun to have a mermaid story, and I loved the inclusion of West African history and mythology, and Yoruba deities.

If you’re a fan of Beasts of Prey or Raybearer and are wanting more African fantasy, this is a must read. I also think fans of the Percy Jackson books will love Skin of the Sea.

And of course there are some great nods to the HCA version of the little mermaid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for offering me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Magic Steeped in Poison is the powerful tale of Ning, a girl who only wishes to set right her greatest wrong. That is, administering poison (albeit accidentally) to her mother and sister. While her mother did not make it, her sister still has a chance, if Ning can win the favor of the Princess and gain access to resources. Ning decides to go to the capital to earn her place as a shennong-shi, a master tea maker, skilled in the magical sod elf tea making. If she can advance in the competition, she may be able to brew a tea to cure her sister.

What can I say? I LOVED this book. Ning is an admirable character who wishes to help her sister above all else, though she also envisions a better world. One where people are not taken advantage of; a world where threats of poison are taken seriously.

What really blew me away was Just Lon’s writing. Her prose is consistently beautiful, without feeling ~purple~. She illustrates the magic of tea brilliantly, and what an incredibly unique magic system it is! I truly enjoyed watching this competition unfold, and getting to see the myriad ways in which tea magic can be expressed. I found it truly I vent I’ve and refreshing.

I also enjoyed that the story delivered what was promised: a competition story with political intrigue. Some stories imply a competition is occurring, yet forget to clue the reader in on the competition. With AMSiP, the competition is integral to the story and the world building. I think we could have seen a bit more of the contestants, but really I’m so satisfied with what we got.

Final note: Lin has accomplished with her writing what Studio Ghibli has accomplished with their animation: making the food so utterly irresistible. It’s a true gift.

The book left off on quite the cliffhanger, so I’ll be eagerly awaiting the sequel. Which apparently won’t be a long wait!