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A Magic Steeped in Poison is Judy I. Lin's debut novel, published on March 29, 2022, and it is part of the duology The Book of Tea. The novel tells the story of Ning as she travels to Jia, the capital city, to compete in a competition for shénnóng-shī, masters of the magic art tea-making, and becomes embroiled in a complex web of bloody court politics. If she can win the competition and its prize of a favor from the princess, Ning hopes she will be able to save her sister's life.

A Magic Steeped in Poison received positive reception at the time of its release and has been featured on several 2022 notable reading lists.

Plot Summary
The novel opens with Ning preparing to leave for Jia, the capital city of the kingdom of Dàxī. Her sister, Shu, is dying, and neither Ning nor her father are able to cure her. Shu was accidentally poisoned by the same cup of tea that recently took the life of their mother, and Ning hopes that if she goes to the imperial city and participates in a competition for all practitioners of shénnóng, the ancient and magic art of tea-making, she will be able to have her sister treated by the best physicians possible and save her. Ultimately, Ning sneaks out and begins her journey after receiving her mother's jeweled hairpin from her sister.

During the first night of her travels, Ning gets in a fight with a thief of the Shadow who is stealing poisoned tea from tea warehouse, and despite her attempts to stop them, the thief gets away. After a ferry ride, she arrives in Jia and enters the palace and the competition. She quickly becomes friends with a young competitor from Kallah, Lian.

The first challenge of the competition is to create a dish from the participant's province and pair it with a suitable tea.

Characters
Ning - Ning is the primary protagonist. Throughout the novel, she deals with the guilt of accidentally poisoning her mother, and she is determined to set things right by not letting her sister succumb to the same poison. She was meant to follow in her father's footsteps and become a physician, but the competition requires her to quickly master the skills of shénnóng.

Shu - Shu is Ning's sister who is sick from the same poison tea that killed her mother. Her sickness is the driving force behind Ning's participation in tea-making competition.

Dr. Zhang - Dr. Zhang is Ning and Shu's father, and he is the physician responsible for treating people in a small village of Xīnyì in Sù province. He is influential, and he often intercedes for villagers with the governor of the village, Governor Wang.

Li Ying-Zhen - Li Ying-Zhen is the the princess of Dàxī who invites all practitioners of shénnóng magic to come and compete in honor of recently deceased dowager empress.

Ruyi - Ruyi is the bodyguard of Li Ying-Zhen.

Kang - Kang is the love interest of Ning.

Reception
A Magic Steeped in Poison received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist . It also received a positive review from NPR.

Publisher’s Weekly praises “The Chinese mythology–inspired world captivates and enthralls, and Lin’s lush descriptions—combined with Ning’s calm yet determined voice—are a feast for the senses.”

Cohen of Booklist wrote “It’s the perfect recipe for a page-turner, also exploring the nuances of Ning’s grief and determination to set things right and save her community as she attempts to figure out who, if anyone, can be trusted.”

Goodreads highlighted it in its “March’s Most Anticipated New YA Novels,” and American Booksellers Association included it in “March/April 2022 Kids’ Indie Next List Preview” and “Winter/Spring 2022 Indies Introduce Featured Titles.” Barnes and Nobles also featured it in its “Our Most Anticipated New Kids’ & YA Book Releases of March 2022."