For the longest time, I wanted to write something dapper—crisp clothes and the cutthroat alleyways of old London— but when my protagonist set foot on the page with her brown skin and foreign roots, straightening her tweed suit and tucking her pocket watch away, she was angry. I realized, then, that I couldn’t write “something dapper” without also addressing colonialism. In my debut novel, We Hunt the Flame, we saw a girl fighting for her own kingdom. In A Tempest of Tea, we see a girl and her crew fighting for a country that isn’t theirs to save, but they’ll do it anyway. Oh, and did I mention there are vampires?
― Hafsah Faizal, Letter to readers
What booksellers are saying about A Tempest of Tea
- An orphan with her own agenda of revenge, Arthie is forced to steal from vampire society in order to keep her teahouse and her found family safe. The worldbuilding, the vibes, and the cast of characters are all perfection. Faizal has delivered a twisty page-turner that I haven’t stopped thinking about.
― Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books, Nashville, Tennessee | Buy from Parnassus Books
- I’ve had an itch for a really riveting heist story ever since I finished Six of Crows, and I’ve always been weak for found family stories, so when I saw this come in, I immediately snatched it up, I’m so glad I did. The world-building is intricate and vivid; the White Roaring is a perfectly dark, glittering gothic city with so much personality, and the characters are wonderful. Arthie and Jin are some of my new favorites; Arthie is chaotic and clever and selfish at times but in the best way, and Jin is so charming and a complete flirt and so fun to follow. I could say great things about all the characters, no one feels shorted in terms of development and personality, they all mesh together so well and the conflict is so tangible and easy to get invested in. The plot is a little slow at times but those slow moments aren’t wasted, the found family dynamic is always showcased and developed in these moments so they never feel wasted, and it definitely picks up when it needs to. I’m already ready for the sequel, I adore this.
― Winter Goldsmith, E. Shaver, booksellers, Savannah, Georgia | Buy from E. Shaver, booksellers
- Arthie runs Spindrift, a tearoom that doubles as a bloodhouse for vampires. It’s not exactly legal, but Arthie holds enough of people’s secrets that the authorities haven’t been able to get to her yet. That changes, though, when Spindrift is threatened by the current monarch, and Arthie is forced to plan a heist under the noses of the government and the vampire society, which leads to even more secrets coming out, including Arthie’s. A heist novel that will appeal to fans of Six of Crows, with plenty of action and romance.
― Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, South Carolina| Buy from Fiction Addiction
About Hafsah Faizal
Hafsah Faizal is the New York Times bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame and We Free the Stars, and the founder of IceyDesigns, where she creates websites for authors and beauteous goodies for everyone else. When she’s not writing, she can be found designing, deciding between Assassin’s Creed and Skyrim, or traversing the world. Born in Florida and raised in California, she now resides in North Carolina with her husband and a library of books waiting to be devoured. hafsahfaizal.com
