Early Review – A Steeping of Blood (Blood and Tea, Book 2) by Hafsah Faizal (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal/Steampunk
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Release Date: September 23, 2025
ASIN: B0DNC1XZCW
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Blood and Tea Duology
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for review
Rating: 4/5 stars
“White Roaring is sharpening its fangs after the deadly night that left the city in shambles. The press are dead, the public is calling for justice, vampires are in danger, and amid the turmoil, the Ram announces a celebration.
Still reeling from the bloodshed, Arthie Casimir has no time to mourn the death of anyone, let alone her own. She has no time for love, either, even though it had saved her life. As Arthie navigates new emotions and new allies, she must reassemble her scrambled crew and scrape what little they have left to fight one last time—and she will need to face the ghosts of her past to do it.
In Ceylan.”
Series Info/Source: This is the 2nd book in the Blood and Tea duology. I got a copy of this on ebook from NetGalley for review.
Thoughts: This was a good conclusion to this duology. I liked a lot about this book. However, I was disappointed by an event that happened at the end. That just didn’t need to happen; it felt contrived and like it was done for shock factor more than an actual good reason. If you don’t like bittersweet endings, I would skip this. I felt like it didn’t match the rest of the tone of the book well either.
Arthie is trying to pick up the pieces after the horrible night in White Roaring that left the press dead and the public calling for justice. Arthie is dying and forced to make the tough, but only, decision she can to become a full vampire. With the Ram planning a celebration and both vampires and humans disappearing from the streets, it’s time to get the crew back together and face off against the Ram once and for all.
This was easy to read, and I liked a lot of scheming that goes on. The characters are amazing, and I really enjoyed them. They grow a lot throughout the story. I liked the fast-pace as well. I liked that we get to learn more about a lot of the characters’ pasts, especially Arthie’s.
The end, though, I just didn’t like it. I think readers will be split on this, but I am guessing the majority of the readers will be disappointed. That sort of disappointment drops book ratings and that is a shame because this is a well done duology.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I liked this ending to the Blood and Tea duology. There was one event that happened at the end that I didn’t understand and intensely disliked. Aside from that, this was very engaging and easy to read. I enjoyed the unique characters and the twisty turning politics and scheming. I will definitely keep an eye out for future books by Faizal and will plan to check out her Sands of Arawiya series at some point.
