A Venom Dark and Sweet

In this sequel to A Magic Steeped in Poison (www.cmreviews.ca/node/2968) author Judy I. Lin picks up the action right where the first part of the “Book of Tea” duology finished. Ning, her sister Shu, Princess Zhen and her bodyguard Ruyi are in exile and are focused on taking back the throne from Kang’s father and restoring Princess Zhen as the rightful ruler. But these four women know that something evil stands in their way, an inhuman threat to their endeavors. Ning has nightmares filled with war and bloodshed, and these seem destined to become reality if the women cannot understand and then thwart the evil which threatens to take over.

Ning is back as the protagonist, and many of her personality traits which were so useful during the competition of the first book come back into play. She is determined and clever to be sure, but also shrewd and seemingly fearless. She is able to fight with both her mind and her magic and learns a great deal about herself in the process.

The other main female characters form part of the action but also bring out the themes of friendship and family and how important these relationships are to Ning. Her loyalty to her sister and to the Princess is unquestionable.

In a change from the first novel, Lin has many chapters written from the point of view of Kang, the male protagonist of the story. This changes readers’ perspective of him somewhat as we see the palace and the palace intrigue from his insider’s point of view. As well, we understand the tension he is under, torn between his loyalty to his father and his loyalty to Ning and her cause.

A Venom Dark and Sweet has all the trappings of young adult fantasy. It is filled with Chinese myth and folklore and magic in a mystical world created by the author. Tea continues to have magical properties, but Ning also uses it as a medicine many times in the novel. Added to these fantasy elements are all of the best characteristics of an adventure novel. Action, danger and conflict, whether in the real world or the imagined, magical one, appear throughout the story and move the plot along at a quick pace, particularly during the second half of the book. In fact, the pace is a little too quick by the end, and the final battle scenes seem a little rushed.

Lin provides her readers with lots of excitement as well as interesting and memorable characters. Perhaps the best aspect of the novel, however, is Lin’s ability to describe settings which take her readers far beyond their routine worlds. In this sequel, readers move out of the court and out of the city of Jia. We see mountains, forests and gorges and small villages. Perhaps one of the best points of the book is Lin’s description of the forest named the Bamboo Sea or the Forgetting Sea.

While this sequel didn’t capture my imagination quite like the first book did, still it was a satisfying and entertaining ending to the “Book of Tea”. Well done, Judy I. Lin. I look forward to more writing from you in the future.