March 14, 2024
By Amerie Diaz
Staff Writer
Originally scheduled to be published in 2022, Hafsah Faizal has finally released her third young adult novel, “A Tempest of Tea.” Unfortunately, this highly anticipated new release fails to live up to the hype.
In this first book in a fantasy duology, criminal mastermind Arthie Casimir believes vengeance never dies. That is why she operates Spindrift, a tea shop that transforms into a bloodhouse for vampires to feast by night. Spindrift’s success and Arthie’s very existence pose a threat to the fictional country of Ettenia, which thrives off exploitation and leaves people like her homeless and orphaned.
When authorities threaten to shut down the establishment, Arthie is confronted by Laith, one of the Horned Guards who wants to betray the monarchy. Laith thinks he can save Spindrift and offers Arthie a risky proposition to break into the elite vampiric society called the Athereum and steal a confidential ledger that could bring their society to ruins if made public. To carry out the heist, Arthie assembles a team of White Roaring’s most notorious outcasts, who each have different roles. This group includes her, Laith, her right-hand man and brother Jin, forger Flick and artist Matteo.
Female rage is a common motif in literature, and Faizal takes this concept to a new level with her portrayal of Arthie. As a child, Arthie witnessed the colonization of her island, Ceylan, by Ettenia, which prompts her constant anger and thirst for revenge. Her childhood experiences make her role as a morally ambiguous character even more compelling.
While Arthie is often depicted as ruthless and tough, she is also kindhearted. This is highlighted through her connection with Jin. Though they are not blood relatives, their bond is as strong as that of biological siblings.
For a book whose key selling point is its vampire heist plot, the execution of the heist is lackluster.
The vampires offer much-needed diversity to the text. It is rare to read a book where all the main characters are immigrants, and the representation of African, East Asian, European, Middle Eastern and South Asian identities is a breath of fresh air. However, aside from Arthie, the characters in “A Tempest of Tea” do not stand out.
While Arthie is an intriguing protagonist, the others rely heavily on cliché tropes. For example, Jin has the potential to be interesting but is instead stereotypically depicted as the comic relief character. Similarly, Laith and Matteo offer nothing more than being Arthie’s brooding, mysterious love interests, and Flick, whose gentleness and naivete are unique qualities for a character intent on committing a crime, is unrealistically positive and superficial.
For a book whose key selling point is its vampire heist plot, the execution of the heist is lackluster. Faizal takes time to describe the events leading up to the heist, but when it finally happens, it is anticlimactic and occurs too conveniently. Additionally, the plot twists, which are meant to be shocking, are not because the author leaves too many clues along the way.
Regrettably, “A Tempest of Tea” falls flat.
Compared to the author’s previous books, “A Tempest of Tea” lacks Faizal’s signature ambitiousness and creativity. Although her newest novel brews an exciting premise, the plot never comes to a boil.
