My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice Rating:
Title: A Steeping of Blood (Blood and Tea, #2)
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 448
Publication Date: 9/23/25
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Categories: Young Adult, Historical Fantasy, Vampires, Series, Romance
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The epic conclusion to the #1 bestselling A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal; the gritty fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.
She’s had her tea, now she’s out for blood.
White Roaring is sharpening its fangs after the deadly night that left the city in shambles. The press are dead, the public calls 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, but 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.
After the jaw-dropping ending of #1 bestselling A Tempest of Tea, Arthie and her crew still have plenty of hearts to break and crimson-red secrets to uncover. Hafsah Faizal crafts a deliciously twisty and seductive sequel that will leave readers breathless until the very last page.
Content Warning: violence, death, torture
+ This is the conclusion to the Blood and Tea duology and I thought it was a pretty good end to the story.
+ I still love the found family that is Arthie, Jin, Flick and the others. After the wild events of book one, Arthie and her family are picking up the pieces and trying to take down the Ram. Everyone has their role and parts to help with the mission which makes them strong together. Although there is a part where this found family breaks apart for a little bit.
+ I enjoyed the vampirism and politics. There is a lot of action as Arthie and her friends try to stop the Ram. They travel to Ceylan, where they find out things have changed and there is a new type of vampire among them. A lot of the action come in the second half of this book.
+ I loved the relationship and romance between Flick and Jin – they are so sweet together! I thought Flick’s POV in book was the weakest but in this book she really shines. As for Arthie, Matteo is there for her this time and it was nice to see her open up, fall for his charms and let him in.
~ I don’t know why but with book one, I read it in one day. This book took me a whole week or more. I think it’s because the beginning moves slow but everything picks up in the second half. But there was something about the story that wasn’t hooking me like book one.
~ There are a bunch of heartbreaking moments in the second half of this book. It made me so sad!
Final Thoughts:
I thought this was a solid conclusion! Arthie and her friends completed their mission, taking down the Ram but with a lot of loss. I loved the romance relationships, especially between Flick and Jin. The beginning was slow but it picks up at the halfway point and ends in a heartbreaker. It’s a bittersweet conclusion.
Book Links:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:
A Tempest of Tea by. Hafsah Faizal | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We Free the Stars | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Book Review | We Hunt the Flame ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 
I agree this one had a slower start. Flick has a fantastic character arc – she really comes into her own in this sequel. But part of the ending – grrrr. It’s been a few weeks since I finished the book, and I was so angry that I still haven’t written the review.
Yes loved Flick got more time in this book! I feel you on the ending.