A Magic Distilled into Poison (Vol. 1 The Books of Tea)

Chosen by People magazine as the best book of the season, A Magic Distilled in Poison was a bestseller in the New York Times, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly and the American Bookstore Association.

The daughter of a doctor and a master of the Shénnóng art, Ning was resigned to the family arrangement in which she would follow in her father's footsteps while her sister, Shu, followed in their mother's. But when poisoned tea leads to her mother's death and gravely ills her sister, Ning's secret desires become entangled with the search for the antidote that will save Shu.

Ning's journey takes her to the palace, where a competition will be held to choose the court's new Shénnóng master. The prize? A wish granted by the princess herself. Desperate to save Shu, Ning sees the competition as her only alternative and, even though she isn't her mother's apprentice, decides to risk posing as her sister to compete. What she didn't imagine was that court politics could be more dangerous than the poisoned tea that has been ravaging the entire Daxi empire.

Now, Ning is alone in the capital, full of secrets that could not only eliminate her from the competition but also condemn her family to a terrible fate. Furthermore, she must prove her skills in brewing teas with legendary properties as she becomes increasingly embroiled in court intrigue, the increasingly dangerous trials of the competition, and false allies who could jeopardize her goal of saving Shu—and her own life.

"The lush, descriptive narrative beautifully illustrates the well-crafted magical setting of this universe, and every twist and turn surprises and delights, making this a rich fantasy on every page. Both a political thriller and a fantasy, it will please readers of Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow and Chloe Gong's Violent Pleasures . The ending will have readers begging for the sequel." — School Library Journal