Book: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
Reviewed by Anonymous
Well, I am not quite sure where to start. I wanted to love this book, but at times, it was a struggle for me.
There were so many characters, relationships, and backstories that I wanted explored more deeply to help everything come together. The shift between viewpoints sometimes made it difficult to stay connected. I usually enjoy moving between two main characters, but following several perspectives here left me feeling a little lost.
I also wanted more time at Spindrift. With a title like Tempest of Tea, I expected the tea shop to play a stronger role in setting the scenes, but most of it was not. Instead, it sometimes felt like a passing detail when it could have added as so much more.
I loved the Victorian inspired setting, it gave me steampunk feel, and I loved the historical references. But the storytelling sometimes seemed shift focus before I found my footing. I would find myself wondering how we had moved from Point A to Point B, while still wanting more background to understand the characters and their connections.
To be fair, I listened to part of this book because of time constraints, and that may have affected my experience with the changing perspectives. I may review it in a few months, book in hand, and see hot it feels the second time around. I will review it again then.
For now, 3.75 out of 5 golden books. There were elements I really enjoyed: I just wanted more atmosphere, deeper character development, and a clearer thread connecting it all.