Tea Set and Match

Tea Princess Chronicles, Book 2

By: Casey Blair

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Miyara saved the city of Sayorsen and the dragons.

She was happy with the place she'd made for herself. But every action triggers consequences.

Her older sister comes to drag her back to the palace and the meaningless life she hated. The tea guild won't support her unless she succeeds on her own in their chosen challenge: a tea tournament and the international politics and unrest that come along with it. To top it all off, the border protecting the remaining world from the magical disaster zone is suddenly failing.

The path she'd thought was clear is twistier than ever, but armed with her trusty tea set, Miyara will fight to keep it.

Tea Set and Match is the second book of the Tea Princess Chronicles, a cozy fantasy series full of magic tea, baby dragons, friendship, and lifting people up even when the odds seem impossible.

©2022 Casey Blair (P)2024 Podium Audio

growing characters

all the characters have grown in this part of the series, their challenges and tribulations have evolved as well and it is very welcomed. can't wait to see what happens next.

Another great one, deeper than it sounds

I bought Book 2 before I was done with Book 1 and I was not disappointed. This book has a lot of Miyara finding herself and figuring out her way in the world. There were several lines in the book that were so thought-provoking that I paused the book to ponder them. (Mostly they were about how she could serve others while not losing herself, something that many of us can learn from.) You'll definitely want to have read the first book, as I think that this would be hard to jump into as a standalone.

Narrator is great!

I really liked the first book, it was different and interesting which kept my attention. This one I skipped over a good bit and did not even finish it. I was disappointed

Familiar sweetness to the first book but less character development.

The first book had a clear and satisfying character arc for the heroine. I like the inclusion. I like the tea ceremony superpowers of empathy and unity. I liked the slow burn romance and cozy descriptions.

The second book plays off these same themes but focuses more on the politics. While I agree with sentiment behind the progressive values being centered. It is overpowering the story and fantasy. I felt at times like the dialogue was a dense, social justice essay and it took me out of the magic of the story. I was surprised to hear the word “gentrification” used in this fantasy world. I suppose there’s no rule that fantasy worlds need to be from a historical era. I like stories told from a modern perspective but the terminology felt out of place in a world of monarchy. The story can speak to these issues without needing to spell it out like a college course. A good book will show the reader not tell.

Cozy and Clever

I really enjoyed both the first book and this one as well. I enjoyed the nuanced approach the story takes with helping characters discover who they are and where they belong. I love that there's no black and white in terms of the characters' actions for the most part. Everyone understands that there are reasons behind the other character's actions even if they don't fully agree with them and work to find ways to better communicate and get along. Overall the book just has a really warm feel to it.

Not Much Action

I enjoyed the first book in this series. There were interesting characters, lots of excitement and adventure. Dragons, magic, suspense... a brave woman who learns to make her own way and to stand up for what is right and just in the world.
But the second book had very little action. The characters mostly stood around talking to each other and reasoning through the politics of social justice. The main character spent a lot of time in deep thought over how to proceed with her romantic relationship. I ended up skipping ahead several times, just to find out how things ended. I don't know if I'll read the third book at all.

Bizarrely Preachy

Loved the first book but I cancelled my preorder of the third after listening to this. I'm a progressive but I surely found it off-putting to get lectured about pronouns when listening to my fantasy novel.

Loved the first book

I should have read reviews to clue me in that I would not like the second book. Refunding the third.

Activists woke pronouns

This book has a great base it sucks you in with witches and mages tea and dragons and magic… but the author ruined it completely! It’s like a political activists diatribe in story form ! Lectures on pronouns, transgenderism, lesbians and cross species, racism, social inequality blamed as always on the wealthy. It was not a good book it was completely ruined! If you like that sort of thing then you will love it. I felt like punching the chick who wrote it for wasting my time my money and for luring me in with a false narrative only to be irritated immensely! It’s woke mind virus story time!