'A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept the people bound in fear and distrust.
'Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shi—a wielder of magic using the ancient and delicate art of tea-making—has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess' loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning's newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen's rightful throne.
'But the golden serpent still haunts Ning's nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. An evil far more ancient than the petty conflicts of men has awoken, and all the magic in the land may not be enough to stop it from consuming the world...'
I really enjoyed A Magic Steeped in Poison, the first part of this duology, and the book featured on my list of best books for 2022. As such, I was really looking forward to seeing what Judy I. Lin would do with the second part of the story; especially as the first book seemed to indicate that what was coming next would be quite different.
The first book saw Ning, a young woman from a remote rural village, travelling to the capital city to take part in a competition to find the next shénnóng-shi, a magic user that uses tea making to craft their powers, that will advise the royal family. Ning, who had faked her credentials to get in, simply wanted to win in order to help find help for her younger sister, who had been poisoned in a series of attacks that are threatening people across the kingdom. Knowing that if she wins she can get whatever help she needs, she enters a dangerous world of lies, intrigue, and double crosses.
And whilst she does well during the competition, even coming to form something of a friendship and mutual respect with the princess, things go horribly wrong when an exiled general performs a coup, and ousts the princess from her throne. Worse still, Ning is framed for multiple crimes. Forced to go on the run, Ning, the princess, and the princess' lover and bodyguard flee the capital. Travelling home, Ning uses the magic she's learned to cure her sister, and the four young women set out to find a solution to the issues facing the kingdom.
And this is where this second book begins. Where the first seemed to be something of a fantasy take on competitions like The Apprentice, with a group of young hopefuls competing for power and position, slowly whittling down the competition and impressing the judges, this book has none of that. The tone changes dramatically. Instead of court intrigue and mystery we have a quest to save the kingdom; one that involves searching for mysterious figures, gathering ancient relics, and preparing to fight an evil god. Despite sounding like this book should have nothing in common with the first, it feels like the perfect continuation. Things have changed, dramatically so, but it absolutely feels right for the story.
One of the things that's really wonderful about this second book is that is expands the world Lin has created. The first book was pretty much set in one city, and mostly in one area of that city (the royal palace). And whilst we got to meet people from all over the country, and learned a lot about the rest of Dàxi from conversations and small pieces of lore dropped throughout the book, we never really got to see it or experience it. This book changes that, as Ning and her companions travel to several new locations; some of which border of the fantastical.
Much of the first book felt like a story that could take place in the real world too, with the magic existing in what seemed to be a fairly fantasy light environment. The second book, in contrast, has magic possession, alternate planes, a living forest, ancient warriors, and evil gods trying to return to corporeal form. It goes hard on the fantastical parts, and because so long was spent on getting readers used to the more recognisable and realistic parts, as well as the characters, it became a lot easier to accept the wilder elements.
But even through all of these new developments, changes, and fantastical moments, it's still a story about Ning; and she's still very much at the heart of the book. Her mission has changed, but she's still finding herself caught up in something that she never wanted. She's pushed in ways that she never expected, and one of the best things about this book is her learning that she's much more powerful, more intelligent, and more important than she ever really gave herself credit for. She spends much of the first book doubting herself, unsure if she's doing the right thing, but here she's really come into her own, she's taking an active role, and proves why she's the best choice to be the royal shénnóng-shi.
This proves to be a pleasant, enjoyable conclusion to the story that goes in directions I honestly couldn't have predicted. Lin seemed to be creating a certain kind of story with the first book, and manages to completely subvert my expectations at every turn with this one. And whilst the book is very different, it proves to be a fantastic conclusion to the story.
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