Tea by Day, Blood by Night

Hafsah Faizal (already a #1 New York Times bestseller from We Hunt the Flame) pivoted to vampires in 2024, and the result is something entirely its own. A Tempest of Tea is not a romance-first novel. It's a heist novel set in a vampire underworld, wrapped in found-family warmth, and served in a teacup filled with secrets.

The comparison that stuck: Peaky Blinders meets Six of Crows. It's earned.

What It's About

In the city of White Roaring (a Victorian-inspired metropolis where vampires live openly among humans) Arthie Casimir runs Spindrift, a prestigious tearoom with a secret. After dark, it transforms into a bloodhouse: an illegal establishment where vampires purchase fresh blood.

When Spindrift is threatened by a powerful figure who wants to shut it down, Arthie has no choice but to fight back. She assembles a crew of misfits (a charming vampire, a sharp-tongued healer, a loyal best friend, and a frustratingly handsome rival) for a heist that will take them deep into the heart of vampire high society.

What Works

Faizal's worldbuilding is atmospheric and immersive. White Roaring feels lived-in: the gaslit streets, the tension between human and vampire populations, the politics of blood trade. She builds the world through details rather than exposition, and it rewards close reading.

The heist structure keeps the pacing tight and the reveals well-timed. The crew dynamic is the book's greatest strength: each character has a distinct voice, a hidden agenda, and a reason you'll care about them. Arthie herself is sharp, ruthless, and deeply protective of the people she's chosen as family.

Faizal also weaves in a subtle critique of colonialism and class that gives the story weight beyond its genre trappings.

What Doesn't

The romance is slow to develop: readers looking for a central love story may find it sidelined by the heist plot. Some threads feel underdeveloped in service of the sequel setup. And the cliffhanger ending is aggressive. This is definitively book one of a duology, and it does not stand alone.

The Velvet Coven Verdict

A Tempest of Tea is the most fun vampire book on this list. It's stylish, clever, and populated with characters you'll want to spend time with. If you've been craving a vampire story that's less about brooding and more about scheming, Arthie Casimir is your new favorite criminal.

Content note: Violence, blood trade, colonial themes, mild romantic content, cliffhanger ending.

Quick Reference

  • Author: Hafsah Faizal
  • Published: 2024 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
  • Series: Blood and Tea, Book 1 (duology: A Steeping of Blood, 2026)
  • Pages: ~400
  • Setting: White Roaring, Victorian-inspired fantasy city
  • Tropes: Heist, found family, bloodhouse, morally grey heroine, rivals to lovers
  • Spice level: 1/5: slow-burn romantic tension, YA-appropriate