A Little Village Blend

When he brewed teas, his hands grew warm, and he could give the tea something extra with a single touch. Nothing overwhelming, but enough to make the now a little more bearable, better, or pleasant.

In many ways, this story was as charming and cozy as I expected from a Little Village novella. I enjoyed the mood, the hectic reality of a retail job, the sibling relationship, every little scene with the dog, and so many other things. I must say I was really surprised at the level of magical realism/casual tea witchcraft. That wasn’t what I expected from this setting based on what I’ve read from it before, but it was wonderfully executed and overall a pleasant surprise. I want more!

However, I came for the romance, though, and that part didn’t leave me fully satisfied. I really liked Ivan, but Walt… well, he seemed interesting, but I also didn’t feel like I ever got to know him. For most of the story, the reader interacts with Ivan’s wrongful perception of Walt and his life far more than with Walt himself, and we don’t really get to see how Walt’s deal is different from what Ivan expected. All in all, this felt less like a self-contained novella and more like the first act of a novel. And I didn’t like how Ivan kept being all, “Should I give this guy a chance despite what my sister’s tea leaves reading says?” instead of trying to really see Walt and sincerely figure out if/how what he sees matched the tea reading.