Tea is just hot leaf water, isn’t it? Yet in the hands of cousins Jasmine Teh and Bryan Goh, it becomes something more. Nothing can convince Bryan that magic is real, not even his business partner, Long—a dragon with secrets of his own. But when Jasmine discovers that the tea she brews can cure broken hearts and heal physical ailments, she throws herself into creating a special blend that will solve her own crisis: her non-existent love life.
As Jasmine finds a home in Long’s mansion, she unknowingly unravels the secrets Long had thought were buried. The Penang Magical Council has been sniffing around, and Jasmine’s decisions could have disastrous consequences on the new family she has come to love.
Mira Abdullah’s goal in life is to become the first female Menteri Jurusihir of Tanjong. To do that, she has to finish a four-year degree in Inventive Design Magics, top her class to become Jurusihir Bestari, and win the five-year apprenticeship to the menteri.
Simple, right?
By the end of the first year, Mira knows that there are only two strong contenders in her cohort: her and Zeid. But she also finds herself being told that girls are not welcome in the exclusive Inventive Design Magics Degree.
Mira just wants to prove herself capable. Even if she has to pretend to be someone else to do it.
A curse binds the City of Winter and the Dragon's prophecy holds the key to breaking it. But will a poor fisherman from the South have the means to fulfil the prophecy? Or will the foreignness of the North itself repel him and his efforts?
The Painted Hall Collection is a series of four short, old-school fairy-tales designed to open your eyes to wonder:
When Winds Blow Cold
The Flame of the North
Beneath the Rumbling Earth
A Still Small Voice