Another great entry in the Tea Dragon series, I want to have one of every Tea Dragon, I love them so. This was an interesting look at how they fit in their world with bigger "real" dragons. I loved that the Tea Dragons were like village cats that everyone cared for. As always, the effortless inclusion in the book, creating a world rich with diverse characters, was a deep breath of fresh air. This entry covers gender orientation, homosexuality, lots of different body types and skin colors and also a deaf character. So happy to disappear in the world of Tea Dragons again, I can't wait until my next visit.

What an utterly delightful story, and what a gift to the world is Katie O’Neill!

The Tea Dragon Festival is a companion-prequel to The Tea Dragon Society and it follows Rinn (they/them), who is an aspiring cook, and a Dragon (not a small tea dragon!) who’s been asleep for too long. We also see a young Erik and Hesekiel in their bounty hunters days and they’re just as cute as you might imagine if you’ve read TTDS. There’s also a side character who uses Sign Language and the whole village has learned SL because of her and it’s like, no big deal to them and it was so endearing to see.

As always the author has created a rich and inclusive world that radiates the positivity we so desperately need sometimes with escapism nowadays. This is both great for a younger audience and for everyone else who’s just looking to read a wonderful diverse story and look at seriously cute art. I can’t recommend it enough!

This was another gorgeous story by Katie O'Neill. I fell in love with The Tea Dragon Society and am even more in love with this book. The illustrations are beautiful and enchanting and the storyline is captivating. I want more Tea Dragon books!

Title: The Tea Dragon Festival

Author: Katie O' Neill

Genres: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Middle Grade

Publication date: 2019

Number of pages: 136

Previous book in the series: The Tea Dragon Society



Synopsis:

Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.



Story:

The Tea Dragon Festival is the second book in a graphic novel series. I haven't read the first book but I did not feel that that impaired my enjoyment of this story at all. This book follows a young girl named Rinn who wishes to be a cook. She lives in a village where there are small dragons, named Tea Dragons. One day she goes out to collect mushrooms and she finds a dragon, called Aedhan. Aedhan was sent to the village to protect it and to watch over festivals but somehow he fell asleep for eighty years! We follow them as Aedhan meets her family and the village, we discover why Aedhan fell asleep for a long time and as the characters help Aedhan to come to terms with the time that he missed.



Diversity:

This book was just an adorable and delightful read. It featured American Sign Language as the head cook in the village is deaf. It is mentioned that dragons can change gender and it is alluded to that two of the characters may be in a male-male relationship. I loved the representation in this book and as a book that is aimed at the middle grade market, it is lovely to have such diversity in literature for younger readers.



Graphics:

The illustrations in this book were absolutely beautiful. I stopped and admired more than one of the panels to look at how the sky was drawn and at the features of the whimsical animals.



Characters:

I loved all of the characters in this book. It was a cute and friendly story. Rinn and Aedhan were friendly and well-developed. I was even hoping for a romance between them (which may or may not have been alluded to towards the end of the book). Rinn's grandmother was sweet and Lesa, the head cook was kind and creative. Hesekiel, a Sylke was comical and interesting and the tea dragons were so cute and cool.



Favourite quote:

"Just because something comes easily to you, does not mean it has no value. You find it effortless because you love it, and that is why it is your gift."


Final thoughts:

I loved this book! It was a cute and quick read with beautiful graphics and a wonderful story. The only negative is that I wish that it was longer! One part of the story was shown and over very quickly so I felt that that should have been expanded upon. I would also loved to see what happens to these characters next. More please!



Star rating: 5/5 stars


*An advanced copy of this book was kindly sent to me to review, however, all opinions are my own.

So I randomly decided to pick up the first book in this series which was The Tea Dragon Society. I adored it! So when I saw the second book was on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance at reading it. Well I have to say I ended up enjoying this one a lot more.

So this story takes place before the events of The Tea Dragon Society. So I was excited to get some backstory. You follow Rinn in this story. She is the niece of Erik from the first story. She has recently discovered a real dragon whose mission was to protect the village but ended up falling into a sleeping curse and was asleep for 80 years. Rinn decides to help the real dragon feel comfortable and make up for lost time. I was so excited to be introduced to all these new characters plus, Hesekiel and Erik are also in this story. I loved getting to know all these new characters plus learning more about the old characters. They are all so unique and each have their own special talents. It just really warmed my heart reading this story. I just thought it was so much sweeter than the first one.

I also really love the artwork for this book. I think Katie has such a wonderful art style. It's just so cute and fun. The artwork is always very colorful which just really adds to the overall vibes. Each character is so unique and I just love how they look. You can also tell she put so much detail into the locations. Also can we talk about how precious the tea dragons are. Omg they are honestly the cutest things ever. I love how they also have their own unique personalities. There was one in this book that had a bit of sas to it and it had me cracking up. I wish tea dragons were real because I would love to own one. I honestly would love to buy a print from Katie of one of the tea dragons and hang it up in my house.

Lastly, I want to mention how I enjoyed that some of the characters would speak in sign language and voice. I just thought that was so inclusive. I haven't seen that done before in a comic so I really enjoyed that aspect. I would love to see that be done more in books.

Overall I thought this was such an adorable story. It honestly made me so happy reading this. I loved all the characters, new and old. I always enjoy seeing the different tea dragons with their unique personalities. If you're looking for a cute read that will warm your heart, I highly recommend it. Plus the artwork is just so well done and just really pleasing to the eye. I can't see how you'd dislike this book.

I have no words for this title. It's so wonderful and mesmerizing , I am out of words.
I loved the illustrations and narration. I was dragged into tea dragon world yet again. This time my heart tugged on Aedhan and his innocence. I loved all characters of the book and how it spreads the message of love irrespective of caste, Creed, gender, region , religion and beliefs.

Looking forward for more such wonderful works from the author and illustrator Katie O'Neill. A special shout out for Katie.

I adored this story as much as The Tea Dragon Society. It has a different feel to it, in my opinion. But, the story was just as good and the her illustration are seriously the cutest! Also, can I please have a tea dragon already?

In this one, you learn more about Erik and Hesekiel, but mainly Erik. This is the story of Erik's niece, Rinn and the village that she lives in. The way the village interacts and raises the tea dragons is a little different compared to Erik and Hesekiel's village.

Rinn is a gatherer; she gathers ingredients for food for the village. One day on her outing, she discovers Aedhan, who is the sweetest dragon. I loved the friendship/dynamic between Rinn and Aedhan. Aedhan mysteriously fell asleep for eighty years and Rinn has to help him deal with the feeling that he has missed out on so much and has lost time that he can never get back.

I really enjoyed the diverse rep within this story; this one includes ASL and I thought that was really cool.

This was one of the most adorable and sweetest stories that I've read and I highly recommend it!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Katie O'Neill can do no wrong. This book was so stinking cute from the art style to the positivity to the inclusivity and the dragons. I think I enjoyed it better than book one. This world is so magical and transporting and uplifting, and I love how people of different genders and sexualities and disabilities are seamlessly folded in. There were certain panels in this book that spoke to me so much as an adult even though this is written for children, it's that good. I highly recommend this for any age range, and if you at all enjoyed the first book, I think this companion would highly interest you. (less)

I love the Tea Dragon Books! The art is incredible. I would buy them just for the art but they also have great stories. Read These Books!

By far the most adorable book I have ever read. This is a prequel to The Tea Dragon Society. The manga-influenced art is so lovely and the coloring is superb. The story is gentle fun and very inclusive without being overtly political. The world of tea dragons is not without faults, but it is also a world where an entire village will learn sign language to make one deaf resident comfortable. Friendship is again at the center of the story and helping others without the expectation of a reward.

I cannot emphasize enough how amazing and adorable this series is.

"Just because something comes easily to you, does not mean it has no value. You find it effortless because you love it, and that is why it is your gift."
I really enjoyed this book. It was was just as cute as the first book and filled me with joy and happiness. The illustration is just stunning and the colors are just beautiful and vibrant.

Tea Dragon Festival by author Katie O'Neill, has entered my list of favorite comics of all time.
With a light theme, illustrations that pass a calm, a tranquility to the reader, The Dragon Festival is undoubtedly a read for all people of all ages.

Be super happy when the editor Oni Press accepted my request on NetGalley! I had seen some videos of youtubers talking about their expectations about this book and they were very right! The way the dragons are presented, their importance and their coexistence with human beings made me think that it would be beautiful if this were true. Ah! I was already forgetting! This is the second volume, however, to read quietly, without having read the previous book.
Suitable for anyone who wants a light, fast and beautiful reading.

"Just because something comes easiy to you, does not mean it has no value. You find it effortless because you love it, and that is why it you gift."

I don't normally describe books as pure but with the Tea Dragon series that's the only word I can find that sums up these sweet thoughtful stories. This one was a wonderful edition to the first, showing some previous characters past and building on the dragon lore. The diversity like the first book was subtle but brilliant, this time including a deaf lady. All in all it was perfect! I cant wait for more books in this series so I can read them to my children.

Thank you to Oni Press / Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

You get more backstory of Erik and Hesekiel! They set off on a journey to discover what put the real dragon, Aedhan, asleep eighty years ago when he was supposed to protect Rinn’s village.

Rinn, Erik’s niece, grew up with Tea Dragons but when she discovers Aedhan one day, everything changes. She now has the challenge of teaching Aedhan to accept the fact that he has lost eighty years of memories. He can only make new ones from here on out.

Adorable, heartwarming, beautiful.

This book talks about sign language, and whether or not dragons can choose between female and male forms! How awesome is that? Katie O’Neill has a way with words. She doesn’t have to say much in order to get her point across.

I loved this so much. I love The Tea Dragon Society and The Tea Dragon Festival in different ways. I don’t know how to explain it. They gave off different vibes. These graphic novels are a breath of fresh air for me. I’m used to read science fiction graphic novels.

Highly recommend with my whole heart!

This is the cutest graphic novel. This is also my first Katie O'Neill graphic novel but it certainly won't be my last. I loved everything about this from the gorgeous art style to the characters and the wonderful story. It is all just incredibly precious.

I really enjoyed seeing Sign language being represented as I never see it anywhere, in media.

I also like the additional background on the ancestry of the dragons and how the tea dragons are related to the other dragons. These little touches just round the experience.

I really want my own dragon even more now. This is a great place to start if you're just getting into graphic novels but its also great for everybody.

The Tea Dragon Festival is a beautiful, sweet story that is wonderfully illustrated and, for me, had a very calming influence. I'm sorry I missed the first book - The Tea Dragon Society! I need to read that too!

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

I didn't really know what I was getting into, this being my first book by Katie O'Niell. Thankfully, it isn't needed to have read Tea Dragon Society to get into this one though I will definitely going back to read that one. In this story, a girl named Rinn lives in a small mountain village that is also home to many tiny, poofy little stray tea dragons that (as the name implies) grow tea off their elemental bodies that the villagers may use. There is a festival every year to honor this little animals and Rinn is involved in the culinary prep-work, as she's also considering becoming a chef. Out in the forest harvesting mushrooms, she stumbles upon a full fledged dragon who has apparently been sleeping for eighty years and is the supposed protector of the village.

I won't go into further detail, but I will say that the plot flows in a relaxing way. It reminds me of anime like Little Witch Academia, or Laid-Back Camp, with slice-of-life qualities that make the conflict pretty low stakes and containing a sort of peaceful feel. This book would make its home right on the shelf, somewhere between the tween graphic novel and manga collections. The magical elements and world-building are top notch and there's also an educational core to the story, with many villagers communicating through sign language and an apparent (but not overplayed or over-pronounced for reward in any way) diversity of cast, which includes several gender fluid characters. All of this is built into a believable mythology and world, done in vibrant artwork perhaps best described as digital pastel, or something like that.

O'Niell is a standout author and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of her work.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill is a lovely graphic novel about Rinn, who is non-binary, trying to find her place in the world. There are tea dragons (little dragons that live in the village, and everyone cares for them), and a large dragon, who can change into human form, but has been asleep a little longer than he planned.

The Tea Dragon Festival was great for it's inclusivity. There were characters speaking in American Sign Language only, some with both ASL and voice, and some just some. This, along with the main character, Rinn being non-binary means it's going to be a very out of the ordinary book, which will make some children (and adults!) feel noticed.

This is the second in the Tea Dragon series, but you don't feel like you're missing out on information when reading it.

The art in this book is lovely! It's such a beautiful, relaxing read that I would recommend it to everyone!

The Tea Dragon Festival is to be published on 17th September 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Katie O'Neill on Twitter, or through her website.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Oni Press (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

How adorable is this? I haven't read The Tea Dragon Society, but I didn't feel like it mattered that much. The artwork is adorable and charming and the story is filled with all sorts of creatures and magic and everyday life. I adored this read. It's sweet with a touch of fierceness and a bunch of diversity, which I love! The story itself is easy to read and even though nothing much happens, it's still interesting to follow how the dragon fell asleep for 80 years and get to know the characters.The important part is community, friendship and love. And cute, awful pets in form of tea dragons! This is for the ones who're looking for charming artwork, a unique, magical world and a diverse set of characters.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this gorgeous piece!

/ Denise

Please note I received this as an eARC from Oni Press via Netgalley. This in no way influenced my review, all opinions are honest and my own.

Katie O’Neill has quickly become my favourite graphic novelist. She creates beautifully illustrated soft fantasy stories for young readers about a range of important topics.

The Tea Dragon Festival is a prequel to The Tea Dragon Society and follows Rinn as they find a dragon that’s been in a slumber for 80 years.

O’Neill’s artwork gets better with every work she puts out. In this one every page is bursting with vibrancy and soft edges. She’s also able to convey so much emotion in such a simple way.

I also love how incredibly inclusive this graphic novel is. It includes mostly people of colour, has a non binary protagonist, queer side characters, a deaf side character and a village that all use sign language. It also discusses genderfluidity.

As it is a children’s story, the plot is pretty simplistic but I think any age can gain something from it.

I loved watching Rinn realise that just because she finds something easy to do doesn’t mean that it’s not valuable. It’s such an important message to be giving to children.

Basically, if you’re looking for the sweetest and purest graphic novel full of diversity, look no further.