5 stars!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

The Tea Dragon Festival was an absolute delight! It was so sweet and the artwork was absolutely beautiful, the world was expertly crafted and I definitely plan on visiting it again and picking up the authors other works.

I absolutely adored the inclusion of sign language and the seamless addition of diverse characters of different sexuality’s and race.

Honestly I don’t think you could read this without it lifting your mood and making you smile. I’d absolutely recommend this for anyone looking for a graphic novel to read.

That was one of the purest things that I have ever read.

The art is so cute, the story so sweet and everything about it was amazing. And it was so diverse too without it being about the diversity. Rinn and Aedhan just want to help by people and by meeting they discover more about themselves.

I've had a rough couple of days but this short, cute read was just what I needed and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

What a lovely book! The characters are sweet, the story is gentle, and the art is, of course, gorgeous. This is a great companion to The Tea Dragon Society. I loved it.

Disclaimer: I have voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy from NetGalley, thank you!

I haven’t read The Tea Dragon Society before I stumbled upon this one but it absolutely made me want to read it. The author created such a pleasant, magical world with lovely characters that make you want more and more.

The graphic novel tells a story of Rinn, who wants to become a cook but for now, they’re gathering ingredients for the fellow villagers in the woods most of the time. During one of such trips, they stumble upon a sleeping dragon, Aedhan. Turns out Aedhan was supposed to guard the village but he’d fallen asleep eighty years ago. Rinn decides to take him to the village and help him fit in again and meanwhile, their uncle and his companion investigate the reason for his prolonged nap.

You need to be aware that if you’re expecting epic magical fights, action, and drama you won’t find it here. The story is rather slow and peaceful but it absolutely doesn’t take away from its charm. It was full of diverse characters and very inclusive for people of color and ones with a disability. It’s a pleasant read that gives you a cozy feeling and makes you believe that the world can be better.

The characters are all sweet and lovable. Most of them are POC, Rinn is non-binary and her uncle Erik is in a relationship with his partner, Hesekiel. The townspeople are all able to use ASL because their cook is deaf. I absolutely loved the relationship between Erik and Hesekiel and I heard they also appear in The Tea Dragon Society, which makes me want to read it even more.

The graphics in The Tea Dragon Festival are absolutely stunning. The world is filled with amazing creatures with unique designs. The colors are vibrant and pleasant to look at and the lineless style gives it a very soft feeling. It’s all cozy and summery and reminded me of all the “cottagecore” works like Moomins, Animal Crossing, and Stardew Valley.

The Tea Dragon Festival is a great work for both younger and older readers. I would recommend it for fans of the cottagecore-themed media but also for people who are looking for some relaxing read in-between all the action-filled media they consume.

Tea Dragons are BACK! If you haven’t read the first book, The Tea Dragon Society, what are you waiting for?! If you have, you are in for a treat - The Tea Dragon Festival is as sweet and gentle and adorable as the first. Erik and Hesekiel are back in this prequel, this time returning to Erik’s small-town mountain home for a long-overdue visit. There is a little bit of a mystery to solve, a dragon and other characters to meet, and super cute and sometimes grumpy-looking tea dragons to adore. I always love to visit Katie O’Neill’s rich, colorful worlds. Also. loved seeing sign language being represented in a graphic novel, such a cool thing to include!

I haven't read The Tea Dragon Society yet, but I definitely will after reading this companion graphic novel by Katie O'Neill. I think if you loved The Tea Dragon Society you will love this one, but if you are like me and haven't read the first one, I think you will also enjoy it. I didn't find it hard to follow at all, it has a complete story that you can follow without having read the first one.

The art in this is so beautiful! It's exactly what you would expect to find from O'Neill if you are familiar with her work. I loved Aquicorn Cove, and this book has that same wonderful feel to the art. The colors are so vibrant and have such rich hues. It's fantastic.

The story is really cute in this one too! It's a lot about community and how everyone in this little town is happy to help each other out. I loved the friendship between Rinn and Aedhann, and how they bond on not really knowing where their place is in the world.

This story was also cool because of the diversity in it! It's really great to see fantasy worlds looking similar to the world around us. (AKA, not everyone is Lily White). Also one of the villagers uses sign language, and I don't think I have ever seen that used in a graphic novel before.

If you are a fan of Katie O'Neill I HIGHLY recommend this one.

*I received an eARC copy of this book via Netgalley, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

Many thanks to Oni Press for sending me an eARC via Netgalley for my honest review! Quotes are taken from an unfinished ARC and may not match final publication.

**Thank you to NetGalley and OniPress for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy**
I enjoyed this book. It was just as cute and whimsical as the first. It's a very cozy, heartwarming read. The dragons are just a cute.
Its a prequel to the Tea Dragon Society, and follows Rin who accidentally wakes up a real dragon. With the help of her uncle and his partner, they try to find what lead the dragon to sleeping for 80 years. The art is just as beautiful and the story just as cute. The tea dragon blurb at the end was probably my favourite part. It's an easy book to read in an hour. I liked how it had ASL rep in it, and the diversity was just as prominent in this book.
3.5/5

This graphic novel is wholesome, magical, inclusive and such a feel-good read. I loved everything about this story. The art style is stunning. Now I just want to read all of Katie O'Neill's works.

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for sending me an advanced digital copy.

This is a graphic novel full of warm feelings, and sweet moments with the cute tea dragons and diverse characters. The art style is awesome and I also liked the story themes involving the search for a person's true vocation and making a place your home through memories and relationships.

The Tea Dragon Festival was delightful and enchanting. O'Neill has a gift for creating a beautiful, immersive world. This is one of those stories that truly transports you someplace else while reading it.

Words honestly can't do this justice. It left me feeling warm and with a sense of wonder - two things there's been a clear shortage of lately.

This book, much like her first one, is absolutely delightful!

First, the artwork, my goodness the artwork! The crisp colors, the wonderful illustrations, the Tea Dragons! They are so cute! It's easy to fall into this book. The sign language is wonderfully incorporated too, while it is expressed what they're saying, O'Neill's drawings also express what needs to be said. I would like one of each, and I would like a ton of framed pictures for my walls please. I also like how there is so much portrayed in the photos, that O'Neill doesn't feel the need to have dialogue on every page.

Second, the story. Erik and Hesekiel from book one are on a mini vacation back to Erik's home village to celebrate the Tea Dragon Festival. Erik's niece, Rinn, enjoys cooking and thinks that she should work to becoming a chef's apprentice. While out gathering mushrooms one day, Rinn sees an abandoned house and discovers an actual dragon. Poor Aedhan has been asleep for 80 years due to a mischievous spirit in the woods. Rinn invites him to come back to the village and works hard to make him feel like he belongs. There is so much diversity and inclusivity in this book it's amazing. Aedhan talks about how dragons came switch between human figure and dragon figure, how they can be male or female, and it is all accepted as just a part of being who they are. I also love how because Lesa is deaf the whole community learned sign language because they all wanted to be able to speak with her. Sure some people struggle with it, but it becomes second nature to them all and they make sure their whole community feels welcomed to everything.

This is just a book full of positivity and I am so glad that this story is continuing.

Katie O’Neill has done it again! Not only are her books beautiful art wise, but they have beautiful messages and representation within them. And The Tea Dragon Festival was no exception! I loved that we got a prequel story of sorts about characters previously met in one of Katie’s previous graphic novels, The Tea Dragon Society. I also loved learning more about the full-size dragons of this world. All around, this was an incredible time (No surprise there!), and I will read everything Katie O’Neill writes in the future!

An adorable prequel to The Tea Dragon society set in a mountain village full of tea dragons. When Rinn discovers an actual full-sized dragon sleeping in a ruined old house, the village gains a powerful protector and Rinn gains a new friend along the way. I loved the use of sign language, the soft illustrations, and the sweet story--something that I've come to expect from O'Neill.

Also the floofy Mountain Chamomile tea dragon is my new favorite, and I want one-- so cute and grumpy!

Amazing!! Such a lovely, cute read! It was a very wholesome and warm read, the art is beautiful, the story is amazing, such a wonderful and inclusive tale, i have nothing but praise for the tea dragon festival and truly do recommend it.

The Tea Dragon Festival is the companion novel I wouldn't have even dared dream of. It is in all aspects just as wonderful as The Tea Dragon Society.

Rinn is an aspiring cook who has an affinity for harvesting forest herbs and vegetables. They often make mistakes while cooking with their Gramman, but love making food for little Aya and the tea dragons. One day they, while trying out a new path in the forest, accidentally stumble upon a little house with an actual dragon sleeping in it. After waking him without meaning to, they learn that the dragon is named Aedhan. He is a young dragon from the Shining Wing clan who fell asleep for... eighty years. He was sent to the village to protect it and feels very guilty for falling asleep.

This takes place before the events of the Tea Dragon Society, we know this because Erik, Rinn's uncle, and his partner Hesekiel also appear here! They are younger here and haven't settled down yet. It was nice to see these characters reappear, they tied the stories together. They are still bounty hunting and visit the village hoping to find a mysterious spirit.

All of the villagers learnt ASL after one of them was born deaf. In the beginning, it is quickly explained how to identify when someone is signing and I need to say I loved it. This is a representation that felt really natural and thoughtful. Lesa, the head cook of the village who also happens to be deaf, is treated just the same and is strong and independent. This is in general pretty diverse, with a non-binary character and many characters of colour.

The drawing style leaves me absolutely stunned. It is warm, cute, magical and just makes me fall even deeper in love with this novel and its story. Just seeing the drawings brings a smile to my face. Every little detail was so soft and adorable.

In conclusion, this is an enchanting read that focuses on the magic of everyday life, the beauty of family and nature, and will warm the hearts of readers of all ages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by this opportunity.

I received the first instalment of this graphic novel in an Owlcrate box and I loved it so much. The style is very kawaii and the story is delish as well. I like this sequel even more than the first one. highly recommend it!!

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

These books are just so adorable and the art so gorgeous that I love every single one of them. The world is still so fun to explore and I loved seeing how different terrain impacted how certain tea dragons looked and acted. The storyline kept me reading when otherwise I would have just gotten distracted by the art which says a lot since I love the artwork so much. Katie O'Neill has once again created a hit that I can't wait to get into the hands of kids at my library.

This book is adorable!!! Safe for all ages (no adult language, sexual content, or extreme violence), it is the story of a girl named Rinn who discovers a dragon who's been sleeping for 80 years. Her uncle and his... well, I don't want to say lover because to me, that implies a purely sexual relationship and they are more than that. Hese wears a gold bangle looking piece of jewelry on its left ankle, so maybe they are spouses? Not entirely sure, but they are much more than friends. Rinn seems be engaged in a budding romance with the dragon while he's in human form as well, but since the story is child friendly, romantic relationships aren't emphasized. I would like to think that they are falling in love, but that is left entirely up to the reader's interpretation.

The tea dragons themselves are adorable, and their presence permeates nearly every panel in the story without over populating them. The idea that Rinn lives in a village of vegetarians who make tea from leaves that grow on dragons the size of lapdogs, some how makes the story more homey. It's like the author doesn't just spend time connecting you to the characters, (who are easy to fall in love with), but also builds a world in which you visit while reading. The illustrations are so vibrant and alive, it feels like this is an actual folklore for a village that really exists in Africa.

The story was fun, the characters fleshed out, and the ending delightfully happy. Despite it being a short read, it was a wonderful trip, and I can't wait to walk around with Tea Dragons again. You'll enjoy this story too if you're fond of the world of Avatar, The Last Airbender.

I got an ARC of this from Oni Press via NetGallery and it comes out September 17th!

Such a lovely, heartwarming, and whimsical story The Tea Dragon Festival is!

All the illustrations are colorful and enchanting!

Also this story has a very important message- If you do something passionately, you'll excel at it!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with arc, this book was even more adorable than the last one! Katie O'Neill always creates such beautiful, inclusive, whimsical stories and I especially love this one because of its Deaf representation / incorporation of ASL. I'll never get tired of reading these!