Member Reviews

This was very cute a fast read and can’t wait to read more by this author. Can see great things in the authors future.

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One of the biggest and best surprise of 2019, I love this story so much 😭❤

Not that much of a surprise actually, I know this graphic novel is very well-loved by many people from across reading preferences. I’m still floored by how much I love this though!

The obvious one is I love the art style. The drawing and the color palette are just so soft and calming (◕‿◕✿). The story is also precious, about found family and self discovery and getting out of your comfort zone. Everything is just so Soft™ and peaceful and magical, it’s soooo calming and something I’d associate with happiness. I wish the plot is a bit more developed but then again, I also love it just how it is now.

Furthermore, it has well-developed, diverse cast of characters! And I love that it’s not made as if it’s a big deal??? Like it is what it is, there is no overly long description on the appearance or the why… the story just progresses naturally. Rather than focusing on the differences between the characters, the author managed to give us the backstory of them and show us the thing that unite them, which are the tea dragons, and I love that!

So as you can see, it’s just perfect and I can’t wait for the second volume! 💖

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Just adorable. From the story. To the illustrations. To the characters. Love Katie O'Neill's work.
Keep them coming. Can't wait till my nieces are old enough to read her graphic novel.s

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Gentle, lovely and delightful with beautiful art and a real emphasis on shared humanity. My students are SO excited to see this one coming into the library.

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The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill, 131 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL, LGBTQIA+
Oni Press, 2019. $16.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Rinn stumbles upon a sleeping dragon and accidentally wakes him up, their first reaction is to run. But, as Rinn and the dragon, Aedhan, start to become friends, they come to see the best in each other, aiding each other in their desires to belong.
This story is gentle and floats along like a dream. While Rinn and Aedhan’s experiences don’t have a lot of action, the story is compelling because of the heart -- the characters are easy to love and support. For me, the best part was being a beholder of the marvelous illustrations.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

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I loved reading Katie O'Neill's "The Tea Dragon Society" last year so I was really excited to get my hands on the second installment in the series. It definitely did not disappoint! The illustrations are flawless, the characters are lovable, and the story is warm-your-heart cozy. I love this book!

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The Tea Dragon Festival is the second book in The Tea Dragon Society series and is an adorable graphic novel! The art is fantastic and the story is whimsical and and diverse. The story follows Rinn, Erik, and Hesekiel as they try to investigate and help the dragon, Aedhan, who has been asleep for 80 years and is struggling to accept the time he has lost while being asleep fo so long.

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A delightful graphic novel with lovely illustrations that is perfect for any age group.

Full of diverse characters and communication methods, this is a great introduction to The Tea Dragon Society.

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I love everything about this sweet, gentle series. It's effortlessly inclusive, with charming illustrations that manage to express so much depth and character. I've been recommending this one since I first heard it was coming out, and I can't wait to see what's next.

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Although I waited so long to read it that I read the hardcover instead. There's something about the oversized format that feels perfectly nostalgic, like cozying up with a childhood favorite.)

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Beautifully illustrated and charming. This is my first book by Katie O'Neill, but now I would really like to try to find her previous work, which I'm sure was fantastic.
The story is kind and gentle, with adorable characters. I loved the diversity aspect- there should be more books like this, which would help to create a tolerant and peaceful world.
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

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I just reviewed The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill. #TheTeaDragonFestival #NetGalley

I thought this book will tell a story about a certain tea ceremony, but actually it is not. This is a fantasy comic about human relationship. What I appreciate most in this work is their effort to connect with people in need of sign language. This is the story of coming home, acceptance and harmony.

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Another great addition to the series, the art work is beautiful and is sure to please fans of fantasy and magic.

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3.5/5

I really enjoyed The Tea Dragon Society so was eager to read this one. Equally beautiful illustrations and a lovely story about finding where you belong. This is a sweet and gentle series for graphic novel readers young and old.

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As you might expect from the titles, the Tea Dragon books are a gentle and artistic exploration of a society. This is a world with dragons and other mythological creatures. Some are humanoid and, in fact, interact with people on the same level. Others, primarily the tea dragons, are more like pets or farm animals. Through the course of the two books we see various aspects of the world: careers, relationships, and dangers. The dangers come into play more in The Tea Dragon Festival, where we see the wildness and violence of the world. Even so, this is a relatively minor element of the plot. It's shown more as a complexity of the world an a real plot element. The art style is soft colors without distinct outlines, making the books gentle both to read and to look at.

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<em>The Tea Dragon Festival</em> is a prequel to Katie O'Neill's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34895950-the-tea-dragon-society"><em>The Tea Dragon Society</em></a>, which <a href="https://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/246962.html#teadragonkon">I read and loved last year.</a> It focuses on a small village as it gets ready for their Tea Dragon Festival – especially Rinn, a wanna-be cook, who stumbles across a real, <em>actual</em> dragon sleeping in the forest while they're out looking for ingredients!

<em>The Tea Dragon Festival</em> is like the previous book in all the best ways. The art is cute and colourful, the cast is diverse, the story is gentle and peaceful, and similar themes run through it strongly. The themes of memory and relationships are immensely important; from the desire to share memories of something important to you, to missing out on making memories, to making new ones, memory is incredibly important to the characters here. As for relationships, the way that the village bands together to support each other – even newcomers, like their dragon friend, or by the entire village learning sign language – is very sweet, and it was lovely to see how much these bonds mattered to the characters.

As for the storytelling, I found the narrative more cohesive, as the focus was on one specific issue rather than split across four. I liked the way that the use of American Sign Language was introduced and depicted in the story, and I enjoyed seeing a pair of familiar adventurers show up! If you liked <em>The Tea Dragon Society</em>, I would <em>definitely</em> pick this up, even if you just want to revel in the adorable tea dragons some more!

<em>[This review is based off an ARC from Netgalley.]</em>

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An absolutely gorgeous graphic novel - a definite must-read if you're a fan of the game, or if you liked the first comic, or if you just like adorable tea dragons. Love it!

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Swoon. I have read this twice already and even read it to my kids a couple times. They adore flipping through the pictures and making up stories as they go. Katie O'Neill has the ABSOLUTE BEST ILLUSTRATIONS AND CHARACTERS. You will never go wrong with any of her books. I promise. I adore the diverse cast, the whimsical world, just everything. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would.

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Adorable just like the first one. I can't express how much I love Katie ONeill and her little dragons.

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This series has such a simple yet rich world, I adore all the types of tea dragons and the draw of magic that comes with them. This sequel had more of a plot and less "discovery" from the others

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This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

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