In this graphic novel, Greta's mother is teaching her to be a blacksmith, but Greta is distracted when she befriends a tea-shop owner with a pet tea dragon. As Greta learns to care for the tea dragons, she befriends a whole new group of people in the society dedicated to protecting their tea dragons, and brewing the delicious tea leaves harvested from their horns. But will Greta ever return to her blacksmithing lessons, or have a tea dragon of her own?

I love the whimsical artwork! The colors and lines are soft and sweet. I thought the plot was adorable and lovely. The little tea dragon creatures are the cutest thing ever created! But there were some confusing things about this book that make it difficult to review.

My main problem is that there is a homosexual couple in this book. One of them is a human and the other is some kind of furry llama-looking guy with a long tail. I did not appreciate this kind of political/philosophical posturing in an otherwise lovely children's book about dragons.

There is a little black magical flaming creature that follows Greta around as her pet. I did not realize until the end of the book that it is a flaming charcoal brick, and they are bonded because of her blacksmith ancestry and goblin blood. So a magical charcoal dude is there, but never speaks or can't speak. Is he there to heat the fires in the smithy? Does he help her with the blacksmithing stuff? Why are you there, little dude? You're cute, but I don't know why you are in the story.

There is not really much going on in the plot. It sort of starts a storyline, and then sort of finishes the storyline, and sort of gives a conclusion to some things, and other things are left hanging there. Very wishy-washy, and not much to hold onto. (I like a solid plot, with a definite story line, and a concrete ending. This is not that.) It gives the book a dreamy, fluid quality though, which is in keeping with the storytelling temperament and softly flowing illustrations. It fits the style of this book.

Also, the dragons don't LOOK like dragons. They are adorable fluffy little creatures, and they all look so different and unique! But they just look like creatures, not dragons. Some of them resemble bunnies more than dragons. I wanted dragon-looking dragons, so I was a little disappointed about that.

And the last 20 pages of the book is an encyclopedic explanation of tea dragons, their habits, the different breeds of dragon that produce different tea leaves, and what is required to care for each breed. It was really interesting and fun to read!

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

I loved Princess Princess Ever After, so I was eager to get my hands on the e-galley version of this. It does not disappoint. Everything about this graphic novel is sweet, from the art, to the story. The tea dragons themselves are especially adorable, I loved the profiles of them at the end of the book. As a children's librarian, I've already ordered a copy and can't wait to start recommending it!

Esta cosita ha sido lo más cuqui que me ha pasado últimamente. Es un cómic muy cortito y dulce, en el que el dibujo y el color combinan perfectamente con el ambiente y los temas. Tiene como protagonista a una niña que salva a un dragón del té y gracias a él encuentra la tetería de la ciudad, regentada por dos antiguos aventureros. Allí conoce a Minette, una profetisa que ha perdido la memoria, y juntas aprenden el arte de hacer té a partir de las hojas de los dragones.

Además de adorable es la cosa más casualmente inclusiva que he encontrado jamás, todos los personajes tienen distintos tonos de piel (y algunos rasgos no muy humanos), Erik va en silla de ruedas, Minette tiene pérdidas de memoria, y tiene los romances queer más bonitos y sutiles del mundo. Trata algunos temas tan curiosos como conservar las tradiciones y si hay lugar para la artesanía en el futuro, y enlazándose con estos presenta los conflictos de las protagonistas sobre a qué quieren dedicar su vida. Es una pena que no veamos más del mundo de fantasía en el que tiene lugar, porque deja entrever cosas muy interesantes (monstruos, profetisas, magos) pero se centra en la vida mundana de una niña pequeña. En cierto modo es un slice of life pero enmarcado en un mundo fantástico muy original.

Me ha parecido encantador y súper agradable de leer (aparte de cierta puñalada romántica que fue directa a mi corazón). Me encantaría que lo convirtieran en una historia más larga, pero la verdad es que como un proyecto pequeñito se potencian sus puntos fuertes. Podéis empezar a leerlo en su web: The Tea Dragon Society, pero la versión completa tiene más páginas y contenido extra, como una explicación sobre los dragones del té y un manual que detalla cada tipo que existe: su tamaño y peso, qué partes se usan para hacer el té, los cuidados especiales que necesitan... Y sinceramente, ¿a quién no le gusta ver dragoncitos adorables?

This is the second comic I read by this author and I'm in love! This is too pure for this world!!!

It has dragons! Queer, PoC, and disabled characters! Female blacksmiths! Super cute illustrations!! What else could you ask for??

he Tea Dragon Society is a sweet graphic novel following Greta, a blacksmith’s apprentice, as she learns about the enchanting tea dragons. Caring for tea dragons is a dying art, and Greta and her new friends Hesekiel, Erik, and Minette are the only hope for continuing on the tradition.

This is a beautiful story with adorable characters. The art is truly unique and whimsical and was what initially drew me to the story in the first place. Honestly, the complaint that I have with The Tea Dragon Society was that it was not longer! I would have loved to have read more about Greta, as well as the rest of the characters. I would recommend this book to both children and adults who are looking for a short, cute fantasy read.

The Tea Dragon Society is an adorable graphic novel about Greta, a blacksmith apprentice who finds an injured Tea Dragon in the marketplace and begins to learn all about them after returning it to it’s owner. The Tea Dragons are exactly what they sound like, dragons who produce leaves, flowers, or oils on their horns that are then brewed into a magical tea. Greta learns that it’s a dying art, with life changing pace as it does and people moving away from traditions, and becomes determined to learn all about it from Hesekiel and Erik, whilst developing a friendship with shy and unsure Minette.

Both the story and illustrations are adorable; even though it is a simply story I can’t help but feel there is a subtle, but strong, undertone of exploring and accepting differences, as well the more obvious appreciation for traditions with both the Tea Dragons and blacksmithing. Katie O’Neill’s illustrations are nothing short of stunning and the entire book is a visual delight (I especially loved the guide to Tea Dragon husbandry and Tea Dragon fact file at the end). I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Amazing graphic novel for all ages! Illustrations are gorgeous and story is amazing!

ARC copy for review...beautiful, gentle picture style fantasy illustrations and a world that seems "mundane" despite being fantastical. Very much the themes are about bonding and experiences revolving around objects weather its a sword or the main highlight tea. Liken the Tea Dragon lore...it really gives the premise of Tea Dragons depth.

This was adorable. I appreciate the diversity of characters, the art is very sweet, and now I want a tea dragon of my very own!

This is a charming all-ages book written and illustrated by Katie O'Neill. I was completely drawn in from the cover onward. This lovely little book is so calm and charming and kind that I felt soothed and entertained and enriched after finishing it.


It defies genre, really, though if I had to classify it, I would call it fantasy realism. There are a lot of heavy duty themes like family loyalty, truth, love and friendship through adversity. It was very gently handled and I never felt preached at and the art and narrative fit together so seamlessly that it was delightful to fall into their world for a little while.



The art is gorgeous and whimsical and lush. The story is wonderful.



Though the main characters (other than the tea dragons of the title) are young, it doesn't feel like a tweeny book. I would recommend it to anyone at all who needs a bit of soul soothing and to escape the 'all-too-real' world for a little while.



I intend to go out straightaway and buy the author's other mentioned work, Princess Princess Ever After.



The narrative reminds me a little of Linda Medley's work, but the art is not reminiscent. The Tea Dragon Society is a luminously beautiful book. Highly recommended!


5 stars art and story. Love this!


Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

(review up on goodreads already - will go up on blog 8/7/17)

Title(s): The Tea Dragon Society
Author: Emily O'Neill
Genre: Fantasy - Graphic Novel
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 72
Publication Date: October 31st, 2017

Disclaimer: ecopy provided in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Plot:
This is less then 80 pages, so I'm not going to say much, but I will say: tiny tea dragons, who get very attached to their owners. And are adorable.

Why can't I have a tea dragon?

Review:
I read the authors first graphic novel, Princess Princess Ever After, in 2016 I believe. And I loved the art, and the story, and it was just overall adorable. (it's f/f, and there's also a dragon but a bigger one).

This one I didn't read anything about before I picked it up. I saw someone post about reading it and thought the art style was familiar - alas, that's because it was - and ended up seeing when it came out, and then heading to NetGalley to see if I could snag it to read.

I don't normally do a full review for graphic novels - just because they're so short, so there isn't much to say before spoiling it - but this one was just so good, and so cute. First off, the art is gorgeous, as is the coloring. And I teared up at one point, because this is very much about loosing art forms because they take time.

It's, also, however about tiny tea dragons. We start off with our main character rescuing one from dogs and bringing the poor thing back to it's owner, who offers to teach her the art of it since she's so enthralled with them. (have I mentioned tiny tea dragons? how couldn't you be enthralled with tiny tea dragons. I'm actually upset that I can't one day have one as a companion).

There's more I want to talk about, but I don't want to spoil anything. Like her first, this is also a queer book with an m/m couple, and the girls are young but I think it could be read as a crush or whatever (which is how I read it, just realized typing this that everyone might not read it that way).

Overall - I'd highly recommend checking this graphic novel out, along with her first one. They're gorgeous and heartwarming, but not in a pure fluff kind of way.

I love tea. The Tea Dragon Society is just wow! How creative! How different! O'Neill surely has done a magnificent job, since the comic is cute, wonderful and made of cupcakes and happiness with a tint of sadness in it. Greta is learning to become a blacksmith like her mom and at the market place she finds this odd creature that is bullied and saves it. It's a tea dragon and the owner wishes Greta to learn the art of tea making and along the way she meets new friends and obviously has a crush on this sweet girl named Minette. The owner Hese himself is in love with Erik and we get to learn how Erik ended up in a wheelchair and how a tragedy formed this new pleasant situation. Little occurrences make an amazing story about acceptance, values, family and friends and love. Tea blends in with culture and it's very Asian in a sense. I love the LGTBQ tones in the comic and how everything seems so normal and magical at the same time. Greta is to learn that she can do both blacksmith and tea stuff, since both actually mean the same thing. The story is simple, but effective and there's room for interpretation too. I just wish it was longer, since the end seemed slightly rushed.

The art is perfect in its cuteness and the candy colors are the best counterpart to that. The naive roundness of the comic works well with the sad undertones and at the same time highlight positivity and meaningfulness. The Tea Dragon Society is warm and easy to approach not to forget that the tea dragons are so cute that you want them all. The comic seems light, but is actually quite heavy in content and that I appreciated a lot. I'd really love to have this in Finnish!

I really love the style of the illustrations in The Tea Dragon Society. The outlines are almost invisible and the colouring is quite flat with few shadows. This gives the images a beautiful soft quality and fits perfectly with the sweet, soothing story.

The story is really lovely, as Greta and Minette learn more about the dragons and what they want from their future. The idea of the tea dragons themselves is very cute and original. Tea leaves grow on the dragons horns which are harvested and brewed into teas. As well as being tasty, the drinker gets to see some of the dragon’s memories. The books even has a cute little appendix about the types of dragon and their care.

A beautiful story with exquisite artwork.

I definitely want a tea dragon of my own now.

This review will be posted on my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales, on 6 Aug.
https://foxesfairytale.wordpress.com/2017/08/06/review-the-tea-dragon-society

The Dragon Tea Society is becoming a thing of the past--only two members remain. That is, until young Greta finds her way to where the tea dragons are being cared for and earns their trust. In this new adventure Greta begins to learn the value of friendship and patience with herself and her future.

This book has beautiful illustrations--it is not a picture book so much as a comic.

A sweet, engaging read! I wish there was more! The characters were endearing, and I absolutely loved the field guide to the different species of tea dragons at the end!

A cute and heartwarming story with lovable diverse characters :)

This book was just absolutely gorgeous. It has the same feel as Princess Princess Ever After, but you can definitely see an improvement in both the art and the story. There still isn't a whole lot of depth to the story, but I think it would be perfect to read with very young children. I love the diverse characters, and the tea dragons themselves are just absolutely adorable. A really cute fantasy read!

This book was so cute! It follows Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, after finding a lost tea dragon in the marketplace. She befriends its owners Hesekiel and Erik, and their ward Minette, who teach her about the art of tea dragon care. Charming, beautiful artwork and perfect for any age.

This book is beautifully illustrated and written. I really enjoyed Princess Princess Ever After so had high hopes for this book, and I wasn't disappointed. The story is sweet and heartwarming like a good cup of tea. The dragons are adorable, as are all the other characters. I loved the story, but there was a little section at the end with information about caring for tea dragons which was super cute too.

The Tea Dragon Society is an absolutely stunning graphic novel and now I really want my own tea dragon!

The illustrations in this graphic novel are incredibly beautiful. Everything is so colorful and the artist really gave life to these characters. There are several different species in this story and all of them were absolutely stunning. The best illustrations are definitely the tea dragons, which are so adorable I was squealing in delight and raving about how much I wanted one as I read this.

The story has a very diverse cast, both in the characters' species, histories and their sexualities. Greta, a girl learning the art of blacksmithing, learns about a culture far different from her own when she stumbles upon the world of tea dragons. She's taught the importance of keeping traditions alive in the changing world. She also develops some wonderful friendships over the course of the book.

After the story ends, there is a section in the back of the book with information about tea dragons and their history as well as facts about the different types of tea dragons. I loved the section that gave facts about a specific type of tea dragon accompanied by an illustration of that species. The different types of tea dragons all had such distinct personalities and they were incredibly adorable.

Overall, The Tea Dragon Society was an absolutely adorable read with amazing artwork and I highly recommend it.