Just as delightful as The Tea Dragon Society, The Tea Dragon Festival is a lovely prequel! I'm not sure I've ever seen American Sign Language used in a graphic novel before, which in retrospect is kind of crazy since comics are such a visual medium; it's one thing for a novel to tell you that a person is using sign language, but a completely different thing for it to actually be shown. The fact that O'Neill always includes LGBTQIA+ and POC characters is also amazing, let alone that some of her characters are both. I can not suggest this book enough!

This was a very cute read. The artwork and the colors are pleasing to the eyes and the bubbles are easy to follow. I love that there is helpful notes for the reader and a "who is who" page at the beginning, but also an extract from Alpine Tea Dragon Handbook and more info about tea dragons & dragons at the end.

It's a very inclusive illustrated book, you won't be disappointed! And it's super easy to read and connect with the lovely characters. The little tea dragons were so freaking adorable!

I just wish it was longer!

Gorgeous illustrations and a sweet, funny story - a great follow -up to the Tea Dragon Society. Loved it,

I got an ARC of this book.

I live and breathe tea dragons. They are by far one of the best things I have ever seen and I want more. I want a world where tea dragons are a real thing. That being said, this book was the prequel to the book that introduced me to tea dragons. It was perfection.

Not only were there tea dragons, but there were people of color, sign language, and gay people. It is wonderful to just see diversity happening in a way that seems natural. It didn't feel like the gay characters were thrown in for flavor and their gayness just was. Their gayness wasn't a plot point or ever really discussed. I just knew that it was there and that was enough. They were more than just gay, they were people and adventurers. It was perfect

The art is gorgeous. I would like O'Neil to continue creating forever. The colors, the images, they worked so well together with the story. They were just done wonderfully. I wanted to look into this world and never stop. 

Highly recommend for people that like tea, people who like cute things, and people who are looking for wholesome things. I even found out there is a card game (I will be getting this game soon. I can't imagine a cuter game to bring to the all ages game night I go to)! This universe is everything I have ever looked for in a graphic novel and in books for younger readers.

There was so much to love with this! The artwork is stunning, I just found myself admiring it before I remembered I was supposed to be reading. It's the type of artwork I want on my wall. The sheer cuteness of pretty much every character (adult and child) and the dragons oh the dragons, I really wish Tea Dragons were real, I want them all and I don't even like tea. I got a sense for the characters really quickly which isn't always the case with a graphic novel due to how short they are. This book is a great way to show kids themes such as acceptance of everyone no matter their race, gender identity or disabilities as well as acceptance of yourself and your talents. I can't recommend this enough. I will be checking out the authors other works as soon as possible.

This was so adorable! I've liked everything that I've read by Katie O'Neill so far, but I think this title in particular benefited from being a little bit longer than her previous works. Her stories are always fun and magical, but usually I feel like they are a little bit too rushed for me personally, but this one really had the space to paint an incredibly vivid picture. There are a few characters from the previous Tea Dragon story as well as some fun new faces [including non-binary and deaf representation!]. The Tea Dragons are adorable as always, and the introduction of full size dragons was interesting as well. Overall just a really cute story, definitely a good read if you want something bright and fun that will make you feel good after you've read it!

When aspiring cook Rinn stumbles across a young, sleeping dragon while foraging in the forest, she is surprised to learn that the dragon--Aedham--has been asleep for eighty years. She brings him back to her small mountain village, where Aedham quickly makes friends with the other villagers as they prepare for the Tea Dragon Festival.

"The Tea Dragon Festival" is a beautifully illustrated slice-of-life fantasy story set in the same world as O'Neill's first graphic novel, "The Tea Dragon Society". This book has made me want a Tea Dragon of my own even more than I already did!

I only have one word for this boko.
REPRESENTATION.
I love Katie O'Neill and her art, and I adored the Tea Dragon Society, so when I heard there was a companion, I about died.
This story was lovely, pure, and beautiful.
But I cannot get over the representation. It was so inclusive! It makes me so happy just thinking about it, and I will absolutely be giving this book to many people.

Just as magical, gentle, diverse and charming as The Tea Dragon Society, The Tea Dragon Festival is a graphic novel that feels like a warm hug.

This is a beautifully illustrated story about community, new opportunities and finding your purpose.

The story is actually a prequel to The Tea Dragon Society, with a different cast of characters (except for an awesome couple) and a different (but just as beautiful) story. You don’t need to read Society to read Festival, but please do, because they’re both wonderful.

This is the book that I want to read the days that I’m feeling down or grumpy. It’s full of love and peace and warmth. It’s exactly how I wish our world would look and feel every single day.

Perfect for kids and adults. I can’t recommend it enough.

5/5 stars

*Review posted to Goodreads and will be up on my Instagram page @books_and_libros by release date.

I have so much love for the first book, that the moment I saw this one out in the world I knew I had to get my hands on it. But, sadly I hadn't been able to. That is, until NetGalley approved my request and the rest is Tea Dragon love!

There was definite excitement over being approved for this cutesy, artsy, read. Especially going back to the first Tea Dragon Society book, which this had and tons more. The colors, the art, the new tea dragons, and a special different kind of dragon named Aedhan (which I adored!).

Then there was Hesekiel and Erik, from the first novel, and in this one they were even more interactive. I found myself becoming more connected with them as I read more, but still wishing for more of their past stories. Which, I'm hoping there is more talks of in the next volume.

I will say though, I didn't see as many tea dragons as I would have liked, making this a little bit sad because that's what this is all about. But, I am somewhat forgiving as there was a lot of Aedhan, along with our other main character Rinn. Their story in this was definitely a plus.

Those two, and the festivities, made it so much more magical and even more forgiving. As there was some of that tea I was looking for, along with a very sentimental and teary-eyed memory recap. The food search, the making of the dishes by the community, and those beautiful memories given were the pinnacle moment in this novel.

There was tons to love in this second volume, including the addition of sign language. Yup, there is so much in here. And yet, like mentioned above, I wanted more of those little cute tea dragons, more of Hesekiel and Erik, and more of the history behind it all. I'll just have to wait for the next volume to come out and have more adventures with all of them.

***I received this copy from Oni Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

Katie O'Niell is unparalleled in story telling and illustrations. Her beautiful artwork is accompanied by an even more beautiful storyline. Just as in her past Tea Dragon Society graphic novel, Katie O'Niell does an amazing job of showing diversity. I especially enjoyed the American Sign Language component in this storyline, as well as the representation of the characters. The illustrations are beyond gorgeous and expressive. I'll never stop singing Katie O'Niell's praises!

This was honestly such a fun and cute book. I'm very happy that I stumbled across O'Neills work, because so far everything has just been so hearfelt. Her artwork is beautiful and so are her stories. I honestly love the world that she has created and with every new book, I find myself wishing more and more that I could go within it.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Oni Press in exchange for an honest review.

Oh boy, this just about melted my heart and I am so so happy I read this. The Tea Dragon Society is an absolutely lovely graphic novel/webcomic that you can read entirely online for free (you can also buy a bindup). It tells the story of a young girl who is learning to be a blacksmith when she stumbles upon another potential profession-caring for these small creatures called tea dragons. The Tea Dragon Festival is the followup to that story, though it is not a sequel and you don't need to read the first one for this to make sense. Instead it is merely set in the same world and features some of the same characters.

In this story we follow Rinn, a nonbinary person who loves foraging ingredients and supplies for their town. This village communally cares for a group of tea dragons who are the adorable titular creatures. One day Rinn comes across a real dragon called Aedhan who has been asleep for 80 years. With Rinn's help, Aedhan must now assimilate back into village life and find the creature who caused him to sleep for so long.

I'm not sure how many times it is appropriate to use the word 'adorable' in one review but it perfectly encapsulates this whole graphic novel experience. The art style is absolutely gorgeous, the characters are likeable and the story is compelling. After reading this I was just filled with so much joy and love for the world the artist had created. I could read a thousand stories in this world and never be bored. It is the ultimate feel good experience.

The representation in this is also topnotch and it makes me so happy to see so many concepts in a children's work. I think people of all ages could enjoy this graphic novel but it is definitely kid-friendly as well and I love how effortlessly the artist incorporates diversity. This is how it should be done!

There's not much to be said about this apart from I loved it and I want as many people as possible to experience the joy this work brought me. If you're looking for a cute graphic novel, this is the perfect example. If you like dragons, tea, fantasy worlds, slice of life stories featuring a ton of diversity, romances that aren't overt or take over the plot, compelling characters or beautiful artwork, then please please read this. You will not be disappointed.

Overall Rating: 5/5

★★★★★ | Colourful, lovely and heartwarming!

Honestly, every time I read a Katie O'Neill story I wish to have kids just to read it to them. And I'm not planning kids.

I love the Tea Dragon world and little Tea Dragons but in this one, we have Rinn, a brown non-binary person, finding an ACTUAL dragon while gathering wild herbs and vegetables in the forest. There are also some characters from the last story and Deaf representation (with the whole village being able to use sign language!).

The Tea Dragon Festival is a story about finding your own place in the world and being a part of something. A community. A tradition. A memory. About the sharing of all that with others.

I'm hoping for much more Tea Dragons to come and thank you NetGalley for letting me read this one! It uplifted my mood for the next few days for sure!

I always loved Katie's web comic The Tea Dragons and was so excited when I found out she had written and illustrated books! This is such a sweet story and I loved that it included sign language and the inclusion of it as a village. Such a wonderful story! I also adored the illustrations!

Rinn, a skilled gatherer of edible plants and aspiring cook, is used to living side by side with tea dragons--adorable and sometimes mischievous creatures that everyone in their village cares for together--but when they meet Aedhan, a dragon who’s been asleep for eighty years, they soon learn that dragons and tea dragons are only distant relatives. Aedhan can fly and fight, if necessary, and he can also take humanoid form. When Rinn finds him sleeping in a temple, at first they’re alarmed, but then Rinn discovers that he’s the village’s long lost guardian.

Though Aedhan’s decades long nap was the work of a forest spirit, he still feels guilty for the time he’s missed. Rinn’s uncle Erik, a bounty hunter, and his partner Hesekiel, set out to track down the forest spirit before it can put anyone else to sleep: eighty years isn’t so bad for a dragon, but it’s a lifetime for a human. Can Rinn help their new friend make up for lost time? Katie O’Neill’s books often remind me of Studio Ghibli films: gorgeous celebrations of everyday pleasures, like making tea and spending time with friends. Beautiful art and endearing characters make this peaceful story a treat for tea dragon fans new and old.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This series is insanely cute, the tea dragons are adorable and such an interesting idea, and there are "profiles" of some of the different tea dragons at the end of the book which I love. The art is very cute, and I love the way the storys focus on the characters and the plots are nice and gentle, it's a good book to read in between heavier reads or as a comfort read, and I love the introduction as well in this book of a different kind of dragons. The big dragons are like lions/tigers and the tea dragons are like house cats, like a domesticated lazy version of "real" dragons, I thought that dynamic was cool. Also- the big dragons can shape-shift into human like creatures so that's very cool.

I hope the series expands and we find out more about the world and the characters as it goes on.

This was another super cute book by Katie O'Neill. I've read her two previous books and knew I would like it. The art style was beautiful as always. The colours were beautiful and always suit the scene. The deaf representation was really interesting as there are not many books that feature disabled protagonists as prominently as O'Neill did. The story was good but it did feel weak in comparison to her other books. This was the only area the book let itself down.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Oni Press for allowing me to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Tea Dragon Festival By Katie O’Neill

This is a companion title to the award-winning The Tea Dragon Society.

First off I just recently discovered O’Neill thanks to Aquaicorn Cove being nominated for a Booktube SFF Award for Graphic Works. I fell in love with her art style and even more so with how she is working to introduce important topics to younger readers in a way that is so colorful, fun and engaging. There is something about these graphic novels that is just heartwarming and makes you smile. They are the ones that when you are having a down day you can go to and escape into this beautiful world, and imagine having a little tea dragon of your own. I love the diversity that is represented within all of O’Neill works. From all the different races that live harmoniously together to the subtle hints of accepted LGBT relationships, and within this novel, in particular, the use of sign language and the conversations of disabilities!

I highly recommend The Tea Dragon books and Festival is completely as lovely as Society!

5 Stars! More if I could!

I received this graphic novel from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

This review will be posted on Goodreads/Amazon/Blog in September when the release date is closer by.

I will try to write a review for this, but I am not sure if it will be a neat one, it will be a mix of my reactions while I read + my afterthoughts. :P This was just so lovely and I was totally into the story and the gorgeous art.

We have 4 characters this time. Rinn who wants to cook and who knows all the good spots for food. Then there is Aedhan who Rinn finds and who is a dragon. A sleep dragon though, given that he slept for over 80 years. :P Then there is Erik and Hesekiel.

I also liked that we have a girl who is deaf/relies on sign language. It is just so great to have this added, I really miss having blind/deaf people in stories. There is plenty of sign language happening, especially later on during the festival.

There is a tea dragon festival coming up, and the preparations are in full swing. I was very much curious to how the festival would look and what would happen (other than drinking tons of tea).

Rinn was such a sweetie, I adored how they were able to find the yummiest foods in the forest to the point that everyone just gave them a grocery list. Yep. They are that good.

I also loved Rinn's grandma. Trying to help out Rinn with cooking, and having plenty of fun doing it.

Erik is an adventurer and he is just in time for the festival to happen. I quite liked how he looked, and I do want to know more about his adventures. What kind of things did he experience? What kind of things did he discover?

Aedhan? I loved that dragon guy from the start. Especially since he just slept 80 years and doesn't even know it. Good going dude, good going. I guess it was pretty boring to just sit and hang around in the house/shrine. His character design was my favourite both in dragon and human form. His colours were just so lovely.
I had a laugh at his reaction to the Tea Dragons. I guess there is indeed a big difference between a tea dragon and a true dragon.
I am glad that he feels remorseful for missing so much of the village he was supposed to watch and keep guard over. I think that if he wasn't remorseful but rather bashful about it I wouldn't have liked him as much as I do now.
Later on we do find out that maybe it wasn't entirely his fault for falling asleep, phew, I am glad to hear that. Though it does make things a bit scarier as this time it was a dragon, who can live centuries, but what if the next time it is a human? Or someone else with a less big lifespan. Oh my.

We see Aedhan figure out life in the village and I loved he tried to pick up where things were left. There was even some excitement and I was just on the edge of my seat, wanting to know how this would end.

Um, hasn't it been quite some time since Aedhan came to the village? Why is the Goatshorn girl just popping up now? :P

I loved finding out more about the dragon language. How they communicate and I was happy that Aedhan showed us how it was done. Plus we find out more about dragons and how to shift. Eep!

It was fabulous to see how everyone made Aedhan's home a home again. Fixing up the roof, cleaning up the weed, making sure everything is in perfect shape again.

I just adored the creature that put people/dragons/etc. to sleep. He was just gorgeous, what a lovely design. While I want to hug him I think I will stay away, just in case he puts me to sleep. :P I am glad with how things were resolved on that matter, that was a bit simplistic but still nicely done.

Holy wow, the festival was just absolutely stunning and gorgeous. I wish I could be there! Not looking from a screen to a page, but really there. In that village. Partying and soaking up all the lights and colours. And yes, I was crying when Rinn showed Aedhan what they made for him. That is just the sweetest thing ever.

OMG that ending. I was just squeeing in delight to what Hesekiel said to Erik. AWWW! And then there was the ending for Rinn and Aedhan, even more awww! Perfect ending!

Plus points to the information at the end about the dragons. I just love it when we get some extra information on the world and the creatures that inhabit it.

All in all a gorgeously drawn graphic novel with plenty of fun, magic, dragons, and let's not forget tea. This book will suck you in, you will want to dive into this gorgeous world. I hope there will be another Tea Dragon book. Please? *looks with puppy eyes*