Review: The Tea Dragon Society

Title: The Tea Dragon Society

Author: Katie O’Neill

Illustrator: Katie O’Neill

Date Read: 7/9/2020

Pages: 72

Publication Date: October 31st, 2017

Publisher: Oni Press

Format: e-book, borrowed from Hoopla

Rating: 2 stars – ⭐️⭐️

Synopsis (taken from GoodReads): From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever Aftercomes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

–

What I Liked About this Book: 

Art Style: The art style and use of color was just absolutely gorgeous. I was floored by the cute, adorable style that O’Neill uses in her drawings.

Concept: I absolutely loved the idea of this graphic novel being both made for younger and older audiences. The idea that a graphic novel can be suited for all ages and not just adults or not just children really intrigued me.

–

What I Disliked About this Book:

Plot: Or should I say, lack there of. I had read several rave reviews of this graphic novel and it has been on my radar for awhile. While I understand that it is a graphic novel and the art is a main part of it, it should not be the main focus of a graphic novel the entire time. I felt as though there was not much plot within this graphic novel, nor was there a lot of explanation as to some of the events that occurred. For example, there was a flash back sequence that was thrown in the middle. The main focus of it seemed to be the origin story of a romance that was a part of the graphic novel, however the flashback itself didn’t really hold much weight in explaining the romance at all. To me, this story truly held no weight.

–

Overall, I truly went into this story with high expectations. It had been on my TBR for a while and I knew that many people enjoyed it, so I picked it up as soon I found it on hoopla. However, it just didn’t mesh well with me unfortunately.