5 stars
By this point, whenever I pick up a book by Kay O’Neill, I pretty much expect it to be amazing. They have never disappointed.
I absolutely loved The Tea Dragon Society and was thrilled to dive back into the word of tea dragons (and visit a few familiar characters) in this companion story. As always, the artwork is absolutely magnificent. Beautiful use of color with inspiration pulled from the natural world. O’Neill’s artwork is always so wonderful to look at.
On top of that, they also create such splendid characters and stories. This gentle fantasy book features all sorts of wonderful new characters as well as a mysterious creature putting others into deep sleeps. Loved the adventure, mystery, and exploration as well as the softer side of characters figuring out where they belong in the world and what they want out of life.
This book also features a character who signs, which I found integrated very well. O’Neill seems to be particularly good at portraying a diversity of experiences without making a big deal about them. Lesa is fully accepted, holding an important role in the community, and the other villagers learned sign language to communicate with her. Even when characters aren’t directly talking to her, if she is present in the conversation they also sign what they say. O’Neill uses special designation in the language bubbles to indicate whether the words were spoken, signed, or spoken and signed. Loved this aspect of the book and the way it was incorporated in the artwork.
Another amazing book in the Tea Dragon series. Every time I finish one of these books, I instantly want to jump in again. I cannot wait to get ahold of The Tea Dragon Tapestry to revisit this beautiful world.