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A review by versmonesprit
The Tea Dragon Society by K. O'Neill
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
The way I wanted to love this book… I thought (I’d say understandably) tea would play a central part, dragons would be actual characters, and the book would have a wonderful warmth to it.
Unfortunately what we get instead are illustrations that lose all charm and appeal due to a criminal lack of shading which makes them look like nothing more than corporate flat, unnecessary info-dump, storytelling and character bonds being sacrificed for the sake of brevity which makes the story skip from scene to scene over months (unsurprisingly thus ruining any chance for the readers to have a connection with the characters even though I’ll admit Hesekiel and Erik are still lovely), and the tea dragons being relegated to props to the point all information about them is given in a “guide” at the end of the book instead of being integrated into the story itself. Tea plays almost no part at all, and tea culture never plays a pivotal role.
Overall, it turned out to be a big disappointment, devoid of much substance. It demands nothing of the reader, but that’s not a good thing.
Unfortunately what we get instead are illustrations that lose all charm and appeal due to a criminal lack of shading which makes them look like nothing more than corporate flat, unnecessary info-dump, storytelling and character bonds being sacrificed for the sake of brevity which makes the story skip from scene to scene over months (unsurprisingly thus ruining any chance for the readers to have a connection with the characters even though I’ll admit Hesekiel and Erik are still lovely), and the tea dragons being relegated to props to the point all information about them is given in a “guide” at the end of the book instead of being integrated into the story itself. Tea plays almost no part at all, and tea culture never plays a pivotal role.
Overall, it turned out to be a big disappointment, devoid of much substance. It demands nothing of the reader, but that’s not a good thing.