Graphic Novel Review - 'The Tea Dragon Tapestry' by Kay O'Neill

I have waited for well over a year, but I finally got it.

'The Tea Dragon Tapestry' - a lovely sequel and conclusion to 'The Tea Dragon' trilogy - a trilogy of breathtakingly gorgeous and wholesome fantasy comics.

'The Tea Dragon Tapestry' is about grief, growing up, finding oneself again, finding that passions and purposes never disappear, finding that past memories are never truly lost, family connections, found families, friendship, generational connections and peace, and upholding traditions and crafts - while making something your own and being true to yourself. And helping loved ones deal with their own matters - self-care and caring for others are equally important.

Above all, I think it is about patience. Healing - from any kind of pain, trauma, and emotional distress and confusion - takes time, and is not instantaneous. Space is also needed, and love and comfort when it is ready to be received.

Greta and Minette each grow and develop in their own individual ways, on their own individual paths. To see them grow physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually into passionate, hardworking and aspiring young women is amazing. The other fantastic characters, like Hesekiel and Erik, and Greta's parents (yes she has a father!), share the spotlight in a bountiful substance. Rinn and Aedan from 'The Tea Dragon Festival' show up as well! I'd hoped to see them again and I was not disappointed in their awesome appearance and contribution to the story!

A new character is the old blacksmith Kleitos, who is a giant anthropomorphic cow/bull creature, and an impressive, larger-than-life badass on every page, every panel, he appears in (I love the creative and often fantastical designs of every character! They are each diverse, in the many, many different forms that that word's meaning can take! Kay O'Neill is a genius). Kleitos is a friend of Hesekiel and Erik's, and is on his own personal journey of trying to find his lost passion and place in the world again; to simply remember. Greta could help rekindle that remembered love for the old soul. She will be going places working as his apprentice, that's for sure.

Everyone is growing up and gaining new experiences and memories, exploring things all the time; whilst never forgetting their roots, their old friends and family.

The art is as beautiful as ever, as is the dialogue; too many precious examples of which to list here.

However, as good as it is, 'The Tea Dragon Tapestry', in my opinion, can come across as a bit underwhelming and meandering for a final book in such a spectacular series. Shockingly, I didn't care a large amount for the Tea Dragons themselves this time round. They don't contribute much to the story, or they receive little page time. I guess I couldn't feel the grief that the characters felt, when the reader never gets to know at all the people who were lost - it's a slight disconnect. Don't expect there to be any actual festival in the book, either, like the cover suggests. Any celebration that happens is very humble and downplayed (at least there is a tapestry of sorts in the story, both literally and metaphorically).

And maybe I was expecting too much of Greta and Minette being together: they spend the majority of the book apart, dealing with things in their own lives. Though when they are together it is absolutely adorable and beyond nice. They support and care for each other profoundly. But there isn't much indication that they are a romantic pair, or that they will become one in the future, similar to their mentors Hesekiel and Erik. It would have worked as an old-moving-on-to-the-new-generation parallel. It would have made the series even more poetic and flowing.

Oh well. After waiting for so long and worrying that the comic will never be released, perhaps I'd let my expectations rise too high, over an extended period of time. I'd ended up anticipating falsely what I was sure would be set in stone. Of course I'd set myself up for a tiny spec of disappointment.

Or are Greta and Minette yet another example of queerbaiting in the media? But the 'Tea Dragon' series has excellent LBGTQ rep otherwise (and nonbinary rep in Rinn, and their platonic bond with Aedan), which is completely, wholesomely, wholeheartedly normalised. And deep, loving relationships between women, platonic or not, are important to portray in anything.

I still adore 'The Tea Dragon Tapestry'. Read my reviews of the previous 'Tea Dragon' books below for more:


'The Tea Dragon Society'


'The Tea Dragon Festival'



Plus, for more of my thoughts on Kay O'Neill's work, read my reviews of these:


'Princess Princess Ever After'


'Aquicorn Cove'



Thank you, Kay O'Neill, for this beautiful, lovable, uplifting, life affirming coming-of-age journey.

Final Score: 4/5