The Tea Dragon Tapestry – Book Review

Not sure what most readers expect out of book 3 in the ‘Tea Dragon’ series by K O’Neill, but some of us were hoping for a few new characters and some more exciting adventures. And while I loved the second book, ‘The Tea Dragon Tapestry’ was not quite up to the mark.

The artwork is gorgeous, with beautiful bright colors seamlessly woven into dreamy panels of the book. Like the previous works, the story unfolds in a lush laid-back village. We see a sort of reunion of all the main characters that appeared before, however, nothing exciting happens. K O’Neill repeats the themes of friendship, love and loss, without adding much to the story.

If it weren’t for the lovely artwork, I would’ve probably fallen asleep mid-way through the 130 odd pages. It’s a pretty small book, some bibliophiles can finish it off in less than an hour, and yet, the material is unimaginative. The tiny tea-dragons largely serve as decorative pieces throughout the story. Although the author tries to humanize them by reminding readers how the little beings gets acutely attached to their owners.

For those who absolutely loved the first two books, ‘The Tea Dragon Tapestry’ might be equally captivating. I was hoping for something more, instead the sub-plots were a little too repetitive, but full points on the lovely painting-like illustrations. The panels makes readers want to retire in the woods and live a peaceful life sans technology. And some good home-brewed tea.

It’s a 3/5 from me.