Hi, hello everyone! We’re super excited to bring you our discussion questions for The Tea Dragon Society! We adored reading these books this month, and we cannot wait to get discussing. Without anything further, let’s get into it!
Question 1: Which of the three was your favorite and why?
Caitlyn: I loved all three, but I really really loved the third book, The Tea Dragon Tapestry. I thought that the panels with Minette’s dreams were some of the most beautiful panels in graphic novels that I’ve ever seen — and chapter 5 especially made me cry. I also really love how everyone kind of finds their place and I think it was a great way to wrap up the series.
Cossette: I think the first one, The Tea Dragon Society, was my favorite! I really loved how the world was introduced, as well as the characters, and I think if it wasn’t so engaging, I wouldn’t have wanted to continue on with the rest of the series. That being said, I do have a very soft spot for the other two stories.
Mary: Oh, this is a bit of a hard question! I loved all three equally, but I think I am leaning towards the second. I loved the story in The Tea Dragon Festival, I thought it was so wholesome and so beautiful. I also loved the inclusion of sign language in this one, I thought it was represented beautifully. But, like I said, it’s hard to decide!
Question 2: Was there a character or storyline you felt more connected to? Was there one that you wanted more of?
Caitlyn: Minette was my favorite from the beginning — I really loved her energy and her vibe, she’s just the sweetest! I also loved her story of self discovery and felt very connected to her.
Cossette: I felt the most connected to Minette, who has a community of people who love her and look after her, and is also trying to figure out who she was without her gift. I think when you grow up with a certain idea of who you are and who you will end up being, and those plans get thwarted — whether due to health issues, or any other circumstance, it takes some time to readjust and to figure out where to go from there.
Mary: I would’ve loved more of The Tea Dragon Tapestry! I really loved it, and I loved seeing the relationships from the first book develop further in this one. I loved having Minette be more of a focus, and I loved the journey she went on to discover who she is. It was lovely seeing the relationship between Minette and Greta develop, and how it influenced Minette’s discovery into her past.
Question 3: If you could have your own Tea Dragon, what kind of Tea Dragon would you want to have?
Caitlyn: While I think all of the Tea Dragons are SO SWEET making it really hard to pick, I think that I would have to go with the Hibiscus Tea Dragon. I love hibiscus tea — the color is just so stunning — and I love that the Hibiscus Tea Dragons are so sociable as I am also a very social person! Plus, I love to try new foods and make new friends, so I just think that the Hibiscus Tea Dragon and I would get along so well.
Cossette: I think I’d go with either the Hibiscus Tea Dragon — just because they’re so cute, and they’re also very sociable! However, I think I’d also go with Peppermint Tea Dragon, because I also love peppermint tea — and I can definitely empathize with the information listed in the care notes, or the Jasmine Tea dragon, since that’s also something that I drink a lot!
Mary: I think I would have some form of breakfast tea dragon! It’s predominantly the type of tea I drink, so I think it makes sense? Otherwise I think I would have a chai tea dragon, because I drink that tea a lot too! And they’re adorable, what can I say?
Question 4: If there was a fourth book in the Tea Dragon Society series, what would you want it to be about and why?
Caitlyn: I really just adored Minette, I found her so incredibly sweet, so I would love more Minette centered stories!
Cossette: As I’m a Minette stan first, and a human being second, I’d love more books about Minette!
Mary: I think I would love to see more of the adventures that Rinn and Aedhan share going around as travelling merchants! I really loved Rinn – their story was one of my favourites in the entire series, so I would love to see more of them. I think it would be also fun to see more of the locations in this universe – I just know the art would be stunning!
Question 5: Obviously, with a graphic novel the visuals are incredibly important, and much of the story is told through the artwork alone. What did you think of the panels without dialogue and how they furthered the story?
Caitlyn: I always love dialogue free panels in graphic novels! I find that the dialogue-free panels really give me the opportunity to study the art style without feeling like I’m disrupting the flow of the story. I also think that dialogue-free moments (in all things — life, literature, film, etc.) allows one to really connect with what is going on and I feel like it allows me to really connect with the characters and their emotions.
Cossette: I really loved the panels without dialogue! I think it allows the reader to really appreciate the art style, as well as make their own connections. It also gives the reader a chance to reflect on previous panels with dialogue, and to slow down and think about what’s going on in the moment for these characters.
Mary: I loved them! I thought it was a great idea to include panels without dialogue because it really makes you put the story together yourself, and appreciate the journey of the characters. I loved seeing small little interactions between our main characters and those we didn’t get to learn more about, and it made me really appreciate the art style more. I think it’s a great way to explore the world in small pockets of time without dedicating an entire book to it, if that makes sense. I loved them!
Question 6: The art in this series is absolutely stunning, so what panel or panels were your favourite in terms of art? Why?
Caitlyn: I absolutely adore the art style — it’s so soft and cozy! I mentioned this in the first question, but the panels of Minette’s dreams in The Tea Dragon Tapestry are just stunning. The colors are soft but rich, and the emotions come through so beautifully, those ones definitely stick out to me!
Cossette: I love the cozy feel of the art style! I really think my favorite panel is at the end of the Tea Dragon Society, where they’re all sitting on a picnic blanket. It’s just so warm and inviting, and the tea dragons are absolutely adorable.
Mary: The art style was one of my favourite parts of the entire thing. Honestly, it’s absolutely stunning. I actually sent Cossette one of my favourite panels while I was reading, and it sounds ridiculous, but it’s one of the many panels that have chickens in it. They’re so cute and so funny, the pictures brought me so much joy!
Thank you everyone for reading our answers to our discussion questions! If you want to answer along with us, you can join our Discord server! You can find more information on how to join here.
Until next month, happy reading!
