Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng’s care, Greta still can’t chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.
Jag hörde talas om den här boken genom BookTube och jag fastnade helt för färgerna och de otroligt vackra illustrationerna. Efter att ha läst lite recensioner förstod jag att jag var tvungen att läsa den, så turligt nog fick jag möjlighet att göra det genom Netgalley.
Det här är tredje delen i en serie, och jag har inte läst de tidigare delarna. Emellanåt kändes det som att jag kanske skulle varit tvungen att läsa de andra men å andra sidan förstod jag det mesta ändå och kunde bilda mig en uppfattning om vad som hade hänt tidigare. Greta har fullt upp med att muntra upp sin tedrake Ginseng efter att Ginseng förlorat sin tidigare ägare, men samtidigt ska Greta visa sina framfötter för att få möjlighet att utvecklas som smed. Kanske går dessa saker att kombinera? Minette å andra sidan har drömmar och mardrömmar som hon behöver ta itu med. Hon vet inte riktigt vem hon är eller vem hon vill bli och har mycket tankar.
Det händer egentligen inte jättemycket i berättelsen. Vi får se Gretas och Minettes utveckling, från lite osäkra till att veta precis vad de ska göra. Vi får också stifta bekantskap med den kända smeden Kleitos. Författaren skriver trovärdigt om hur det är att förlora någon, eller sig själv, hur förändring kan vara och om att tappa motivationen till att göra något man har gjort hela sitt liv och älskat. Det är viktigt och tankfullt, och förmodligen något som yngre brottas med och kan känna igen sig i.
Det här ska vara slutet på trilogin (om jag har förstått det rätt) och jag blev därför lite besviken på slutet. Visst, slutet gott – allting gott, men jag hade gärna läst vidare om Gretas väg till att bli smed på riktigt och vad Minette ska ta sig för nu. Det kändes som att allt tog slut väldigt snabbt. Men i brist på annat ska jag läsa serien åt rätt håll och därmed försöka leta upp första delen.
”Everything that happens is part of your wholeness. The sadness, the loss, the hurt, as well as the joy, the love, the friendship – it is all part of your tapestry.”
Tack till Netgalley och förlaget för denna förhandsläsning!
Mitt betyg: 4/5
Författare: Katie O’Neill
Serie: Tea Dragon #3
Utgivningsår: 2020 (utkommer 1 september)
Förlag: Oni Press
Utläst: 24 juli 2020
Finns hos: Adlibris | Bokus | Book Depository
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Over a year since being entrusted with Ginseng’s care, Greta still can’t chase away the cloud of mourning that hangs over the timid Tea Dragon. As she struggles to create something spectacular enough to impress a master blacksmith in search of an apprentice, she questions the true meaning of crafting, and the true meaning of caring for someone in grief. Meanwhile, Minette receives a surprise package from the monastery where she was once training to be a prophetess. Thrown into confusion about her path in life, the shy and reserved Minette finds that the more she opens her heart to others, the more clearly she can see what was always inside.
I heard about this book through the BookTube community and I was completely hooked when I saw the colors and the incredibly beautiful illustrations. After reading some reviews, I realized I had to read it and I was lucky to get the opportunity to do so through Netgalley.
This is the third part in a fantasy middle-grade serie, and I have not read the previous parts. At times, it felt like I might have had to read the others, but on the other hand, I still understood most things and could form an idea of what had happened before. Greta is busy cheering up her tea dragon Ginseng after Ginseng lost her previous owner, but at the same time Greta wants to become a blacksmith and impress Kleitos enough to be his apprentice. Minette, on the other hand, has dreams and nightmares that she need to deal with. She doesn’t really know who she is or who she wants to be and has a lot of thoughts.
There is not much happening in the book. We get to see Greta and Minette develope, from a little uncertain to knowing exactly what to do. We also get to know the famous blacksmith Kleitos. The author writes credibly about what it’s like to lose someone, or oneself, what change can be like to different people and about losing motivation to do something one has done all his life. It’s important and thoughtful, and probably something that younger people struggle with and can recognize themselves in.
This is supposed to be the end of a trilogy (if I have understood it correctly) and I got a little disappointed at the ending. Sure, everything turned out good but I would have liked to read more about Greta’s path to becoming a blacksmith for real and what Minette will do for now. It felt like everything ended very quickly and abrupt. Now I will try to find the other two installments in this series and continue reading about Greta and Minette.
”Everything that happens is part of your wholeness. The sadness, the loss, the hurt, as well as the joy, the love, the friendship – it is all part of your tapestry.”
Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for this ARC!
My rating: 4/5
Author: Katie O’Neill
Series: Tea Dragon #3
Published: September 1st 2020
Publisher: Oni Press
Read: July 24th 2020
Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but stumbling across a real dragon turns out to be a different matter entirely! Aedhan is a young dragon who was appointed to protect the village but fell asleep in the forest eighty years ago. With the aid of Rinn’s adventuring uncle Erik and his partner Hesekiel, they investigate the mystery of his enchanted sleep, but Rinn’s real challenge is to help Aedhan come to terms with feeling that he cannot get back the time he has lost.
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