Okay after this week I needed a cute book. This book is dang adorable. The art style between the art style and content the only word I can use to describe it is cozy.
Séance Tea Party
Summary
Lora thinks that growing up sounds terrible. No one has time to do anything fun, play outside, or use their imagination. Once you are considered grown everything is so serious. People are just interested in looks and what others thinks about them, rather than having fun adventures.
When her circle of friends suddenly shrinks as growing up happens Lora is determined to have fun on her own and not bow to the social pressures and be like everyone else. So one day Lora has a tea party with a supernatural twist that leads to her rediscovering Alexa, the ghost that haunts her house and her old imaginary friend!
They are thrilled to see each other again, and find that they are kindred spirits (pun totally intended). Alexa helps Lora be more independent and find some new friends who share her spooky interests.
Meanwhile Alexa starts to remember things about the past and an encounter with an old friend leads her to wonder if now that she knows her full story is it time for her to let go.
Over the course of the course of the story both Lora and Alexa learn not everything can last forever.
Review
I’m not sure if it was meant to read as gay or just sweet female friendship but either way. There were freaking tears. That last dance, tears! I’m not sure exactly what freed Alexa in the end though, knowing her whole story, her old friend, Lora, or a mixture of the three. I think she stuck around in the first place because she was cut off so quickly in her youth. But I think her friends help her finally realize the value of letting go.
Same thing with Lora, who was a total goth in training, she slowly found people, outside the mainstream who fit her and by the end she was more like herself.
Also it’s so beautiful, a feast for the eyes! Reimena Yee is a fantastic illustrator!
Author/Illustrator
Reimena Yee is a strange and fancy Eisner-nom’d graphic novelist/illustrator who can be found on Twitter at @reimenayee or their blog at https://blog.reimenayee.com/
Great review! You just reminded me that I wanted to put this on hold at the library. 🙂
Thank you! I hope you get your hold soon. It’s really great. The artist is also awesome, she still accepts commissons from people.