Book Review: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland (Graphic Novel Version)

The chosen hatchling saviors of dragon-kind have grown up under a mountain, but as they get older, they start to realize that they may not be as safe as their minders and status lead them to believe.

3.75/5 Stars

I chose to read the graphic novel version of the first book in the popular Wings of Fire book series because so many young patrons and parents at the bookstore are always looking for copies of books in this series or are investigating similar titles for their young readers. What started as a simple job requirement turned into a delightful jaunt through a world of talking dragons, plots of murder and ruling factions worthy of Game of Thrones, and some obvious set-up for future emotional stakes and stories for each individual dragon that is part of the chosen "Dragonets of Destiny." If you are at all a fantasy fan, and you want to get the young readers in your life headed in the same directions, I highly recommend that you look into this very popular, very fun, very kid-friendly series as a starting point.

This first book in the series establishes the world these young dragons grow up in, establishes the lore of why they were chosen (spoiler: it's in the hopes of ending war and achieving peace in the realm), and establishes who they are as individual characters. Clay, Tsunami, Glory, Starlight, and Sunny are all raised with harsh minders and high expectations. When they realize they cannot fulfil their roles in an acceptable manner for those that guard them and that one of them is in danger of being killed for these outrageous expectations, they break out of the only home they have ever known and enter the war-torn country that they are supposed to be saving. After fighting in an arena for survival that is run by a wicked dragon queen, Clay deems it necessary to investigate the family he left behind, and what follows is a wonderful little insight into birth family vs. found family.

I give this graphic novel a solid 3.75/5 just because the plot and dialogue seem obvious, but that is what one should expect in a middle-grade (8-12 year-old) read. This book and graphic novel series is a great place for young readers to start expanding their horizons into high concept fantasy. With it's fun main characters with interesting personalities, I think even parents and adults would enjoy reading this series with their younger kiddos.