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It’s pretty much impossible to write a book review for a series. You’ll have to include every single one of the books, and summarize the plot of each without giving anything away, which is increasingly more difficult as you go on. However, I know a particularly good series—Wings of Fire, by Tui T. Sutherland—and I have decided to just review the first book, rather than the whole series. (Despite that, you should go read the entire thing after you read about this one!)

In the first book, The Dragonet Prophecy, a war has been raging across the dragon continent of Pyrrhia for twenty years between three sisters who all want to be the queen of the SandWing dragon tribe. Five dragonets were prophesied to end the war by choosing a queen, and the Talons of Peace, an underground organization dedicated to ending the war, are in the process of training the five dragonets to go out into the world. The dragonets have lived under a mountain their whole lives waiting for this day.

The story centers around Clay, a happy-go-lucky MudWing who loves food and hates fighting. He just wants to hang out with his friends and have fun, but unfortunately for him his Talons of Peace guardians are pressuring him to be the best fighter. Clay’s life turns upside down when Morrowseer, the NightWing who made the original prophecy, shows up and convinces the Talons of Peace dragons to kill one of Clay’s friends, Glory the RainWing, because she was only a substitute for the SkyWing that was supposed to be one of the chosen five. Clay and another dragonet, Tsunami the SeaWing, form a plan to escape with their friends. But right when their escape plan is about to succeed, who do they run into but the murderous, menacing, and thoroughly evil Queen Scarlet of the SkyWings! She captures the dragonets and brings them to her palace/prison/arena, where they are supposed to fight other dragons for her entertainment. How are the dragonets going to escape now?

One of the things I especially liked about this book is how unique it is. For one, the main characters are dragons! Secondly, the prophecy isn’t absolute or set in stone; they can diverge from it, for instance by escaping. Among other things like the setting, this makes the series very distinctive. Another thing I liked is the many interesting characters throughout the story and how they all contribute something to the plot that can affect things later on in the series. I also admired how fully developed the plot is and how there are no plot holes. The best part is definitely how Tui T. Sutherland pops in small details that seem insignificant at first, but then suddenly explode into a huge part of the plot and take things on a completely different path than you were expecting. As a writer, it’s really hard to do that!

Overall, Wings of Fire is a spectacular series and you should most definitely read the first book. And then, of course, read the rest of the series and don’t stop reading the rest of the series. I promise you it’ll be worth your time!

Wings of Fire Book One: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland. Scholastic Press, 2012. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!

Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!

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