The Dragonet Prophecy 4.5 Star Review

Title: The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire #1)

Author: Tui T. Sutherland

Published: July 21, 2012

Synopsis: Five young dragons raised in secret are the only ones believed to be able to stop the war between the seven dragon tribes. Locked below ground, knowing nothing of the world above, there isn’t much they can do to help the war effort. When the dragonets of prophecy learn that one of there own is threatened, they escape into the wider world where they will be forced  to face their destiny.

Thoughts: This book was my favorite middle grade fantasy novel I read in 2015. Admittedly, I only read eight middle grade novels last year so I’m not sure if that’s saying much. However, it doesn’t change the fact that I really enjoyed this novel.

Dragons have always been a fascination of mine. When I was younger I went through a phase where I was obsessed dragons, and dragon books in particular.

Part of the reason I rated this book so highly is due to the fact that had I read it while being a member of the intended audience there is little doubt this could have become one of my favorite books of all time. This is something I take into consideration while reviewing middle grade books.

As it was, this book caused me to start sketching dragons the way I used to all the time when I was around twelve.

I try to go out of my way to find books written from nonhuman perspectives. It seems often that when authors try to write from the perspectives of aliens or mythological creatures they often fall into writing about creatures that appear to be whatever the author claims they are, but act human.

There are reasons for this, primarily relating to the fact that its easier to make someone care about someone else if they have something in common with that other person/creature, and the fact that it is easier for the authors to write from a perspective closer to their own. However, in the rare instances when inhuman perspectives are written very well I really enjoy them. I felt that the way the dragons narrated this novel was one of these rare exceptions.

In spite of my praise for this novel’s choice of perspective, it was not without flaws. The plot is fairly standard for a fantasy novel. It involves a mysterious prophecy in which our five main characters are the chosen ones destined to save the world.

What readers should know: For a middle grade novel this book is fairly violent as it involves dragons who act like dragons. There are minor human characters killed by dragons and dragons killed by other dragons.

Rating: This was an enjoyable middle grade fantasy novel.