Book Review 5 - Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

Summary: 

Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui. T Sutherland stands as a critically acclaimed novel series following five dragonets, or dragon-children, as they try to save their continent from an ongoing war. This book, the first in its series, follows Clay, a young Mudwing. Clay has lived his whole life under a mountain, forbidden from going outside for fear of getting killed by other dragons. After all, if he is going to save the world, he needs to stay alive. His guardians aren't the best either - as he states that "this was how battle training with Kestrel always ended - with him unconscious and then sore or limping for days afterward" (Sutherland 10). Him and his adoptive sister, Tsunami, have dreamed of escape, but they didn’t consider actually escaping until one day, they hear one of their guardians, Kestrel, planning to kill another of his adopted siblings, Glory. Clay and Tsunami swim out of their cave, planning to follow a smoke signal back to their home to let everyone else out. However, before making it back to their cave, they have a run-in with Queen Scarlet of the Skywings, who doesn't want the war to end, contrary to everyone else’s belief. They end up stabbing her in the tail and then escaping, using their smoke signal to get back to their cave.  Unfortunately, Queen Scarlet had also seen their smoke signal, and followed them back to the cave. This led to all five of the dragonets being captured. Now, they have to find their way out.

Ranking: 5 stars

This book stays beautifully written and detailed. The characters are well-built, and so is the world in which they live. The plot is thrilling and intriguing. The conflicts of the characters are easy to understand and the writing keeps one hooked as they always want to know what happens next. Overall, the book deserves a solid five out of five stars.

Book Review #4: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Summary:  

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau revolves around two kids: Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow. Lina Mayfleet is a twelve-year-old girl who lives in the city of Ember. The city stays very dark and gets lit only by giant flood lamps that were built when the city was first made, about two and a half centuries before the events of the book. The city is surrounded by darkness that stretches out for miles. Everyone can tell that the city is dying - the storerooms are running out of food, and the lights keep blacking out from time to time. Lina wants more than anything to be a messenger, who can take messages across the city to others. Meanwhile, Doon Harrow stands as a twelve-year-old boy who wants to learn how the world works. He wants to find a way to save the city from its impending destruction. When job day comes, both the young children get their jobs, and as luck would have it, they each get the job the other person wants. They quickly trade, and their life goes as planned until there is a seven-minute-long blackout, which is more than double any of the previous ones. Doon decides that he wants to immediately save the city. When Lina discovers a mysterious box in her closet, she finds the remains of a paper there. Unfortunately, most of it has been ripped up by her sister. When she looks at the paper, she thinks that “[s]he had found something strange and important: instructions for something” (DuPrau 113). This makes her decide to decode the message and find out what the instructions say. To decode this message, Lina talks to her friends Clary and Doon, and eventually, the kids figure it out: the message contains ‘Instruction for egress’, or instructions to leave the city of Ember. Doon and Lina were planning on telling everyone about the way out, but as things take an unexpected turn and they both become wanted criminals, they decide to make the perilous journey on their own and find just what lies beyond their dark city. 

Ranking: ★★★★☆

This book stays fantastic. The world-building stays detailed enough that the reader can visualize the setting at all times, and the characters stay appealing and well-written. The characters' conflicts, both inner and outer, add meaning to the story. While all of these prove as great aspects of the story, the text stays fast-paced. This causes the story to be unclear for some. Overall, The City of Ember remains a wonderful, action-packed novel full of suspense and mystery.

Other media: 

The poster of the live-action movie.

Readers who enjoy the book may want to check out the other books of this series, as well as the live-action movie.