Wings of Fire Book One The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T Sutherland

I am a little late coming to this series which began with this first book in 2012.  In my school library these were such popular books that students even took to hiding them on other shelves so I was keen to see why? I actually did not expect to like this book but I quickly became caught up in the action and found myself rapidly turning the pages. There are now seventeen books in this series but don't panic if they are new to you too. This first book The Dragonet Prophecy is the first in a set of five which can stand alone although be warned by the end of book one you will want to rush out and grab book two.

It is a time of war. Dragon wars. Ruthless and terrifying and all about gaining power! Who will save the day? Five dragons who come from eggs that hatched on the brightest night.


MudWing - Clay

"He wasn't a natural-hatched hero. He had no legendary qualities at all. He liked sleeping more than studying and he kept losing chickens in the caves during hunting practice."

SeaWing - Tsunami

"Her deep blue scales shimmered like cobalt glass in the torchlight. The gills in her long neck were pulsing like they always did when she was angry."

SandWing - Sunny

"There was something not quite right about the littlest dragon. Not only were her scales too golden, but her eyes were grey-green instead of glittering black. Worst of all, her tail curled into an ordinary point ... instead of ending with a poisonous barb."

NightWing - Starflight

"His black NightWing scales made him nearly invisible in the dark shadows"

RainWing - Glory

"... her long, delicate snout, glowing emerald green with displeasure, rested on her front paws. Ripples of iridescent blue shimmered across her scales, and tonight her tail was a swirl of vibrant purples."

The Dragonet Prophecy centres on Clay. He has been told he is dumb but he demonstrates amazing emotional intelligence when the five are captured and taken to perform for Queen Scarlet.  These performances are battles where the loser is killed.  The queen has a champion - a dragon aptly called Peril. "No one can even touch me. I was born with too much fire."

All five dragons and Peril have to escape but they also have to work out who to trust AND try to outwit the cruel queen and her guards.  There is also the problem of their old minder Kestrel.

I do enjoy books about dragons but the strength in this book, for me, comes from the way Tui Sutherland gives each of the five dragonets strongly defined personalities.

Kirkus gave the graphic novel of this book a STAR review. This book series comes from Scholastic and they have made a very impressive web site with links to puzzles, a trailer and forums. Here is a detailed review.  Here is a podcast with Tui T Sutherland.  I would follow this series with the Dragon Keeper books by CaroleWilkinson and  Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke.