Book Review - Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy
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book review,
review,
the dragonet prophecy,
tui t. sutherland,
wings of fire
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Title: Wings of Fire: The Dragonet ProphecyAuthor: Tui T. Sutherland
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: July 1, 2012
Version I Read: Paperback
Rating: 4/5
It's been so long since I've read children's books, because, you know, I'm not a kid anymore. For the most part, I find children's literature to be a little simplistic for my tastes, and it's not the genre I predominantly write in. But come on. This one's about dragons. I had to give it a shot.
And I wasn't disappointed. Sure, it's a children's book, but like the Warriors series, there are a lot of non-child friendly elements to the story, the characters are fun and have potential to grow, and the world and society that have been set up are complex and genuinely interesting.
In the land of Pyrrhia, seven tribes of dragons of different species with unique characteristics live. After Scavengers (humans) killed the Queen of the Sandwings and stole her treasure, her three daughters began vying for the throne. Each daughter reached out for allies and drew other dragon tribes into the dispute, which led to a massive war that has lasted twelve years. However, there is hope: a prophecy that states five dragonets of destiny will arrive to end the fighting.
Thus begins the tale of these five dragonets of destiny, who were taken by the Talons of Peace, an underground peace movement whose goal is to end the war, to hatch and grow up isolated from the world, protected by their "guardians." When one of their own is threatened, however, the dragonets decide they're done waiting around and choose to run away from their captivity to find their own destinies.
Spoilers ahoy.
I think the book started off kind of slow, but it did do some of the necessary things in storytelling, such as setting up the characters and the world they live in. It's kind of clever how the reader doesn't know much about the world outside the caves in the same way the dragonets do until the dragonets begin to experience it themselves. The plot really shifts into gear when the newly freed dragonets are captured by Queen Scarlet of the SkyWings.
The first book is narrated by Clay, the gentle MudWing. Like the others, he desperately wants to know where he came from and who his parents were, and dreams of a happy reunion with them. He likes food and dislikes violence, and isn't so sure about his adequacy for the prophecy. We do get basic framework for the other four main characters, who each get to narrate the sequels: Tsunami, a bold and brave SeaWing; Sunny, an eternally happy but odd-looking SandWing; Glory, a sarcastic and snippy RainWing who was kidnapped to replace the SkyWing that was supposed to be in the prophecy but killed; and Starflight, an intelligent but cowardly NightWing.
The different species of dragons are nothing short of original. Sure, you have your SkyWings, who most closely resemble traditional European dragons. But then you have MudWings and RainWings, the likes of which I've certainly never seen before in fiction. Even the SeaWings (we've all seen water dragons before) have characteristics such as their luminescent scales that I haven't seen before. It's a joy to learn about and experience these tribes, their allegiances, and what makes them different as well as the same.
One thing that stood out immediately to me about the series is how feminist it is. In fact, it actually goes the other way and ends up as kind of sexist against men, since male dragons are generally seen as less important than female dragons in that they cannot be rulers of their respective tribes. On top of that, of the five main characters, there are two males to three females. Usually in books, when there are five main characters, the ratio is basically the opposite. I do appreciate the number of female characters, but I do wonder why none of the main characters wonder why males can't rule, because clearly, they're just as capable.
Back to the plot of the book. The gladiatorial matches Queen Scarlet holds for "fun" are genuinely horrifying and not much is glossed over - some pretty intense stuff for the first book in a children's series. I certainly feel sorry for Fjord, the nameless SeaWing Tsunami ends up killing, and Peril, though Peril is a complicated character whom you simultaneously feel sorry for and yet have a hard time forgiving. Fjord's death is the single reason Glory is not my favorite character (she is shown to be conflicted about it later, however), leaving that honor for Starflight.
Anyway, I went out and bought the next three in the series in paperback and am awaiting the fifth and the second series' release in paperback. So if that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is.
Why four stars? This first book can be slow or unevenly paced in places, especially the beginning, and the writing can be a bit simplistic. But overall, these aren't huge problems once the plot kicks in.
Verdict: An enjoyable beginning to an enjoyable new children's series. I highly recommend.
Neither Karen Lofgren nor Loyalty Press has any affiliation with the author or publisher. This review constitutes Fair Use.
Goodreads Giveaway!
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aliens,
book giveaway,
free book,
giveaway,
Goodreads giveaway,
science fiction,
space opera
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| You know you want it. |
Enter the giveaway HERE!
Here's the synopsis:
Over a hundred years in the future, Earth has fallen under the invasion of a hostile alien race-the Drevi. Half the population has been captured as specimens, while the rest are fighting for their lives in a resistance movement that has achieved more defeats than victories.
Ted Anderson, a 42-year-old information specialist from the American States, thought nothing could save him from his new life. In spite of being an aide to a leading Drevi scientist who treats him well, he is reminded every day what he truly is. A specimen. An Inferior with no future.
Then two strange new aliens arrive as representatives of their government, wanting to free humanity from the invading force. And all of Ted's dreams come true. He's on a starship, shooting through space at speeds he had never before imagined. And most of all, he is free again.
Now Ted is drawn into a dangerous conflict to save all he knows and loves. But the fate of more than just humanity might rest on his shoulders.
In this stunning new science fiction epic, author Karen Lofgren weaves a tale of the human condition, and how even in the darkest of times, it can shine through into the future.
Seriously, it's a chance at a free book. Why are you hesitating?
And even if you don't win, the ebook is only $2.99 on Amazon, Nook, and Smashwords. Not sure if you want to buy? Free samples are available at all of those links. So go check it out!
On Good Writers
Labels:
authors,
creative writing,
writers,
writing advice
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This seems like a no-brainer. After all, if you’re not good, you’re bad, and if you’re bad at something, you shouldn’t do it, right? But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think this bit of advice needs to be qualified a bit.
First off, what is a good writer? Is it a writer who can create masterful prose, full of intelligent symbolism and metaphor that is praised by all the critics? Or is it a writer who can always touch something inside of people that keeps them coming back to buy the author’s books? Or what about someone whose work just makes you feel good after you’ve had a rotten day? Is it a writer who is successful by selling a million copies, or one who isn’t because they refuse to “sell out?”
The fact of the matter is, I’m not convinced there IS a single definition of what makes a good writer. And that’s why I don’t think, in all cases, the quality of your writing is all that important.
Sure, if you’re writing literary fiction and your goal is to win the Pulitzer Prize, of course you’re not going to want to write a book like Fifty Shades of Grey. However, most writers aren’t writing to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Most are writing because they enjoy it, because, as just about everybody knows, writing fiction is one of those industries where you have to enjoy it to stick with it.
And here’s another secret: art is entirely in the eye of the beholder. Something one person likes someone else is bound to hate. There is simply not a piece of writing in existence that doesn’t have its detractors. Not your favorite work, not Shakespeare, and not Twilight. Because everyone has different opinions, there really is no set definition of a “good” writer vs. a “bad” writer.
And even if you DO happen to be a bad writer: someone with no grasp of sentence structure, doesn’t know where to put a comma, no clue what a run-on is... It’s only willful ignorance that keeps you from learning and improving. People CAN learn the basics, and become at the very least serviceable, even if they have no natural talent. Because I think just about everyone has some miniscule amount of storytelling talent in them. It’s just something we do as human beings: we tell stories. From cavemen around the fire to filling your best friend in on what happened last night.
So maybe that piece of poetry is bad by nearly every standard in the book. So what? There’s likely to be someone who enjoys it, and if the author likes it too, I fail to see much of a problem. Since criticism of art is so subjective, I think it’s hard to say something is concretely good or bad. We all have our opinions, of course, and are certainly entitled to them. Publishers and magazines are of course entitled to throw out manuscripts with run-on sentences or tons of adverbs. But as a whole, art is art—even if it’s messy and ugly. There’s bound to be someone who will appreciate it, even if it’s not flawless.
And that’s why I don’t think the words and the sentences themselves matter as much as many would have you believe. What matters is whether someone genuinely likes it, and you make their day just that much better.
On Young Adult
Labels:
fiction,
opinion,
young adult
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Twilight really started it all. The two series I would classify as “blockbuster” that came before it were Harry Potter and the Inheritance Cycle, both of which are classified as Children’s. It was the popularity of Twilight that spawned a slew of imitators that seem to have jump-started the more commercial aspects of modern YA.
Next came The Hunger Games, which set off another wave in the YA world. Whereas Twilight had spawned a bunch of paranormal romance imitators, The Hunger Games made dystopian fiction the “in” thing. Some of its followers, including as a prominent example the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, went on to be extremely popular on their own.
Even more traditional YA literary fiction has seen growth, as evidenced by the success of The Fault in Our Stars, which doesn’t have vampires or dragons but instead is more literary fiction that deals with teenagers battling cancer.
As for what genre is going to be “in” next, I don’t know. Personally, I’m hoping it’s space opera or high fantasy, but I guess only time will tell.
YA is an interesting thing because it can be hard to classify. After all, what makes a YA book different from adult or children’s books? And what about that New Adult genre that publishers have been courting as of late? There’s also the fact that many, many adults love reading Young Adult books, and so there is definitely an audience outside the intended one.
As for me personally, I do enjoy the occasional Young Adult book every now and then. Imagine Someday was actually originally meant to BE a YA novel before I decided I wanted to take it in a more New Adult direction. However, as I’ve changed from a teenager to an adult I find most YA novels to be too simplistic for my tastes. I think part of this has to do with the fact that I no longer really relate to the problems teenagers do since I’m not a teenager anymore, but I don’t know. Either way, the genre isn’t my favorite, but it can still be a lot of fun.
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