Review – Darkstalker (Wings of Fire: Legends, Book 1) by Tui T. Sutherland (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: June 28, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1338053616
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Wings of Fire: Legends series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Three dragons. One unavoidable, unpredictable destiny. This is the beginning… of the end.
In the SeaWing kingdom, a young prince learns he is an animus — capable of wonderful magic that comes with a terrible price.
In the mind of a NightWing dragonet, a thousand futures unfold — and almost all of them, she knows, lead to disaster and destruction.
And under three full moons and the watchful eyes of his NightWing mother and IceWing father, the most powerful dragon Pyrhhia will ever know is clawing his way out of his egg. Darkstalker, the dragon who will change the world forever.
Long before the SandWing war, lifetimes before the Dragonet Prophecy… darkness is born.”
This was a well done extension to the Wings of Fire series. This book gives background on Darkstalker, an animus you meet in the original series. This is a pretty dark addition to the series and I feel like it’s more middle grade than children’s.
There is a lot more discussion about relationships between the dragons (who is in love with who and who is destined to be with who) and less about friendship and camaraderie. That being said my nine year old son absolutely loves this book and has read it multiple times since getting it.
I thought it was entertaining and well written. However, it is a bit predictable. I did really loved the new dragons we meet; Whiteout, Clearsight, Fathom, and Indigo in particular. Darkstalker is interesting too and Sutherland does an excellent job at showing how evil doesn’t necessarily start that way and how different perspectives can change what is seen as evil.
I guess if this book had a theme that would be it; evil looks different depending on your perspective and relationship to the evil doer. It also talks about how it’s a friend’s/spouse’s responsibility to recognize evil or wrongness when your friend and/or spouse doesn’t see it for themselves and do something about it.
Overall this was a great expansion to the Wings of Fire series and gives excellent background on one of the most mysterious dragons in the series to far, Darkstalker. I hope we see more of the Legends extensions to the Wings of Fire series. As with all of her books Sutherland writes in a way that is easy to read and engaging and I enjoy her books a lot. I would recommend to middle grade readers, especially fans of the Wings of Fire series. Adults who enjoy a good fantasy book about dragon politics will probably enjoy this as well.
