Audiobook Review – The Dangerous Gift (Wings of Fire, Book 14) by Tui T. Sutherland, Narrated by Shannon McManus (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 7 hours and 51 minutes
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Release Date: March 02, 2021
ASIN: B08M7BTWHR
Stand Alone or Series: 14th book in the Wings of Fire series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

“ Snowfall didn’t expect to be queen of the IceWings at such a young age, but now that she is, she’s going to be the best queen ever. All she has to do is keep her tribe within IceWing territory, where it’s safe – while keeping every other tribe out, where they belong. It’s a perfect and simple plan, backed up by all the IceWing magic Snowfall can find. That is, until a storm of unidentified dragons arrives on her shore, looking for asylum. The foreigners are completely strange and, Snowfall is certain, utterly untrustworthy. But as she escorts the miserable new tribes out of her kingdom, Snowfall is forced to reconsider her plan. Maybe she can only keep her tribe safe…if she’s willing to risk everything.”

Series Info/Source: This is the 14th book in the Wings of Fire series and the fourth book in this particular story arc about the Lost Continent. I got this as an audiobook (for my son) from Audible.

Audiobook Quality (4/5): The audiobook was decently done, I didn’t mind it. There are a lot of characters in this book and some of the character voices sounded very similar. Even given that I was never confused about who was who and the narration was pleasant to listen to.

Story (4/5): This book mainly follows Snowfall but ties into both the book featuring the “scavengers” (humans) and the books featuring the dragons from the Lost Continent. We mainly follow Snowfall as she struggles to figure out how to be a good queen and ends up having to deal with, not only new types of dragons, but also humans who can speak dragon! I enjoyed how everything came together and am excited to see how it all wraps up in the next book.

Characters (4/5): We spend more time with a lot of the side dragons from other books and get to also spend time with a lot of old favorites. Snowfall is definitely not a dragon I really love spending time with, however she did undergo a lot of growth throughout the story. I enjoyed the other dragons more than her. I loved watching the dragons from both continents interact. I also really enjoyed when the dragons meet the humans who can speak dragon.

Setting (4/5): The early part of the book takes place in the Ice Kingdom but we end up in Sanctuary by the end of the book. It was nice to be back on the main Continent. Not a lot to say about the setting, if you are still reading this series you are very familiar with it. Excellent world-building throughout this series.

Writing Style (4/5): Again with a series this long-running there isn’t a lot to say that I haven’t said before. This was an engaging and easy to read book. I really enjoyed how so many storylines from the previous books come together in this novel. I am excited to see how the 15th book wraps up this storyline. I started reading these books with my son many, many years ago. They aren’t something I absolutely love because I haven’t really been into middle grade reading anymore; however, I enjoy the story enough to keep up with the series. I do think this is a middle grade series that is easy for parents to enjoy with their kids. I am not sure if Sutherland is planning another 5 book sub-series within this series, but I plan on stopping the series after this story arc ties up in book fifteen.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was another well done book in the Wings of Fire series. I think fans of the series will be really pleased with this. The featured dragon here, Snowfall, wasn’t my favorite but she undergoes a lot of change and growth throughout the book. I did enjoy how so many elements from earlier in the series are coming together so nicely. I am really looking forward to the final book in this story arc.