I wanted something that I could read myself while my class does silent reading, so they could see an adult reading for fun, and some of my students are enthusiastic about this series. Since my reading time in this situation is brief, fragmented and frequently interrupted by other responsibilities, I thought a graphic novel would be a good way to go -- but, perhaps because of said interruptions, or perhaps some of the dragons just didn’t look distinctive enough, I often had to flip back to earlier scenes to be confident I’d identified them correctly.

However there was enough that I like -- found-family teamwork and challenging one’s supposed destiny -- that I’d like to read more. Maybe next time I’ll just get the novel version instead. ( )

A group of five dragon eggs are brought together to try to fulfill a prophecy and they don't turn out to be what the Dragons training them expect. They decide to escape and find their own path. Captured by an evil Queen Dragon who treats her subjects with hate and fear.
Look, I loved the art and I'm a sucker for Dragons so I may not be the best person to critically look at this, but I do want more. ( )

There is a mysterious prophecy that says five dragonets will be born who are destined to put an end to the war between the dragon tribes. In order to fulfill the prophecy, several eggs are acquired: Mudwing (Clay), Sandwing (Sunny), Nightwing (Starflight), and Seawing (Tsunami). The only egg that doesn't really fit the prophecy is Glory's - she's a Rainwing and they really needed a Skywing. The five dragonets are raised in secret to eventually carry out their role, but they're treated like prisoners and eventually decide to escape in the hope of finding the parents they were stolen from. Unfortunately, that's when Scarlet, Queen of the Skywings and one of the many threats to their existence, finds them.

My mom picked up an ARC of this for me at a conference a few years ago. I went into it blind - it's based on a Middle Grade book I haven't read. It's a Chosen One story, but starring dragons instead of humans, so even though the basic premise has been done to death, I was still excited to give it a shot. (FYI, this is not a human-free world, although it's tough to tell, this early on in the series, whether humans will eventually get a larger role in the story.)

Clay and the other dragonets were essentially sheltered and raised in isolation from the rest of their world, but they weren't exactly coddled or well-loved. Their caretakers made it plain that they weren't impressed with them - Clay was too much of a peacemaker for their tastes, Starflight couldn't read minds like Nightwings were supposed to be able to do, Sunny was too sweet, and they just assumed Glory was lazy and stupid because they considered all Rainwings to be lazy and stupid.

The dragonets' journey away from the caves where they were raised was somewhat interesting, and I especially enjoyed the revelations about Clay, but found myself having more and more problems telling all the dragons apart. There were lots of yellow/orange/red dragons, and although efforts were definitely made to differentiate them (Clay had a blunter face, Peril had blue eyes, etc.), it wasn't quite enough for me. It didn't help that Glory could literally change color. There was one scene I had to reread because I initially assumed she was a new character.

The action scenes could also have been a bit better. I kept thinking about shounen manga and the ways in which good series depict motion and speed, and I found that I missed seeing those elements here. The artwork felt static by comparison.

I did enjoy the bright colors and all those dragons, but I don't think I'll be continuing this graphic novel series. If I decide I want to read more of this story, I'll go with the original novels instead.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

Really well done 'translation' from the original to the graphic medium. The dragons are accurate the the 'style guide' and book descriptions. The coloring is well done, the expressions are evocative, and the poses feel natural. It doesn't flinch away from the violence in the book and conveys the action well. ( )

idk man it’s dragons ( )