dragons – Page 2 – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World by Tui T. Sutherland

After over a year, Caramel finally got his paws on a new-for-him Wings of Fire book. So today he is talking about Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World, written by Tui T. Sutherland, illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho, and published first in 2023. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho. — Caramel reviews *Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World*, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, this book just arrived today, and you just had to read it, right?

Caramel: Yup. Just had to.

S: I know how you still keep reading and rereading all of your Wings of Fire books. So I knew you would enjoy this book too. Please tell our readers about the book. Is this the sixteenth book you were waiting for?

C: Not quite, but it is definitely enough to satisfy my hunger for new Wings of Fire stories.

S: So this is a collection of new stories then, right?

C: Yes, but it is actually even more than that.

S: What do you mean?

C: There are ten main chapters, one for each dragon tribe: MudWings, SeaWings, RainWings, NightWings, SandWings, IceWings, SkyWings, SilkWings, HiveWings, and LeafWings. And in each chapter, there are some documents and short historical bits and always a short story about or a letter from a dragon from that tribe that we have met before. So for example, in the chapter on RainWings, they have a datasheet, a map of where they live, they have a letter from StarFlight, a letter from Glory, a story about a sloth made up by Kinkajou, a bit about the dangers of the RainForest, an explanation of how the challenges to the RainWing throne work, a guide to how RainWings change colors depending on their feelings by Jambu, and so on.

Caramel is reading Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho. — Caramel is reading *Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World*, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho.

S: All that sounds fascinating, Caramel. I bet you really enjoyed the book.

C: Yes, and I am still enjoying it, and I think I will keep enjoying it forever! Or at least, for a very long time.

S: I can see that. I think it is a beautiful book.

C: Yes! The pictures are amazing! They have pictures of the dragons, and the things they are talking about. Like in the story about the sloth, there is a picture of a sloth. They have maps, too.

S: Yes, and this is all on really nice paper and in full color, so all in all, it makes for a really pretty book to behold.

C: Totally what I was going to say.

S: I know, right? Okay, so would you recommend this book to other bunnies who liked the Wings of Fire books?

C: Yes!

S: So do you think someone has to read all fifteen books before this one?

C: Yes, because so many characters from all the books keep showing up.

S: But looking over it, I thought that the book could also be a nice way to introduce a bunny to this world.

C: Maybe. They would not know who is telling the stories or their backstory, but they would learn a lot about the world the dragons are living in and a lot about each of the tribes. That could be fun too; you are right. Of course I will never know what it would be like to read this book first.

S: True, but I have a feeling it was a good experience, finally reading a new Wings of Fire book, after all these years.

C: Yes! But I would still like a sixteenth book. A real book that maybe starts a fourth story arc.

S: That could be wonderful, I know. But for now, this is what we have. And it is rather wonderful, isn’t it?

C: Yes!

S: So maybe we should wrap this up so you can continue to cherish your new book.

C: I agree!

S: What would you like to tell our readers in closing?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho, and recommends it to all bunnies who love all things dragon. — Caramel loved reading *Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World*, written by Tui T. Sutherland and illustrated by Joy Ang, with additional art from Mike Schley and Maarta Laiho, and recommends it to all bunnies who love all things dragon.

Caramel reviews The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter

Caramel loves dragons and has read and reviewed several books about them for the book bunnies blog through the years. Today he talks to Sprinkles about a new book about dragons: The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter, published in 2023. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

The book bunnies received this book as a review copy.

Caramel reviews The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter. — Caramel reviews *The Great Texas Dragon Race* by Kacy Ritter.

Sprinkles: Can you start by telling us a bit about the book?

Caramel: This is a fiction book about a thirteen-year-old dragon rider named Cassidy Drake and her dragon Ranga.

S: I can see it is fiction! So this is a girl who is riding a dragon, and from the title, I am guessing that there is a race involved.

C: Yes. She wants to participate in the Great Texas Dragon Race and then she tries to win it.

S: I see. So the story is actually taking place in this continent, and there is still a place named Texas. But I don’t think there are dragons in our Texas.

C: No. I said it was fiction!

S: I see. Okay, I’ll be quiet. Go on.

C: So Cassidy’s family owns a dragon ranch, and Ranga is one of their dragons. It is like an animal shelter, except for dragons.

S: Kind of reminds me of The Menagerie.

C: Yeah, except that everyone knows about dragons in this book. In The Menagerie, the magical creatures were kind of a secret to most people.

S: Okay. So are the dragons magical here too?

C: Yes. They can breathe fire and they can fly. Of course. But they don’t talk. They are like giant dogs, like big friendly pets. Well, not all of them are friendly. But Ranga is.

S: I see. So tell me a bit more about the race. Is it common for young people like Cassidy to race in it?

C: No. I think she is the youngest. But she really wants to do it because her family needs the prize money. It is a lot of money.

S: I see. So does Cassidy face some obstacles trying to get into the race and then while in the race?

C: Yes, exactly.

Caramel is reading The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter. — Caramel is reading *The Great Texas Dragon Race* by Kacy Ritter.

S: So tell me a bit more about the book. Who is narrating the story?

C: Cassidy herself is narrating. So it is all in first person. And it is all in present tense.

S: Oh, that probably makes things sound more urgent and exciting, right?

C: Yes it is very exciting.

S: So would “exciting” be one of your words to describe the book?

C: Yes. So I’d describe it as “an exciting adventure with dragons”.

S: It sounds like this was just the right fit for you!

C: Yup. I wish the author would write more about Cassidy and Ranga.

S: I am sure you would read that book too.

C: Yup.

S: I think you really enjoyed this book. You grabbed it from my paws as soon as it arrived and then you did not put it down until you finished. So did you like Cassidy? Did you like Ranga? Would you have liked to fly with them?

C: I liked them, but I am not sure I’d fly with them. It can be dangerous for a little bunny. They also don’t seem to be the safest flyers in the world. But they are the fastest!

S: Hmm, are you telling me that they win the race?

C: No. I am not spoiling anything. Don’t push me!

S: Okay, I won’t. So maybe we should wrap things up. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter and hopes that there will be more books about these characters. — Caramel loved reading *The Great Texas Dragon Race* by Kacy Ritter and hopes that there will be more books about these characters.

Caramel reviews The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories by Tui T. Sutherland

Caramel has gone through almost all the books written by Tui T. Sutherland, including all fifteen books of her Wings of Fire series. Today he is talking about The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories (2020). As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you managed to find yet another Wings of Fire book to review.

Caramel: Yup! Heh heh heh!

S: So this looks like a collection of four stories. Right?

C: Yes. There is one about a NightWing named Fierceteeth (“Prisoners”), another about the NightWing assassin named Deathbringer (“Assassin”), another about a SandWing named Six-Claws (“Deserter”) and another about an IceWing named Arctic (“Runaway”).

S: I remember Deathbringer! We met him in the third book, The Hidden Kingdom, right?

C: Yep. But in the story about him, we learn more about Deathbringer’s life, how he became an assassin and so on. It is called “Assassin” after all.

S: I see. So are all four stories about characters that show up somewhere in the fifteen main books of the series then?

C: Yep. Fierceteeth shows up in the fourth book already. That is The Dark Secret. Six-Claws shows up in the fifth book, The Brightest Night. And we first hear about Arctic in the sixth book, Moon Rising. Though Arctic’s story is more like the story of Darkstalker, because he lived many many years ago. In fact he is Darkstalker’s father. But Moonwatcher starts to learn about Arctic from Darkstalker when he communicates with her through her mind. So that happens in the sixth book.

S: So let me get this straight. Three of the main characters of these stories are contemporary characters that we meet in the main series, but we learn a lot more about their backstories. And the fourth, Arctic, is a significant character mentioned in the books, but one who lived many many years before the events of those books took place. Right?

C: Yup, I think you got it.

Caramel is reading The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories by Tui T. Sutherland. — Caramel is reading *The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories* by Tui T. Sutherland.

S: So tell me more. I do not remember you reading too many short stories. How did it feel to read these ones?

C: They are fun! I loved to learn more about these characters and their stories. And you know, anything more Tui T. Sutherland can tell me about the world of these dragons, I’m eager to read.

S: I know. So since we are listening to The Hidden Kingdom at the moment, and we have met Deathbringer already, I am curious about that story myself. Would you say that reading that story (“Assassin”) would help me understand The Hidden Kingdom better? Or maybe at least understand Deathbringer’s motivations?

C: Yes I guess. But the stories are just fun no matter what.

S: From what I can gather looking at the dates when these stories were written, or at least published, the author seems to have already gotten all of the first arc done and was more or less in the middle of the second arc. So it is kind of neat to think about how she was knitting this world up all together, but along the way, she went back and told us a nit more about some of the incidental characters, and made the world a lot richer.

C: Yes. I guess. So for example you can understand Deathbringer’s psyche much better after reading “Assassin”.

S: Wow, Caramel, psyche is a big word!

C: But it is the right word here. So you understand him a lot better because you learn that his mom died when he was very young and that is one of the reasons why he does not like Blister —

S: Wait, don’t give away too much! I think I want to read that story myself!

C: You should. I think it might be one of my favorites among the four. Then again they are all pretty awesome!

S: So are they as funny and violent as the main books?

C: They are funny but maybe not as violent. They are a little less bloody.

S: Okay, I think I might borrow the book for a bit then.

C: Sure. But we should probably wrap up this review before then.

S: I agree. So describe the book to me in three words then.

C: Descriptive, funny, and biographical. Because the stories are kind of like little biographies of the four dragons.

S: Makes sense to me. So what would you like to tell our readers next?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories by Tui T. Sutherland, and hopes that there will eventually be more stories about this world. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories* by Tui T. Sutherland, and hopes that there will eventually be more stories about this world.

Caramel reviews Moon Rising (Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes

Caramel reviews the graphic novel version of Moon Rising (Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes).

Caramel is a young bunny who loves dragons. In these last couple years, he has gone through all fifteen books of Tui Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series, and reviewed most of them. (His review of the fifteenth book, The Flames of Hope, contains links to all his reviews of the previous books.) He also loves graphic novels. So it was totally expected that when the graphic novel version of the sixth book in the series (Moon Rising) appeared, he just had to get his paws on a copy. Today, for his first review for the new year of 2023, he chose to talk about this book, written by Tui Sutherland, adapted by Barry Deutsch and Rachel Swirsky, with art work by Mike Holmes, and color by Maarta Laiho. As always, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

[You can see Caramel’s reviews of the graphic novel versions of the first five books here: The Dragonet Prophecy, The Lost Heir, The Hidden Kingdom, The Dark Secret, and The Brightest Night.]

Caramel reviews Moon Rising (the graphic novel version of Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. — Caramel reviews *Moon Rising* (the graphic novel version of Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.

Sprinkles: So here we are, Caramel, back from our January break, and you have yet another Wings of Fire book to talk about!

Caramel: Yes! This is Moon Rising, the sixth book of the series. It is the first book of the second arc, Jade Mountain.

S: You reviewed the original version of Moon Rising for the blog before. And I know it was one of your favorites in the series.

C: Yes, I think it is my favorite after the fifteenth, fourteenth, and the tenth.

S: Well, that means it is one of your top three. That is neat. It means you really liked the book. How is this one?

C: Good. But different. The graphic novel versions are all really really different from the actual books.

S: How so?

C: I guess they have similarities, I mean the characters, the main plot lines, and so on, but the original books, they have so much more detail, it feels like you are there.

S: Well, the graphic novel usually does not have as much room for as many words, but the images can help you see the story, perhaps?

C: Yes, I like the pictures in the graphic novels.

S: Does how they depict the characters visually fit your view of them?

C: I guess. You mean do they look like what I think they should look like?

S: Yep.That’s what I mean.

C: Then yes. They do kind of look like what I think they should look like.

S: And since you have read the first five graphic novels before moving into the actual series, maybe they already set some of the imagery in your mind.

C: Maybe.

Caramel is reading Moon Rising (the graphic novel version of Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. — Caramel is reading *Moon Rising* (the graphic novel version of Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.

S: So let us come back to Moon Rising. Can you remind our readers what the plot line is?

C: This is about Moonwatcher, who is a NightWing, and she has a dark secret. She has three dark secrets actually, but I will only tell one.

S: Okay, do tell.

C: She can read minds!

S: Oh yes, I seem to remember that from your review of the original version of the book.

C: Well, the story is the same as that one. With few minor differences. In the original book, there is a little bit more said about MoonWatcher’s secret, and there are more clues to her other dark secrets. But I won’t tell you more about those!

S: I guess I will have to wait and see for myself when we get to the book in audio. Perhaps this is a good time to tell our readers that we as a household are listening to the Wings of Fire books as audio books, and we are only in the third book (Hidden Kingdom).

C: Yes, but we are going kind of slow.

S: I know. We only listen to one chapter a night, and that is optimistic, some nights we don’t listen at all.

C: That happens way too often.

S: I know you like these books a lot, and listening to them, I can actually see why. The characters are all so vividly developed, though so far I only really met Clay, Tsunami, and Glory as the main narrators of the first three books, and the latter two are both too sure of themselves. Not like confidence isn’t nice, but theirs is more like, I know how to do all things and I don’t need help.

C: Yes, but both of them learn that they do need their friends.

S: I guess I can see that happened to Tsunami in the second book and might eventually happen to Glory in the third. So how about the central character of Moon Rising? Is Moonwatcher also very confident?

C: No she is the complete opposite. She doesn’t believe she can ever do anything right. But she is actually pretty awesome too.

S: Okay, so you liked this book!

C: Yes, I liked the original too, but the graphic novel is also pretty great. I already read it like fifty times.

S: I’d not doubt that. I have been seeing it in your paws for a while now.

C: Yep. I like reading it and rereading it. And I can’t wait till the seventh book comes out as a graphic novel.

S: I know! You do love these books. I think it might be time to wrap up this review though. What would you like to tell our readers as we do that?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved to have the chance to finally read Moon Rising (the graphic novel version of Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes and is eagerly awaiting the graphic novel version of the seventh book. — Caramel loved to have the chance to finally read *Moon Rising* (the graphic novel version of Book Six of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes and is eagerly awaiting the graphic novel version of the seventh book.