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Caramel reviews Darkstalker by Tui Sutherland

Caramel is a big fan of Tui Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series and has already read and reviewed all fifteen books in the series. [In fact, he reviewed some of them twice! See his review of the very first book of the series, The Dragonet Prophecy, and then its graphic novel version, The Dragonet Prophecy.] Today he reviews Darkstalker, a book in Sutherland’s Wings of Fire: Legends series, that was published in 2016, in between books eight (Escaping Peril, 2015) and nine (Talons of Power, 2016). As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Sprinkles: So here we are again, back with the dragons of Tui Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series. Please tell us a bit about this book, Caramel.

Caramel: This book is about Darkstalker and his friends Fathom and Clearsight. He is a half-NightWing, half-IceWing hybrid.

S: I did not know there were hybrids in this world That’s cool.

C: Well, he is one of the very few that we saw so far.

S: I see.

C: Fathom is a SeaWing and was born in the Sea Kingdom. Clearsight is a full NightWing, born in the Night Kingdom, and she has the ability to see the future. Actually she does not see one future, but every single possible timeline in the future.

S: Well, does she know which will come to happen?

C: No, because a tiny tweak in an event today can change the future.

S: So the future is not determined yet.

C: True. What I say today, say I like pizza, maybe that will change someone’s view and that will change the future, because that person will decide to go out for pizza one day instead of something else. And see, I just changed the world.

S: Hmm, I see. It is cool. But so she does not quite have the sight, but can see all possible consequences. Like a really good chess master.

C: Kind of. Back to Darkstalker though. He also has a sister, named Whiteout. She is a hybrid too but looks a lot more like an IceWing. And she plays a big role in turning Darkstalker evil.

S: Yes, I seem to recall this Darkstalker, and he was bad.

C: Yes, he was mentioned in the fifth book, The Brightest Night, and showed up for real in the books of the second arc. He is only mentioned in Moon Rising, but rises from the ground in Winter Turning, and then he is present in the rest of the books of that story arc. And he is evil.

S: So the main character of this particular book is not a nice character.

C: Well, his friends Fathom and Clearsight are also main characters, and they are much better.

S: But the book is named after Darkstalker, so we learn a lot about him in it, right?

C: Yes, we see his rise and fall, how he becomes very powerful and then loses it all. He can’t die, he makes himself unhurtable, and then makes himself immortal. But the good dragons figure out a way to neutralize him and it involves Jade Mountain. But I won’t say more.

S: Maybe it is good because you are already giving away a lot of plot clues and spoilers!

C: Okay, so I will stop talking then.

S: No, don’t stop talking. Let us just move away from the plot and onto other things.

C: Sure.

Caramel is reading Darkstalker by Tui Sutherland. — Caramel is reading *Darkstalker* by Tui Sutherland.

S: Remember this book got out in between books eight and nine. Is the story happening in the time between those two books?

C: No, it is more like a backstory. The events in Darkstalker happened two thousand years ago and they explain his origins.

S: That is interesting. So is he at all a likeable character?

C: Well, he is evil, and he kills his own father, so I don’t think so. But we do learn his part of the story, and you can see how he slowly gets worse and worse as he becomes more and more powerful.

S: I see. Then if you had read this before reading Moon Rising, too much would be spoilt, because there, at least in the beginning, Moon does not yet know Darkstalker is evil.

C: Well, actually he makes himself look like he became good.

S: I can see how readers of the regular series might like to learn more about this ancient evil character. So did you enjoy the book?

C: Yes. Without a doubt. These legends books are neat. You get to learn a lot more about the world of the dragons.

S: So maybe you will tell us about the other legends book some time.

C: Yes, I had to read it as soon as I finished this one. So maybe we can talk about it next week.

S: We will see. But now it is time to finish this review. Can you give me three words to describe the book?

C: Handy-dandy. That means convenient and useful. It tells you how Darkstalker became evil so it is informative. And very interesting.

S: Okay, those are good words to summarize your thoughts and feelings about this book. Thank you. What do you want to tell our readers as we wrap things up?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Darkstalker by Tui Sutherland and learning some more of the backstory of the characters of his beloved Wings of Fire series. He's clearly not done with this series! — Caramel enjoyed reading *Darkstalker* by Tui Sutherland and learning some more of the backstory of the characters of his beloved Wings of Fire series. He’s clearly not done with this series!

Caramel reviews The Menagerie: Dragon on Trial by Tui Sutherland and Kari Sutherland

Today Caramel reviews Dragon on Trial, the second book of The Menagerie series written by Tui Sutherland, the author of Caramel’s beloved Wings of Fire series, and her sister Kari Sutherland. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you read this book really fast!

Caramel: Yes, I did.

S: Was it exciting?

C: Yes.

S: So will you tell us about it?

C: Yes, of course!

S: Do tell!

C: This book starts exactly where the last book, The Menagerie, ended. That book ended with the disappearance of Pelly, the golden egg laying goose. And in this book, the heroes, Logan, Zoe, and Blue, try to find out who killed Pelly.

S: Wait, is Pelly dead?

C: Well, it looks like that, at least in the beginning. But —

S: Wait, don’t tell. I still have not read this one, and I really want to.

C: Yes, you should read it. It is just as exciting as the first book.

S: I found the first book really fun and full of curious things. And a lot of mysteries. Is this one as good as that book?

C: Yes. And there are new magical mythical creatures that we meet, and they are awesome!

S: Can you name one?

C: We finally see and meet the dragons!

S: That’s cool. I know you like dragons a lot. Are the dragons of this book similar to any other dragons we met in any other book?

C: Not really. Scratch is a Western dragon and he can fly and he is big and long, and breathes fire. And all clues point to him being guilty of the death of the goose.

S: I see. So he is the “dragon on trial” that is mentioned in the title of the book. And as usual, things are not what they seem, right?

C: Exactly!

Caramel is reading The Menagerie: Dragon on Trial by Tui Sutherland and Kari Sutherland. — Caramel is reading *The Menagerie: Dragon on Trial* by Tui Sutherland and Kari Sutherland.

S: So let us move a bit away from the plot so you don’t give away too much by mistake.

C: Okay.

S: Instead maybe we can talk about the characters. Other than the three friends Logan, Zoe, and Blue, do we meet some new important characters?

C: Well, not really. We do get to see the SNAPA agents a few more times. SNAPA stands for SuperNatural Animals Protection Agency.

S: Cool, kind of like a mixture of EPA and the CIA. Right?

C: Yeah, I guess. They are a government agency, trying to protect the mythical animals and they are pretty secretive.

S: Who was your favorite person in this book?

C: My favorite is still Squarp; that is the baby griffin cub that Logan found in his room in the first book.

S: Why is that?

C: Because he is a cute little baby animal!

S: And you are a cute little baby animal, too, so it makes total sense you would like him. He is also very playful and funny; I liked him too, in the first book.

C: You will like him in the second book too!

S: Okay, I think I am quite ready to begin reading the book. How about you? Are you itching to read the third book?

C: Yes!

S: Does this second book also end with a cliffhanger?

C: Kind of. The book ends with them finding out something very serious, a big danger for the menagerie.

S: I can’t wait to find out more! So let us wrap this up so we can both get reading. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Menagerie: Dragon on Trial by Tui Sutherland and Kari Sutherland, and he cannot wait to get started on the third and last book of the series. Stay tuned! — Caramel loved reading *The Menagerie: Dragon on Trial* by Tui Sutherland and Kari Sutherland, and he cannot wait to get started on the third and last book of the series. Stay tuned!

Caramel reviews The Flames of Hope (Book Fifteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland

And the book bunnies are back! Caramel starts the new season with the last book of Tui Sutherland‘s Wings of Fire series: The Flames of Fire. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviewed the first fourteen books from the series for the book bunnies blog. Before moving forward with his review of this fifteenth book, you might like to check out his reviews of these earlier books:

Caramel reviewed both the original version (The Dragonet Prophecy) and the graphic novel version (The Dragonet Prophecy of the very first book. He reviewed only the graphic novel versions of the next four books: The Lost Heir, The Hidden Kingdom, The Dark Secret, and The Brightest Night. These five make up the Dragonet Prophecy story arc.

Here are Caramel’s reviews for the five books that make up the second story arc (the Jade Mountain): Moon Rising, Winter Turning, Escaping Peril, Talons of Power, and Darkness of Dragons.

Finally here are Caramel’s reviews of the first four books making up the third story arc (the lost continent prophecy): The Lost Continent, The Hive Queen, The Poison Jungle, and The Dangerous Gift.

Readers should be warned that there may be more spoilers in this review than usual.

Caramel reviews The Flames of Hope (Book Fifteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland. — Caramel reviews *The Flames of Hope* (Book Fifteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, here we are, about to start yet another school year, and another season of books and book reviews! You have in your paws the fifteenth and currently the last Wings of Fire book: Flames of Hope. Are we finally done with this series?

Caramel: Hopefully not.

S: You mean the book ends with a cliffhanger?

C: To me yes. I’m not sure others would see it as a cliffhanger. I want to see the new world that Luna and Swordtail live in.

S: Wait, that sounds like a spoiler.

C: No, I think it is already obvious that they would win. But to Tui Sutherland: if you are reading this, please write a sixteenth book. I want to know what happens next.

S: Okay, let us slow down a bit. I recall that this fifteenth book is the fifth and final book of the third story arch: the lost continent. So is that arc completed and tied up nicely?

C: Yes, I think so. But these dragons will go on and live and do other amazing things, and I want to see them!

S: I think you mean that you like this world that Sutherland created and you are not ready to let go.

C: Yes, exactly.

S: That is sweet. We started listening to the series as an audiobook, and I am already quite amazed at how complete this world that the author has created seems to be. So I understand why you don’t want to leave it just yet.

C: And you know, we just are listening to the first book, and it gets better and better.

S: Cool. So would you then say that this fifteenth book is just as good as all the previous ones?

C: Yes.

S: So tell me what happens in it. Who is the main character this time?

C: Luna. We met her a while ago, first in book 10, The Darkness of Dragons. She is a SlikWing from Pantala.

S: So what is the main narrative arc of this book? What is the main event or challenge or conflict?

C: The main thing is that she battles the Other Mind.

S: What is the Other Mind?

C: It is the Breath of Evil, who took over a dragon and a human, and is using their minds for planning and stuff.

S: Is the Breath of Evil a plant? I seem to recall that on Pantala there were evil plants.

C: Yes. Exactly. The Breath of Evil is one of them. It tries to take over the entire world and Luna has to fight it.

S: She has help from friends too, no?

C: Yes, but only Luna can do the actual thing. Only she can defeat the Other Mind.

S: This story line sounds a bit creepier than the previous ones.

C: But it is just as funny. There is an entire page of comic relief. Complete funniness. Pure hilarity.

S: I see.

Caramel is reading The Flames of Hope (Book Fifteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland. — Caramel is reading *The Flames of Hope* (Book Fifteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland.

S: So do we see our friends from the first books? Tsunami? Clay? Peril?

C: We don’t see Peril I think, but we see the others.

S: So do you think this is a clean and tidy ending for the series?

C: Yes but –

S: Of course I understand you want more …

C: Yes, please Tui Sutherland, please, please, please, write more books about these dragons and their world!

S: I don’t know if she reads our blog, but I can see you feel very strongly about this. That is really neat! I think these books will be with you for a while.

C: Yes. I will keep reading and rereading and rereading them. For a long time.

S: I can see that. But for now, this series is over. We are done. Now looking back would you recommend this whole series to other little bunnies?

C: Yes, of course, without a doubt. I think the first few books have some violence here and there, but overall, I love the world and the characters and everything in these books.

S: How wonderful to have such a series that you are so fond of! So overall what three words would you use to describe the full series?

C: Hilarious, dragon awesomeness, and adventure, and friendship, and pure amazingness.

S: Those are a little bit more than three words, but then again, they are about fifteen books. So I guess that is fine. This seems like to good place to wrap things up. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Flames of Hope (Book Fifteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland, but he thinks he will need a lot more books in this world to be completely satisfied. — Caramel loved reading *The Flames of Hope* (Book Fifteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland, but he thinks he will need a lot more books in this world to be completely satisfied.

Caramel reviews The Dangerous Gift (Book Fourteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland

Caramel has spent most of this year reading and reviewing books about dragons. Today, for his last review before the bunnies take off for the month of July, he talks about The Dangerous Gift, the fourteenth and currently the penultimate book in the Wings of Fire series by Tui Sutherland. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: Book Fourteen. Here we are. What can you tell us about it?

Caramel: This one is about Queen Snowfall of the IceWings.

S: Is she the main character?

C: Yes.

S: But the queens are typically bad in this book series, no?

C: Not this one. Burn, Bister, and Blaze were bad, and so was Scarlet. But there is Ruby, and she is not that bad. And Snowfall is really not bad.

S: I see. So how does she fit into the storyline of the Lost Continent?

C: Some dragons from the tribes from the lost continent come over to the Ice Kingdom, though they were not intending to, and they ask for help. So the IceWings get involved.

S: I see.

C: Technically only about twelve IceWings get involved. Queen Snowfall orders ten guards to come with her, and Lynx, another IceWing, comes along, because she is not going to take no for an answer.

S: Hmm, is Lynx Snowfall’s friend?

C: They are technically enemies. Or they were, until Snowfall became the queen. Before her, the queen was Queen Glacier, who was Snowfall’s mother.

S: So what happened to her?

C: She died. Of a plague, sent by Darkstalker.

S: Oh, I remember Darkstalker, who was the bad guy from the second story arc, the Jade Mountain arc.

C: Yep.

Caramel is reading The Dangerous Gift (Book Fourteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland. — Caramel is reading *The Dangerous Gift* (Book Fourteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland.

S: Okay, so Snowfall is the main character of this book, right?

C: Yes. I like her. In the beginning she is kind of annoying but then you start to actually like her.

S: Do the IceWings decide to help the dragons from the other continent?

C: They have to. Because the new dragons have to get to the Sanctuary. That is the place that the Talons of Peace created after the war, at the end of the first five books. Did I tell you about the Talons of Power?

S: No, I don’t think so.

C: Well they come up in the tenth book.

S: Well the ninth book is called the Talons of Power?

C: Yeah, but you actually learn who they are in the tenth. They were created by Quibli’s grandpa who thought the Talons of Peace were too weak and so he created the Talons of Power.

S: I see.

C: But who is important in this book is the Talons of Peace, and the Sanctuary they created. The dragons from the other continent want to go there.

S: Why?

C: That is a safe place. They are running away the Hive Queen. That is Queen Wasp, who can control all the HiveWings. Remember?

S: Yes, I do. So our friends from the earlier books, Blue, Cricket, and Luna, are they among the dragons from Pantala who came over?

C: Luna had come over already in the tenth book. She was stuck in Pyrrhia, and when Queen Wasp attacked and took over a large part of the LeadWings, our friends escaped. It is now impossible to attack Queen Wasp because she now can control a lot of dragons.

S: I see. So does this book have a neat ending that ties things together? Or is everything going to have to wait till the fifteenth book?

C: It ends in a cliffhanger. I have to, have to, have to read the fifteenth book!

S: I know. Okay, let us wrap up this review so you can get your paws on the next one then.

C: Yay!

S: But our readers will have to wait till August for your review of it.

C: That’s true! This is our last review before we take off the month of July.

S: Yes. I hope we will be reading a lot this month, and by the time we get back to the blog, we will have a lot to talk about.

C: Yes!

S: So would you do the honors and say your words to the readers to wrap up the review?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews! Coming back in August 2022!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Dangerous Gift (Book Fourteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland, and is eager to dive into the fifteenth book. But the readers of the blog will need to wait until August to read his thoughts about that book. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Dangerous Gift* (Book Fourteen of the Wings of Fire series) by Tui Sutherland, and is eager to dive into the fifteenth book. But the readers of the blog will need to wait until August to read his thoughts about that book.