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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Re-read July 11, 2024
Still have more or less the same thoughts. Something I noticed in this book, though, was how the plot was derailed by the trip to the IceWing territory. I'm not sure how much it added apart from the dragonets getting to talk with Blaze. It comes right after they learn that RainWings are disappearing, but that suddenly stops being urgent so the dragonets can talk with Blaze and find out why she should be queen of the SandWings. Yes, stopping the war is important, but it just feels like everyone temporarily forgot about the RainWings and the mystery of why they're all disappearing and the "monster" in the rain forest and all that. Not even Glory seemed concerned, and rescuing the RainWings is her whole goal in the book.
Another plot hole that I don't think is ever answered: why did the guardians name her Glory? I can understand the rest of them. Clay and Starflight have fairly standard names for their tribe; Tsunami was likely named by Webs, since he knew where she came from; Sunny's name fits how she would've been perceived by the guardians, and Dune might have had a say in it. But why was Glory given a name that not only sounded like a proper RainWing name, but one that so clearly broadcasts her as being royal? None of the guardians cared about her or wanted her around. They considered her useless and lazy at best. So why give her a name that suggests she is capable of great things? It makes no sense.
I still feel like the romantic spark/set-up for a love interest between Deathbringer and Glory was weird. He talks to her once and decides to go against his mission of killing the dragonets. A pretty poor excuse for an assassin if he's derailed that easily. Also, I really wish that the world-building was a little more clear on dragon physical maturity versus age. I keep picturing the dragonets as the equivalent of pre-teens, but I'm pretty sure Deathbringer is an adult. So Deathbringer's weird attraction to Glory gets a little uncomfortable. And we don't even talk about Whirlpool from the last book. That dragon had to be middle-aged at least and he was about to be in an arranged marriage with a three-year-old. What are appropriate age gaps for these dragons? We never get an idea.
But honestly, I think when this book sticks to the RainWing plot, it's very good. I love how dark and mature it gets. I also love the contest at the end. Is the reveal of Glory's lineage a cop-out? Absolutely. But all the other parts of the contest were very good, and Glory learned the lesson she needed.
Original review February 2, 2021
I was going to rate this as a four star but the more I thought about it, the more I knew some parts of the book really were amazing. For me, this is an improvement over the second book and is just as good as the first in many respects. The first is still the best one in terms of action, but considering the setting of this one, it makes sense that action isn't the main focus.
I really liked the RainWings and their way of doing things. It's very different from how we've seen the other dragons so far. It also makes a lot of sense that creatures who gain energy from the sun would be seen as "lazy" by other dragons, and that they would be more pacifistic since they didn't need to learn to hunt for their food. I liked that theirs felt most like a community out of the tribes encountered so far. It was also nice that the author showed not all RainWings behaved the same way-- some like Mangrove and the little dragonet Glory meets are a lot more active.
If I had to criticize anything, it would be on the reveal of Glory's lineage. I feel like maybe that was a bit of a cop-out and sort of defeated the purpose of Glory showing she was worthy of the throne through other means. It was still really good for her to learn she had to rely on others and let go of control. Yeah, it was another "learn a lesson" type of theme, but all the dragonets are coming of age, so I guess it's hard to avoid doing those.
Another negative I can think of is Deathbringer. Not to say he wasn't an interesting character, but the fact that he decided against killing the dragonets so quickly and was helping them without really much convincing (apart from a bit of flirting) was really odd. I guess that's why there's a book that's just about him, to flesh out his character more and hopefully shed some light into his thought process. I admit I also don't like how the other dragonets turn into nothing characters, or how stuff about the main character of the book is often told to the reader rather than shown. We're told about her time in the Sky Kingdom but we don't get to see it since that one was told from Clay's perspective. It often feels like a lot of character development is being lost or just summarized without the reader getting to experience it first-hand.
But I still really loved this book. I loved the setting, loved the different powers of the RainWings and how they navigated their home, loved how they interacted with each other, loved the new characters, and especially loved the queen trials. I like that the RainWings found a way to determine a queen without killing and how their existence proves that dragons don't have to be all about just fighting and killing like the other tribes think. The end of this book felt a bit more like a cliffhanger than the other two but not in a way that bothers me, maybe because I don't have to wait to keep reading. I'm really looking forward to the next book and excited to see where the story goes from here.
Still have more or less the same thoughts. Something I noticed in this book, though, was how the plot was derailed by the trip to the IceWing territory. I'm not sure how much it added apart from the dragonets getting to talk with Blaze. It comes right after they learn that RainWings are disappearing, but that suddenly stops being urgent so the dragonets can talk with Blaze and find out why she should be queen of the SandWings. Yes, stopping the war is important, but it just feels like everyone temporarily forgot about the RainWings and the mystery of why they're all disappearing and the "monster" in the rain forest and all that. Not even Glory seemed concerned, and rescuing the RainWings is her whole goal in the book.
Another plot hole that I don't think is ever answered: why did the guardians name her Glory? I can understand the rest of them. Clay and Starflight have fairly standard names for their tribe; Tsunami was likely named by Webs, since he knew where she came from; Sunny's name fits how she would've been perceived by the guardians, and Dune might have had a say in it. But why was Glory given a name that not only sounded like a proper RainWing name, but one that so clearly broadcasts her as being royal? None of the guardians cared about her or wanted her around. They considered her useless and lazy at best. So why give her a name that suggests she is capable of great things? It makes no sense.
I still feel like the romantic spark/set-up for a love interest between Deathbringer and Glory was weird. He talks to her once and decides to go against his mission of killing the dragonets. A pretty poor excuse for an assassin if he's derailed that easily. Also, I really wish that the world-building was a little more clear on dragon physical maturity versus age. I keep picturing the dragonets as the equivalent of pre-teens, but I'm pretty sure Deathbringer is an adult. So Deathbringer's weird attraction to Glory gets a little uncomfortable. And we don't even talk about Whirlpool from the last book. That dragon had to be middle-aged at least and he was about to be in an arranged marriage with a three-year-old. What are appropriate age gaps for these dragons? We never get an idea.
But honestly, I think when this book sticks to the RainWing plot, it's very good. I love how dark and mature it gets. I also love the contest at the end. Is the reveal of Glory's lineage a cop-out? Absolutely. But all the other parts of the contest were very good, and Glory learned the lesson she needed.
Original review February 2, 2021
I was going to rate this as a four star but the more I thought about it, the more I knew some parts of the book really were amazing. For me, this is an improvement over the second book and is just as good as the first in many respects. The first is still the best one in terms of action, but considering the setting of this one, it makes sense that action isn't the main focus.
I really liked the RainWings and their way of doing things. It's very different from how we've seen the other dragons so far. It also makes a lot of sense that creatures who gain energy from the sun would be seen as "lazy" by other dragons, and that they would be more pacifistic since they didn't need to learn to hunt for their food. I liked that theirs felt most like a community out of the tribes encountered so far. It was also nice that the author showed not all RainWings behaved the same way-- some like Mangrove and the little dragonet Glory meets are a lot more active.
If I had to criticize anything, it would be on the reveal of Glory's lineage. I feel like maybe that was a bit of a cop-out and sort of defeated the purpose of Glory showing she was worthy of the throne through other means. It was still really good for her to learn she had to rely on others and let go of control. Yeah, it was another "learn a lesson" type of theme, but all the dragonets are coming of age, so I guess it's hard to avoid doing those.
Another negative I can think of is Deathbringer. Not to say he wasn't an interesting character, but the fact that he decided against killing the dragonets so quickly and was helping them without really much convincing (apart from a bit of flirting) was really odd. I guess that's why there's a book that's just about him, to flesh out his character more and hopefully shed some light into his thought process. I admit I also don't like how the other dragonets turn into nothing characters, or how stuff about the main character of the book is often told to the reader rather than shown. We're told about her time in the Sky Kingdom but we don't get to see it since that one was told from Clay's perspective. It often feels like a lot of character development is being lost or just summarized without the reader getting to experience it first-hand.
But I still really loved this book. I loved the setting, loved the different powers of the RainWings and how they navigated their home, loved how they interacted with each other, loved the new characters, and especially loved the queen trials. I like that the RainWings found a way to determine a queen without killing and how their existence proves that dragons don't have to be all about just fighting and killing like the other tribes think. The end of this book felt a bit more like a cliffhanger than the other two but not in a way that bothers me, maybe because I don't have to wait to keep reading. I'm really looking forward to the next book and excited to see where the story goes from here.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the third book of the Wings of Fire series that I’m reading to my daughter. It’s also the best so far. There was a lot more intrigue and mystery building up that I’m sure is going to play out in the rest of the series, and the other dragonets of destiny weren’t sidelined as much as they had been in the last book.
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Glory may be one of my favorite POVs!
adventurous
tense
fast-paced