Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Awakening Storm

Dragons, friendship, and family secrets. These are the main aspects that make up City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis and Vivian Truong.

Readers follow the main character Grace, who is navigating a new school in a new country all while trying to make new friends. During a class field trip, Grace and her new friend Ramesh wander off in search of something more exciting than the history of the city. During this adventure, Grace is given a dragon's egg by an elderly woman with no directions or instructions. Soon after, Grace makes a pact with Ramesh, James, and Jing, and all four tweens work together to understand why Grace was given the dragon and what it means for the future of China. Through adventuring across land and sea to battling secret agents to learning unsettling truths about her family, Grace and her gang make discoveries about the dragons that could impact the entirety of China.

This was a really fun adventure graphic novel that brought together mythology, ancient legends, dragons, and friendship. I enjoyed the relationships that were formed between Grace, Ramesh, Jing, and James. Their friendship did not feel forced, and each character truly had something important and meaningful to bring to the group and story.

The illustrations are also well-done and help to bring the storyline to a new level. If just reading the text, graphic novels can often feel like they are missing pieces of the story or have sections that are underdeveloped. Thanks to collaborations with brilliant artists, like Truong, the stories come to life and have so much more depth to them. A particular character that caught my attention in this story is Nate. When I first saw the drawing of Nate (the dragon), my heart melted! I didn’t know dragons could be so cute, and he definitely gave off some canine companion vibes. I would not be upset to have a dragon friend like Nate.

The cliffhanger at the end of the story definitely left me curious to see how the plot continues with Grace and her friends. There are plot lines I want to know more about and hopefully will have the chance to in a sequel to City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm. If you are ready to take flight with Grace and the dragons, I recommend checking this one out!

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The beginning of this is a little slow, but once it picks up, it's difficult to put down! The artwork in this is absolutely lovely, bringing to life this magical world of dragons. Grace's adventures with her friends will definitely catch the attention of middle grade readers, especially middle grade readers who love dragons!

The core group of friends was also really fun to read about. The don't start out as friends at the beginning, but I enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve throughout the book. They have a good balance that just makes them a joy to read about. Plus, Nate the dragon is a bonus addition! Pet dragons would honestly be the best.

At times, I do wish some of the world was a little more fleshed out or more details were provided for clarity. But this is a first in a series, so there's definitely more to come!

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ritareadstrash's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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destdest's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

3.0

The artwork is snazzy (it’s giving me Webtoon energy lol), but in the first few pages there’s a lot going on story-wise. Grace feels alienated due to her mixed ancestry (Chinese dad, white mom), and her dad tries to cheer her up with surfing. Jump forward three years later, Grace’s going to an international school in Hong Kong. There are some cliché beats, a la wise, old person gifts MC with a magical item/creature, but it works. Tropes aren’t inherently bad, but it’s how you use them.

As always, I love dragons (Eastern or Western), and I think kids will probably enjoy this one.

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