Warning: This book review contains spoilers for “Wings Of Fire: The Hidden Kingdom” by Tui T. Sutherland.
Cover of “The Hidden Kingdom” by Tui T. Sutherland.I’m back with another book review, and this time I’m reviewing the book “Wings Of Fire: The Hidden Kingdom” by Tui T. Sutherland! I’ve read the first two books in this series before, so I’m excited to pick up the third book in this series and read it. Here’s a summary so we know what it’s about:
“Deep in the rain forest, danger awaits… Glory knows the dragon world is wrong about her tribe. After all, she isn’t “as lazy as a RainWing” — she isn’t lazy at all! Maybe she wasn’t meant to be one of the dragonets of destiny, as the older dragons constantly remind her, but Glory is sharp and her venom is deadly… except, of course, no one knows it. When the dragonets seek shelter in the rain forest, Glory is devastated to find that the treetops are full of RainWings that no dragon could ever call dangerous. They nap all day and know nothing of the rest of Pyrrhia. Worst of all, they don’t realize — or care — that RainWings are going missing from their beautiful forest. But Glory and the dragonets are determined to find the missing dragons, even if it drags the peaceful RainWing kingdom where they never wanted to be — in the middle of the war.”
Content Warning:
There are mentions of kidnapping and murder, though it’s toned down compared to the previous books in this series. However, if you are sensitive to this kind of content, be careful when reading this book.
Character Development: 4 out of 5 stars
This book centered on Glory’s struggle to figure out her own identity due to how differently she was brought up, compared to the other RainWings she encounters. It’s clear that her ideals and their general lifestyle clash a lot, especially in the beginning. Through these clashes that she sees the flaws of the current rule; no one does anything to deliberately start fights and they’re generally nice to guests (save for the whole tranquilizer bit), but they do virtually nothing to protect their own.
I enjoyed reading the new characters, such as Kinjakou and Magnificent. I also enjoyed reading Deathbringer, and I have a feeling we’ll see him again in later books. There is also more development for Scarlet, who Glory and the other dragonets escaped from in the first book. Two things are confirmed about her. Firstly, she’s still alive. Scarred, but alive. Second, she might want the dragonets to support her cause despite what happened between them in previous books. I’m interested in seeing how that relationship turns out between her, Glory, and the other dragonets if they run into each other again.
Plot Development: 4 out of 5 stars
I thought that the plot was relatively slower-paced than the previous two books. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, due to the amount of time given to worldbuilding and character development. I enjoyed the time given in the plot towards Glory’s development from being underestimated to becoming the Queen of the RainWings by the end of the book. However, I do think the contest lagged on a bit long in the last third of the book, and could be resolved in sooner than four to five chapters.
Worldbuilding Development: 4 out of 5 stars
The book did a great job of describing the RainWings’ lifestyles and how their kingdom is governed. I enjoyed reading the detailed descriptions of the forests. Other enjoyable descriptions included the RainWings keeping sloths as pets and their competition structure for anyone challenging the position of Queen. It’s not a brawl to the death, but rather a contest (or a series of contests). I also enjoy how this greatly impacted Glory, comparing how she lives and acts to the rest of her fellow RainWings. The contest is also a major plot point, with Glory becoming Queen by the end of the challenge.
However, there is one part missing in the RainWings’ development. It’s often stated that the RainWings need to nap during specific sun hours. How do the RainWings cope with having these sun naps in the middle of the day? How does that impact their lifestyle? I wish more information was given on that, especially since that is also something that impacts Glory physically in this book and throughout the series.
Overall, I’m rating this book 4 out of 5 stars!
This book is an interesting third entry in the “Wings Of Fire” series, and I look forward to reading the next books!
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