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Description
"Of three queens who blister and blaze and burn,
Two shall die and one shall learn
If she bows to a fate that is stronger and higher,
She'll have the power of wings of fire."
The three Sandwing Queens, Blister, Blaze, and Burn.
For some reason, Blister always evoked a very strong mental image of her with those cold black eyes, her face serpentine and unreadable. I'm still not quite happy with how this turned out, but eh.
The rest of this is just me gushing about what separates this series and the art from so many other dragon books-
I just discovered this series recently and plowed through all five existing books in a single weekend. As if anybody who knows me didn't see this coming. Dragons have been my specialty and favorite subject since age FIVE. Or, at least, I've been drawing them since that age.
Anyway. One look at the dragon guide at the beginning and the synopsis on the back, and I instantly knew this series would have a large teen fanbase with lots of OCs and shipping and probably a huge following since it has all the elements that make a popular setting - awesome and/or fantastical beings in the forefront as the characters or their partners (see also: wizards, cats, ____mon, etc), a simple, canon system of categorization for said characters (see also: houses, elemental typing, colors, clans, etc), a teen or young adult target audience, high quality official or promotional art and illustrations to draw in new readers that looks professional yet simplistic and distinct enough that it will make an impression on young readers and spawn a lot of fan art. The clan system with specific traits for each species, like hogwarts houses or elemental typing, makes it easy for readers to find a specific group they identify with most and be drawn in. The story is compelling and treats its audience seriously. The art isn't simplistic or childish, nor is it overwhelmingly elaborate. It's professional yet simplified enough to make budding artists able to learn from it and emulate it easily. The characters would be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the series. These are some of the most visually distinct dragons I've seen since DnD, but unlike Todd Lockwood's intimidating painted masterpieces, the guide at the beginning of each book shows a lightly shaded, crisp line drawing of a typical member of each species for the reader's benefit, allowing one to take in features and form without being overwhelmed by details.
I was impressed by the art because it was the first time I'd ever seen a dragon book with this kind of art- Cartoonified without actually looking cartoony. More like the look of a professional comic artist, in fact, which is something extremely rare to see in dragon books. What's more, the cover art was actually faithful to the author's description. It wasn't childish and insipid, nor was it the generic realistic stereotypical fantasy painting. And pretty much any dragon book is either one or the other. I haven't seen anything in-between until now.
It was refreshing. In fact, the premise reminded me so much of series like Warrior cats and its clones that I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it at all. But the art won me over, as it was clearly made with input from the author, rather than commissioned from someone who hadn't even read the book as so often happens.
And then I actually READ the books and actually found myself enjoying them.
And while I was right about this series having a large fanbase, likely due to the formula outlined above, none of it would have mattered if the books weren't also very well written and engaging, which they ARE. Definitely would recommend, so long as you aren't squeamish about violence. If you grew up reading Redwall or Animorphs like me, though, you'll be fine. I'd put these books on par with those in the violence and gore scale.
Wings of Fire (c) Tui T. Sutherland.
Two shall die and one shall learn
If she bows to a fate that is stronger and higher,
She'll have the power of wings of fire."
The three Sandwing Queens, Blister, Blaze, and Burn.
For some reason, Blister always evoked a very strong mental image of her with those cold black eyes, her face serpentine and unreadable. I'm still not quite happy with how this turned out, but eh.
The rest of this is just me gushing about what separates this series and the art from so many other dragon books-
I just discovered this series recently and plowed through all five existing books in a single weekend. As if anybody who knows me didn't see this coming. Dragons have been my specialty and favorite subject since age FIVE. Or, at least, I've been drawing them since that age.
Anyway. One look at the dragon guide at the beginning and the synopsis on the back, and I instantly knew this series would have a large teen fanbase with lots of OCs and shipping and probably a huge following since it has all the elements that make a popular setting - awesome and/or fantastical beings in the forefront as the characters or their partners (see also: wizards, cats, ____mon, etc), a simple, canon system of categorization for said characters (see also: houses, elemental typing, colors, clans, etc), a teen or young adult target audience, high quality official or promotional art and illustrations to draw in new readers that looks professional yet simplistic and distinct enough that it will make an impression on young readers and spawn a lot of fan art. The clan system with specific traits for each species, like hogwarts houses or elemental typing, makes it easy for readers to find a specific group they identify with most and be drawn in. The story is compelling and treats its audience seriously. The art isn't simplistic or childish, nor is it overwhelmingly elaborate. It's professional yet simplified enough to make budding artists able to learn from it and emulate it easily. The characters would be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the series. These are some of the most visually distinct dragons I've seen since DnD, but unlike Todd Lockwood's intimidating painted masterpieces, the guide at the beginning of each book shows a lightly shaded, crisp line drawing of a typical member of each species for the reader's benefit, allowing one to take in features and form without being overwhelmed by details.
I was impressed by the art because it was the first time I'd ever seen a dragon book with this kind of art- Cartoonified without actually looking cartoony. More like the look of a professional comic artist, in fact, which is something extremely rare to see in dragon books. What's more, the cover art was actually faithful to the author's description. It wasn't childish and insipid, nor was it the generic realistic stereotypical fantasy painting. And pretty much any dragon book is either one or the other. I haven't seen anything in-between until now.
It was refreshing. In fact, the premise reminded me so much of series like Warrior cats and its clones that I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it at all. But the art won me over, as it was clearly made with input from the author, rather than commissioned from someone who hadn't even read the book as so often happens.
And then I actually READ the books and actually found myself enjoying them.
And while I was right about this series having a large fanbase, likely due to the formula outlined above, none of it would have mattered if the books weren't also very well written and engaging, which they ARE. Definitely would recommend, so long as you aren't squeamish about violence. If you grew up reading Redwall or Animorphs like me, though, you'll be fine. I'd put these books on par with those in the violence and gore scale.
Wings of Fire (c) Tui T. Sutherland.
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