DARKSTALKER

An origin tale for some legendary dragons from the Wings of Fire series.

The IceWing dragon Prince Arctic opts to partner with a NightWing named Foeslayer instead of his mother’s preferred choice, setting a turbulent timeline in motion. Their child, Darkstalker, is born with the gift of prophecy and makes designs for power as early as the day he hatches. He grows up and becomes smitten by Clearsight, a NightWing who navigates multiple clashing visions of the future, including blocking Darkstalker’s villainous potential. Meanwhile, Prince Fathom of the SeaWings trains in the magical arts under his grandfather before an assassination upends the political order. A fair amount of blood is spilled in this tale of clashing kingdoms. The story has softer moments, too, as these dragons share love, trust, and friendship. Darkstalker and Fathom prove to be excellent foils for each other’s reckoning with their use of magic powers. Readers encounter a lot of information to absorb about the cast, who are rendered with the sort of texture and layered personalities they’ll have come to expect from this series. Parker’s illustrations highlight each dragon’s distinguishing details, down to adornment and inherited features, and Laiho’s bright, jewel-toned color palette adds to the cinematic feeling of the art.

A brooding, passionate, violent examination of willpower and control with strong appeal for series fans.