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Wings of Fire Graphic Novel
Darkstalker
The graphic novel adaptations of the #1 New York Times bestselling Wings of Fire series continue to set the world on fire!
Three dragons. One unavoidable, unpredictable destiny. This is the beginning...of the end.
In the SeaWing kingdom, a young prince learns he is an animus—capable of wonderful magic that comes with a terrible price.
In the mind of a NightWing dragonet, a thousand futures unfold—and almost all of them, she knows, lead to disaster and destruction.
And under three full moons and the watchful eyes of his NightWing mother and IceWing father, the most powerful dragon Pyrhhia will ever know is clawing his way out of his egg. Darkstalker, the dragon who will change the world forever.
Long before the SandWing war, lifetimes before the Dragonet Prophecy...darkness is born.
The #1 New York Times bestselling Wings of Fire series soars to new heights in this Wings of Legends graphic novel adaptation, with art by Jake Parker.
Three dragons. One unavoidable, unpredictable destiny. This is the beginning...of the end.
In the SeaWing kingdom, a young prince learns he is an animus—capable of wonderful magic that comes with a terrible price.
In the mind of a NightWing dragonet, a thousand futures unfold—and almost all of them, she knows, lead to disaster and destruction.
And under three full moons and the watchful eyes of his NightWing mother and IceWing father, the most powerful dragon Pyrhhia will ever know is clawing his way out of his egg. Darkstalker, the dragon who will change the world forever.
Long before the SandWing war, lifetimes before the Dragonet Prophecy...darkness is born.
The #1 New York Times bestselling Wings of Fire series soars to new heights in this Wings of Legends graphic novel adaptation, with art by Jake Parker.
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2025
368 people are currently reading
612 people want to read
About the author
Tui T. Sutherland
170 books6,361 followersOkay, I know what you’re thinking. Tui? What kind of name is that? Is it short for something?
Nope. Among the many great things to come out of New Zealand (the Lord of the Rings movies, cats that paint, my mom) is a bird called the tui—not as well known as the kiwi, but a heck of a lot noisier!
I was born July 31 (same birthday as Harry Potter!) in Caracas, Venezuela, and lived in Asuncion, Paraguay; Miami, Florida; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, before moving to New Jersey in high school, where I started doing theatre—mostly backstage work, because (a) it was fun, and (b) you got to hang out in the dark with cute boys. (Er, I mean . . . because it was artistically fulfilling, yes.)
I graduated from Williams College in ’98 and I currently live in Boston with my husband, my perfect new baby, and my adorable yoodle Sunshine (what’s a yoodle? A puppy that’s three-quarters poodle and one-quarter Yorkshire terrier, of course!).
Much to my parents’ relief, I abandoned my theatrical aspirations after college for the far more stable and lucrative career of fiction writing.
My first two official books were beginning readers, part of Grosset & Dunlap’s “First Friends” series for kids learning to read. MEET MO AND ELLA is tough to find now, but FUN WITH MO AND ELLA should still be out there somewhere.
My first novel for teenagers was THIS MUST BE LOVE, which retells Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a modern-day high school, from the POV of the two heroines, Hermia and Helena.
And now I'm writing in a new project called SEEKERS! It's a children's book series that I'm writing with Erin Hunter. Check out my blog to find out more!
Nope. Among the many great things to come out of New Zealand (the Lord of the Rings movies, cats that paint, my mom) is a bird called the tui—not as well known as the kiwi, but a heck of a lot noisier!
I was born July 31 (same birthday as Harry Potter!) in Caracas, Venezuela, and lived in Asuncion, Paraguay; Miami, Florida; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, before moving to New Jersey in high school, where I started doing theatre—mostly backstage work, because (a) it was fun, and (b) you got to hang out in the dark with cute boys. (Er, I mean . . . because it was artistically fulfilling, yes.)
I graduated from Williams College in ’98 and I currently live in Boston with my husband, my perfect new baby, and my adorable yoodle Sunshine (what’s a yoodle? A puppy that’s three-quarters poodle and one-quarter Yorkshire terrier, of course!).
Much to my parents’ relief, I abandoned my theatrical aspirations after college for the far more stable and lucrative career of fiction writing.
My first two official books were beginning readers, part of Grosset & Dunlap’s “First Friends” series for kids learning to read. MEET MO AND ELLA is tough to find now, but FUN WITH MO AND ELLA should still be out there somewhere.
My first novel for teenagers was THIS MUST BE LOVE, which retells Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a modern-day high school, from the POV of the two heroines, Hermia and Helena.
And now I'm writing in a new project called SEEKERS! It's a children's book series that I'm writing with Erin Hunter. Check out my blog to find out more!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
Want to read
July 2, 2025I'm DYING for the all of the death scenes! I can't wait to see if there all like I imagened! I have this book preordered, now all I have to do is wait.
It BETTER be as good as the book, or else this will be my first one star.
It BETTER be as good as the book, or else this will be my first one star.
November 15, 2025
Pre-read: Not ready for the super-violent bits to be illustrated, also not sure how this artist will do but I hope it’s as good as the novel
Update: I’ve now read this, and it was pretty good. 4 stars because the art was a bit hard to read (arctic looks a bit like a rainwing!) Decent amount of blood, but not so much that it’s scary or painful to read. The seawings are done really well. I’m sad that I read it because now I’ll have to wait for Talons of Power to come out so noooooooooooooo 😫
Notes: I love the colors they chose for pearl. She isn’t described much in the book, so it was nice to see that
Update: I’ve now read this, and it was pretty good. 4 stars because the art was a bit hard to read (arctic looks a bit like a rainwing!) Decent amount of blood, but not so much that it’s scary or painful to read. The seawings are done really well. I’m sad that I read it because now I’ll have to wait for Talons of Power to come out so noooooooooooooo 😫
Notes: I love the colors they chose for pearl. She isn’t described much in the book, so it was nice to see that
November 19, 2025
To start: I think it was OK- It definitely could have some changes, like the art wasn't so good, and it should be longer because it kinda felt like it was trying to squeeze everything in. It's really sad and gruesome, it should be for readers older then 11.
I'm really sad about how bad it was because I ordered it online and I regret doing that- and I was really-really-really exited for this.
But it was kinda good.
I'm really sad about how bad it was because I ordered it online and I regret doing that- and I was really-really-really exited for this.
But it was kinda good.
November 8, 2025
post read
the decision to have a different artist for the backstory graphic novel was so genius i can’t lie. i have also always loved how darkstalker dives into what ruins our soul; the magic or how we use that magic? and this gn delivered that theme so well
pre-release
OH HELL FUCKING YEAH WINGS OF FIRE FANS WE ARE ABOUT TO EAT GOOOOOODDDD
the decision to have a different artist for the backstory graphic novel was so genius i can’t lie. i have also always loved how darkstalker dives into what ruins our soul; the magic or how we use that magic? and this gn delivered that theme so well
pre-release
OH HELL FUCKING YEAH WINGS OF FIRE FANS WE ARE ABOUT TO EAT GOOOOOODDDD
November 23, 2025
Let the battle between Jake Parker and Mike Holmes begin…
January 4, 2026
I know a lot of ppl complained abt the art style change but:
1) I think it’s smart because this book takes place 2000 years in the past, and
2) It finally gave the NightWings draconic snouts, unlike whatever the hell Moonwatcher had in the second series. Their heads literally liked like boxes. This was a BREATH of fresh air.
None of the graphic novels will ever top the actual written books. They’re just too good. The written Darkstalker book is quite literally in my top 5 books of all time, embarrassingly enough, because it’s that good in my eyes. The graphic novels are fun to see things visualized, but are poor in terms of pacing. This isn’t just a WoF issue, either, but just the norm for graphic novels as a whole.
The brutal scenes were good. Many people wanted outright gore for a children’s series which is kinda wild. I was surprised for the SeaWing attack, but not for Arctic’s death. His blood being blue also just takes away from the effect but yolo. Kids’ series.
Anyways, 4 stars and maybe 4.5 on Storygraph. Darkstalker should’ve killed everyone but whatever.
1) I think it’s smart because this book takes place 2000 years in the past, and
2) It finally gave the NightWings draconic snouts, unlike whatever the hell Moonwatcher had in the second series. Their heads literally liked like boxes. This was a BREATH of fresh air.
None of the graphic novels will ever top the actual written books. They’re just too good. The written Darkstalker book is quite literally in my top 5 books of all time, embarrassingly enough, because it’s that good in my eyes. The graphic novels are fun to see things visualized, but are poor in terms of pacing. This isn’t just a WoF issue, either, but just the norm for graphic novels as a whole.
The brutal scenes were good. Many people wanted outright gore for a children’s series which is kinda wild. I was surprised for the SeaWing attack, but not for Arctic’s death. His blood being blue also just takes away from the effect but yolo. Kids’ series.
Anyways, 4 stars and maybe 4.5 on Storygraph. Darkstalker should’ve killed everyone but whatever.
November 8, 2025
Not as good as the book, but still pretty good.
November 2, 2025
It was good, it just unsettled me the entire book that the artist was different. The art was still good, the dragons were just more humanoid than animalistic, like the other graphic novels.
December 26, 2025
Ok before I critique this book, let me preface by saying I have NO HATE towards the artists involved with this book. I personally prefer Mike Holmes's illustrations, but that's my take.
I will be reviewing the art. If I wanted to review the story, I would be reviewing the OG one.
I was disappointed to see the cartoony art style, and how the book leaned heavily on "tell, don't show" which is the exact opposite of what a story should do.
The art was a shame because the whole point of this book is to add a mature edge to the series. When the art is as cartoony and Disney-like as this, ESPECIALLY when compared to the previous graphic novels Mike Holmes illustrated.... it makes the book just feel off, like its insincere in what its telling. How am I supposed to be horrifyingly captivated by certain parts in the story (no spoilers) when the illustrations dont match the situation?
The original book is dark. It's gruesome. It's suspenseful. This book didn't feel that way. The illustrations stripped the dark tone away, and took me completely out of the scenes sometimes.
I'm not asking for outright gore in a children's book. That would be insane. However, I feel it could have met in the middle- showing some graphic scenes while still leaving it appropriate for its audience. I would argue the original book is as mature and graphic with violence as other YA favorites like Hunger Games, and that should have translated into the graphic novel. If TV adaptations are able to do it, then graphic novels should be able to.
Graphic Novel adaptations are hard to do, especially for a book as mature and complicated as Legends of Darkstalker. You have to take the intricate emotions of a character, the tone of the story, and the dazzling imagination of young readers, and try to make sense of it. It's tricky, and I don't envy anyone who has that job.
This book is an example of what happens when the adaptation doesn't (for lack of a better word) harmonize with the original book. You get a disjointed book that leaves you confused instead of wanting more.
Most of these cons are very prominent in the graphic novel world. I'm not the biggest fan of this form of media, so I get that I'm not the target audience. That doesn't change the fact that the problems with graphic novel adaptations as a whole were MAJORLY shown, if not amplified, in this story.
Some pros to end on a good note:
•The nightwings have more dragonlike snouts
•Clearsights powers were shown well
•The eyes looked hauntingly beautiful
•As pointed out in previous reviews, the artist chose to make them have more humanlike features rather than animalistic features. I don't prefer it, but I appreciate the artistic choice.
•I AM glad they didn't lean too heavy into the gore. I'd rather kids not be traumatized
I will be reviewing the art. If I wanted to review the story, I would be reviewing the OG one.
I was disappointed to see the cartoony art style, and how the book leaned heavily on "tell, don't show" which is the exact opposite of what a story should do.
The art was a shame because the whole point of this book is to add a mature edge to the series. When the art is as cartoony and Disney-like as this, ESPECIALLY when compared to the previous graphic novels Mike Holmes illustrated.... it makes the book just feel off, like its insincere in what its telling. How am I supposed to be horrifyingly captivated by certain parts in the story (no spoilers) when the illustrations dont match the situation?
The original book is dark. It's gruesome. It's suspenseful. This book didn't feel that way. The illustrations stripped the dark tone away, and took me completely out of the scenes sometimes.
I'm not asking for outright gore in a children's book. That would be insane. However, I feel it could have met in the middle- showing some graphic scenes while still leaving it appropriate for its audience. I would argue the original book is as mature and graphic with violence as other YA favorites like Hunger Games, and that should have translated into the graphic novel. If TV adaptations are able to do it, then graphic novels should be able to.
Graphic Novel adaptations are hard to do, especially for a book as mature and complicated as Legends of Darkstalker. You have to take the intricate emotions of a character, the tone of the story, and the dazzling imagination of young readers, and try to make sense of it. It's tricky, and I don't envy anyone who has that job.
This book is an example of what happens when the adaptation doesn't (for lack of a better word) harmonize with the original book. You get a disjointed book that leaves you confused instead of wanting more.
Most of these cons are very prominent in the graphic novel world. I'm not the biggest fan of this form of media, so I get that I'm not the target audience. That doesn't change the fact that the problems with graphic novel adaptations as a whole were MAJORLY shown, if not amplified, in this story.
Some pros to end on a good note:
•The nightwings have more dragonlike snouts
•Clearsights powers were shown well
•The eyes looked hauntingly beautiful
•As pointed out in previous reviews, the artist chose to make them have more humanlike features rather than animalistic features. I don't prefer it, but I appreciate the artistic choice.
•I AM glad they didn't lean too heavy into the gore. I'd rather kids not be traumatized
December 9, 2025
Exactly what I was expecting- just as good as the book itself. I can’t wait for the 9th graphic novel to come out soon!!!
January 10, 2026
FREAKIN COOKED. I DON’T CARE GOW DIFFERENT THE ART STYLE IS, I’M SO FREAKING HAPPY THEY MADE THIS ONE A GRAPHIC NOVEL. I’VE LITERALLY MISSED THIS UNIVERSE SO MICH AND IT STILL CONTINUES TO SURPRISE ME. ♾️/5 ⭐️
December 4, 2025
I adore the Wings of Fire series. Darkstalker is my favorite character. However, this book (and the novel by extension) really puts on full display the reason he falls flat as a villain. From being "born evil" to never making a selfless choice once in his life, despite the attempt to write him as complex, to immediately abusing everyone around him the moment he doesn't get his way. Where some characters try to paint him as complicated, with deep motivations (and the plot itself does, too), what we really see is a petulant child who's first thoughts are about how he wants his mother "All to himself" and how he wants to kill his father. Ah yes, a very complicated villain with a "mostly-good" soul, as dictated by the plot, characters, and soul reader. :I
A couple of things are omitted from the graphic novel version: Fathom and Indigo have their dragonets in secret, for example. Unless I missed a line, the graphic novel paints it as a much more romantic ending, rather than an acknowledgement of future issues to come. Granted, we never see Fathom again, and likely never will. :(
I still don't fully understand why the NightWings leave their land forever, when Darkstalker was neutralized. And never returning to it? It doesn't feel fleshed out enough, in this or the novel. Surely their seers would see going back wouldn't put them on his warpath, at least, not for 2k years? I wish we'd seen more of that, and why the NightWings later choose to forgo their powers when hatching under the moons. Darkstalker was scary, but he was dealt with pretty succinctly, and besides the island, nothing else notable threatened the tribe in that time (that we know of).
Finally, I'm SO glad for the new artist(s) working on this graphic novel! I adored the style. If I had to nitpick, I'd say the dragons sometimes look too anthropomorphic (or, like furries). Other than that, I enjoyed the art a great deal. The expressions are a highlight! I hope we see more WoF graphic novels with Jake Parker and the other members of the team for this book.
A couple of things are omitted from the graphic novel version: Fathom and Indigo have their dragonets in secret, for example. Unless I missed a line, the graphic novel paints it as a much more romantic ending, rather than an acknowledgement of future issues to come. Granted, we never see Fathom again, and likely never will. :(
I still don't fully understand why the NightWings leave their land forever, when Darkstalker was neutralized. And never returning to it? It doesn't feel fleshed out enough, in this or the novel. Surely their seers would see going back wouldn't put them on his warpath, at least, not for 2k years? I wish we'd seen more of that, and why the NightWings later choose to forgo their powers when hatching under the moons. Darkstalker was scary, but he was dealt with pretty succinctly, and besides the island, nothing else notable threatened the tribe in that time (that we know of).
Finally, I'm SO glad for the new artist(s) working on this graphic novel! I adored the style. If I had to nitpick, I'd say the dragons sometimes look too anthropomorphic (or, like furries). Other than that, I enjoyed the art a great deal. The expressions are a highlight! I hope we see more WoF graphic novels with Jake Parker and the other members of the team for this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2025
WAIT THE ARTIST IS THE INKTOBER GUY???
This is a pretty great adaptation of Darkstalker. The graphic scenes were pretty well handled, enough detail that it didn't feel immature, but obviously not too grusome. The scenery is phenomenal, way more detailed than the Mike Holmes books. I like most of the character designs, except Darkstalker was a bit unnaturally angular. Also, some of the poses were oddly human. Too much standing on two legs for my taste, let dragons be glorified horses in peace. I was unreasonably excited to finally see what the soul reader looked like, I never could visualize it. Overall, it's Darkstalker. It's good.
This is a pretty great adaptation of Darkstalker. The graphic scenes were pretty well handled, enough detail that it didn't feel immature, but obviously not too grusome. The scenery is phenomenal, way more detailed than the Mike Holmes books. I like most of the character designs, except Darkstalker was a bit unnaturally angular. Also, some of the poses were oddly human. Too much standing on two legs for my taste, let dragons be glorified horses in peace. I was unreasonably excited to finally see what the soul reader looked like, I never could visualize it. Overall, it's Darkstalker. It's good.
November 5, 2025
Some of the most horrific violence was cut from the original novel (cowards!), and the art was a bit more anthropormorphic (yet less distinct between individuals) compared to previous volumes, but ultimately a solid adaptation of one of the best books in the entire WoF canon. Absolute banger.
December 27, 2025
My love for this book (as the original novel) is unending and probably because it's a very emotionally heavy story. The drawing style I wasn't a huge fan of. The angles were all sharp and wrong on the dragons. That's what happens with two different graphic novel artists, I suppose. I did appreciate that the gore was limited to being off screen and thoughts of dragons replaced the images, not because I particularly care but also seeing a dragon get disemboweled visually represented is something that most people would agree is a bit much for a children's book.
Also we get Blob art!!!
Also we get Blob art!!!
January 10, 2026
This was my introduction to the Wings of Fire universe. The dialogue is definitely geared towards younger readers. Nonetheless, the plot kept me wondering what would happen next. Events near the beginning of the book made me feel like something totally wild was lurking around the corner. The ending was a great payoff for all that suspense.
I also enjoyed the artwork. It took me a while to recognize/distinguish certain characters, but eventually I got the hang of it.
I also enjoyed the artwork. It took me a while to recognize/distinguish certain characters, but eventually I got the hang of it.
November 17, 2025
This series continues to be beautiful. Love the villain backstory.
The art style was a bit different - which makes sense, I just checked, it’s a new artist - so I did feel like I had to adjust but the dragons still looked great. I’m so amazed at the range of action and emotions they can capture in graphic form
The art style was a bit different - which makes sense, I just checked, it’s a new artist - so I did feel like I had to adjust but the dragons still looked great. I’m so amazed at the range of action and emotions they can capture in graphic form
October 30, 2025
Great book way different ten reading th chapter book and they left a lot of inportent information out. It was cool to see how the author Made the dragons colors. / This book was amazing and the charecters played there parts so good. I would defiantly read this book again. I just love reading graphic novels and the pictures and color really brought the dragons to life. When I was reading this story it felt like I was there and kept me wanted to read more. It was hard for me to chose a favorite character in this story but I will have to go with the one on the cover of this book Darkstaler. He justed had a seroius personailty and had he in way of doing things wich for him lead to his doom. The artwork for this book was so amazing it made me feel like I was there.
November 5, 2025
My favourite wof book but comic book.
Darkstalker is such a well written character holay molay!
Darkstalker is such a well written character holay molay!
December 22, 2025
I absolutely loved the illustrations in this adaptation.
December 25, 2025
The original version of this book is the best in the whole series, so this was... a little disappointing. I don't like the new artist/art style. I dunno. A little underwhelming, but still good.
November 9, 2025
This book was phenomenal!!! I read it in under 24 hours and I absolutely loved it!!! For those worried about certain scenes being cut, don't be!!!! Those moments were so well handled and overall the whole book was done very very well!!!! However, it is important to note that while baby Darkstalker may look cute on one page. when you turn the page he is a terrifying baby. Jake Parker really did an incredible job at helping us see how wicked Darkstalker is, even as a new hatched dragonet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2025
My boys love this series, especially the graphic novels. They were looking forward to the big release of Darkstalker and let down. They immediately noticed the dragons look different than the other graphic novels. I guess the artist changed from Mike Holmes to Jake Parker.
November 20, 2025
it was VERY weird to read the new art style
I liked the art style tho
I still like Mike Holmes’ art better no offence to
Jake parker tho
I’m glad the disembowlment was off screen tho
I noticed that clearsights and indigo’s and whiteouts snouts were More delicate
and pretty than everyone else’s
Was that on purpose?
And I was SOO happy to see Whiteout in this
WHITEOUTS SOOO PRETTY
I liked the art style tho
I still like Mike Holmes’ art better no offence to
Jake parker tho
I’m glad the disembowlment was off screen tho
I noticed that clearsights and indigo’s and whiteouts snouts were More delicate
and pretty than everyone else’s
Was that on purpose?
And I was SOO happy to see Whiteout in this
WHITEOUTS SOOO PRETTY
November 11, 2025
This was honestly a great graphic novel to give more background images, and character designs, from the actual: Darkstalker Legends, Novella.
The new artist did a stunning job, and I couldn't have been MORE excited to find it in Target the other day. Though the art style was different from what I was used to, I'm still trying to accept different ways of things that I'm used to, so this was a whole new thing to take in.
Jake Parker is doing a great job as a new artist for the graphic novels, and did a great job while Talons of power is still in the works. I am grateful he helped in this so we would get 2, great graphic novels not far off from each other. Personally, the expressions of the Dragons could use a tiny bit of work, other than that, I loved this book along with every other WoF book!
My favorite character is the same in this one, Whiteout was adorable with every little page she got. Jake did wonderful with her colors, and I at first, was convinced she had more of a Black shade of scales! But this showed she had more of a Blue shade of scales.
Would recommend, please DO read! <3
The new artist did a stunning job, and I couldn't have been MORE excited to find it in Target the other day. Though the art style was different from what I was used to, I'm still trying to accept different ways of things that I'm used to, so this was a whole new thing to take in.
Jake Parker is doing a great job as a new artist for the graphic novels, and did a great job while Talons of power is still in the works. I am grateful he helped in this so we would get 2, great graphic novels not far off from each other. Personally, the expressions of the Dragons could use a tiny bit of work, other than that, I loved this book along with every other WoF book!
My favorite character is the same in this one, Whiteout was adorable with every little page she got. Jake did wonderful with her colors, and I at first, was convinced she had more of a Black shade of scales! But this showed she had more of a Blue shade of scales.
Would recommend, please DO read! <3
Read
October 26, 2025See my full review here: https://yabookscentral.com/darkstalke...
DARKSTALKER is an engaging graphic novel adaptation of the WINGS OF FIRE book. Fathom, a young SeaWing prince, has learned he is an animus. With the great power comes a terrible responsibility. Clearsight, a Nightwing dragonet, can peer into the possibilities of the future. Darkstalker is a dragon who could change the world forever. Destiny will play out for these three dragons in unexpected ways.
What I loved: This is an intricate and intriguing story with strong themes of family, fate, friendship, the weight of power, wishes for the future, and possibility. These are really thought-provoking and interesting throughout the book. Some are quite relatable for the middle school audience who will be understanding the weight of their own responsibilities and navigating changing relationships with friends and family.
The characters were well-developed, and the three main characters are all really compelling. Although they are dragons, they are easy to relate to and enjoyable to get to know. The illustrations are really well done with lots of details and expressive characters that work well in the graphic novel setting. Fans of the series (or new fans) will enjoy this graphic novel and the way that it brings the imagined scenes and characters to life.
What left me wanting more: As a small thing, this is very text heavy, which can make it a bit tough to follow in places and weighs down the story in graphic novel format. As such, this would work best for older middle grade readers who can appreciate the added world- and character-building that come with the heavier text load.
Final verdict: DARKSTALKER is an engaging graphic novel that will work well for older middle grade readers who love fantasy, magic, strong themes, and dragons!
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
DARKSTALKER is an engaging graphic novel adaptation of the WINGS OF FIRE book. Fathom, a young SeaWing prince, has learned he is an animus. With the great power comes a terrible responsibility. Clearsight, a Nightwing dragonet, can peer into the possibilities of the future. Darkstalker is a dragon who could change the world forever. Destiny will play out for these three dragons in unexpected ways.
What I loved: This is an intricate and intriguing story with strong themes of family, fate, friendship, the weight of power, wishes for the future, and possibility. These are really thought-provoking and interesting throughout the book. Some are quite relatable for the middle school audience who will be understanding the weight of their own responsibilities and navigating changing relationships with friends and family.
The characters were well-developed, and the three main characters are all really compelling. Although they are dragons, they are easy to relate to and enjoyable to get to know. The illustrations are really well done with lots of details and expressive characters that work well in the graphic novel setting. Fans of the series (or new fans) will enjoy this graphic novel and the way that it brings the imagined scenes and characters to life.
What left me wanting more: As a small thing, this is very text heavy, which can make it a bit tough to follow in places and weighs down the story in graphic novel format. As such, this would work best for older middle grade readers who can appreciate the added world- and character-building that come with the heavier text load.
Final verdict: DARKSTALKER is an engaging graphic novel that will work well for older middle grade readers who love fantasy, magic, strong themes, and dragons!
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
December 31, 2025
Solid four stars. This story is too freaking good to get anything less.
So I actually have some mixed feelings about how this one was written. Unlike most of the old WoF graphic novels, this one has a lot of descriptive text added in directly from the original story. I’m pretty sure this was done to keep with the ‘legend’ vibe- like someone was actively telling the story as we read it in the book. But it really didn’t work for me. Wings of Fire is written in third-person, so adding those passages in feels very off-putting when the rest of the novel is in present tense (technically, since we only get dialogue normally, and that’s all happening as it goes). Also, most of the added stuff was just fluff. I think maybe two of those interjections were actually needed to understand the story. For the most part it felt like just filling space, or pointlessly over explaining when we SHOULD be able to glean everything going on emotionally from the visuals.
Those visuals were great, by the way. Beautiful colors, unique character designs, easy-to-read expressions? Amazing.
I do have some issues, though. Unlike Mike Holmes, this artist seems to have a problem with making the dragon’s faces too BIG for their bodies at times. For the most part their faces stay correctly formed, though, so I can’t complain too much. My other complaint is one many people have been repeating: the dragons look a bit too humanoid at times. Their talons are basically just human hands with claws (although I AM jealous of how well this artist can draw those dragon hands), and they often randomly pose on two legs or run in a weird manner. It hurt the believability a bit for me. That’s about it though! I quite enjoyed all the drawings in this one.
Overall, I loved this story, and I thought the graphic novel did a good job adapting it. The only problem is now I REALLY want to reread the actual book. Darkstalker (the book) is easily strong enough to carry this whole adaptation, and the pretty art just made it even better. That’s it for now; I hope they adapt Dragonslayer at some point in the future, too!
SERIES RATINGS:
The Dragonet Prophecy: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Lost Heir: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Hidden Kingdom: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dark Secret: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Brightest Night: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Moon Rising: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Winter Turning: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Escaping Peril: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Talons of Power: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Darkstalker: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So I actually have some mixed feelings about how this one was written. Unlike most of the old WoF graphic novels, this one has a lot of descriptive text added in directly from the original story. I’m pretty sure this was done to keep with the ‘legend’ vibe- like someone was actively telling the story as we read it in the book. But it really didn’t work for me. Wings of Fire is written in third-person, so adding those passages in feels very off-putting when the rest of the novel is in present tense (technically, since we only get dialogue normally, and that’s all happening as it goes). Also, most of the added stuff was just fluff. I think maybe two of those interjections were actually needed to understand the story. For the most part it felt like just filling space, or pointlessly over explaining when we SHOULD be able to glean everything going on emotionally from the visuals.
Those visuals were great, by the way. Beautiful colors, unique character designs, easy-to-read expressions? Amazing.
I do have some issues, though. Unlike Mike Holmes, this artist seems to have a problem with making the dragon’s faces too BIG for their bodies at times. For the most part their faces stay correctly formed, though, so I can’t complain too much. My other complaint is one many people have been repeating: the dragons look a bit too humanoid at times. Their talons are basically just human hands with claws (although I AM jealous of how well this artist can draw those dragon hands), and they often randomly pose on two legs or run in a weird manner. It hurt the believability a bit for me. That’s about it though! I quite enjoyed all the drawings in this one.
Overall, I loved this story, and I thought the graphic novel did a good job adapting it. The only problem is now I REALLY want to reread the actual book. Darkstalker (the book) is easily strong enough to carry this whole adaptation, and the pretty art just made it even better. That’s it for now; I hope they adapt Dragonslayer at some point in the future, too!
SERIES RATINGS:
The Dragonet Prophecy: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Lost Heir: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Hidden Kingdom: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dark Secret: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Brightest Night: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Moon Rising: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Winter Turning: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Escaping Peril: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Talons of Power: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Darkstalker: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2025
I’ve been a fan of WOF for years and every time I spot a new graphic novel in store I AUDIBLY gasp… and while I enjoyed the art and the story as much as I always do, I feel like there was so much wasted potential and that the book could’ve been so much better.
The thing that really pissed me off was the included narration on little snippets of scrolls. It included stuff like imagery and descriptions of things that you would find in the original novels - but I feel like the whole point of a graphic novel is to use IMAGES instead of imagery, and the best parts of the previous graphic novels were the massive, double-page pictures showing a million things going on when a character is introduced to a scene. One example of what I’m talking about is when Darkstalker and Clearsight are flying somewhere and the little scroll describes the wingbeats and the sky being filled with other dragons, but then over half a page is dedicated to the two embracing. Overall, I feel like certain parts of the story could’ve been arranged in a much more creative way.
Additionally, some of the dialogue struck me as a bit on-the-nose. I feel like every emotion the POV characters had was spelled out quite a bit, and that even though it’s middle-teen fiction, I think some more trust in the audience to infer the characters’ feelings could’ve been awarded.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book apart from those things, and would definitely read it again, which is why it gets 4 stars.
The thing that really pissed me off was the included narration on little snippets of scrolls. It included stuff like imagery and descriptions of things that you would find in the original novels - but I feel like the whole point of a graphic novel is to use IMAGES instead of imagery, and the best parts of the previous graphic novels were the massive, double-page pictures showing a million things going on when a character is introduced to a scene. One example of what I’m talking about is when Darkstalker and Clearsight are flying somewhere and the little scroll describes the wingbeats and the sky being filled with other dragons, but then over half a page is dedicated to the two embracing. Overall, I feel like certain parts of the story could’ve been arranged in a much more creative way.
Additionally, some of the dialogue struck me as a bit on-the-nose. I feel like every emotion the POV characters had was spelled out quite a bit, and that even though it’s middle-teen fiction, I think some more trust in the audience to infer the characters’ feelings could’ve been awarded.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book apart from those things, and would definitely read it again, which is why it gets 4 stars.
December 15, 2025
I will always prefer the novel over the graphic novel, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the graphic novel. I think it was a great adaption of the novel.
I know there is a lot of discourse within the Wings of Fire fandom about the artstyle. I have seen many people say that the artstyle wasn’t good or that they didn’t like it, etc. I do prefer the artstyle used in the graphic novels of the main series, but the artstyle used in this book I thought was super cute. I don’t exactly know why so many people don’t like this artstyle, because I think it’s a really nice one. My own guess is that the dragons in this one compared to the dragons in the main series, is that the artstyle in the main series makes the dragons look a lot more like dragons than the artstyle used in this one. When I look at the dragons in this one, I think they’re super cute, but I don’t think they look like fierce, scaly dragons. Obviously this is not the end of the world because the artstyle is still really pleasing to look at, I just think that the dragons don’t look like dragons as much as the other graphic novels artstyle does. However, this does not ruin the book for me because I still really loved it.
I think if you like dragons and graphic novels, this is a great pick to read. I will always be super happy that the Wings of Fire novel series has graphic novel adaptions, because I think its just super fun to see what the cannon characters look like, as well as seeing things like their world, buildings, etc
I know there is a lot of discourse within the Wings of Fire fandom about the artstyle. I have seen many people say that the artstyle wasn’t good or that they didn’t like it, etc. I do prefer the artstyle used in the graphic novels of the main series, but the artstyle used in this book I thought was super cute. I don’t exactly know why so many people don’t like this artstyle, because I think it’s a really nice one. My own guess is that the dragons in this one compared to the dragons in the main series, is that the artstyle in the main series makes the dragons look a lot more like dragons than the artstyle used in this one. When I look at the dragons in this one, I think they’re super cute, but I don’t think they look like fierce, scaly dragons. Obviously this is not the end of the world because the artstyle is still really pleasing to look at, I just think that the dragons don’t look like dragons as much as the other graphic novels artstyle does. However, this does not ruin the book for me because I still really loved it.
I think if you like dragons and graphic novels, this is a great pick to read. I will always be super happy that the Wings of Fire novel series has graphic novel adaptions, because I think its just super fun to see what the cannon characters look like, as well as seeing things like their world, buildings, etc
November 17, 2025
No spoilers :)
Okay, honestly, when I saw this book in Target, I was so excited to read it because Legends Darkstalker is my FAVORITE in the Wings of Fire series!! So I bought it and the art style was actually beautiful. The backgrounds, the first looks at characters we had only imagined before, and the baby dragons were adorable!! I really liked the transition between perspectives, which they do with a little context on a scroll!
The biggest critisism I have, (which I still think the book is amazing), is that the poses for the dragons look a little too human. A lot of the time, they're standing on two legs. Also, the female dragons now have distinct eyelashes, which in my opinion, don't even look bad! The main issue for me was that the expressions the dragons wore in a lot of scenes weren't aligned with how they were feeling. For example, a character finds out someone did something horrible-- but instead of looking worried/terrified, he looks skeptical.
Overall, I would say to buy it though, I will never stop buying Wings of Fire books because they were my childhood and I will hold on to them forever :)
Thanks for reading the yap if you did!
Okay, honestly, when I saw this book in Target, I was so excited to read it because Legends Darkstalker is my FAVORITE in the Wings of Fire series!! So I bought it and the art style was actually beautiful. The backgrounds, the first looks at characters we had only imagined before, and the baby dragons were adorable!! I really liked the transition between perspectives, which they do with a little context on a scroll!
The biggest critisism I have, (which I still think the book is amazing), is that the poses for the dragons look a little too human. A lot of the time, they're standing on two legs. Also, the female dragons now have distinct eyelashes, which in my opinion, don't even look bad! The main issue for me was that the expressions the dragons wore in a lot of scenes weren't aligned with how they were feeling. For example, a character finds out someone did something horrible-- but instead of looking worried/terrified, he looks skeptical.
Overall, I would say to buy it though, I will never stop buying Wings of Fire books because they were my childhood and I will hold on to them forever :)
Thanks for reading the yap if you did!
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