The Brightest Night

Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #5

by Tui T. Sutherland, Mike Holmes (Illustrator)

The graphic novel adaptations of the #1 New York Times bestselling Wings of Fire series continue to set the world on fire!

One will have the power of wings of fire . . .



Sunny has always taken the Dragonet Prophecy very seriously. If Pyrrhia’s dragons need her, Clay, Tsunami, Glory, and Starflight to end the war, she’s ready to try. She even has some good ideas how to do it, if anyone would listen to her.



But shattering news from Morrowseer has shaken Sunny’s faith in their destiny. Is it possible for anyone to end this terrible war and choose a new SandWing queen? What if everything they’ve been through was for nothing?



Buried secrets, deadly surprises, and an unexpected side to scavengers are all waiting for her in the shifting sands of the desert, where Sunny must decide once and for all: Is her destiny already written?



Or can five dragonets change their fate and save the world . . . the way they choose?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Dragons, Middle Grade, Fiction, Comics, Childrens

216 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2021

About the author

Okay, 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!

Reviews

[Simone Mathers · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE IT! The pictures are even better!

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in a grandma reads session.

4 stars from the participants. . .on to #6!

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book of the series so far!

[Bevany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great conclusion to the story thus far. Sunny is adorable.

[Briggs Rushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay wings of fire graphic novel book five !.!.!.!.!.!!.!.!

[Ella Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I love the art style, and how the dragons call humans: Scavengers, is funny to me.

Favorite character list

#1 Sunny
#2 Glory
#3 Starflight
#4 Clay
#5 Tsunami
#6 Peril
#7 Blaze

[Sophie Scher (i dont use this site anymore and enough) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*SPOILER TO BOOKS 1 AND 5 WHEN I DONT EVEN KNOW WHY ITS THAT BIG OF A DEAL* VERY exited for this to come out, I cant wait to see SCARLETS SAD MELTED SIDEWALK POPSICLE FACE! But all in all im exited!

[Dandy ˙ᵕ˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

these graphic novels need to slow the FUCK down tbh but theyre fine other than that.

[Vail Chester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boo! They made Stonemover so small!
When I first heard magic-dragon-turning-to-stone-because-of-overuse-of-powers-&-is-indistinguishable-from-the-mountain-rocks, I was expecting him to kinda be ONE with Jade Mountain.
Here? He's just pretty much a Nightwing statue lying down.
Eh, still great. The art brings so much of the story to life as usual (nice touch giving the dragonbite viper a literal skull&crossbones marking), although since a lot of the book was about Sunny's internal struggles with her own worth, a lot of thought balloons take up some pages.

[Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

[PastTheStarryVoids · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good:
-Sunny is my favorite character in the graphic novels. Her design fits her much better than Joy Ang's cover art. All of the dragonets' designs, but especially Sunny's, are so expressive! This would be my favorite WoF graphic novel if for no reason other than it has beautiful drawings of Sunny on almost every page.
-Burn's weirdling tower and Blister's death scene were well drawn. The weirdling tower in particular felt much creepier in visual format than in the book.
-It's still the same story as book five, and I like book five.

The Bad:
-I was a little disappointed by Thorn's design, and a little more disappointed by Qibli's. They're both some of my favorite characters and I was excited to see their designs. They aren't bad, but they're nothing special.
-Burn's stronghold was imaginatively drawn, but looked completely implausible. It was made of many intersecting ellipsoids which looked too heavy for their narrow connections to each other.
-Some other things I only noticed because it was a graphic novel: How do the Outclaws enforce the whole "you need to pay to get into the Scorpion Den" thing? Can't dragons just fly in? They don't need to use the gate. Would a dragon city even have a gate? And along the same lines of thinking: Why do Sunny and Smolder walk up the weirdling tower? In the original book, I assumed the tower had multiple floors, so you had to use the stairs, but here there's a clear path to fly right up and avoid the hazardous prisoner half way up.
-This one is a pet peeve of mine: Mike Holmes completely messes up drawing moons. They're wrong in just about every way I can think of. For starters, in a crescent or gibbous moon, the points should always be opposite each other on a circle. They usually aren't in this book. Also, when the moon isn't full, the "empty" part isn't gone, it's just dark. You shouldn't be able to see stars in the gap! To my great aggravation, Mike Holmes draws them there anyways. And lastly, moons in the same part of the sky should be in a similar phase because they'd be lit the same way by the sun. I think you know whether that rule is broken too. There's artistic license, and then there's just not having a clue how to draw a moon. This might seem like a minor point, but it isn't hard to get right, and the moons are moderately important to the story. Every time I see a botched moon, it's a blow to my suspension of disbelief. How am I supposed to be convinced of the world's plausibility when the moon isn't a crescent, it's a sphere with a bite taken out it?

[Ronja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely my favorite out of 1-5 and I love the new characters, even though burn and blister were evil I'm still sad that they died but at least blaze survived! I really hope that Tui T. Sutherland makes more graphic novels for all of the other books, mainly because I like to read the graphic novels before the other books but also because they are awesome!

[GuineaPigFalconer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give this a 4.5 rating. Wings of Fire is a series I’ve read since middle school, and I appreciate the continuation of dragon stories out in the world. The graphic novels are a fun, easy way to access the story, and I found myself particularly enjoying this one, because to be honest I’d forgotten how the story ends, and I really liked it! Dragons for the win.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really satisfied with the ending of this book, even though the final solution to the war was a little predictable. The characters all made good comebacks and their stories were well rounded to a finish. Still loved the illustrations and as far as I know I think it's a pretty good adaptation of a novel to a graphic novel.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter adores these books and I love sharing them with her and seeing into her world. They are fun and have so much to draw from as we discuss bigger issues as she gets older.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Very excited to read book six!

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Very high three stars. This is where the cracks start to show a bit, I think.
Brief disclaimer again, I haven’t read the actual WoF books in a while, so I may return and edit this review once I reread the series.

Let’s start with the writing. For the most part, this book does the same great job of relaying information in a concise, visually pleasing manner and keeping dialogue followable. For the most part. But there were some typos in this one, pretty noticeable at some points. One sentence Qibli says at one point is completely unintelligible; I had to guess what he was saying entirely. And there were a few words mixed up, I believe. Nothing too egregious, but it was noticeable in this book and that felt like a bit of a letdown after the mostly-typo-free previous installments.

Now for brief art issues. Just to be clear, I’m not hating on these artists or their art styles; I really love the visuals in these books. But I already covered my compliments in previous reviews, and they remain the same for the most part, so I’m focusing on new critiques. For instance, same-face-syndrome is becoming a problem. The three NightWings who kidnap Sunny at the start all look the same, except MAYBE Fierceteeth if you can see her earring in the specific frame. But that was kind of a problem when those three dragons feature so heavily for the first third. One of them even dies later on, and I honestly couldn’t care less because he looked like ‘generic NightWing #3.’ Did I care when he died in the actual Brightest Night book? Eh, not really. But at least I knew which one died without someone having to tell me outright. At the very end, Starflight’s eyes appear to be healed- they look entirely normal. And I don’t mean he has to have the cliche ‘bandages on eyes at all times even after other wound heals’ trope that blind characters always get, but I feel like the wound would at least scar. It seemed a weird thing not to include at least some visual mention of, since he canonically becomes blind after last book. And I know I said I’m focusing on new critiques, but I can’t not mention the weird thick lines on like two scenes. Why does the linart change style for only those scenes? I don’t get it. And gosh, the dragon heads are even smaller in this one. Burn looked ridiculous at points, and Sunny looked very awkward in close-ups (especially from a higher angle when you can see how thick her neck is drawn).
Oh, and there was also an adaptation issue with this one. When Sunny is dreamvisited by Ivy (the scavenger; we learn her name in Dragonslayer, for those who don’t know), Ivy sees Rose (Flower) on Sunny’s back because SHE WAS THERE WHEN SUNNY WENT TO SLEEP. But in this version, Sunny has entirely left Burn’s stronghold at this point and Flower is nowhere near her. She’s just. . . There, somehow. It makes no sense.

That’s about it for this one, I think. Overall, definitely not a bad adaptation or anything, but this one was less solid than some of the others. I hope the next few are better edited to catch any weird mistakes and typos.


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: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

5✰

My only con for this book (that I can think of rn) is based majorly on previous books to set up for this one. The other books were in other dragons’ povs and all made Sunny look like a dunce. This book gave her SO much characterization and competence, that instead of reinforcing the others’ opinion of her being all sweet and ignorant, just made it feel like loose and sloppy writing. It felt like a, “aw man, it’s Sunny’s book now, so it’s time to actually give her personality.”

In this case, Sunny gained personality and Clay lost his. I am TIRED of this mf only thinking about FOOD.

Sunny in the previous four books had little to no worth or input. To put it nicely, she literally had no use until this book. This book itself made me love her, but it’s so sad to see her be so easily tossed aside in the other books.

Lastly, give Deathbringer his own book. Bro deserves it 100%.

Glory > Sunny > Clay > Starflight > Tsunami

[Mora · Rating 5 out of 5]

in direct contrast to my opinion on the dark secret, i think this one worked extremely well as a graphic novel. i also just really enjoy sunny's pov and how she's the absolute best narrator for the culmination of the prophecy plot and how her personal arc lines up so nicely with those themes and now i want to reread the actual novel bc there's more theme/arc detail there for me to be !!!! about. (the graphic novel read was supposed to stop me from going to reread the whole series but i think it has done the opposite. oh well! stay tuned) (most of my other thoughts while reading were about the book itself rather than the graphic novel adaptation aspect so i shall save them for later)

also the several cinematic panels where we get all 5 dragonets,,, thank u mike holmes u know what the people want

[Anna S · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Wings Of Fire(The Graphic Novel): The Brightest Night” is the best way to end the first part of the Wings Of Fire series. The well-known Tui T. Sutherland, the author, & Mike Holmes, the artist, were a great pair for this book. The main character is Sunny, the Sandwing dragonet in the prophecy. Sunny was always told that she was born to end the war, or at least she & her friends were. The entire Nightwing home has just been destroyed & their queen & Morrowseer as well. But a terrible secret has been revealed. The dragonet prophecy isn’t real. Learning this secret mortifies Sunny. She decides to make her own destiny & find the one thing she has always wanted. To find her parents. Facing the desert, her friends, multiple kidnappings, old enemies, heartbreak, death, scavengers, & the truth, Sunny might be the bravest dragonet of them all. This book is my favorite in the graphic novel series( so far!). This fantasy story left me at the edge of my seat & made me want to read the next book( when it comes out). I would give this book a five out of five stars for creativity, the emotion it made me feel, & the story it told. The theme for this book is that you can form your own destiny & you can always make peace in the worst times. You should read this book if you like dragons, graphic novels, fantasy, & secrets!

[Indrig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Brightest Night was the perfect conclusion to the first arc of the Wings of Fire series, and seeing it all again in full color only made the end ten times more satisfying. With the introduction of new characters (Qibli!) and the thrilling climax, I almost prefer the graphic novel to the authentic book in this case. The first arc of Wings of Fire was amazing, and I’m thrilled that the graphic novels went exactly the same way. Can’t wait to continue!!

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read anything Wings Of Fire, but it's so nice to get back to it. Although Sunny was never my favorite character, she's truly the perfect one to round off the first arc of the series. Reading her solo adventure in graphic novel form was great and I'm excited to read Moon Rising next!

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure if a graphic novel fully counts as a book… especially when I read it in 45min but ya, I read this. I’m in a reading slump so I figured this might help
Me get out of it… not sure if it worked but whatever

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly satisfying ending to a heartwarming series with wonderful characters and world building. It probably doesn't hurt that it's the first series my oldest became seriously enamored by and seeing him fall in love with books this way has been a whole separate joy in and of itself.

[Meegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah this one was soooo good

[Lucy Hewlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one made me gasp multiple times. i really enjoyed it even though it took me a while.

[Ruth Patience · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so good there best book yet I loved it so much can’t wait to read the next one

[Wesley Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked when Sunny breathed the tiny stream of fire. And then when she did a lot of fire, I was amazed.

[Camila · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9

[Clarence Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

ReedIII Quick Review: ReedIII Quick Review: The story from Wings of Fire #1, #2, #3 & #4 seems to conclude. The WOF world is more complete with this novel building on the past. The final of the 5 dragons of destiny gets her focus with a gratifying ending.