I picked up this book as it is a canon addition to the Ninjago series, which bridges the gap between the end of Ninjago: Crystalized, and the beginning of Ninjago: Dragons Rising. The book entails the details of how each of the main four ninja regains their respective elemental powers. This is achieved through four shorter stories which focuses on each ninja. I think that it is most appropriate to rate each story on its own, and then discuss the overall significance of the book as a whole.
Kai: Kai’s story was a very fun, run-of-the-mill ninja adventure. I think it was an excellent one to start off with, as it wasn’t too heavy, but was still grounded enough to set a baseline tone for the rest of the book. I enjoyed how it delved deeper into Kai’s relationship with Skylor, and deepened both of their characters. Overall very fun, but not incredibly unique, so I would rate this one a 4/5 on its own.
Zane: This story was probably the best out of the four. Something I had been wanting the show writers to touch on for a while was how Zane was affected by becoming the Ice Emperor for over a decade. I felt, in the show, like they moved on too quickly from an incredibly traumatic event. This story touched on that, but also continued to examine Zane’s legacy. Overall, incredible storytelling, characterization, and overall a good time. 5/5 for sure for this one
Cole: I wish they had finished with this story, as it comes close to equal with Zane’s story. I really appreciate how they took a different approach with this one, and made it more about Cole’s relationship with others (including his parents) and how that affects his relationship with himself. I think they characterized Cole really well, and emphasised the aspects of his personality that motivate his actions. Another very compelling story. 5/5
Jay: Unfortunately I think the book ended with the weakest story. Jay’s story is definitely interesting, and it is really great to get more from Unagami, and understand where he is now, but Jay I think was not correctly portrayed in this story. Jay focused a lot on his birth parents, which seems to have come out of nowhere. He also regains his powers almost randomly, and acts pretty dumbly throughout this story. It was hard to imagine Jay saying the words that he uses here. I won’t give it the lowest rating, as the story elements were still interesting, but by far i believe that this was the weakest of the stories in this novel. 2/5
Overall: I was never a fan of the concept of the ninja regaining their powers, as I think it detracts from the point of Crystalized. That said, I know that the executives at Lego were going to force the writers to return their powers to them, and so I think this was the best way it could’ve been carried out. The stories were really good overall, and I really enjoy them reconnecting with their True Potential, as the show seemed to push that plot line aside. In the end, this book is made for kids who want another Ninjago adventure and also closer fans of the show that want to know how their powers returned. I think this book achieves this purpose well, but also is an enjoyable read along the way. Overall, a 4/5 book. I really enjoyed it and thought it was good, but of course could’ve been improved to perfection with a few changes.