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City of Dragons #3
Quest for the True Dragon
Grace and friends return for a new adventure in this third installment of the bestselling City of Dragons series!
Daijiang's continued pursuit of Grace has made it clear that she and Nate are crucial to his plan. But as her Hunxue powers grow stronger, Grace can't help but feel it's unfair she might be missing out on a normal school life. Other kids get to relax, watch movies with friends, and go on dates, while Grace is risking her life to save world. Something has felt off about her connection with Nate lately, and she keeps dreaming of her father and his ominous insistence that she must wake the dragon kings.
When a trip to rendezvous with an old ally goes awry, Grace and her friends find themselves stranded in Tokyo with only one day to wake the Southern Dragon King. But with the race against the clock exacerbating tensions on the team, can Grace get back in sync with Nate and her friends before it's too late?
Daijiang's continued pursuit of Grace has made it clear that she and Nate are crucial to his plan. But as her Hunxue powers grow stronger, Grace can't help but feel it's unfair she might be missing out on a normal school life. Other kids get to relax, watch movies with friends, and go on dates, while Grace is risking her life to save world. Something has felt off about her connection with Nate lately, and she keeps dreaming of her father and his ominous insistence that she must wake the dragon kings.
When a trip to rendezvous with an old ally goes awry, Grace and her friends find themselves stranded in Tokyo with only one day to wake the Southern Dragon King. But with the race against the clock exacerbating tensions on the team, can Grace get back in sync with Nate and her friends before it's too late?
Unknown Binding
First published August 5, 2025
About the author
Jaimal Yogis
21 books232 followersJaimal Yogis is the author of numerous books including Saltwater Buddha, The Fear Project, and All Our Waves Are Water, which have been internationally praised and translated into numerous languages. More recently he has been writing children's books like Mop Rides the Waves of Life, which was named a 2020 Favorite by the Children's Book Review and one of the best sportsbooks for all ages by Book Riot. The next picture book in the series, Mop Rides the Waves of Change, comes out this July from Parallax Press and Penguin Random House, and his middle-grade graphic novel series, City of Dragons, also releases this fall, 2021, from Scholastic. Jaimal's award-winning journalism has appeared in publications like The Washington Post, ESPN Magazine, The Atlantic, and many others. He lives near San Francisco's Ocean Beach with his wife Amy and their three boys.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 2, 2025
Grace and friends try to find and wake the Eastern Dragon King, but Dr. Kim is kidnapped in the process. Shocking cliff-hanger ending.
February 6, 2026
Another brilliantly fun and action filled instalment. As always, the illustrations were beautiful and I loved the coming-of-age aspect to this instalment of the story.
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September 1, 2025See my full review here: https://yabookscentral.com/quest-for-...
QUEST FOR THE TRUE DRAGON is an engaging graphic novel adventure. Grace is having dreams about her father and the need to wake the dragon kings, but she also just wishes that she could be a normal kid and not involved in this supernatural stuff. However, when her sister Aera calls with threats to a Dragon King and Dr. Kim unless Grace and Nate come to them, Grace feels caught. As she and her friends dive into danger once again, they will strengthen their relationships and resolves in order to save the day.
What I loved: This was a really engaging and relatable story. Grace is trying to find her place in this challenging world with normal kid stuff and her complicated connection with dragons seemingly in conflict. However, Grace is soon to learn about what really matters and the importance of the friendships she has. At the end of day, she knows what is important and will take steps towards figuring out who she is and who she wants to be.
The story has a good amount of tension, solving problems, and fighting to keep the readers on their toes. The plot is action-packed and the book moves very quickly. As a graphic novel, it does a great job of telling the story through both pictures and words. The speech bubbles were easily attributable and the panels easy to follow, which is great for middle grade graphic novel readers. Themes of family, found family/friendships, and finding your path make this an engaging and relatable story for middle grade readers.
What left me wanting more: As a small thing, some of the pages could be very wordy, which may work better for kids on the higher end of the middle grade age range. There are also things that were not well described and explained, though gained through context, that will also make this work best for older middle grade readers who can read between the lines as needed. It also helps to have read the earlier books before diving into this one.
Final verdict: QUEST FOR THE TRUE DRAGON is an action-packed middle grade graphic novel that will keep readers on their toes. Recommend for older middle grade readers.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
QUEST FOR THE TRUE DRAGON is an engaging graphic novel adventure. Grace is having dreams about her father and the need to wake the dragon kings, but she also just wishes that she could be a normal kid and not involved in this supernatural stuff. However, when her sister Aera calls with threats to a Dragon King and Dr. Kim unless Grace and Nate come to them, Grace feels caught. As she and her friends dive into danger once again, they will strengthen their relationships and resolves in order to save the day.
What I loved: This was a really engaging and relatable story. Grace is trying to find her place in this challenging world with normal kid stuff and her complicated connection with dragons seemingly in conflict. However, Grace is soon to learn about what really matters and the importance of the friendships she has. At the end of day, she knows what is important and will take steps towards figuring out who she is and who she wants to be.
The story has a good amount of tension, solving problems, and fighting to keep the readers on their toes. The plot is action-packed and the book moves very quickly. As a graphic novel, it does a great job of telling the story through both pictures and words. The speech bubbles were easily attributable and the panels easy to follow, which is great for middle grade graphic novel readers. Themes of family, found family/friendships, and finding your path make this an engaging and relatable story for middle grade readers.
What left me wanting more: As a small thing, some of the pages could be very wordy, which may work better for kids on the higher end of the middle grade age range. There are also things that were not well described and explained, though gained through context, that will also make this work best for older middle grade readers who can read between the lines as needed. It also helps to have read the earlier books before diving into this one.
Final verdict: QUEST FOR THE TRUE DRAGON is an action-packed middle grade graphic novel that will keep readers on their toes. Recommend for older middle grade readers.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
January 28, 2026
I think this might be the volume I liked the most in this series. It’s a bonus that there are more dragons than ever.
I know it’s the humor, but Hikari felt like a manic pixie anime dream girl to me. But it's meant to be silly.
On the positive, I was impressed by the kiddies having mature conversations in acknowledging where they messed up or refused to listen. It’s a healthy way to disagree. And it handled middle school love, or rather, crushes, well.
I know it’s the humor, but Hikari felt like a manic pixie anime dream girl to me. But it's meant to be silly.
On the positive, I was impressed by the kiddies having mature conversations in acknowledging where they messed up or refused to listen. It’s a healthy way to disagree. And it handled middle school love, or rather, crushes, well.
April 28, 2026
Absolutely fabulous - exciting, emotional, and fun. Who doesn't love dragons?!
August 27, 2026
This book is so good; I couldn't put it down. You've got love, friendship, adventures, and dragons. This book definitely lands in my top 3 graphic novels.
August 21, 2025
love a wel written dragon book
August 18, 2025
It was the best book in the series by far.
I wasn't big on all the drama (despite it being kinda like Moon Rising) EXCEPT for Ramesh and Hikari. SHES ADORABLE!!! I loved when they where in Tokyo. Also, Iwa was cool.
I wasn't big on all the drama (despite it being kinda like Moon Rising) EXCEPT for Ramesh and Hikari. SHES ADORABLE!!! I loved when they where in Tokyo. Also, Iwa was cool.
December 20, 2025
I feel like I'm rating age-appropriate-ish books to potentially give to the niece for reading homework (20 minutes a day, and graphic novels count!) by whether or not she might get into it, based on the book in hand. This is a good addition to the series, but as far as reading it by itself—even after having read the first two books—I can't really say it's easy.
I mean, I'm judging for a young reader who got into Wings of Fire starting from the NEWEST book, rather than reading them sequentially! So that itself isn't a factor. However, coming into this cold feels like a taller order than it could be, since I even had trouble coming back to the series for book TWO. Like, a LOT of the very start of the book is Grace and Ramesh trying to sneak out to a rooftop, just so Grace can talk to Nate. It makes sense in the flow of the series, but it's not a good entry point for newcomers.
Would the niece care? Maybe not! Maybe she'll like it anyway, just because the art is pretty and dragons are cool and she doesn't remember what she read in a few pages anyway. (I don't actually know—Granny's the one supervising and just asking me for recommendations and only sometimes giving feedback since she doesn't think I'm that interested since the niece and I have barely interacted due to distance.)
So. *I* like the book, with caveats:
+ good art
+ representation!
+ interesting twists
- a little hard to remember what happened before without re-reading
- romance drama (though, kind of hard to find stories WITHOUT romance drama)
- definitely has "middle child" syndrome in that it is neither a good opening nor a stopping point—MAJOR cliffhanger
- (I'm surprised the "Happy Birthday" gambit paid off, but there aren't many other convincing ways to have gotten them out of that, I guess)
Definite recommend for fans of the series, hesitant recommend to anyone just finding the book by itself and giving it a try (sorry, future free library recipient).
I mean, I'm judging for a young reader who got into Wings of Fire starting from the NEWEST book, rather than reading them sequentially! So that itself isn't a factor. However, coming into this cold feels like a taller order than it could be, since I even had trouble coming back to the series for book TWO. Like, a LOT of the very start of the book is Grace and Ramesh trying to sneak out to a rooftop, just so Grace can talk to Nate. It makes sense in the flow of the series, but it's not a good entry point for newcomers.
Would the niece care? Maybe not! Maybe she'll like it anyway, just because the art is pretty and dragons are cool and she doesn't remember what she read in a few pages anyway. (I don't actually know—Granny's the one supervising and just asking me for recommendations and only sometimes giving feedback since she doesn't think I'm that interested since the niece and I have barely interacted due to distance.)
So. *I* like the book, with caveats:
+ good art
+ representation!
+ interesting twists
- a little hard to remember what happened before without re-reading
- romance drama (though, kind of hard to find stories WITHOUT romance drama)
- definitely has "middle child" syndrome in that it is neither a good opening nor a stopping point—MAJOR cliffhanger
- (I'm surprised the "Happy Birthday" gambit paid off, but there aren't many other convincing ways to have gotten them out of that, I guess)
Definite recommend for fans of the series, hesitant recommend to anyone just finding the book by itself and giving it a try (sorry, future free library recipient).
July 22, 2026
Grace and Nate are not safe. Daijing wants her blood, Nate's life force, and the gem in their possession. Trying to figure out what to do Grace and her friends travel with Dr. Kim to consult the Southern Dragon King about whether Grace's dream means they should seek the Eastern Dragon King. He seems to be their next step in ever hoping to defeat Daijing, but Aera and her shadowfire minions are after them. As they head to Japan, the next confrontation between good and evil grows closer.
Grace is distracted for most of this book because James has a crush on her but Ramesh tells him to try ignoring her and then she mistakes what she sees for James kissing Jing and it's a whole mess. I didn't feel like it was really necessary for the plot either. I am glad they get all that sorted out by the end and return to all just being friends. Things get pretty dicey and tense at different moments. I felt like the way they were talking about telepathic communication was getting weird talking about psychic planes and a lot of convoluted vocabulary that was more confusing than helpful to the plot. Why not just say they're telepathic? Not my favorite book in the series, but I will read the next one to find out what happens.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: Just a hug.
Violence: Several people are held against their will and endangered, but no one seriously hurt.
Ethnic diversity: Grace is half Asian half white, Ramesh is Indian British, James is Black, and Jing is Chinese British (if I remember right). Dr. Kim is Korean. They meet a Japanese girl too.
LGBTQ+ content: Jing makes a comment that she has had crushes on guys and girls, but none serious enough to act on them.
Other: Pressure to save the world. Friendship drama.
Grace is distracted for most of this book because James has a crush on her but Ramesh tells him to try ignoring her and then she mistakes what she sees for James kissing Jing and it's a whole mess. I didn't feel like it was really necessary for the plot either. I am glad they get all that sorted out by the end and return to all just being friends. Things get pretty dicey and tense at different moments. I felt like the way they were talking about telepathic communication was getting weird talking about psychic planes and a lot of convoluted vocabulary that was more confusing than helpful to the plot. Why not just say they're telepathic? Not my favorite book in the series, but I will read the next one to find out what happens.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: Just a hug.
Violence: Several people are held against their will and endangered, but no one seriously hurt.
Ethnic diversity: Grace is half Asian half white, Ramesh is Indian British, James is Black, and Jing is Chinese British (if I remember right). Dr. Kim is Korean. They meet a Japanese girl too.
LGBTQ+ content: Jing makes a comment that she has had crushes on guys and girls, but none serious enough to act on them.
Other: Pressure to save the world. Friendship drama.
November 11, 2025
2.75? Mainly for art? Takes place in Japan, following the previous books’ pattern of being worldwide! Colors and illustrations are still pretty neat. Loved the koi and the dragon drawings with the water!! This work focuses more on the interpersonal relationships within the 4-person friendship group. James likes Grace, Rameshi gives James bad advice, James follows said advice and tries to use Jing to make Grace jealous, which works. Grace and James have a bunch of miscommunications, leading to the whole group having miscommunications. Grace and Jing make up as best friends, and Grace and James talk at the end and resolve to be friends BUT THEN Grace kisses him on the cheek as friends and I was like ???? ???? ???? HEY??? With Rameshi's long-distance-gf-but-not-really in the picture, it was just...really concentrated on couples and dating, and I wasn't a huge fan of that for a middle grade graphic novel? It felt like a filler and didn't really feel...fully developed. I did enjoy the discussion on Grace considering what "normal kid" things she's missing out on, and having her confront her own jealousy of her best friend Jing (which is pretty common!). I also liked the message that you can't just go out and do it all on your own - sometimes you need help, and friendship can help you solve a lot of things. The whole pearl-holding-together-tell-everyone-what-I-love-about-them scene was kinda cringe. It feels like a long movie that keeps going with the cliffhanger ending (Grace's dad is alive?? Sends a video message and says it's really him LOL).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2026
I do want to give it a 3 star like the previous album, but the story progress is a bit confusing. We are left pondering if the Dragons and even the Dragon Kings have any power. They are beaten easily or drained out of power quickly. And small friendly dragons just come out of the blue.
As Dr.Kim's evil twin kidnaps Dr.Kim and the Red Dragon and ask for Grace and her young Water dragon in exchange (Why? Because they need the water dragon's blood to mix it into every follower's blood - I mean, why not use the Dragon King's blood whom they have captured so easily?), the kids goto Japan in search of the Eastern, Green Dragon!
As Dr.Kim's evil twin kidnaps Dr.Kim and the Red Dragon and ask for Grace and her young Water dragon in exchange (Why? Because they need the water dragon's blood to mix it into every follower's blood - I mean, why not use the Dragon King's blood whom they have captured so easily?), the kids goto Japan in search of the Eastern, Green Dragon!
September 22, 2025
I didn't care for the dating advice from Ramesh. James was right, he should have just been honest. I love that there are more dragons! The koi that turned into a dragon (Iwa) is gorgeous and I love the Eastern Dragon King! He is beautiful and spreads Spring around. Looking forward to the last book to wrap things up.
October 20, 2025
The third book in the series and Grace and Nate are heading into new adventures. After they escape Daijiang, they arrive in Tokyo with only one day to wake the Southern Dragon King, Ao Qin. The artwork is amazing and these four friends have not reached the end of their adventures. An amazing surprise awaits Grace at the end!
January 1, 2026
No way! Wow what a cliff hanger! This story just keeps getting better and I am impressed that three books in it still is able to keep me on tue edge of my seat with enough surprises and twists to keep me guessing as to what could happen next. Man, I wish the next one was already out. Waiting for the rest of this story is going to be hard, but totally worth it.
March 20, 2026
Inspiring
I loved this story because it has a lot of action and determination. After I read this book I got inspired to read more books about dragons.
I also got inspired to make dragon dumplings.
-R, Ben's daughter
I loved this story because it has a lot of action and determination. After I read this book I got inspired to read more books about dragons.
I also got inspired to make dragon dumplings.
-R, Ben's daughter
June 30, 2026
Understand the need for exposition, but too long and a bit tedious at times. Took us a long time to get through it for those reasons, but hoping the next book will be a little more exciting. We did really love the artwork, esp. the cute dragons.
August 16, 2025
OMG, I loved it. It was probably the best book in the series so far!
September 19, 2025
While this volume was still fun, I feel like the story is being dragged out a little too much. I just want to have more happen plot-wise.
September 26, 2025
This volume felt bogged down by its romance sub-plots, but the dragons continue to be the spotlight.
November 3, 2025
When are they gonna update the Goodreads? It was amazing!
December 25, 2025
A fun and exciting read! I didn't realize there would be more volumes! This one is quite the cliffhanger!
January 23, 2026
It was very good👍
February 11, 2026
City of dragons review
Beautiful, a lot of romance and adventure. A story about friendship and dragons. Could not be any better. Love it.
Beautiful, a lot of romance and adventure. A story about friendship and dragons. Could not be any better. Love it.
March 25, 2026
I’m not super into this story but the art is so beautiful I could look at it over and over again.
Read
May 13, 2026I liked the koi dragon a lot and I loved all the food!
May 16, 2026
Awesome.
July 21, 2026
Loving this series!
August 21, 2026
worst cliffhanger!
September 4, 2026
Me ha encantado el comic!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews