City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm

Grace moves to Hong Kong after her dad dies. Her biggest worry is making friends at her new school. Then an old woman gives her a dragon egg on a field trip, it hatches overnight, and everything gets much more complicated.

There are gunfights. Mysteries. Grace starts finding out what really happened to her dad. And something big is threatening the whole city — so it is not just a school-friends problem anymore.

What I liked

• The story hooks you fast. One minute it is new-kid nerves, the next it is dragons and danger.
• Hong Kong feels like a real place, not a vague fantasy backdrop.
• The dragon burp scene is ridiculous. Grace has to pretend it was her and I actually laughed out loud.

What I didn’t like

• Some of the darker stuff hits hard — violence, suicide themes, mature moments. Not a chill bedtime read.
• A few plot turns are predictable if you read a lot of fantasy, but I still wanted to keep going.

Verdict

Really good graphic novel if you like dragons and adventure with actual stakes. Check with a parent first because of the heavy themes — I would say 11+ is about right. I gave it 4.5 paws overall and I want the next one.