The Hive Queen

Book 12 of Tui T. Sutherland's Wings of Fire series follows Cricket, a young HiveWing dragon who has always asked too many questions — and who can't figure out why she's immune to Queen Wasp's terrifying mind-control. Now a fugitive with her friends Blue, Swordtail, and Sundew, she's searching for answers and trying to prevent a tribal war. Cricket is a genuinely appealing protagonist: curious, principled, and brave in a practical way. The series' strength is its ensemble character dynamics, and they're on full display here. The honest caveats: this is book 12 and genuinely requires the prior context to work; dragon deaths occur on the page and may be too intense for sensitive readers under 9; and the story's compressed timeframe makes some interactions feel rushed. Middle-grade readers who are already in the series will love it.