Yona lives her life as a spoiled princess of Kohka, hoping to one day marry her sweet and handsome cousin Su-won and being constantly annoyed by her bodyguard Hak. On Yona’s sixteenth birthday her life changes dramatically, she witnesses the murder of her father at the hands of her beloved Su-won. Hak and Yona flee the palace, and set off on a journey to find Yona’s destiny and the companions she needs to achieve it.
Series: Yona of the Dawn
Volume 4
Author: Mizuho Kusanagi
First published: 2010
Ongoing: yes
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Date read: May 5, 2020 (reread)
In this volume of Yona of the Dawn Yona and crew set off in search of the next dragon.
Volume 4 is a good time. I really enjoyed seeing Kija struggle to adapt to life on the road, especially after living his entire life in luxury, and it’s especially great because it’s something we didn’t get as much from Yona’s character but in her defence she had a lot on her mind. I totally forgot how much Hak and Kija didn’t get along at the beginning of their journey and their back-and-fourth bickering to get Yona’s attention was hilarious to read. I feel like later on in the series we don’t focus nearly as much on Kija so it was nice to have him get so much attention. I also appreciate that the Blue Dragon has a completely different backstory/situation from Kija’s and that we get to see the dragons’ time before meeting Yona. Shin-Ah’s backstory always makes me feel sad and of the dragons he’s the one my heart goes out to the most. Also, being the Hak x Yona fan girl that I in fact am, I loved that whenever something is going on with Yona Hak is the first person she thinks of.
Volume 5
Rating: 4.75/5 stars
Date read: May 5, 2020 (reread)
Volume 5 of Yona of the Dawn picks up right where Volume 4 left off with Yona, Kija and Yun trapped underground with the Blue Dragon and some of his tribe.
This was my favourite volume of Yona of the Dawn so far during my reread. I love how devoted and sweet Kija is. It was especially adorable seeing how excited he was over meeting another dragon. This volume offers insight into the repercussions of King Il’s reign, and we see that while he was kind and had good intentions, he wasn’t the best ruler for the country. Yona’s heartbreak over the loss of her father was especially touching in this volume and I greatly admire her determination and resolve. As well, we finally get to meet Jaeha, he’s my favourite dragon and I love his interactions with Hak. Kusanagi’s jokes and my sense of humour are a perfect match, and I found this to be the funniest volume so far. Kusanagi is able to convey so many sentiments through facial expressions and this is especially effective when she’s being humorous. Again, Jaeha is quite different from the other two dragons, and he is by far the most resistant to Yona’s pull, and does his best to avoid her which made for some pretty amusing situations.
Volume 6
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Date read: May 6, 2020 (reread)
In Volume 6 of Yona of the Dawn Yona finally gets to meet Jaeha, who unfortunately for her, has no intention of joining her crew. Yona does her best not to let this deter her, and she and the rest of her gang decide to team up with Jaeha’s pirate friends in order to take down the menace ruling Awa.
One of the themes of this series is being strong when you are physically weak, and this theme was especially prominent in this volume. Yona is constantly wanting to do what she can for everyone she meets, but always feels like she lacks the means to do so, and I liked seeing her internal struggle in this instalment. I also think this story arc gives us the first proper taste of what’s to come in the series.
One of my favourite aspects of this story is the interactions between characters. There are so many varying dynamics, and it makes every interaction between the main cast so fun to read. Jaeha and Hak’s interactions are some of my absolute favourite and it’s nice to see someone teasing Hak for a change. Kija trying to recruit Jaeha and him not having it was also really entertaining. I’m not a fan of a love interest holding back the main character in order to keep them safe so I’m glad Hak wasn’t one to get in Yona’s way. I love that he just wants her to succeed.
I think Yun’s the real hero in this volume though. Yun’s not nearly as altruistic as many of the characters in this series, so I thought it especially brave of him to rise to the occasion despite how fearful he is. I’m appreciating his character a lot more with this reread. Also, Yun being so concerned for Yona’s safety was too cute.
P.S. if you’re paying attention, the things Pu-Kyu gets up to are hilarious.
If you’ve read Yona of the Dawn or plan to, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Happy reading! 💗
A Bookish Balance 