Item: Yona of the Dawn Vol. 1
Rating: 4
Author: Jamie

Title: Yona of the Dawn Vol. 1
Author: Mizuho Kusanagi
Series: Yona of the Dawn #1
First Published: January 19, 2010
Publisher: VIZ Media
Pages: 200
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Romance, Shojo
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
Rating:

Synopsis:

Yona reels from the shock of witnessing a loved one’s murder and having to fight for her life. With Hak’s help, she flees the palace and struggles to survive while evading her enemy’s forces. But where will this displaced princess go when all the paths before her are uncertain?

Buy the Book: Amazon

Review

Yona of the Dawn is an intriguing historical drama series about a displaced princess in a fantasy setting that takes inspiration from Japan, Korea, and China. Princess Yona is the only heir to her country’s throne and she is well-loved by her kind emperor father. The setting is idyllic and the beginning of the story focuses on Yona’s friendships, her insecurities about her frizzy red hair, and her crush on her cousin, Soo-Won. Despite the peaceful setting there is disquiet about her father, who is seen as a cowardly emperor because he is not keen on war and conquest. Yona’s world is turned upside down and she finds herself on the run, forming the backbone of the plot.

The first volume does a pretty decent job of introducing the main cast of characters and their tangled relationships, laying a strong foundation for future volumes. I absolutely adore Emperor Il and Hak, they were easily my favorite characters. Yona is still young and naive, so the betrayal that she experiences is keenly felt. The volume also alludes to five dragon generals that are labeled by different elements, meeting only one in the first volume, Yona’s bodyguard Hak. I am intrigued to learn more about the other generals and the world-buidling that is established in the first volume.

The series has all of the aspects of the shojo genre that I love: wonderful characters with some endearing moments, complicated love stories, and a sweet heroine that I can root for. Yona of the Dawn has started off strong with an engaging plot and two interesting lead characters and I happily plan on continuing with this series. The series has been running for a while and I had no idea of its existence until seeing it mentioned by a very vocal minority on YouTube and for that I am thankful!