Yona of the Dawn vol 5 by Mizuho Kusanagi

As the merry band of misfits travels across the country to find the Green Dragon,  they come to a port town where the people feign liveliness and truthfully have soulless eyes.  That’s because the town is run by a corrupt man who deals in human trafficking, among other things! Yona is confronted with a disturbing truth when she finds out this has been like this since her father ascended the throne. Gija and Sinha (the Blue Dragon) can sense the Green Dragon is near, but his exact position keeps changing rapidly.  Meanwhile, Hak is being recruited by a band of pirates for standing up to local officials, and the persistent the pirate Jaeha won't take no for an answer

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This volume is full of funny bits between Jaeha and Hak that are the needed balance to a heavy topic like drug and human trafficking. While Yona is dealing with the tragedy these people live daily, we as audience are busy knowing full well the whole time who the Green Dragon is, much to the frustration of all the other characters.  This volume is much more complex than the previous few have been, and the seriousness mixed with Hak's predicament makes for a very interesting narrative.  

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 8-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4

Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Fantasy