Yona of the Dawn Vol 9 by Mizuho Kusanagi

After gathering all the dragon warriors, Yona isn't quite sure what to do next.  She isn't ready to go back to the palace and challenge for her throne, so they decide to see a bit more of the kingdom that Yona was sheltered from.  The gang settles in the Fire Tribe lands, and finds villagers living in desolation.  Sickness is rampant, the Fire Tribe taxes the people mercilessly, and there's hardly enough food to go around.  Yona decides she must help the people as much as possible, so they form the Dark Dragon and the Hungry Bunch Gang to do sort of a Robin Hood act - stealing from officials and the Fire Tribe army, and redistributing resources as much as possible to the villages.  This onslaught brings attention to the gang as the Fire Tribe tries to find them and stop their exploits, but at every turn, they are thwarted by the powerful Hak, Gija, and Jaeha.  We also get to see just how powerful Sinha is for the first time, as he is put in a hard place defending Yona without the stronger warriors.

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I really like that Yona is trying to do more good from outside the palace before challenging for her throne.  Yona's father tucked her away from everything, so she's had to grow considerably as she finds out that more and more of her kingdom were not living the glamorous lives she thought they were.   I also really enjoyed seeing more of Sinha, since he gets lost in the cast of characters very easily because he doesn't talk much. Hopefully, in some volume very soon, we'll actually get to know Zeno.  He's just joined the gang and he hasn't really contributed much to the group or to the storyline as a character.  I'm still really enjoying this storyline and getting to know more of these characters and the world they're in.

This series is still one of the most beautifully illustrated.  The attention to detail in faces for up-close "shots" is stunning.  The clothing is also very well-drawn.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Rating: Grades 8-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7, vol 8

Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Fantasy