Back of Book: 

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans, tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan by catching and training a dragon. Can Hiccup do it without being torn limb from limb?

Join his adventures and misadventures as he finds a new way to train dragons—and becomes a hero. This action-packed, hilarious, and perfectly illustrated novel is a modern classic beloved by millions across the globe. 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Back of Book: 

When Hiccup finds a coffin at sea, he opens it to discover a riddle that will lead to the treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly, the world's greatest pirate and Hiccup's ancestor. So Hiccup and his friends set out on a treasure hunt, determined to master the art of swordfighting. How else will they escape an island of murderous dragons, defeat a boatload of Viking pirates, and survive all the twists and turns their journey will bring?

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

The story begins when Hiccup, his friend Fishlegs, and his cranky dragon Toothless get separated from their class during Boarding-an-Enemy-Ship practice. They accidentally board a prowling Roman galley intent on provoking war. When they rescue a tiny nanodragon, they uncover a plot to steal every dragon on the Isle of Berk! 

Book Number: Three  

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III's best friend, Fishlegs, has been stung by the deadly Venomous Vorpent! The only cure is the Vegetable-That-No-One-Dares-Name. But where will Hiccup find such a thing? He'll have to dodge the terrible Sharkworms, battle Doomfangs, and outwit crazy Hooligans if he's going to be a Hero (again). 

Book Number: Four 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

The heat is on for Hiccup! Someone has stolen the Fires-Stone from Volcano Island, which means the Volcano has become active and the tremors are hatching the Eggs of Exterminator Dragons! Can Hiccup return the Fire-Stone to the Volcano, stop it from erupting, and save the Tribes from being wiped out by the terrible sword-claws of the Exterminators? 

Book Number: Five 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

It's Hiccup's birthday, but that's not going to keep him from getting into trouble. To save his dragon, Toothless, from being banished, Hiccup must sneak into the Meathead Public Library and steal the Viking's most sacred book. But the Vikings see books as a dangerous influence, and keep them locked up and under heavy guard. To save his friend, Hiccup must brave the Hairy Scary Librarian and his dreadful army of Meathead Warriors and face off against the formidable Driller-Dragons. Will he make it out and live to see his next birthday?

Book Number: Six  

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, everyone's favorite reluctant Viking hero, has three months, five days and six hours to discover America, get back to Berk, save his father, battle Polarserpents, and win the annual Inter-Tribal Friendly Swimming Race. Can he do it?

Book Number: Seven  

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

Stranded on the exceptionally dangerous, and possibly haunted, Beach of the Broken Heart, Hiccup must face UG the Uglithug and complete the impossible task—or die trying. Along the way, he'll have to battle Berserks, dodge Scarers, and save Fishlegs from being fed to the Beast, all while being hunted down by an old enemy with a dark secret about the mysterious Lost Throne. With Toothless by his side, and time to stage his rescue running out, what's a Hero to do? 

Book Number: Eight 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

 A dragon rebellion is coming—filled with the meanest, nastiest dragons in the Archipelago. Razor-wings, Tonguetwisters, and Vampire Ghouldeaths are attacking Vikings and seem to be seeking one soul in particular: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third! Only a King can save them. . . and only a champion with all of the King's Lost Things can be King. In his adventures, Hiccup has collected quite a few "things" himself. But can a scrawny Viking save the entire Archipelago from certain doom? To find out, Hiccup will have to outwit a witch, fight his arch-enemy, and beat back an army of bloodthirsty dragons with just one sword. 

Book Number: Nine 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

The Dragon Rebellion has begun, bringing the Vikings' darkest hour upon them. Hiccup has become an outcast, but that won't stop him from going on the most harrowing and important quest of his life. He must find the Dragon's Jewel in order to save his people... but where should he begin? 

Book Number: Ten 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

In Hiccup the Viking's misadventures, the stakes have never been higher, and it's friend versus foe to decide the fate of the world. In this, the penultimate title in the amazing story arc that began with How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup is faced with a personal dilemma against the backdrop of an impending battle and the possible destruction of everything he knows. 

Book Number: Eleven 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

The Doomsday of Yule has arrived, and the future of dragonkind lies in the hands of one boy with nothing to show—but everything to fight for. Hiccup's Quest is clear... But can he end the rebellion? Can he prove himself to be King of the Wilderwest? Can he save the dragons? The stakes have never been higher, as the very fate of the Viking world hangs in the balance! 

Book Number: Twelve (Final book) 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

This guide is a must-have for fans of the New York Times bestselling How to Train Your Dragon series that inspired the hit movie and TV shows. This gift book features all of the dragon species from the series plus brand-new ones created just for this book, with color illustrations of each and every one! 

Book Number: Guide 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Back of Book: 

Join Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and his dragons, Toothless and Windwalker, in their hilarious, hair-raising adventures at the Isle of Berk's Training School for Vikings and Dragons. Where they are BOTTOM in pretty much everything.

Disastrous Lesson Number The Art of Battle.

It was supposed to be a quiet, SENSIBLE lesson. Hiccup never MEANT to get into TROUBLE.

But things take an unexpected turn along the way and Hiccup and his friends soon find themselves adrift on stormy seas, in a sinking ship, facing imminent DOOM, in one of their BIGGEST adventures ever... 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Hiccup and the gang are back with more adventures that are meant to appeal to new young readers and die-hard fans of the original books. 

Hiccup is trying to prove once more that he is meant to be a Hooligan warrior. This time, he is facing the trial of Gobber the Belch's Training School for Vikings and Dragons. Unfortunately, a storm is brewing and the young pupils from other islands have no way to reach Berk. After the Hairy Hooligans receive several mysterious messages in bottles, Hiccup surmises that his friend Camacazi is in trouble. With the help of his best friend, Fishlegs, and their trusty dragons, it's up for Hiccup to save the day once more. 

I figured this book was pitched to Cowell as another way to hype the live action movies and to gain younger readers, and I'm pretty sure I was right on both accounts. However, I think that there is a ton of merit to this new arc and that if book two picks up, we could have a fun new series starring Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Camicazi on our hands. 

Many parts of this book gave me extreme feelings of déjà vu, especially towards the beginning. There was a ton of recycled content from the original "HTTYD" series, which I found odd due to the book already being so short. The vocabulary was simplified and the words per page greatly reduced, so this one definitely could be read by an even younger audience, which I felt was an interesting decision due to the fact that I started reading the original series when I was a third grader. I think that these choices were a tad strange, but hopefully future installments will be a tad less rushed. 

Reading a new adventure with Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Camacazi was pretty fun. I love these characters and the world they live in so much that returning to it always feels like a warm hug. I also thought the new dragons were fun with my favorite definitely being the new nanodragon species, the prophecy dragon. 

My biggest gripe with this one is the continuity errors. Continuity errors are what really make me question the logic of writing another series that takes place during a prior series. In this short book alone there are a ton of errors that made me twitch, and I haven't read the original series in years. It says that this book takes place between books six and seven which are "A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons" and "How to Ride a Dragon's Storm." This honestly would have been a great place to have a series take place, because the turn of the series is definitely book seven with book eight evolving into a much darker story. However, elements from books seven, eight, and nine are all present in this story, which completely breaks everything. Hiccup shouldn't have his ticking-thing (acquired in book seven) or his fire suit (book nine), and Camacazi shouldn't have knowledge of the torment she went through on Berserker Island (book eight). Hiccup also doesn't have the mark, which means this story has to take place before book seven despite him already having elements from the later books. I find this very frustrating, and one of the sole reasons I doubt how much I'll truly be able to enjoy this series. 

The other big issue is definitely the length. This story has very similar themes to many of the other books in the original series and features similar elements, too. Due to the book's length, it is super hard to express much depth to any of these lessons in the short amount of time that the page count provides. I'm assuming that they want to pump these books out fast because "HTTYD" is in right now, but I'd hate for the quick pacing to taint this world. 

Overall, "Doom of the Darkwing" was an interesting introduction into a new "HTTYD" spin-off series that centers around a dragon school on Berk. I think the concept is fun and seeing all these iconic characters again is great, but the inconsistencies from the original series really had me twitching. I also felt that the book just started to persuade me that something new was going to occur, and then it ended. I feel that this series could end up being great, but the fact that the rules of time have already been bent so much has me a tad skeptical. I'll definitely check out book two when it comes out to see how it compares, but for now, I'll say I'm cautiously optimistic about this series. 

Back of Book: 

Disastrous Lesson Number Two: Boarding-An-Enemy-Ship-At-Sea

Hiccup and his fellow Vikings are SUPPOSED to be learning about enemy ships at sea. But when they come across a mysterious vessel, with a ripped sail and nobody driving it, Hiccup’s heart sinks. There is something deeply spooky about this ship. 

They really, really shouldn’t get onboard.

But… like on so many occasions in Hiccup’s life, they are going to do it anyway. 

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy 

Review: ?