Member Reviews

Yona of the Dawn Volume 25 is an action-adventure romance fantasy manga created, written, and illustrated by Mangaka Mizuho Kusanagi. The English-language release is published through VIZ Media. The series centers on a young red-haired princess said to be the reincarnation of the red dragon god that founded the Kingdom of Kouka. When Yona’s cousin Su-won murders her father to seize the thrown she flees her homeland to find the Four Dragon Warriors in order to take back her home.

Yona of the Dawn Volume 25 consists of chapters 141 through 146 and picks right back up where the previous volume left off. Yona comes face-to-face with her cousin Su-won to tell him that waging war against the nation of Xing would be disastrous. Later, in hopes of stopping the war before it can start, Yona rushes back to Princess Kouren, but assassins and danger await in for them Xing. And with the Four Dragons still not fully recovered from their last fight they may be too late to protect Yona from all who threaten her life.

The art in this volume is superb. I especially like the use of different art styles used in a particular panel when Shin-Ah uses his blue dragon powers. Kusanagi blends the use of juxtaposed art styles shows the blue dragon’s warrior’s murderous intent. To show there is a shift in their aura and entered a blood lust or berserker mode. What I love most of all about this manga is that even though it is a romance manga, the story does not solely revolve around romance. I love that Yona of the Dawn knows how to prioritize the story and characters’ motives in a reasonable manner based on the settings. This volume gives is a prime example of that.

In this volume, Yona and Hak see each other for the first since they shared their first kiss together in the previous volume when they went their separate ways. While it is obvious that there is some awkwardness between them and the kiss is on both of their minds. However, the setting to discuss their feelings together is less than desirable since they are trying to prevent a war from breaking out. Hak even mentions to Yona, that once everything is over that he wants them both to have a discussion.

I appreciated this moment in this volume because it is a great example of how even though this is a romance manga, romance does is not the only motivation and plot that the series revolves around. That the characters themselves also know how to prioritize their feelings when needed.

Lastly, another thing that I enjoyed in Yona of the Dawn Volume 25 is the consistency of Yona’s growth as the heroine of the series. From the beginning of the series to now Kusanagi has continually shown that Yona has grown and continues to grow into strong, confident, resourceful, and capable throughout the series.

Some great examples of Yona’s growth in this volume are when she bravely stands up her cousin Su-won, the man that murdered her father, to convince him to form a treaty with an enemy kingdom. Or when she quickly makes a bench into a makeshift shield to protect herself and Princess Kouren from their enemy’s arrows.

It’s powerful to see a character like Yona who was once a spoiled and immature girl grow into such a capable heroine. Even though she has powerful men at her disposal who would gladly put their lives on the line for her. She and her comrades believe in her abilities and skills and no one treats her like a damsel in distress.

Yona of the Dawn Volume 25 is a great read and I highly recommend picking it up. This is a manga that is consistently good through and through! From the story and characters to the art. It just keeps getting better and better as the series goes on. The Kusanagi continually delivers a great manga that makes me appreciate the series and look forward to the next installment.

Yona of the Dawn Volume 25 will be available at bookstores and online on August 4. To find out where to buy, check out Viz.com.

Was this review helpful?

The amount of fangirl squealing I did within this volume isn't even funny. Yona is SUCH a queen in this volume, and I love her for it. The direct confrontation that has been building has finally happened, and I so needed to see it. I also needed to watch a certain character squrim when that finally did come to pass, and yes, it was perfection.
My dragons thrive in this volume, especially Sin-ha. He really does everything that he can to help the situation in this volume, even at the risk of himself. He is my favorite, and I love him.
I need Vol 26 in my hands already! Please read this series if you are not! I won't stop asking you until you do!

Was this review helpful?

Another excellent volume of Yona of the Dawn! Seeing Yona growing from a spoiled princess who didn't know anything about the world around her to someone who can stop people with the look in her eyes is just amazing. I highly suggest Yona of the Dawn for all shojo fans!

Was this review helpful?

I AM DECEASED. This freaking book.

With volume 24, I felt like the tension was ramping up to begin the end, so to speak, that we were entering the last arc of the story. This book furthers that feeling. Regardless as to what happens, there is a sense of finality to this book. Things happen that have been hinted and teased at for the last 24 volumes.

The level of political tension in this story is ramped up between the multiple factions in Xing. Nearly every major character have been severely injured and are struggling, so there's a real sense of danger. Part of me was worrying that the plot would get completely sidelined with this new Anti-War faction political stuff, and I'm reeeeeeaaaaaaly hoping it doesn't because near miss plot points piss me off more than anything, but I trust Mizuho Kusanagi to make this work out as she has in the past.

Was this review helpful?

I adored the show, this is a bit confusing if you don’t know everyone’s backstory, this is low on the cute moments and is all fasted paced action and serious tear jerking moments.

Was this review helpful?

I am not okay after reading this one! Ugh, this one just hit me in the feels so hard and stressed me out the entire time!

I know I say this every time I finish another volume for this series but, each volume gets better than the last. This one did a number on me emotionally and then had to end on a huge cliffhanger and I will just slowly be wasting away until I can get my hands on the next one. 😢

When it comes to Yona, she did something so brave and I wasn't sure how it would play out. She is courageous and I love everything about who she is.

One character in this volume that I really enjoyed was General Tae-u. His part was just so epic! After getting teary-eyed that part had me laughing. I really needed it at that point to get through the rest of the book, haha.

In this one there is a lot of talk about peace and not holding onto hate. It's a very powerful message and one that I think all of us needs to hear.

Overall, it was just so so so good! I really don't know how I will recover from this. If you haven't started this manga series yet, I highly suggest doing so. The characters and plot make it worth the read.

Was this review helpful?