The Hybrid Prince
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This article contains information about the upcoming book, The Hybrid Prince. Read this page with caution if you wish to avoid spoilers.
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The Hybrid Prince is the upcoming sixteenth book in the New York Times bestselling series Wings of Fire and the first book of the fourth arc. The main protagonist is Umber. It is set to release March 3rd, 2026.
The cover was revealed online by Scholastic on October 23rd, 2025, at 4:30 PM EST.[2]
The Hybrid Prince is preceded by The Flames of Hope.
Summary
Umber was never supposed to be a hero . . . .
As the youngest sibling of his MudWing hatching, Umber doesn't have the responsibilities of his bigwings, Reed, nor the heroic destiny prophesied for his brother, Clay. He's always been content with his role as the cheerful, goofy, little brother. But when his sister, Sora, causes a tragedy at Jade Mountain Academy, Umber finds himself on the run and thrown into a whole new role – that of protector.
Umber and Sora fly south in search of a place where they can live far away from other dragons . . . until a kind, hybrid dragon named Mulberry saves him from a kraken attack, and Umber realizes they don't have to survive alone after all. In fact, there's an entire community living on a forgotten island, full of dragons hiding from their own dark pasts.
As the two MudWings settle into the Court of Refuge, they start to realize that nothing in this place is quite what it seems, and the protection it offers comes with a price. Even as Umber falls for Prince Mulberry, he learns he must find a way to unlock the past of this mysterious island to ensure he and Sora have a future. And when the dragons in power try to stop him, he'll have to decide what he cares about most . . . and whether he can be the hero these dragons need after all.
Quote on back of hardcover
Umber followed the clawmarks (if that's what they were), finding one every few trees until he reached what seemed to be the halfway point of the beach. To his left, the island curved away out of sight, and to his right, a stretch of craggy rocks trailed into the ocean and cut off the view beyond...
And here, at the midpoint, the clawmarks changed.
Umber felt a chill run through his scales.
There were words carved into the trees.
NOT SAFE HERE, the jagged letters read.
KEEP GOING.
Dedication
For the librarians, teachers, booksellers, authors, students, and everyone else working to protect our freedom to read — thank you.
Excerpts
Excerpt 1
The Overdrive audio excerpt was released two months prior to the book's release and can be found here.
Excerpt 2
The Apple Books audio excerpt was released two months prior to the book's release and can be found here.
Plot
Prologue
Three thousand years before the events of the main novels, a LeafWing named Sorrel observed the sky with Darkling, a BeetleWing, between their tribes' kingdoms. Darkling told Sorrel that two dragons would come down from the sky. Soon after, a NightWing and a SkyWing flew down into the forest. Darkling told Sorrel that they knew about Harmony, worrying Sorrel as Queen Euphoria and Queen Magnolia were planning something. They eavesdropped on the NightWing and SkyWing, revealed to be Bloodshed and Precipice, members of the Queens' Claws. Bloodshed described Harmony, a village between the Leaf and Beetle Kingdoms, as an abomination and said that it was harboring fugitives. Precipice agreed that it was against the accords and that they should report it to the other Claws, but Bloodshed warned that they could not trust Sorrel and Darkling as they kept the village a secret. Bloodshed pointed out that the village also had hybrid residents and were home to some IceWings who were banished from the Ice Kingdom.
After Precipice told Bloodshed that the SkyWing queen would not mind, Bloodshed warned her that they should, as the BeetleWing and LeafWing queens had something more dangerous planned. Precipice told Bloodshed that they could hold a trial and judge the tribes by the laws of the Accords, but Bloodshed told Precipice that the village needed to be burned down, regardless of what the queens think should happen. After they left, Sorrel told Darkling that they could find a new place where everyone would be safe.
Part One
Immediately after fleeing Jade Mountain Academy, Umber was struggling with the fact that Sora was a murderer. He followed her as she flew toward the Mud Kingdom, believing that all of their siblings would reunite there. Umber told her that they could not go to Reed and Pheasant because they could turn them in, or if they run away with Umber and Sora, would lose everything. Sora thought that it was unfair that she had not killed Icicle but had to hide from her. Umber thought about all of the dragons he would possibly never see again, including Qibli. The two decided to fly south and find an island off the coast of the Rainforest Kingdom. After crossing the rainforest, the two explored several islands. Umber found strange markings warning dragons that they needed to continue. Umber also noticed that Sora was behaving strangely, talking to monkeys and leaving him in danger. After flying over several more islands, Umber needed to rest and the two landed on an island to sleep. While sleeping, Umber was pulled into the ocean by a tentacle.
More flying in soon...
Trivia
- Who Beryl is will be revealed in this book.[event 1]
- This book will go somewhere that has not been gone before.[event 2]
- A Barnes & Noble exclusive edition will include a bonus poster inside the jacket.[3]
- There will be no humans in this book.[event 4]
- There will be dragons that do not look like any dragons we have seen before in this book.[event 5]
- We will find out something about the BeetleWings and Pantala in this book.[event 6]
- There will be some important animus magic going on in this book.[event 7]
Gallery
Click here to see the cover gallery.
