Dear Reader,
In the capital city of the country of Gorredd, the exceptionally talented 16-year-old Seraphina lands the coveted job of Assistant to the Court Composer, Viridius. Her role entails preparing for the week-long celebrations, that'll lead up to the 40th anniversary of the Peace-Treaty with the dragons, and giving music lessons to the Queen's grand-daughter and second heir, Princess Glisselda.
But Seraphina has a secret: she is half-dragon, the evidence of which lies under her left sleeve, where silvery dragon scales grow instead of skin. Her mother was a dragon in human form, and though she had died of child birth, in Serphina's mind she left her a "pearl" of her memories; memories that will help Seraphina greatly when the fragile peace between humans and dragons is threatened after the death of the Queen's only son, the beloved and charming Prince Rufus.
Rachel Hartman has created such a well developed world and characters. I especially like the maturity with which it ends, that sets it apart from the majority of other young adult (YA) books that I've read so far. Other than the dragons, the best thing about this book is Seraphina herself. She is intelligent, thinks on her feet, and is bold and brave, without being unlikable. She has quite a few vulnerabilities but also has her priorities in order, (i.e. save the royals family first, restore peace and order, then worry about falling in love with the wrong person).And in spite of all that happens and the self-loathing Seraphina feels at the beginning (a surprisingly common theme in many YA books), at no point did I get annoyed with her, or any of the characters in fact. I did not feel that Seraphina was ever being overly whiny/self-pitying (which was a major problem I've had with the Shatter Me, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments and The Hunger Games trilogies). There is also a wonderfully malicious villain (revealing the name of which would be a major spoiler) and a really nice ensemble of characters to support Seraphina. My favourites include:
Even several days after finishing the book, I still find myself thinking about Seraphina and the adventures she would have gone on and how young Princess Glisselda would prepare for the on-coming war. So much so that when I found out that there is actually a sequel planned for release next year, I was exceptionally excited. InshaAllah I'll be reviewing that too once it's out.
Nida
Synopsis:
In the capital city of the country of Gorredd, the exceptionally talented 16-year-old Seraphina lands the coveted job of Assistant to the Court Composer, Viridius. Her role entails preparing for the week-long celebrations, that'll lead up to the 40th anniversary of the Peace-Treaty with the dragons, and giving music lessons to the Queen's grand-daughter and second heir, Princess Glisselda.
But Seraphina has a secret: she is half-dragon, the evidence of which lies under her left sleeve, where silvery dragon scales grow instead of skin. Her mother was a dragon in human form, and though she had died of child birth, in Serphina's mind she left her a "pearl" of her memories; memories that will help Seraphina greatly when the fragile peace between humans and dragons is threatened after the death of the Queen's only son, the beloved and charming Prince Rufus.
***
Rachel Hartman has created such a well developed world and characters. I especially like the maturity with which it ends, that sets it apart from the majority of other young adult (YA) books that I've read so far. Other than the dragons, the best thing about this book is Seraphina herself. She is intelligent, thinks on her feet, and is bold and brave, without being unlikable. She has quite a few vulnerabilities but also has her priorities in order, (i.e. save the royals family first, restore peace and order, then worry about falling in love with the wrong person).And in spite of all that happens and the self-loathing Seraphina feels at the beginning (a surprisingly common theme in many YA books), at no point did I get annoyed with her, or any of the characters in fact. I did not feel that Seraphina was ever being overly whiny/self-pitying (which was a major problem I've had with the Shatter Me, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments and The Hunger Games trilogies). There is also a wonderfully malicious villain (revealing the name of which would be a major spoiler) and a really nice ensemble of characters to support Seraphina. My favourites include:
- Orma - Seraphina's teacher, who also happens to be a mathematically-orientated dragon,
- the lively and multifaceted, Princess Glisselda,
- Prince Lucian Kiggs - Glisselda's fiance, the bastard-grandson of the Queen, captain of the Royal Guard and "possessor of too many titles",
- and Fruit-Bat - the silent, orange-eating, tree-climbing, dark-skinned, curly-haired little boy that lives in Seraphina's mind.
However, the plot can feel the tiniest bit slow at times, when there isn't actually a lot happening. But it does all build-up to the big finale, which does not disappoint. Furthermore, I felt that this book discussed prejudices, race, what it means to have humanity, religion and science in a very sophisticated way. And though it is the humans that originally invaded and settled into the dragons feeding/breeding grounds, this book goes far beyond the "Natives vs. Settlers" scenario, in discussing intermingling of cultures, the back-clash from those opposed to that "dilution", as well as what can be gained from peace and the price some will pay in order to protect it. I was also pleasantly surprised to find quite a bit of diversity in Seraphina which isn't often common in this type of book. To add to that, the light humor, the interspersed refrains of music and the dash of romance balance it out enough to make Seraphina a fun and greatly enjoyable read.
Even several days after finishing the book, I still find myself thinking about Seraphina and the adventures she would have gone on and how young Princess Glisselda would prepare for the on-coming war. So much so that when I found out that there is actually a sequel planned for release next year, I was exceptionally excited. InshaAllah I'll be reviewing that too once it's out.
Nida
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