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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I'll be honest. I didn't expect much from this book. I was going on a camping trip, and like any voracious reader, that meant I needed a stack of books to bury myself in. I picked it up on a whim, because the cover had dragons, and because I remembered seeing a goodreads score that was ridiculously high. I didn't expect to be sucked into the pages so intensely that I barely glanced up when a chipmunk in the campground decided to climb my leg and demand a peanut. I certainly didn't expect to fall in love with each one of the many characters. This is rare for me; there's usually at least one that rubs me the wrong way. Best of all, I loved our heroine, and this is also rare in young adult books for me, where I often find the protagonist to be petulant, or worse, dull.
This is one of those books that was absolutely a pleasure to read. The world Hartman has woven seamlessly together is a thing of beauty, and it's one of those fictional worlds that you might like to stay in for a while. That feeling was so strong with me that I experienced a sense of dismay when I realized that the next book has not yet been released and, woe of woes, will not be released for what seems like an eternity. I don't want to wait to visit that world again!
Anyway, listen. This is one of those books where you can't take my word for it. You need to read it yourself. Maybe you'll fall in love with it, too. Maybe you'll be as surprised as I was. But then, maybe you're less of a skeptic than I, and you'll already expect to love it. Because dragons. And love. And magic.
This is one of those books that was absolutely a pleasure to read. The world Hartman has woven seamlessly together is a thing of beauty, and it's one of those fictional worlds that you might like to stay in for a while. That feeling was so strong with me that I experienced a sense of dismay when I realized that the next book has not yet been released and, woe of woes, will not be released for what seems like an eternity. I don't want to wait to visit that world again!
Anyway, listen. This is one of those books where you can't take my word for it. You need to read it yourself. Maybe you'll fall in love with it, too. Maybe you'll be as surprised as I was. But then, maybe you're less of a skeptic than I, and you'll already expect to love it. Because dragons. And love. And magic.
mysterious
slow-paced
This was fantastic book. The writing is beautiful, the story is exciting, and the characters are strong and well drawn! The medieval setting felt real, and lived by the characters, unlike some books where you get the feeling that a bit of faux medieval has been sprinkled on the story for flavor. This is a world that contains intriguing folklore, and literature, philosophy that is alluded to in a way that makes the reader believe and want to have access to the books from the world of Seraphina!
Seraphina takes place in a medieval world where dragons and humans live side by side under an uneasy truce. The peace has been beneficial to both human and dragonkind, but some on both sides feel only hatred toward the other group, and believe that they can defeat their enemies if only the truce can be broken. Seraphina, finds herself unwittingly drawn into the political maneuverings around this conflict.
At the end of my edition there was a wonderful section containing an interview with the author, a glossary of unfamiliar words, a cast of characters, and a list of books an music that inspired Rachel Hartmen.
Seraphina takes place in a medieval world where dragons and humans live side by side under an uneasy truce. The peace has been beneficial to both human and dragonkind, but some on both sides feel only hatred toward the other group, and believe that they can defeat their enemies if only the truce can be broken. Seraphina, finds herself unwittingly drawn into the political maneuverings around this conflict.
At the end of my edition there was a wonderful section containing an interview with the author, a glossary of unfamiliar words, a cast of characters, and a list of books an music that inspired Rachel Hartmen.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked Seraphina. The beginning captured my attention, and then I was confused...then bored. I feel like this book was good, but had so much potential. After I read some of the reviews for this, I was excited. I was standing with it saying, Oh my God yes another awesome book to read. But... it was just okay.
Really liking the world building on this one. Seraphina hiding the fact that her mother was a dragon and building a whole coping garden in her head to deal with memories/dreams was very interesting. When we see that those things in her head are actual people that are also half breed dragons-amazing.
Loved how Seraphina was drawn to prince Lucien Kiggs (a bastard) because of their similarities. A great story of how she finally confronts her true self, and how she's going to go forward in life. I can't wait to read where she takes us next!
Loved how Seraphina was drawn to prince Lucien Kiggs (a bastard) because of their similarities. A great story of how she finally confronts her true self, and how she's going to go forward in life. I can't wait to read where she takes us next!
**4.5 stars**
What an excellent read! I couldn't put it down.
I appreciate the author's unique take on dragons. I've never seen it done before, and I'd say it was quite a success. I love getting lost in Seraphina's life (and in her garden of grotesques). The garden was another element of the book which I fell in love with instantly. Delving into the psychological mind of a character is incredibly intriguing, especially when there is magic involved.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone. You should just go ahead and order it now. I'm waiting for the second one to arrive.
What an excellent read! I couldn't put it down.
I appreciate the author's unique take on dragons. I've never seen it done before, and I'd say it was quite a success. I love getting lost in Seraphina's life (and in her garden of grotesques). The garden was another element of the book which I fell in love with instantly. Delving into the psychological mind of a character is incredibly intriguing, especially when there is magic involved.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone. You should just go ahead and order it now. I'm waiting for the second one to arrive.
It's been a while since I've read high fantasy on a regular basis. I read the first Game of Thrones book last summer and, while I see the draw, was not impressed enough to continue the series. I've been chewing through a lot of dystopias and low fantasies lately but after reading Kristen Cashore's Fire was thirsty for something to keep that going.
Initially, the title caught my eye. My husband and I have planned on naming our theoretical daughter Serafina, after a family member.
I read the short story that was released prior to publication about Seraphina's audition and mostly enjoyed it. I found the incredibly logical, cold, unemotional portrayal of dragons to be disturbing at first. I associate dragons with magic and mystery; I didn't think that these matter-of-fact dragons with no understanding of human emotions to make any sense. The characterization did grow on me, though, and when I thought about how long-lived dragons are and their propensity for hoarding it made more sense. After the first few chapters I accepted it.
The world building combined with the author's clear interest and research into medieval history and music successfully immersed me in Phina's world. Religion plays a heavy role in this world, as it did in medieval Europe, and I am keen to learn more about its history. At first, I thought it was basically a high fantasy version of Christianity - saints, Heaven, churches, sin, heresy. But the saints seem to be more like deities in a polytheistic setting, there is no one central higher power. Homosexuality is accepted and supported, although only just hinted at in the book (the glossary in the back is the only way I was able to confirm certain statements) and women seem to have equal footing, at least in Gored (they are ruled by Queens).
The story is long but engaging. I thought the pace was pretty good overall - a steady, sturdy build up with few falters. It took me a week to work through this, reading a little bit every day, and I was continually engaged. I didn't want to rush through any passages. The climax, thought was a little muddled, I wasn't disappointed and it didn't happen so fast or so vague I was confused. But it wasn't as, I don't know, stable? as the rest of the book. I also didn't realize it was part of a series until I noticed that not everything was coming to a conclusion and I was 80% through the book. I had thought it was a standalone.
One of the best parts (of many great aspects) was that I didn't see the twist in this one coming. THe author leads the reader through a nice little setup, making me think I knew what was going on all along and then quickly I realized I was wrong. All the other little hints suddenly made sense, it was impressive. It's been a long time since I've read a book and didn't see all the supposed twists laid out from the very beginning. Perhaps too much mediocre writing in YA literature has left me rusty. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.
Finishing this book has caused me to wonder why it is considered a YA novel and what makes something YA. This was the first book I've read on my Kindle that made me intensely happy with the built-in dictionary. Hartman not only used vocabulary specific to the medieval world but she also wrote at a level I'm unused to in teen books.
The length, level of writing, and the slight dryness that has a tendency to accompany high fantasy gives me pause as to who the target audience is for this book. I suspect that it will be popular with older teenagers, definitely with adults, and most who already enjoys high fantasy. I think there's a lot there to offer to folks who enjoy historical fiction or someone with a heavy interest in medieval music. I never got very far with Eragon but I think readers who enjoyed that series may like this one as well.
Initially, the title caught my eye. My husband and I have planned on naming our theoretical daughter Serafina, after a family member.
I read the short story that was released prior to publication about Seraphina's audition and mostly enjoyed it. I found the incredibly logical, cold, unemotional portrayal of dragons to be disturbing at first. I associate dragons with magic and mystery; I didn't think that these matter-of-fact dragons with no understanding of human emotions to make any sense. The characterization did grow on me, though, and when I thought about how long-lived dragons are and their propensity for hoarding it made more sense. After the first few chapters I accepted it.
The world building combined with the author's clear interest and research into medieval history and music successfully immersed me in Phina's world. Religion plays a heavy role in this world, as it did in medieval Europe, and I am keen to learn more about its history. At first, I thought it was basically a high fantasy version of Christianity - saints, Heaven, churches, sin, heresy. But the saints seem to be more like deities in a polytheistic setting, there is no one central higher power. Homosexuality is accepted and supported, although only just hinted at in the book (the glossary in the back is the only way I was able to confirm certain statements) and women seem to have equal footing, at least in Gored (they are ruled by Queens).
The story is long but engaging. I thought the pace was pretty good overall - a steady, sturdy build up with few falters. It took me a week to work through this, reading a little bit every day, and I was continually engaged. I didn't want to rush through any passages. The climax, thought was a little muddled, I wasn't disappointed and it didn't happen so fast or so vague I was confused. But it wasn't as, I don't know, stable? as the rest of the book. I also didn't realize it was part of a series until I noticed that not everything was coming to a conclusion and I was 80% through the book. I had thought it was a standalone.
One of the best parts (of many great aspects) was that I didn't see the twist in this one coming. THe author leads the reader through a nice little setup, making me think I knew what was going on all along and then quickly I realized I was wrong. All the other little hints suddenly made sense, it was impressive. It's been a long time since I've read a book and didn't see all the supposed twists laid out from the very beginning. Perhaps too much mediocre writing in YA literature has left me rusty. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.
Finishing this book has caused me to wonder why it is considered a YA novel and what makes something YA. This was the first book I've read on my Kindle that made me intensely happy with the built-in dictionary. Hartman not only used vocabulary specific to the medieval world but she also wrote at a level I'm unused to in teen books.
The length, level of writing, and the slight dryness that has a tendency to accompany high fantasy gives me pause as to who the target audience is for this book. I suspect that it will be popular with older teenagers, definitely with adults, and most who already enjoys high fantasy. I think there's a lot there to offer to folks who enjoy historical fiction or someone with a heavy interest in medieval music. I never got very far with Eragon but I think readers who enjoyed that series may like this one as well.
Wonderful! Beautifully written, and a completely new take on dragons (at least for me). Looking forward to the next!