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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a fun fantasy novel. I appreciated the details that Hartman considered and included. Dragons who took human form struggled with their experiences in these small vulnerable bodies and delighted in things like taste, a sensation that in dragon form was muted by their fiery insides.
The main character is wildly courageous, incredibly fortunate, and all together charming. She has wonderful access to the royal family, dragons, and conflicts of her own and every aspect is entertaining. I will admit that at one point I announced, "I'm tired of the love story, let's get back to the dragons," but for the most part I very much enjoyed the pace of the book.
The main character is wildly courageous, incredibly fortunate, and all together charming. She has wonderful access to the royal family, dragons, and conflicts of her own and every aspect is entertaining. I will admit that at one point I announced, "I'm tired of the love story, let's get back to the dragons," but for the most part I very much enjoyed the pace of the book.
I love dragons. I really do. To be fair, that made me slightly impartial to this book. However, and I will point out, that you will not be getting those giant world crushing dragons that appear in most fantasy. These are shapeshifting dragons that are persecuted and oddly respected for being what they are, dragons.
The flaws in this story? I never felt totally convinced that people could take control of such an intelligent race like dragons so easily and I don't think that a dragon, would deign themselves to wear bells, like a household cat. Truthfully, the writing isn't for everyone. The pacing is strange and sentences are disjointed. However, somewhere in there, I stopped noticing. Which means, no matter what, I understood this book on a visceral level.
Seraphina herself is a pleasant character to support. She had weaknesses and strengths that made her feel well rounded. It wasn't that I identified with her, it was that she felt real to me. She wasn't perfect and whiney. She was skilled, intelligent and introspective. She wasn't stubbornly plowing ahead but worked through her life with a respectable determination. She wasn't the over the top character that seems to be getting so much attention in young adult literature these days. She was just Seraphina.
Usually, I would talk about the plot here. But, I am not going to. I feel that this book should be read without many spoilers.
Problems aside. I really liked the book. It felt new. Fresh. The world felt rich. It kept me interested in its simplicity. The idea that dragons were these Vulcan-like mathematical creatures was fascinating. The usage of subtle intrigues. The cerebralist references. And lastly (but not least) the fact that the book reminded me of Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall Trilogy. (A set of three books I fell in love in as a prepubescent teen.) Ultimately placing Seraphina into my list of favorite books regardless of it's flaws.
The flaws in this story? I never felt totally convinced that people could take control of such an intelligent race like dragons so easily and I don't think that a dragon, would deign themselves to wear bells, like a household cat. Truthfully, the writing isn't for everyone. The pacing is strange and sentences are disjointed. However, somewhere in there, I stopped noticing. Which means, no matter what, I understood this book on a visceral level.
Seraphina herself is a pleasant character to support. She had weaknesses and strengths that made her feel well rounded. It wasn't that I identified with her, it was that she felt real to me. She wasn't perfect and whiney. She was skilled, intelligent and introspective. She wasn't stubbornly plowing ahead but worked through her life with a respectable determination. She wasn't the over the top character that seems to be getting so much attention in young adult literature these days. She was just Seraphina.
Usually, I would talk about the plot here. But, I am not going to. I feel that this book should be read without many spoilers.
Problems aside. I really liked the book. It felt new. Fresh. The world felt rich. It kept me interested in its simplicity. The idea that dragons were these Vulcan-like mathematical creatures was fascinating. The usage of subtle intrigues. The cerebralist references. And lastly (but not least) the fact that the book reminded me of Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall Trilogy. (A set of three books I fell in love in as a prepubescent teen.) Ultimately placing Seraphina into my list of favorite books regardless of it's flaws.
Easily the most interesting fantasy fiction I have read in years. Hartman creates a whole beautiful world with realistic characters, an intriguing plot, and an expansive vocabulary. I eagerly await more from this author.
*Second reading* 3.5 stars. The first half of this book was extremely slow and I had to concentrate to understand who was who and what was happening. The second half however really improved and I sped through it. I enjoyed all the characters especially Seraphina's inner dialogue; it brought some unexpected humour to the novel.
*First reading* Got to page 156, did not know what was going on or who the characters were, I do want to retry this in the future but I'm not in the right mindset right now to read a high fantasy book such as this.
*First reading* Got to page 156, did not know what was going on or who the characters were, I do want to retry this in the future but I'm not in the right mindset right now to read a high fantasy book such as this.
This was a thoroughly refreshing read. The concept of dragons in this book is utterly unique (to me at least!) and really quite well developed. We run into interesting characters, actual character development, and avoid insta-love, all of which are great things in a book. This is a fun read, so give it a try!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
When I first started this book, I was so confused. Once I gave it a few chapters, I was completely hooked!!