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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I don't know exactly how to feel about this ending. There was some good things , but the entire first half of the book was a slow drag. Seraphina sets out to find her fellow half-dragons, which leads to about 300 pages of her traipsing through the different countries. I loved the writing and the world building was great, but we never had enough time with any single half-dragon, new or old, to feel connected. I missed Lars and Dame Okra, who were largely absent, and Selda and Kiggs, who were also pushed aside in this installment. The second half picked up and the villain was a surprise to me (although maybe it shouldn't have been), and the ending scenes are perfectly exciting. I also loved Abdo, he's so adorable. I was very disappointed in how the love story was not really sorted out, and how . Overall, the writing was lovely and the characters were all unique, even if I never felt really connected to the new ones, except for Camba (she was bomb).
I will miss this world, and the ending was satisfying in a way, but I still feel some dissatisfaction over the resolution of Seraphina's relationships and how the author decided to handle the villain.
Still, definitely read if you liked/loved the first.
Spoiler
Camba as a transgender female, Glisselda's reveal as a lesbianSpoiler
we never really got to see Orma again as himself interacting with Seraphina, which I loved in the first bookI will miss this world, and the ending was satisfying in a way, but I still feel some dissatisfaction over the resolution of Seraphina's relationships and how the author decided to handle the villain.
Still, definitely read if you liked/loved the first.
I feel all over the place on my thoughts with this book. I love Hartman’s writing— it is eloquent, almost lyrical at times, and incredibly descriptive. The down side, I think that eloquence makes the story a bit dry at times. It felt as though Hartman went through such pains to lay out the whole picture that some of the momentum went by the wayside. That being said, I enjoyed the books and appreciated spending time with the same characters. I was hoping for bit more development in the romance world, but oh well. The epilogue was a nice touch but felt a bit too concise and easily wrapped up after virtually 18 hours (audiobook) of story building.
HERE is a dragon sequel worth reading! The sequel may even have surpassed the original book. Seraphina is on a quest both for the queen and her own personal agenda. Can she prevent war? Find her uncle? Learn what it is to be half human, half dragon, and survive in this world? Learn who to trust? Solve mysteries of the ages? She must travel to parts of the country only hinted at in the first book, meeting new characters and learning much more about some who had only been two dimensional to us previously. The characters were so unique, and some I held particularly close to my heart.
Seraphina's world is exquisitely built. The cultures of each region feel rich and a seamless part of the story. There's a particular chapter that had me grinning the whole time, when she is really immersed in the culture of the quigults, a smaller dragon-like species. The author's ability to make the world, and its quirky inhabitants, come alive, was quite powerful.
Two thumbs up, 5 stars, big smiles, and highest recommendations.
Seraphina's world is exquisitely built. The cultures of each region feel rich and a seamless part of the story. There's a particular chapter that had me grinning the whole time, when she is really immersed in the culture of the quigults, a smaller dragon-like species. The author's ability to make the world, and its quirky inhabitants, come alive, was quite powerful.
Two thumbs up, 5 stars, big smiles, and highest recommendations.
I discovered the first book in this series on yet another of the book blogs that I read regularly and blew through the audiobook in record time. Realizing there was so much more of the story left to hear, I knew I had to pick up the second one as soon as it was available. Months later, I was finally able to download it from my library app but let me tell you...the wait was well worth it! While the first book was a slower journey of self-discovery with a bit of action thrown in, this one was a heart-pounding fantasy mystery/thriller from the very beginning. The villain is fantastic and the world building so thorough I'm not even sure I could confidently compare it to anything else I have read (meaning, it doesn't feel like it was inspired by anything I have read before - a feat for a fantasy writer in today's day and age). I'm not sure if the author plans to write more but I'll be keeping an eye on her work for sure. I feel like there is so much more to discover about Seraphina's world! Highly recommend to those who enjoy fantasy, dragon-lore, mind games, magic and strong female protagonists.
Well. I was rather disappointed in this ending. The book was Looooooooooooooong, yes, with a capital "l". If some of the slower, traveling scenes were cut out, such as when Phina seems trapped in time between scenes gathering the other half dragons of her kind, this book would have been an improvement already. And when
Spoiler
Abdo was ill, fighting against Jannoula in his head, the time Seraphina spent waiting for him to recover and wandering around his home town could have been shortened. It bored the reader.Spoiler
The beginning started out well, but the middle sagged. However, although I didn't agree with the way Hartman wrapped things up at the end, (I think the villain of the story should have been punished more than that) I LOVED some of the shocking character reveals, such as whenSpoiler
Glisselda revealed who she was in love with and it was NOT Kiggs, and when we were introduced to the real Pandowdy.Spoiler
. Those moments were worth it. But I'm extremely angry at some of the dragons, such as how Eskgar conducted herself, and what happened to Orma.
This was a great read. It is very refreshing. It's a creative and unique idea, unlike any other I've read. Seraphina is a great character. She is a strong female lead while being sensitive and caring. The characterization in these stories was great. It was a large cast of characters, and some were more developed than others, but each had a personality. . Overall it was a fun read.
Spoiler
I was a little disappointed that Lucian Kiggs wasn't in it more. He was a major character in the first book but he was hardly in this one. I wanted to see more of their relationship. My only other qualm is that it the final conflict was so brief. It had a long build up but the actual fighting was brief. And after the fighting was over everything was quickly peaceful. I know they mentioned it would take years to sort it all out but it didn't really feel that way. Nevertheless the book was great. Jannoula was an amazing villain. She was so cunning and weaved her way into everything. And I liked how the ending was not perfect. It didn't end the way you expected it. It embodied when Camba said "Sometimes everyone does their best and things still end up wrong."
This book was, quite frankly, a letdown. The new characters and settings were neat and some of the plot twists were actually surprising. Beyond that, I can't find much good to say about it. The villain was one-dimensional in the extreme, the pacing was painfully slow, the deus ex machina ending was disappointing, and to call the romance lackluster would be generous in the extreme. Seraphina was mopey and lacked a lot of the personality I enjoyed in the first novel. I could barely bring myself to give it three stars instead of just two.
In addition to this being a great story, the audiobook version of this series was incredibly good.
I loved Seraphina. It was my favorite book of 2012. I met author Rachel Hartman at an American Library Association convention and received an autographed copy of the book, which thrilled me to no end.
Although I think Shadow Scale is technically as well written as Seraphina, and I can’t deny that I had a hard time putting it down as a reader, for a number of reasons I’m actually sorry I read it. The world building is outstanding. The character development is good. The dialog is believable and sometimes clever. I was immersed in the story and eager to find out what would happen next. But right now I wish the first book had stood alone.
At the end of Shadow Scale I felt depressed and unsettled. Maybe that was the author’s intention, but it was not what I expected from the sequel to Seraphina. The book ends on a final note, so I doubt another book in the series will come along to make me feel better. I am left feeling that Jannoula, the half-dragon that Seraphina cast from her Garden in the first book, has succeeded, making me feel what she wanted Seraphina to feel – like she has taken or damaged everything I loved about this world.
*Spoilers below:
My favorite character in the first book was Orma, and my favorite relationship was between Orma and Seraphina. It was so refreshing to read a book where the primary “love” story was between a girl and her uncle.By the book’s midpoint, I felt like I was longing to see Orma more than Seraphina was! He has the saddest resolution in Shadow Scale, which left me very sad at the book’s end. I will never be able to re-read Seraphina without knowing what happens to Orma in Shadow Scale. (An epilogue tried to make me feel better, but it didn’t work. Orma lovers, read with caution.)
We also spend very little time with the half-dragons we got to know and love in the first book (Abdo, Lars, and Dame Okra), and Lars and Dame Okra are not themselves for most of the book. I didn’t understand why the other half-dragons had so little power. Seraphina’s father is absent, as is Glisselda’s maid Millie.
There are some unconventional twists with a couple of the characters, which may please some readers and irritate others. A change in the relationship between Seraphina and Glisselda gave me my other Mary Sue moment for Seraphina, something which did not happen at all in the first book. There is a literal deus ex machina resolution, which was less original than I expected from this author.
To a certain extent, this reminds me of my experience with Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series. Later books have been more about visiting new lands and looking at their dragon cultures, rather than the relation between Temeraire and Lawrence. This book also focuses a lot on the other cultures outside Goredd, at the expense of established relationships.
I read an advance reader copy from netgalley.com.
Although I think Shadow Scale is technically as well written as Seraphina, and I can’t deny that I had a hard time putting it down as a reader, for a number of reasons I’m actually sorry I read it. The world building is outstanding. The character development is good. The dialog is believable and sometimes clever. I was immersed in the story and eager to find out what would happen next. But right now I wish the first book had stood alone.
At the end of Shadow Scale I felt depressed and unsettled. Maybe that was the author’s intention, but it was not what I expected from the sequel to Seraphina. The book ends on a final note, so I doubt another book in the series will come along to make me feel better. I am left feeling that Jannoula, the half-dragon that Seraphina cast from her Garden in the first book, has succeeded, making me feel what she wanted Seraphina to feel – like she has taken or damaged everything I loved about this world.
*Spoilers below:
Spoiler
In the first book, Seraphina was the main character. Although she is still the narrator, I’d argue in this book the main character is Jannoula, the damaged, half-mad, half-dragon Seraphina had to cast out of her Garden in the first book. Jannoula wants to take or damage everything Seraphina loves, and that is what happens for most of the book. Seraphina is helpless to stop her until a Mary Sue moment toward the end when she discovers she has Great Power. But much of the damage cannot be undone.My favorite character in the first book was Orma, and my favorite relationship was between Orma and Seraphina. It was so refreshing to read a book where the primary “love” story was between a girl and her uncle.
Spoiler
But there is not one nonflashback, pre-excision moment with Orma in Shadow Scale, and he hardly appears in the book at all.We also spend very little time with the half-dragons we got to know and love in the first book (Abdo, Lars, and Dame Okra), and Lars and Dame Okra are not themselves for most of the book. I didn’t understand why the other half-dragons had so little power. Seraphina’s father is absent, as is Glisselda’s maid Millie.
There are some unconventional twists with a couple of the characters, which may please some readers and irritate others. A change in the relationship between Seraphina and Glisselda gave me my other Mary Sue moment for Seraphina, something which did not happen at all in the first book. There is a literal deus ex machina resolution, which was less original than I expected from this author.
To a certain extent, this reminds me of my experience with Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series. Later books have been more about visiting new lands and looking at their dragon cultures, rather than the relation between Temeraire and Lawrence. This book also focuses a lot on the other cultures outside Goredd, at the expense of established relationships.
I read an advance reader copy from netgalley.com.