A review by youcancallmefi
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson

3.25

 

A Language of Dragons is a promising debut, brimming with original ideas and fantastical elements, but unfortunately, its execution didn’t quite live up to its potential for me.

First, I think the marketing for this book does it a disservice. While comparisons to Babel are made, I believe they’re somewhat misleading. Babel intricately weaves linguistics, academic research, and cultural critique into its magic system. By contrast, A Language of Dragons doesn't quite delve as deeply into those aspects, even though it shares some thematic similarities.

That said, the plot is engaging, and I appreciated the diverse settings the author introduces. The world-building touches on significant, real-world issues like politics, social inequality, injustice, and war. The relationship between dragons and humans is one of the book's strongest points, and I enjoyed exploring the political dynamics that influence different social classes. The dragons themselves were fascinating and added a depth to the story I found compelling.

The protagonist’s journey of unlearning her internalized biases was also an intriguing element. However, while I sympathized with her, I felt her character development could have been executed more effectively. Her gradual shift in perspective doesn’t reach its peak until about 80% into the book, which made the pacing feel overly slow and repetitive. It seemed like she never fully committed to a stance, and by the time her transformation happened, it felt a bit late.

The supporting characters are solid and fit the expectations of a young adult fantasy novel, though the villain, in particular, didn’t feel as convincing as I would have liked. This is often a key element for me in sustaining engagement, and unfortunately, the antagonist fell flat. The romance subplot, specifically the enemies-to-lovers arc, also leaned more toward insta-love than a slow-burn development. While the love notes exchanged between the characters were sweet, the romance felt more like a plot device to give the protagonist something to lose as the stakes escalated.

As the second half of the book progresses and more revelations come to light, the plot starts to show some cracks. One key example is the protagonist—who is repeatedly described as fluent in six dragon languages—struggling with dialects and nuances in communication that should have been well within her ability to understand. These inconsistencies detracted from the story’s overall coherence.

All in all, A Language of Dragons wasn’t a bad book—I enjoyed many aspects of it, especially the world-building and the portrayal of dragons—but I did feel let down by certain plot developments and character choices. I think many readers will still enjoy it, especially if they’re looking for a young adult fantasy with dragons and political intrigue, but for me, it didn’t fully deliver on its potential.