Take a photo of a barcode or cover
justine_ao 's review for:
Seraphina
by Rachel Hartman
Sometimes the truth has difficulty breaching the city walls of our beliefs. A lie, dressed in the correct livery, passes through more easily.
There have been four decades of uneasy peace between the dragons and humans in Goredd, but as the time for renewal of the peace treaty approaches, tensions grow and it becomes increasingly clear that not everyone wants that peace to continue. So begins a tale of murder, mystery, political intrigue and family secrets.
Dragons can take human form, which makes it easier for them to interact with people, although both species still have strong legal and moral codes that prohibit that interaction from going too far. Seraphina is a half-dragon, something most people think is impossible, if they can even imagine the requisite relationship existing between dragon and human in the first place. Her dragon mother is dead, her name unspoken by her dragon kin for the crime of having fallen in love with a human, but they believe she died childless. No one in Goredd knew Seraphina's mother was a dragon and her father has kept that secret well. Seraphina has spent her life trying to hide who she is, ashamed of her mixed heritage, and afraid of what will happen if anyone ever finds out.
It is hard not to see the dragons as a metaphor for the other that elicits fear and prejudice in our own society. Seraphina represents the pinnacle of that fear for both cultures. For the dragons, she is seen as the result of emotional chaos, and therefore antithetical to dragon nature. For the humans, she is seen as a soulless hybrid that is a crime against nature and their church. Seraphina's growth in the story is painful, but ultimately profound, as she slowly comes to terms with her own self-loathing, and to understand and see both her mother and her father in herself.
The world building in this book is incredibly intricate, but it never feels overwhelming, probably because the quality of writing is equally impressive. The political intrigue story provides an excellent vehicle for the centerpiece, which really is Seraphina's journey of self-discovery. The feel of this book reminded me a lot of [b:The Goblin Emperor|17910048|The Goblin Emperor|Katherine Addison|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373039517s/17910048.jpg|24241248], and while the story itself is quite different, there are definite similarities in the themes explored in both. Even though Seraphina is classed as YA, it is one of those books that has clear crossover appeal.
I would definitely recommend Seraphina; it is one of my favourite reads of 2016.
We were all monsters and bastards, and we were all beautiful.
There have been four decades of uneasy peace between the dragons and humans in Goredd, but as the time for renewal of the peace treaty approaches, tensions grow and it becomes increasingly clear that not everyone wants that peace to continue. So begins a tale of murder, mystery, political intrigue and family secrets.
Dragons can take human form, which makes it easier for them to interact with people, although both species still have strong legal and moral codes that prohibit that interaction from going too far. Seraphina is a half-dragon, something most people think is impossible, if they can even imagine the requisite relationship existing between dragon and human in the first place. Her dragon mother is dead, her name unspoken by her dragon kin for the crime of having fallen in love with a human, but they believe she died childless. No one in Goredd knew Seraphina's mother was a dragon and her father has kept that secret well. Seraphina has spent her life trying to hide who she is, ashamed of her mixed heritage, and afraid of what will happen if anyone ever finds out.
It is hard not to see the dragons as a metaphor for the other that elicits fear and prejudice in our own society. Seraphina represents the pinnacle of that fear for both cultures. For the dragons, she is seen as the result of emotional chaos, and therefore antithetical to dragon nature. For the humans, she is seen as a soulless hybrid that is a crime against nature and their church. Seraphina's growth in the story is painful, but ultimately profound, as she slowly comes to terms with her own self-loathing, and to understand and see both her mother and her father in herself.
The world building in this book is incredibly intricate, but it never feels overwhelming, probably because the quality of writing is equally impressive. The political intrigue story provides an excellent vehicle for the centerpiece, which really is Seraphina's journey of self-discovery. The feel of this book reminded me a lot of [b:The Goblin Emperor|17910048|The Goblin Emperor|Katherine Addison|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373039517s/17910048.jpg|24241248], and while the story itself is quite different, there are definite similarities in the themes explored in both. Even though Seraphina is classed as YA, it is one of those books that has clear crossover appeal.
I would definitely recommend Seraphina; it is one of my favourite reads of 2016.
We were all monsters and bastards, and we were all beautiful.