Review by bmcmele - A Language of Dragons

bmcmele 's review for:

A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson

4.0

adventurous challenging mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really enjoyed the academic framework, and that dragons are part of the world. The mc is quite flawed, and spent most of the book blaming herself for a past mistake, determined not to see other perspectives because she believed herself to be flawed. The final two to three chapters were filled with so much back & forth about alliances & decisions, it became tiresome; I think it's difficult to narrate a change of character believably, so I understand the reiteration, but don't think it was necessary. Maybe for the YA audience it would have been though?

Another element that was very YA was the sudden intensity of emotions, which was also a bit challenging to believe.

Williamson did treat dragon and human realities & motivations pretty evenly, and applied her knowledge of linguistics in a fresh, engaging way.

I'd probably read another installment of the series, but hopefully it will be a bit more mature and less repetitive.

Content Warnings