jaepingsu 's review for:

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
5.0

This is one of those happy cases where I went in after reading plenty of 5-star reviews from friends and people I follow...and it actually living up to exactly what I heard about it. A smart young adult novel that doesn't put on the kiddie gloves and deals with politics, culture, religion, philosophy and music in intelligent ways? That has rich vocabulary that very well catch adults here and there? A new and interesting take on dragons that makes them exciting again?

On top of that, a heroine that I loved to read. Seraphina's a tough young woman, who is willing to take charge and defend herself and her friends. Who is dealing with some fairly crippling secrets but isn't afraid to go out and live her own life. Naturally there's internal struggle, but it's all handled wonderfully and at no point does she feel unjustifiably mopey about her life. It's always nice to see such a distinct character that's believable and easy to relate to.

All of the characters, for that matter, are really well-drawn, and it was really easy to get sucked into the complicated, intrigue-ridden story. Definitely a treat for fans of high fantasy. Looking forward to the next book!