Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (2014-12-23)

Wanna escape? Why not go all the way? This thoughtfully imaginative story immerses you in a world of dragons, dragon-human, hybrids, and a host of colorful medieval peeps. Told through the voice of the title protagonist, the tale offers excellent character development and plenty of edge-of-your-seat suspense..Not a huge fan of such fare, I found myself thoroughly engrossed in a dragon-sized helping of serpentine intrigue.

I really enjoyed this story! It contains a truly original take on dragons and has unique characters. While clean there are some adult references to sex and homosexuality that I would feel uncomfortable reading aloud to a young audience, which is the only reason for my four star rating.

beautify written and expertly read. Though I do like a good fantasy, this book was so much more. Part poetic, with enough plot to keep you going and enough relatable meaning to make you think how it might effect today’s issues. It also mad me think deeper into myself (if you wish to read it that way). More than I expected from a fantasy. The narration was perfect and actually better than when I read on my own. I immediately ordered the next book and can’t wait to get into it and see what my new heroine is going to do next. I only wish it came with the same narrator.

The foundation of the story was good. I loved the descriptions of scenes and how thoroughly the emotions of characters flowed. This would have been better as a romance novel. The dangerous conflict parts were less impressive.

A much hyped novel that I finally decided to read, Seraphina came across as a little underwhelming. Not that I had much expectations before - prior to starting I only had a vague idea that it is an epic fantasy with dragons, and seemed much older in publication (that cover tricked me!) than it is. Seraphina’s story takes place in the kingdom of Goredd, where she is a human-dragon hybrid in a society that has had just 40 years of peace with dragons. If you are thinking about the mechanics of such a conception, worry not - the dragons can shift to human forms called saarantrai when they want to enter human society. The two species are vastly different - humans are, well, temperamental, prone to making decisions on emotions rather than logic and quite judgemental. Dragons, for their part, are an advanced species, logical to a fault, and uncaring of emotions, and utterly disrespectful when it comes to human customs. In the past, they waged a war with the humans for the hunting grounds that became human kingdoms, but in this relatively newer peace of four decades, tensions are rising again now that the leader of the dragons is about to sit the kingdom that forged the truce.

The major arc of the novel is very political - there are forces, internal and external that don’t see a point to the peace. Seraphina, for her part, has stayed out of court politics, but now that she has been made assistant to the court musician (and the unfortunate one who has to arrange ALL the entertainment at the palace) and teacher to the younger princess, she is unwillingly drawn into it. Also, there is the bastard prince (who is also fiance to the young princess) who is continuously amazed by her bravery and keeps thinking she is doing it out of civic duty or something. So, she is trying to hide her dragon part, while also helping out her dragon uncle find the perpetrator to the crime of killing the older prince, and trying to also defy her father who always forbade her from pursuing her musical talents. She embodies some aspects of a biracial identity in that she passes for human, and yet because of her status as belonging to both humans and dragons, understands and bridges the gap between them.

The novel is not all court intrigue and seriousness, though. It also has lighter moments like the running gag of everyone identifying her as ‘that Maid Dombegh who played so wonderfully at the funeral’, the dragons being confounded by any and all human emotions (especially the leader of the dragons who becomes convinced he is in love), her fellow musicians at court who are a little in love with her and tease her for trying to be as strict as the old court musician. She is adored by most of the people, yet she feels a bit alone - she feels insecure because of her dragon heritage and thinks that no one will accept her if they knew (which is partly right, because most of them are dragon-haters). There is the heartwarming friendship trio that forms between her, Glisselda (the princess) and Kiggs (the prince), which, while not exactly a love triangle, presents a similar obstacle for the slow burn romance between Seraphina and Kiggs to proceed. There are also some awesome half-dragon characters who save the day, and which I hope to see more of in the sequel.

I liked this book, but there were some pretty major pacing problems...like the first 150 pages were so slow that I almost couldn't read the book. Then it got good until the last few chapters. I am curious about book two but don't think it is worth buying. I will get it from the library if I get it at all.

Really very good reading. The characters are developed. You will have favorites. A book with a great sense of music. There is mystery, love, family drama, and the dragon v humans conflict. Leaves plenty to discover and experience in future books. Adult fans of Dianne Wynn Jones should enjoy. Fairly free of the overly feminine or masculine cliches of fantasy. Deep world building.

I'm not usually interested in books with dragons, but here the dragons function like another species of humans, a species that values logic as much as any Star Trek Vulcan, and they can shape shift into human form when they chose. There has been a forty year peace between the dragon and human kingdoms, but because they don't completely respect each other it's been an uneasy truce and is on the verge of falling apart after a beloved human prince is found decapitated in a way that looks suspiciously like the work of dragons.

Main character Seraphina lives as a human but she is in a difficult position because according to what most humans and dragons believe she's an abomination who shouldn't exist since her mother was a dragon who died giving birth to her but her father is human. Seraphina's form is mainly human and her dragon ancestry is a secret she struggles to keep. She has silver dragon scales on her arm and torso that need to be kept hidden at all times and before her mother died she managed to pass on a mental box of memories which can open and overwhelm Seraphina at the most inopportune times.

It's no exaggeration to say that the writing is gorgeous and the world building is breathtaking. Several human kingdoms with their own cultural idiosyncrasies participate in the treaty with dragons and the human religion is rich with frequently invoked patron saints. Seraphina lives in a society with queens and kings, castles and taverns, art and scholarship. She is the assistant to the gouty royal music master, and music instructor to the playful but perceptive Princess Glisselda, whose grandmother is the current ruler and the original author of the human-dragon treaty.

Though this is the first of a series, and I can't wait for the sequels to be published, it has a an ending that satisfies and won't leave readers tormented until the next book. I've posted a link to a free short story prequel in the comments under this review.

Great world building with likeable (if predictable) characters. A new take on dragons and a great heroine. I look eagerly forward to the sequel.
Seraphina is a lonely half-dragon/half-human who cannot get close to humans lest they know her secret and cannot expect affection from her cold-logical dragon relatives. She epitomizes the loneliness of adolescence while taking us through an adventure as war threatens her world and she is uniquely qualified to bring the two sides together.
I tired of the sometimes whiny self-pity that several of the characters indulged in but I couldn't fault it too far due to the YA target audience and the reality of the main characters' age (which one can easily forget in the tale).

It's a really interesting book. It could be really non-believable, cause the world is very crazy, but it's surprisingly good. Seraphina is a strong caracter that is introduced slowly, so you can't actually know what she'll do next. The prince is interesting and the princess is very funny. All caracters are well developed and intriguing. The story had a lot of surprises and it captivated me right on the first page. The world is so unexpected and new - and we're talking about dragons, it's very difficult to write something new about it - that you just can't wait to know what will happen next. I loved, it was a really nice reading.

Rachel Hartman has created an entertaining, engrossing world. As a truly great book will, it envelopes the reader into the story within the first few sentances. I had a hard time putting it down and really enjoyed the full sensory experience of the book: music, smells, colors, touch, taste and even the spiritual with a well rounded set of saints for the spiritual side. I look forward to the novel's sequel.

It arrived very quickly! I found this book through the A Mighty Girl website. What a fabulous site to inspire girls and give parents great resources. I wasn't sure my daughter would go for another book about dragons, but she saw it and immediately picked it up. She loves it!

The peace treaty between dragonkind and humankind has always been strained. In Goredd, dragons are allowed to take human form as saarantrai, though some in the kingdom are still wary. Seraphina Dombegh's close ties to her musical mentor Orma, a saarantras, gives her unique insight into the dragon world. When Prince Rufus is found decapitated, the easiest explanation is a dragon in violation of the truce, but Seraphina suspects someone else might be to blame. As the anniversary of Comonot's Treaty approaches, Seraphina seeks Prince Lucian's help to find the real culprit before tensions give way to war and her own secret is revealed.

Rachel Hartman's Seraphina is one of my favorite examples of brilliant world-building. There's political intrigue, philosophical differences, and prejudice on both sides. Hartman effortlessly uses each to build an extremely vivid world where physical differences are not the only thing that separates the two races. Dragons make both strange and awkward humans, emphasizing practicality but still intrigued by the peculiarity of human emotion. Humans have forgotten just how powerful dragons are and often mistake the peace treaty forge so long ago as a form of surrender. Both races struggle to find common ground, but must learn to work together in order to thwart the threat to peace.

Seraphina undergoes several personal trials throughout the book. She struggles with resentment toward her parents, for the one that lives and the one who died. Her musical ability and her understanding of dragonkind puts her in the limelight though self-preservation makes her want to disappear. Accepting herself has never been easy, especially in a world full of prejudice. Lucian Kiggs, as an illegitimate son, has always felt like an outsider. It is this part of him, coupled with his own desire to maintain peace, that draws him to Seraphina. Their playful banter and reciprocated respect allows their relationship to grow in a such a genuine way. There are several other characters that are just as interesting, from the dragon Orma who plays human quite clumsily to the young Princess Glisselda whose silliness does not negate her intelligence.

I didn't think my rating for Seraphina would change with this reread, but I completely forgot just how complex its world is (which I didn't fully appreciate the first time around), nor did I anticipate how moved I would be by Seraphina's journey. Now I'm off to read the sequel...

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the writing style, and how detailed her observations were of the court life that she built. The main character had no silly romanticism and had a hard time coming to terms with her emotions, put them aside quite often in order to get along in the society she lived in. I really enjoyed the book and hope there will be sequels. If I describe it further I'll spoil it - just take my word for it, the book is fabulous.

Just reread. Forgot how good this was. It unfolds so inevitably that the beautiful inner complexities are effortless toread. Like listening to your favorite music, the story is good in itself and throws off or inspires ideas or stories that eddy in the back of your mind. Read. It is worth the time.

Written well. Lovely story. Cannot wait to read the next book. Seraphina is a wonderful character...well rounded. The story is many leveled and keeps you engaged. Action and mystery and adventure and a love story. Must read.

Forbidden romance; danger; adventure; family problems; bigotry; miscegenation. This first fantasy novel has a little bit of almost everything, as well as a truly likable heroine. I bought this for my daughter, and she also liked it.
If you like dragons, this book will give you a different take on them, a take I think you'll enjoy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was up all night not doing homework 2 days in a row. :p I especially enjoyed the portrayal of the dragons. It was a nice change from the stereotypical dragon book. Some themes, like the antagonism towards dragon kind, were a bit redundant, but that could have been because I read the book in only a few sittings. I thought that the "love intrigue" was especially well written, and it kept my attention the entire time.

I would recommend this book to a friend who enjoyed fantasy and who liked to cheer for the underdog. Since this isn't a typical portrayal of Dragons, it may also appeal to a wider audience than other "dragon books". I did not rate this book as a five because I do not foresee myself reading this book multiple times.

After a genre saturating list of dragon stories over the years, Rachel Hartman has come up with an engaging and well written tale of humans and dragons coexisting in a mythical world. Seraphina is a character I connected to and hope to see more of her in future tales.

What an unusual way to tackle bigotry, intolerance, forgiveness, patience, romantic and humanity love. Truly illustrated the monsters and heroes that lie underneath us all and the ability of universal love to heal and transcend.

Fun and compelling, and an interesting new take on dragons. It feels like it's increasingly rare to find a good book about dragons with a female protagonist that isn't overly sexualized. This book could definitely be appreciated by anyone at any age. I can't wait for the sequel to come out!

The dragons in this book are beyond interesting and this story really subverts your expectations. I was hooked the whole way through Seraphina's struggle to grapple with her identity and it was both painful and exciting. Can't wait to read the rest!

What an unusual way to tackle bigotry, intolerance, forgiveness, patience, romantic and humanity love. Truly illustrated the monsters and heroes that lie underneath us all and the ability of universal love to heal and transcend.

Fun and compelling, and an interesting new take on dragons. It feels like it's increasingly rare to find a good book about dragons with a female protagonist that isn't overly sexualized. This book could definitely be appreciated by anyone at any age. I can't wait for the sequel to come out!

The dragons in this book are beyond interesting and this story really subverts your expectations. I was hooked the whole way through Seraphina's struggle to grapple with her identity and it was both painful and exciting. Can't wait to read the rest!

I have been meaning to re-read Seraphina ever since I first read it back in May 2012. But it never happened. Then, yesterday, I was looking at all my copies of it. And I knew I couldn't wait any longer. And I'm so so glad that I finally re-read this book. Because, oh. Seraphina is such a stunning book. Just perfect. And heartbreaking. And I love it so much. But damn. The wait for book two, Shadow Scale, is going to be even more painful now. I just cannot wait to read it. I'm so excited for it to come out. <3

Seraphina is a different book. Different and all kinds of special. I'm just so glad I finally decided to read it again, because now I loved it more, I think. And I'm a bit sad about all the things I had forgotten about it. Hmph. I had forgotten how very amazing it was. I had forgotten how much I adored Seraphina. And how much I loved Lucian Kiggs. Just, sigh. This book is beautiful. And I love it to pieces. Now I'm excited about reading it a third time someday, hih. I cannot even imagine never not loving this book.

I'm not sure what I want to share about this book. I want to talk about all of it, yet I don't. Because I need you all to read Seraphina right away. Because it is best to read it yourself. This book is just stunning. So much fantasy and history and surprises. There is so much to love about it. Like the amazing romance. Which is very small. But it is perfect too. Reading about Kiggs and Phina was my favorite part. How they argue and flirt and just are around each other. A bit of forbidden love too.

This book is told from the point of view of sixteen year old Seraphina. Whom I loved like crazy. She is just.. so amazing. So lonely and a bit broken. Yet so kind and strong too. But she has a huge secret. And it is all kinds of awesome. I love what she is. I love how it is on her body. But that one scene, with one scale, shudders. That was so heartbreaking. Yet also so real. Phina is sad and lonely a lot of the time. And I understood her so well. She's hiding what she is. Which she has to. But oh, it is also just so sad.

But then she starts getting friends. And I loved reading that. I loved reading her getting to know Princess Glisselda. And getting to know Prince Lucian Kiggs more too. Sniffs. Though, yeah. This forbidden romance kills me. As he is engaged to the princess. And gah. It kills me. Yet I have hope. I just. I have to. They are too cute together. And I need them together. Anyway. There are so many beautiful relationships in this book. So many friendships. Like Lars. I adored him. And the others. Sigh.

I also really liked her father. Okay, he is kind of cold most of the time, but I enjoyed reading about him. Because I understood him too. And Orma. Sigh. He is just all kinds of awesome. So cold and yet so warm and loving too. I loved that he is her uncle. I just loved Seraphina's relationships with everyone. It is so much fun and heartbreaking and sweet to read about. And omg. Her garden. I had forgotten about that. And it is so amazing and different and just perfect. I cannot wait to get to know them all so much more.

There are dragons in this book. And they are all kinds of awesome. Creepy yet amazing. There is so much about them. So much I still want to know. It was just all so interesting and different and I loved it to pieces. I cannot wait to know more. I just feel like book two will be so perfect. I cannot wait to read it. Because Seraphina is such a perfect book. It is full of heartfelt moments. Exciting moments. A cute and forbidden romance. Amazing friendships. Beautiful and creepy dragons. This book has everything.

There is so much I could say about this book. But I have already said too much, I think, hih. I just. I'm so so glad that I decided to re-read Seraphina. Because now my heart is full. I feel so much for this book. And it makes me so happy. I simply cannot wait to read Shadow Scale. Would give anything for it. <3 Waiting is torture. Ack. But anyway. You have all read this book by now, yes? If not, then you really should. This book is worth it. And I think it ends in a good place. Well, for the most part :D Go read it.

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I first read this book on May 6th 2012. My old review here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2012/05/review-seraphina-by-rachel-hartman.html
I read Seraphina for the second time from October 7th to 8th 2014. My book recommendation here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2014/10/book-recommendation-seraphina-by-rachel.html

There are fantasies that are fun, there are fantasies that are epic. Seraphina is magnificent. Superb world building, complicated characters, a devious plot full of red herrings. Truly original. A must read.

Spoiler alert on this review. I liked that phina's real nature was only slowly revealed and the metaphors of her mental issues. The book was logical but still able to surprise as it moved along. Definitely recommend it.

Where the races are human and dragon. Seraphina must always be afraid, dealing with and hiding her mixed heritage - but it also gives her enhanced understanding of the relations of the two races, where the land of the dragons has been taken over and colonized by the humans.

I was glad this was a Kindle monthly selection and had not paid full price. It was a nice little read, although somewhat predictable. Better for a young reader/adolescent audience. Bur as a fantasy/love story it was pretty enjoyable.

A unique take on some pretty typical YA Fantasy plots. The fantasy elements themselves were original and the voice was enjoyable. The protagonist does seem quite confused by what being honorable would actually look like at the end of the book, so parents may want to discuss this one with their teens, but, it is a great book to have those kinds of discussions with.

I loved this book. The characters were interesting and well developed. I loved how the story went back and forth with the maternal memories and the present day to make the story tie together. I loved the element of suspense and the opening for a sequel.

I really liked the premise of this book, but wasn't terribly fond of how it was played out. I feel like, with a book of this length, much more should have happened. There was hardly any action, very little mystery, and only dashes of romance. The majority of the plot seems to revolve around a girl coming to grips with her true identity; there's not much more than that. Because of this, I found her character to fall flat. Besides her "true identity," the only interesting factor about her was her musical ability, and even that was underplayed. The other characters have left no lasting impressions on me and thus fell equally flat. This is one of those books that I know a year, or even six months from now, I won't remember... It'll just get lost with all those other "so-so" books on the back burner of my mind.

Kind of Spoilers in part of my review- well marked :)

Seraphina..... Man. What a book. How can I describe how I felt when I finished this book? It was intense. I ached for the next book to begin. I ached for the main character and where she was left. I ached and ached that there was not more yet. When I finish a series or a book I love, there is a hole inside me. This book left a hole. I will be waiting with baited breath for the next book to fill that hole. I will be terrified that it will not be as beautiful as this book. Gah. But until then, I will be thrilled with the story this book gave me.

The main character Seraphina is WONDERFUL. She isn't a Mary Sue, she doesn't fall for abuse-a-boyfriend, she isn't in insta love. She is smart, strong, and lovely. She has her own weakness that are real( not only, oh man, I'm so clumsy!) but they only make her a better character. She falls in love with a character that is ABSOLUTELY worthy of her love, and she does it in a way that makes sense. Their relationship made me happy, instead of wanting to beat my head against a wall. *****SPOILER START*****god it made me ache and sad too though, at the end. They are so wonderful, both of them, which is ALSO why I love this book so much, they are both so worthy *****END SPOILER*****

The world building here is amazing. Hartman gives you enough to grow her world, but leave you wanting more as well. Everything is fully developed, but you know there is more she is going to unfold with her next book. The characters are so well fleshed out. I cared about them all, each one in Seraphina's head, each of her friends, her mentors, you have such an understanding of their characters.

The writing... The writing was amazing. Hartman weaves an amazing story with full characters, full worlds, full tension. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire story. I had to know what was going to happen, who was responsible for what, who was disguised as what, where things were, etc. Hartman is a pro, and the fact that this was a debut novel really surprised me. It shouldn't, obviously, as many debut authors are amazing, but this was truly a work of art in my opinion. I just loved it. I eagerly await the next in the series and anything else Hartman may write. I would kill someone for a copy of an ARC of the next book... Which I'm sure isn't done yet... But I'm just saying....