Publisher: Doubleday Children's
Format: ARC
Published: 19th July 2012
Number of Pages: 384
Book: For Review*
Genre:
Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Murder-Mystery, High Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, Action-Adventure, YA
Recommended
Age: 12+
Contains: Violence, Swearing, Alcohol References
No Drug References
Author's
Blog: Rachel Hartman
A
fragile peace has been achieved in the realm of Goredd, and dragons and humans
live together in harmony.
But
the truce is shattered when a royal prince is brutally murdered – could dragons
be to blame?
Seraphina,
a talented court musician harbouring secrets of her own, is drawn into the
investigation and uncovers a darker plot, one that threatens the very existence
of the kingdom. And soon her own life is
in terrible danger as she fights to hide the secret behind her amazing gift…
Review:
Now I’m going to warn you before this
review really starts: this is hard-core fantasy, meaning the emphasis is on the
world building – and the world does so
kick butt! Ergo: there isn’t non-stop
dragon-fighting action. But even without
a fight a second, Seraphina kicked
plenty of butts. It’s a must-read for
you fantasy lovers!
"Prince
Rufus was just murdered in a suspiciously draconian manner…"
For forty years, there has been an uneasy
truce between humans and dragons in the land of Goredd. Although the
peace is shaky, it is peace all the same and is far better than the fighting before.
The dragons, or Saar as they are also
known, live among people in human form. It's coming up to the treaty's
fortieth anniversary when the Crown Prince Rufus is killed in a suspiciously
dragon-like fashion.
It's in the middle of all this that
Seraphina enters the Royal Court. Seraphina, who has a dark secret she
must protect at all costs. She even has to keep her phenomenal musical
gift hidden, for fear of her family's safety.
But can she keep her secret when she's
pulled into the mystery surrounding the Prince's death, when she realises that
the humans and dragons could be on the verge of war once again?
When she begins to fall for someone when
she knows to love would be to reveal what she truly is...?
The characters were brilliantly done - from
the leads to the minor characters, those in the royal court to the ones in
Phina's head. Phina was a brilliant heroine, so instantly loveable. She was brave, kind, bold and clever, and so not a damsel in distress. I loved how socially awkward she was: she was
just the perfect heroine! Oh, and I have to mention the garden in her
head: it was her way of keeping her “ard”,
internal balance, in harmony and was inhabited by avatars she called “grotesques” – I mean, how cool?! I also loved Prince Lucian: he was so clever
and intuitive and witty and ironic. He
was, as Phina said, “adorable” – and
loving and cute and noble and, well, kinda perfect! And the Princess Glissenda was another
brilliant, brilliant character: she could have been a brat so easily, but she
just wasn’t. I loved Gliss and her
hidden wisdom and “mother hen” fussing! Oh, and I loved the strange Orma too: he was
so marvellously odd! And the minor
characters were just as brilliant too, just as three-dimensional and
padded-out. I just loved how all the
characters were portrayed - the prince and princess weren't bratty or spoilt in
the slightest, the girls were all girl power, the love interest was sexy but
not withdrawn or broody. They were all just perfect!
And, man,
this world rocked! It was so rich, so vibrant, like I was really
there. Sure, it took a while to get the hang of, but isn't that so for
all fantasies? And all that really counted was how utterly amazing the dragon lore was. And
let me tell you: it was amazing!
I also couldn't help admiring the way
Hartman drew parallels between the conflict of dragons and humans and the
conflict between races in our past and present. I know I'm probably
reading too deeply into a kids book, but I can't help it: I just really liked
the parallel and applaud Hartman for it – genius!
With magic, science, friendship, love,
mystery, murder and dragons, Seraphina
was one kickass fantasy book. I loved it so much I couldn't put it
down! It just knocked my socks right off! There was so much to love
about the book and very, very little - next to nothing, really - to hate.
I can't wait for the next book - and not because there was some evil cliff-hanger!
My first YA book in ages to end without sendin' me crazy, yet leaving me
yearning for more! Yay to Rachel Hartman, and thank you for leaving me
with my sanity! I'll be eagerly anticipating Book Two!
Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5
4¾ Out of 5
Read this
book if you liked:
Challenges
It's Taking Part In:
Happy Reading
Megan
* This
book was received from RandomHouse in exchange for an honest review
1 comment:
I've recently bought this book but I had my doubts about it, because I don't really read High Fantasy much, but from your review, it seems like a great book, so I'll definitely read it now :)
Marlene Detierro (Rogue River Country)
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