Seraphina Review

451 pages

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high. Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Review:
This novel has a distinct middle age feel to it which definitely fits the major theme of dragons here. Seraphina has always lived her life in the shadows to help protect her secret from outsiders. Honestly, Seraphina's secret was pretty obvious to me although I wasn't sure of the exact details in which it would manifest. Although Seraphina has inner strength and a need to protect others, she has a type of self-hate which is difficult for her to overcome. I loved Prince Lucian although the love triangle he seems to be getting himself into might turn out to be harder than he thought. The draconian way of thinking is an interesting one of cold rationality without the burden of human emotions unless in human shape. This of course creates quite a rift between dragons and humans, each seeming alien to each other. There is a lot of prejudice between dragons and humans which leaves them constantly one step away from war. Most of this book is filled with Seraphina trying to solve the mystery of who is trying to destroy the peace between the two species. Although this isn't a novel full of action, it consists of political intrigue and intellectual ideas that make for an interesting read. I really enjoyed this novel and I can't wait to read the next one in this series. I definitely recommend this if you like fantasy novels with dragons and the like.