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Seraphina (Seraphina, #1)

Rachel Hartman

Start date: November 2, 2012

Finish date: November 30, 2012

Discussion: Books of the Month

Why we're reading this: We voted and this one won for YA Book of the Month
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What Members Thought

Jun 13, 2016 Ronyell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: musical-books, sexy-bad-boy-hero, young-adult-teen-books, read-in-2016, best-of-2016, sexy-good-girl-heroine, strong-heroine, my-blog-reviews, fantasy, strong-hero

“Sometimes the truth has difficulty breaching the city walls of our beliefs. A lie, dressed in the correct livery, passes through more easily.”

I have been hearing so many good things about Rachel Hartman’s debut novel “Seraphina” when it first came out and even though I had wanted to read it the first time around, I was not able to read this book at the time. But now, I finally got my little hands on this book and I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful narrative of this story!

Even tho ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Apr 17, 2013 SandyC rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-and-children-s, book-club-selections, arc, 2013-read, 2013-tower-teams, rrrc-2013-challenge, rrrc-2013

Reviews for this are generally favorable so I expected an action-packed, interesting fantasy/adventure with a strong heroine. I came very close to adding this book to my DNF shelf when my expectations weren't met. Thankfully, the story picks up after 200 pages or so. Seraphina is the music mistress in the household of Queen Lavonda. When a relative of the queen's is killed, it appears a dragon is the culprit. The kingdom has long had a treaty with dragons, so the action is serious and cause for ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 05, 2013 Meg rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebooks, suffolk-wave, borrowed, 2013-books

I loved Seraphina. I really and truly did. I was skeptical when I read the book's description - she's a half-dragon? Really? How does that even work?

Well, it works. It really does. Seraphina may look human, but the scales that encircle her wrist and her waist prove that she is anything but. Perhaps the most fascinating bit of Seraphina is the garden full of strange characters - her grotesques - which resides in her head. After a run in with her uncle Okra in his dragon form (for, you see, in the I loved Seraphina. I really and truly did. I was skeptical when I read the book's description - she's a half-dragon? Really? How does that even work?

Well, it works. It really does. Seraphina may look human, but the scales that encircle her wrist and her waist prove that she is anything but. Perhaps the most fascinating bit of Seraphina is the garden full of strange characters - her grotesques - which resides in her head. After a run in with her uncle Okra in his dragon form (for, you see, in the world of Seraphina, dragons and humans co-exist in an uneasy treaty where both sides don't really trust each other, and where dragons can take on a human form called a saarantras), a wealth of dragon memories (those of her mother, Linn, who was able to pass on mother's memories to her daughter, something which dragons can do but humans cannot) was awakened in Seraphina. Seraphina's 'grotesques' were awakened with the memories, and both play a big role in the story -- but enough of that for now, you'll have to read the book to learn more about mother's memories, the grotesques, and half-dragons.

Taking after her dragon mother, Linn, Seraphina is a musical virtuoso, assistant to the official composer for the royal court of Goredd. She instructs Princess Glisselda, second in line to the throne, in music and later (and unofficially) in dragon relations, all while struggling to conceal the fact
that she is part dragon, something which is quite taboo and which could get Seraphina killed. Still, for someone so desperate to hide her half-dragon nature, Seraphina sure does get up to some risky, attention-grabbing antics.

It is the world of Seraphina that is truly exceptional. Dragons, saarantras, Seraphina's grotesques, and a strong cast of supporting characters (many of which are fantastic creations themselves) make up a world which you want to become absorbed in and learn more about. It is Hartman's universe building which kept me interested.

That said... (SPOILERS - why do I always read that in River Song's voice?)

Why must there always be a love story in young adult novels? I feel like Seraphina and Kiggs' relationship added very little to what was otherwise an exceptional addition to the YA core, and I'm less than excited to see it implied that their relationship will heavily feature in the next installment of the series. Perhaps they'll surprise me - but for now I see no reason why I should love Kiggs, or why Seraphina is so interested in him. ...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Cora rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, kindle, dragons, library, young-adult, shapeshifter, coming-of-age, murder, family-relationships, knights

For forty years there has been peace between the dragons and the humans in Goredd thanks to a treaty negotiated by the Queen and the leader of the dragons, Ardmagar Comonot. As the fortieth anniversary of the treaty approaches, Ardmagar Comonot plans to visit Goredd to celebrate. However, dragon/human animosity is on the rise after the prince is murdered in a manner that suggests that the culprit was a dragon. Seraphina has a secret, she is the product of a marriage between a dragon and a human. ...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Shanyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mind-blowing, favorite-characters

This book is exceptional. It is extraordinarily well written, the characters are engrossing and completely evolved. And the amount of world building Rachel Hartman does is staggering and thoroughly gorgeous.

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Mar 02, 2013 Tfalcone rated it really liked it

It sounds like the setting should not work, but it does. Dragons taking on human shapes and living in peace with their neighbors. The knights have all been sent away. Great fantasy story.

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