From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

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
[close] We voted and this one won for YA Book of the Month

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What Members Thought

Nov 12, 2011 Bonnie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012-books, young-adult, ya-fantasy-sci-fi

SURPRISE SERIES!!! I thought this was a standalone fantasy up until the end and I saw that things were not even close to wrapped up. Not that I don't love this book and will happily read more, but I want more standalones in my life.

This reminds me of Summers at Castle Auburn (one of my very favorite books) and other solid fantasy YA of my youth. All the elements are there, and they’re mixed together just right. Good romance - Seraphina and Prince Lucien Kiggs (despite Kiggs being a pretty silly SURPRISE SERIES!!! I thought this was a standalone fantasy up until the end and I saw that things were not even close to wrapped up. Not that I don't love this book and will happily read more, but I want more standalones in my life.

This reminds me of Summers at Castle Auburn (one of my very favorite books) and other solid fantasy YA of my youth. All the elements are there, and they’re mixed together just right. Good romance - Seraphina and Prince Lucien Kiggs (despite Kiggs being a pretty silly name for a prince or a love interest) are just too good together. Good worldbuilding - the humans have a tentative truce with the dragons in a kind of Cold War detente situation, but dragons can take human form and so there's the paranoia that anyone could be a dragon. Also, dragons are basically Vulcans (taught logic and control to cover intense emotions). Good characters - all the leads were appealing and had the necessary depth.

I love how honorable Prince Kiggs is, how vulnerable he is because of his bastard status, how brave and competent he is. And Seraphina is a wonderful heroine (do I have to list the virtues again? Clever but insecure, strong but fragile, etc. etc.).

But I think my very, very favorite must be Orma. He’s taught to be emotionless and logical but he can’t stop loving Seraphina and his dead sister. He will protect Seraphina no matter what and his biggest fear is having his memories of those he loves stripped from him for his transgressions of feeling too much. But he is still at heart a scholar and a dragon and he can be a bit removed from human norms, which is both amusing and sweet. Plus, the fact that he was the runt or at least a disappointment to his father? More heartbreaking and it only makes me love him more. Oh, Orma. I hope you have a happier future than your past.

The one bit of the story that might have been too off was Seraphina's mind garden. It is unique, to say the least. She has this imaginary garden in her head where she keeps...things...like humanoids who seem to exist independently of her. It is kind of impossible to explain and while it is an important plot point it is also so many kinds of weird that my own brain cannot handle it. I think I need a mind garden for Seraphina's mind garden.
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