I gradually loved this book. I had high expectations for it. After all, it involves music and dragons. What could be better than that? I didn’t expect everything else to play such a part. In Seraphina’s world, there is a fragile peace between humans and dragons, a peace that has lasted forty years because of the charisma of the current leaders of each kind. As the leader of the dragons comes to celebrate the forty-year anniversary of the treaty, tensions increase. And to top it all off, the heir to the throne was just murdered in a way that strongly suggests dragon involvement. Seraphina, the assistant to the court musician, is drawn into trying to keep the peace. She walks a very thin and occasionally dangerous line between the two sides.
I loved the creative twist that Hartman includes: dragons have figured out how to take the form of a human. In that way, they interact with and study alongside humans. I found Hartman’s dragons to be realistic characters – uncomfortable with human emotions and entirely rational beings. My expectations for dragonkind were more than met.
I do with there could have been more music, but it’s always hard to satisfy me on that account. Once I realized the focus of the story was the complications of Seraphina’s existence and not her music, I was perfectly content to settle in to enjoy this story to the very end. The characters and the events just kept growing on me until I thoroughly enjoyed them. I didn’t want this book to end. And I just may have gotten my wish, since it’s clearly set up for a sequel!
Also, make sure you read the Cast of Characters list at the end. The book had its moments of humor, but this list had me laughing out loud continuously!
I loved the creative twist that Hartman includes: dragons have figured out how to take the form of a human. In that way, they interact with and study alongside humans. I found Hartman’s dragons to be realistic characters – uncomfortable with human emotions and entirely rational beings. My expectations for dragonkind were more than met.
I do with there could have been more music, but it’s always hard to satisfy me on that account. Once I realized the focus of the story was the complications of Seraphina’s existence and not her music, I was perfectly content to settle in to enjoy this story to the very end. The characters and the events just kept growing on me until I thoroughly enjoyed them. I didn’t want this book to end. And I just may have gotten my wish, since it’s clearly set up for a sequel!
Also, make sure you read the Cast of Characters list at the end. The book had its moments of humor, but this list had me laughing out loud continuously!
 Atmosphere |
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