Seraphina [Kindle Edition]

Rachel Hartman (Author)

Book Description

In her New York Times bestselling and Morris Award-winning debut, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages. Eragon-author Christopher Paolini calls them, "Some of the most interesting dragons I've read in fantasy."

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Teen Book of the Month, July 2012: In Seraphina, dragons and humans maintain an uneasy peace and for a woman who is both there is nowhere to turn for acceptance--not even within herself. Seraphina has spent her young life concealing the truth of her parentage and authentic nature, a task that proves ever more difficult when she is thrust into the spotlight of the royal court. Author Rachel Hartman’s dragons take human form but shun the messiness of human emotion by remaining “in ard” (a highly rational state of mind), while their counterparts cling to a dangerous assumption of species superiority. As the anniversary of the treaty between the two sides approaches, court intrigue reaches a fever pitch and hard-won truths, betrayals, and intricacies of the heart are laid bare. Seraphina is a beautifully complex fantasy that delves into the most basic of desires—to be loved, to belong, and to find peace in self-acceptance. --Seira Wilson

Guest Review by Tamora Pierce

Tamora Pierce is a best-selling author of fantasy books for teenagers. Her books, known for their teenaged girl warriors and wizards, have received critical acclaim and a strong fanbase. Her newest book, Mastiff, is the third book in The Legend of Beka Cooper series.

In Seraphina's world, coldly intellectual dragons can take on the shapes--and feelings--of human beings. Sometimes this results in a surprise. Seraphina's father married a beautiful musician, and discovered too late that she was a dragon. She died, leaving him with a daughter who confuses him and his new wife and children.

Now the half-dragon Seraphina is the assistant to the cranky royal music master. She is in charge of Princess Glisselda's music lessons; she books performers for the 40-year celebration of the peace treaty between dragons and humans, and she rehearses the rowdy court musicians. She has to hide the scales on her arm and around her waist, and she can never let anyone find out that Orma, her music teacher, is actually a dragon.

When she plays the solo for the funeral of the realm's murdered prince, Seraphina is suddenly raised into entirely new, visible levels of peril. People she always avoided are noticing her. She has to attend social functions, where she is caught up in court politics, between those who support the treaty and those who want to destroy it. She runs afoul of conspirators who want to start the war again--one of them may be her own grandfather. She even discovers that Prince Lucian, who is betrothed to Princess Glisselda, is not only very sharp-eyed but also very agreeable to be around. He appreciates her insights on intrigue at court and in the city and uses her as an unofficial investigator into the ongoing unrest.

The plot thickens. A new religious order plots riots and revolution. Exiled knights return to report an unregulated dragon flying near where the old prince was murdered. The dragons are trying to send Orma for corrective surgery--they think he's gotten too human and they want to cut those parts out of his brain. Seraphina fears that if she tells the prince and the princess what she is, they'll hate her forever, but their work to preserve the treaty celebrations is bringing them closer together. And all of them are terrified that the dragons will decide that humans are not worth the trouble, and will destroy them at last.

I loved this book even more the second time I read it than I did the first. The characters are interesting and engaging, and I love the new look at dragons. For all that she's half-dragon, Seraphina is a very believable human being, caught between different loyalties and just trying to keep everyone she loves alive. But don't take my word for it--read it yourself!

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-In the decades since the peace treaty was signed, a fragile amity has existed between humans and dragons. Or so it is believed. As the treaty's 40th anniversary nears, a rogue dragon masterminds a dangerous scheme to reignite the ancient war between the two species. Caught unwillingly in the crossfire is Seraphina Dombegh, assistant music mistress of the royal court, who guards a terrible secret: She is half-dragon, a genetic anomaly considered an abomination to both sides. Because of her unique ability to connect with dragonkind, she is reluctantly drawn into a high-profile murder investigation headed up by the acutely insightful Prince Lucian Kiggs. Seraphina knows this death is only the tip of the iceberg, below which lurks a plot far more sinister and far-reaching. But can she divulge what she knows without also revealing the truth about her heredity? Or her forbidden feelings for the prince? The audiobook cover's nondescript black-and-white does little to hint at the gorgeously vivid imagery contained within Rachel Hartman's stunning debut novel (Random, 2012). Although the pace unfolds rather slowly, the story is by no means dry. Hartman's detailed storytelling and intricate plotting are reminiscent of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy and Franny Billingsley's Chime. Mandy Williams's crisp voice harmonizes perfectly with the lyrical writing and lush ambiance of this exquisite tale. Fantasy enthusiasts will be enthralled throughout. A must have!-Alissa Bach, Oxford Public Library, MIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1570 KB
• Print Length: 482 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0385668392
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (July 10, 2012)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005IQZC2M
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,653 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #37 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teens > Historical Fiction
  • #55 in Books > Teens > Historical Fiction
  • #66 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teens > Mysteries & Thrillers

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

128 of 148 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The black sheep July 14, 2012

By O. Lisa

Format:Hardcover

I hate it when I have the impression that I am reading a different book from other readers whose opinion I value. Hate it. Unfortunately, it happened with this book. I've read some really glowing reviews but, alas, I can't just - partially - share the love.

Objectively, Seraphina meets all the requirements to become the next epic fantasy series: it has an original take on a fairly exploited theme - dragons -, an amazing world-building, a well formed, strong main character, a 5-star-worthy writing style.

But let's go in order:
The story is set in a world where two species exist: dragons and humans.
Dragons, powerful creatures, mathematical minds, able to take human form (saarantrai) to interact with people, reject all emotions as weakness, to the point of excising them from their brains.
Humans, constrained in their fragile bodies, fear dragons above all else and despise them, even in their human form, to the point of racial discrimination. These two species have been at war with one another for the longest of times, except for the past forty years when a rather unstable truce gave apparent peace to the world. Now it's the time to renew the peace.
So, dragons. And humans.
And then, there's Seraphina. She is the unthinkable, a half-dragon. It is imperative her identity remain a secret, but when the Prince of Goredd is found brutally murdered and all fingers point to the dragons, Seraphina becomes the unwilling protagonist of an investigation to unveil a plot that is threatening to jeopardize an already unstable peace and which will oblige her to face her most dreaded nightmare: the truth about herself.

Sounds awesome, doesn't it?...
Dragons that can take human form, that speak their own language (Mootya), that are organized and regulated by an Ardmagar and a council of Censors. I found it fascinating. In fact, the world-building is extremely well developed and detailed. To be honest, I haven't read that many books about dragons, and I'd say this is probably on the same level as Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, as far a world-building goes.

Seraphina is an amazing character. Caught in the middle between two worlds, neither here nor there, she has been taught to despise a part of herself, to keep it secreted. She lives a lie and will never be accepted by either worlds. She is an abomination.
I loved her passion for music, her witty personality, her intelligence and self-deprecating sense of humor. I loved how she grows during the story, how she comes to term with her feelings, how lies do not belong to her but have only been inculcated in her, how she is fundamentally honest. Even the love story, which could have been a potential love triangle, comes out as believable, growing and sweet. Lucian is a bit too much the perfect guy for me, too good through and through, but still very likable. I found much more interesting a whole set of bizarre side characters: Madame Okra, Abdo, Viridius, Orma, Basind. They had me laughing most of the time and were truly what MADE this book for me.

Hartman's writing is what I'd define sophisticated and recherché. I had to look up a fair amount of words, my favorite probably being houppelande. There are no doubts about the quality of her writing and truly, there isn't much more to say about it.

But I have to defend my 3 stars.
I'll sum it up in one word: pacing.
Despite the fantastic world-building, the amazing characters and the luscious writing, I had such a hard time getting through this book, I considered abandoning it on more than one occasion. The quantity of information to take in in the first, say, 150 pages of the book is massive and not always explained in a way to make it crystal clear. Some things are just thrown there and then explained 50 pages later. There's a whole universe of saints to digest that... really, were they necessary? And there is barely any action up until - I marked it - page 168.To be honest: too slow for me, sometimes it really could not keep my attention.
I had a hard time wrapping my head around Seraphina's "garden" and her grotesques, I felt the need for a bit more physical descriptions - of the Quigutl, for example - and a MAP. I really, really wanted to see a map. How is this world? Where is the Tanamoot? How many other kingdoms are there and where are they in respect to Goredd?

So three stars. I enjoyed it because I was stubborn and kept reading and was finally rewarded in the second part but I'm not sure everybody would get through those first 100 and odd pages. Or maybe it's just me, other readers seem to adore it.
I'm looking forward to seeing the cover for it and I will surely pick up the sequel to this adventure with dragons, hoping that, with the infodump out of the way, I will find it a bit more fast-paced. Read more ›

52 of 61 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully different dragon fantasy. July 3, 2012

By J. Lesley TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

One of the things which instantly caught my attention in the descriptions of this novel was the ability of the dragons to change their shapes to mimic the human body. That concept just absolutely opened up an entire realm of possibilities for this author. As it turned out, the saarantras (dragons in human form)are still not able to feel human emotion, but at least they can interact with humans without scaring them to death. That was simply one of the new world concepts this author invented to make a fascinating novel. The broad concepts of mathematics and music are also key to this new world along with bigotry and diplomatic negotiations. But I'm getting carried away and rushing too far along. The book description states that it is intended for ages 12 and up and it is perfectly appropriate for someone as young as 12. There is nothing of a sexual nature in the novel. I do think that the story was a little slow to engage my interest because the world building is so prominent in the first third of the novel, but don't give up on it. You will miss a real treat if you do.

This story concerns the central character of a young woman, Seraphina Dombegh, who has spent her entire 16 years of life hiding a secret. Now circumstances are beginning to change and Phina is having a harder time dealing with all the new happenings in her life which make the secrecy more urgent and yet harder to maintain. She has recently been hired as the music assistant to the court composer and her first difficult job will be to play a flute solo at the Invocation for the funeral of Prince Rufus. Feeling is running high because it would appear that the forty year peace accord between humans and dragons has been violated.... Prince Rufus's dead body was found but his head was not, surely a clue pointing to a dragon as his murderer. Admagar Comonot, the leader of the part of the world where the dragons live, will be coming to Goredd in a week to celebrate the anniversary of the peace treaty but there are those who see the death of Prince Rufus as a chance for war, not continuing peace.

The characters in this novel are wonderfully developed by this author as is the world they live in. It is a very deep and complex world so the first portion of the novel is focused on acquainting the reader with how the humans, with all their feelings and emotions, can co-exist with dragons, who think completely with logic. So logical in fact is their thought process that it is based on mathematical equations. I found these two extremely differing concepts fascinating as I watched two races try to deal with every problem from a diplomatic standpoint knowing all the time that they had completely different starting points. This novel also has a very perceptive concept of bigotry running through it. Even though the peace treaty has been enforced successfully for almost forty years these two groups have never actually gotten to know each other. They think they understand each other, but when given the slightest opportunity their ignorance comes bursting to the surface and the leaders understand that they have simply been avoiding problems, not solving them.

This is a very different type of dragon fantasy. It is not based on fighting and killing and flaming each other out of existence - even though there is a small portion of that in the book. This fantasy deals much more with the emotional aspects and attempts at diplomacy that lead to learning about each other. It lets the reader see how easy it is for an enemy to be hiding right in our midst and we never even suspect because they look and sound just like we do. How perceptive this author is. And I also love the little examples of wit she places within the novel. Just reading the information in the Glossary and the Cast of Characters shows her willingness to take a lighthearted approach to her own work. Even though I haven't seen anything definite I simply cannot believe there will not be a sequel to this novel. The ending of the book tugged at my heartstrings and I really want to know if everything will come right for Seraphina. She has carried her secret for a long time, but it is obvious that she has the strength to keep on going. Besides, I need to find out how Orma fares in his exile. And what about Lars and Abdo? No, there are simply too many friends I want to keep reading about so there has to be a second book in the works. Read more ›

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and fascinating! August 15, 2012

By Evie Seo (Bookish blog)

Format:Hardcover

I loved Seraphina! I was totally blown away by this phenomenal YA fantasy, full of fresh ideas, clever plot developments, and fascinating dragons. This beautifully written novel is sure to impress readers, with relatable characters, savvy storyline and magnificent world-building.

Rachel Heartman's dragon world is simply gorgeous. I loved that she developed such an interesting and complex society, complete with political and social aspects. Dragons in this story mingle with the human kind; they take on a human form and live among their former enemies. They are not violent, fire-breathing, blood-thirsty creatures - they're very intelligent, rational, cold-minded, and diplomatic. They don't roam the skies in search of an easy pray, and they don't randomly attack innocent people - they're far more civilized for that. Hartman's dragons attend the court as ambassadors and give lectures at universities. They are scholars, scientists, and tutors. And yet humans don't trust them. The peaceful co-existence between humans and dragons is ensured by the peace treaty, but like with any treaty, there are those who support it and those who'd like to destroy it. The already unstable truce threatens to fall apart when a body of Prince Rufus is found, and the fact that it's missing head seems to be pointing to a dragon as his murderer.

Our sixteen-year-old heroine, Seraphina Dombegh, lives with her father, and works as the assistant of the royal music master. Her mother died while giving birth to her, and though Seraphina has no memories of her, she inherited her incredible musical talent. Though extraordinarily talented, she can't display her musical skills publicly, as she can't afford to draw attention to herself. Why? Because of the dark secret she's hiding.... A secret that, if discovered, could put both her and her father in great danger.

I really loved reading about Seraphina, her world (outer as well as inner), her interactions with Orma and Prince Lucian, and all her adventures. It was heartbreaking to see her struggle to accept who she was, adapt to her difficult situation, and learn to live with the consequences of her origin. Most of all, though, it was moving and inspiring. Seraphina's life was never an easy one. Her father wasn't excessively affectionate towards her; and she had to watch her every step in order to keep both of them safe. She was so full of passion, so curious of life and the world around her, and yet she was never allowed to fully explore her potential. To me, she was like a bird in a cage who never got to spread its wings and fly freely. That didn't stop her from dreaming and trying, though, and I loved how persistent, hard-working and brave she was. A truly wonderful heroine, indeed.

Seraphina is exquisitely written. Everything from the setting of the story to its many interesting characters is exceptionally fleshed-out. Rachel Hartman writes with style, grace, and great care for details, making it easy for the reader to connect with the characters and fully appreciate all the intricacies of the storyline. Her descriptions are vivid, flavourful and rich. The meticulous plotting instantly captivates and the mesmerizing writing style weaves a magical spell. It's simply impossible not to fell in love with this book; this world; this achingly gorgeous tale.

While it's not a book that you'll be able to breeze through in one sitting (at least not for me, it isn't), it's most certainly one that you'll be coming back to every day until you finish it. And you shouldn't rush through it; you should take your time and slowly savour the story to ensure no details or important information escape your attention. There's a lot going on on the pages of Seraphina, and it's all-too easy to miss something that might prove essential to understanding the world, the characters, and the intrigue. Besides, why would you want to rush through something as beautiful and imaginative as this fabulous fantasy novel? It's such a treat, and not only for fans of the genre, but for anyone who loves a solid plot line, breath-taking adventure, and magical worlds filled with fantastic creatures. Oh, and let's not forget about the musical aspect of the story! It definitely added a nice sophisticated touch to it.

To be honest, I don't think there's a single thing I didn't enjoy about this book. It's a gorgeous and compelling piece of literature and I definitely recommend checking it out. It's true that it took me a while (nearly one-third of the book) to really get into the story, but when I did, I didn't want to stop reading. I am absolutely in love with Rachel Hartman's writing style and can't wait to see what else she has in store for us! Read more ›

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