In the land of Goredd, talented Seraphina Dombegh is a court musician...and, unbeknownst to everyone else in the kingdom, she's also a half-dragon. As the result of a treaty that was signed decades ago, dragons, who speak their own language and can shapeshift to human form, have more or less integrated to society - but not without conflict. The murder of a member of the royal family has inflamed humans' suspicion and dislike of these creatures, and Seraphina fears that her half-breed status could be an instant death sentence if word got out. Is this the return to 'savagery' for dragon society, or are there more sinister forces working to destabilize the kingdom to achieve their own ends?
As a fantasy fan, I really, really wanted to love this one, but I actually had a harder time getting through it than any other book in recent memory. Rachel Hartman's writing is strong, and I think that she has a bright future writing for teens, but I found the pace in the first half of the book to be glacial. The story doesn't really take off until around page 200, and I'm afraid that its intended audience will have trouble maintaining interest for that long. I appreciated the different take on dragons and the way that the book tackled real-world cultural issues like xenophobia and prejudice instead of offering a predictable light fantasy adventure. I also hope that Hartman's world-building of Goredd and its neighboring kingdoms strengthens in the second and third books of the planned trilogy. I finished the book not quite sure of the lay of the land . Overall, though, I think that this would still be a very strong recommendation for any fantasy / dragon fans, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the author does next.
