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Seraphina

by Rachel Hartman

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Southlands (1), Seraphina (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
3,7782603,258 (4.1)1 / 216
In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.
  1. 51
    Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (tim_halpin)
    tim_halpin: Teenage angst mixed with angst about demon souls. Similar strong female teenage protagonists.
  2. 41
    Graceling by Kristin Cashore (sboyte)
    sboyte: Strong female lead with unique abilities. Fantasy realm. Well-developed love story. Unputdownable.
  3. 10
    Uprooted by Naomi Novik (beyondthefourthwall)
  4. 10
    Sabriel by Garth Nix (Beorn_se_Bacaire)
  5. 00
    Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (Heather39)
    Heather39: In both books, a musically talented young woman begins work at the palace, where she befriends a prince and ends up in unexpected trouble.
  6. 00
    A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (g33kgrrl)
    g33kgrrl: Draaaagons. Plus the pursuit of knowledge, the non-traditional (although in different ways) main character, and more.
  7. 00
    The Shape-Changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn (beyondthefourthwall)
  8. 00
    Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood by Meredith Ann Pierce (beyondthefourthwall)
  9. 00
    Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (beyondthefourthwall)
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» See also 216 mentions

English (253)  Hungarian (1)  All languages (254)
Showing 1-5 of 253 (next | show all)
Wow, this was good. Completely original, intelligent read. I have no idea how to categorize this--I really need a general fantasy category. I recommend this to EVERYONE who enjoys fantasy--I added this to my auto-buy list. ( )
  jazzbird61 | Feb 29, 2024 |
I really enjoyed this fun dragon book. The spunky female lead was cranky and smart, without feeling like it was overdone. The male romantic interest was also smart, funny, courageous, and honest. It seems like in these fantasy romantic adventure books, the fellow is underwhelming, but i found this gentleman worth falling for. There is plenty of mystery and secrets. The dragons can take human form and the description of them describes some people on the autism spectrum, is is just me or do characters with asbergers keep popping increasing, or do I just have a name for these personalty traits now? ( )
  mslibrarynerd | Jan 13, 2024 |
Wow, I really liked this book! The main character, Seraphina, is a very nice heroine, very likable, smart and brave. I particularly like the ability she somehow got from her mixed heritage: the ability to reach out to other half-dragons. I also enjoyed the side characters: the buoyant princess Glisselda, the inquisitive prince Kiggs, the cantankerous music master Viridius, and of course the 'rational' Orma, who turns out to have a less rational side as well. I liked the dragons in general, particularly their inability to understand human emotions and manners.
The story had many sides to it: the murder of prince Rufus, Seraphina's struggle to keep her secret secret, while at the same time discovering her own abilities, the relationship between Seraphina and Glisselda and Kiggs. I don't always like too many storylines, but in this case, it worked.
And last but not least, this book was simply easy to read. I almost had to kick myself to bed, instead of keeping on reading, and it read like a train. I hope part 2 is out already, I'm going to check right after finishing this review! ( )
  zjakkelien | Jan 2, 2024 |
Reasons I personally loved this book:
-Seraphina is a wonderful protagonist.
-Rachel Hartman's obvious love of music.
-The portrayal of dragons in general.
--Orma, more specifically.
-Glisselda's character development.
-Lucian Kiggs in his more desperate moments.
--Everyone in their more desperate moments.
--Lucian Kiggs' name.
-The entire plot. Rachel Hartman has plot twists down to an art: surprising but not out of thin air. I imagine the book has great reread value.
-The humans are compassionate and passionate, and it balances the dragons' calculating nature beautifully. Infact the entire novelis built on compassion. (I might be biased. I do love emotional fantasy.)

What I disliked:
-The open ending. It makes sense and there's nothing necessarily wrong with it, but I'm worried about the sequel. All the conflicts I was truly invested in have been resolved and I'm worried about finding the sequel trivial. Of course, I might also be fantastically surprised.
-Trivial, but bothersome: why is there not a map? This is definitely a mappish book. ( )
  and-then | Dec 29, 2023 |
I really don't know why, but I just could not get into this story. It didn't speak to me, or whatever, but for whatever reason, it wasn't compelling enough for me to finish after a hundred pages or so. So, I've given it up in favor of more interesting fare. Your mileage may vary. :) ( )
  lyrrael | Aug 3, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 253 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (19 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Rachel Hartmanprimary authorall editionscalculated
Albrecht, JeffIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Davidson, AndrewCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kolesova, JulianaIllustrator (Title Page)secondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Palisi, HeatherCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Williams, MandyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Zamajtuk, JasonCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
Dedication
In memoriam: Michael McMechan.
Dragon, teacher, friend.
First words
I remember being born.
Quotations
I usually practiced smiling while I slathered my scales with goo, figuring that if I could smile through that, I could smile through anything. Today I really didn't have the time.
We were all monsters and bastards. And we were all beautiful.
(page 90)

"My faith should not come easily;
There is no Heaven without pain.
My days should never flutter past
Unnoted, nor my past remain
Beyond its span of usefulness;
Le me not hold to grief.
My hope, my light, my Saint is love;
In love my one belief."
(page 142-143)

The vagabond sun winks down through the trees,
While lilacs, like memories, waft on the breeze,
My friend, I was born for soft days such as these,
To inhale perfume,
And cut through the gloom,
And feast like a king upon peaches and cheese!
I'll travel this wide world and go where I please,
Can't stop my wandering, it's like a disease.
My only regret as I cross the high seas;
what I leave behind,
Though I hope to find,
My own golden city of peaches and cheese!
(page 144)

I'll ask my true love, and I'll hope she agrees,
How could she not, when I'm down on my knees?
My Jill, say you will, and don't be such a tease.
When it's time to eat,
I say sweets to the sweet,
My love, let your answer be peaches and cheese!
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Wikipedia in English (2)

In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.

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Average: (4.1)
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