This is the kind of book that I would have love four years ago. 
 I still remember when I was this young, naive child who first dabble in the art of reading at the age of 12. Throughout the span of these sparkling years, I emerge in dreams of fantasy, dragons, elves, dwarves, magic, and especially revel in the dreams of being a heroine. I start out to write a book [ yes, yes, I burn it afterwards because it was very lame ] about this super cool protagonist who is socially insecure, but contains a dangerous magical power. She will soon learn confidence, engage in political plots, and fall in love with a handsome prince. 
 Turns out there aren't that many disparity between Seraphina and my book. Both revolved around a cool heroine, a love interest, and the usual magic. I would have swoon and rate this five stars when I was thirteen, and jump up and down if Seraphina could be my friend, but, as I grow older, and had accumulate myself enough reading experience, I realize all medieval fantasy book sound so much the same! 
 Here are the points I don't like about Seraphina: 
 1. Super slow pace : Hardly anything happen at all except Seraphina's daily life... she got up, go to music class, sleep, "tend to her garden"... blah, blah, blah. 
 What I thought was this: 
 Turn out to be flute playing + talking + some consciousness magic . 
 2. Seraphina's fail in being invisible . As a half-dragon, Seraphina is supposed to hide because Godredd's law would have her skull crack opened, but Seraphina did a terrible job at hiding: 
 a) Firstly, she deliberately display her musical talent : At the beginning of the book, when Seraphina was playing on the stage, people cry and talk about how awesome she was, and told her to play more songs. Throughout the story, various people have commented "Maid Dombeigh, your music is talented". Heck, they even know her name. Why don't Seraphina pretend to play average music, or better yet, don't be a musician, and the music mistress of a princess! That will attract super attention! Become a lowly worker in some average town, don't speak, don't talk, don't show any skill, be the most invisible creature conceivable! 
 b) Secondly, she deliberately talk in front of a crowd and royal prince without being addressed : When a dragon is attacked, Seraphina lamely jump towards the crowd and essentially engage in revealing herself by talking and asking questions. In front of the prince! No! Don't talk and please just stand behind a crowd and merge in the shadow. I guess that would make the book very boring if a protagonist isn't exactly engaged in anything - however, a talented authors does not rely on making a character clever through these naive verbal combats, he can have his character secretly plot things behind the scene. Not so with Ms. Hartman. Seraphina inevitably talk back to the prince, the princess, elders, queen... blah, blah, blah, and inevitably attract attention to herself by naively express her emotion and point of view. 
 c) Thirdly, she deliberately fall in love with a prince : No, Seraphina, my dear. He arrest you for lying about a random device. He will sure kill you because you are a half-dragon. Do not kiss him. Do not have personal involvement with a royal, because that will betray your identity. He is already engaged to the princess. You are ruining a country and yourself. Don't even cry or cut your scales or becoming self-destructive because of a dude. No. Your life is perfect. You have magic, you have a loving mentor and a father. Why... why... why? 
 3. Cliche characters : We have the *special* protagonist, of course. Not that I hate Seraphina, she is much better than other dumb YA heroines. But there is nothing exactly make her stand from the crowd. She had the essential characteristics of a typical protagonist: 
 a). A different person with supernatural magic 
 b). Talk back against authority... uhm, when it would be wiser to pretend being submissive. 
 c) Know political plot, super evil scheme of the country while other people are dumb 
 d) Fall in love with the prince : Lucian Kiggs, or Seraphina's love interest, is seriously one-dimensional and weird. He even accuses that she is in love with her mentor [whom I taken to be an old man?], and arrest her even though she just save his ass. 
 e) Win the bad guy through bluffing : This just made me laugh aloud, because seriously, in the real world, just talking won't save you. The bad guy is cliche, one-dimensional evil dragon who is easily bluffed by a 16 year old girl *Face palm*. 
 4. Dear, dear, dear - teenagers cannot save a country : Like other thousand fantasy novels, the teenagers and the protagonist always emerge as heroes. No. God sake no, how unrealistic is that. The ending is super predictable with Seraphina saving the entire kingdom along with her handsome prince. Yada, yada, yada, and everybody lives happily ever after. 
 5. Not enough suffering : I didn't exactly invest in Seraphina because she had such a perfect life - being a music mistress, best friend with a princess, got the attention of a prince... After 50 pages, I can assure you that she will win and come out alive. A better story would have a character is half-evil, half good, intelligent, cunning, suffer more, do not win the love of anybody, endure as a silent hero as people detest him/her, and sacrifice. 
 Overall, it wasn't that bad . I credit Ms. Hartman for her original idea of dragons, even though I feel it is out of place because technology is very incongruous with the Middle Ages. She has a good understanding of writing novel. Her characters are not that superficial and one-dimensional. I would have sincerely rate this five stars years ago, but after reading A Game of Thrones , I realize the potential of fantasy genre to worm out of cliches. Seraphina's world is happy, with love, laws and order. The real Middle Ages is much more brutal than that. There is war, rape, blood, vengeance, corruption and political rivalry between every single person. There is no way a sixteen years old can become a super powerful being who knows all the plots and save the world and earn the love of a prince and a princess. 
 Brush that aside, it is a decent story, with enjoyable moments and nice plot. Recommended to people who love traditional fantasy novels 
 And that is the end of my cantankerous rant!