This book is pretty much a continuation of Seraphina. Its great because it does open up with a prologue of sorts, told in a third person narrative which gives a very nice synopsis of the first book. Its a great refresher and I thought it was the perfect way to bring the reader back up to speed after a long break from reading the first book. Anyways, this book focuses on Seraphina's quest of finding all of the half-dragons in her mind and convincing them to return to her home and fight for Queen Glisselda's kingdom where a dragon war is brewing. 
 Pacing for this book is fairly slow going for the first 1/3 to 1/2, then things change up and move along faster. Its a very, very long book with over 600 pages, but again, I was entertained enough that it really didn't feel that long. This book is a journey and has lots of discovery. It takes place in numerous fantasy lands as Seraphina travels with her group to locate the other half dragons. Its still told in a first person narrative, through the eyes of our heroine, Seraphina. 
 The main characters remain constant: Seraphina, Glisselda and Prince Lucian Kiggs. All of the grotesques in Seraphina's garden are discovered and introduced to the reader, each with distinctive and peculiar personalities. Orma, Seraphina's uncle is less present in this installment. Abdou, (aka Fruit Bat ) plays a fairly big role in this story, as he accompanies Seraphina on her quest. Janouella, who is present in the first book becomes Seraphina's arch-nemesis. We find out so much about this young lady as pages are turned in this one. 
 Overall, I think I may have enjoyed Shadow Scale slightly more than I did Seraphina. I enjoyed discovering and meeting all of the grotesques in Seraphina's mind. It was interesting to see how each ones special traits manifested in real life. Each one had his/her own unique abilities too. I was intrigued by the lore about the saints and how the author weaved this into the plot. It was peculiar, but interesting. The concepts of racial discrimination, overcoming weaknesses and learning to love yourself are explored deeper in this installment. The romance between Kiggs and Seraphina steams up a notch but then fizzles out a bit as the novel concludes. World building was unique, but had some holes, especially when it came to Orma's fate. I was not satisfied with how that situation wrapped up. Again, the conclusion to this one has an epic battle-like scene where Seraphina is pitted against Janouella. When the book finally finished up, I did think it was a suitable wrap up to the series. I felt like Seraphina experienced a whole lot of growth and changed into a much better, stronger person. 
 I would recommend this to Seraphina fans. I almost feel like this book may be slightly better than the first, well if you can make it through the slow start.