I know I'm a little late to the party with this one, but there you go. It's been on my radar since the release, I just hadn't worked up the courage to use the gift cards I'd been hoarding (yes, that's a horrible dragon pun) on a new voice. But, I kept wanting to read it. So I did. I must say, it has been a long time since a hyped new release satisfied me in this way. 
 Here be dragons, and what interesting dragons they be. This was a beautifully thought out fantasy land. Hartman gave me enough details for it to feel tangible, but not so many that it felt overwhelming. The dragons she created were extremely unique to me, having the ability to adopt a human form. These creatures are over-rational, attempting to purge all human emotion from their lives. This fact was highly intriguing. After all, doesn't society anymore want us to limit our emotional spectrum? 
 I felt as if every scene in this novel served the plot. This may seem like an obvious point. However, I've been reading a lot of books lately, usually lengthier ones, where the purpose of a scene just doesn't make sense to me. In most cases, I'm willing to go with a scene regardless if it's good. Seraphina did not make me choose. 
 Additionally, the plot was good. Seraphina was an amazing protagonist. A gifted musician beginning work at the palace, she was not perfect. However, neither was she weak. She was on a quest to do what she believed was right in helping her kingdom. She also gives us a beautiful coming of age story, as what she believes is right forces her to come to terms with herself. I believe Seraphina is one of the most positive female protagonists I've seen in Young Adult literature for a while. 
 There was a romance in this book. I'm not going to lie, at first I was hesitant about this. In a YA market now saturated with paranormal romance (not that I don't enjoy a good paranormal romance) I didn't want this book to fall into that standard. However, the romance wasn't the central focus here. The romance served the plot, rather than the plot serving the romance. This is an important distinction anymore, and helped secure the strength of the novel and Seraphina herself. 
 At its core, this is a novel about relationships, with ourselves and others. It is about self-acceptance. It is about accepting those different than us. It is about friendship. It is about honor and truth. Overall, I thought it was simply a beautiful story, and Seraphina an amazing protagonist. I can't wait to see her continue to grow into herself. 
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