Review: Seraphina

Title: Seraphina (Seraphina #1)
Author: Rachel Hartman
Publisher: Random House
Year published: 2012
How I got this book: I listened to it as an audiobook on the app StoryTel
My rating: 4 stars

Goodreads synopsis:
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons int he kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as amassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high. 

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered - in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

My thoughts:
Seraphina spent a long time on my TBR before I finally got around to reading it. And I'm so glad that I did. This is a book I really enjoyed, and it was easy to get into.

Despite this being a fantasy book, I didn't feel like I had to try to get into the setting. It just came naturally, and the world opened up as you read. I really liked the dragons in this book, and the fact that they can take human forms. I haven't really read a lot of books with dragons, so I don't know if this is anything new, but I found it interesting and it really made the story something special.

We only follow Seraphina's perspective in this book, which works wonderfully. We discover her own secrets as she uncovers them all, and we learn about the world with her. 

Though I found this to be a light-hearted book, I also think it brought up injustices we have in our own society. Especially racism towards each other, depending on how we look and come from, and not how we are as people.

This is a book I will recommend to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy book, because I really think they'll enjoy this. Even if you're not a big fan of fantasy, I suggest you give it a shot. It's not going to be for everyone, but you'll never know unless you try it. 

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