Seraphina:Review

Author: Rachel Hartman
Page Number:451
Publisher:Random House Books For Young Readers
Source:Bought

Description:
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, 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.

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world. Seraphina's tortuous journey to self-acceptance is one readers will remember long after they've turned the final page.

Review:
I was literally, speechless after I finished this book. Everything was amazing. The details, the characters, the world building...EVERYTHING. Now, with a flourish, I will start my review.

The world building in this book, simply, was perfect. The details off this new world was so good. I pictured everything, down to what Seraphina's dreams looked like. It took me completely by surprise. I knew everybody seemed to be recommending this book and raving about it, but I truly, did NOT expect it be so good. I loved how original and different this new world was.

 Another thing about the world building that I really enjoyed, was that everything was introduced at a decent level. Everything wasn't just suddenly pushed at you to wonder what the heck was going on. I have no idea how this author came up with this wondorous book, but I still definitely appreciate it.

The characters in this book, was also...guess what?...AMAZING! By the end of this book, I felt like they were my family, instead of just fictional characters. I love that feeling, even though it is sad when you must leave them. I love that feeling, since that means that is a definite sign that they book was good. But, moving along, the character development. Yep, I know. There is some real character development in a YA book! How exciting is that? That being said, you should buy this book, simply because of the character development.

Seraphina-She was such a real character is what I immensely enjoyed about her. She had flaws, like any human-being. She was honest, opinionated, and stupid at times, but that gave her depth. Not just the surface of her.

The romance. I know most people want to hear about it, so I will talk about it. It was slow, easy-paced, and real. Everything that I enjoy. I hate insta-love, and this book was not in the insta-love list. You could say that there wasn't much romance in this book, and that is the truth. This book just introduces the relationship between Lucian and Seraphina. There was drama, but very little and towards the end. The second book will most likely be filled with Lucian and Seraphina, but this book wasn't about the romance, it was about creating the plot and story of the series.

The plot is probably the next thing that I loved right after the world building. I mean, you could just tell that the author spent alot of time coming up with a good plot. Everything led to something it seemed. It never made me bored, exactly the opposite, really. Come on, I finished this book in a day! And even though I like to think I'm somewhat of a fast reader, I usually never finish a book in a day. That alone should tell you that I'm not joking when I said this book was fantastic. But, back to my main point, the plot was awesome. It was the perfect pace to keep you reading, and everything came together smoothly.

Now, the ending. There isn't really much to say about it. It wasn't a cliffhanger. It wasn't boring. And it didn't leave you hating the author. But, it did leave questions hanging in the air, just waiting to be answered by the sequel. So, I will most likely end up reading the second book, if not for answers, then for the descriptions and world building sure to be waiting for me.

5/5