This is a newer book, published in July, 2012. It’s an intriguing debut, though with a few shortcomings.
The setup is that humans and dragons are forty years into an uneasy peace. Dragons are able to take human form, and there’s a lot of paranoia about this on the part of the humans. Dragons who change have to wear bells and other identifying markers. But it isn’t only the humans who are worried. Taking human form causes dragons to experience emotions that their reptilian lives haven’t prepared them for. Their time in human form is limited, and afterward they have to report to Censors who will erase problematic experiences from their memories.
This aversion to emotion may be a fresh surprise to younger readers, but anyone who is familiar with Star Trek will instantly recall the supremely logical Vulcan race.
Well, perhaps there’s a reason for this paranoia. The title character, Seraphina, is half dragon. Her mother, a disguised dragon, became so entranced with music and her emotions that she left her home behind to marry a human. Imagine the poor man’s surprise when she died in childbirth, bleeding silver instead of red. Seraphina is brought up by this strict father who demands, for her safety, that she deny and conceal her true nature.
Well, it wouldn’t be much of a story if she did THAT, now would it? Seraphina ends up in the most dangerous place she could be — the royal court, where she’s helping throw a huge ball for the human and dragon leaders to celebrate the anniversary of their peace treaty. This was something that struck me as off in the story; if I had as much to hide as Seraphina, I would be teaching music in an obscure kindergarten, not in a capital city full of intrigues!
But there she is, preternaturally intelligent and a true musical prodigy. Yet she believes herself to be ugly and cringes when men flirt with her. With her draconic mind, Seraphina comes across as almost autistic, and I have mixed feelings about this because the real people who are autistic might or might not find it appropriate. And, as smart as she is, Seraphina insists on going blithely into the most dangerous situations, including a battlefield of the heart where she’s up against her own best friend.
In other words, the story is a good old-fashioned adventure with lots of twists, secret identities, and a romantic triangle. Things seem to be coming out her way by the end, but this is clearly the first in a series, so we’ll have to see where Hartman plans to go with it.
Some of my comments might seem too negative, and I don’t mean it that way. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for ages 12 and up. It is a rich and complicated world, and kids under 12 might not have the patience for so many details.
