Wow, this was good. Completely original, intelligent read. I have no idea how to categorize this--I really need a general fantasy category. I recommend this to EVERYONE who enjoys fantasy--I added this to my auto-buy list. ( )

I really enjoyed this fun dragon book. The spunky female lead was cranky and smart, without feeling like it was overdone. The male romantic interest was also smart, funny, courageous, and honest. It seems like in these fantasy romantic adventure books, the fellow is underwhelming, but i found this gentleman worth falling for. There is plenty of mystery and secrets. The dragons can take human form and the description of them describes some people on the autism spectrum, is is just me or do characters with asbergers keep popping increasing, or do I just have a name for these personalty traits now? ( )

Wow, I really liked this book! The main character, Seraphina, is a very nice heroine, very likable, smart and brave. I particularly like the ability she somehow got from her mixed heritage: the ability to reach out to other half-dragons. I also enjoyed the side characters: the buoyant princess Glisselda, the inquisitive prince Kiggs, the cantankerous music master Viridius, and of course the 'rational' Orma, who turns out to have a less rational side as well. I liked the dragons in general, particularly their inability to understand human emotions and manners.
The story had many sides to it: the murder of prince Rufus, Seraphina's struggle to keep her secret secret, while at the same time discovering her own abilities, the relationship between Seraphina and Glisselda and Kiggs. I don't always like too many storylines, but in this case, it worked.
And last but not least, this book was simply easy to read. I almost had to kick myself to bed, instead of keeping on reading, and it read like a train. I hope part 2 is out already, I'm going to check right after finishing this review! ( )

Reasons I personally loved this book:
-Seraphina is a wonderful protagonist.
-Rachel Hartman's obvious love of music.
-The portrayal of dragons in general.
--Orma, more specifically.
-Glisselda's character development.
-Lucian Kiggs in his more desperate moments.
--Everyone in their more desperate moments.
--Lucian Kiggs' name.
-The entire plot. Rachel Hartman has plot twists down to an art: surprising but not out of thin air. I imagine the book has great reread value.
-The humans are compassionate and passionate, and it balances the dragons' calculating nature beautifully. Infact the entire novelis built on compassion. (I might be biased. I do love emotional fantasy.)

What I disliked:
-The open ending. It makes sense and there's nothing necessarily wrong with it, but I'm worried about the sequel. All the conflicts I was truly invested in have been resolved and I'm worried about finding the sequel trivial. Of course, I might also be fantastically surprised.
-Trivial, but bothersome: why is there not a map? This is definitely a mappish book. ( )

I really don't know why, but I just could not get into this story. It didn't speak to me, or whatever, but for whatever reason, it wasn't compelling enough for me to finish after a hundred pages or so. So, I've given it up in favor of more interesting fare. Your mileage may vary. :) ( )