dieslaughing's review
4.0
Originally posted at Portland Book Review.
Rachel Hartman's debut YA fantasy Seraphina was a blast of fresh air in 2012 – a gorgeously rendered Renaissance-style world featuring a thoughtful and unique take on dragons, complicated politics, and laced with a deep passion for and knowledge of music. And the entire tale was anchored by one of the most engaging heroines in recent memory – Seraphina, a musician hiding her half-human, half-dragon parentage amidst a society that deems her an aberration.
While Seraphina was a tale of bigotry and self-realization with a mystery heart, its sequel Shadow Scale – and the final book in the duology – is far grander in scope. War has fully erupted between dragons and humans (and their dragon allies) and Castle Orison's best chance of defending Goredd is by sending Seraphina to far away lands in search of others who share her dragon-human heritage. Readers of Seraphina will remember our heroine's magical connection to this disparate group of characters via their avatars in her psychic garden of “grotesques,” but Shadow Scale introduces us to the personalities, backgrounds, and actual faces of this large and highly varied cast, and Hartman gives each new character a distinct identity. The same can be said for the lands beyond Goredd, diverse in culture and language and geography; it's an all-too rare feat of deft, complex and fascinating worldbuilding.
While Shadow Scale's expansiveness is impressive, fans may find themselves missing the intimacy of the first book – Seraphina's relationship with her thorny dragon uncle, Orma, is especially missed here – and frustrated with Seraphina herself, who (for a while) comes across as passive in the face of the novel's greatest threat and the havoc that enemy wreaks upon her allies throughout the course of the book. But just as the story threatens to drag to a standstill, the reader is thrust into an entirely new aspect of the world, and it's this particular sequence that highlights Hartman's exquisite and off-kilter imagination. Without giving anything away, it involves an aspect of dragon culture we've never seen and is vividly crafted. You can't help but wish you could see the Jim Henson Company bring every wonderful and strange detail to life, and here's hoping Hartman takes this aspect and runs with it in her future novels within this world. And for those hoping for a resolution to the feelings between Prince Lucian Kiggs and Seraphina, Hartman definitely delivers a refreshingly different and layered ending.
While perhaps not as emotionally involving as its predecessor, Shadow Scale is an epic tale of moral ambiguity, belief, loss, fear, and ultimately the triumph of will. This is a big read with big ideas, an endlessly intriguing world, and unforgettable characters.
Rachel Hartman's debut YA fantasy Seraphina was a blast of fresh air in 2012 – a gorgeously rendered Renaissance-style world featuring a thoughtful and unique take on dragons, complicated politics, and laced with a deep passion for and knowledge of music. And the entire tale was anchored by one of the most engaging heroines in recent memory – Seraphina, a musician hiding her half-human, half-dragon parentage amidst a society that deems her an aberration.
While Seraphina was a tale of bigotry and self-realization with a mystery heart, its sequel Shadow Scale – and the final book in the duology – is far grander in scope. War has fully erupted between dragons and humans (and their dragon allies) and Castle Orison's best chance of defending Goredd is by sending Seraphina to far away lands in search of others who share her dragon-human heritage. Readers of Seraphina will remember our heroine's magical connection to this disparate group of characters via their avatars in her psychic garden of “grotesques,” but Shadow Scale introduces us to the personalities, backgrounds, and actual faces of this large and highly varied cast, and Hartman gives each new character a distinct identity. The same can be said for the lands beyond Goredd, diverse in culture and language and geography; it's an all-too rare feat of deft, complex and fascinating worldbuilding.
While Shadow Scale's expansiveness is impressive, fans may find themselves missing the intimacy of the first book – Seraphina's relationship with her thorny dragon uncle, Orma, is especially missed here – and frustrated with Seraphina herself, who (for a while) comes across as passive in the face of the novel's greatest threat and the havoc that enemy wreaks upon her allies throughout the course of the book. But just as the story threatens to drag to a standstill, the reader is thrust into an entirely new aspect of the world, and it's this particular sequence that highlights Hartman's exquisite and off-kilter imagination. Without giving anything away, it involves an aspect of dragon culture we've never seen and is vividly crafted. You can't help but wish you could see the Jim Henson Company bring every wonderful and strange detail to life, and here's hoping Hartman takes this aspect and runs with it in her future novels within this world. And for those hoping for a resolution to the feelings between Prince Lucian Kiggs and Seraphina, Hartman definitely delivers a refreshingly different and layered ending.
While perhaps not as emotionally involving as its predecessor, Shadow Scale is an epic tale of moral ambiguity, belief, loss, fear, and ultimately the triumph of will. This is a big read with big ideas, an endlessly intriguing world, and unforgettable characters.
mollyxmiller's review
4.0
My review can be found at my new blog:
https://bookhoardingfiend.blogspot.com/2019/04/review-shadow-scale-by-rachel-hartman.html?fbclid=IwAR0EbuH2PQx3_wcrIM-j34EiW0wZ4zngpMKEpuuJ7-DXLU8xDIGT7CXGi70
https://bookhoardingfiend.blogspot.com/2019/04/review-shadow-scale-by-rachel-hartman.html?fbclid=IwAR0EbuH2PQx3_wcrIM-j34EiW0wZ4zngpMKEpuuJ7-DXLU8xDIGT7CXGi70
gingerblivet's review
5.0
The fact that this book took me months to read should not be interpreted as a strike against it; rather, I suspect it was because I had so many emotions invested within that I did not want to risk them being disappointed.
And that was absolutely an unfounded view to have, it turns out. I want to hold this book up as a shining example of all that fantasy can achieve: well-rounded female characters, developed romance, trans characters, gay characters, disabled characters- the list goes on and on. And, oh yeah, it's got dragons!
To cut a long story short, I will be peddling this series to anyone who asks for recommendations.
And that was absolutely an unfounded view to have, it turns out. I want to hold this book up as a shining example of all that fantasy can achieve: well-rounded female characters, developed romance, trans characters, gay characters, disabled characters- the list goes on and on. And, oh yeah, it's got dragons!
To cut a long story short, I will be peddling this series to anyone who asks for recommendations.
harmoni_hazel's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dahlias_and_pyrotechnics's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mpchiz's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
moirwyn's review
5.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2015/03/30/shadow-scale-by-rachel-hartman/
Seraphina was one of my favorite books of 2012, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the sequel ever since. Enter Shadow Scale, Rachel Hartman’s long-awaited novel that continues the story of our favorite half-dragon heroine.
The kingdom of Goredd is on the brink of war. Because the war involves dragons, it is likely to be disastrous. Goredd’s young queen is much more open-minded than her predecessors, and doesn’t see dragons (or half dragons, which are considered abominations) as inherently evil. In fact, Seraphina, a half dragon, is one of her closest friends. When an ancient text reveals that half dragons, when united, may possess unique skills in fighting dragons, Seraphina embarks on a mission to find the other half dragons and bring them back to Goredd.
Even though uniting the half dragons is a dream come true for Seraphina, it is a dream that can easily turn into a nightmare. *dun dun dun* This was actually a really great thematic element in Shadow Scale, because it shows that even the best intentions can be corrupted and that a utopian vision doesn’t always translate well into reality. As Seraphina’s quest progresses, she realizes that the other half dragons don’t all *want* to be united. When she speaks to them, she is often projecting her own feelings of isolation and her desire to be a part of something on people whose experiences are completely different. She has to learn to see each half-dragon as an individual and separate their narratives from her own. And of course that’s only a small part of it, because spoilers.
I loved how much of the story took place within Seraphina’s mind. For anyone who needs a refresher from book one (but not a spoilery refresher, of course), as a child, Seraphina’s mind began reaching out to other half dragons, which manifested itself in some rather inconvenient visions that were getting in the way of Seraphina’s daily life. In order to remedy it, she developed a “Garden of Grotesques” within her mind, effectively walling off a small portion of her consciousness where she kept avatars of the people she was reaching out to. Seraphina’s journey in Shadow Scale begins from memories of her visions and clues that she’s been able to glean from the grotesques. Seraphina’s garden gave the story a neat dimension, because we got to see how events that vary in scale make a difference in the world. Something that happens in a vision can be just as important to the plot as battles and politics.
If you enjoyed Seraphina, you’ll love Shadow Scale. It’s just as good as its predecessor.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2015/03/30/shadow-scale-by-rachel-hartman/
Seraphina was one of my favorite books of 2012, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the sequel ever since. Enter Shadow Scale, Rachel Hartman’s long-awaited novel that continues the story of our favorite half-dragon heroine.
The kingdom of Goredd is on the brink of war. Because the war involves dragons, it is likely to be disastrous. Goredd’s young queen is much more open-minded than her predecessors, and doesn’t see dragons (or half dragons, which are considered abominations) as inherently evil. In fact, Seraphina, a half dragon, is one of her closest friends. When an ancient text reveals that half dragons, when united, may possess unique skills in fighting dragons, Seraphina embarks on a mission to find the other half dragons and bring them back to Goredd.
Even though uniting the half dragons is a dream come true for Seraphina, it is a dream that can easily turn into a nightmare. *dun dun dun* This was actually a really great thematic element in Shadow Scale, because it shows that even the best intentions can be corrupted and that a utopian vision doesn’t always translate well into reality. As Seraphina’s quest progresses, she realizes that the other half dragons don’t all *want* to be united. When she speaks to them, she is often projecting her own feelings of isolation and her desire to be a part of something on people whose experiences are completely different. She has to learn to see each half-dragon as an individual and separate their narratives from her own. And of course that’s only a small part of it, because spoilers.
I loved how much of the story took place within Seraphina’s mind. For anyone who needs a refresher from book one (but not a spoilery refresher, of course), as a child, Seraphina’s mind began reaching out to other half dragons, which manifested itself in some rather inconvenient visions that were getting in the way of Seraphina’s daily life. In order to remedy it, she developed a “Garden of Grotesques” within her mind, effectively walling off a small portion of her consciousness where she kept avatars of the people she was reaching out to. Seraphina’s journey in Shadow Scale begins from memories of her visions and clues that she’s been able to glean from the grotesques. Seraphina’s garden gave the story a neat dimension, because we got to see how events that vary in scale make a difference in the world. Something that happens in a vision can be just as important to the plot as battles and politics.
If you enjoyed Seraphina, you’ll love Shadow Scale. It’s just as good as its predecessor.
thereadingwren's review against another edition
3.0
Seraphina is one of my favourite books of all time but there was something about this sequel that didn't click with me. (Maybe it was the lack of Orma, lol)
I still love Seraphina as a character, she's such a badass but still really humble about everything and constantly struggling with being half-dragon. I really loved seeing more of Abdo, what an absolute adorable little monster. Their friendship is so wonderful and one of the best things about this book.
The quest part of the book dragged a little, though I THOROUGHLY enjoyed going to places where gender isn't binary and language reflects that. Loved the addition of trans characters too. Seriously, the queer rep in this book was really great for a YA fantasy.
The mind garden Seraphina has was always really interesting but I preferred the way it was handled in book 1. The whole conflict with Jannoula wasn't nearly as interesting as I anticipated and I kind of wish it wasn't there at all. The way everything was handled and the day saved was very deus ex machina.
My personal head-cannon of that ending is that
I still love Seraphina as a character, she's such a badass but still really humble about everything and constantly struggling with being half-dragon. I really loved seeing more of Abdo, what an absolute adorable little monster. Their friendship is so wonderful and one of the best things about this book.
The quest part of the book dragged a little, though I THOROUGHLY enjoyed going to places where gender isn't binary and language reflects that. Loved the addition of trans characters too. Seriously, the queer rep in this book was really great for a YA fantasy.
The mind garden Seraphina has was always really interesting but I preferred the way it was handled in book 1. The whole conflict with Jannoula wasn't nearly as interesting as I anticipated and I kind of wish it wasn't there at all. The way everything was handled and the day saved was very deus ex machina.
My personal head-cannon of that ending is that
Spoiler
Glisselda, Kiggs, and Seraphina are in a happy polyamorous relationship and rule together in bliss and that Orma regains his memories and starts a little family.torgotorgo's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
yellowbelford's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0