Reviews with content warning for Self harm - Seraphina

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Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

21 reviews

crunchylettuce's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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? No

4.75

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jacqueline_07's review against another edition

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slow-paced

4.0

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Overall, I liked this book. It took a while for me to really get into it, because I found the first like third of the book to be pretty slow. For a while, I felt like I was waiting for something to happen, waiting for the book to start. For that reason I said it was slow paced.
However, once things got going I was hooked. I thought the plot was interesting. There was a main reveal at the end they I did not see coming for a long time, however once it was revealed it made so much sense, and it was cool to look back at previous parts of the and be like ohhhh thats why they did that. Small details that were actually really subtle hints that I didn't realize until the big reveal. I thought that was cool.
I also really liked the way Hartman wrote her dragons. I thought the whole exploration of a species that rejected emotion was really interesting, and how it all culminated in this idea that "love is not a disease." I thought the exploration of a culture that rejected emotion was super interesting. For this reason, I think Orma has to be my favorite character. I think he was the most complex and interesting to read about, and his journey balancing human and dragon culture was really interesting to read about. Especially, his ultimate decision and acceptance of one, spoke volumes.
I thought the commentary on love, as mentioned before, was interesting as well: The idea that it isn't reckless or careless / you aren't a bad person if you chose to follow love, despite the consequences. I think this was shone through how Seraphina initially held a lot of resentment towards her mother, but then began to understand her through her own journey and the reason her mother did what she did.
However, I don't totally know how I feel about this because it is clear that her mother's decision proved to be incredibly harmful to Seraphina, because of the society they lived in. However, there were notes of the book that emphasized Seraphina's power and gifts that came out of being half dragon. Also, at the end of the book Seraphina and Lucian addmitted their love for each other and pretty much said they would be together when them being together wouldn't harm the political situation, or those around them. I think this is supposed to show how ultimately, Seraphina and her mother chose the same thing: love. Seraphina for much of the book rejected it and almost promised herself she would let it go because of the repercussions. However, ultimately she realized she couldn't live like that, and couldn't live with herself if she did not express her love. Which is completely understandable to me. However, what I feel conflicted about is how, Seraphina and Lucian are pretty much devoting themselves to each other, but Lucian is going to continue being with Glisselda, although his heart is Serpahina's. I loved Glisselda, so it hurts to see this, and idk if morally this is that great. Like out of their respect and love for Glisselda I feel as though they should tell her. I think she has the right to know. And perhaps from there they can work out what the public story will be. Idk, that just really rubbed me the wrong way. But I guess that just makes them morally grey characters, and made me really think.
On a different note, I think the commentary on hating yourself, finding yourself disgusting and unlovable was really interesting and relatable. I could really relate to how she was always in fear of people knowing her too well, and how she "knew" that once those around her knew who she truly was they would not love her. Also, the way she was living a lie, and constantly maintaining this false identity really showed how exhausting it is to lie, and almost how impossible it is to maintain lies. Particularly, how exhausting and demoralizing it is to lie about who you are to those around you, and the people you love. Also the fear of people seeing your physical body and always covering up with clothes and then the absolute panic when you are / close to being revealed was really relatable / real to me.
Ok. I also feel like I just have to say something about this. One thing I COULD NOT GET OVER the entire book, was that Lucian and Gliselda are cousins....Like tf??? Every time they called her, his cousin..... Like wdym your cousin / fiance????? So that was weird to me.
Also some / kind of a lot of the dialog between Lucian and Seraphina was kinda cringe to me.
And the scene where Orma's uncle (forgot his name) found them on their way back from the journey and she just "bluffed him" or whtv and he just left I just didn't really like. Like I get it. Subjectively I think it was fine, but personally I felt like it was a little anticlimactic and then the way Lucian was like blown away....like king calm down that wasn't that crazy.
Also one thing I find myself thinking about a lot of fantasy books I read, including this one, is I want to know more about the world. I want to know more about the society and culture, and what normal people do. Like I always feel kind of like the characters are disconnected from the society they're in.

Those are my thoughts after just finishing. I thought it was good, I'm glad I read it. I took away some good ideas. Leaves me thinking about love, and if it is always the best thing to do to follow your heart. I think this book argues yes, and I think I agree. But the ending when they commit themselves to each other and plan on not telling Glisselda I really do not like. So I think where I stand right now is, yes you should always follow your heart, because how can you live with yourself if you don't, but you should be honest with those around you about it, and communicate, and work with them to work it out. Will continue to think about this.

Another thing I'm adding...My thoughts on the plot. I thought the premise was good, but like Lucian says in the book I feel like they were acting on not very grounded claims. Also it was supposed to be like oh Orma's uncle is plotting against the Ardmager, but I didn't feel very threatened, until the very end. And maybe that was what was so good about Orma's uncle's plan, he was so low-key. However, if he was this smart and strategical, I think his final hurrah and plan to kill them seemed rushed and uncalculated and therefore OUT OF CHARACTER. It wasn't that hard for them to catch him during this phase of his plan, and they did. Orma's uncles plot and strategy was so cool and calculated until the end, and I never suspected Aunt whtv her name is until the very end. I thought the detail with the dress in the cave so cool, especially looking back on. But yeah, Orma's uncle was so smart, and so low-key , that I never really felt threatened, however, as a book, I felt it made the plot not seem so urgent and not as entertaining.

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peytiebear's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I don't know if this is the right edition...I "read" the audiobook and it is just so good. It's one that I know I'll come back to and re"read" every few years. There are so many things I love about this book, I can't list them all and some of them are spoilers. But I will say the take on dragons is FANTASTIC, one of my favorites I've ever read, and it's so well-written -- it actually manages to have moments of characters miscommunicating or doing other things that are infuriating to read but not because you can tell the author is just manipulating it that way because they need to for the plot. Even when I wanted to yell "NOOOO COME ONE" I knew I wasn't being fair because Seraphina was actually always doing the best she could at any given time given her situation and personality -- it felt real for her character to be acting that way. All the characters feel real and alive, and for me the plot was genuinely mysterious and surprising. I saw a few things coming, but mostly got surprised. It's a delightful read for any fantasy fans who love sharply-drawn vivid characters balanced with a suspenseful and intriguing plot. And Dragons. Who in this book are basically Vulcans, so if you love Spock you should definitely read this too. ;)

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purplehulk713's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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

Glorious—soaring like a iridescent dragon against a moonlit sky or a sheer harmony resolving at the crescendo of an epic score. Seraphina is an incredible protagonist who might live in a fantasy world based on medieval times, but she faces the same ghastly, unfounded biases which plague our world today. Being an ityasaari in Goredd is analogous to being queer or transgender today—reviled for no reason, only for who you are, something which you cannot control and which should only ever be a source of pride. Rachel Hartman’s prose is both so technically brilliant and poetically marvelous that I kept wondering if she was an ityasaari to be able to write with such skill. Music is not really expounded upon so much in novels, so for this novel to revolve around a music mistress is quite refreshing. Seraphina Dombegh is also simply hilarious, and her cast of friends, rivals, and colleagues is a joy. Some of my favorite lines were…

I was half lawyer; I always noticed the loopholes.

So funny.

“Can I attain that level of petty vindictiveness?”

I aspire to.

As fascinating as this polite, courtly aggression was…

So fascinating.

He did not know the truth of me, yet he had perceived something true about me that no one else had ever noticed. And in spite of that—or perhaps because of it—he believed me good,believed me worth taking seriously, and his belief, for one vertiginous moment, made me want to be better than I was.

So relatable.

“There are two sacred causes in this world,” he said, holding up his pinkie and ring finger. “Chance and necessity. By chance, I was there to help when you had need.”

Beautiful.

For the first time, I understood the point of dancing. I was so used to music being the vehicle for expression, but here he was speaking to me not with his mind but with his body: I feel this music in my very blood. This is what it means to be me, right here, right now, solid flesh, ethereal air, eternal motion. I feel this, and it is true beyond truth.

Incredible, so poetic.

We were all monsters and bastards, and we were all beautiful.

Dame Okra Carmine is a gal! She is the greatest, and I love her and her refusal to tolerate anyone else’s nonsense so much! Her sort of grandmotherly disapproving relationship with Seraphina is fascinating as well. Her unique power is so captivating.

Spoiler

I love the unique supernatural almost-magic characteristic of Seraphina’s garden, Dame Okra’s stomach, Abdo’s agility, and Lars’s mechanical brilliance which are born of dragon blood.

But regardless of the supernatural elements present, the dichotomies are so omnipresent in our world. Please read this and remember how diversity makes us more incredible, that monsters and bastards are wonderful, and no love is a disease.

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