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A review by marimoose
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
If a teenage Katniss Everdeen lived in a speculative 1920s London with dragons and her weapon wasn't the bow but at least nine different languages (at least 6 being languages spoken exclusively by dragons), it would be this book. Okay, no, I'm being too simplistic, but I hope you can see my point.
But this book was actually really good? And I was so invested that I got angry over the injustices the characters faced throughout. I'm also not sure if this book was a standalone or a series when I dove into the story, but it left enough of an open ended resolution that could honestly give us more about the speculative world that the author gave us; that is, when an impending war is fought between humans and dragons, how does communication play a part?
Loved the idea of different dragon languages, loved the overall story being spun about recruits working overtime at Bletchley Park in order to win a war. Hell, I even loved the characters we met--save for a special few, may they rot in dragon HELL.
The only thing that I really took issue with was how long it took for Vivien to get her act together. I know the book is meant to emphasize the major growth in her character arc, but my gawd it felt dragged out at times. It didn't help that we were constantly in Vivien's head, and because the first person POV leaves us with an unreliable and flawed character, it got tiring. All the characters around Vivien were better characters (Atlas is an honest to goodness SAINT, yall), and hopefully in the sequels, we are not just privy to her perspective. (I would KILL for a Marquis or Sophie POV tbh).
That being said, it was an overall enjoyable book and honestly, I'm here for the draaaaagons and my dragon queen Chumana.
But this book was actually really good? And I was so invested that I got angry over the injustices the characters faced throughout. I'm also not sure if this book was a standalone or a series when I dove into the story, but it left enough of an open ended resolution that could honestly give us more about the speculative world that the author gave us; that is, when an impending war is fought between humans and dragons, how does communication play a part?
Loved the idea of different dragon languages, loved the overall story being spun about recruits working overtime at Bletchley Park in order to win a war. Hell, I even loved the characters we met--save for a special few, may they rot in dragon HELL.
The only thing that I really took issue with was how long it took for Vivien to get her act together. I know the book is meant to emphasize the major growth in her character arc, but my gawd it felt dragged out at times. It didn't help that we were constantly in Vivien's head, and because the first person POV leaves us with an unreliable and flawed character, it got tiring. All the characters around Vivien were better characters (Atlas is an honest to goodness SAINT, yall), and hopefully in the sequels, we are not just privy to her perspective. (I would KILL for a Marquis or Sophie POV tbh).
That being said, it was an overall enjoyable book and honestly, I'm here for the draaaaagons and my dragon queen Chumana.