Seraphina - Rachel Hartman
Read from July 21 to 27, 2012
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I had my doubts about Seraphina but I’m glad that I read it. It wasn’t a single-sitting read for me and although the writing style at places held me captive, it mostly just felt long and exhausting but I appreciated it nonetheless when I wasn’t skimming through the passage to see what was actually going on. Teehee!
Initially my response to Seraphina was must-read, like want-it-now, gimme-gimme-gimme; but after getting not too good responses from GR friends who had read it, I wasn’t sure; so I put it off. This book opened up my imagination to a whole new world where dragons and humans tried to exist peacefully together and where dragons were actually more kick-ass and powerful than they already are. I mean, they are huge flying lizards that can spit fire and bite off each other’s neck and hunt humans for food and stuff but that’s not all! They can shape-shift and take human form and are actually geniuses. The only thing they lack is emotions. More so, having emotions is a taboo, the dragon-stigma if you like.
Our female protagonist, Seraphina is a gifted musician and is the assistant of the court’s music composer. She is intelligent, talented, shy and has a secret that she cannot risk being revealed. She’s a half-dragon. Her mother did the unthinkable and married a human and died giving birth to their baby! *gasp* What my pervy brain isn’t able to comprehend is that how a dragon in human form able to conceive a baby? Okay, they might have ovaries too but then dragons are flying lizards and not mammals, so they’re supposed to lay eggs. Even if somehow in human form, the zygote is formed, I would bank on it being laid as an egg; but whatever, when Edward Cullen, a dead vampire with no blood can have veins that make his wiener do the job, then anything can happen *shrugs*. Her father is the court’s lawyer who fights cases mostly pertaining to peace issues regarding the dragons and the human race. The story starts with the entire kingdom in mourning over the loss of their only Prince Rufus who was mysteriously beheaded by someone. There is a lot of unrest because of the coming Golden week, where the dragons from Tanamoot visit Goredd. The story starts with searching for Prince Rufus’s killer leading to more hidden conspiracies along with a lot of more secrets and shocking revelations mixed with many emotional yet confusing rides.
All of this sounds awesome, right? Additionally, the plot is well framed and the world-building remarkable; still there were some things I found lacking. I’ve already mentioned that the writing style is flowery and something that requires a lot of investment from the reader. I sometimes suffer from short-attention spans and it happened quite often while reading Seraphina. I found myself easily distracted with even bird chirping after reading a few paragraphs attentively, which is really uncommon when I’m immersed in a book. Initially, things were very confusing. Whenever an author introduces us to a new world, it’s the author’s job to describe everything vividly without losing the readers somewhere in the middle. There shouldn’t be a high ground which is tough for the readers to attain. This was the initial problem but later things get less complicated. However, it took more time than it should have to get there.
Another problem is that this book didn’t relate to me on an emotional level. It’s not that I don’t like the characters but I couldn’t really feel their emotions. I found myself more consumed by the pacing and the descriptions. I was more impressed by Hartman’s lively and beautiful descriptions of the music that Seraphina played and the songs that she sang. The way Hartman gave words to the beauty of listening to music and experiencing what one feels while playing or enjoying the symphony was breath-taking.
A thousand regrets I’ve had in love,
A thousand times I’ve longed to change the past.
I know, my love, there is no going back,
No undoing of our thousand burdens.
We must go on despite our heavy hearts.
A thousand regrets I’ve had in love,
But I shall never regret you.
Simply Beautiful..
Blessed is he who passes, love,
Beneath your window’s eye
And does not sigh.
Gone my heart and gone my soul,
Look on me love, look down
Before I die.
One glimpse, my royal pearl, one smile
Sufficient to sustain me,
Grant me this,
Or take my life and make it yours:
I’d fight a hundred thousand wars
For just one kiss.
Apart from that there were some minor things that were really weird. There was a mention about teeth at inconvenient places, which I found absurd. I guess it was just a fluke. Thank goodness for that or my imagination would be on overload. Also, did I read that there was a peacock pie and not a pecan pie? I found that very disturbing for some reason. There was a line where Selda’s music playing was described as “breath-takingly mediocre”. First off ‘takingly’ isn’t a correct word. Secondly, it doesn’t make sense.
Now I’m just nit-picking. *shakes head*
Anyhoo, there was a lot that I liked so I should give some credit to that. Even though I found the idea of Seraphina’s garden quite bewildering in the beginning, it was actually a really smart twist/power to add into the story. Hm.. I have tried to keep my review mildly spoiler-free till now, but there is a lot I want to say which I can’t without giving out a lot so here’s a fair warning: Skip To Next Paragraph please. I can put the whole text under spoilers but I don’t want to, so hush, don’t judge Seraphina being able to contact all her peeps from the garden was a very handy ability and I found it really interesting. Besides, all of her garden folks had a different personality and a different story which was a plus. Abdo, poor Abdo. His condition got me misty-eyed. Why does life have to be so unfair to some? Your arguments about him being a fictional character are invalid.
I also liked Orma’s character and his bonding with Seraphina in the end was touching. I enjoyed Ardmagar Comonot’s confusion and skepticism over his own feelings. Now that reminds me, why exactly was Comonot in the Church instead of the parade when he was attacked? Did we ever find out? Or was I the only one who missed it? Also, are we sure that Prince Rufus was killed by Imlaan? Or did I miss out on that too? Wow, this has made me question my reading skills now.
So, all in all, I liked the book. The romance factor was another thing I didn’t understand. I can’t figure out why Seraphina loved Lucian Kiggs. I don’t know when that turning moment came when she saw him as something more than Prince. They were just polite to each other all throughout and had like a single outing together after which she realized that she had feelings for him. It was strange but not unbelievable. I just shrugged it off and went with the flow. I didn’t mind the sudden love interest because it didn’t bring the story down. Also, I liked how they acted all mature in the end and came to a decision. That scene where they talk in the end and confess their feeling and Kiggs kisses the scales on her arm and then Phina kisses him was warm and fuzzy and nice.
I became the very air; I was full of stars. I was the soaring spaces between the spires of the cathedral, the solemn breath of chimneys, a whispered prayer upon the winter wind. I was silence, and I was music, one clear transcendent chord rising toward Heaven. I believed, then, that I would have risen bodily into the sky but for the anchor of his hand in my hair and his round soft perfect mouth.
He looked up at the reddening sky and said with a self-deprecating laugh, “You put me to shame, Seraphina. Your bravery always has.”
“It’s not bravery; it’s bullheaded bumbling.”
The end glossary did help clearing things out for me. All thanks to Mitch for that, otherwise I would have just ignored it and be done with it. Also, the description of the characters in the end list made me giggle.
Pygegyria — Porphyrian for “bum-waggling”; an acrobatic variation of belly dancing
^ Say what? :O
St. Yirtrudis—the heretic; it’s an open question how there can be a heretical Saint
^ BOL!
I’m going to be looking forward to the sequel. I wasn’t disappointed and it was a good read.
