Book Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Review by MaryAnne (guest teen blogger)

Fantastic!  I cannot even begin to describe this book.  Seraphina is an original take on the relationship between humans and dragons.  Seraphina, a sixteen-year-old girl, gets swept up into a political disaster that could tear the kingdom of Goredd apart.  Prince Rufus, Queen Lavonda's only son, is murdered, and the only plausible suspect is a dragon.  For the past forty years, dragons have taken human shape to keep peace.  With the help of Prince Lucian Kiggs and an interesting cast of characters, Seraphina investigates a potentially disastrous event.

From beginning to end, this book does not disappoint.  I could barely even put it down!  Seraphina is one of the best female heroines you'll ever come across.  She is real and develops as a person should.  The underlying plot of the book is self-acceptance, which I think adds something we can all relate to.  Serpahina is a strong female character who isn't close to perfect.  She is human and makes mistakes like the rest of us.  She learns from them and doesn't back down--the sign of true strength.  She is modest of her musical ability, and even shy.  Seraphina must deal with a dark lineage and a secret that could turn her world upside down.  When I was reading, I felt that her dialogue was real, as was every other character's.  Their personalities could make you love or hate them when hey wanted to.  Rachel Hartman brings such a solid plot filled with action, the hint of romance, and well-rounded characters.  I haven't read a book about dragons and humans as good as this in a long while.

Book Review : Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Unremembered  by Jessica Brody

Review by Janine

After waking up in an ocean and not remembering a thing, Seraphina is thrust into a world that she does not remember. The only survivor of a terrible plane crash everyone is trying to figure out who she is, there is no record of her being on the plane and with her memory gone she can not give any clues as to who she is.  Then a mysterious person shows up, one who claims not only to know who she is but that she is in danger.  The question is: can she trust him????

I was really excited to read this book.  I had seen people talking about it on twitter and various other people reviewing it (although I try not to read any reviews until I have read the book).  I loved the way the book began, which is Seraphina (Sera for short) floating on a piece of plane wreckage.  She has no memory of how she got there or even who she is.....which makes the creepy music start in my head! After being taken to the hospital to recover, she meets a strange boy who claims to know her and tells her she is in danger. From there the story really takes off.  You, the reader, come to know Sera as she relearns who she is and where she has come from.  I really liked the different approach to a dystopian-type novel.  The idea of time travel, while not new, was done in a really creative way,  which made it believable (at least for me!).  I will try not to have spoilers, but the relationship between Sera and "her father" was one I wasn't expecting, but it really added a humanity to the book that when you were reading and learning about her life, you would not have expected.  While I did like this book, there was something that bothered me..... the book seemed really short. I know you are thinking, "a book to short??????" I just felt like there was so much build up and when things start to really come together and questions are answered, it just ends. Now I know that there is going to be another book, but I don't know... it just felt as something was missing, or maybe the story should have continued a little more.  Now, with that being said, I will totally read the next book because, darn it, there are questions I want answers to!!