Shadow Scale

I didn't like this one as much as the first one, but it had some good ideas. The execution left something to be desired.

WOW!!!!! While I'll admit that I thought this started off kinda slow, it ended VERY well and is still a great story!!! This is such a good dragon story and I'm so very glad things ended as well as they did!!!!

After reading through Seraphina as quickly as I possibly could, including finishing it at 3AM on a work night (morning?), I was excited to get to Shadow Scale. I was eager to see how Seraphina's life changed and how her romance with Kiggs proceeded, given their agreement at the end of the first book. Unfortunately, Shadow Scale was not nearly as fun a read as the first novel.

The things that I loved about Seraphina in the first novel were gone in the second. There was nothing that happened in book two that wouldn't have occurred if Seraphina wasn't there. She was merely an observer through the whole novel. She leaves Goredd to find the other half-dragons, but really, Abdo and Jannoula find them all for her. She tries to find Orma, but fails. She tries to recreate St. Abaster's fire, but Jannoula and the other half-dragons do it without her. She tries to sneak into Castle Orison and save Glisselda, but Selda saves her. She tries to mirror St. Abaster's fire back at Jannoula, but fails, and Pandowdy wakes up and takes Jannoula away (even after telling Seraphina that he wasn't going to help her).

What happened to the girl that investigated a murder without any help? What happened to the girl who bluffed her way into interrogating prisoners? What happened to the girl who faced down a dragon with nothing but words? What happened to the girl who bravely bared her scales to those around her and kept going through every obstacle, even though no one trusted her?

The ending was terrible. Seraphina accomplished nothing, and then Kiggs marries Glisselda anyway, even though both he and Selda are in love with Seraphina (whaaaaat??).

A fun creative read. I liked Seraphina a bit better, I'm glad I read Shadow Scale.

I can't say that I loved this book as much as Serafina, but I definitely enjoyed it. I think I was expecting much more growth in Serafina's character and I just didn't get that in this sequel. At times, she felt very dense. I don't know...maybe I expected more action and agency on her part. Still was an interesting read! Definitely recommended for all the dragon lovers out there!

I loved this book even though it took me a long time to really get through. I really liked Seraphina but this book took me a little longer to get through than the first one did and there were a few parts in the story that were a little slow but overall it was pretty good.

It had its enjoyable moments, but I much preferred Seraphina.

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/06/mini-review-of-shadow-scale-by-rachel-hartman/

Pros: excellent world-building, interesting and varied characters, political intrigue

Cons: less mystery, Seraphina misses some obvious connections

With the dragons fighting a civil war and Comonot living in exile in the palace, things in Goredd remain tense. When word of a possible half-dragon mind weapon is uncovered, Seraphina is sent to find the others from her ‘mind garden' and bring them back with her. She's also tasked with sending aid in the form of men and supplies from the southern states she'll be travelling through. But her task is hard and her allies few, especially when a powerful figure from her past reappears.

This is the sequel to Seraphina, a novel I thoroughly enjoyed. For those who read Seraphina a long time ago, there's a fantastic summary at the beginning going over all the important elements of the previous book. I really wish more series books would do this.

While Seraphina had elements of mystery and romance, Shadow Scale is more of a quest story, with Seraphina combing the world for others of her kind. I have to admit I missed the interplay between Seraphina and Kiggs, who stayed behind as she travelled. While I enjoyed the whole book (seeing how other lands functioned was really interesting), I liked the second half the best. Porphyry was really fun, especially their contempt for the more barbaric southlands, which put the protagonist in the position of being the uncouth foreigner. The second half is also when the villain's actions start to have real effects on the story.

There's a wide variety of characters, humans (from 4 distinct cultures), dragons, half-humans, quigutl (draconic cousins), as well as people from different statuses and belief structures. Another thing I loved about Porphyry was the complexity of its language - that it has six genders and seven cases and that “[y]ou use cosmic neuter for a stranger, ... And he's a stranger until you've asked, ‘How may I pronoun you?'” (p207). I love the idea that this culture allows people to choose their own gender and form of address, and that you ask people when you meet, how they prefer to be addressed.

As with the previous book Seraphina is forced to grow as a person. As her dearest wish becomes a nightmare, she's forced to make difficult decisions. There were a few times when she misses what seemed like obvious connections, but she's 16 and in some of those cases the final result wasn't quite what I'd expected either.

There's a decent amount of political intrigue. I loved that though Seraphina was travelling and time was obviously passing, her communications with Queen Glisselda reminded her - and the reader - that things were happening elsewhere in the world. While some action happens off page, there's enough on page to keep you invested in the story and the end of the book will have you flipping pages pretty fast to see how things are resolved. While the ending doesn't tie up everything, it's a satisfying conclusion to the duology.