Posted on Dark Faerie Tales.When I first saw Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, I was instantly drawn to the cover. Most of you who have followed me and read my reviews know how much I love covers, and Seraphina’s cover? Gorgeous. It screams fantasy in every sense of the word. Dragons? Check. Historic and intricate architecture? Check. Awesome font and color schemes? Check and check. When I finally read the synopsis, it confirmed my feelings for the book. And after diving into the first page? I was instantly sold.Seraphina takes place in a medieval setting, in the land of Fored, and following the life of Seraphina Dombegh, a girl born into a world where dragons and humans coexist. After years of war, there is now peace throughout the kingdoms, despite an unspoken distrust between the two races. A member of the royal family is murdered, and dragons are suspected to be behind the malice death. Seraphina finds herself drawn to the investigation, and helps the captain of the guard, Prince Lucian Kiggs. Secrets are revealed, uncovering sinister plots to destroy the peace between the races, and for Seraphina, a secret of her own threatens to destroy her life.Seraphina is deeply invested to the dragon race. Seraphina is the daughter of an ambassador to the dragons, and lives at the courts as the new assistant to the court composer. She is tutored by Orma, a dragon scholar and a musician. Seraphina is emotional and wears those emotions on her sleeve. She is snappy and cranky, but loyal and very headstrong. And while Seraphina can be brave, I found some of her actions foolish. But I will say Seraphina is a well-rounded character, and once she discovers more of herself and the other secrets within the book, she blossoms into someone you will love.Orma, Prince Lucian, and other supporting characters made this story. Orma is my favorite in this story. From the few lines in the prologue, he instantly won my heart. He is so calculated and precise, void of any emotions, but I found that his words moved mountains. His relationship to Seraphina was sweet, and his guidance came at times when she needed it most. Prince Lucian was the opposite of Orma. He was filled with emotion when he tried not to show them, and he was a companion for Seraphina. Lucian is witty and absolutely charming.There were so many great supporting characters that added to the level of depth and dimension for Seraphina. It added to the great world that Hartman created. There was definite dimension and thrown in with the detailed background and setting, what more could you ask for? While Seraphina is a fantasy, I found myself believing everything, thinking this was a real world. The words used, the actions described, and the scenes detailed onto the page helped for a magnificent reading experience.Seraphina is intelligently written, set in a medieval setting. While I mostly speak praise of this story, I felt that a few scenes were overworked and a few overlooked. There were a few things that I skimmed through, feeling that it didn’t necessarily need to be there. Overall, Hartman kept me engaged throughout the book allowing me to enjoy it from the first page to the last.
