A Soul Unsung...: author: rachel hartman

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: Shadow Scale (Seraphina #1) by Rachel Hartman

Shadow Scale (Seraphina #1)

Rachel Hartman

Published: March 10, 2015

Publisher: Random House Books FYR

Age Demographic: YA Dystopia Fantasy

Pages: 608

Seraphina took the literary world by storm with 8 starred reviews and numerous “Best of” lists. At last, her eagerly awaited sequel has arrived—and with it comes an epic battle between humans and dragons.

The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways.

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

To Order Shadow Scale (Seraphina #1) by Rachel Hartman please visit: Amazon & Barnes&Noble

(Note: I received a review copy of this book via the publisher, in exchange for an honest review which I have posted here on the blog and on Goodreads)

Shadow Scale, is the intriguing and captivating sequel to Serephina. Rachel Hartman explores Seraphina's world and the relationship between humans and dragons, revealing twists and turns that you won't see coming. It's beautifully written and stunningly imaginative. I really enjoyed reading this one a little bit more than the first one, because I found it a lot easier for me to sink into the world and just get lost in the characters and the conflict between the humans and the dragons. For anyone who is a fan of fantasy worlds, interesting character build up, and dragons this is the book that you'll fall in love with.

Original and brilliantly written, this is a book and a world full of imagination that will absolutely wow you from beginning until end. The characters are multi-layered and the plot is equal parts entertaining and compelling. Seriously, I don't even know how to begin to tell you how EPIC this book was in every single way, how it affected ALL THE FEELS I had! I feel like I'm at a loss for words here, because while I enjoyed the first book (Seraphina) I found it a little hard to follow along with. With Shadow Scale, I had no problems at all. In fact, from the moment I started reading this book, I didn't want to put it down until I was finished with it.

It's exciting, full of heart, and has so much emotional depth that you can't help but fall deeper in love with all of these characters. The unexpected twists and turns will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more. The broad expanse of the various cultures explored within this amazing novel alone, is enough to wet any fantasy lover's pallet. If you are looking for a story that is built on layers of mythology, emotion, and various cultures then this is the book that I would recommend to you.

Full review to come soon!

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Rachel Hartman lives and writes in Vancouver, BC.

Her first YA fantasy novel, Seraphina, was published by Random House on July 10th, 2012.

She is set to currently release the second book, Shadow Scale, in her YA Dystopia Fantasy series, Seraphina. It will be releasing March of 2015.

Make sure you fan her on her Goodreads page!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: Seraphina (Seraphina #1) by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina (Seraphina #1)

Rachel Hartman

Published: July 10, 2012

Publisher: Random House Books FYR

Age Demographic: YA Dystopia Fantasy

Pages: 512

In her New York Times bestselling and Morris Award-winning debut, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages. Eragon-author Christopher Paolini calls them, "Some of the most interesting dragons I've read in fantasy."

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

To Order Seraphina (Seraphina #1) by Rachel Hartman please visit: Amazon & Barnes&Noble

(Note: I received a review copy of this book via the publisher, in exchange for an honest review which I have posted here on the blog and on Goodreads)

Seraphina was an awkward book for me to read, because I have conflicted feelings towards it and it was hard for me to follow along with. In a way, I look at it as challenging and in another way I'm a little disappointed in the fact that I felt as if I had to constantly force myself to keep reading. This was a book that I was really excited to read, because it was fantasy and also involved dragons, which are two things that I absolutely love more than anything. I don't know if it was the book itself or the fact that I'm such a mood reader and maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this one at the time. I think it was a bit of both, if I'm being honest.

There were things that I found myself liking about this book and then there were also things, that I found a little frustrating as well. The concept of this novel and the story itself, is brilliant. However, I think the writer may have bitten off a little more than she could chew. As I was reading, I found myself constantly being jarred out of certain parts of the story due to the rhythm and the pacing of it. Just getting through the first few chapters of the book felt like a chore in itself, but I continued to stick with it because I kept hoping that it would get better. In some small ways it did, because there were things that I did find likable about it, but then there were other's that I didn't.

It was hard for me to understand certain aspects of Seraphina, because at times it felt like the story was in various different places at the same time. I had to work to keep up with it and then I had to work even hard to stay involved with it. That's something that I find a little too tedious when reading a book that I really want to enjoy. I was looking to find a lot of action and a more compelling story, than the one that I felt was written. Maybe if I hadn't gone into this book with such high expectations, I wouldn't have ended up feeling like it let me down as much as it did. The way the mythology of the dragons and their history was written, made kind of hard for me to finally understand them and their role of importance to the storyline. I could have been a little more forgiving of the "less action" if I had been better able to understand the dragons.

Seraphina, on the other hand, I really enjoyed her character quite a bit. I love that Rachel Hartman gave us such a wonderfully endearing and awesomely complex character, such as her. Part dragon and musically gifted, she was a rare gem and a breath of fresh air for me in this story. I love the tough exterior that she presented to the world, while still being a bit vulnerable beneath the facade. Her and Lucian were probably the best part of the story for me, personally. Lucian is just made of so much awesome, that it's hard to put his character into words. I found him to be wildly enigmatic, entertaining, and definitely swoon-worthy in his own way. Glisselda, is just pure amazing. There's the only thing that can be said for her, except that I love her journey and optimistic nature. For someone who came across so carefree, she turned into one of the strongest characters the book had to offer and that definitely made reading it a lot more enjoyable.

This book has some wonderful potential, that it makes me look forward to reading Shadow Scale for sure to see what's going to happen with these brilliant characters I have come to love so much. Seraphina, is an interesting novel with an intriguing concept that I feel could be built and expanded upon better. If you are a reader who enjoys fantasy novels and you like dragons too, then I would go ahead and recommend this book. It is a pretty solid read, even though it hasn't been my favorite. I urge you to give it a chance and don't just take my word for it. There are many things about it that were enjoyable, even amidst some of the conflicting elements.