8/11/12

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman (Random House, July 2012, YA) has been getting nothing but the best reviews among the bloggers I read regularly (at least I assume so--I haven't actually read the reviews (cause of not wanting spoilers), but words like "loved" and "enjoyed" are easy to spot without reading).

So my expectations were high as I entered this alternate-European city, where humans and dragons lived side by side in an uneasy truce, and a girl named Seraphina made music.

Here is how I reacted:

First hundred pages: I am not sure I am liking it all that much. Seraphina is glum. Things are not cheerful. There is no brightness. There seems to be lots of exposition. I am not sure what this story is actually about. However: music = good, lots of interestings saints = good, interesting dragons = very good.

Next fifty (or so pages): fascinating, but am still uncertain. Seraphina still unhappy. Not sure I like her. Unhappy feelings all around. Am anxious. But curious.

Remainder of book: Wow, this is great! Happy (though complex) male main character! Seraphina not so unhappy! She has friends! Interesting world building, political machinations, and mystery--but what's really important is that there is now good reason to hope that Seraphina won't be sad and lonely forever.

Clearly I was Weak Minded and In Need of Comfort Reading last week (some weeks I am stronger, and curl up happily with One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, or some such). But still, the point remains valid. Seraphina (the book) is not giddy, light fun. Seraphina the girl isn't either; she's described as prickly. And this came across to me too, as well as to the other characters--she's hard to like at first, very much preoccupied with her own self, very reluctant to show warmth. But both book (as the perspective of the story become broader, and new characters were introduced) and girl (as she became a more active player in her own life, kind of surprising herself in the process) grew on me, until by the end I was just racing along happily, caught up in just the sort of lovely fiction-rush that I was hoping for.

One last bit of quibble-- the ease which which one major issue became a non-issue was a bit of a cop out. I was expecting more intelligently written complexity from Hartman here...and didn't get it.

Here's a fascinating interview about Seraphina's path to publication at a daydreamer's thoughts, where I saw this alternate cover (edited to add, thanks to commenter Laviania--it's the UK cover)...I think the black and white one is much truer to the feel of the book, and to Seraphina's own character, and much more distinctive! Although I do like the nuance of Seraphina's face becoming the second dragon eye.

And (again edited to add) there's definitly a sequel coming--from Rachel Hartman's blog yesterday "I have a few nearly-empty weeks to work on my sequel revisions." Which is very encouraging, revisions being so much closer to done than writing!

16 comments:

  1. It was definitely exposition-heavy at the beginning. I took a little while to get started too, but once I got into it, I was really really into it. I hope the author plans on writing a sequel!

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    1. Yes, I just found out she's revising the draft of the sequel even as I type!

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  2. I adored Seraphina from start to finish myself--but then again, I like a lot of exposition, and am sometimes disappointed when Things start to Happen. I loved the dance scene, too.

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    1. I often do feel the same way...but here I got a little anxious, for some reason... And I agree, it was a nice dance scene!

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  3. I really got into this one from the start, but I sometimes long for the heavy exposition of high fantasy. (And that's the UK cover.)

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  4. It definitely starts out heavy and if you're not in the mood for such could turn you off-but is SO WORTH IT in the end. I really want a sequel. Soon.

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  5. I think I noticed it more here because of my general uncertainty--and I think I had such high expectations that I was being more open to thinking critically while reading. But it was indeed worth it!

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  6. This is a good thing to know before going into the book. I do not mind exposition (in fact, a lot of times I love it), but I've read so many non-exposition books recently that without warning I feel I would feel the same as you. Now, I can enter this book happily and without anxiety! Haha. I actually just had the same experience reading another book with dragons in it. Was not what I expected, started off slow for me, but ended up loving it in the end.

    PS So glad the US cover is the way it is. While the UK one is pretty, there is an overabundance of girls in a cool outfit with a cool pose in the US. LOVE the drawings and feeling of the black and white cover.

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    1. Oh, could that have been The Far West by Patricia Wrede? That series *Frontier Magic) is very expository, too.

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    2. True, that-it starts very slowly. I haven't read the Far West yet...

      And I hope you like this one, Kristen!

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  7. I think it is true sometimes you're just not as in the mood for the type of book you're reading. I'm excited to read this and Throne of Glass. Excited my library has this one and once I get through a few more books for my blog, I'm going to read it.

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    1. I'll be curious to see what you think of Throne of Glass, Natalie (you'll probably like Seraphina!).

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  8. That black and whit cover is *gorgeous.*

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  9. LOL I like that you shared what you were thinking while reading this. Sorry that you didn't enjoy reading the entire thing but I'm glad it eventually worked out for you. Seraphina is one of my favorite reads this year, I thought the pacing and writing were lovely and I wouldn't mind reading more from the author.

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  10. I've just now read this one, and I'm going back to my favorite bloggers' reviews to see what they thought (I too avoid reading reviews when I'm planning to pick up a book). I liked the book quite a lot, but I too had a couple of quibbles. As Nicole at Word for Teens suggested, I think I'll love it on a second read - and I'm certainly glad to hear that there's a sequel in the works!

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    1. I just re-read my review...I can't remember what my last quibble was all about! I will need to re-read it before the sequel comes out, and I too bet I like it more the second time around!

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