A dark academia setting with dragons sounded like the perfect book for me so I was so excited to receive this arc. The world building was so unique and easy to follow along. I also enjoyed all the fall vibes and the political intrigue. I would definitely recommend picking up this book.

"Dark Academia for fans of Babel..."
If you’re expecting dark academia, a believable romance, or any critique/exploration of the horrors of empire… look elsewhere.

In fact, R.F Kuang deserves a personal handwritten apology for the comparison because this is little more than a shallow attempt at best on the commentary Babel provides in regards to the power of language and translation as a tool for empire and conquest.

I would even go so far as to say that everything about this book is incredibly shallow; the politics of the war, the exploration of the class/caste system they operate in, the characters and their relationships to one another, and even the character growth that was practically nonexistent in the first place.. all very shallow and very surface level.

the writing quality is mind-numbingly simplistic, holding the readers delicate hand throughout the entire book, as if we're too stupid to get there ourselves. all while trapping us with an insufferable main character who can't see past her own privileges until its way too late. I commend the author for attempting to write from the perspective of a privileged character, but when that character undergoes zero growth until the very end, and more so from resignation than a real wanting to change, that plain ignorance becomes frustrating and she turns unlikable very quickly.

anyways... thanks to the publisher for the arc. 1 star for the premise because while it fell short it was unique and one star for the fact that i was able to finish it and it wasn't a dnf

This is such an interesting genre mash up. I'm not certain why it's historical other than /vibes/ and maybe world War type energy? I loved having dragons in a dystopian world. Felt very Navajo code talkers, which was great. But ultimately it's the same dystopian story with a few different aesthetic changes.

Those who adore dystopian and dragons won't be disappointed.

I have seen this book constantly being compared to Fourth wing but it honestly screams Eragon to me!

I enjoyed this book a lot and it definitely had that comfy feel of nostalgia! This book is absolutely addictive and will have you sitting down to read a few chapters at night and ultimately seeing the sun start to rise in the morning once you are finished!

I love literally anything with dragons so this book was going to be up my alley! I loved that the political side of the book was very well developed and showed the corruptness within the governing body very well!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First and foremost I received an e-book arc from NetGalley. (Thank you!)

This book is an easy 4.5 star read. I truly appreciate the language building for the dragons! It’s pure fiery brilliance. You’ll want to love and hate many characters in this book which makes it an excellent read. I found myself rooting for the dragons in this one. I wonder why….

In this book Vivian, our main character, learns her parents are part of a dragon rebellion and she becomes a criminal trying to free them. Because of this she is manipulated into a code breaking project with her families lives in the balance. Through her work, she comes to realize that her government isn't about peace and prosperity but about order and control.
The roller-coaster ride of emotions and understanding Viv goes through is wild and her character development made me want to scream at some points but it was ultimately worth it. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to provide honest feedback.

Fans of dystopian fantasy such The Hunger Games, Red Queen, or Divergent will surely enjoy this book. I did not.

The GoodReads book blurb reads: An epic, sweeping fantasy with an incredible Dark Academia setting, a clandestine, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and an unputdownable story filled with twists and turns, betrayals, and secret identities.

***There might be spoilers***

Strengths: Loved the dragon-related lore, especially the meaning behind "swallowfeather." I wished the author had expanded on this and perhaps even weaved it into how Vivien deals with her task. The explanations about dragon language (although it sometimes dragged on) were unique.

Weaknesses: I am sorry, but this book had no enemies-to-lovers. NONE! There's a slow romance because the guy in question wants to be a priest. This is not a Dark Academy fantasy, either. The kids have been arrested for criminal activity punishable by death and are forced to work on cracking a dragon code, building a dragon-like airplane, and figuring out how to hatch dragon eggs, or else they will be killed. The prison, however, is kinda fancy...

I HATED the conflation of a true Britain with a fake one. I would've been OK with a fake British society, but the back and forth was jarring. I have no idea why the time setting for this story is 1923 unless the author was going for steampunk (?). I couldn't believe Vivien lived under a rock while everyone else knew what was happening. I disliked how she believed the ideals of the Peace Agreement even when there was PLENTY of evidence to the contrary. I couldn't stomach Ralph as a purely evil guy going after Vivien for knowing more dragon languages. The Prime Minister was flat, and her reactions were contrived/inconsistent. Minors are being killed in cold blood, and the killing makes no sense (sadly, part of the so-called Peace Agreement). The kids at Bletchley Park are "dangerous" criminals, yet outside evil Ralph, the Guardians are almost invisible. The kids, well, hang out—even get to smoke. At some point, Vivien's face is cut in what was described as gruesome, but she launches into a dialogue like nothing happened to her face/mouth. Once rescued, NO ONE commented on her injuries. NO ONE!

I wanted more Chumana. I wanted more Addax and Rhydderch and Soresten. I wanted more Marquis and Karim ( a chance at queer slow-burn romance that was never explored). I wanted Vivien to stop making excuses and get on the plan at 30%, not 80% of the book. I wanted Atlas to stop being so... "I wanna be a priest so I can't kiss you." And I wanted Ralph dead, maybe burned to a crisp by Chumana. I wanted a different ending...

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of A Language of Dragons and the opportunity to share honest feedback.

SF Williamson’s A Language of Dragons creatively blends linguistics and dragons within a dystopian society. The story centers on Vivien, a second-class citizen whose decision to release a criminal dragon sparks a war. Sent to a camp to decode the dragon language, she encounters Atlas King, a compassionate priest-in-training who aids her journey toward self-awareness.

The book's strengths lie in its world-building and the fascinating concept of dragon linguistics, which will appeal to fans of mythology and language. As a linguist, I appreciated the creative theories, though dragons largely disappear after the opening chapters, reappearing only near the end. The early chapters held promise, but the pacing faltered halfway through, with rushed developments that left key plot points and character arcs underexplored.

Vivien’s stubborn loyalty to Britannia, even against clear evidence of its corruption, made her increasingly frustrating. Her choices, driven by her sister's well-being, often felt illogical and out of character. Atlas was the standout, bringing warmth and depth, though his arc deserved more attention. The abrupt ending, clearly setting up a sequel, felt unsatisfying.

Several elements felt unnecessary or contrived. Introducing race midway through the story without thematic integration detracted from its focus on class divisions. Trigger warnings for the abuse of minors would have been appropriate, as these dark moments made for uncomfortable reading. Smoking scenes between teenage characters and inconsistencies—such as injured characters engaging in extended dialogue or shouting while hiding—distract from the narrative.

While the premise is intriguing, and fans of dystopian fantasies like The Hunger Games may enjoy this book, its rushed execution and frustrating protagonist undermined its potential. It’s an easy read, but not one I would revisit.

Thank you HarperCollins and netgalley for the arc!

The description for this book said that the book would be perfect for teen fans of fourth wing and babel, and while I didn't enjoy babel I still wanted to try this one for one reason: the dragons. Fair warning though, this book is nothing like fourth wing, having dragons won't make it similar (some people need to learn this) However, it was similar to babel but in a good way. While I thought Babel was way too heavy on me with all the talk about translation, this book was so much more easily approachable. To be fair, it might had been the dragons who made it that way.

This book follows Viv, the perfect first daughter who is willing to do anything so she and her family can keep on being second class and not get demoted to third class. She speaks nine languages, and is starting university a year early. However, unbeknownst to her, her parents are secret rebels and in one day her whole life is changed. Trying to safe her family, she makes a deal to complete one job where her skills in dragon languages are highly needed. Soon she finds herself trying to crack the code to the secret language of dragons.

I enjoyed this book so much. I loved hearing about the different dragon languages and the world building was so unique. Viv was a bit childish with her view of the world most of the times, but that made it so much more satisfying when she finally learned to think about things herself and not just believe everything she had been taught. There was so many important themes in this book and they were written so perfectly into the story.

4 stars! I really enjoyed this one!

I could go on at some length about the good aspects of this novel. A a bare minimum there is incredible potential and a terrific framework. But. So much of the action depends on the miscommunication of various characters. Huge pet peeve over here - huge.

A unique look at dragons and politics...weirdly good to me..as I have had enough of politics to last a lifetime.
I loved the dragons best!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a 4.5 star for me!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(⭐️)

Let me just say, this has become my new dragon book obsession. I have been searching for another one and I have finally found exactly what I’ve been looking for in this book!

This has everything I love in the same book: dragons, academics, and super cool code breaking.

One of the best aspects of this book center around the developed out dragon society (hierarchy?). The way S.F Williamson has fleshed out how dragons interact with both humans and each other is something I absolutely rave about. It’s unlike anything I’ve read in other dragon books and something I think has become one of my favorite details.

The code breaking has also become one of my favorite parts of this book! If you had told me combining dragons with spying and code breaking could be in one book, I would’ve said where can I buy because this has become my new obsession.

The only thing that kept this book from a full 5 star for me was just how frustrating the FMC, Vivien Featherswallow, could be. I understand why she acts the way she does and why certain decisions were tough for her, however, it doesn’t make her any less frustrating of a character to read at certain points. This is the main thing that kept this book from being a full 5 star review for me as I think there could have been ways to negate how frustrating Vivien could be and maybe her naivety was overwritten within the story. Other than that though, this book has quickly become such a close favorite of mine!

I am so so excited for this book to officially be released so that everyone else can enjoy it too!

God what a ride it was so good, I was sceptical at the begging, but god the all book is a ride. The fast pace is great no down time. Love the academia linguistic aspect of the book, it was refreshing to have something a bit different to other dragons book. The world building is perfect and the characters seems so real they are not perfect which give that real effect to them. The way the author got to show us a real and believable corrupted government was a tiny bit disturbing it was so well done that you could believe conspiracy after that ! The only thing I could say that was not enough for me was the relationship between the FMC and the love interest, I wanted more not the off pages scene …

I'd rate this 3.5 or maybe even 3.75🌟

It's an interesting plot, but a few points were just a tad repetitive to me. And a few other points seemed to just be thrown in the mix. I don't want to state specifics as I don't like giving spoilers.

The world building itself seemed solid. I was ok with the lack of physical descriptions of characters until it randomly seemed to be important to the plot.

I do belive this book will appeal to many readers. I have not read Babel so I can offer no input on the similarities. The only similarity I see with fourth wing would be the presence of dragons. At least generally speaking. They're quite different and I think that's important to know for reading expectations. It's not a bad thing to not be cookie cutter to another popular read.

While it wasn't my favorite read, it's certainly still entertaining enough that I'd seek out the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 30% of the way through.

This book had a lot of potential, but it's really just a dystopian fantasy with dragons in the background. I'm so sick of looking for dragon books with DRAGON in the title and have them barely be involved! It's definitely *about* dragons but we rarely see them. Maybe it gets better as the story goes on but I didn't feel like pushing through.

Oh man, Viv, what a stupid protagonist. And just a stupid person in general. Sure, maybe she redeems herself by the end, but she wasn't even fun evil to read about, she was just a self-centered moron.

It's funny to me how this is set in the 1920s but the dialogue was modern and the technology was even MORE modern. They have submarines. Why bother making it historical fiction when really, it's just modern times?!

And yes, as reviewers said, this book is similar to Fourth Wing (which I hated) in that the human military keeps making soldiers out of stupid teenagers in asinine plans that make NO sense whatsoever. The worldbuilding for both books do not make a lick of sense and you have to turn your brain off to enjoy this book. I was not able to do so.

And no, this book is nothing like Babel which actually has thought put into its worldbuilding and complicated morals as well as expanding on linguistics. Linguistics is an afterthought here and it just cracks me up that Viv is the ONLY one in the entire country that knows 7 dragon languages...she's 17. No one else bothered to learn 7 dragon languages? lmao. lol even

I was given this ARC from NetGalley, didn't know what it was about but I wasn't pleasantly surprised. Not only are there dragons, but the whole explanation of dragon tounge is super interesting.

A Language of Dragons is set in London in the 1920s. This London is all about a suppressive class system and a treaty with dragons who speak multiple languages and work alongside humans. Viv's parents are arrested as traitors and face the death penalty. When she tries to destroy the evidence against her parents, Viv unwittingly starts a war. She is captured and conscripted into a top-secret job as a code breaker because she is fluent in multiple dragon and human languages. She uncovers unbelievable truths to a naive teenager and has to face reality head-on.
I enjoyed this story, especially the dragon interactions, and I found the linguistics fascinating. I look forward to reading more from S.F. Williamson.

This historical fantasy ticks all the boxes; dragons, HIGH stakes, found family, and romance! What an impressive debut by S.F Williamson!

I am not usually a historical fantasy reader so I was worried going into this that I would be bored or feel too dumb to understand certain things but my experience with this book was quite the opposite. I found the studies of dragons and dragon language fascinating and the author does a wonderful job of balancing world building and complex academics with action and romance. At no point did I feel lost or confused on what was happening.

As for the romance, people online who are comparing this to Fourth Wing is doing this book a disservice. I liked Fourth Wing and I very much enjoyed this book too but, they are very different. This book does not have a romance leading plot but there is romance and it does play a big role in the over arching story. The similarities though would be grumpy/sassy dragons and an academic and slightly tortured from her past FMC, Vivian who is forced to slowly unlearn everything she believed in her whole life. The MMC was a big part of that journey for her. I really enjoyed all of the side characters too and felt very invested in their individual growth.

Overall, I had a great time and am pumped to read the next installment!!

Thank you SO much to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC! As always, all opinions are my own.

C.S. Lewis wrote, "Even a traitor may mend." This is a story about a traitor who chooses to mend.

Dragons, in this fictional world, speak as many different languages as humans do but they also have a "sacred language," more like whale songs. Dragons are willing to speak human languages and teach humans most of their languages, but not the sacred one. Viv is a linguist studying dragon languages, so she's recruited to "crack the code" that is the sacred language. What she learns of the sacred language, and the reasons why it can't be used by or taught to humans, changes her politics and begins to change her character. You might not like Viv at the beginning of the story, where she's just secured a scholarship by cheating a friend out of one, but you'll probably like her at the end.

Her world is not much fun to visit. Nor does it make logical sense. In what's supposed to be Britain in the 1920s, attitudes toward gender roles are more typical of the 2020s, but attitudes toward "class" have developed in a completely opposite direction. Instead of progressing to be more like the US "income bracket" system and less like the Indian caste system, this Britain has devolved into a caste system. There seems to be no wealth from exploited colonies and the caste system seems to have kept anyone from finding any alternative. This fictional England already has a Queen and a female Prime Minister, and both of them are as deranged as George III. Instead of being university students, as they would have been in real life, the teenaged characters are already at the top of their fields--and they're prisoners, pursuing their studies at gunpoint. The pressure is intense enough that some of them commit homicide and suicide; the main characters' friends try to kill them. The atmosphere may be typical of prisons everywhere but it has no flavor of the 1920s.

Against this background of moral sewage Viv's, and Sophie's and Atlas's and Marquis's, attempts to clean their characters shine all the brighter. Some readers might enjoy a good cry over this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!

𝘈 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘴 is a high-stakes historical YA novel set in 1923 London. It reminds me of a fantasy dystopian version of The Imitation Game, featuring a war with dragons and young linguistic experts desperate to break dragon code for an upper hand in the war. It's an addictive dark academia story with a slow-burn romance, a corrupt government and complex political intrigue, and morally gray, flawed yet lovable characters.

I found the linguistics aspect to be fascinating, and the writing style kept me turning the pages. I think this adds something to the YA fantasy genre! Definitely worth pre-ordering if you love dragons.