I enjoyed this YA alternate history with dragons story! The class system, systematic oppression and propaganda, as well as budding rebellion, are nothing new per se, but I found that the stance of the protagonist to be rather fresh for me, and a super interesting choice.

Viv would do anything for her family - and if that means dooming the rest of the lower-class population, or Britain as a while, she is willing to do that. She does not lack empathy, but for a big chunk of the book she still believes the propaganda she grows up with, is in denial, or just plain isn't ready to give up the hopes of saving her family.

The whole translating/linguist stuff was not as big of deal/not explored as in-depth as I wished. The dragons also weren't as prominent in terms of individual characters.

I did enjoy a lot of the side characters, but it was also clear that there was a lot of untouched potential there that the author wants to explore in the sequels. While it feels a bit silly to say so, the cynical part of me was impressed to find a YA book with a white female protagonist that had a black male love interest. With how hard a lot of YA fantasy books go with the "tall dark and handsome" love interest and then go racially ambiguous at best... it was just nice to see!

As I said above, I did like that Viv was not on boar with the rebels from the start, and for a long time restists any attempt to sway her stance. Towards the end, however, there was a bit of a back-and-forth there that I found exhausting and even a bit confusing in terms of "wait who's side is she on again now?" way.

In terms of marketing, I did not really get a lot of dark academia vibes from this. And there was no enemies-to-lovers romance at all??? It's not insta-love, but the two are definitely NOT enemies in any shape or form! The romance generally is rather low-key, I would not say this is a romantasy at all.

The last big theme of the book is forgiveness, specifically forgiving yourself for past mistakes, and how to see past your own mistakes so you can move on and not get stuck in your own "badness". I found that to be quite an important lesson, and in was handled really in-depth.

The worldbuilding was pretty decent, though I was a bit confused by the overall state of the world?? There is such a heavy focus on Britain and also a bit on Bulgaria, but what about the rest?? There are one or two throw-away sentences about other countries, but overall I found that a bit annoying, though it makes sense that Viv wouldn't care about any other countries too.

The dragon and human politics were interesting, though here, too, I felt like it wasn't handled with the depth and history that I wanted it to. But, again, here too it makes sense that Viv wouldn't know much more either. Still I would have wanted to know more about the history about how dragons and humans live together.

Overall this was a fun read, and I am looking forward to the sequel!

yes, you’re gonna want to shake viv HARD like girl pls wake up!!! everyone you love is telling you you need to rethink your worldview. understandable that you didn’t question it when you were growing up in the system, but the DAY your parents got arrested for aiding the rebel cause, you should have started asking why. i get it! it’s hard to have your entire foundation rocked, but once more signs pop up, especially in the form of your other family, your friends, your love interest?? VIV PLS. at least she got there eventually

even though she could be frustrating, i was rooting for her journey. the bar is in hell, but at least i didn’t feel indifference towards her character or think that she was a self insert for the reader, which is so common in both ya (understandable to an extent) and romantasy (absolutely not). the languages and dragon lore were interesting and i liked the depiction of dragon society and class division. the way language is used to divide and oppress? chef’s kiss bc it’s tied in so well to viv’s deconstruction of her beliefs, since above all, viv loves languages and linguistics. i also shed a few tears at the end, even though the romance was lacking a bit in development

anyway, here's me continuing the trend of reading fairyloot versions of arcs i got ✌🏼. still, thanks to netgalley and harpercollins for the arc

A fantasy guide on how to right dragons. I enjoyed this so much that I had my brother take a read as well, and he thought it was just as good.

With the comparisons made to Babel and Fourth Wing, both very intense and very adult books, I went into this one kind of skeptical of how far they would take it under the YA umbrella. It's a solid YA fantasy, it has all the elements that the teens are looking for, but I fear it may be misleading to those looking for something more aligned with the now "New Adult" category going around.
Overall, a decent fantasy for a teen who is looking for a mystery, magic and academia. But this time with dragons!

"'Remissio dolor redemptus est,' Chumana says. 'Forgiveness is suffering redeemed'."

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an ARC of A Language of Dragons in exchange for an honest review.

A Language of Dragons follows a seventeen-year-old girl named Vivien Featherswallow who lives in an alternate London in 1923 where dragons fly through the skies . Her only dream is to follow the class rules and earn a summer internship studying dragon languages, and make sure that her younger sister never has to worry about growing up Third Class. However, her dreams are shattered when her parents are arrested for being rebels and her only choice is to free a dragon to burn the evidence. By midnight, Vivien has ignited a war. As she starts discovering the secrets of a dragon language, the extremely fragile peace treaty between humans and dragons becomes more and more corrupt and starts to break down, and the work that Viv is doing may just be the last straw to break the treaty.

I really enjoyed A Language of Dragons between the slight subplot of romance, the political intrigue, the setting, and the characters. These characters are all the definition of morally grey characters. They do not care about the consequences of their choices. Instead, they are only interested in making their situation better at the expense of anyone or anything else. The political intrigue between the humans and the dragons was super interesting although it did get a little confusing trying to understand it at times. Vivien and Marquis' relationship was so beautiful and had a great evolution throughout the book as did Vivien and Sophie's relationship.

Overall, I really loved this book (even if I was a little confused in parts) and I'd be really interested to read the sequel. 4/5 stars!

A Language of Dragons by S. F. Williamson is a fun, historical fiction fantasy. Set in 1923, this is an alternate universe where the codebreakers at Bletchley Park are children and the enemies are dragons.

This book has a lot going for it - a conflicted protagonist, themes of self and sacrifice, and at the forefront - the trolley problem. Vivien Featherswallow believes she is on the side of justice and fairness. However, she must choose between her family and her family’s ideals. There are lives at stake, both human and dragon.

As Vivien works as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park, she realizes the world isn’t as black and white as she thought. Who’s right and who is wrong? And is that for her to decide?

I enjoyed this, but unfortunately, the dragons are mostly a plot device, and we barely get any time to know the dragons themselves as characters. Most of the novel is spent on Vivien and her friends and others at Bletchley Park.

Since this is book one of a two book series, perhaps we’ll see more of the dragons as main characters in book two? I’m willing to it give it a go and see how things turn out for Vivien and the dragons.

Recommended if you like historical fiction, dragons, fantasy, and children/teenage protagonists.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5)

✨ The Vibes ✨
Fourth Wing for those that didn’t like Fourth Wing

📖 Read if…
✨ You read Fourth Wing and liked it, but wanted more interesting world building and less 🌶️
✨ The Rose Code is your favorite historical fiction novel
✨ You’re on board to start a new fantasy series

Dragons seem to be the next big trend in the romantasy space after the popularity of Fourth Wing. And while these “trendy” books don’t always stick the landing, A Language of Dragons offers a unique and intriguing premise that is sure to delight both avid and casual fantasy fans.

The book focuses on Viv, a young woman who is recruited to join the codebreakers at Bletchley Park who are working to decode secret dragon languages, and in the process, is forced to question if she’s on the right side of history. I loved how the book combined historical fiction and fantasy to tell a story that felt familiar and brand new all at once. It truly has something for everyone, blending various tropes and styles that are sure to entertain a variety of readers. It of course has some romance, but I’d be hesitant to call it a true romantasy, as the romance storyline didn’t feel as developed as some of the other details in the story.

On the subject of romance, when Fourth Wing first came out, I remember seeing a fair number of people say they would love to share the book with younger readers but were hesitant to do so because of the steamy scenes. I think A Language of Dragons would be a great recommendation for anyone in that situation, as it has the action, school setting, and dragons of Fourth Wing, but the romance is very much secondary to the main story and remains firmly in PG territory, making it a great pick for anyone that wants to embrace the dragon trend but avoid steam-heavy titles.

Overall, I really enjoyed the creative premise of this one and am looking forward to picking the sequel. Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The world building in this book was fantastic. I loved how the class system was set up and how the dragon language worked. The beginning was a little slow, but it really picked up around the middle.

The Language of Dragons reminds me what is going on in the United States politically. One politician trying to be the ruler of the country and world, trying to break people down into different classes and making people think one set of people (dragons) are dangerous when they aren't. It's an interesting concept and I did enjoy the story.

An imaginative and enchanting fantasy that swept me away. Williamson crafts a vivid world full of magic, mystery, and heart, with characters that feel real and a story that balances adventure with emotion. Perfect for fans of rich worldbuilding and dragon lore.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins Childrens for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was such a stunning debut, and a brilliant introduction to an alternate history version of 1920’s London, where Vivian Featherstone, a gifted translator, accidentally starts a war among humans and dragons and rebels. When her parents are arrested for treason and her younger sister disappeared, Vivian is offered one chance to save them - break the code of dragon echolocation and her family is freed. Fail, and they all die.

Academic setting, slow burn romance, dragons, international conspiracies, rebels and found family - this novel has it all! The world building is so well done as we are given more depth throughout the novel without a massive info dump. It’s just an organic push of the history and rules of the world we need to understand the core challenges and motivations of the characters. The pacing is consistent throughout and the side characters are so well drawn. Marquis, Atlas and Sophie were three of my favorites, along with Chumana.

This novel definitely got my heart rate up - the suspense and intrigue! - but it also broke my heart. I can’t wait for the next one.

Set in an alternate 1920s London there’s an ongoing war between dragon rebels and the government this novel has dark academia, intrigue, linguistics, and a little teenage rebellion. Reminded me of Hunger Games in the way Katniss doesn’t know how she ended up leading a revolution our FMC here ends up involved in things she knows nothing about.

I loved the world building, the dragons, and the complicated characters surrounding our lead.

The pace of the book was a bit slow as our lead figures out the world she finds herself in, but as a first book it was enjoyable and I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment.

This is a tough one to review.

I loved seeing her growth. Watching her struggle to make a decision was annoying, but at the same time...quite relatable.
Too often we read about MC who are so willing to sacrifice for the greater good, but the reality is...what would we do if the consequences of our action was the death of our family?

But despite all of that...I felt the pacing of the book was off. It dragged a bit in the middle despite it being such a great premise.

I understood the MC but I can't say that I liked her. I also was not a fan of the romance. I'm not sure how this was the love of the lifetime thing for her.
He said he's a priest in training so he can't kiss her...which is fine. but her kissing him later threw me off because if someone told me no once ....I'm not going to be initiating any sort of romance.

The relationships felt shallow and undeveloped. I'm not sure I cared about her friendship with Sophie or her cousin or Atlas.

First off a big thank you to the publisher and the author as well as Netgalley for letting me read A Language of Dragons ,Because when I looked the title up on Amazon and saw the covers I knew right then and there I want to read it , the covers where and are beautiful and there's some about the title the also made me want to read the book . Going into it I had no idea what to expect at all and I'm so glad that I did it that way because what I discovered was a story that was a blend up of history and fantasy , mixed so well that it made you feel like the world you was reading about was actual real. Another thing I loved was how the dragons had their own languages , as well as the different types of breeds there was . As for the character themselves , they was were written , but there was some that I didn't like at all , but I did like the inter actions between others as well as the way friend ships grew between others and how along the way they become more like family . Plus the story also showed just how strong you can be when your faced with something that scares you or you think your not brave to do something .

I did not like the main character, Vivian, so this was a tough one for me. Having said that though, this book wasn't written for me. I'm going to see if my 15 year old wants to read it and get their opinion.

My opinion on the main character is what it is but the writing itself was good and I'd recommend it. It's just for a younger audience!

Sadly this one wasn't for me! I LOVED the concept, but the plot was quite slow-burn, and the romance really did not work for me.

Thought I would love it, so very grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read!

I appreciate the parallel of Vivian and Sophie and others being secreted away at Bletchley Park to serve as code breakers of the echolocation used by dragons and the real-life code breaking of the Enigma machine at Bletchley Park during World War II.

The author starts off the book by explaining that she intentionally writes flawed characters. I think the story is stronger for that choice. Knowing that the characters will be selfish or naive or cruel or make mistakes allows for the creation of more realistic characters and more complex interactions, as the author is not trying to uphold an idolized version of particular characters.

The story is very creative, especially the nature and purpose of the dragon “language” that Vivian is trying to decipher. There are plenty of surprises in the plot. The story addresses a lot of issues— class divisions, racial divisions, sexism, views of the “other”, political theories, government versus citizens, the “greater good”, etc. The recruits at Bletchley Park come from various socioeconomic backgrounds and some have experienced a change in socioeconomic status for themselves. They also have a diversity of life experiences. The author uses these differences to highlight the assumptions people make about different groups and the value of the system that perpetuates these differences

This book ends with a set up for a sequel. Part of me wants to see a sequel but part of me likes the story ending with uncertainty about what the future holds.

I just love stories about dragons in any form. This book took dragons in a unique direction. It focused primarily on how dragons communicate with each other and the need to figure out this sacred language during a time of war. I really enjoyed how this played out. It looks like the ending is set up for there to be a sequel. I hope that is the case.

A very well-written YA fantasy about dragons during the early 1920s. I loved how they weaved real history in with the parallel world of the dragons. There was a lot of information about languages, and the middle of the book dragged a bit when that was most of the focus, but the characters were well-drawn out and helped carry the story forward. I loved how they included Bletchley Park as the place where they tried to understand the language of dragons and crack their code.

The story revolves around a war involving dragons and young linguistic experts who are desperate to decode the dragon language for an advantage in the conflict. It is surely an addictive, dark academic tale, that features a (very) slow-burn romance and morally gray, flawed yet lovable characters. This book was right up my alley. I loved every bit of the buildup, I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and of course, the dragons.