A Language of Dragons by S. F. Williamson
A breathtaking fantasy novel, A Language of Dragons weaves an enchanting tale of magic, destiny, and the power of words. Williamson’s worldbuilding is rich and immersive, transporting readers into a realm where language itself holds unimaginable power. With compelling characters and a fast-paced narrative, this book is a must-read for fantasy lovers craving a fresh take on dragons and mythology.

A Language of Dragons by R.L. Martinez is an imaginative and heartwarming tale that dives into the complexities of language, culture, and identity through a fantastical lens. Set in a world where humans and dragons coexist, the story explores the way communication shapes relationships and the deep connections that form through shared understanding.

The protagonist, a young linguist named Kiva, is thrust into an adventure that challenges not only her knowledge of language but also her beliefs and her place in the world. The discovery of a secret dragon language acts as the catalyst for the story, one that could unlock both wondrous and dangerous powers. Martinez does an excellent job of weaving together themes of personal growth and the significance of language in shaping both individuals and societies.

Overall, A Language of Dragons is a captivating blend of fantasy and intellectual curiosity. It’s a celebration of language, identity, and the bonds we share with those who understand us. If you’re a fan of magical realism, thought-provoking narratives, and strong character development, this book will surely leave a lasting impression.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

I went in with conflicting expectations for this one, mainly based on the comps. You've got Babel, which is smart and sophisticated, with complex characters and a truly stunning magic system based on translation (and also one of my FAVORITE dark academia books of all time - truly a modern classic). And then you've got Fourth Wing, which is fun and smutty, but more of a popcorn book than anything. I think if you're in it for Fourth Wing, you'll be disappointed. If you're in it for Babel, I think you'll have a great time.

I'm way more of a Babel girlie, so I was vibing with this one from the first page. Vivien Featherswallow is a rule following future translation scholar, specializing in dragon languages. Her parents, talented scholars, are actually rebels in disguise -- in order to free them when they're arrested and sentenced to death, Viv agrees to become a translator for the British government, who's hoping to discover the secret of dragon echolocation. Her cousin Marquis comes along with her, as does her ex-bestie Sophie. In a race against time, Viv and crew must meet the government's demands in order to stop a civil war, but Viv begins to question the cost of what she's doing as time goes on.

I loved the beginning, but felt my enthusiasm flagging as the novel went on. I think part of my problem is standard debut issues. The moments of violence and tension--of which there were many that should have felt like gut punches--were quickly brushed over, giving the pacing a rather uneven feel. Part of this could also be that the relationships among the Bletchley Park crew vacillate in ways that feel rather inconsistent. Sophie and Viv go from being enemies to friends and back again in paragraphs (this happens multiple times), and a recruit attacks another but is then redeemed at the end with little explanation or fanfare. Viv herself also has a frustratingly paced character arc.

The 1920s setting felt unexplored, given that Viv and crew largely remain at Bletchley Park for most the book (though I have read a lot of 1920s era fantasy lately, so I may be a bit biased). The language also felt more or less contemporary, not really immersing me in the setting. But, for all those critiques, the dragon lore is so unique, and I really, really appreciated how complex the politics were. There's been a tendency in YA lately to water down the politics, or make them so convoluted that even a seasoned fantasy reader has some difficulty, but this hit the sweet spot. It's got that Hunger Games-esque critique of capitalism that I so adore. Williamson writes cleverly, and though I could see the Babel comparisons (translation and use of language as resistance), it did a great job of differentiating itself as well. And for all my critique of the 1920s setting, I did adore the spy school itself far more than Fourth Wing's Basgiath. The romance and plot were well balanced, and Atlas was a wonderful love interest, though I do question his decision to leave the priesthood for...Viv.

Ultimately, this felt very much like a debut, but a really solid debut, if that makes sense. I have a read a lot of dragon books, a lot of dark academia, and a lot of 1920's era fantasy these past couple years, so my standards are very high. But I think readers should definitely not sleep on this book, especially younger readers new to the genres.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and S. F. Williamson for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review! I think Williamson has a lot of promise, and I'm interested to see where the series goes next.

Dark Academia, Post WW1 London, dragons. What's not to like? I love the emphasis on language and the strong story. I'm definitely coming back to this author.

5 ⭐️

Wow, this book was so so good! The politics, the rebellion, the love story, and the dragons and their languages were all so intricately woven into a beautiful story that I literally couldn’t put down and finished in 6 hours.

Viv was a brilliant young woman, both principled and flawed, trying to protect everyone she loved while learning about herself and the government she was serving as a dragon linguistics expert. Atlas challenged her, made her think more deeply and gave her new perspectives that shook her to her core, all while standing up for her at every turn. The love story between them was beautiful, but it wasn’t the heart of the book - the dragons were.

The dragons were masterfully written. Those on the side of the government were just as wary of the humans as those on the rebellion’s side. I loved the nuances in how they allied together but still kept their secrets, because dragons will always protect their own first. It was a disturbing look into the way humans try to force animals into captivity and then exploit them for their own gains and entertainment. And the way that can backfire in the end.

Every side character offered their own vital piece of the story, and the relationships between them all was really well done. Even the ones I didn’t like had redeeming qualities and justifiable reasons for being the way they were.

I really hope there’s a second book coming to complete this story because I need so much more.

The audiobook narrator, Henrietta Meire, sounded great. Her accent was beautiful and her emotional range was perfect for Viv.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is a book I will absolutely be buying for myself now, because I want to read it again and again.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

Love the idea of it and I love a book with dragons, but this wasn't for me at this time.

This is a great book for a young adults with scene limited to a kiss. I received this book from NetGalley with limited idea of what it would be. I loved that the main character was a strong female that did not need a male "hero" to help her. I appreciated her struggles on determining what is right - even though in some aspects it frustrated me. I loved the action and suspense that was written into the book; and obviously I loved the dragons. I plan on reading Williamson's next book and would recommend it to parents with teens.

Dazzling, magical, a wonderful historical read with dragons! This is for anyone who is a fan of wartime history who also loves all things magic. I found the plot incredibly compelling and a nice change from other historical fantasy novels. I highly recommend it.

I love a book with dragons! And I’m also a nerd who loves language, so this book was speaking to me!

It had political intrigue, a dash of romance, and lots of tension. It moved a little slowly and I found Viv annoying at times, but it all worked out! This is a good YA fantasy.

Dragons are definitely having a moment, and A Language of Dragons provides a fun new entry into dragon fantasy. Drawing on elements of historical fantasy and dark academia, the story follows Vivien Featherswallow—an ambitious young woman on the verge of becoming an expert on dragon languages. A Second Class citizen, Viv is willing to do whatever it takes to keep herself and her family out of the guaranteed poverty of the Third Class. But when her parents are arrested as suspected rebels, Viv turns to an imprisoned dragon for help and, by setting her free, sparks a civil war in Britain. Viv is given a choice—go to Bletchley Park and work as a codebreaker to help the government defeat the rebels or condemn her family to death. As she dives into her work at Bletchley, Viv uncovers the terrible truth behind the human-dragon peace treaty. Will she stand by and help the government to protect her family—or will she risk everything she cares about to save the world?

❤️ What I loved: There was a lot to love about this story—it’s a great blend of political fantasy, dark academia, historical fiction, and romance. Viv is a complex and not-entirely likable main character, making her own struggle to come to terms with the injustice around her even more captivating. A strong cast of supporting characters helps to give the story more texture and interest as it progresses. In the narrative itself, there were a great number of twists and turns that kept the story unexpected and engaging.

💔 What I didn’t love: There were some moments in this story where the pacing felt a bit off. However, this was overall a solid read for me.

I highly recommend this story for young adult fans of political fantasy who like high stakes and enjoy romantic subplots. I hope to see this book continue as a series and to dive more into this exciting world!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4-4.5)

Acknowledgments & Disclaimers ✨ Thank you to NetGalley, S.F. Williamson, and HarperCollins Children’s Books for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book. ✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. ✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

A Language of Dragons is pitched as Fourth Wing meets Babel which was very intriguing to me. This book brings both dragons and fantasy elements to a historical world with a lot of politics. I enjoyed how the author brought both of these together to build a unique world with a lot of intricate dynamics. For a YA book, I think the world was done well. Overall I really enjoyed this book and how it was fast-paced from the beginning. I loved the pink dragon and the main character Viv. I do wish there was more of a focus on the romance.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a review!

I was so pleased to have gotten this as an ARC to read, however I only got around to cracking it open on released week, and let me tell you I thought that I was going to be able to get you out a review on release week. I didn’t, but that isn’t the fault of the story. In fact I read nearly 80% of it on my flight back from our family vacation over new years and I was invested.

This is a story that has hope somehow creeping into a dark, and devastating story. This will scratch your dark academia itch with a secret-wartime government gang-pressed groups of young adults all blackmailed into helping their government. A main character that you know from the outset is an unreliable narrator and who’s character flaws make you just want to shake her, but she’s doing it all for the right reasons if in the absolutely worst way possible. I was so incredibly proud of the growth that you see in all of the characters. Folks who grew up in either in the worst conditions imaginable, or were made ignorant due to their placement in the post-dragon civil war caste system.

Is this about dragons? Yes. Is it set surrounding war time activities? Yes. Is it anything like Fourth Wing? No, this is infinitely darker and more political. It is gripping and has you rooting for characters. It has you yelling at others. It has you keeping mental calculus. The tension and backstabbing is rife, yet somehow the love for humanity and the desire to see a better life is there. The emotions and subtext will leave you continually feeling like you were sucker punched(and still wanting more). I think some of the dragons were my favorite characters, they were so incredibly real.

Also the entire goal of learning a secret dragon language? It scratched a wonderful itch in my brain. I majored in a second language in college, but it never came easy to me. I have always longed to understand languages like Viv does, so I loved getting to be in her head while she worked. It gave me such an appreciate for translators and the politics and minutia in learning about the different languages of dragons. Overall that slotted into the rest of the world building: detailed, but not overpowering. It felt familiar, the best blend of fantasy overset onto an alternate world.

Also, that last 20% of the book? It’s the reason when I was done traveling I hadn’t picked it up again until I knew I was ready. I knew it would be messy, and heartbreaking, and unputdownable. I wasn’t wrong. The highs and lows as we came to the end, they hit hard and then kept hitting. The lessons learned were hard ones for our characters, I think for our messy world today, this messy world that was just different enough was such a satisfying escape.

1.5

With comps to Babel and Fourth Wing, I should have known that maybe this book wouldn't be for me, but I still wanted to try because on paper all three of these books are perfect for me. Unfortunately, I didn't like any of them, though I'm beginning to think it's a me problem.

Set in an alternate history London 1923, this story follows Vivian Featherswallow, a teenager who has been studying dragon languages. At the start of the story, her parents are arrested for treason and she makes a decision that supposedly starts a civil war, except really this war was coming regardless of her actions. Anyway, she ends up at Bletchley Park working on a top secret spy project that will help the government win the war, but the more she learns the more she's questioning everything she's ever known.

I absolutely love the ideas here. The creation of dragon languages and society was fascinating and I generally love books that explore themes like class and privilege, which this does. Where I struggled I think was in the execution here. I struggled to fit all the random lore drops together to create a fully realized world, so the world never felt fully real to me. This is also marketed as a "slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance" which is categorically false. Yes there is an element of rivals to more but it is not slow and I struggle to even call it a romance.

I wanted to love this, but I think I would have been better off reading a nonfiction about Bletchley Park. Also, this is currently listed as a standalone, but I would be very surprised if there's not a continuation to this story.

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

Dragons and rebels! Love the world building dragons and humans live together with various languages and dialects amongst the dragons. Vivian is a second class girl who believes in her country and the peace agreement between Brittania and the dragons. However when her parents turn out to be rebels she must make decisions she never thought should. Vivian's growth throughout the book is amazing, her whole world is changed, and she chooses how she will change with it.

Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am giving this book a 3 stars! This book was described with a lot of buzzwords, such as "dark academia" and "enemies to lovers," but neither of the terms felt applicable. The romance did not fit the category of enemies to begin with. It also does not fit the romantasy category, and it was more fantasy with a romantic subplot if anything. I do enjoy fantasy with romantic subplots, but since I am a mood reader and had other expectations for this book, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I believe I could have enjoyed this book with proper marketing and if I had read it at another time, but at last, that did not happen. It pains me to give this book a low(-ish) rating, but moreover, some of the plot was also very predictable and Viv's inner conflict drove me crazy.

This book was good. I liked the focus on language and how it connects. The political aspect is one seen in other books. Vivian was a tough character to like.

Typically I read pretty fast. While the story was interesting the fmc made it hard to get through the story. I didn’t really get much od the academia vibes ie slowburn. The premise and story were great I just didn’t click with the fmc tbh.

This? Absolutely my cup of tea. The Hunger Games meets Babel with some dragons thrown in--a truly great political fantasy.