I had to DNF this at 20% Vivian was so incredibly insufferable as a main character. For her to sit there defending a class system that she has to cheat to stay in and committed crimes to try and cover up her parents crimes for, make it make sense!!! She is supposed to be smart but she just want to live in a naive bubble and make increasingly poor choices, I cant suffer through.

I found A Language of Dragons to be an interesting take on dragons that I haven't seen before! I was really excited when I picked this book up. While it didn't leave up to all my wildest dreams, I did enjoy it. Vivien was hard to root for at times and felt a little cookie cutter when its comes to a YA fantasy lead she wasn't the worst. I just found myself wanting to shake her a lot and she induced just a few eye rolls and complains to my partner. The plot was definitely interesting and the romance was standard. Even though I'm not in love with the book, I did enjoy it and would recommend to any teens looking for a historical fantasy.

"In an alternate London in 1923, one girl accidentally breaks the tenuous truce between dragons and humans in this sweeping debut and epic retelling of Bletchley Park steeped in language, class, and forbidden romance. Perfect for teen fans of Fourth Wing and Babel."

Synopsis:
Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get a summer internship studying dragon languages, be smart, be sweet, and make sure her little sister never, ever has to risk growing up Third Class. She just has to free one dragon. -- By midnight, Viv has started a civil war. --With her parents and cousin arrested and her sister missing, Viv is brought to Bletchley Park as a codebreaker—if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die. --As Viv begins to discover the secrets of a hidden dragon language, she realizes that the fragile peace treaty that holds human and dragon societies together is corrupt, and the dangerous work Viv is doing could be the thread that unravels it.


Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for this arc in exchange for my review!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. I had to DNF this book a little while in, the plot didn’t draw me in as much as I expected it to.

In this fascinating fantasy novel, readers visit an alternate London in 1923 where Vivien Featherswallow is ready to follow the rules and study dragon languages to be sure her sister does not grow up Third Class. However, freeing a dragon has incredible consequences -- her parents’ arrests and her sister’s disappearance -- and Viv has begun a civil war between humans and dragons. Brought to Bletchley Park as a codebreaker and promised her family’s freedom if she succeeds, Viv must discover a hidden dragon language, but she soon realizes that the peace treaty and her work are far more dangerous and connected than she had thought. With incredible world-building and morally complex characters, readers will love this brilliant reimagining of 1920s London with dragons and a crazy mix of fantasy and steampunk. The characters are so challenging and complex, and readers will love the large cast of characters, their complex personalities, and varying motivations. The various conflicts and incredible world-building are fascinating, and the depth of detail and description really pull readers into the story. Brilliantly written and immersive, fantasy readers will love this unique and complex new novel about dragons, humans, and the costs of forced treaties because of these incredible details and complicated characters.

The premise of this is fantastic (and the cover art is too, frankly) and I'm sure it will find its audience. For me, however, this leans a bit too much toward the younger side of YA. The good vs. evil of it all came off kind of simplistic. Also, I wasn't really a fan of Vivian, and that really hampered my enjoyment.

Really interesting world here. I wasn't completely sold on the characters, but I was enthralled by the world the author created with the dragons and the academia vibes and the political plot.. And really, all I mean by the characters is the romance. On her own, I didn't really have issues with the MC (she was flawed in the good ways and not the best of people, but it worked), but I did want more out of the romance. It didn't seem to build that much.

Thoroughly enjoyed this unique twist on the dragon bonding/rebellion genre. Well paced with just enough romantic tension to engage younger YA readers looking for romantasy, but not ready or interested in the spicier ends of the genre. The threading of the academic study of language and linguistic etiology through the lens of the MC was a refreshing approach to the conundrum of interspecies communication that so often relies on the telepathy trope. And the setting of an alternative WWII era UK made for a great basis for world building via the alt-history approach. Looking forward to the sequel!

I loved this book. I was not expecting to love it, but I really did. It only failed to hit the 5 star mark because of the ending. I was expecting a sequel and I'm only now learning that this is supposed to be a standalone so... wtf? T.T

Do not read this book if you do not like morally grey, makes a lot of selfish choices, and stubbornly believes what she wants despite proof screaming in her face kind of MCs. Viv is deeply flawed and I love it. I don't love her. She's a hard one to root for but I truly appreciate that about her. She is a very solid, well written character that doesn't just flip flop for plot sake. You honestly have no idea what kind of choices she will make until she does.

The world building is solid. I think it could've been a little more but we were given more than enough to get a good feel of the political climate, history, etc. There's also a good number of dragons in this book thank you very much (side-eyes Hurricane Wars). So if you like dragons, political fantasy, analytical explanations and morally grey characters this book is for you!

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

* I received an e-arc via Netgalley for review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity. All thoughts are my own*

I loved A Language of Dragons and thought it was a fantastic debut for S.F. Williamson! It was fast paced, takes place in 1920’s England, has slow burn romance, and last but certainly not least, dragons! I really thought the world building was done well, and I enjoyed the whole aspect of linguistics being included in a fantasy novel. I found it quite fascinating!

I absolutely can’t wait for the sequel after that ending!

I honestly really enjoyed this book. I appreciated not only the writing style, but also the story and the level of detail. I finished this book in 2 days, and the combination between fantasy (dragons) and reality (classism, war, government corruption, etc.) was such a gem for me. I felt like this book was almost a combination of the dystopian world of Hunger Games combined with the world of dragons and lore. I highly recommend this one.

Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

If you’re looking for a fun YA book with dragons from a debut author, pick up A Language of Dragons!

Viv is a feisty character whose beliefs and worldview is challenged by the end of the novel. Everything she’s known about the world changes when her parents are arrested and her sister goes missing. When Viv has the chance to discover the secrets of a hidden dragon language as a way to release her parents and find her sister, she pours all her energy into the task. But she learns that rules don’t apply to everyone equally in society and must decide which side she wants to be on.

There is a love interest, but it’s not the main focus of this story, which I appreciated! The friends she makes at Bletchley Park help Viv view the world in new ways and cause her to reevaluate what she wants to do with her life.

I always love a story about language and literacy, so my favorite parts of the story were when Viv worked on cracking the dragon language. The author is a linguist so she did a fantastic job of providing enough of an explanation of the code breaking to make it see realistic without getting too technical.

The story ends on an action-paced scene and sets up the sequel nicely. I’ll be picking up book 2 whenever it comes out!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to S. F. Williamson, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Got to 92% and DNFed. Just couldn't do that last hour. I'd grown bored, and when Viv got the stupid idea to stay behind and be the prime minister's personal translator, I lost patience with her. The premise is unique and intriguing, and Vivian is sympathetic (though not very relatable), but the narrative became excessively redundant. Figuring out the dialects was too slow, banding together to escape the manor was too slow. Bulgarians this, Bulgarians that. Vivian stubbornly refused to consider the rebels had a good point for too long. The stakes were incredibly high, situation tense, but things had been high and tense pretty much since page one, so by 92%, the danger was stale. The whole thing had grown stale, and it was becoming clear that it wasn't going to have a very happy ending and would continue in a series, and I knew I didn't care enough to follow the series, so I just called it. Interesting idea, not the best execution.

What an interesting addition of Babel into dragon lore. We have a typical story about race and classism and the use of a scapegoat to blame for life’s problems, mixed in with a selfish teenage girl who needs a dose of rebellious reality. You’d think that we’ve read it all before, but the introduction of the nuance of language actually kept it from being too boring. Again as usual, the dragons stole the show. I am intrigued as to where this series is going. There were a few points left on a cliffhanger. I did appreciate the political discussion, it felt very on point with the news going on lately.

This book was a truly unique read. When I channeled my inner YA reader, it easily landed as a solid four-star experience. That part of me delighted in the seamless blend of imagination and historical fiction—an alchemy I haven’t quite encountered before.

My inner historian may have raised an eyebrow at flying pink dragons in World War II—but was swiftly shushed by my inner thirteen-year-old, who reveled in every airborne scene and the impeccable world-building Williamson conjures. And let’s talk about those dragons—not only do they fly, they talk. In multiple languages. These aren’t just mythic beasts; they’re fully realized characters with wit, wisdom, and voices of their own. Honestly, I’d trust one of them to negotiate a treaty faster than half the humans in the story.

Williamson manages to balance absurdity and awe in a way that feels fresh and deeply satisfying. It's a reminder that sometimes, the joy of reading comes from surrendering to the unexpected—and letting dragons do the talking.
Thank you to the publisher and net galley for this book.

A smashing historical fantasy! Bletchley park code breakers, but make it with dragons. Absolutely enjoyed the storyline, the characters were written so well you either loved or detested them. I’ll certainly be looking forward to the next book.

Sometimes I’m like YES I still love ya fantasy yaaaas and sometimes I’m really not sure if I should request anymore so this one is on me.

This book falls into the trap I find many YA novels falling into which is very stereotypical characters, wayyy too much first person internal monologuing, and uninteresting villains. I think many will like this! The premise is cool. But it’s just not for me.

Vivian Featherswallow, a pretentious girl with a maybe more pretentious name, has a great life waiting for her: she's about to nail an internship studying dragon languages and be able to maintain her cushy second class position. And then her terrible parents get arrested as rebels, along with her cousin, and so she decides to unleash a dragon to *burn down the prime minister's office to destroy what she believes is the only evidence of her parents' guilt.* Deep sigh. Girl. Shockingly, this action has consequences, namely, launching a civil war because the rebels see this as the perfect time to act. So Vivian is thrown into prison too, leaving her baby sister now completely alone. But, the prime minister offers her a deal: she will be sent to Bletchley Park to help break codes and aid the war effort, and if she is successful, her parents and uncle and her will all be let off scot free.
Vivian was an unbearable bootlicker. The class system is some The Selection level basic dystopian nonsense and she is just guzzling it down. She is so ridiculous and shallow because on the one hand, she acknowledges the terror of sinking in rank and how becoming third class would destroy her life, but when it comes to her former best friend, Sophie, who is now third class because of Vivian's actions, it's all, oh, surely she's fine and adjusting just fine to her new life which isn't as bad as I think. On the topic of the class system, it doesn't really make sense and super seems not tied at all to the dragons problem? Like, what is the connection here? England has had a pretty classist history, so I don't see why the author felt the need to increase it. Additionally, I will now get started on the romance between Vivian and the rebellious third class boy at Bletchley with her. Is it 2013 again? Because it's giving such 2013. Maybe this book would have actually been better in 2013, because all of the tropes hadn't been run through quite yet. Speaking of 2013 called, why is this cartoonishly evil government collecting teenage misfits? And calling them misfits? They want people who can think in nonlinear ways, sure. They want people who are desperate enough to do these things for few rewards, I get it. But like, teenagers? Have you exhausted all the competent adults who exist in the world? It made no sense. The dragons were the only cool part. That and the fact that said dragons killed apparently the entire country of Bulgaria (???? what did Bulgaria do to this author?). I also was annoyed by putting Bletchley Park in the 20s? Like, I understand that the author wanted the teenaged characters to have experienced the dragon equivalent of WWI, but I really couldn't see why. Just a pet peeve.

All I needed to see was the word 'dragons' to know I wanted to read this novel. The time period and codebreaking were just extra icing.

Viv isn't an easy character to like. The author's note at the beginning of the novel warned me this would probably be the case, so I was prepared. Viv's made horrible decisions to the detriment of others, is oblivious to her privilege, and is selfish and cowardly in many ways. I had to question why Atlas, possibly my favorite character and a maybe priest-in-training, was interested in her. And yet, I cheered for her in the latter part of the story due to her tremendous character growth. She's faced with choosing what's best for the general population versus what's best for herself and her family.

The dragons are spectacular! Viv's attempts at codebreaking their communications between each other (not their known dragon languages) fascinated me. I love that they co-exist (in some places) and interact with humans. The world-building is detailed and well-executed, and it was easy to immerse myself in the 1923 setting.

So many things are going on - political intrigue, a corrupt government, and a war - and it occasionally felt like a Mission Impossible movie when masks are removed and the person isn’t who you thought they were. No masks here, but the same principle. The action-packed ending moves at a break-neck pace, and you'll want some uninterrupted reading time during the last 20%.

The sequel quickly landed on my list of most anticipated reads for next year. Recommended for fans of morally gray MCs, rebellion stories, and dragons, of course.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The marketing copy for S.F. Williamson’s A Language of Dragons describes it as Babel meets Fourth Wing. It’s understandable why it’s described as such (beyond, of course, these books’ commercial success): The story’s main character is a linguist (like Babel, though in this case, dragon languages) and the book takes place in a grim world where there’s a strict caste system for humans and dragons exist as an integral part of society (like Fourth Wing).

But where those books are clearly for adult readers, A Language of Dragons is solidly a young adult novel. It takes place in an alternate history of 1920s England, where Viv Featherswallow is a student in the middle tier of the country’s rigid caste system who strives to become a renowned dragon scholar. Her idea of the world and her place in it is shattered when Stormtrooper-esque authorities arrest her parents and her cousin, Marquis, for being part of a resistance fomenting against the government, leaving her and her five-year-old sister on their own.

Desperate to save her parents, Viv turns immediately against the system she’s followed her whole life and frees Chumana, an imprisoned dragon forced to work at a local library, under the condition that she burns down 10 Downing Street and the evidence against her parents within it. (As a reader, it’s probably best not to dwell on how quickly she decides to break the rules she’s lived in fear of her entire life, and how she thinks this scheme would work.) Chumana fulfills her end of the bargain, civil war breaks out, and Viv gets arrested. The prime minister, however, decides to have her work on a secret project: Dragons use a secret code via echolocation, she tells Viv, and she wants the teenager and her polyglot abilities to be part of the team set to crack it. Viv agrees, provided her cousin Marquis goes with her and that, if she succeeds, her entire family will be pardoned.

The bulk of the story takes place at Bletchley Park, a secret compound for England’s authoritarian government. It’s there she meets fellow teenage researchers forced to work on various projects to win the war against the rebels. She has romantic sparks with one of those other students, a Third Class boy named Atlas who can’t seem to stupidly stop mouthing off to his captors, an act that seems to accomplish nothing other than having him sent to solitary for a day or so rather than executed. (It’s also hard to see how Atlas falls so hard for Viv beyond general physical attraction—made all the more titillating given he’s in training to be a priest! They are teenagers, however, so let’s go with it.)

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