What a debut! I was so intrigued when I first read the premise of this book. Given that I've been fascinated with historical fiction lately, this book sounded right up my alley. This book took place in an alternate world to ours where dragons co-exist with humans. Going into it I assumed it would be similar to our history since it was set at Bletchley Park and had codebreakers too, but early on I could see this story would be different. The story takes place in a shaky period similar to ours after WWI, but before WWII. There's themes of colonization, race and class discrimination, and government corporation.

I enjoyed the journey this book took me on. I felt for the FMC, Vivian Featherswallow, and what she was going through, but was just as often very frustrated with her and wanting her to come to her senses already. The middle of the book does slow down a bit as it focuses more on relationship building and academia. I still found it interesting as I liked the unique take on the codebreaking and imagined those in WWII trying to decipher dragon language instead of German or Japanese codes. The last 20% of the book gets exciting with all the emotions and action!

I thought this was a very well written debut novel and eagerly await the sequel!

I devoured A Language of Dragons by S.F Williamson so quickly that it was one of those books I had to FORCE myself to put down to make it last longer. If you love a story that will suck you in from chapter one that has you rooting for flawed characters (oh! and dragons!) read this NOW!

The premise of A Language of Dragons is intriguing. It provokes thought about the power of language as well as the importance of the right to free speech. The style feels like it is on the younger side of YA.

A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson introduces the readers to Vivian Featherswallow, a budding Dragon Linguist and second class citizen, as she discovers the world is much bigger than her dreams of studying at the University of London. Her parents have been discovered to align themselves with the rebel cause, going against the Dragon/Human Peace agreement which is against everything that Vivian knew. Desperate to get rid of any incriminating evidence against her parents and uncle, she releases an imprisoned dragon to burn the evidence and free her family. By doing this, she unknowingly starts a war. Vivian struggles with the decision to keep her head down and save her family, or to stand up for whats right.
This book discusses many important themes of today, including the deliberate erasure of history and language and how that effects younger generations. Our main character, Vivian, is in a constant inner battle of forgiveness and whether she is worthy of it. She believes she is bad and therefore makes selfish decisions based on what she believes a bad person would do while also feeling guilt. My favorite thing about Vivian is her reluctance to be a hero, she has to fight everything that she ever knew to understand the world is bigger than what was taught to her.
A Language of Dragons is a YA book that is fit for any age from teen to adults. It contains heavy themes of war, betrayal and death. With themes that are relevant to the current world we live in, anyone could benefit from reading this wonderful book. This book had me dreaming about languages, it was fast paced, relatable, and fanciful in the perfect way, I have already recommend this book to anyone that will listen.

Excellent! I loved this story and it felt new and refreshing. Not like anything I’ve read before. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for work by this author in the future

A Language of Dragons by S. F. Williamson is a remarkable enemies-too lovers, academia fantasy with its twists, turns, and tons of betrayal.
The world building is lush and vibrant and so uniquely crafted.
The amazing characters and their friendship and found family were amazingly done.
The politics and world building is on a whole new level. Ana the beautiful writing.

Thank You NetGalley and HarperCollins for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I cannot recommend this book enough! I loved it!!
It’s a historical fantasy set in 1920s London and there are DRAGONS!
Honestly, right up my alley. This was my first historical fantasy and I need more of it.
The Language of Dragons has dragon politics, war, rebellion, academia, and romance. It follows a Vivien who is so close to getting into university to study dragon languages, but she finds herself on the wrong side of the rebellion against. After working out a deal to keep her family safe, she is sent to Bletchley park to help decode the secret languages of how dragons communicate with each other. While at Bletchley, Vivien discovers her life under the current regime isn’t what she grew up to believe and she begins to question everything around her…

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 out of 5 stars

I loved this. Don't let the "slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance" part of the synopsis scare you. First, the "enemies" were hardly such, as they had just met, took an instant disliking to each other, and almost immediately got over it. It was more of a "priest-falls-for-criminal" thing.

I loved the ambience of an alternate London where dragons co-mingle with humans but have been relegated to lower class citizens - lower even than third-class, which Vivian's best friend, Sophie, was banished to - after a betrayal by Vivian. Sophie has not idea that her class-lowering was Vivian's fault.

One night at dinner, guests arrive and in a sudden and terrifying turn of events, Vivian's parents, uncle, and cousin are being arrested for being rebels against the Peace Agreement (an agreement between humans and dragons) and the caste system, and Vivian and her little sister are taken to Sophie's parents. Vivian, certain her parents are no rebels, has a plan - let loose an imprisoned dragon loose to destroy the building where the alleged evidence against her parents is kept.

Unfortunately, Vivian is no mastermind, and despite the plan succeeding, she is immediately arrested. She is given a chance to redeem herself, and her family, by helping the war efforts against the rebels. As a linguistics major, she knows multiple dragon languages, and the powers that be are hoping that this will translate into being able to crack a "code" - the echolocation that dragons appear to communicate with each other but hasn't been proven, and the dragon's aren't admitting to it.

With no one being who they seem to be, and everything Viv has believed her entire life turned upside down at every turn, Viv must decide whose side she is on, and how far she is willing to go to save her family.

Incredibly written. I've taken language courses and linguistics courses, so that part of this intrigued me to no end. I can't say I am often taken by politics in books, but I feel the author really did a great job creating this world of us versus them, but betrayal of species by those in charge. I would love to read more by the author.

I'm not without complaints. I felt that a few of the character twists were out of left field and without any basis, but... Maybe that's the whole twist thing. It just felt a little convenient at times. There's another moment when someone says they're not going to be who they were planning to be anymore, and while I can see that happening in real life, I felt like it would have been a better story if this person didn't do a 180. But there's another person who was pushing the first person and didn't remind them that it was their life's passion when they gave it up. You'll understand if you read it.

Still, the unique alternate history, fantasy minimalist, language-obsessive build of the story was captivating and I would love to read more about the dragons in this world.
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In this kind of fantasy world, more like a classic world of reality but with dragons, Vivien’s dream is to discover a new language of dragons. Unfortunately for her, there’s a rebellion stirring and her family seems to be a part of it. A civil war is sparked and Vivien realizes how valuable she really may be. Look for this one if you are looking historical, themes of dark academia, corrupt politicians and fantasy light.

The idea of a dragon code breaker and spies was a clever idea. This is definitely vibes of a fantasy world- revolution and classism. The battle of the upper vs lower. The genre of young adult surprised me but in a good way; I found the writing style on the mature end of young adult and felt like it was a good choice.

I appreciated the plot starting right away but would have preferred it a little slower, maybe starting to establish the plot a little more and the world building. And as a character constantly described as an academic, her actions and surprises to her surrounding didn’t always match. In other words, she was pretty dumb. There are side characters but I would have loved a little more development to them. It’s more a telling than a showing type of story. I liked the intelligence in this, from the code breaking to the politics involved. I would have left out the love story; just felt unnecessary.

Premise: Bletchley Park with Dragons
Promise of Premise: Fulfilled.

A Language of Dragon introduces us to a world of linguistics, political machinations, alternative history, civil war, and dragons.

The world of A Language of Dragon is set in an alternate 1920s England where dragons exist. There are three classes in this world, and while the distinctions between each class are well-described, there is no information about how such a class system came into existence or why there is a need for it. The author simply relies on our presuppostion that a class system is "bad." However, I think the story would have benefited if there had been more historical information, and I hope to see it in the sequel. There are moments where word choices indicate that the setting is 1920s England, whereas there are also instances where the author uses modern phrases (“wrong side of history”). In regards to translating draconic languages, the author does a great job of condensing linguistic theories into layman’s terms.

When our heroine, Viv, inadvertently starts a civil war, we are thrust into a story where she must not only translate dragon languages to save her family, but also work on her intolerant beliefs about her world. Viv’s character arc starts at a very ignorant and self-serving place. It is very difficult to empathize or relate to her because of her beliefs. However, there is tremendous growth on her part as she examines and reconstructs her beliefs. While this may be an annoying process for many readers to witness, I found it believable (don’t we all know people like this?). Her choices throughout the novel dictate the momentum of the plot, thereby creating the novel's tension.

Additionally, as the POV is first person, Viv withholds a secret from the reader (she did something bad). While this secret is probably meant to invoke mystery and add to her growth, I found it quite frustrating that she withholds this information for so long. In terms of other characters, I understand that first-person limits how much we understand other characters, but I think the author did a good job describing the personalities and wants of other characters. I especially liked seeing how Atlas struggled with his profession and desires. There are some amazing side characters that challenge Viv's beliefs. On the other hand, there are others who are horrible, and we feel their hate and want them to receive their comeuppance.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley & HarperCollins for providing me an eARC for this review.

The language of dragons is a debut young adult book that is just the right amount of romance and fantasy. Set in what feels like the 1920's flapper era in London, the main character has a love of languages and makes the mistake of sharing that she can understand and speak the language of the dragons. Her supervisors want the knowledge of the language so they can win the war, much like our own history with the Navajo code talkers.

I am very interested in how the story continues to unfold.

I enjoyed this. I thought that the way the world was built was very interesting and honestly very politically relevant--the corrupt government, especially. This was action-packed right from the get go which, coupled with really well-done characters and world, made this really fun to read. One thing that I didn't love was the pacing, though. The beginning and end are so action-packed but the middle definitely has a noticeable lull. I felt like the relationship between the female main character and her love interest wasn't really believable. I think that either needed more on-page work, or it needed to be axed all together, because it just detracts from the story in its current state, in my opinion. Overall, though, I still look back on this reading experience as enjoyable. This was such a fun book, and I cannot wait to get my own copy and the library's copies in.

This book! This is about to become my 2025 roman empire and the only fantasy I recommend to every human i meet

“Every act of translation requires sacrifice—it is this harsh truth that made me fall in love.”

In A Language of Dragons, dragons and humans must coexist, and after a massacre in Bulgaria by the native dragons, the Peace Agreement is written for the British Isles which limits the freedom of both dragons and humans in an effort to coexist amicably. Vivian Featherswallow is a member of London’s Second Class, and the only thing standing in between her and the maltreated Third Class in a society that only values usefulness is her academic work. The perfect ending to her family’s upcoming dinner party will be her acceptance into an internship studying dragon languages. However, her parents and uncle are arrested for rebel support, her cousin is detained, and her little sister is put in danger. After failing to free them and kickstarting a civil war, Vivian is assigned to break the secret code of dragons by the British Prime Minister, or her entire family will be killed.

I do not often dive into dark academia, but dragons in an alternate version of London was something I couldn’t pass up. I loved the focus on language, on translating and linguistics. I especially liked that there were several spoken tongues that the dragons had developed, just like how humans have many distinct languages. A lot of the book also focused on the implemented class system, which consists of three human classes that are drastically separated—even down to the areas that they are allowed to live in. I found it interesting that citizens wore passes that dictated their class and that promotions and demotions between Class Two and Three commonly occurred due to an academic examination, but that this was hardly the same for Class One, the elite. Dragons are essentially a fourth class and are heavily restricted by humans, which I found ironic considering that they are also known to be ferocious beasts. I found the theme that if not all have peace, then no one has peace, to be an intriguing aspect that added depth to the story. Vivian was the perfect narrator; she has a competitive personality that stems from the fervent need for her to be top in her field of study. She begins as a very naive character, and her development is slow, which I think portrays a realistic progression for someone who has steadfastly believed something to be true all their life. I now can’t wait for the sequel of this duology.

Amazing read, really enjoyed the story and world building. This was my first book by this author, I would read other books by them for sure.

When Vivian Featherswallow inadvertently helps break the truce between the dragons and humans she is taken to Bletchley Park where she’s put on a team of codebreakers set to crack the secret dragon language that could help the humans win the war. If she succeeds, she and her family will survive, if she doesn’t they’ll all die. No pressure! As she unravels this new language she discovers corruption in her own government and has to make a decision between the lives of her family and doing what’s right for the world.

S.F. Williamson does a wonderful job of building a world that feels familiar but is completely different than a world where the reader lives. I loved the different dragon species and Finley’s ability to speak different dragon languages really adds to that global feel of different lands where these dragons lived. Her 1920’s London felt very post world war era appropriate that added to the ambience and set the mood.

The story flowed so well. All of the characters were interesting, added to the story and theme, and helped build Viv up into someone who the reader could like. She didn’t start off that way, but by the end of the book she had a redemption arc that left me wanting to know more about her, this world, and what would happen next. All in all I thought it was a solid fantasy novel, with hints of greatness. I’ll definitely be picking up the next novel when it comes out.

When I went into "A Language of Dragons," I think I was expecting something like Divine Rivals meets Babel – but with dragons. While it was clear from the book's description that it takes place amidst a civil war, I also thought there'd be levity with the rush of high-stakes codebreaking and thrill of romance in an unexpected place. But this book ended up much heavier than I expected it to be, with themes of guilt, betrayal, and who you can truly trust rife throughout the narrative. I also found the romance to be a bit underbaked, and wished there had been a bit more of its development on the page rather than through exposition.

This is still a good read – an imaginative and interesting reimagining of some of the events of World War II, with great character studies and deep dives into morality and religion, as well as privilege and forgiveness. Though (most of) the characters were likable, and the pacing was well=managed, I ultimately found this to be much more stressful than I was expecting! That said, the way this book ends is intriguing, and I'm definitely curious to know what comes next.

A great story and fantasy world. I loved blending dragons with the war and the linguistic elements were so unique. That being said, this book is solidly YA and in the middle, I found the FMC to be very stubborn in a more immature way and held onto her false beliefs for a bit too long. The idea of the dragon “language” was great, though the way the sounds were described were less interesting. The ending was fast paced and a page turner. Can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Let me start by saying this is nothing like Fourth Wing or Babel. Dragons and languages. That’s it. It’s not nearly as addictive as Fourth Wing, or as well written as Babel. Comparing it to these books is a huge disservice.
This book is easy to read and quite bingeable. I liked how the author took a different approach by making the FMC almost like the villain in this story. It’s unique and I always appreciate something outside the norm.

I also enjoyed some of the side characters and there were some fun and exciting moments. I found the world and political system to be clever and also something I haven’t read before.
The pace was possibly the best part of the book. The author managed to keep this fantasy heavy world at a good run. I also loved all the interactions with the dragons.

This quote was great, “Someone requested I keep my teeth to myself. Otherwise, human girl, you might already be rotting at my feet.”

THOUGHTS:
ALL the side characters were underdeveloped. I didn’t feel a thing when some of them got hurt and or killed.
The pace was great! But some sections will most likely bore people with its random ramblings of dragon languages.
I didn’t necessarily mind that the main character was an absolute piece of work…
“Typical Viv, always intent on winning, no matter the cost to everyone else.”
My issue was that her imperfections were repeated again, and again, and again.
“Maybe I was born bad.”
“That probably makes me a terrible person. But trust me, that’s not news to me.”
“It’s like I can’t stop making mistakes that hurt the people I love.”
“…I am fretful, hotheaded, selfish.”

I ended up separating myself emotionally from the FMC. If I hadn’t, well, I may have thrown my kindle across the room.
While the world and magic were unique, the plot was painfully predictable. If I were a younger reader with less reading experience, the twists might be shocking, but for me, it was elementary.
The sweet romance was also desperately underdeveloped. I liked that she kept it to only kissing for this age group, but honestly, we needed more connections between them.

Author S. F. Williams creates a thrilling Sci Fi Fantasy to delight readers, drawing the reader in with well-developed characters and clear detailed descriptions throughout the storyline.

What the author does with finesse is create characters that can cause one to think… “If I am put in the same situation, would I have done the same?” In war is there a clear right and wrong?

Vivien Featherswallow is the main female character of the book, and the reader will have to decide if she is good or evil. Can she be redeemed for past mistakes or will she become part of the evil? Choices… everything is about choices and her choices matter to many people and to the future of this world.

There are several male characters that are prominent in this book, her cousin Marquis and Atlas, a priest in training. There are so many interesting characters that it’s hard to pick a favorite. But these three are my favorite along with the criminal dragon, Chumana.

I loved this author’s way of writing because I was forced to think about actions, reactions, and how do you choose between which loved ones to save. Choices is my word for this book. But the struggle to do right from wrong is a close second.

Though I wouldn’t want to live in this fantasy world I was enthralled with the book and look forward to the next one with great anticipation.