This was not perfect, and definitely very YA, but in the ABSOLUTE best way.

When I first read the blurb...are you kidding me? Bletchley Park, dystopian-esque historical society, DRAGONS? TRANSLATION?

And yes, it is all of those things. If you love The Hunger Games, Babel and Fourth Wing but don't mind YA romance, you will absolutely adore this. I was hooked and NEEEEED the sequel.

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me, but I think it will be a big hit with the right audience. It's a very strong premise and the start to an exciting sounding YA series.

Things I liked:
- Lots of linguistics and code breaking
- Lots of dragons
- Set in an alternate Bletchley Park
- Very fast-paced; I tore through it
- A morally complex lead character

Things that didn't work as well for me:
- The worldview and themes felt a bit simplistic and obvious to me
- Too many things going on (best friend drama, slow burn romance, dark academia, class warfare, fascism) made it feel a little muddled
- The writing was a bit heavy handed for my tastes

I know I'm not the right audience for this one, but I really think it will find its market. Readers looking for an exciting, fast-paced book with lots of dragons and drama will enjoy.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins, NetGalley, and S. F. Williamson for generously providing an ARC for review!

4.5⭐️
Here is how I see A Language of Dragons…

Imagine if you took all the nuance, political intrigue, corruption, and rebellion aspects of The Hunger Games - you know the stuff we missed when we read it as kids but became super obvious once we grew up and realized our world is an absolute mess…

Now take all that goodness and shove it into a reimagined post WW1 London, where dragons and humans coexist. Then add in linguistics and translation al la Babel. Add a little dark academia vibes. Throw in a morally gray FMC that would do anything to protect her family, a few feisty side characters, and mini dragons that deliver the mail… Plus a romantic sub-plot.

I had a great time with this book and think it is an absolutely spectacular start to the series. I cannot wait for the next book. The author S.F. Williamson is one to watch!

What I loved…
- a spectacular representation of a corrupt government and killer political intrigue
- flawed characters that felt real
- a PINK dragon
- excellent prose and fantastic imagery and world-building.
- fast-paced start and an action packed ending that had be gasping!

What I didn’t love…
- there is a bit of a lull in the middle of the book imo, but those who find the academia/linguistics aspects really interesting won’t find the same issue
- I wanted more details of the relationship development between the FMC and her love interest. There is evidence to back up the feelings they have but its off page evidence and I wanted to see more on page relationship development
- helicopters were barely being invented and tested in 1923 (we’re talking could only hover 40 feet off the ground) - I get that this is a fictional world but it was just one of those random things that stuck out to me as not really fitting.

While this is technically a young adult novel I think it has mass appeal for adult and younger audiences - the only YA aspect of this book was the age of the characters.

I'm impressed with how explicitly this book discuses rebellion. It very straightly states that politicians should not be feared by people, but should rather be fear the people, that a disinterest in political debate is due to privilege, and it allows the main character to be categorically and unequivocally wrong. It is a story about growing into change, and learning that the side you are fighting for is corrupt. And how to grapple with the mistakes you have made. Plus, there's dragons which is super freaking cool.

If you want Babel but make it YA with dragons, I recommend this one! The main character's views are frustrating at the start but understandable and she does grow and get better. I really like all the time spent explaining the different dragon's ways of communicating, instead of like in fourth wing when they just magically speak English in the human's head. It made for an interesting world and added a new element to the story. It also has a competitive school setting, ex-best friend drama, a romance and more. The ending did not make me feel good though