Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman
I really shouldn’t do this to you. And by “this” I mean review the second book
in a series without reviewing the first.
I read the first book, Seraphina, when it came out a few years ago. It became incredibly clear to me when I
started reading the sequel, Shadow Scale, that I didn’t remember much of what I
had read the first time. But, I dove in
anyway. It has been an epic ride.
Shadow Scale picks up almost exactly where Seraphina left
off, as half dragon Seraphina struggles with a country on the brink of
war. There is a love interest, although
that bit is rather minor, family issues, a young queen who is also a friend,
and dragons. Lots of dragons. The crux of the story centers around
Seraphina searching for the other ityassari (half dragons) like herself. There is a theory that they can link their
minds together in order to create a sort of net to ward of the attacks on
humans by full dragons. The world is
expanded in this novel as Seraphina travels to other countries to track down
her fellow ityassari, learning as she goes that not all places are as hostile
toward her kind as her own country.
Technically, this book is YA but as with a lot of young
adult fiction, it deals with issues adults are all too familiar with: war,
death, discrimination. It is a story
well worth reading.
Reviewed by Ashley
