S.F. William’s A Language of Dragons blends fantasy and historical fiction into a well-crafted novel that revolves around the power of language. I really enjoyed the stakes in this book. W have young linguistic experts who are desperate to break the code on the dragon language to gain an advantage on their enemies.
I feel like the class divisions needed more detail in relation to the effect on the people and in relation to the setting of the book. I also felt like there were times where the tension and the build up was just not there. It was also hard to tell if the book was a standalone or a series, given the ending.

This is a blend of historical fiction and fantasy with a corrupt government that tries to control its people by placing them into toxic class systems. Our main character is a prodigy translator of dragon languages and after disaster strikes...essentially has to make a
"deal with the devil" in order to save her families lives.
The pacing is really pretty steady and the build is fast. It kind of had this front lines of war type setting...where a rebellion is rising from the people who will no longer stay silent. When war on the horizon is a ticking time bomb and lives are on the line... how far would you go...and who would you step on to get there? I loved getting an insight into the different dragons tongues, echolocation type translation, the history of dragons and their place within society! There are some really fascinating concepts that i'd love more of in book 2.
The main character is someone the villain of her own story but I do think she has some great growth and some fun side characters to help her along the way.
This is a story that is cut throat and brutal but can please a YA audience. This book is a more of a politics and worldbuilding first...romance second kind of story, but the romance is sweet and heartfelt and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story.
This one has an explosive finish and ends in somewhat of a cliff hanger, so I will definitely be reading the next book at its release!

I think this book had a lot of ambitious ideas that weren't always successful in terms of execution, which is an issue I feel like a lot of YA books run into. Lots of YA tropes and a sort of shallow amount of characterization hampered more ambitious storytelling, but overall it was a fine read, just not a deep one.

I've seen so much hype around this book, and as it sounded exactly like my kind of thing, my expectations were sky-high. Unfortunately, this wasn't my kind of thing after all.

There's so much potential in this concept, but the execution wasn't there for me. I loved how central language is to the plot, but the story lacked atmosphere, world building, and most of all, a relatable main character.

Vivien was so hard to root for, because it seemed really hard for her to figure our right from wrong in a way that was hard to understand and deeply annoying. Especially with her parents being rebels, it was hard to understand how she bought into her country's propaganda so deeply that she can't let go of it for most, if not all, of the book. For someone who's apparently so intellectual and clever that she has the capacity to learn multiple languages, she didn't have a critically thinking bone in her body.

Even better than 4th wing! This book has dragons and an incredible, fearless heroine to go with it. The historical alternate fiction makes it even better.

Wow , this was great. Loved it, I love how it mix realism with the dragons. I like the moral dilemma with the language. The start was really good and definitely the plot was very well explained and set up. I would said I struggled with the main character just because I would have raddled her long ago . The ending was fitting and overall I enjoyed a lot.

Such a Unique fantasy read! I loved how different the portrayal of dragons and humans were. It really challenged my imagination but the author did well as painting that picture for the reader. I loved that it was a clean read with touches of romance but nothing heavy and allows it to be fantasy focused.

3.5, rounded down to 3.

I love books with dragons and world-building with plenty of linguistics, so I went into A Language of Dragons with optimism. And while Williamson definitely delivered on those two elements, I found almost everything else about this book sorely lacking.

I have seen many reviewers dislike Vivian, the main character whose head we live in during the story. And while I can sympathize with the annoyance of being in a teenager's POV, I was able to tolerate the unlikeable version of Viv that we are tied to for most of the book. She is a product of her upbringing and the propaganda she has been fed her whole life. For those who have not had to deconstruct and move on from a similar upbringing, it would be frustrating to see her dig her heels in every time her views were challenged. Still, at the end of the day she is a teenager, and I failed to connect with her in pretty much any way. Similarly, the overall plot at Bletchley Park was not interesting to me. It functioned as a narrative railroad to force Viv to confront the reality of choosing to uphold existing systems of oppression, but this is not a new concept for me and did not resonate in the way the author likely intended. I am willing to take the blame for that, as it may hit harder for the intended audience if this is their first encounter with the idea in a fictional work.

I gave it a 3.5 for everything the dragons bring to the setting, the languages, and the idea of dragons in a WWII-era Britain. I intend to read the sequel, though it won't be high priority unless I get another ARC.

Trigger Warnings: death, war, physical assault, violence, classicism, sexism

In London 1923, dragons begin soaring through the skies and chaos has erupted. Vivian Featherswallow isn’t worried though, she’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to worry about dropping down to Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her little sister missing, everything Viv has worked for is crumbling. So when a mysterious “job” is offered to her, Viv takes it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, she finds out her mysterious job is codebreaking to help in the war effort. If she succeeds, her family can be whole and safe again. If she doesn’t, they all die.

But, the more Viv learns while codebreaking, the more she realizes what she grew up believing isn’t as safe as it seems. Eventually she must decide if the side of the war she’s working for is the one she really wants to fight.

I really enjoyed the linguist aspect of this novel and the amount of world building Williamson did with it. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Viv, but she is a morally gray character at times, so that makes sense. I did appreciate her growth throughout the series though.

I originally wanted this because of the dragons, and that part definitely did not disappoint. I also enjoyed the fast pace of the plot and the high stakes of Viv’s (and everyone at Bletchley Park) situations. It kept me turning the pages to find out more.

*Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Unfortunately had to DNF this one. Had high expectations for "babel with dragons" but fell flat. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. This one really stands out in the sea of dragon books that are out. I loved the politics in this one, I felt that even as complicated as they were, they were easy to understand. I found myself switching sides on a couple of occasions because there were at points where each side seemed to have the better intentions. I loved the rebellion and what they stood for. I liked Vivian as a character and thought that she showed good growth as the story continued and the stakes got higher. The dragon languages was my favorite part, I loved the idea that they also had a secret "language" that they kept from the humans in order to keep themselves protected.

I love fantasy with dragons, so was really excited to read this book. This is a YA novel and is heavily focused on language. So if you are looking for something n the vein of the Fourth Wing, this is not it. However, I personally did enjoy this.

Given the backdrop of the current political climate, this book will resonate with many while also annoying others. Vivian is your classic perfectionistic rule follower (brought on by abusive tactics). She lives an otherwise privileged, sheltered and naive existence. She fully believes and supports her government and its existing caste system as a peace between humans and dragons. And just like anyone brainwashed by their upbringing, she doggedly defends it despite multiple experiences to the contrary/ to her detriment. Her character growth is slow as molasses, but it does happen. The story itself is pretty action packed and engaging, the writing is solid, and I loved the interactions with dragons. There were a few too many characters, but the main side characters still stood out. The romance is a subplot and was cute, but don't go into this expecting a whirlwind.The audiobook is excellent as well (I switched over at about 30%). It ends on a minor cliffhanger, so I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.

This is a book about dragons, but also about choices. This story starts with a girl wanting to help a dragon. Nothing wrong with that, right? Except somehow she starts a war from this innocent act.
A language of dragons does a really good job at depicting a world h where dragons are a part of the society and they exist and live side by side with humans. However, I felt like the author could have done more in the details of how that works. For example, how big or small are the dragons? That wasn’t really described well to me.
Finally, I think this was a well thought how first in series and look forward to reading more in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an e arc in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

🌶️- no spice

🤬- little to none

⚔️- 1-2 (some action and fighting descriptions little to no gore)

I have been getting more and more into reading about dragons (thanks to Fourth Wing). So, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by this book!!!

First things first, when they say slow burn they do mean slooowwwww burn and I LOVED every. Single. Second!!!

Not only is the love subplot 🧑‍🍳💋 the actual story itself is seriously delectable 🤭

A few reason why:

The FMC is one that stands out amongst a lot of other heroines for me. She was so set in her thoughts and feelings. She did not get swayed easily and honestly was pretty stubborn. At first I was frustrated with her, but as the story progressed I realized I related to her a lot!

Don’t even get me on started on the DRAGONS 🐉 If you love the snarky and witty comments from Tairn then just you wait… 🤭

Another plus for me was I really felt like the author did a great job with this dystopian/fantasy world building. It gave off hunger games vibes in a way that you can take elements of this story to look at real life and see similarities. (IYKYK)

All in all this was one wild ride and I really enjoyed every twist, turn and barrel roll 😂.

3.5 Stars

This book was right up my alley. I love reading books with dragons in them. I am not a fan of Viv, the main character, but toward the end, she really grew on me. OH! and what an ending!! There better be a sequel! (inserts crying face)

A Language of Dragons started with a bang and ended with a bang. I flew through this in one sitting and was at the edge of my chair the entire time. The stakes were so high throughout. At one point I actually wondered how the novel was going to wrap up because within the first 20 pages something unexpected happens and then maybe 20 pages later something else happens and that continued. I loved the academic and fantasy elements. The dragons were my favorite part of this story but I will say Viv grew on me by the end. I enjoyed the character growth as well as the connections that were made. I do wish the romance element was a little more built out but I still had fun reading what we got! The world building and pace were well done. I’ve been begging for more dystopian novels for years and this did not disappoint. I highly recommend picking this one up if you enjoy politics, dragons, war, and fantasy with a subplot of romance.

An alternate history in London where dragons roam the Earth, count me in! I enjoyed the world building that S.F. Williamson brought to this London landscape. Viv captured my attention from the beginning. She finds herself in some precarious situations and I couldn't help but root for her to overcome. I have not read Bletchley Park so I cannot speak to the retelling aspects but after reading this I have added it to my want to read list. Thank you to Harper Collins for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Thank you Net Galley and Publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

Wow! What a rollercoaster of emotions. It's hard to write about the good and bad of people. What's right and what's wrong, so I applaud that it was done well here. I hated Viv at times, she was smug and stuckup, naïve, annoying, and self centered. She eventually figured out what was right in the end. And ugh Atlas, he was so sweet and knew what he wanted. Why must I get attached to fictional characters. I loved the dragons and the concept of languages in this book. It dragged at times but really picked up at the end. I'm hoping for more in this universe.

Favorite quote(s):

“Atlas, languages are like that. You can say the same thing a hundred different ways, and occasionally one of those ways is so unique to the translator that it is impossible to reproduce. No other translator will use the same words, the same rhythm, the same turn of phrase ever again. Translating is creating, too.”

“To control languages, to control words, is to control what people know.”

“Peace isn’t peace if it’s only given to some.”


CW: death, war, physical assault, violence, classicism, sexism.

What to Expect:
- Morally Grey FMC
- Dragons x Humans
- Romance sub-plot
- Set in Alternate 1920s London
- Debut YA Fantasy
- Political Intrigue
- Historical Fiction
- First Person POV

Review:

This book was intriguing. Despite a few minor nitpicks in a historical sense, I thought the world-building was interesting. With that, it is supposed to be an alternate version of our world, but with dragons. The class system was also interesting, but there wasn't a huge explanation of it and why it was the way it was. Other than those things, I loved this book! The characters, the academia bits, the dragons, and their differences. I liked the rebellion information and how characters changed their views of it as the story went on. Vivien was an interesting main character, and she could talk with the dragons, which was cool. I was so mad at what happened to Atlas. He deserved better. He was a great character, and I loved how he cared for the dragons. The ending was wild. I can't wait for more and get answers, and discover what happens next.