A political Fourth Wing mixed with Divine Rivals.
I usually dread a naive main character, but the entire plot line is the FMC growing out of her naivety and creating her own original thinking.
I loved it. At times, it was very sciency and slow, but I think the author did a good job of blending in the educational moments with action and attention-grabbing moments.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for this early review copy.

This book was a great mix of fantasy and alternative history. After reading The Rose Code I became very interested in Bletchley Park. Add some dragons into it and it was a fun twist on the codebreaking! This book was a lot of fun to read, and it was set up like there would be a sequel so I'm looking forward to more of this story in the future!

This was fine but ultimately just not for me. I think it had some good ideas but it sometimes felt a little on the nose / shallow. However it is a YA book, so I get that it won’t be as complex as an adult book. I also think the writing could be a little info-dumpy, but I’m generally interested in what this author writes next since this is their debut.

eARC.

I enjoyed this book! The characters were flawed, and therefore, felt very real. Viv was blind to the suffering around her, and only focused on herself and her family for 75% of the book which felt age appropriate for someone who grew up in the class system. I appreciated that ultimately empathy radicalized her as I went through a very similar journey of self-discovery at her age.

The dragons were wonderful, they were some of my favorite characters, and the emphasis on linguistics held my interest.

I wish the romance subplot was fleshed out a bit more and the pacing at the end felt a bit rushed as the author seemed to be squeezing A LOT of action into the book. For a debut, this was impressive and I will absolutely read more by the author, and hope she has an opportunity to write a sequel!

I need the sequel.

But honestly this book tore my heart out. I don’t have words. Viv was the type of FMC who grows on you even though she gets so self righteous you also understand her. Atlas, my dear boy, you are too good for her.

The Arrival meets Imitation Game, but make it YA and dragons.

Honestly, this story goes in so many unexpected directions. Linguistics and academia. Dragons and bombs for a flash of steampunk. Dystopian class segregation, individuals struggling against the oppressive hand of government, espionage and nihilism of modern war. A heavy list, and that’s not to say there isn’t fun or humor, but for some reason this book struck a chord that made me keenly aware of the small-burning hope and the subtle brutalities which intrude on the mundane (an oversimplified example - parents physically harm their children when they get bad grades). It’s a story that lingers after the reading.

Alright, something happy…Aha. Languages. As a daughter of refugees and linguists, Vivien speaks several human and dragon tongues, and I love how her love of language depicts it as more than a series of words, but rather a family bond, a shared understanding, a useful tool, and still an academic joy. For anyone perhaps wary of word-talk, fear not, there isn’t much about the hows and whys of linguistics, and the focus is more on the applications in life.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

I enjoyed the book, but I have to admit I struggled to get through some parts. Vivien was a little frustrating. I liked the dragons, the adventure, and the little bit of romance thrown in.

This was a very interesting read. I could tell that it was written by a debut author - between the names of people and places, along with inconsistent tone in prose there was a bit of an amateur feel . However, the story itself was captivating! Even though the story is set in the past, it has a very dystopian vibe that was unique and interesting.

Also it read like the first book in a series, though I haven’t found any information on a sequel, I would be very keen to read one.

This book was an enigma, it was the perfect blend of historical fiction, young adult, and fantasy. It was filled with morally gray teens who are all criminals, LOTS of dragons, and a race to solve the "puzzle" laid out to them so that they and their families can be pardoned. It was made for readers of The Hunger Games, set in a post war England in 1923 following the POV of our FMC, Vivien Featherswallow.

There was a time in this society where dragons and humans live together in peace, they were mutually respected. This all came to a screaming halt when the Great Dragon war started by the genocide of the Bulgarian humans by the Bulgarian dragons. In some societies throughout the world, they still live peacefully together but in Britannia they created a Peace Agreement that would put an end to the war. This Agreement put humans and dragons into classes based on their wealth and status. As everyone in the book and reading the book knows a class system will never work for long. A rebellion of humans and Dragons rises up to put a stop to the class system and the unjust treatment of dragons and lower-class humans. Vivien is a second-class citizen and was raise on propaganda and the belief in the peace agreement. She has made questionable choices and definitely got her friend kick out of the second-class and put in third-class, but she has never been involved in the rebellion. Little could be said about her parents and uncle. They are arrested one night for being a part of the rebellion along with her cousin and she is left alone with her little sister, Ursa. Her mother tells her to run away but she is a stubborn hardheaded fool and does the exact opposite of that which lands her in jail. And that is where her journey of this book begins.

Vivien is ruthless in getting what she wants despite her nasty little conscious that haunts her at every chance it gets. Vivien will do just about anything to save family even if that makes her the villain. She is fiercely intelligent and speaks various human languages and dragon languages, she is your regular polyglot. Throughout this book her only fighting motivation is to save her family from death and make sure she can get her sister back. Never once through the terrible things she is forced to witness or do (unconsciously) does she think about how she could help her people and that her family might have to be her sacrifice for the betterment of the world. The romance subplot really helped to develop Vivien past her own cowardly thinking, having someone she could trust that was just as angry as she was made it easier for her to open up about her mistakes and change her way of thinking.

In the prison her and other teens are held in there is no class rank and among them is every walk of life and it really is eye opening for the upper classes on the lies they have believed from their government. Even when they are deconstructing the years of lies and propaganda, they still cannot change their point of view on their Prime Minister. It takes many of them a long time to see through all the propaganda. I think this theme in the book is probably the best. I think it really shows the reader how deep the brainwashing goes and even if the truth is staring them in the face they cannot and maybe will not change their way of thinking. I think this theme is extremely relevant to the times that we live in.

This book is hard to compare to other books because it is so unique, there are definitely facets from other books but nothing that I would say they are very comparable. I think Williamson is a new writer to look out for and I am very excited for the next installment to this series.

I want to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Language of Dragons is a debut fantasy novel by S.F. Williamson, featuring a world where dragons and humans live side by side in London, 1923. Aspiring dragon linguist Vivian might have started a civil war by trying to save her family from a death sentence. Now, in her last chance at redemption and saving her family, she must work at Bletchley Park as a code breaker in an attempt to help the government decipher another way dragons may be communicating with one another.

The book hits like Hunger Games meets Fourth Wing meets Babel. The characters were complex and flawed in a way that felt real. I enjoyed reading how the characters struggled to make decisions and figure out one another’s motives. The story and political plot was so intriguing, with quite a few twists and turns. Williamson’s writing style was also very engaging.

Highly recommend this novel to fantasy lovers. Though it’s marketed as YA, I think that readers of adult fantasy would also enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting mashup of academic and action, intrigue and soft romance. I knew I was going to like this one, but I was unprepared for just how much I liked it!

Viv shines as the main character, and while I wish some of the side characters were given a bit more time on page, I couldn’t get enough of Viv’s conflicting emotions of guilt and self service. She isn’t a bad person, but faces a host of challenges that risk not just her life but that of her family’s. For those of us familiar with YA fantasy we know just how far these heroines will go for their family members (looking at you, Katniss!) Viv’s reactions and choices reflect a different side of protectiveness that I found refreshing. I do want to point out that Viv is supposed to be very smart, however there were several times she wasn’t making the connections and it was overly frustrating.

As I mentioned, this is a slow burn, super soft romance that doesn’t supersede the main plot of the story. Our MMC, Atlas, is steamy but holds himself at arm’s length for much of the story, and with good reason!

But let’s talk about the most anticipated part of this book- Dragons. It’s called A Language of Dragons for a reason because yes, here be dragons! Although they did appear far less than I was expecting in this novel. With the comparison to Fourth Wing, I definitely anticipated the same amount of dragon interactions, but sadly that is not the case. Hence the four stars. Now, I think the next novel has so much more potential in this regard since the ending is, well, explosive, and I am ready to find out what will happen next for Viv!

I’d recommend this to YA readers who are new to fantasy and enjoy speculative history. I know I would’ve paid more attention to World War 2 classes if dragons had been involved!

A Language of Dragons was an entertaining, high-stakes fantasy read. The dystopian setting paired with dark academia vibes was well executed. I really enjoyed the political relationship between the humans and dragons. I'd have liked to see more dragon-to-dragon interactions, but I have a feeling that'll ramp up in the next book.

The aspect of decoding dragon language via ecolocation was distinctive, fun, and brilliant! The characters were in a race against time to earn their freedom back, but this freedom felt weighted due to the class system set in place. I really liked the parallel between freedom and injustice. I struggled with the MC, Viv—I get she is young, but her selfishness was infuriating. This story offers second chances, though, so I hope to see some character development in the next book. Romance was a subplot in this story, which I liked.

Overall, the action, high-stakes environment, political intrigue, talking dragons, and the importance of language made this an exciting read. I am looking forward to what happens next.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

The premise of this is super interesting; I've always been fascinated by wartime code breakers. Sadly though, Vivien doesn't work so well for me as the protagonist. We're supposed to believe that she's smart because she's so studious and picks up dragon languages, but everything she does is the opposite of smart. She insists that the class system and way the country is run are good things; yet she herself seems to bristle at the privilege of First Class and dreads being demoted to Third. She committed very blatant treason without thinking it through at all and seemed almost surprised that she got caught.

The dragons themselves are cool, and I like that there are different types from different countries and areas. But the underlying world building doesn't make a ton of sense when you get down to it, and Vivien is a frustrating protagonist.

This book was fantastic. Imagine if Fourth Wing, Babel, and Divergent had a baby - that's this book. Viv is just trying to survive and save her family. She doesn't want to risk being demoted to a lower class, and she can't imagine leaving her sister alone in that world. So when she's arrested for starting a war, she's gotta figure herself out.

Working to understand dragon languages and decipher different dialects and codes is her job. Her success will equal the release of her family from the prison they're currently in. But this is so much bigger than working to save her family. Viv slowly learns the truth and begins to understand the ramifications of her actions, but also the actions of others. Knowledge is power, and Viv has a lot of it....if only she'd let herself be confident.

Let me start by saying I am blown away by this being a debut novel. The world was detailed, the character development was substantial and the plot pacing was decent. The middle of the book did slow down quite a bit and that ending left me a bit upset, but I’m hoping there will be more?

Viv was hard to like. BUT she was created that way. She was used to following the rules and trusting those in power. It took a long time for her to start opening her eyes. She was also portrayed as a “center of the universe” type character and it showed.

The romance was a subplot but fulfilling. I really loved the loved interest. I’m HOPING we get more but I was under the impression this was a standalone so we shall see.

I read this courtesy NetGalley and HarperCollins. I was a linguistical anthropology major long ago, so when I found out that SF Williamson had crafted a story about young linguists studying the various dialects of dragon language in the midst of a war, I was immediately sucked in. The author does a splendid job of putting together a story about impulsive actions, redemption, family pride and family secrets, and how the characters put together dragon tongue! I couldn’t put it down!
#ALanguageofDragons #NetGalley

A PERFECT market filler if you want something like Fourth Wings meets Naomi Novik's historical Temeraire series. I can't wait to read more!

I was interested in the book by name alone. Any book with dragons in the title will grab my attention. I was not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster this book put me on. The dystopian society created through a so-called “Peace Agreement” was uncomfortably unjust. The main character you follow, Vivian Featherswallow, was driven by her ambition of doing great things with dragon languages. Not thinking too deeply about what “Third Class” citizens were like beyond the fact that she never wanted to become one. This fear colors the decisions of every citizen of Britannia.

I struggled to read this book at first because it was making me so upset, and I couldn’t understand why. Until it hit me. In other books with these unfair societies, the main character is usually an undercover rebel that is critical of their government. In this book, Vivian is so trusting in her government and the propaganda that she has been fed from a young age that she doesn’t even have rebel thoughts. A huge part of this book is how she struggles against everything she has ever known. Once I figured that out, I appreciated how much of a masterpiece this book is!

Viv has such realistic character development in this book that I was blown away. Truly, what else can you expect from a 17 year old that has only known the information fed to her by government controlled education. Of course, she wouldn’t drop everything and join the rebel cause even when they’re holding her parents and little sister hostage. She believes them justified due to the laws broken.

Every twist and turn of this book is so worth reading that I will say no more. A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson is the next big fantasy book! I highly recommend this book to any fantasy lover who is looking for a book about rising against your government even when the odds are not on your side.

Thank you S.F. Williamson, Harper Collins Publishers, and Net Galley for electronic ARC of this book.

This book starts off running! I instantly wanted more. I struggled at times with the FMC's selfishness yet also being naive. I would have really liked her to have more of a moral dilemma with being selfish wanting to save her family but also knowing doing this other thing was really bad rather than her being like oh I'm bad so I have to be selfish. Her character development happened a little fast for me. I will have to say that I really liked the author's explanation as to why bratty teenagers are left to save the world when there were other experts still at play. There is one character that is like Umbridge level of hatred for this character which I loved. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Although I enjoyed the world-building in this book, I didn't connect with it. Despite its many positive aspects, there were also some things that disappointed me. It is possible that I will revisit this book eventually, and I am invested in this world's future as well.