I really enjoyed this story! I loved how everything fit together and how the humans and dragons interacted. I felt like the pacing was done really well, I was hooked at the beginning and never got bored. Sometimes with heavy world building you can get a little bogged down and have trouble picking the book up but that was not the case. Would definitely recommend!


Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for This ARC.

Thank you to Harper Collins for my e-review copy. My opinions are my own.

Dragons, alternate history, 1920’s, class system, London, and a plot to over throw the government… and did I mention dragons?

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed reading this story and regret not reading it sooner. It’s fast paced, filled with interesting characters, dragons that aren’t necessarily good or bad guys, borderline bad guys, out right evil people, a social class system that is a slippery slope, multiple languages, and code breaking. I was interested in the story and then hooked when the characters met up at Bletchley and more of the history of what is actually going on came to light.
I liked the dragons, especially since they have their own languages, Viv has the audacity to want to be a dragon translator, and then figures out a massive secret regarding the dragons. I'm intrigued as to what will happen next given where the story ends.

Highly recommend!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The whole synopsis on the back is what got me and I'll try to summarize lol. Alternative timeline England, WWII era. In which dragons live amongst people openly, and their languages are studied. A girl wants to go to college for this, having trained her whole life, but her family gets blown apart with accusations of treason and she's told the only way to save them is to secretly enter a code breaking team trying to understand a secret code of the dragons.

Oh man this book took me on a ride. There's romance, tragedy, intrigue, DRAGONS (did I mention the dragons?), betrayals, politics....the list goes on and on and honestly? I was here for all of it. I can't wait for book 2, cliffhanger and all.

A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson is an extraordinary debut that masterfully intertwines fantasy, political intrigue, and the rich nuances of linguistics. Set in an alternate 1923 London, the narrative delves deep into the complexities of a society striving to maintain harmony between dragons and humans, all while grappling with a rigid class system.

The protagonist, Viv, embarks on a compelling journey to decode a hidden dragon language, a task that initially seems straightforward but soon unravels the unsettling realities of her sheltered existence. Her character development is profound, evolving from naivety to a courageous confrontation of societal injustices. This transformation is both authentic and inspiring, resonating deeply.

Williamson's world-building is nothing short of mesmerizing. The dark academia ambiance enriches the narrative, providing a backdrop that is both atmospheric and immersive. The intricate portrayal of political dynamics and social hierarchies adds depth, making the world feel both expansive and intricately detailed.

The novel also explores a subtle, slow-burn romance that enhances the story without overshadowing the central themes. This delicate balance ensures that the romantic subplot complements the overarching narrative, adding emotional depth without detracting from the primary storyline.

A Language of Dragons is a thought-provoking and unputdownable read, filled with unexpected twists, betrayals, and revelations. It's a must-read for fans of epic fantasy and dark academia, and it firmly establishes S.F. Williamson as a remarkable new voice in the literary world.

Set in a dystopian Europe, Vivian dreams of following her academic ambitions and never questions the system despite its harshness: until the day her parents are accused of a crime. Desperate to free them, Viv and her cousin find themselves in a strange academy, with a mission to decode the secrets of dragons, who are both allies and enemies on both sides of the coming war…

This fast-moving YA has commingles fresh ideas with old ones: “Every act of translation requires sacrifice.” A sentiment close to that of the Italian saying, echoed in Babel, where translation is an act of betrayal. Similarly, “People shouldn’t fear their prime ministers. Prime ministers should fear their people” is markedly similar to the iconic slogan of V For Vendetta. Whilst there are some quirks of the language that may annoy the British or linguists, the real strength in it is the character growth as you see Viv’s development and realisation of the world she was raised in, and who she truly is. An enjoyable work. 3,5 rounded up.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

Overall, I think that I enjoyed this book but was disappointed in a few of the purported selling points. I thought the fantasy setting and world building was very fun, and I always enjoy a good dragon book! The author definitely put a lot of effort into crafting a "vibe" for this book, and to an extent I think that that worked. However, the biggest challenge this book faced was the way that the romance was described, and then the way it was ultimately written.

The romance was described as being a "slow burn, enemies to lovers" type of romance, BUT our main characters really... weren't ever enemies? They were immediately interested in each other, and while that *can* work with enemies, the energy that the characters gave off didn't suggest that there was ever actually tension happening between them.

Aside from that I found it to be a rather enjoyable read, and I'll be sure to keep up with the author in the future.
As always, thank you so much to both Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and S. F. Williamson for the opportunity to read this ARC. If you've got a hangover from the Empyrean series, or miss the dystopian drama of the Divergent series... this book is for you. If you are angry at the state of the world right now, and are worried we're headed towards the Handmaid's Tale... this book is for you... If you are fascinated by class systems, dragons, and/or linguistics... this book is for you. I am all of the above listed things, so this book was a total hit for me. I am saddened that this book has just released, because it means I have to wait that much longer until we find out what happens next!

Living in 1923 London, a society divided and restricted by a class system, Viv is desperate to ensure that she and her little sister will never have to be reduced to third class. In her desperation, she is forced to do things that she is not proud of.

The last thing that she expected is for her parents to be arrested for rebelling against the system that she has spent her life working towards. In her attempts to save them, she sets off a cascade of events that changes everything. She is taken to Bletchley Park to study as a code-breaker and if she succeeds then her family will be released and cleared of the charges against them. But, when Viv again has to choose between her family and the greater good, what will she do?

I loved how the reader is forced to question their own ethics, who do you choose when it really comes down to it? We would all like to say that we would choose the greater good but is it really that simple? The worldbuilding is well done and the characters are intricately nuanced, lovable with their flaws and we are able to connect with their feelings of desperation. The political themes are well developed and again, make you question everything that has until now, been "fact." I find that this is always a good sign if a fictional story makes you question history in general. And there is a PINK DRAGON. Need I say anything more?

I did find the story lagging in certain areas but due to the nature of linguistics, it was inevitable and was not overly tiresome. The last few chapters have you reading well into the night as you just won't be able to stop.

Pick this up if you are a fan of dark academia, you are bound to enjoy it.

4 confused stars.

Don't get me wrong, this book was good and I enjoyed reading it, but I feel like the description is a bit... misleading?

(mild spoilers)

This book is fast paced and the plot has some really interesting twists and turns. The world building is good, and the alt-history setting of wartime Bletchley Park is super interesting! I also love the lore we get about the dragons (which talk and are sentient) and how they were historically integrated into Brittania's society.

That said, since I have a habit of barely glancing at book descriptions and picking them based on ~vibes~ I didn't have any complaints til I went to write up my review, and realized that if you are someone who reads the descriptions, you might not agree at all.

Some issues I have with it based on the description:

Slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance: The romance is bland and underdeveloped, and describing this book as a romantasy is comical. It felt like the author copy-pasted a pretty generic romance because it was a required checkbox, however, this didn't really bother me while reading because the romance took up very little page time. (but again, it seems disingenuous to call this romantasy because it just is not) Also, they weren't enemies at any point.

Dark Academia setting: The setting is not a school? girl quit lyin. Yes, they talk about school a lot because the MC wants to study languages, but this takes place at Bletchley Park, which is not academia?

My biggest issue: This book isn't explicitly described as a standalone, but the story does NOT conclude at the end. The main conflict, aka the civil war, is not resolved at the end, not even close! But there is no mention of a sequel. I don't know if there will be another. I do not know if the author left it open ended on purpose because they were hoping to get a book deal for a second and it didn't happen? Idk, but when I hit the 80% mark and realized there was no way it was going to wrap up I was irritated. I would read the sequal if there was one, but I would have preferred to know that beforehad.

Good book for those in a Four Wing series slump. Has the same world building style with a mix of dragons, government bureaucracy, and a strong willed female lead. I appreciated that they was a YA- there was some romance in it, but not the sauciness that you may see in other similar series. Also really loved the setting in and around London- I thought it was a creative way to reuse the Bletchley Park program of codebreaking during WWII. 4 stars.

I was immediately drawn into A Language of Dragons. S.F.Williamson's world building was spectacular directly off the bat and I really enjoyed the character development throughout the novel and the mix of history and language science was a unique mix in a fantasy book.

I was drawn to A Language of Dragons because the idea of Babel mixed with dragons in a WWII-esque setting sounded like one of my favourite concepts ever for a book. I'm fascinated by the linguistics and translation and more scientific elements of the story. And it was interesting to see this investigated through a fantasy lens. This is where some of the Babel comparison comes in. The plot is fast-paced and kept me engaged throughout, and I really was invested in Vivian's journey as she comes to understand herself and those around her. The romance was sweet but underdeveloped, and I think this is part of where the more YA feel comes from. It just overall felt a bit immature, especially because Vivian is a little big hard to root for. She is pretty consistently making selfish choices and putting her family first regardless of the consequences for the majority. Which the reader can deduce early on is not what her parents would have wanted. She quite cowardly for a large chunk of the story. I really liked the themes of rebellion and corruption, too, and I will probably still read on to see where the plot goes in the next installment.

If the concept of codebreaking crossed with dragons appeals to you, I would definitely recommend. 3.5 stars.

P.S. SPOILER

Did the ending remind anyone else of the ending of Catching Fire?

Dragons and translation, and the comparisons to Fourth Wing and Babel are what drew me into this book initially. Great plot and character development throughout the book, and I enjoyed the world and dark academia vibes a lot! However, I think the comparisons to some of my favorite books made it such that my expectations were high, and thus the book overall was a bit underwhelming. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for review!

There is a lot to like about A Language of Dragons. The premise of Bletchley Park but with Dragons is a fantastic base and the undertones of social justice wrapped in fantasy elements is always a winner for me. However, Vivian is unlikeable, which is understandable as she seems to dislike herself, and the structure is heavy handed and overly highlights how it hits on certain beats through repetitious descriptions of thought. I did read more images in a day than I have in quite a while though, so even with those criticisms it clearly strikes a chord.

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is set in an alternate London in 1923 where Dragons and airplanes fight for airspace.
Ok, let’s pause…I had no clue it was set in an alternate London. I didn’t understand how there were references to real locations and historical events, but there were dragons and a war between dragons and humans and a massacre where Bulgaria was completely destroyed by Dragons.

I put the book down for weeks. The description on Goodreads does not explain that it’s an alternate world so I couldn’t get into the story.

Then a friend told me it was an alternate world and I read the blurb on Amazon which states:
“In an alternate London in 1923, one girl accidentally breaks the tenuous truce between dragons and humans in this sweeping debut and epic retelling of Bletchley Park steeped in language, class, and forbidden romance. Perfect for teen fans of Fourth Wing and Babel.”
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Once my brain was rewired, I finally finished A Language of Dragons last weekend.

There are some major holes in visualization and practicality (like they are just having a conversation while trees are on fire and literal dragons are falling out of the sky feet away from them).

I also felt like it was way too long and dragged often. There was too much focus on the actual language they were trying to decipher. And the love interest was not believable.
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It was interesting enough that I will probably read the next one when it releases.

I think I'd give this a solid 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review A Language of Dragons!

A peace act between dragons and humans. Where they are to live in peace. The humans are placed into 3 classes, after they take the examination. Not everyone is in agreement of this peace act and they've formed a Human Dragon Coalition, the rebels.

Our main POV, Vivian, is linguistic. She has learned not only many human tongues, but dragon tongues as well. All she wants to do is better her learnings and work for her Prime Minister when her world is shattered and her family is hauled away to prison for working with the rebels. She comes up with a plan to burn all her parents work but is caught in the process and taken to work for the DDAD to understand a new form of dragon tongue, called echolocation.

As she dives deeper into her learnings, she learns more than she's ever expected... With a war on the horizon, Viv must choose what side she's on.


Posted to Goodreads, Fable, and Storygraph

A fascination with languages led Williamson to a degree in linguistics. A love of writing, which began at age six, has now culminated in her debut novel,

A Language of Dragons. Set in an alternate 1023 England, a world between wars, Earth's dinosaurs have become sentient dragons. The presence of these two sentient species has drastically altered history. Britain has a large immigrant population of refugees from a dragon occupation of Bulgaria. The protagonist, Vivian Featherswallow, is the daughter of a refugee mother and a British father, both academics and both Second Class citizens. Society is divided into First, Second, and Third Classes, a system much like the racism of our world.

Vivian's safe world shatters when the Guardians, enforcers in this world, raid her home, arresting her parents and cousin in a "shock and awe" operation that leaves Vivian distraught. An impulsive act results in the release of a dragon, and her subsequent exile to Bletchley Park, where she is assigned the role of codebreaker. Williamson's descriptions of the setting and the work done at Bletchley Park closely mirror the real events of our world, with one key difference: the characters are young adults thrust into a high-stakes academic environment where failure means death.

Every conflict has two sides. Vivian's journey is one of self-actualization, where choices are fraught with doubt and tension. Ending on a cliffhanger, Williamson is currently writing a sequel, slated for release in January 2026.

Full disclosure: I received this novel from NetGalley and HarperCollins in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book had such promise and fell so flat.
First of all, if you're going to write an alternative 1923, I still need enough details (besides the absence of modern technology) to know it's 1923. Otherwise why write an alternative anything? Just don't pick a time period. All I got was a beaded gown or two at a Christmas Ball.
A Christmas ball which for some reason felt like a rip off of Harry Potter when it came hot on the heels of healing broken arm over a couple days in the sick ward with a magical bottle of dragon stuff...
Aside from that, the first part of the book was great but suddenly when the plot needed to move forward, it went in leaps and bounds that required suspension of logical steps in characters' motivations.
My biggest problem of all was the author's continuing misuse of the concept of "synonyms" in trying to crack the dragon language code. The author just kept saying that the dragons were making calls that sounded the same but clearly meant something different and her big breakthrough was that they must be synonyms! This is blatantly not the definition of synonym. Synonyms are different words with the same meaning. Homonyms are words that sound the same but mean something different. I couldn't get over the fact that no one on editing made this call.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of A Language of Dragons by S. F. Williamson in exchange for an honest review. I really loved how in depth Williamson got on all the different languages and dialects the dragons had and the studying of their echolocation. Of course there was a whole story happening around that with war, politics and love, but I found myself focused mostly on the dragons. I liked this book and would recommend it.

London? historical? dark academia? mystery? DRAGONS?!!?!? This was a wild ride.
This had so much rich to it that it felt like a magical realism fantasy with a historical fiction setting. It didn't like a debut! I can tell the author put a lot of time and effort into this book like the quirkiness of the 1920's. This reminded me more of peaky blinders with dragons and a little bit of legend! I don't think comparing this to Babel or Fourth Wing did this author justice! Thank you so much S.F. Williamson, publisher, and Netgalley!
Side note: the arc I received didn't have a map or cover I don't if that was meant to happen but the actual cover looks great!