A huge thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the arc of A War of Wyverns by S.F. Williamson. A War of Wyverns is the second book in this series, and it might be even better than the first! This story picks up several months after we leave off in the first book... war and grief are raging in our heroine Vivenne as she races against the clock to help the rebels succeed in taking down threats to Britannia in the three-way war between PM Wyvernmire with her Bulgarian Bologorith Dragons, Queen Ignacia with Britannia's dragons, and the rebel Human-Dragon Coalition. When I imagine what a book about a war of wyverns would be about, I immediately think of battles being fought tooth and claw, but this book is a stunning illustration of the weapon that language can become; a theme carried on from the first but truly brought to life in the plight that both Britannia and Canna are facing in this novel. It is at times heartbreaking to see Vivenne's world view change as she tries to navigate the changing world climate while grappling with her own identity in this rapidly changing landscape. Her determination and resiliency in the face of all doubt is truly inspiring. A beautiful story with all you could want; action, adventure, love, loss, and most of all... hope.

This was a perfect followup, and wonderful world ... dragons done amazingly and perfect and nir in the stereotypical way it seems ti be happening lately

If you want a solid book with dragons, good dialogue, and fast paced plot, this is the book for you! I really loved the use of the dragons, and this gave me fourth wing's older, more mature cousin.

Great character development. Great addition to the story and world. I enjoyed this series. Really good writing as well.

Favorite quote(s):

"Who are you if not a Draconic translator?" Her whole body heaves in a nonchalant shrug. "It is nothing more than a career, after all. The essence of who you are, who you have always been, remains the same. As for the rest of you…you have a whole lifetime to find out.”


Review:

I was so excited to receive this ARC. I read book 1 and loved it so much. This book really went deeper into the world and languages than the first book did, which was really nice. I loved the characters and their growth throughout this book. Everyone was dealing with things with the war, rebels, government, and dragons. I adored the wyverns so much! Especially Aodahn and Cindra. They had their own way of things, and it was nice that it was explored. It also added to certain characters and to the overall story itself. There were times when characters made me want to scream at some of the choices they made, but I expected that. I couldn’t believe all that with Atlas; that boy was drama. This book really touches on the way languages are lost or suppressed and how some languages can’t be translated or shouldn't be. They are perfect as they are and should be preserved as such. This book was full of mysteries, action, messy relationships, war issues, historical and language issues, and so much more. Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely, though I am still bitter about what happened to Chumana. I cannot wait for the next book after that ending to see what comes next!

I would say a 4.5 overall and really only because it felt a bit short for everything that happens. I was really excited/maybe releaved that in the very beginning we see Viv questioning her feelings for Atlas based on how short of a time they developed over and how she doesn't really know him all that well. It was my one big hesitation with the first book, their love story just seemed too quick. Throughout the book and by the end I think I am really happy with where they ended up and I just hope that they can continue to grow and change alongside one another and together. Yet again the commentary about language was amazing. The power of the untranslatable and the magic that lies in the space between languages is just full of wonder and I love when the author explores that. Book 2 felt a bit less political than the first, which I suppose makes sense with Viv not struggling as much with her position and morality of the war. I loved seeing the crew back together though and getting some more back ground for a few of them. Chumara will be missed, her departure was so hard and yet heartfelt. For about 90% of the book I was really scared that this was in fact going to be a duology, but the ending is a great way to introduce where we will be going for book 3 and I'm excited to revisit all the characters and this world once again.

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: historical fantasy, dragons, revolution, linguistics

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 8/28 and will be posted to my review blog 10/2 and to Instagram 11/21.

This is another one that I was really anticipating! I was hoping we'd get more linguistics in this one, but unfortunately we get less linguistics than in Language of Dragons, and I suspect we'll be getting even less linguistics in book 3 (A Battle of Bolgoriths has a nice ring, if we're guessing titles, lol).

In this book, we see Viv working with Hollingsworth in London to try and decode the language of the Canna wyverns, since they posses an ability that could turn the tide of the war. Things have gotten worse since Wyvernmire invited the Bolgoriths to Brittania, and more and more rights are being eroded, including the right to speak different languages. Everyone but Wyvernmire can see the Bolgoriths are only biding their time until they can take over, and this urgency hounds Viv as she works.

Viv is alone a lot in this book, both physically and mentally/emotionally. She's still reeling from Atlas' death and is determined to put her language skills to use to win the war. Living in London and working for Hollingsworth means she needs an alias, so while Viv does have some friends/acquaintances in London, they don't know the real her. Likewise, once she reunites with her friends, there's 3mos they've all lived and experienced separately, leaving Viv at times feeling the odd one out. I definitely felt for her in this book, both with her feelings of alienation as well as the repeated surprises/betrayals as she uncovers more things about her mission and the language(s) of dragons. She's in a very particular mindset by the end of the book, and I'm curious to see where that leads in book 3, because in this one, Viv did remain quite dedicated to the decisions she made in the first book, but since she's reconsidering language + linguistics as something that defines her, I'm hoping she changes her mind since that's a very big draw to the series for me.

Marquis makes a return in this one, and it was nice seeing the two cousins together again. There's an easy camraderie between the two of them that reminds me of their initial banter, and much of the tension that had been rising between them in the middle of Language has relaxed. That being said, Marquis definitely still remembers how things went at Bletchley and is ready to intervene should Viv start straying in that direction again. I was a little annoyed since Marquis kind of jumped on Viv about something that he only heard a little of, and where he assumed the worst but she really had kept her promise and was only exploring the opposite temporarily, so I kind of wish he'd given her some slack there. I would've liked to see more interactions between them. They're together for most of the book, but because of the ensemble cast, we don't really see them interact as much as I'd like.

Serena and Gideon are also both back in this one, but it's the same kind of thing with Marquis. All three of them are present throughout most of the book, but combined with Viv, and sometimes Chumana, and sometimes other dragons and/or people, it's hard for any one side character to get a lot of page time. I really like character interactions, so I would've loved to see more of their relationships develop.

Chumana is, of course, back in this one as well. She and Viv are actually even closer in this one than in book 1, and they're even roommates while Viv is in London. I really love Chumana and enjoy the loving gruffness she brings to the group.

The big mission in this book is learning the language of the Canna wyverns, finding said wyverns, and then getting them to agree to help in the war effort. Finding the wyverns actually takes a lot of effort since they disappeared after the linguist and activist working on their language was killed, some 40-50-odd years prior. But once the group locates them, I was absolutely captivated by them. I loved learning about their culture and art, and their societal structure was pretty interesting too. There was some stuff here linguistically that I really think Viv should've caught onto way, way faster than she did. She actually practically had to have the 'discovery' spoon-fed to her when I felt like it was pretty obvious from the get-go, but especially after 1) Viv listened to their Koinamens, and 2) a particular ceremony that the humans got to witness.

Based on how things went in this book, I'm super interested to see what happens in book 3!

A War of Wyverns delivers an imaginative world full of mythical beasts, high stakes, and plenty of action. Williamson clearly put thought into the lore and creature design, and the wyverns themselves were a definite highlight of the story. The tension between kingdoms and the brewing conflict added some strong moments of suspense, keeping me curious about how the different threads would come together.
That being said, I struggled at times with the pacing and character development. Certain sections felt rushed, while others dragged on a bit longer than needed. I also had a hard time fully connecting with the main characters, which made it difficult to feel as invested in their journey as I wanted to.
Overall, this was a decent fantasy read with creative worldbuilding and flashes of excitement, but it didn’t completely pull me in the way I’d hoped. Fans of dragon and wyvern lore may still find it worth checking out, especially if they enjoy fast-moving battles and mythical politics.

Had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, could not bring myself to put this one down. Looks like this will be a trilogy, which I was not aware of!

I have been eagerly anticipating this sequel for some time now and feel so honored to receive an arc! This sequel was surprisingly fast paced and the ending was a nail bitter! Love this series and can’t wait to see what happens next!

I devoured the first book, a language of dragons and was so excited when my request for this one was approved! It definitely is a great sequel to the first and I highly recommend for all fantasy lovers!

A War of Wyverns is an exciting sequel that raises the stakes with even more action, political twists, and of course, plenty of dragon drama. I really liked how the characters grew from the first book, and the relationships felt deeper and more complicated this time around. I can’t wait for the next installment of the series.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the very beginning, this book is a ride. Williamson takes everything you thought you knew about dragons and wyverns from book one and twisted it ever so slightly to make you feel lost.

This story is one about friendships and duties, love and hope, losing and then finding one self over again, all while trying to survive. There’s so much character growth from our characters and we see their relationships change and shift over and over.

Where War of Wyverns ends could technically be the end of the story, however, I feel like there’s more there to be told and I sincerely hope she writes another story.

This book was a good sequel. However I don’t feel like it was as good as the first book which tends to happen in series’. I also thought this was going to be just a duology but after the ending I don’t think is😂. The characters annoyed me a bit more in this book then the first but their circumstances have obviously changed a lot. The plot was a good and had a nice pacing to it.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

So many series peomise dragons but this series IS dragons! I am so obsessed with Chumana and not just because she is pink lol. This has what I call political rage and rebellion. It is so emotional and just when you start to get comfortable, there is another amazing and mind blowing plot twist!!! The romance is just wnough to hold interest in it but not enough to take away any time into the plot. This is how you write book 2

After reading A Language of Dragons, this sequel became one of my most anticipated reads this year. And wow, it does not disappoint. A War of Wyverns picks up shortly after the events of the previous book, and it thrusts Viv into a new setting far away from London. You get intimate glimpses at cultures and characters that are merely hinted at during the last book, and you are reunited with several fan favorite characters as well--both human and dragon alike.

What I found most poignant about this sequel is Viv's realization that she is worth more than just the sum of the languages she speaks. For much of the last book and this book, Viv defines herself as a translator and how she can help the war effort. She faults herself repeatedly for not offering more to the British forces than her multilingualism. Written from her perspective as a teenager, her angst and condemnation of her abilities (or what she perceives as a lack of) is difficult to read. It is so gratifying to see how she absolves herself of the burden she has assigned herself by the end of the book.

I did not know what to expect from this sequel, so I will not go into much more detail here to avoid spoilers. However, I can confirm that this sequel is even more devastating than the first book. Actual tears were shed. It is also more inspiring and hopeful than the last book and ends in an unexpectedly intriguing way.

Thanks to S.F. Williamson for creating such a unique world and story. I envy this level of creativity, especially from a linguistic standpoint. I cannot wait for more people to read this masterpiece next year!

Lastly, I am grateful to HarperCollins Children's Books for allowing me to read this ARC early. I look forward to reading more from Williamson in the future.

I received this ARC from Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.
These books have been so unbelievably fun to read. The first book brought a unique treat to the table. Putting you in London post WWI where dragons and humans fought side by side. You follow Viv a young girl who has never broken a rule in her life and has kept her head in her studies to master than many languages of dragons. Until, she of course accidentally starts a civil war by releasing a criminal dragon into London. To keep her family alive she accepts a role at an academy to study the echolocations of dragon tongue. Vic uncovers more than the truth with the true reason she’s there, and the real reason the government can never get their hands on this information. We dive into book two immediately. Viv is learning to navigate this new title she’s been given by the rebel movement for human and dragon equalities and try to abolish the horror the government has unleashed.
The second book really gives you the horrors of a corrupt government, the complications of trying to make the world a better place for all, and the corruption that takes place on both sides. You can really see the inspiration that was pulled from The Hunger Games. And I found it so unbelievably interesting the events in this book are even based off of history in the UK. I am so excited to keep going in this series, and again I’m lying in bed wondering why I do this to myself. Why do I read a book before it’s even released because now I have to wait so long for the next.

Wow. Just a big, huge wow for this book. Second books are usually a little harder to get into, where they usually have a lot more background to fill in and character progression and sometimes introductions. This book did not struggle with that. This was so action packed, so deeply sad at times, and so so much happened with the plot.

So much happened and changed for Vivian throughout this book. People she thought were infallible changed, and her viewpoint on what she thought was her life's calling/passion changed. It was a massive growth point for her, and I'm really interested to see where her character ends up in the next book.

I wasn't expecting half of the things that happened in this sequel. It really did knock me off my feet several times, and I was so into it. This book was also pretty dark compared to the first book. It was gory, incredibly violent, some traditions that come to light were very troubling to learn about. It was difficult to picture some of the things that were happening, but it was so interesting and captivating and it truly did further the story. All of it served a purpose, and none of it felt gratuitous.

If you've read the first book, I truly believe that you'll love this second book. It was so packed with information and action and plot points, and it really sets up a next book as well. I absolutely recommend this series to everyone!

That ending should be illegal!
I love this book, it had everything I loved from book 1 multiplied by 2.
It was a roller coaster that I am ready and willing to get on over and over again.

First, for anyone wondering if this is the conclusion of the series...I'm pretty sure that there is more story to come after this book and that's all I'm going to say about how it ends. From the end of A Language of Dragons, it was clear that the story was shifting in a new direction and A War of Wyverns brought in a couple of shifts. We find Viv shortly after the events of the last book have played out and she has settled into her new normal, but things don't stay settled very long and the action certainly picks up. Some characters return from the first book and we meet some new players, and new dragons. This book is a heftier dose of action and adventure, and very little romance. Readers who enjoyed the first book's story and became invested in the characters, will likely find even more to connect with in this book. The plot moves along quickly and the writing style makes for easy reading. Some of the twists are predictable, but that doesn't detract from it being a solid YA fantasy and I'm looking forward to the third book of the series. (3.5/5)
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins Children's Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.