*This review may contain spoilers.*
This book is absolutely phenomenal, and if you're thinking about getting it, just buy it, you will love it! The book trailer did not do it justice, in my opinion, I found it a bit hokey, but the book was wonderful, and much better than the trailer led me to believe.
I hadn't heard of Rachel Hartman before, which is explained when the inside front cover states that this is her "fantasy debut." However, I am very happy that I am now aware of this author, because she is awesome!
First off, I got this book because I was intrigued by the amazing cover I saw in an email from Barnes and Noble; it's like an antique wood engraving or something! Then, if you look underneath the dust jacket, it's bound in this golden color with a black leather type thing on the spine...it's really, really beautiful. Also, it's a good size book, too, nice and big!
I had my father pick this up for me, and he handed it to me around noon and I finished it just now (around quarter 'til nine), so that should give you an indication of how engaging a read this was! Books that I can finish in one day really, really go up in points for me.
The world in this book was just great! I, personally, get a bit of a Medieval feel from the clothing and system of government, but it's set in a completely fantasy world. Our protagonist hails from Goredd, but there is an abundance of other places and peoples referenced; I always like to feel like the world is a world that I have the privilege of peeking in on through the page, not like the world was created to allow for the story to take place, and I absolutely get that feeling from Seraphina.
I really, really, really like Rachel Hartman's style of writing. It's a very melodious, almost like it has a cadence of some sort, which is quite fitting, due to Seraphina's musical abilities. I find I am unable to describe it accurately, but it's very lush and magical; I enjoyed it immensely. I am definitely keeping an eye out for this author's future novels.
I also found Seraphina to be a great heroine. I really enjoyed the way she grappled with truth and her identity and such, and it really touched me.
...And, of course, the romance with Prince Lucian Kiggs. Yay, romance! This book didn't have an overwhelming amount of romance, but what there was was very satisfying. I liked Kiggs a lot, though I didn't get all melt-y over him like I do with other heroes, it was more of a pleasant, heartwarming kind of a thing. I may or may not have engaged in some good old-fashioned fangirl squeeing during their final scene in the tower.
The mystery and intrigue and the anger and violence and prejudice and death in this book...I don't want to say it was gritty, since that would be very discordant with the overall tone, but it was ... real. For a book marked as for people 12 - 17 on the Barnes and Noble website, it was surprisingly sincere and deep and ... epic.
That's a good word...this is not a young adult novel, this is an epic. Okay, maybe not with an invocation of the Muse or an in media res opening, but it's just a broad, sprawling narrative that encapsulates a young woman's quest for truth and love, the politics of two kingdoms soon to be at war with themselves and each other and very universal themes that make this book one of the best ones I've read in a long time.
Final Verdict: Infinity and beyond/10. It was completely perfect, and I highly recommend you pick it up! I'm completely genuine when I tell you that if you are a literate individual, then this book is for you! It's just magical, really. I'm going to make one of the most radical statements I have ever made in my entire eighteen years of life: I believe this book to be the best fantasy book I have ever read, possibly ever written. The world was expansive and rich and real and the characters were genuine and lovable and the plot was intriguing and everything was just perfect.
For more info, check out the author's website here, I'm going to go put this book on The Shelf.
Thanks for reading!
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