Seraphina is a 2012 fantasy novel by Rachel Hartman and is her debut novel. The book was published on July 10, 2012, by Random House Publishing and was ranked at number 8 The New York Times Best Seller list in its first week of publication. Seraphina was awarded the 2013 William C. Morris Award for the bestyoung adult work by a debut author. Foreign language rights to the novel have been sold in twenty languages, including Spanish and Hebrew. A sequel entitled Shadow Scale came out in 2015, and a companion novel Tess of the Road set in the same milieu was published in 2018.
Synopsis
Seraphina is set in the kingdom of Goredd and follows the sixteen-year-old Seraphina, a court musician. She's drawn into a murder mystery when the Crown Prince of Goredd, Rufus, is found decapitated in a manner that insinuates that he was murdered by dragons. The murder occurs on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the signing of a treaty that ended the war between humans and dragons. Dragons can take human form but find human emotions baffling, which only lends to the continuing distrust and hatred between them and humans.
Background
Hartman had initially written about the kingdom of Goredd in a graphic novel entitled Amy Unbounded. In an interview with Suvudu, Hartman stated that she had difficulty drawing dragons and that she had chosen to make them transform into humans as an "easier way" to illustrate them.
Reception
Reception for Seraphina has been positive, with the book gaining starred reviews from eight review sites and being listed by the Center for Children's Books. Kirkus Reviews also praised the book, calling it "splendid". A reviewer for The Washington Post commented that Hartman was able to "infuse tired trope with fresh blood". SFX gave the novel four and half stars, citing the prose as "beautiful". The Quill & Quire also remarked that the book stands out from "standard dragon fare", with the language and music themes in the book working well with Hartman's prose. Publishers Weekly chose the book as one of its "Best New Books for the Week of July 9, 2012", saying that "there’s a lot to enjoy in Hartman’s debut". Reviewers for the School Library Journal praised Hartman's style as well as the narration for the audiobook.
