Shadow Scale (Seraphina Series) Hardcover – March 10, 2015

: http://www.sarcasmandlemons.com/2015/04/review-shadow-scale-by-rachel-hartman.htmlthe basicsIt's almost unfair to this sequel to be tied to Seraphina. It's predecessor was such a perfect book, an all-time favorite, that Shadow Scale is bound to suffer in comparison. Indeed, it's a complicated book to review. The first third or so is a bit of drudgery, a slow moving and somewhat aimless plot. I felt bored and quite nervous; I'd wanted to love this book. Thank god, I stuck with it. The brilliance of Shadow Scale hit me (to borrow a phrase from John Green) slowly, and then all at once. The stakes raise, the plot picks up, and suddenly I was unable to put it down.Seraphina becomes locked in a battle against time. She must find the other half-dragons in time to stop a devastating, international, interspecies war. She's thwarted at every turn by a devious enemy, even by her own allies. How do you fight a war when even your mind isn't safe? Life-changing secrets are revealed; cultures are explored; dragons are taught how to behave properly. It all culminates in a shocking clash of warriors and wills that could save Gorredd, or destroy it. While the ending is somewhat idyllic (and raises some questions about feasibility), it's a satisfying conclusion to the duology. And if anyone could make it work, it's Seraphina.plot . 3/5Shadow Scale rewards the patient. Honestly, this book would be nearly as good as Seraphina (because who can surpass it?) if not for the first third. It begins fortuitously enough. Seraphina and her ityasaari friends realize that their minds are uniquely capable of forming a magical trap, the kind that can rip dragons from the sky. Just in time, because the dragon cabal that wreaked havoc in Seraphina is threatening war. So Seraphina goes looking for her kind. And then there's a lot of traveling and I was bored and sad.But wait! Everything changes with the return of an unexpected character. Now there's traveling with tension. It's a race to find the ityasaari before the villain does. There are coups, deadly battles, allies turned against each other. With her allies falling one by one, it comes down to Seraphina and her few remaining friends to infiltrate the dragons, resist the powerful villain, and reach Gorredd in time to stop an enemy who knows them better than themselves. The rest of the book is so exciting, full of shocking revelations and maddening twists, that it well makes up for the sludgy beginning.concept . 5/5I gushed about worldbuilding in Seraphina. Shadow Scale is further proof of Hartman's mastery. Here, we actually encounter Ninys, Samsam, and Porphyry as Seraphina journeys through them. The cultures are a little derivative--Ninys as a sort of Spain/Italy, Samsam as Scotland, Porphyry as Phoenicia--but they're given enough original twists that they seem like inspired other-world variations rather than copies. Attention is paid to their religions, social morays, even food. Hartman should write a travel guide. In addition, the whole plot with the ityasaari and the Porphyrian dragon exiles is so incredibly cool. Everything you thought you knew about dragons, about Seraphina, about the grotesques, will be upended and amplified. Get ready to be wowed.characters . 5/5Of how many books can you say that you love every single character? The characters kept me going even when the plot lagged. Seraphina is still incredible, and grows even more here. The stress wears on her; she's uncharitable sometimes, impetuous, cold. But she keeps strong when no one else can. I admire her deeply. Glisselda has come into her own as acting queen, proving that one can be clever, badass, and kind of giggly. Kiggs is still adorably sharp and self-sacrificing. Comonot is delightfully obtuse. Now enter the parade of amazing newish people! Remember Abdo, the mute boy? He becomes a force of nature in this book, snarky and funny and heartbreakingly loyal. Newcomers Camba, Blanche, Nedouard, Ingar, and Brisi each have their own huge personalities. It's like being introduced to new family; by the time you finish the book, you feel like you know them all. One of my favorites was Jannoula. She's frustratingly multifaceted, hatable and pitiable, and she's one of the best-written characters in the series.And Orma. Oh, Orma!style . 5/5How does Hartman do it? I'd love to know. Her style remains beautifully old-world, the musings of a masterful storyteller. Much of her writing is truly beautiful. Her descriptions stick with you, although I would have liked a little more scene-setting in each of the different countries. Moreover, I think she's gotten funnier since Seraphina. And she was already funny. But there were dry, witty moments in Shadow Scale that I re-read several times because they were so hysterical. It's truly a masterful example of craft.Although I still don't really get the title.The Ardmagar inserted himself between us and took my arm. "I joked--did you notice? I said I didn't know, when in fact I did, and then I pretended to wonder--""Indeed, Ardmagar. Well done," I said.mechanics . 5/5You wouldn't expect a high fantasy to be one of the best examples of gender and sexual diversity in young adult fiction. Perhaps that's sad. Shadow Scale is resounding proof that LGBTQ issues need not be confined to "issues" books. (Disclaimer: Issues books are important too! I'm just super excited when I see diverse characters in books of various genres, because it means that LGBTQ characters are being represented because they're people in the world, and it's not some huge deal to have a gay character, because they're a character too!) First of all, you have at least two main characters who are gay, and no one makes a huge deal about it. Love is love. Second, you have Porphyry, where "How may I pronoun you?" is the first thing a polite person asks a stranger. Gender fluidity is built into their system. And one of my favorite characters in this book is a trans woman. Hartman takes time to discuss her gender identity, but, unlike a poor writer, doesn't make it the defining characteristic of the character. Her gender identity is seen as a part of her, while all the other parts are allowed to shine too. Rock on, Rachel Hartman. Rock on.take home messageStick with it through the slow beginning, and Shadow Scale will reward you with a beautifully-written tale full of humor, adventure, friendship, and surprises. It's a fairy tale for the modern world.

Shadow Scale opens up the world of Seraphina on a much more epic scale. The story begins with the dragon civil war, but it also takes us through the different kingdoms as Seraphina goes around gathering other ityasaari (half-dragons) like her. While the dragons are fighting their war, the human kingdoms are also having upheavals regarding their leadership and how their relations with Tanamoot would be continued. The story takes into it several threads, and brings them all together in an amazing finale.Seraphina's story had begun with her getting caught up in human-dragon politics and now she is becoming sort of an ityasaari ambassador of Goredd to other kingdoms. She ventures out, along with the others, to collect the other ityasaari so that they can protect the kingdom and aid in the civil war. At first, I thought it was a thin excuse to have her going around meeting everyone, but soon as one of the half-dragons from her garden starts to take centrestage, the real stakes of the story are established. Jannoula, who Seraphina had locked away in her mind, is reaching out to the other half-dragons, and her presence during the dragon civil war is not a good sign. Seraphina faces the challenge of standing against a powerful ityasaari whom she had barely outwitted the last time, and as Jannoula's influence spreads, Seraphina's allies keep dwindling. Coupled with this is the question that we had been asking in Seraphina about how rare the ityasaari are.While Seraphina takes us through each kingdom, Ninys, Sam Sam and then Porphyria, we see how the attitudes towards the dragons shapes the ityasaari in each kingdom. Ninys and Sam Sam are vehemently anti-dragon, the latter more so, and the half-dragons there live a life of seclusion. In Porphyria, however, they are given amnesty, so their treatment is different. Even so, existing political ties to Tanamoot mean that the saars living in exile there also are invested in the outcome of the dragon civil war. Seraphina's challenge is to get her allies to cooperate on a single objective, and to prevent Goredd from being ravaged by dragon armies and the new leadership of Sam Sam. The ending was a bit surprising, and considering the way it was basically a Deus Ex Machina, I also felt it was wrapped up too easily. The buildup until that point had promised a much more intense climactic scene than we got, but that worked, too, in a way.As for the world, as I said before, we get a much more complex and detailed building in this one. Much of what had already been established in Seraphina is now further examined in the light of new revelations. Also, I loved Porphyria very much, particularly because of their more open attitude towards dragons, and a much more inclusive society. In Seraphina, we had come across Lars and Viridius being Daanites (as in, gay) but here, in Porphyria, seven genders are accepted, and there is also a trans secondary character. There is also, in fact, a minor arc about gender identity and asking for pronouns, and not assuming anyone's gender, which I really liked.When it came to the romance, however, Shadow Scale took the less is more approach. Yes, Kiggs is still a love interest for Seraphina but their relationship is on the DL for Glisselda's sake. Even so, at the end, that part is resolved in a very nice manner, befitting the relationship these three characters have with each other. I wish it had been more explicit about it, rather than leave it to subtext and one line that had me going - umm, please explain? Suffice to say, I agree with Seraphina that it is their business but still, as a reader, I can't help but feel a little robbed of a clearly defined resolution to that love triangle.Overall, this book is an epic journey and a fitting sequel/finale to Seraphina