A
Language of Dragons
A
Language of Dragons 1
By
S.F. Williamson
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Publication
date: January 7,
2025
Print
length: 432 pages
ISBN-13:
978-0063353848
Reading
age: 15+ years
Book
1 of A Language of
Dragons
Grade
level: 8 - 9
Publisher’s
Blurb:
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.
Dragons
soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien
Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get a summer
internship studying dragon languages, be smart, be sweet, and make sure her
little sister never, ever has to risk growing up Third Class. She just has to
free one dragon.
By
midnight, Viv has started a civil war.
With
her parents and cousin arrested and her sister missing, Viv is brought to
Bletchley Park as a codebreaker—if she succeeds, she and her family can all go
home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die.
As
Viv begins to discover the secrets of a hidden dragon language, she realizes
that the fragile peace treaty that holds human and dragon societies together is
corrupt, and the dangerous work Viv is doing could be the thread that unravels
it.
A
War of Wyverns
A
Language of Dragons 2
By
S.F. Williamson
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Publication
date: January 6,
2026
Print
length: 368 pages
ISBN-13:
978-0063353862
Reading
age: 13 years and
up
Book
2 A Language of
Dragons
Grade
level: 8 – 9
Publisher’s
Blurb:
Rebellion
happens in the shadows. In the sequel to the New York Times bestseller A
Language of Dragons, language is the greatest weapon in a war between
humans and dragons—and one translator has the power to change the
world. Perfect for teen fans of Fourth Wing and Babel.
Who
is Vivien Featherswallow?
It’s
the question on the lips of every human and dragon in Britannia, and even she
doesn’t know the answer. Is she the Swallow, the face of the rebellion against
the corrupt government and invading Bulgarian dragons? Is she a brasstongue, a
translator on the cusp of discovering a new dragon language? Or is she just
Viv, the girl who lost the love of her life after playing spy?
Viv
isn’t sure, but she knows she has to fight back.
Armed
with a machine that allows her to listen to dragons’ thoughts, a diary with the
clues of a never-before translated dragon tongue, and her own need to avenge
her lost love, Viv seeks out the elusive Hebridean Wyverns. If she can find
them and convince them to join the war, the rebellion might have a chance.
Viv
will soon realize that while translation is a weapon, it might not help her on
her journey to victory—or to finding herself.
My
Thoughts:
If
you haven’t already read the first book in this trilogy, why on earth not? It’s
one of the best fantasy books of 2025. Think…Bletchley Park, but with dragons.
Of
course, this series is so much more than that. It’s about class, and the power
of language, and rebellion. And yes, a little bit about love. But not just
romantic love. It’s about love of family, love of heritage, and even love of
God.
Vivien
is a flawed protagonist. She’s done some bad things in order to achieve the
success that is expected of her. But she knows she’s done bad things, and she
feels deserving of every bad thing that comes her way. She is also naïve about
how the world really works. She is quick to judge, assuming that she knows what’s
what.
With
this clearly established, then, Vivien’s growth in understanding and purpose is
eminently satisfying. After she inadvertently causes the Peace Agreement
between humans and Dragons, she is sent off to Bletchley Park, to join other gifted
teens in an effort to decode the ultrasonic language of dragons. She meets teens
with different backgrounds and life experiences, and she begins to realize that
her ideas are not always right.
One
of the best parts for me is her conversations with Atlas, a priest-in-training.
Their discussions on the idea of forgiveness, and spending one’s life being
better, are lovely.
I
also enjoyed the ideas about language. Words and word choice are important.
Language conveys power, culture, tradition, and so much more that is not
directly encoded in the words. As we get into the second book, Williamson also
introduces the idea that much of the meaning in a translation comes from the
translator, trying to convey the intangibles of one language into another.
Consider
the irony, then, in today’s Instagram story from Williamson. A French publisher
is has fired their translators in favor of using Artificial Intelligence.
Book
1 ends on a tragic note. It’s not the only death in the book, but it’s by far
the most important one.
Book
2 starts with Vivien working hard on a new draconic language, as war rages in
England. She still has a habit of making snap judgements, but she also
continues to grow and learn, including the most important lesson: that she is
more than her abilities.
In
both of these books, there is a cast of interesting, well-rounded characters.
Perhaps the most stock character is the principle antagonist, Prime Minister Wyvernmire.
The
only reason not to read these books RIGHT NOW is that book two ends on a
cliffhanger, and you’ll have to wait another year for the conclusion.
Or
you can just have the pleasure of reading them again.
Possible
Objectionable Material:
Minor
cursing. Frequent use of the “f” word. Smoking, drinking. One character is gay.
It’s war and many—humans and dragons—die. Children are hunted by dragons.
Dishonesty. Child abuse—not shown. Families are separated. Classism. Attempted
sexual assault. Kissing.
Who
Might Like These Books:
Those
who like stories about dragons, alternate histories, language, dystopian
governments.
Thank
you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing ARCs in exchange for my honest
opinion.
#NetGalley
#YAbooks #biblioquacious #bookbloger #dragons #ALanguageOfDragons #AWarOfWyverns
#trilogy #SFWilliamson #HarperFireBooks
