In which we give away copies of Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina and companion novel, Shadow Scale
Today we are thrilled to be a part of the Shadow Scale Blog Tour, celebrating the release of Rachel Hartman’s long-awaited and highly anticipated sequel to Morris Award winning YA fantasy novel Seraphina. We loved Seraphina (so much so that it made Thea’s top 10 books of 2012) – naturally, we were eager to get our hands on Shadow Scale and are delighted to be a part of the release day celebration.
ABOUT THE BOOKS:
Seraphina
by Rachel Hartman
$10.99 / 528 pages
In her Morris Award-winning and New York Times bestselling debut, Rachel Hartman took our breath away with an utterly original alternative-medieval world full of dragons.
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors and universities as scholars. However, as the anniversary of the treaty of peace draws near, tensions rise.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. A gifted musician, Seraphina joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered–in suspiciously draconian fashion. She is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen’s Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.
Shadow Scale
by Rachel Hartman
$18.99 / 480 pages
Dragons and humans battle in this breathtaking sequel to the acclaimed Seraphina by Rachel Hartman.
The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, a part-girl, part-dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, it is she who must travel the lands to find those like herself–for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful new and magical ways.
As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying one chasing her, is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice. Cling to the safety of her old life or embrace a powerful new destiny?
THE GIVEAWAY:
We have a copy of Seraphina and Shadow Scale up for grabs, courtesy of the publisher. The contest is open to addresses in the US and Canada, and will run until Sunday, March 29 at 12:01am EST. To enter, use the form below.
And stick around for Thea’s review of Shadow Scale later today!
92 Comments
Amy
March 17, 2015 at 12:40 amI’m so excited about Shadow Scale!! I *loved* Seraphina. I’m on the wait list for Shadow Scale at the library, but I would so love to have a copy of each for my own bookshelf. Rachel Hartman is amazing!
Joel
March 17, 2015 at 1:12 amThere are many novels with dragons I have enjoyed, but one of the classics is still the Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkein. Every one gets compared to Smaug.
Kara
March 17, 2015 at 2:54 amWhen I was growing up, Anne McCafferey’s Dragonriders of Pern was my favorite.
Julia O'Grady
March 17, 2015 at 5:38 amWings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland
Eileen
March 17, 2015 at 6:41 amI absolutely loved Anne McCafferey’s Dragonsong!
Katie m
March 17, 2015 at 6:52 amSeraphim a is my favorite!
Siobhan
March 17, 2015 at 7:38 amSeraphina is a terrific dragon novel. But some of your first are your favorites, right? Weis & Hickman’s Dragonlance!
Lee-Ann
March 17, 2015 at 7:44 amSeraphina!
Lydia
March 17, 2015 at 8:17 amOh gosh, this was a lovely giveaway to wake up to! I think my favorite dragon novel growing up was Patricia Wrede’s Dealing With Dragons.
Lillian Maloney
March 17, 2015 at 8:21 amMy favorite dragon novel, if I had to pick just one, would be Dealing With Dragons.
Charles Payseur
March 17, 2015 at 8:30 amThese books look very interesting. I never got to Seraphina when it first came out, but I’m tempted whenever I see it. It looks quite good!
Sabrina
March 17, 2015 at 8:37 amI always loved the Dragon Riders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, featuring Menolly.
Alix E. Harrow
March 17, 2015 at 9:06 amUmmmmmmm, absolutely the Earthsea Cycle. Especially The Farthest Shore.
Andy
March 17, 2015 at 9:17 amI have been waiting for this and I’m so thrilled the release is here! I really enjoy Dragon Slippers (and others) by Jessica Day George.
HenryS
March 17, 2015 at 9:23 amThe Hobbit.
Anonymous
March 17, 2015 at 9:28 amTough one … I really liked A Natural History of Dragons. I liked Dragon Slippers. The Enchanted Forest books were fun. I vaguely remember really enjoying Tea with a Dragon.
My son is utterly passionate about the Wings of Fire Series.
Of course, um, bashful – Seraphina is still on my TBR pile. So it might turn into a favorite soon.
Lauren
March 17, 2015 at 9:29 amI loved Dealing with Dragons, and My Father’s Dragon is one of my absolute favorite childhood books. But actually, Seraphina is probably my favorite dragon book. It was SO GOOD!
Liz
March 17, 2015 at 9:29 amI can’t choose. Probably Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles at first. But I have such a soft spot for Temeraire.
Lexi
March 17, 2015 at 9:29 amI loved Serephina but I grew up reading McCaffery, Wrede, and Weis and Hickman.
Pam
March 17, 2015 at 9:33 amI’m another McCaffery fan, who I first encountered when I took a young adult literature class in college.
Meghan M.
March 17, 2015 at 10:32 amI loved Patricia Wrede’s Dealing with Dragons growing up, but I have to say I think Seraphina might be one of my favorite dragon novels. Dragons! Political Intrigue! All the good stuff!
Lan
March 17, 2015 at 10:39 amAh, when I was growing up, it was the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini.
Meghan
March 17, 2015 at 11:01 amMy favorite series would probably be The Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb. Not my favorite series by Robin Hobb, but my favorite dragon books for sure!
Kaethe
March 17, 2015 at 11:11 amFirst you get the long list of beloved fictional dragons:
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede; Princeless by Jeremy Whitley; Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton; Lady Sibyl and friends introduced in Guards, Guards! by Terry Pratchett; A Dignity of Dragons by Jacqueline Ogburn; the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik; The Derkholm books by Diana Wynne Jones; Again by Emily Gravett; Eon by Allison Goodman; Igraine the Brave by Corneila Funke; The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde.
Seraphina wins top honors.
Adrienne Gillespie
March 17, 2015 at 11:12 amI was in Powells on Sunday and saw that Shadow Scale was out. I have it on hold at the library, though it is still on order.
Mary K
March 17, 2015 at 11:17 amSo hard to choose a favorite! I definitely loved Seraphina, but I’m also really fond of Marie Brennan’s series! And I still love so many of the stories I read when I was young: Dealing with Dragons & its sequels, the Pern series, Alta & its sequels, oh, and the Immortal series by Tamora Pierce.
Anonymous
March 17, 2015 at 11:51 amGrowing up, my favorite dragon novels were Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsong and Dragonsinger… but I so love Seraphina too. I just convinced a friend to read Seraphina by telling her that yes, I was bored of dragons too, but you need to read this – it will revitalize your love of dragons!
Sabrina
March 17, 2015 at 11:52 amGah, the above comment from anonymous was by me… this is what happens when I try to function without coffee!
Abby Porter
March 17, 2015 at 1:43 pmI cannot wait for Shadow Scale! I have been desperate for the sequel for ages! Growing up, I loved the Dealing with Dragons series.
Angie
March 17, 2015 at 2:49 pmI’ve really never read anything with dragons as the focal point of the story but The Dragon Queen (Tales of Guinevere #1) by Alice Borchardt was an excellent read. Unfortunately, she passed before she could complete the series.
myriam
March 17, 2015 at 4:19 pmSeraphina is my favourite dragon novel… the logical dragons are so endearing, so unique.
can’t wait to read Shadow Scale!
Katrina
March 17, 2015 at 4:42 pmWhen I was a teenager I loooved the Halfblood Chronicles (Elvenbane, Elvenblood, Elvenborn) by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey. I suspect that if I were to re-read them now, I would be embarrassed by this.
Kate K.F.
March 17, 2015 at 4:57 pmThis is hard question since there are so many great dragon novels. I’d say that Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones and Guards! Guards by Terry Pratchett are the ones I love the most and constantly revisit.
Kirsten!
March 17, 2015 at 5:34 pmHmm, I think Seraphina is my favorite dragon book. The combination of dragons+music theory is too good.
Emily
March 17, 2015 at 5:37 pmOoo yay! When I heard about the sequel coming out I was so excited! I gotta go with Smaug for my favorite dragon/The Hobbitfor my favorite dragon novel. I think that was one of the first books I read that featured a dragon and I thought it was unbelievably cool.
Emma
March 17, 2015 at 6:19 pmWhen I was a kid, my favorite dragon series hands down was the Pern novels by Anne McCaffrey.
Beverly H.
March 17, 2015 at 6:21 pmMy favorite dragon novel would be between Seraphina and Eragon. I am so excited for the Shadow Scale novel!
Anonymous
March 17, 2015 at 7:12 pmMy favorite dragon book (as well as the rest of the series) is His Majesty’s Dragon: A Novel of Temeraire by Naomi Novik.
Barbara Elness
March 17, 2015 at 7:14 pmI didn’t mean to post anonymously:
My favorite dragon book (as well as the rest of the series) is His Majestyβs Dragon: A Novel of Temeraire by Naomi Novik.
Katy K.
March 17, 2015 at 8:07 pmWell… struggling not to repeat the many favorite novels already mentioned, I have also enjoyed the Story of Owen, the Last Dragonslayer and Handbook for Dragon Slayers.
Alexandra the Great
March 17, 2015 at 8:12 pmIf I had to choose just one, it would have to be The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. I have read that book so many times, and it holds up just as well now as it did when I was 15.
lisa
March 17, 2015 at 8:58 pmNaomi Novik’s Temeraire series is my favorite. Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton is also very good.
Catherine Faris King
March 17, 2015 at 9:13 pmThere’s a lot of great dragon novels out there… I do love the dragons in Temeraire, but Seraphina’s dragons win a special place for feeling so alien and cool. XD
Oh, does Haku in Spirited Away count? Because he should.
srs
March 17, 2015 at 9:37 pmI can’t help it, I love the Anne McCaffrey Pern books. All the Anne McCaffrey Pern books, even the really problematic ones (though not the ones written by her son). Though I think Dragonsdawn was the first one I read so is probably my favourite.
Anonymous
March 17, 2015 at 9:41 pmHonestly, my favorite dragon novel is Seraphina. Which sounds like such a lame/ fake answer in this context, but I loved it SO much. It was such an interesting take on the dragon idea–especially interesting because I had just read the Princess Curse around this time (another of my favorite dragon novels, if you want to look at it that way), which introduced me to the idea of dragons as having the capability (and even tendency) to take on human forms in some folk lore throughout history, especially eastern european lore. ANYWAY: I completely loved Seraphina, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the author’s next novel. Plus, I LOVE the covers and would be thrilled to have hard copies of the books.
Trey
March 17, 2015 at 9:57 pmFavorite book about dragons?
That’s a tough one. There’s The White Dragon and the whole Dragon Riders series by Mc Affrey. Then there are the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. Then there is the most recent Nice Dragons Finish Last.
—
Ok, I’ve got one Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. Errol, Lady Sibyl and Sam Vimes make for a memorable book.
KellyK
March 17, 2015 at 9:57 pmI am looking forward to reading Shadow Scale. I loved, loved, loved Seraphina.
Anne McCaffrey’s series about the Dragorider of Pern has always been a favorite
Joan
March 17, 2015 at 9:59 pmDragonriders of Pern! Enchanted Forest Chronicles!
Nicole
March 17, 2015 at 10:37 pmI really liked Eragon.
Steven
March 17, 2015 at 11:00 pmDragonriders of Pern
MOSHE PRIGAN
March 17, 2015 at 11:31 pmI enjoyed “Eragon” by Christopher Paolini.
JenM
March 17, 2015 at 11:37 pmI love GA Aiken’s dragon shifters series and recently read and loved Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron.
erinf1
March 17, 2015 at 11:54 pmThe Pern series by Anne McCaffery π thanks for sharing!
Lauren
March 18, 2015 at 12:03 amDealing with Dragons is still my favourite
Megan
March 18, 2015 at 12:12 amAnother huge Seraphina fan here, and Le Guin’s Earthsea was also big for me. But Jane Yolen’s Pit Dragon series (“Dragon’s Blood”, “Heart’s Blood”, “A Sending of Dragons”) are still my favourite dragon books– criminally underread, but a very fascinating world.
Very very excited for Shadow Scale!
Clare
March 18, 2015 at 12:13 amI started to write a dragon novel when I was in high school. I didn’t get very far (writing is not one of my talents) but I’ve still got a soft spot for it.
Kelley
March 18, 2015 at 1:17 amDragon Bound by Thea Harrison–great on audio too!
Mary Anne
March 18, 2015 at 1:35 amPatricia Briggs’ dragon duology (Dragon’s Bones and Dragon’s Blood) are my favorites of her books, and probably right up there among my favorite dragon books. Though I love The Hero and the Crown, and love that the dragon in that book is just so plain evil and menacing. And like almost everyone here, I grew up with the Pern books and they hooked me on SciFi and Fantasy. And finally, Lorna Freeman’s Covenants ( and sequels) feature some awesome dragons (and all other kinds of mafical and mystical beings.). I wish she would finish that series!
Francene
March 18, 2015 at 11:10 amSeraphina is one of my very favorite dragons but I also really enjoyed Jo Walton’s book, Tooth and Claw. Victorian dragons who eat each other literally at the funeral. Who doesn’t find that exciting?
Meredith
March 18, 2015 at 11:37 amThe Hobbit
Courtney Whisenant
March 18, 2015 at 1:03 pmSeraphina is definitely my favorite!
Kerri
March 18, 2015 at 3:27 pmThe Hobbit and LOTR. Honestly, who does not love Smaug?
Jae Lee
March 18, 2015 at 3:47 pmI love the dragons in Melanie Rawn’s Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series’. I also really love A Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland by Cat Valente. A-through-L is probably my favorite single dragon (even if he is technically a wyvern).
Tibby
March 18, 2015 at 7:05 pmLike others, I think my all time favorite dragon novel is Dealing With Dragons. It’s just so funny!
Jen
March 18, 2015 at 8:42 pmThe Hobbit
vlaware
March 18, 2015 at 11:31 pmTooth and Claw is my favorite, but I do love me some Temeraire, and I still re-read the novels of Pern.
Kate & Zena
March 19, 2015 at 1:31 amThe Inheritance Cycle!
Diana
March 19, 2015 at 10:41 amThe Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. Dragons and humor and self-rescuing princesses. What’s not to love?
Laurence Leblond
March 19, 2015 at 9:14 pmSeraphina, of course!!
Shae/Shelver @ Shae Has Left The Room
March 19, 2015 at 9:26 pmIt’s a toss-up, honestly. I LOVED Seraphina and Shadow Scale, but I also really enjoyed The Hobbit (of course) and A Creature of Moonlight. Basically, YAY DRAGONS!
Anonymous
March 20, 2015 at 3:50 pmHas to be a tie between The Hobbit and A Song of Ice and Fire series!
Alyssa L.
March 20, 2015 at 7:03 pmJust finished Seraphina, and I absolutely loved it! Can’t wait to read Shadow Scale. As for favorite dragon novels…so many, but there will always be a spot in my heart for the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. π
Loki
March 21, 2015 at 3:09 pmI think Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede, followed closely by the rest of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, is my favorite dragon story. There are many that I like, but those four I keep rereading as I get older.
Kelsey
March 21, 2015 at 3:46 pmThe Hobbit and Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke will always hold a special place in my heart, though Seraphina was definitely the best dragon novel I’ve read in recent years.
Ashley Christy
March 21, 2015 at 9:01 pmDo wyverns count? I love the wyverns in Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, but even more than HOF, I love the half-wyvern/half-library A Through L from Catherynne Valente’s Fairyland series. I thought the Fairyland series was the exception until I read Seraphina, though. I enjoy GRRM, but it was always love for books that HAPPEN to have dragons, not BECAUSE they do. Seraphina made me love dragons and seek out more stories that have them.
Katherine
March 22, 2015 at 12:19 amTough question! Down to the wire, but would probably pick His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik. Thanks for the giveaway!
Emilia
March 22, 2015 at 6:49 amI have to say Seraphina is my favorite Dragons book.
Alli
March 22, 2015 at 9:36 amI’m so excited to read Shadow Scale!
I think by default my favorite dragon books would have to be The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, just because of the effect it had on my childhood. Although who doesn’t love The Hobbit?
Lory @ Emerald City Book Review
March 22, 2015 at 1:22 pmIt’s hard to pick a favorite dragon novel! I love the Temeraire series, the Pern books (especially the first two Harper Hall novels), and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. Then there’s “Dragon Reserve, Home Eight” by Diana Wynne Jones, one of her best short stories. I always wished she would make it a full-length book, but alas that never happened. She also has an awesome, snarky dragon in Charmed Life.
Helen
March 22, 2015 at 8:53 pmI suspect that a number of my favorites have already been listed in the comments (don’t have time to check) so I’ll go for a slightly more obscure one and say The Dragon Slippers! It’s a YA novel which ends up involving a pair of slippers which let our heroine communicate with dragons and I remember that I really liked the lead and the general tone (the sequel wasn’t necessary but wasn’t terrible either, I just think the first book was much stronger). I also liked the idea that every dragon has a different sort of thing they horde which made so much sense to me that I tend to forget that’s not how dragons in most stories work!
Alison
March 22, 2015 at 9:54 pmI liked the Inheritance series
Emma
March 23, 2015 at 11:28 amDefinitely Seraphina, but I did enjoy Talon by Julie Kagawa.
Cordelia
March 23, 2015 at 9:31 pmThe dragonriders of pern.
Makaela
March 24, 2015 at 2:27 amI am in love with dragons, but have only read one children’s book with dragons: Iron-Hearted Violet. It wasn’t the greatest. However, I did read the first few chapters of Seraphina and thought the dragons were brilliantly written!
Rikki
March 24, 2015 at 9:41 amI had trouble think of specific dragon books that I really liked and I realized that I hadn’t really read that many. I guess a Natural History of Dragons. I really liked that book but I see that I have a lot more reading to do.
Paige
March 24, 2015 at 5:50 pmMy favourite book dragon would have to be Kazul. Hard to top the king of the dragons.
Jessica
March 25, 2015 at 10:20 pmI read a lot of books with dragons and all of them are good but I think my favorite would be Inheritance by Christopher Paolini!
Kelly
March 25, 2015 at 11:02 pmI’ve never been able to decide what my favourite dragon book is. There’s a great variation in the way dragons a written. I did really enjoy Inheritence by Christopher Paloni, along with Seraphina.
Jade
March 25, 2015 at 11:20 pmMy favorite dragon novel(s) are definitely the A Song of Ice and Fire series featuring Daenerys Targaryen and her three dragons Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal. Her dragons are fascinating, especially Drogon.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
Susan Heim
March 26, 2015 at 4:51 pmMy favorite dragon novel is definitely “Seraphina”! I also like “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis.