About the Book
-
Author:
- S.F. Williamson
Cover Story: Ornate
BFF Charms: Eventually
Talky Talk: … With Dragons!
Bonus Factors: Codebreakers, Dragons
Anti-Bonus Factor: Class Systems
Relationship Status: Swiping Left
Content Warning: There are scenes of physical abuse of a young woman by an older man in A Language of Dragons, as well as the suggestion of an assault—by the same guy. He’s a piece of crap.
Cover Story: Ornate
Is that a dragon? Is that a piece of jewelry someone would wear on their chest? Is it some sort of weapon? All I know for sure is that it’s fancy.
(While this is all well and lovely, I prefer the UK cover; there’s such a nostalgia for dragon books of old about it. And it makes it clear that the title is literal, while the US cover could be construed as figurative.)
The Deal:
Vivian Featherswallow wants nothing more than to become Brittania’s youngest dragon translator and make waves in the academic world with her brilliance and new discoveries. She loves her country and feels strongly that Britain’s leaders, particularly Prime Minister Wyvernmire and her counterpart the British dragon queen, have the best interests of both their peoples in mind. She sees the Peace Agreement between the humans and the dragons as a shining example of teamwork.
Never would she have expected that her parents were involved with the Dragon-Human Coalition, a group of rebels who disagree with all she holds true. But when her parents are arrested from their home, Viv is forced to go to extreme lengths to keep them safe, leading her to a position at a secret government facility, Bletchley Park, with a mission to crack an elusive dragon code.
BFF Charm: Eventually
As someone who gets inordinately frustrated with people who buy into everything a certain sect and/or political entity tells them, Viv was hard to like at first. She’s convinced that her parents would never go against the rule of the land, and she’s certain that the guidelines of the Peace Agreement are truly the best way for people to live. She’s slow to figure out for herself that her views are flawed or even flat-out wrong, and it was a struggle not to want to bop her upside the head when she stuck so firmly to her obviously faulty guns. She’s a really smart person with an intelligence that is second to none, but she lacks the ability to see the larger picture and peek behind the velvet curtains.
Thankfully, she eventually realizes what the truth is, and how wrong she’s been about, well, everything. It takes a long while, though, so our BFFhood is a thing of the future, rather than the now.
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
When Viv arrives at Bletchley Park, she meets a guy named Atlas King. She finds him interesting but is both too concerned with getting her family out of jail and worried about social status to do much about it. When he starts pushing to get to know her (in a very gentlemanly way) she eventually gives in. And for that I am glad—it’s Atlas who puts those first cracks in her mental walls.
Talky Talk: … With Dragons!
Williamson’s world, an alternate universe not too far removed from our own, is a rich, complicated, flawed world in which people–and dragons–are doing what it takes to make their lives better. It’s not the Bletchley Park that we know, but it’s just as poignant in a fictional sense, which just as much at stake for their world.
Bonus Factor: Codebreakers
While the Bletchley Park in our world was filled with Allied forces trying to break German codes, the one in this universe sees Viv working on deciphering a form of echolocation that’s specific to dragons. She figures out what it is before the end of the book, but discovers that it’s much more than just a way to gauge distances or send encoded messages.
Bonus Factor: Dragons
I definitely want to know more about the dragons in Williamson’s world. They’re currently treated like lower-class citizens and animals, but at one point in this world’s history, they were on par with humans; they held jobs in all areas and lived amongst the people. They’re very large, very scary creatures, so I was a little confused how they just let themselves be forced into the muck, but there are politics at play, even among their kind. Imagine having a dragon next door neighbor!
Anti-Bonus Factor: Class System
Part of the Peace Agreement between dragons and humans is a three-tier class system: First Class is the highest, followed by Second, then Third. If you don’t do well in school or commit a crime, you risk being demoted to the class below. There are ways to move up a level, but they are few and far between. At first, Viv, who’s solidly second class, believes wholeheartedly that the system is beneficial for all levels. What she doesn’t know, thanks to naivete or the lack of information shared, but is certainly clear to readers, is that first class individuals get the best lives, and living conditions get worse as you move down the ladder. Way worse, in some situations.
Relationship Status: I’ll Crack Your Code
Book, it’s been a blast. And I hope we get to spend more time together in the future. There’s still so much to be done!
Literary Matchmaking
Ellie Marney’s The Killing Code is also about WWII-era codebreakers, but swap the dragons for a serial killer (and England for America).
Ryan Graudin’s Wolf By Wolf Duology is a duology that takes place during WWII and also features fantastical creatures.
Nisha Sharma’s The Letters We Keep is a (mostly) contemporary book featuring struggles with class systems.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. A Language of Dragons is available now.
