A Language of Dragons is not without its issues, but there’s plenty here to maintain your interest and the ending definitely didn’t offer the easy way out. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this before its publication in January 2025.
The setting is an alternate 1920s where humans and dragons have no longer got reason to work together. Society is operated on a strict class system, and anyone who fails to pass their exam or prove their worth when asked to can be demoted. The Prime Minister is desperate to find a way to use the knowledge of dragons to her advantage.
Our main character, Vi, is a skilled linguist whose specialism is the study of dragon tongues. Her mother escaped the bloodshed caused when Bulgarian dragons overthrew their government, and she is determined that Vi will take whatever opportunities are available to her in order to live a better, more secure, life.
When her parents are arrested for colluding with rebels, Vi takes it upon herself to free a dragon housed in the Great Library. For her actions she is arrested…but then given the opportunity to work for the Prime Minister at Bletchley Park in order to secure the release of those close to her.
Vi is in a difficult position. Much of the book focuses on her working out what she’s been tasked with and why it has the potential to cause so much harm. There’s a lot of detail given to this that doesn’t really seem significant, until it is.
The last part of the book felt rather rushed, but it also included the parts of the story that pulled things together and which helped you to realise the significance of key moments. Vi’s not given an easy ending, but I wonder if this could be returned to in the future as it feels like there’s definitely more to come.

This book had some really good plot ideas and I loved the dragons!! However I found the FMC too entitled and as a POC reader I could not access her emotions or driving force.

I went into this with little knowledge other than 'Bletchley Park with dragons' which was enough to sell me on the premise. I love an alternate history and this worldbuilding of a history where dragons and humans co-exist, and how that translates and alters history for such a dramatic and well-known time, was really nicely done. The romance was a little insta-love for me, but the morally grey character arcs were nicely complex. And the dragons were dreamy.

3 stars
This was almost going to be 4 stars based on characters, vibes and the storyline but the plot went somewhere I didn't enjoy and was slower and boring towards the end despite picking up in the last quarter so could have been better. I enjoyed the characters a lot but it's not wno7gh the carry the premise along which was interesting.

I enjoyed this book, but even though I really wanted to I didn’t love it. I loved some aspects of it just not all of A Language of Dragons. I think the main reason for this was that I found some of the characters personalities to be very childish (even for a YA book). In the sense that ‘the vilain’ details all their evil plans to the reluctant hero in a speech and the hero is throughout the book the best at everything she tries as well as being the only one who can figure a lot of what is happening/is going to happen making this less realistic.

That being said I enjoyed this book and am excited to read more in this world. I think that the concept of a world where dragons exist and humans can learn their language is fun and innovative and I can’t wait to see what happens next :)

Summary: In 1923 London, Vivien’s pursuit of safety and ambition collapses after a civil war erupts, forcing her into a high-stakes mission as a dragon-language codebreaker at Bletchley Park.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

One of my favourite reads of the year. The world building was epic and the characters are so well developed. I wild say this books start slow so if you want instance fast paced, this may be a little slow for you but it’s totally worth the way. Thank you for letting me review this book.

1.5 ⭐️
I wanted so badly to love this :( and I'm so mad at this being falsely marketed!! it raised my expectations for no reason!
It was written so well, the writing flowed and I loved the political parts and how it can relate to real-life but by the time I reached the end, it just didn't do it for me
The premise of this book sounded so promising- dark academia, dragon code-breaking and political intrigue
And for the first 150 pages I loved it, thinking it was a 5 or 4 star rating for me and then it started going downhill
This is also nothing like 'Fourth Wing' and trust me, that's a good thing- the only thing it had in common with it was the dragons
And the only 'Hunger Games' aspect of this is in the last 150 pages when they are suddenly pitted against each other and one of them tries to kill the fmc and I don't even know what happens after that
Also the only similarities it has with 'Babel' is the language and translating parts, as well as the setting and political parts. Personally I think its an insult to Babel by comparing this to it because Babel was amazing and its far more in depth than this...

I’m gonna start off by saying that this was so very falsely marketed as slow burn enemies-to-lovers when it is anything BUT that
It was something more like 'potential-lovers-who-keep-squabbling-over-the-morals-of-politics-and-take-so-long-to-make-out-because-the-guy-is-a-priest-in-training-who-can’t-date-but-still-flirts-with-the-girl-for-no-reason'
Seriously? A priest in training is the slow burn excuse? And then he suddenly realises that he doesn’t want to be a priest anymore because he’s in love with her?
he was trying to become a priest but still flirts with her for no reason? hello?! literally no reason?!
I don't know about anyone else but that's not slowburn and they never hated each other, so its not enemies-to-lovers either
The romance was really lacking and only developed halfway through, as if the author just remembered that it existed, and it was also kinda insta-lovey
Omg smhhhh

Another of my biggest problems was Vivien, when I slowly started to realise that she's so incredibly shallow, selfish and naive
Like yes we all make mistakes and its important to forgive yourself and own up to it but there's no need to be so angsty over it and bring it up every single page for 100 pages
It seems like Vivien was supposed to be morally gray or an antihero but that concept failed badly
For someone who is some academic scholar, she sure comes across as dense
Omg give me patience with this girl- she literally spent half the book debating with her cousin, crush and ex-bestie that their corrupt political system is not corrupt at all and that she doesn’t care about anyone and anything as long as she saves her parents and little sister
like yes, what about your 5 year old sister that you are gonna save- is she going to end up in a corrupt civil war society? like what happens after you save them?
and she suddenly switches in the last 50 pages of the book when she realises she can forgive herself for all the horrible things she's done?

the ending left room for a sequel but if there is, I'm definitely going to skip.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

content/trigger warnings: physical abuse/assault (fmc gets slapped, her arm broken, choked and bruised by this soldier guy) , child abuse (giving them scars on their arms whenever they get a grade thats not 'outstanding'), blood, child death, death

My first five star of 2025 releases. This is an incredible debut book, and one which I could not put down. I honestly can not praise this more.

In short, and as per the blurb, we live alongside Dragons, but the peace agreement isn’t all it seems to be, and the Prime Minister wants to “get ahead”…..we move to Bletchley Park (that infamous place..) to break the dragon codes.

I’ve made this sound very simple, but it’s not - it’s a tale of treachery, love, family bonds, and danger. Oh..:and dragons.

Absolutely enthralling, and obsessive.

My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, Children's for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[ARC provided by NetGalley and A Language of Dragons. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Harper Fire.]

Rating: 3/5

Before getting into this review, I think it’s important to acknowledge that a few external factors may have resulted in me enjoying this a little less than I hoped I would. Mainly, I’d recently finished another dark academia book which has become a new favorite for me and, unfortunately, I think anything with similar themes was going to feel lackluster in comparison.

A Language of Dragons is by no means an unenjoyable book, and although I struggled with it at times, I’m also conscious that my reading tastes are growing further away from the majority of YA reads as the years go by. That being said, this is still a fun and interesting book that I’m sure many will enjoy, and I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a dragon story with some depth.

Set in an alternate 1923 London where dragons and humans coexist, A Language of Dragons introduces us to Vivian Featherswallow, a young scholar who will stop at nothing to secure a safe future for herself and her family. With the threat of class demotion looming over her head, Vivian’s goal is an internship studying dragon languages, but when family secrets come to light and she inadvertently starts a civil war, she will have to take a mysterious job as a codebreaker or else her family will be killed for their crimes.

I’ve seen a lot of people liken this to Babel and Fourth Wing and I’d agree with that, but please keep in mind that it’s the academia and dragon side of Fourth Wing that you’ll find here, and not the prominent romance. Of course, there is still some romance in this book, but it’s a little more subtle and quite slow burn. Others have been calling it ‘enemies-to-lovers’ but I don’t think that’s true - at a push, it’s a slight dislike to love. The Babel similarities, however, are pretty strong. Language and the complexities of translation are strong themes, along with societal inequality, the impact of war on a society, and the difficulties with loyalty in times of conflict.

My main issue with this book was the main character, Vivian, who I often found to be insufferable. Frustratingly, I could understand why she acted in certain ways and that her belief system was being challenged daily, but going through such a large portion of the book with her in this headspace was unenjoyable for me. This, paired with a romance that felt weak and other characters that lacked depth, made large portions of the book drag.

Despite not loving the overall story, I found that the climax gripped me to the point where I am intrigued about what will happen in the next book. Admittedly, I’m not sure if I’ll get around to reading it, but if at any point you’re a little unsure of this story then I’d say the ending makes up for it. The final chapters set up some very intriguing developments which I’m sure will make for a great book two.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the book for me, but don’t let my review put you off. If you’re new to dark academia then I think this would be a great starting point, and if you like historical fiction with some fantasy elements then you’ll probably enjoy this. I’ll still be recommending this to others and I’ve no doubt that A Language of Dragons will receive a warm reception from readers.

3.5* I came to this book straight after reading ‘Iron Flame’. The Fourth Wing comparisons do it no favours., just left me feeling disappointed. Yes, there are dragons but there the similarities end. The enemies-to-lovers angle is overplayed too.
This story is more about politics, language and codes. It is slow with little spurts of action. There is quite a lot of information about translating languages, which i did find interesting but may not have a lot of appeal for the intended audience. I liked all the bits about the class system and its unfairness too. The romance is slow and minimal. i can see promise in the story if it continues as a.series but it hasn’t found it’s stride just yet.

Just wow, this was so brilliantly complex with different languages and political controversy. I’m happily rating 4.75 rounded to 5 stars.

I devoured this book, it was interesting and heartbreaking. Our FMC isn’t really that likeable at first, but you can appreciate her difficult position and the fact she is basically a teenager. She is basically blackmailed and used throughout this story for political gain and to maintain the fragile peace with the dragons. War is looming from every angle and our FMC is at the heart of things.

This book had so much to love about it, I enjoyed the fact it was devoted to the plot and had a smidge of romance plus some strong friend connections throughout. Literally so excited to see what happens next.

I was intrigued by this book just from the title alone. Once I opened the book, I couldn't put it down! Dragons, mixed with a dark academic setting political intrigue, and linguistics is the perfect blend for a fast-paced read. I loved the morally grey FMC and the vivid world-building. I want to explore this world more, and I hope the author might revisit it again in the future. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book.

In a dystopian world, Viv desperately wants to succeed as a linguist specialising in dragon languages. When her parents are arrested she is forced to make some difficult decisions, which make her reflect on the supposedly just society she has worked so hard to join. Viv is an interesting character, she is pretty focussed on her future and fairly blinkered to what is going on around her, even when her best friend vanishes. She's not ready to face anything until her parents arrest and comes across as rather self-centred and naïve. Nether-the-less you do enjoy her painfully slow awakening, her regret and her desire to atone.

I did not continue with this despite getting 45% in, at which point you'd think I'd finish it considering how far I'd come. I'm seeing the imagine to man digging for diamonds and turning away before the end but not here. I couldn't deal with Vivian I'm sorry but she isn't likeable and I totally understand that not every protagonist has to be likeable and the who complicated female charactes etc. But she's insufferable, she's arrogant and selfish and an idiot for someone supposedly so educated. I'm not rooting for her, I enjoyed when she wasn't on the page which I think says something when I like everyone but the main character and that fact that A Language of Dragons is in first person made the whole situation worse.

Thank you to Harper and Williamson for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow!

I got hooked from the very first page! I loved this one so much that I did not want it to end!

The Language of Dragons has everything you need and more. It is a story of love, loyalty, second chances and redemption. It is filled with plots and twists made to keep the reader entertained all the way to the very last word.

From the blurb I expected something along the lines of enigma where a team of the brightest minds come together to break the enemies morse code or something to win a war. This book was not what I expected - it was so much more intricate than that in the best possible way! I mean a post-WWI type Britannia with dragons and a bunch or brilliant teenagers, including Vivian Featherswallow our FMC, are shipped off to a government facility where they are being incentivized *coughthreatened/blackmaliedcough* to break the silent dragon language.

The story is a blast of a pic proportions, and off course the dragons are amazing! You can definitely tell that the author is well-versed in the art of translation and languages from the way Vivian, our FMC, works to break the mystery of the hidden dragon language. I see others saying the book was influenced by Babel with the languages but since I haven't read that one I can only go off of my own lived experience with English being my second language. I can relate to the author's description of nuances and how "every act of translation requires sacrifice" going from one language to another - and what is lost in translation is the purview of the translators - some words and phrases just don't translate to English and it is only pale comparisons to what the meaning is in the original language.

I did NOT expect this level of well crafted and intricate story telling, political and social commentary and all the following intricacies. For me it's either a hit or miss with a debut author, but Williamson hit the bullseye!

The political and social commentary is incredible, especially with the state of the world now! "People shouldn't fear their prime ministers. Prime ministers should fear their people." This is more relevant than ever. As is "Peace isn't peace if it's only given to some."

The book is really good at showing how propaganda influences Viv, who lives in the comfortable middle class in the heavily segregated Britannia, where she doesn't see/experience the horror of the lowest class. This is also pointed out to her, by a dragon nonetheless:

"I have no interest in political debates-" "Only because you are privileged enough not to be be concerned by them."

I definitely didn't expect all this societal commentary in a YA! What I did expect was flipflopping from teenagers and Vivian's actions is YA to the core - everyone else have strong morals or stand steadfast by their convictions, however black or white, good or bad they are, while Viv's actions and intentions changes direction several times on the same page. So yay to YA readers facing this obvious segregation of human society and vilification and 'othering' of dragons from a government can cripple a society, and how facing it head on is the only way to realise the ugly truth so you can move past it and to finally be able to change the injustices.

I'm rambling, sorry, this story just hit a subject I feel needs to get a very bright spotlight.
A last sticking point for me is the enemies-to-logers tag is so frustrating because Viv and the love interest are never enemies to begin with.

I'm giving it 4.5 glowing stars rounded up to 5 stars.

Set in 1920's Britannia, the country is in an uneasy truce with the dragons. When Vivienne's parents and cousin are arrested she inadvertently starts a war, To redeem herself and her family she is asked to use her skills as a dragon linguist to find out more about the dragons' secret language along with other recruits. The recruits are pitted against each other with surprising results.
I wasn't sure what to think of this book initially as the detailed focus on the dragon language sometimes hindered the flow of the plot for me. I did however love the parallels to British history, which I think older children will enjoy. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was already hoping that there was going to be a sequel.

A Language of Dragons is set in a really fun, interesting alternate reality. It's the UK, post-WW1, but dragons are a normal part of life. A war and following 'peace agreement' between the humans and the dragons has caused tension between the communities and led to a very restrictive class system and mistreatment of both dragons and the lower classes. Our protagonist, Viv, is a polyglot who speaks numerous dragon languages, and finds herself in a tricky situation forced to work at Bletchley Park as a translator and codebreaker.

It's such a fun premise, and I loved a lot of the world building. The dynamics and politics between the different communities, and how those of a lower class were treated, were all really interesting to read about. Where it fell flat for me was the main chunk of the book set at Bletchley Park. I didn't believe the setup or why they needed a bunch of teenagers to help them win the war. Some of what they were needed to do, and the fact that apparently intelligent, educated adults weren't able to figure out some basic things, didn't make sense to me. I slightly lost interest as I was no longer 'buying in' to the story and it lost its urgency. It was still enjoyable, though, and a fascinating idea.

Recommended for YA fans.

A Language of Dragons by S. F. Williamson? Consider me HOOKED. 🔥 A 1920's London where dragons exist and codebreaking is a thing? Bletchley Park vibes but make it fantasy and Dark Academia? Yeah, I was all in from page one.

Let’s talk about Vivien Featherswallow — yes, her name is a whole vibe, and so is she. Viv’s not your typical Chosen One, and I loved her for it. She’s messy, stubborn, and makes questionable decisions, but she’s so real. The way she’s clawing her way through a system stacked against her while trying to protect her sister? My heart. ❤️ She’s flawed, but it makes you root for her even harder.

Now Atlas… sigh ✨ The dark, broody mystery boy. I wanted more of him. Don’t get me wrong — his chemistry with Viv? Chef’s kiss 👌😘 but… the insta-love was just a little too insta for me. A couple of secret notes and nighttime meetings had them falling hard, and I just wanted to see more tension, more build-up, y’know? Give me the longing, the pining, the slow burn. 🙌

PM Wyvernmire, her nephew, Ralph, and the Deputy PM? Actual menaces. The way they had me screaming at the book.... I despised them, which means they did their job as villains perfectly. Sophie and Marquis, though, were the side characters I needed. Sophie’s dynamic with Viv added so much depth to the story, and Marquis? Iconic. I’d join the fan club. 🤍 I just wish some of the other side characters got as much spotlight because the potential was there.

Let’s talk about the plot — dragons, war, and codebreaking secrets? Yeah, I was living. The dragon language angle was super cool and gave it this unique twist I wasn’t expecting. It was like if Babel and Fourth Wing had a 1920's baby, but Williamson kept the pacing fast enough that I never got bored. Did I see all the twists coming? No. Did I scream at that cliffhanger of an ending? Also no because I was too busy sobbing. I NEED book two ASAP, and I’m looking at S. F. Williamson like: don’t leave me hanging here. 😭

The dragons. Ohhhh the dragons. Chumana is EVERYTHING. Easily my fave character—wise, sassy, and shrouded in mystery. The whole dragon language plot line was so original and fascinating, and I loved piecing together the secrets alongside Viv. 🐉

Overall? This was such a strong debut. The vibes? Immaculate. The dragons? Iconic. The story? Full of war, betrayal, and enough twists to keep me turning pages like my life depended on it. If the romance had been a bit more slow-burn and the side characters had a bit more spotlight, it would’ve been an easy 5 stars. But you already know I’m pre-ordering book two.

OK so I don't typically like the whole academia trope but this.... This did it so well that it's made me LOVE the trope. A whole book dedicated to learning the hidden language of dragons, an Mc who thinks she's just inherently bad for wanting to save her family and screw the rest of the world and the shocking deaths, alliances and romances that happen within the book are just incredible. I could NOT put it down and absolutely cannot wait to hold a physical copy of this. So so glad I was able to read it early!