I have the feeling the author invented a whole new genre: Dark Draconian Academia with alt!history vibe.
And so it has blown me away with all the details and worldbuilding. It's Bletchley Park, but it's also pink dragons. Honestly, there is no good way to describe this book.

I know I have to keep on reading (also because the very ending....OMG) as I need more of this world and everything it holds.

The weak point for me was the FMC who embodies the oh-so-talented-but-why-all-the-dumb-decisions trope. Honestly though, it didn't bother me so much because everything around her was just amazing and even the forbidden-love part was not annoying. (Lately my scale for the romance part of books is "annoying - not annoying - would die for them". There's nothing in between)

And because the comparison had been so prominent in the marketing: yes, there are Babel vibes, but only at the surface. The whole system is very different. But: I you loved the language part of Babel you are likely to love this book as well.

Mind = blown 4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for the eARC!

#ALanguageOfDragons #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Alright, so I absolutely adored this book, My favorite part was, of course, the dragons. I LOVED their personalities. I also really enjoyed the scholarly take on dragons and languages; it had a hint of dark academia vibes, which I always love, and had a ton of political intrigue (and government corruptions). I've seen this compared to Fourth Wing, but in my opinion its only commonality with Fourth Wing is dragons. This is a book that shouldn't be placed in the shadow of any other story considering its uniqueness and complexity.

I can't wait for release day to add a hardcover edition to my collection.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This is not a relaxing book!! I was on the edge of my seat throughout. I felt angry, stressed and worried. The sign of a good book is it makes you feel. It's like 1984 but with dragons. The dragons were done in a way that it didn't feel like a fantasy book. It felt very real and relatable. The book has many hidden depths and meanings. There is character development with the main character learning about sacrifice and what it means to be selfless.

“Every act of translation requires sacrifice.”

- A Language of Dragons (by S. F. Williamson)

When I first heard of this book, all I knew was that it was a Fantasy book that blends dragon lore with linguistics?? That was enough to let me know I HAD to read it!
And I’m thrilled to say it has completely surpassed my already high hopes for it!

“A Language of Dragons” takes place in an alternate 1923 Britain; one where dragons live among humans as fellow sapient species - dragons that are adept with their own spoken languages.

In a politically conflicted world that has divided both humans and dragons, our protagonist Vivien is a talented and ambitious polyglot in dragon languages.
But her carefully planned life shatters when her parents are arrested and a civil war breaks out. With the hanging threat of losing her family, the government tasks her with translating what they believe is a secret dragon code that can win them the war.

With Dark Academia vibes, an irresistibly fascinating and original concept and world - the book is also wonderfully character focused.

The plot brings together under one roof characters from various walks of life, impacted differently by the strict divide in social class, and yet now all forced into a similar predicament. I loved their dynamics (kinda gave me The Breakfast Club vibes), I absolutely loved the adorable developing romance - and most of all, seeing Vivien grapple with uncomfortable truths about her own privilege and choices.

With powerful themes of redemption and revolution, an ingenious spin on dragons and linguistics, a thrilling political plot-line, an inspiring character-development arc, and a compelling reminder of the power of language in both unity and war… this book was a compulsive and throughly enjoyable experience!

I just finished reading A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson, and I am absolutely floored. From the very first page, I was hooked, and by the time I reached the end, I couldn’t believe how deeply immersed I’d become in this world of dragons, dark academia, and forbidden love. I literally could not put it down—it was a full-on binge from start to finish.

First of all, the setting is genius. Imagine London in 1923, but instead of just the usual historical landmarks, dragons are soaring through the sky and unrest simmers in the streets. The backdrop of Bletchley Park, with all its codebreaking, adds this incredible layer of tension and intrigue, and the dark academia vibes were chef’s kiss. It felt like stepping into an alternate history where magic and danger were woven into every turn, but still very grounded in the post-war tension of the era.

I have to talk about the dragons. They aren’t just set dressing—they play an integral role in the world-building and the plot, especially with the mystery surrounding their language. Every act of translation requiring sacrifice? That line gave me chills because it becomes clear just how much of a price Viv is going to have to pay to unlock these secrets. The magic system based around language and codebreaking is such a clever twist, and it kept me guessing the whole way through.

What I loved most, though, was the way Williamson explores themes of class, power, and rebellion. Viv’s journey from someone who’s just trying to survive to someone who ends up igniting a civil war felt so organic. The story doesn’t shy away from hard truths about privilege, sacrifice, and the costs of freedom, all while keeping the pace fast and the stakes high.

In short, A Language of Dragons is a brilliant mix of everything I love: dark academia, slow-burn romance, political intrigue, and a world filled with dragons. It’s filled with twists and betrayals that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

This was a good, gripping read with solid world building and a good cast of characters. Vivian, the main character, makes one bad decision after another and is hard to like but her fellow 'competitors' at Bletchley seem far more mature. This is definitely a YA read with just a little romance and quite a lot of rebellion and corruption.

I was sold by the prospect of both dragons and code-breaking but sadly the dragons didn't feature nearly enough for me. The fact that Vivian's job is in Bletchley Park is an irrelevance as the book is set in the 1920s and the war is between dragons and humans, not at all related to WW2, however the description of how Vivian progressed the code breaking was fascinating.

A Language of Dragons is a fantasy dark academia set in 1923 London where dragons can be seen soaring through the skies. The book follows Viv as she works towards getting an internship to study dragon languages. However, due to a series of events, she starts a civil war. When she's offered a mysterious job that could help save all her family from criminal charges, she takes it and soon starts helping the war effort as a codebreaker. This story is filled with twists and turns, betrayals and secret identities and leaves Viv wondering which side she should really be on.

Welcome to Bletchley Park… with dragons.

After hearing this tagline, I was immediately hooked! It's like this book was made for me and had everything I love in a book.

The political strife in this story felt authentic and intricately woven, making it a pleasure to delve deeper into its complexities as the plot unfolded. The high stakes created a palpable sense of suspense, and the exploration of dragon languages was a unique and captivating concept that kept me thoroughly engaged. I’ve always enjoyed dark academia, and this setting certainly lived up to my expectations.

The small cast of characters, each with their own rich backstories and struggles, added depth to the narrative. There was a perfect balance in the number of characters, allowing for fascinating dynamics and interactions across the different societal levels, while still making it easy to keep track of each individual’s journey.

The plot is engaging, filled with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The stakes are high, and the sense of urgency is palpable as Viv races against time to save both dragons and humans. Williamson expertly balances action with moments of reflection, creating a narrative that is both fast-paced and thoughtful.

I found myself staying up late to finish this book, compelled to discover what would happen next. I was on the edge of my seat, filled with tension, and there were even tears along the way. This story delivered everything I had hoped for, and I can’t wait for the next instalment!

Thank you to HarperFire and Netgalley for this early copy to review.

Interesting premise but not a fan of this writing style and was bored 10% in sadly… I also don’t really like the fmc

Have had to sit on this book for a week to decide on what my rating is, and I think I’ve settled on 2.75 stars.
On one hand, I think the political strife and the uprising was done very well. The oppressors didn’t feel gimmicky like they sometimes can in YA fantasies, and the focus on language was fascinating - you can really see the author’s passion and research shine here.
However, the book was all tell and no show.. Vivien is a textbook case of being told the character is Amazing and Talented and just Truly The Best To Ever Do It and then every decision she makes in the book is so unbelievably stupid, the reader is left with very mixed messages. I did not grow to like Vivien in any capacity. Her ‘journey’ to unlearn the prejudices she has been brought up to hold was so heavy handed - she went from being a nasty, self-serving little wretch for 90% of the book to suddenly The Saviour, even when everyone in her life calls her out on her BS and she refuses to listen. I even found myself enjoying the romantic elements and wanting to kick my feet a little, then I would remember it was happening to Vivien and my mood would sour.
The comparisons to Babel are very surface level at best. If you have a deep love for languages, you would probably enjoy this book.

Thank you to Harper Fire and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.

Mixing historical fiction with fantasy is a perfect combination which was extremely well done in this book. Blending adventure, suspense and anticipation makes this a fantastic read.

Cinematic and gripping, this is a breathtaking story and an important commentary on and exploration of power, class, and social justice. A beautifully original angle too - Bletchley Park and codebreaking but with dragon tongues. I was hooked from the start.

A brilliantly engaging, action packet world. Dragons and dragon linguistics set in an alternate universe.

I can’t wait to see what happens next. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I came into this one a little apprehensive as I’ve seen it compared to Fourth Wing, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Set in the early 1900s, this book felt almost on the borderline of historical fiction, with code breakers and heavy political influence. But instead of a WW2 as we know it, it’s with dragons, and the code breaking is trying to decifer the dragons. It is a really good concept, and I really lost myself within the world.

The characters were very well written, and it almost felt ‘found family’ but with the underlying fear of betrayal. I found that I struggled to like FMC due to the decisions that she makes, and at some points she did frustrate me. I also wish that there was more details on the romance side of this story.

With how fast paced the start of this book was, I was hooked on quite quickly. And found the story very interesting. Even though it is aimed at YA, I can very much see adults enjoying this as well as its target audience. However I probably wouldn’t compare this to something like Fourth Wing as it had more of a Divine Rivals feel to it.

Such an interesting and unique concept for a fantasy novel!

As someone who loves languages, I was immediately intrigued by an MC who is not only a linguist, but a linguist in dragon tongues?!

From the moment I picked up this book, I was absolutely hooked. The plot was not only fast-paced and intriguing, but also so different and intricate.

This was a new and exciting twist on the "competition" storyline and I am just so excited for the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling in A Language of Dragons and relatable, likable characters,. Loved every single second reading it.

A girl working to save the country from Dragons, in an alternate reality World War 2 Bletchley Park setting, is one of the coolest concepts I've heard this year, but just over half way through, I was struggling so much to get through it I had to stop reading.

There's a lot of telling, and no showing. I know there's Dragons, a war, Dystopian elements but I constantly felt like I was just being handed facts, and I didn't feel like I was in the grip of WW2. I didn't fully understand the war itself, and the Dystopian elements were overused and tired.

This could have improved with a heavier focus on the characters forming friendship and romantic bonds, but it didn't do that either. Instead, a heavy focus was on the main character reading echolation patterns and this wasn't written in a way that was remotely interesting to me.

This feels like a basic Dystopia, with Dragons, that's very (very) loosely tied to World War 2, but it makes so little sense to connect the two when the war has little to no parallels that it ended up being confusing instead, and this would have done better as just a basic fantasy, set in a fantasy world.

I stayed up all night reading this book, finishing 7:30 in the morning and it was 1000% worth it! It's such a different take to all the dragon/Fantasy books out there (I love those too but after reading what feels like the same themes over & over this was so refreshing) it had it all! I could picture everything so clearly and I was gutted when It was over. The book doesn't come out until next year (I was lucky enough to recieve an ARC copy) but the wait is worth it! There may have been 1 or 2 very minor plot holes that I didn't even catch at the time as I was so enthralled and only realised when I kept thinking about the book, they're not big enough to ruin anything or even be fully noticeable though! One thing I do hate in books is false marketing to get ppl interested and this book is advertised as a "slow burn enemies to lovers romance" and it absolutely is not that at all. The whole time I was reading it I thought the main character was going to end up with someone else purely because of the marketing, however that has nothing to do with the book itself but the advertising,so do yourself a favour and read this debut book from a new author!

Fans of the Temeraire series will fall in in love with this new series just as I did. It is one of my favourite books out this year. I loved the morally gray heroine Vivien Featherswallow and her struggles with her guilt over a past betrayal of her best friend Sophie is played out amongst the dramatic events that break her family apart and send her to a Bletchley park during wartime to study how dragons communicate. A brilliant new urban fantasy set in an alternative reality where dragons and humans live side by side. I can't wait for part 2!

I found this rather flat and predictable. It's definitely not clever enough to be classed as 'Academia'.

Thank you to S. F. Williamson, HarperFire and NetGalley, for the amazing opportunity to read : A language of dragons as an ARC.

Key words : dragons, war and translations.

Quotes : « every act of translation requires sacrifice »
« A translator, on the other hand, is a creature that flies with several pairs of wings »

The cover was beautiful and that’s what drew me in. I was NOT expecting the book to be this amazing. I read it for 3 hours straight and I missed 3 calls from my mom lol. It felt like 5 mins.
It feels like a dystopian movie meets a fantasy world. Set in a post WWI inspired world. Where the fight was between dragons and humans. The MC is from the middle class and her dream is to be an intern in dragon tongues translation. Due to unfortunate events she goes to the country side where she has to decipher the meaning of a code…
This is NOT a dragon RIDING book but a dragon LEARNING book.
I know I won’t be able to STOP talking about it. And I will recommend it a lot.
5 ⭐️ read
I was a bit afraid that the 400 pages would go slowly but I was HOOKED. I really want to buy it once it comes out.
The quotes were simply amazing.