📚 review 📚
language of dragons

i am a sucker for a dragon book. i think its because i was born in the year of the dragon. i am also a sucker for languages and war fiction - so basically a language of dragons, which combines all those things was obviously going to be a favourite.

if babel and fourth wing had a baby that hung out with divine rivals it would be this book. its a ya alternative history of the war years, set in london with a dystopian flair and dragons. we follow viv, a linguist
hoping to become a dragon translator before finding herself mixed up with the resistance and being sent to bletchley park to do some dragon related code breaking to help a corrupt government get the upper hand. it’s fun, fast paced, full of political intrigue and finding out which side of history you want to stand on.

a language of dragons is tipped to be one of the biggest books of 2025 and i can totally see why - i’ve already pre ordered my copy!

plus, fun fact - a former neighbour of mine is mentioned in the acknowledgment!

a language of dragons is out next year, thank you to @netgalley for the early copy.

Amazing. Think hunger games crossed with enigma code breaking Star Wars rebel alliance brilliance.
I loved the world building and the way in which Williamson places the dragons firmly in the heart of post WW1 society.
Viv the FMC is flawed and brave and cowardly all at the same time. Her reluctance to see how deceitful people in charge were was frustrating at times but I willed her on and enjoyed the relationship with Atlas Marquis and Sophie.
I am interested in linguistics and found these parts of the book well explained and engaging.
I will absolutely read the rest in this series (I hope this is a series!) and recommend for sure.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

Another fantastic dragon book! I really enjoyed this one, although I expected it to be more adult based off the cover (maybe that's just me).
I prefer my fantasy with a bit more grit, but this was a very enjoyable books to read.

I heard about this book and thought it sounded intriguing. I did enjoy this book, but think the marketing is a little misleading. At time of writing, the synopsis says “for fans of Fourth Wing and Babel”. Whilst it has shades of Fourth Wing (dragons) and Babel (dark academia) this is not primarily for adults. There is no mature content or text (although it’s too dark for young children). I would put it at a middle grade audience, who are not too sensitive. (It’s not too dark but has some violence/peril and a main character death). As such I enjoyed it- I’ve always been fascinated by Bletchley Park, although was a little thrown at the timeline here, but I guess as it’s fantasy it doesn’t have to be true to our timelines!

Viv is trying to save her family from imprisonment, protect her country and the tenuous “peace agreement” and maintain her own “second class” status by working at Bletchley Park to crack a secret dragon language, one that humans have never been able to detect let alone replicate. And if she fails, her family and the whole world could be in grave danger. But as she learns more about Bletchley and the government in charge, she must confront the feeling that she might not be exactly on the right side of history.

Everything about this book instantly appealed and I was super intrigued by the story.

I was a little confused at first, as a lover of history and an ardent reader of all things Bletchley, at the timings and historical dates falling somewhat outside of the fact Bletchley wasn’t a code breaking facility at the time it was in this book but I’ll take with a pinch of salt and add it to the ‘fantasy’ element!

It took a few chapters to get into and given my automatic assumption that this was a children’s / middle grade book (which it isn’t) I love the direction it took and the YA fantasy it turned out to be.

It was wonderfully fast paced and encompassed what I love in a book. Anything to do with dragons and I’m game, and the fact it had a WW2 feel which is another one of my favourite genres. It also had a dark academia and Babel vibe too which I was all for.

The world created in the story is a great one too and wonderfully built. I was increasingly eager to find out more and found myself, along with Viv, on the edge of my seat with her hoping to unravel the mystery of the dragons and their language. I’m also super happy that there is a follow up to this as it has the makings of a fantastic sequel and a great series! Can’t wait for the next one.

Only reason I was considering dropping a star is my own personal preferences and my own frustrations at Viv (which I have to admit, actually made for more entertaining reading and ensured I didn’t put the book down and I needed to see how it was going to end). So think on reflection I have to give it 5 and eagerly await the next instalment!

Class wars. Political intrigue. An ambitious main character who dives into an ocean of libraries and books and codes, armed with a deep love and respect for languages. All of this, set in a richly imagined world where dragons lurk around every corner, and narrated with genuinely lovely writing. Perfect for classical fantasy fans who like their stories with a heap of empathy and *fiery* revolution!

"EVERY ACT OF TRANSLATION REQUIRES SACRIFICE.
Welcome to Bletchley Park… with dragons."

The concept behind A Language of Dragons immediately hooked me, taking inspiration from Bletchley Park and codebreaking but with dragons (I mean come on)! And honestly it was far better I initially imagined. Not only do we get codebreaking and dragons which are a part of day to day life, we examine an dystopian society filled with corruption, class systems and the use of language as power.

A Language of Dragons is a fast-paced, exploration of the power of language and translation as well as how far people will go to protect those they love, even if their actions go against the greater good. It explores how belief in what you've been told your entire life can be hard to break.

I loved the premise of the book, which was what originally led me to request to read this book. But I think for me the pacing felt a little too quick for my liking in the pace of the first chapter so much happens and so much information is thrown down. For me I would've liked the pace a little slower to really delve into this world with dragons and to properly learn who our main characters are and form some sort of bond with them.
I think the writing was okay in parts, there were sometimes where is felt a little perplexing and somewhat simple for this unique world, I would've liked a little more description to further draw me into this world and leave me hooked.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I was intrigued by the premise of this one, an alternative Bletchley with Dragons. For me personally it was just ok, I found the main character Vivien rather annoying at times and also certain themes became repetitive. I would recommend this for YA readers who like dragons/dark academia.

I was drawn to A Language of Dragons because the idea of Babel mixed with dragons sounded like one of my favourite concepts ever for a book, so I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed this one! I'm fascinated by linguistics and translation, and this was a really intriguing way to explore some of those topics through a fantasy lens. The plot is fast-paced and kept me engaged throughout, and I really was invested in Vivian's journey as she comes to understand herself and those around her. The romance was sweet but underdeveloped at times, and whilst the rest of the characters could have been explored in more depth they were still interesting to read about. I really liked the themes of rebellion and corruption, too, and I'm definitely intrigued to see where the plot goes in the next instalment.

If the concept of codebreaking crossed with dragons appeals to you, I would definitely recommend. 3.5 stars.

A Language of Dragons is a debut novel by S.F. Williamson and it follows Vivien Featherswallow in London, 1923. In this alternative London, dragons fly in the skies. Vivien wants to get an internship studying dragon languages which will stop her and her sister moving to the third class. Her parents end up arrested so she ends up working as a codebreaker to help the war effort. Vivien has hopes to discover the secrets of different dragon languages but she starts to question what people are fighting for.

This was enjoyable to a certain extent, I think for young adult readers this will be a hit because Vivien was a relatable character to follow and it was easy to emphasise with her. Personally it didn’t grip me like I was hoping for but I can see others loving it.