However, when the body of Crown Prince Rufus is found, everyone suspects the dragons. As a freshman member of the royal court, Seraphina has a deep secret she must protect at all costs. Seraphina is a talented court musician in the kingdom of Goredd, where dragons and humans live peacefully…at least on the surface.

The duo set out to find a long-lost treasure spoken about in myths to ensure the prince, who is the savior recounted in the Dragon King Prophecy, can become a king. Unfortunately, peace is fickle in the Seven Kingdoms, and Kira and the prince are thrown into an adventure when a series of violent events point toward a demon invasion. As the only female in the army, Kira is an outcast who is despised by almost everyone in her home of Hansong, despite being a talented demon slayer.įortunately, her skills earn her the post as the bodyguard of the prince. In the Seven Kingdoms, the most powerful warrior is a girl with unsetting yellow eyes. With all of the rich source text and generations worth of stories, it is no surprise that the fiery drakes have made their way into the pages of fantasy novels, including YA fantasy novels that have inspired generations of young adults. Either way, the stories have taken a life of their own. Yet another assumption is that the innate fear many humans have toward snakes manifested into our favorite fire-breathers. No one is sure why dragons appear in almost every culture, but one theory is that the ancients discovered the bones of dinosaurs and imagination took over. The most popular legends recount how dragons were evil beings who hoarded a kingdom’s worth of gold, a trope that made its way into The Hobbit, which featured Smaug claiming all the gold in the Lonely Mountain. There are legends from almost every continent, such as Sigurd slaying Fafnir in Germanic poems and Tianlong protecting heavenly palaces in Chinese mythology. From treasure hoarders to city destroyers to companions, dragons have established themselves as the premier magical beings of literature.

Seraphina by rachel hartman