“Every act of translation requires sacrifice””

— A Language of Dragons

Synopsis:

London, 1923. Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to risk growing up Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her sister missing, all the safety Viv has worked for is collapsing around her. So when a lifeline is offered in the form of a mysterious ‘job’, she grabs it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, Viv discovers that she has been recruited as a codebreaker helping the war effort – if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die.

At first Viv believes that her challenge, of discovering the secrets of a hidden dragon language, is doable. But the more she learns, the more she realises that the bubble she’s grown up in isn’t as safe as she thought, and eventually Viv must decide: What war is she really fighting?

An epic, sweeping fantasy with an incredible Dark Academia setting, a clandestine, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, and an unputdownable story, filled with twists and turns, betrayals and secret identities, A Language of Dragons is the unmissable debut of 2025, from an extraordinary new voice.

Review:

I need to take a minute because this book!!! It was NOT what I expected at all, and I LOVE it!!! 🥹🥹 People have been describing this book as Babel with dragons, which is true to some extent! It definitely had some academia vibes (i.e. scholarly pursuits, learning & studying, intellectualism & passion for learning dragon communication), but it was lacking the gothic aesthetic that’s well known in Babel (i.e studying in the library for hours, going to the bookshop, reading & writing in an atmospheric backdrop). So do keep this in mind going into the book!

I liked the political themes laced together with the study of dragon languages. I appreciate (like, really appreciate) how everything came together at the end. It’s SO complex and intricate and CRAZY and political… And it all makes sooo much sense! I love it so much!! I would say that reading this feels a whole lot like How To Drain Your Dragon (which I ADORE), but instead of learning about the species and their nature, we’re learning about the way they communicate! I love How To Train Your Dragon, so this is a big win for me! I had so much fun reading this!! 🥹💖

Moving on to the characters - I found Viv very unlikable at the beginning as she was so stubborn and naive… But towards the end, I understood why she is the way she is, and I really appreciate the character development and growth (especially seeing how the story ended… 😥). The book is equally plot and character-driven! We get a good amount of both and I really enjoyed that. I thought the romance was fine - though it wasn’t my favorite part of the book! The ending BROKE me 😭😭 It ended really well and I am on my kneeeees for a sequel!!! 🥺

Overall, A Language of Dragons is a cleverly written story of politics, social class systems, academia, and fantastical elements. I would also say that this leans more towards the upper YA genre due to some gory and violent scenes in the book. I love how everything came together so beautifully at the end. There was so much at stake and I was wondering how the author would pull it together… I guess we’ll find out more in the second book! 🥹✨ I have SOOOO much appreciation for this incredible debut! Thank you SO much to Harper Collins for sending over a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review! <3

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