One cannot fly in two directions at once.  I cannot perch among those who think that I am broken.

A lyrical novel about music, art, philosophy, and prejudice, Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina has got to be one of the most ambitious YA fantasies I’ve recently read.

Seraphina‘s protagonist is a brilliant young musician who must conceal her “unthinkable” half-dragon identity, even as the fragile truce between humanity and dragonkind falters on the brink of war.

As a former musician (and an incompetent liar), I really loved this passage:

“That’s the secret to performance: conviction. The right note played tentatively still misses its mark, but play boldly and no one will question you. If one believes there is truth in art—and I do—then it’s troubling how similar the skill of performing is to lying. Maybe lying is itself a kind of art. I think about that more than I should.”

I hate waiting for sequels (unless they’re by Holly Black, in which case I just keep rereading until the sequel arrives), but Seraphina’s story is one I want to follow.