Seraphina

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Lore & Background

Seraphina is set in the kingdom of Goredd and follows the sixteen-year-old Seraphina, a court musician. She is drawn into a murder mystery when the Crown Prince of Goredd, Rufus, is found decapitated in a manner that insinuates that he was murdered by dragons. The murder occurs on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the signing of a treaty that ended the war between humans and dragons. Dragons can take human form but find human emotions baffling, which only lends to the continuing distrust and hatred between them and humans. Hartman had initially written about the kingdom of Goredd in a graphic novel entitled Amy Unbounded. In an interview with Suvudu, Hartman stated that she had difficulty drawing dragons and that she had chosen to make them transform into humans as an "easier way" to illustrate them.

In Their Own Story

The novel opens with the discovery of Crown Prince Rufus's decapitated body, a crime that points toward dragon involvement. Seraphina, a gifted musician serving in the royal court, finds herself pulled into the investigation. As a human with a secret connection to dragons, she navigates a world where the 40-year-old peace treaty between humans and dragons is fraying. The story follows her efforts to uncover the true murderer while managing her own hidden identity and the growing distrust between the two species. The narrative weaves together court intrigue, musical themes, and the challenge of understanding emotions that dragons find baffling.

Reader's Guide

Readers should know that Seraphina won the 2013 William C. Morris Award for best young adult book published in the US by a debut author. It was also a finalist for the Canadian 2012 Governor General's Award in the category of Children's Text, shortlisted in 2013 for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize in the teen book category, and won the 2012 Cybils Award for best young adult fantasy or science fiction novel. It was runner-up for the 2013 Crawford Award. In the UK, Seraphina placed on the longlist for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013. The book also reached the finals for the 2012 Kitschies "Golden Tentacle" Award and the 2012 Andre Norton Award. Reception has been positive, with the book gaining starred reviews from eight review sites and being listed by the Center for Children's Books. Kirkus Reviews called it "splendid". A reviewer for The Washington Post commented that Hartman was able to "infuse [the] tired trope [of fictional dragons] with fresh blood". SFX gave the novel four and half stars, citing the prose as "beautiful". The Quill & Quire remarked that the book stands out from "standard dragon fare", with the language and music themes working well with Hartman's prose. Publishers Weekly chose the book as one of its "Best New Books for the Week of July 9, 2012".

Did You Know?

• Seraphina was ranked at number 8 on The New York Times Best Seller list in its first week of publication.
• Foreign language rights to the novel have been sold in twenty languages, such as Spanish.
• Hartman had difficulty drawing dragons, so she chose to make them transform into humans as an 'easier way' to illustrate them.
• The murder of Crown Prince Rufus occurs on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the treaty that ended the war between humans and dragons.
• A prequel titled Among Ghosts was published in 2025.