by Rachel Hartman
First sentence: “I remember being born.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is violence, bigotry, and talk of sex (but none actual). It’s in the Teen section (grades 9+) of the bookstore, but I’d give it to precocious younger readers.

I picked this one up again because Hartman released a new one in the series last year and I realized it had been too long, and I didn’t remember anything about the series. I don’t have much new to say about it from my gushing post when I first read it, nearly 10 years ago. Everything I said still holds: The writing is gorgeous, and the story is a slow build but worth it. The dragons are unlike anything you will have ever seen before. And ten years on, this is still incredibly relevant, dealing with bigotry and the attempt to quell discrimination against a different species. Hartman has an incredible imagination, and I wish more people knew about this series.

If you haven’t taken he time to experience this world, do. It’s absolutely woth it.