• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 7 to 12

Seraphina took the literary world by storm with 8 starred reviews and numerous "Best of" lists. Her eagerly awaited sequel has arrived--and with it comes an epic battle between humans and dragons.

The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself--for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways.

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people's minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she's held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

Rachel Hartman's profile page

As a child, RACHEL HARTMAN played cello, lip-synched Mozart operas with her sisters, and fostered the deep love of music that inspired much of Seraphina. Rachel earned a degree in comparative literature but eschewed graduate school in favor of bookselling and drawing comics. Born in Kentucky, she has lived in Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, England, and Japan. She now lives with her family in Vancouver, Canada. To learn more, please visit SeraphinaBooks.com or RachelHartmanBooks.com.

"The anticipation for the sequel to the multiple award-winning debut novel Seraphina is palpable. . . . Hartman’s prose is delicate, complex and gorgeous, and the world of these books is lushly articulated. . . . Another deeply wonderful, attention-deserving offering that should be picked up, and soon."
—The Globe and Mail

"[Hartman] continues to expand her world with enough history and detail to satisfy even the most questioning of readers, doing it all so naturally that it's hard to believe this is fiction. Dragon fiction has never flown higher. . . . here’s hoping there are more Goreddi tales to come."
—Kirkus, starred review

“…the intricate plotting, clever surprises.. and lovely prose make this a worthy conclusion for all of Hartman’s big-hearted characters.”
—Booklist starred review

"[Shadow Scale] outgrows Seraphina and sheds it like a skin. . . . [It is] refreshing and exciting. . . . I also loved, with a passion verging on the desperate, the fact that this fantasy world contains people of color, trans characters, gay characters. . . . Shadow Scale demonstrates that all these other ways of being are present and accounted for in the magnificent tapestry of its world."
—NPR

"The intricate plotting, clever surprises . . . and lovely prose make this a worthy conclusion for all of Hartman’s big-hearted characters." —Booklist, starred review "This is a tale of love, mistakes, double-crosses, and pain—one that left me tied up in knots!"
—Tamora Pierce, New York Times-bestselling author