Overview

In an alternate London in 1923, one girl accidentally breaks the tenuous truce between dragons and humans in this sweeping debut and epic retelling of Bletchley Park steeped in language, class, and forbidden romance. Perfect for teen fans of Fourth Wing and Babel. * New York Times Bestseller * #1 International Bestseller * As Seen in Cosmo * Audible Most Anticipated Audiobooks of 2025 * Indigo Best Books of 2025 * 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 a summer internship studying dragon languages, be smart, be sweet, and make sure her little sister never, ever has to risk growing up Third Class. She just has to free one dragon. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war. With her parents and cousin arrested and her sister missing, Viv is brought to Bletchley Park as a codebreaker--if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn't, they'll all die. As Viv begins to discover the secrets of a hidden dragon language, she realizes that the fragile peace treaty that holds human and dragon societies together is corrupt, and the dangerous work Viv is doing could be the thread that unravels it.

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9780063353817

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Reviews

""This novel is a must-read, offering both a gripping plot and a meditation on the importance of words and empathy in a fractured world."" -- School Library Journal (starred review) Williamson's engaging novel highlights the conflict between Vivien's choices and how her decisions deeply affect who she becomes. Its characters offer a vivid glimpse into the themes of societal inequality, the complexity of translation, and above all forgiveness. -- Booklist ""Friendship, romance, and the intricacies of linguistics and militant espionage infused with a dystopian vibe and a heavy dose of dragons wrap up this sweeping epic of treachery, desperation, and ambition."" -- Publishers Weekly

""Burning with dragon fire and the flames of revolution, A Language of Dragons is compulsive and brimming with intelligence. This is dark academia with a thrilling twist."" - Rachel Greenlaw, author of Compass and Blade Williamson's engaging novel highlights the conflict between Vivien's choices and how her decisions deeply affect who she becomes. Its characters offer a vivid glimpse into the themes of societal inequality, the complexity of translation, and above all forgiveness. - Booklist ""Friendship, romance, and the intricacies of linguistics and militant espionage infused with a dystopian vibe and a heavy dose of dragons wrap up this sweeping epic of treachery, desperation, and ambition."" - Publishers Weekly ""This novel is a must-read, offering both a gripping plot and a meditation on the importance of words and empathy in a fractured world."" - School Library Journal (starred review)

Author Information

S. F. Williamson is fascinated by the way languages are born and was surrounded by them long before she undertook degrees in French and Italian. She has always known that languages are creatures that live and move and breathe, and as a child she learned that speaking them meant accessing ideas, traditions, and people she would only otherwise know from a distance. A Language of Dragons is inspired by her work as a literary translator and the fact that no matter how intimately a linguist knows their languages, some meaning is almost always lost in translation. A graduate of Bath Spa University's MA writing for young people program, Steph now lives in France with her husband and son.

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