Alternative History

A Language of Dragons / S.F. Williamson

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
A Language of Dragons
By: S. F. Williamson, Henrietta Meire (Narrator)
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 432
Published: January 5, 2025
Publisher: HarperCollins
Dates Read: April 28, 2025 - April 30, 2025
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: death, war, physical assault, violence, classicism, sexism

In London 1923, dragons begin soaring through the skies and chaos has erupted. Vivian Featherswallow isn’t worried though, she’s going to follow the rules, get an internship studying dragon languages, and make sure her little sister never has to worry about dropping down to Third Class. By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.

With her parents arrested and her little sister missing, everything Viv has worked for is crumbling. So when a mysterious “job” is offered to her, Viv takes it. Arriving at Bletchley Park, she finds out her mysterious job is codebreaking to help in the war effort. If she succeeds, her family can be whole and safe again. If she doesn’t, they all die.

But, the more Viv learns while codebreaking, the more she realizes what she grew up believing isn’t as safe as it seems. Eventually she must decide if the side of the war she’s working for is the one she really wants to fight.

I really enjoyed the linguist aspect of this novel and the amount of world building Williamson did with it. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Viv, but she is a morally gray character at times, so that makes sense. I did appreciate her growth throughout the series though. 

I originally wanted this because of the dragons, and that part definitely did not disappoint. I also enjoyed the fast pace of the plot and the high stakes of Viv’s (and everyone at Bletchley Park) situations. It kept me turning the pages to find out more.

*Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

That Self-Same Metal / Brittany N. Williams

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
That Self-Same Metal
By: Brittany N. Williams
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 352
Published: April 25, 2023
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Dates Read: October 29, 2023 - October 31, 2023
Format: ARC / Library Book / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: racism (including blackface), sexism, murder, violence

Sixteen-year-old Joan Sands is a “gifted” craftswoman who creates and upkeeps the stage blades for William Shakespeare’s acting company. Joan’s gift comes from a magical ability she was blessed with from her Head Orisha, Ogun. Because her entire family is Orisha-blessed, they’ve kept tabs on the Fae presence in London. Usually, they just see a faint glow around a Fae’s body as they try their best to blend in with regular society. After a pack has been broken though, the rise of brutal Fae attacks has risen. After saving the son of a cruel Lord from a Fae attack, Joan gets thrusted into the political world of humans and Fae.

The writing really shows the author’s background in theater and acting and of the historical time period (including the treatment of Black people living in London, which I hadn’t known about). 

Some of the parts didn’t interest me as much, but I did really enjoy the fight scenes as I felt like they were well written. There could have been a lot going on, but I would never feel like I was lost but rather right in the middle of swords swinging around.

Overall, this was a fun and action-packed YA fantasy with an alternative history twist. I can see YA fantasy readers and those who love theater enjoying this book with the twist of Shakespeare. I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for the next book in the series to continue with Joan and her story.