A LANGUAGE OF DRAGONS by S.F. Williamson: Class struggles, Codebreaking, and Conspiracies

Yes, I have a weakness for dragon books, especially those that portray dragons as creatures capable of intelligent thought and compassion. I’m definitely the kind of person who would go up to one and try to strike up a conversation, if the chance ever presented itself in the scaly, fire-breathing flesh. It’s no wonder this novel grabbed me, but I can honestly say that it exceeded my expectations by far. I’m thrilled to introduce A Language of Dragons, a debut novel by S. F. Williamson, to all of you!

Published January 7, 2025 by HarperCollins, this novel currently ranks an impressive 18th in the Amazon category, “Best Sellers in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Self Esteem & Reliance.” The setting is an dystopian version of 1923 London, a city carved into a highly segregated class structure that forces families to do anything, including beating offspring into submission, to ensure they retain their class distinctions. Faced with such intense pressure, it’s no wonder main character 17-year-old Vivian (Viv) Featherswallow, a gifted polyglot, succumbed to a bribe that ensured her own future but sabotaged that of her supposed best friend Sophia. Once Sophia and other teens sink into 3rd class for failing an examination or for other less than deserving reasons, they will never be able to rise back up and most likely, will never be seen again. Sound like no big deal? Think again. The way the 3rd class is treated is much like how Jews were treated in WWII ghettos – cramped conditions, paltry and disgusting food, no medical care, with no way to escape the despair and depravity that surrounds them. Is Viv likable despite subjecting Sophia to such a fate? Surprisingly, yes, much to the author’s credit. The reason is twofold. 1) She has led a sheltered existence and believes the positive propaganda about the Peace Agreement between humans and dragons. 2) Most importantly, she is wracked by so much guilt, she will do anything to assuage it and to protect those she loves.

Viv’s protective nature comes into play early on, when her parents and cousin Marquis are arrested for suspected rebel activity against the Human-Dragon Coalition of Brittania, ruled with an iron fist by the Prime Minister Wyvenmire and the British Dragon Queen (who is liberally referenced but doesn’t show up in book one of the two book series). Desperate to erase any evidence of their guilt, Viv sets a criminal dragon free from incarceration in the library and begs it to torch the Prime Minister’s office. Little does Viv realize until after the deed is done, that it served as the catalyst for civil war between revolutionaries and the established government.

The Prime Minister ropes her into becoming a code breaker at a hidden facility called Bletchley (the name is borrowed from the real Bletchley Park, now a museum dedicated to the accomplishments of UK WWII codebreakers.) The catch? If Viv can decipher a secret dragon language, her family members will be freed. Viv readily agrees after she succeeds in getting Marquis, a gifted artist, assigned to Bletchley as well, and drops her younger sister off with Sophia’s bereaved parents. Viv quickly learns that all the teens roped into working at Bletchley are deemed criminals by the government, whether they deserve the label or not. Much to her surprise, she runs into Sophia at the facility, as well as an enticing bad boy named Atlas. The group’s compliance and competition are heightened through increasing threats to themselves and their families.

Watching over the facility are guard dragons and Guardians. Ralph, the disgruntled and violent nephew of Wyvenmire, is the most dangerous of them all, with a special hatred for Viv and her growing relationship with his aunt. As her guilt intensifies, Viv feels that she deserve any broken bones that Ralph dishes out. Worse, Atlas winds up with a target on his back for coming to her aid.

Espionage abounds, relationships are tested, dastardly motivations are revealed, and Viv is slow to see the wretched truth of the world around her. As she comes closer to understanding the critical importance of the hidden dragon language, she wrestles with whether or not to share this information with Wyvenmire. The climax is fast faced, dramatic, and nail-biting, and readers won’t know what Viv will decide until the bitter end. I’m itching to tell you more, but that would reveal too much of the plot!!

I got two copies of this gripping novel out of the library by mistake, and brought both back two days later to allow others the honor of reading them. I did, however, jump on the opportunity to get it on Kindle Unlimited for free! Did the plot neatly resolve at the end of Book 1? Nope! But lucky us: the sequel to Language of Dragons is available on January 6th, 2026!

About the author (2026):

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. (Bio from Google Books)

Instagram: @sfwilliamsonauthor