She even discovers that Prince Lucian, who is betrothed to Princess Glisselda, is not only very sharp-eyed but also very agreeable to be around. She runs afoul of conspirators who want to start the war again-one of them may be her own grandfather. She has to attend social functions, where she is caught up in court politics, between those who support the treaty and those who want to destroy it. People she always avoided are noticing her. When she plays the solo for the funeral of the realm's murdered prince, Seraphina is suddenly raised into entirely new, visible levels of peril. She has to hide the scales on her arm and around her waist, and she can never let anyone find out that Orma, her music teacher, is actually a dragon. She is in charge of Princess Glisselda's music lessons she books performers for the 40-year celebration of the peace treaty between dragons and humans, and she rehearses the rowdy court musicians. Now the half-dragon Seraphina is the assistant to the cranky royal music master.

She died, leaving him with a daughter who confuses him and his new wife and children. Seraphina's father married a beautiful musician, and discovered too late that she was a dragon.

In Seraphina's world, coldly intellectual dragons can take on the shapes-and feelings-of human beings. Her newest book, Mastiff, is the third book in The Legend of Beka Cooper series. Her books, known for their teenaged girl warriors and wizards, have received critical acclaim and a strong fanbase. Tamora Pierce is a best-selling author of fantasy books for teenagers.

Seraphina is a beautifully complex fantasy that delves into the most basic of desires-to be loved, to belong, and to find peace in self-acceptance. As the anniversary of the treaty between the two sides approaches, court intrigue reaches a fever pitch and hard-won truths, betrayals, and intricacies of the heart are laid bare. Author Rachel Hartman’s dragons take human form but shun the messiness of human emotion by remaining “in ard” (a highly rational state of mind), while their counterparts cling to a dangerous assumption of species superiority. Seraphina has spent her young life concealing the truth of her parentage and authentic nature, a task that proves ever more difficult when she is thrust into the spotlight of the royal court. Amazon Best Teen Book of the Month, July 2012: In Seraphina, dragons and humans maintain an uneasy peace and for a woman who is both there is nowhere to turn for acceptance-not even within herself.

Seraphina hartman