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Sometimes you read a book, agree with all positive reviews of it, but it just doesn't work for you. That's the case with Seraphina and me. Whatever you've read in 5-star reviews here, on Goodreads, is all true. Seraphina is an intelligent fantasy set in a well-realized medieval land of Goredd which is celebrating 40-year anniversary of its peace treaty with the nation of dragons. The dragons are conceived with a lot of originality. They have an ability to "fold" into human bodies (weredragons anyone?) and are beings of high intelligence and logic. (I saw someone on GR draw parallels with the Vulcans, and I agree, the dragons' internal conflicts about the acceptability of strong emotions are very much in tune with Spock's in the latest incarnation of Star Trek, oops, I stay corrected, EVERY incarnation of Trek.) The mystery that sets the whole story in motion is clever and wrapped up in an interesting political intrigue. As the celebration of the truce is approaching, Goredd's heir is killed and it looks like by a dragon. The main character of the novel, Seraphina is the one who is to untangle this mystery, but not without some help from Prince Lucian Kiggs, the captain of the Queen's Guard and the fiancee to Princess of the land Glisselda. This task is not easy though, as Seraphina has a secret of her own, she is a half-dragon and, by all laws of Goredd, an abomination. And, yes, as every fan of this novel says, Seraphina is a resolute, resourceful, brave heroine. If I am to point at any flaws, on the plot level, I don't have much to complain about. Really, besides the naming of two prominent secondary characters Orma and Okra that creates a bit of an unneeded confusion, a couple of info-dumpy conversations that should have been mixed into the narrative better, and the unclarity of why human/dragon hybrids would be in a possession of extraordinary mental powers that are foreign to humans and dragons, my only major qualm is the romance, which is a but hasty and intense within the time frame of this novel. It's kind of an odd experience when Seraphina, after just a couple of conversations with Kiggs, suddenly realizes that she is in love, and intensely and irrevocably at that. The romance becomes a tad more grating when an unexpected jealousy subplot is introduced, but this jealousy is not just silly and mostly baseless, but misdirected as well. You see, Lucian suspects that Seraphina's secret dragon uncle Orma is her lover (for no discernible reason), while the fact that Lucian himself is engaged is forgotten for almost the entirety of the novel. However, all these issues can be overlooked with ease, if you are enjoying the writing and Seraphina's voice. And here, unfortunately, where Seraphina and I are at an impasse. It is a matter of personal taste to be sure, but I feet the novel lacked a little something to keep me engaged. A special oomph, X-factor if you will, something to carry me forward through the rather sluggish first 100 pages or so and uninteresting to me passages about music, philosophy, saints and Seraphina's mind garden. I never connected with Seraphina, who didn't, IMO have a charisma, and that was what mainly prevented me from enjoying the novel. I appreciate the quality of Seraphina, but it is not the book I would personally return to read again and again.