I wanted to love this so much. It has an amazing premise, but it was just okay. I loved the language and the idea of translation. The inspiration that was taken from Babel was really interesting. World war vibes with dragons was a unique concept. The political intrigue that went throughout the book was Hunger Games level.

However, the characters really just fell flat for me. I didn't fall in love with anyone. I didn't root for anyone. I found the main character to be kind of annoying most of the time, and the romance felt really weak to me. 

I think I wanted more politics, more rebellion, instead of vivian thinking about her friend and her love interest. For a YA book, I think this is really solid. I just don't think it translates well into adult fantasy. I am interested enough that when the second book comes out, I'll probably read it.