▁Ser aph ina ▁was ▁awarded ▁the ▁ 2 0 1 3 ▁William ▁C . ▁Morris ▁Award ▁for ▁the ▁best ▁young ▁adult ▁work ▁by ▁a ▁debut ▁author . ▁ ▁Foreign ▁language ▁rights ▁to ▁the ▁novel ▁have ▁been ▁sold ▁in ▁twenty ▁languages , ▁including ▁Spanish ▁and ▁Heb rew . ▁A ▁sequ el ▁entitled ▁Sh adow ▁Sc ale ▁came ▁out ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 5 , ▁and ▁a ▁companion ▁novel ▁T ess ▁of ▁the ▁Road ▁set ▁in ▁the ▁same ▁milieu ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 8 . ▁ ▁Syn opsis ▁Ser aph ina ▁is ▁set ▁in ▁the ▁kingdom ▁of ▁G ored d ▁and ▁follows ▁the ▁six teen - year - old ▁Ser aph ina , ▁a ▁court ▁music ian . ▁She ' s ▁drawn ▁into ▁a ▁murder ▁mystery ▁when ▁the ▁Crown ▁Prince ▁of ▁G ored d , ▁R uf us , ▁is ▁found ▁dec ap itated ▁in ▁a ▁manner ▁that ▁ins inu ates ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁murder ed ▁by ▁drag ons . ▁The ▁murder ▁occurs ▁on ▁the ▁e ve ▁of ▁the ▁ 4 0 th ▁anni versary ▁of ▁the ▁signing ▁of ▁a ▁treat y ▁that ▁ended ▁the ▁war ▁between ▁humans ▁and ▁drag ons . ▁Drag ons ▁can ▁take ▁human ▁form ▁but ▁find ▁human ▁emot ions ▁b aff ling , ▁which ▁only ▁l ends ▁to ▁the ▁continu ing ▁dist rust ▁and ▁hat red ▁between ▁them ▁and ▁humans . ▁ ▁Background ▁Hart man ▁had ▁initially ▁written ▁about ▁the ▁kingdom ▁of ▁G ored d ▁in ▁a ▁graph ic ▁novel ▁entitled ▁Amy ▁Un bounded . ▁In ▁an