I was cautiously optimistic about the novel I picked up this week, a debut fantasy novel by Rachel Hartman, titled "Seraphina."

It seemed to promise everything I typically like about fantasy stories, but after the last few fantasy novels I have read having not met the level of expectation that I had hoped, it made me worry that this would be another disappointment.

Would this novel be the turn-around I have been looking for, the one that would remind me why I love the fantasy genre while still presenting me with something original and memorable?

Thankfully, the answer is yes.

Hartman welcomes readers into a world where humans, dragons and a lizard-like race of quigutl dwell among each other in a tension-laced tolerance, as the political leaders attempt to maintain peace after the great wars between dragon and mankind.

In the land of Goredd, the young but highly talented Seraphina is the assistant music instructor to the royal court composer, despite her strict father’s adamant opposition to her learning music.

Seraphina, tutored by the enigmatic Orma — a dragon who, like others of his species, disguises himself in human form — becomes a respected musician who fascinates both humans and dragons alike.

Yet there is a buried secret about Seraphina, one that slowly begins to manifest itself as painful visions and grotesque-looking inhabitants in her mind. While she concentrates to maintain control over the "grotesques" of her imagination, she discovers that they might not be so imaginary at all, and are tied to her in a way she could never have guessed.

Meanwhile, the presence of a rogue dragon who may have been responsible for the murder of Goredd’s prince starts a series of events that not only threatens the peace and civilians of Goredd, but , could destroy everything and everyone that Seraphina cares about.

While not as action-packed as the "Dungeons and Dragons"-style fantasy novels, "Seraphina" is a unique and unusual journey embodying familiar elements of fantasy adventure that we delight in.

As with many stories with a female protagonist, it is more of a mental and emotional quest that our heroine experiences, as opposed to physical battles and "monster slayings" that male heroes commonly endure on medieval-themed conquests.

It is this exploration of Seraphina’s mind, particularly her mental garden of "grotesques" that she cultivates, that strongly display Hartman’s creativity and distinctive tone as a writer.

Seraphina is one of the more intriguing heroines I have read about in a long time. In comparison to other recent fantasy female protagonists — for example, Merida in Disney/Pixar’s "Brave" (based on the novel "The Bear and the Bow"), in which Merida came across more as a one-note archetype of the rebellious tom-boy solely to market the message "hey, girls can be just as tough as boys"— Seraphina is flawed both physically and emotionally, and she is humble of her particular strengths.

Yet these are things she must come to accept rather than overpower. She nurtures her garden of abnormality, rather than uproot or destroy it. She is kind and logical, but can be cold and rash. She encompasses a wide range of human traits, which makes her identifiable from many different angles.

There is inventive imagery throughout the novel without the descriptions being heavy-handed or long-winded. There is an expansive and diverse cast of characters without any of them seeming superfluous. And there are great original concepts within the plot while still retaining the basic structure of a fantasy that we love to read.

"Seraphina" is a wonderful addition to its genre, and a strong debut for Hartman in what I hope is just the first of the many novels she will conjure for young readers.

Alison Reeger Cook is a Gainesville resident whose Off the Shelves book review appears every other week in Sunday Life and on gainesvilletimes.com/life.