A Memoir by Lady Trent (The Lady Trent Memoirs) - A Natural History of Dragons

This was a fair introduction into the alternate reality of Lady Trent, where dragons are as commonplace as birds. At times the story dragged, but that was due (in my opinion) to the often anachronistic story style. It also lost a little momentum because I was constantly being reminded that these were the recollections of the protagonist's older self. Usually it's a tidy trick for first person narratives, but on this occasion it pulled me out of the story. Lastly, the "alternate history" was vaguely reminiscent of places the reader should know, but the vagueness felt too clever and at times confusing. I don't know if I will read the next book and I recommend this one only with reservations.

For any fan of the now-popular Downton Abbey, this book would be perfect. If the reader also held a love of dragons and of fantasy, then to not read this would be a crime. Truly a masterful book. I cannot wait for the sequel!

Completely satisfied with the product and transaction.

The subject of dragons is whimsical and the history told by Lady Trent in the form of memoir is highly appropriate and entertaining for fantasy readers who like a good first-hand account of adventure.

A fun combination of steampunk and dinosaurs. This is a lightweight easy read read and doesn't pretend to be anything else. I enjoyed the idea that this world had dinosaurs as just another layer of the animal kingdom. They were not well understood and that leads to our heroine fighting her way into the man's world of adventure travel and research.

A Victorian style tale. The female protagonist struggles against the cultural expectations and limitations on women. In this she is more or less successful. The narrative deals more with the experiences and tribulations of the expedition to Vystrana. There they uncover a conspiracy to kill the dragons in order to harvest their bones. The actual encounters with dragons are brief.

The premise of this book had so much promise. Unfortunately, it was a big miss due to a lack of character development. I was expecting a rich tapestry and got a throw rug. At best this book is a grade b adventure. Disappointing.

I expected much more about dragons, rather than a mystery/biography. While the book was well-written, the title and cover are misleading. I expected a book dealing with the behavior of dragons and a great deal more concerning anatomical detail. Instead I got a mystery story in the style of Scooby-Doo. I'm very disappointed in that aspect of the book.

In short, there were not enough dragons.

The basic premise of this book is that it is the memoir of an early adventure of a naturalist famed for her study of dragons, Lady Isabella Trent. Thus it includes asides by Isabella and references to future events. However, the span of the novel covers only her first nineteen years of life, centering around one expedition to study dragons in a foreign land.

One of my problems with the book is that it is a second world fantasy and yet completely copies the social structures and culture of Victorian England. What’s the point? It didn’t feel at all like a second world fantasy, despite the made up place names. It would have made far more sense to make this an alternate history story, like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or His Majesty’s Dragon, especially since A Natural History of Dragons was sort of playing into “The Good Old Age of British Imperialism” with Isabella going off to study dragons in foreign lands among superstitious peasants. There were also tinges of “white savior” there with saving the village peasants from marauding dragons being the undisputed duty of the faux-British science expedition.

In the case of a memoir book, there is the question of how many of the judgement are intentional character flaws of the narrator. Damira, one of the locals and the only other significant female character, did get a far amount of lines. I thought she was quite sensible, but Isabella did repeatedly characterize her as a “ham-fisted peasant woman.” We also learned very little about Damira besides her serving Isabella. At one point Isabella realized that she had never asked Damira about her family and personal life, which would probably be a good thing to find out. Isabella then proceeds never to think of this again.

As I already said, Damira was the only significant female character besides Isabella, and her role was limited. There were shades of Isabella being the “exceptional woman” who is “not like (read – superior too) other women.” Hopefully this is challenged at some point in the series with Isabella meeting another intelligent female character who is interested in scholarly pursuits. Unfortunately, I am unlikely to read farther into the series to find out.

I was not fond of Isabella herself. While I didn’t particularly hate her, she was on the whole forgettable. She also seemed to constantly stumble into situations due to a mixture of exuberance and stupidity.

The plot just wasn’t that interesting. The beginning of the novel is set up for the expedition, which itself wasn’t any more thrilling. The question of the expedition becomes: why have the dragons started attacking humans? After asking this question, the book meanders sedately among various minor occurrences until finally gaining some urgency briefly near the end.

While the title and cover of this book both seem to promise a significant amount of dragons, this does not materialize. Dragon involvement is limited to: watching them fly in the distance, dissecting them, and (most excitingly!) the exceptionally brief feeling of them swooping down on you from above.

As a positive, A Natural History of Dragons was a fairly quick and easy read. It’s one of those books where you don’t find so many problems with it until you finish and actually start thinking about it.

The best thing about it was some rather beautiful illustrations, which I highly appreciated. However, I don’t think they are wonderful enough for you to buy the book for.

I’m not sure who I would recommend this to, if anybody. The style of a faux-memoir of was interesting, even if it wasn’t pushed as far as it could have been. There aren’t enough dragons to recommend this to dragon fans. Maybe people who like historical fiction? Although if that’s what you’re looking for in a book, you might as well pick up historical fiction. Still, if you try A Natural History of Dragons, I hope you enjoy it more than I did.

I was very disappointed with this book, but perhaps it was my own fault for expecting too much. I had imagined there would be great deals of illustrations and vivid descriptions of the dragons and their behaviors. But sadly, the bulk of the book was the anticlimactic story of a spoiled Victorian-ish woman.
If this book is supposed to be a tale of female empowerment, I don't think it serves that purpose well as the only almost positive trait the "heroine" possesses is her adventurous nature. Otherwise the author paints a picture of a stubborn, foolish woman who is oddly demure at random moments. The story itself is almost well written but there is not much plot or character development. At best, this book serves as a prequel to the following books in the series (which I will not be purchasing or even borrowing from the library).

The few illustrations in the book are beautiful; I would have been better off having purchased a book written by illustrator.

While the writing style is just fine, this book bothered me in its portrayal of the main character as relatively weak (really only because she's a woman) for most of the story. The constant asking of permission from men got really annoying. I understand the author is trying to be accurate to her world, but it was a bit extreme. Additionally, the author treats the killing of dragons for study very callously, which did not impress me at all.

Amazing writing that skillfully combines the naivety of victorian british women with the scientific, fact based observation of dragon life and a story line that has enough twists to not let you put this book down.

What a remarkable character in a remarkable setting! I was not expecting such a trek into the rainforest and the savannah, but I loved every minute of it. The pages practically drip and grow green from the marvelous descriptions of Lady Trent's forays into uncharted swamps in search of dragons. Her adventures are extensive and exciting, but I found I enjoyed the portions describing anthropology and naturalism just as much as I did the life-threatening peril, a testament to Brennan's skill as a writer. I also very much appreciated the character development, which is so much more complex and interesting in this book than in the last.

Fantasy books set in the Victorian era are always quick to point out that women were severely limited during this time period, and yet also characterize most women as silly and shallow. But somehow, mysteriously, the heroine is always Not Like Other Girls. While the first book had a bit of that tendency, I was very glad to see that this one really delved into what it would mean to be a woman in such a social setting, including the flaws in her own nature as well as those in society. It made Lady Trent far more human and compelling, and there was also ample room for Natalie, another woman who was quite remarkable without succumbing to Mary Sue syndrome, and several others in the various countries they visited. I was also glad to see how Brennan tackled colonialism, a brutal reality of the Victorian era that many steampunk-esque novels gloss right over. Bravo.

I was really enjoying this book until the last couple of chapters. Without revealing any spoilers, let's just say that the main character's response to a certain incident was completely implausible, It was sooooo implausible, in fact, that it completely ruined the book for me. What made it even worse was that her own recklessness caused the incident in the first place, yet she never expressed any self-reflection on her actions, even though she had expressed her thoughts and feelings about lesser matters throughout the book.

In other words, it wasn't the fact that she didn't express her feelings, but the inconsistency of when the author decided to let us inside the main character's mind. We knew the character very well throughout the book, which was a good thing - the hallmark of good writing - but when it came to a serious situation - the perfect opportunity to add depth to the story - it was just glossed over like it was no big deal.

Not only was the opportunity to add more depth totally lost, but the author made the mistake of thinking that her readers would be more interested in mundane actions than in getting inside the head of a character they had gotten to know. Think of it this way: Let's say your best friend from high school tells you the secrets of her life, on an ongoing basis, for many years. Then suddenly, she experiences a big, life-changing event, and calls you to discuss the weather. What should have been the topic of discussion was completely dismissed as though it were no big deal.

The author did a great job of letting us get to know her character, but then she let us down.

On top of that, I was disappointed that the dragons themselves were just beasts to be hunted and killed, and their anatomy analyzed. The beginning of the book implied that the main character's fascination for dragons would mean that she'd get to know them, or at least get to know something about their lives, and gain an appreciation for their intelligence and sentience. But no, they were just empty, soulless beasts who could be killed without remorse, all in the name of science.

On a positive note, I agree with another reviewer who commented that the writing seemed so realistic, I actually wondered if it were a true story. This, despite knowing that it was, of course, impossible. But the thought crossed my mind, if even for a few seconds. THAT is good writing! Which is all the more reason I hope the author improves on these other points I mentioned.

The author could have done so much more with these books. I haven't decided whether to read the next one in the series. At the point, I think probably not, unless the reviews indicate that she added more depth as the series progressed. I might give the next one a chance, because, as I said, the first half of this book was very promising.

This is a very well-crafted story that, while not quite my cup of tea, seems likely to be the perfect book / series for plenty of other readers. Set in a Victorian-style era of a world much like our own, it follows a lady who pushes against the confines of her society to chase her passion and make a study of dragons. The story is presented as the heroine's memoirs, written when she's an established scientific expert later in life, and it's a joy to see her younger self grow in confidence and expertise as she embarks on her first major excursion in this initial novel. Following in the footsteps of Terry Pratchett's Sybil Ramkin and Robin Hobb's Alise Kincarron -- to say nothing of real-life scientist pioneers like Jane Goodall -- our dragon naturalist refuses to let other people's ideas about her gender prevent her from going out into the wilderness to study the creatures that she loves.

What didn't quite work for me was the novel's plot, which revolves primarily around some drama with the villagers who live near the study's base camp. There's not much of a narrative arc here, and although I enjoyed the time spent with the protagonist and her notebooks, I kept wanting there to be more at stake than just the present state of scientific knowledge on dragons. As with Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, of which I similarly read only the first book, I like the characters yet don't really feel compelled to read any further into their non-adventures. But if a minimal plot is less of a problem for you, I highly recommend checking out Lady Trent.

I loved the idea of a steampunk world with dragons and an atypical heroine. Unfortunately, that's as far as the book ever went for me. The narrator's voice is initially distinctive and charming, but got flatter and less distinctive as the book wore on. I was not too interested in the mystery, and eventually the book just bogged down, never having built momentum. I wanted a lot more dragon and a lot less of everything else.

Exciting and unexpected from page to page. Tropic of Serpents is another unique look on dragons and their interaction with humans. Dragons live up to their legend as being fierce and worshipped by the local people but first and foremost they are animals with behavior to study and dissect. Not only has Brennan provide us with excellent detail of body structure and explaining flight capabilities, we also get a look into the world of breeding, the differences between breeds and their environments, and their unique behavior, all packed into the memoir of a strong female lead who admits she clumsily risks her life in pursuit of her goals.

The story also provides a deep look into Isabelle's world of class and female expectations which she defies and comes out victorious in scholarly discovery. She gives great details of the people she encounters and the reader gets a look at the severe differences between Scirling, Yembe, Moulish and more. Brennan leaves nothing out, except what is only meant for the ears of the Pure, and she opens up a world of strong characters, diversity, and political gain.

I have enjoyed both Lady Trent Memoirs tremendously having read both straight through upon receiving them. I won A Natural History of Dragons and I am happy I have the book a chance. They are not your typical man vs dragon or man taming dragon stories and I very much appreciate the chance to understand and appreciate dragons in their natural habitat. I hope someday she releases an actual Natural History book describing each dragon with sketches and such. I would buy that book in a heartbeat!

Reviewing this book breaks a vow. I swore I would never review a Marie Brennan book because it would just be me gushing about how great of an author she is and how much I love her work. Seriously, the covers to the Doppleganger books are the lockscreen and wallpaper on my phone. I love Brennan's work and hope that she has a long and fruitful career.

But the problem here is the content of this book. The Lady Trent series is supposed to be about how Isabella Camherst broke gender norms of her society to become one of the world's most renowned figures in dragonic research. What we got, however, was probably about a chapter's worth of content related to dragons and the rest of the book was stuff. How these other cultures live their lives. How these people view dragons. How important iron was to this other group. And far too much time being spent on pointless gossip.

There was a chapter in this book that starts with a warning to male readers about the upcoming content of that chapter. I was intrigue. I have a curiosity that's nearly unhealthy. What happens? Nothing. This whole chapter was about Isabella menstruating and how this culture dealt with women currently on their cycle. I put the book down for nearly a month after that. This is a book series where freaking dragons exist (at one point in this book Isabella mentions elves) and Brennan chose to make a chapter dedicated to a menstrual cycle. Even put a warning at the beginning of the chapter like we men are just utterly squeamish at the thought of a woman doing what nature intended.

I'm reminded of a saying while typing this. "Is this the most important moment of your character's life? If not, then why aren't you telling us that?" That saying sums up this book ideally. Everything we got just felt unimportant compared to the research that was supposed to be happening with the dragons. However, after sitting on this for a day and collecting my thoughts. I realized, in hindsight, that I still enjoyed this book. It has nearly nothing to do with dragons. Even the title of the book is utterly misleading as they go by the Tropic of Serpents with only a bare mention of it and the water wyrms within it. But it is a good world study. This book teaches more about the world this story takes place in and the people that inhabit this world. Yeah I wish she could've added more dragons into it, but learning how the swamp people interact with the swamp or how iron is so important to the other group was equally interesting, once I was in the right mindset for it.

Overall, I'd give this book 3/5. It's something I would recommend if you need to know more about this world. But it is skippable if all you care about is the dragons since this book had little to do with dragons.