You, dear reader, continue at your
own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons
itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s
presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a
delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .
All the world, from Scirland to the
farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s
preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study
of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear
light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know
today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural
history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.
Here at last, in her own words, is
the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects,
and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she
sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of
her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made
the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.
The
first thing that grabbed me about this book was how quickly and firmly Brennan
finds Lady Isabella Trent's voice. Straight from the off I was confident that
the narrative would be smooth and consistent. Set in an early Victorian style
era Lady Trent takes us back to her childhood in her parents estate, and we're
exposed to her first dragon encounter (even if it is the dragonfly sized
Sparkling). We're left in no doubt that this is a memoir, with glorious little
asides to the reader who is of course aware of the full legend of Lady Trent.
Throughout
the book Isabella's natural curiosity is hindered by her gender, it simply
isn't seemly for a young lady to be intellectual or aspirational. Though
initially resistant to this a nasty incident turns her, at least on the
outside, quite docile.
We
then follow Isabella through a brief courtship and to her marriage (to my
favourite character in the book thanks to his loving nature). Isabella is given
some reign by her husband and our budding natural historian is set free. The
bulk of the story takes part in a country very reminiscent of eastern Europe
where out heroine faces challenges of both a personal and professional nature.
I
would best describe this book as 'Fantasy-lite'. Brennan takes the most iconic,
fantastical creature in the genre and strips it of mystiscm, literally peeling
back the layers to study the flesh and bones beneath. The dragons become a
fascinating case study and you actually believe they could have existed in our world. There are hints and teases about
deeper secrets of the beautiful creatures, but I'm left wondering if they could
have been a little more in the way of revelation in this portion of the
memoirs.
Isabella
becomes a wonderfully well realised character, and she is very engaging and
easy to read. Brennan does a commendable job of making the memoir very
scientific in nature to compliment her star, but keeping the action moving and
not alienating the less academic reader. You can sense her stifling frustration
and extreme eagerness with the remote possibility of dragons. You feel her
regret and guilt over some of her actions and her growing love of her husband,
Jacob.
I
really think this book could appeal to fans of character drama, not just fans
of fantasy. I was a little disappointed by the lack of the unknown and
mysterious, but Brennan's writing style more than made up for this and I found
I was eager to read more.
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