A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1)

by Marie Brennan

Everyone knows Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, prospects, and her life to satisfy scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the mountains of Vystrana, where she made discoveries that would change the world.

• ISBN10: 0765331969
• ISBN13: 9780765331960
• Publish Date: 5 February 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 November 2022
• Imprint: Tor Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[sa090]

I finally found one!!!!!!! A book filled with a monologue narrative that didn’t bore me to tears!!!!! Omg, I thought I was a lost cause!

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I apologize for my overblown reaction up there, but I was frustrated with this part of myself. I enjoy character driven stories, because if I don’t care about your characters then why in the world would I care about everything they’re put into? It doesn’t make sense. When I finally got back to reading in 2017, I tried to pick up books I haven’t gotten the chance to read previously and that led me to pick up Ursula La Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea which regardless of praise, made me went to do everything, but actually continue reading. I finished it, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. In 2018 I picked up Binti by Nnedi Okorafor and had a very similar disappointing experience, one final chance came through Saihate no Paladin Volume 1, but I was so saddened by my inability to enjoy the Light Novel, that I just dropped/DNF’d it.

I didn’t actually know that Marie Brennan’s book one was amongst that type of books, which is really stupid of me considering how long I had it in my TBR, and because of my earlier experiences, I subconsciously couldn’t get into the first couple of chapters of the book and left it hanging for a couple of days as well. However, I was surprised afterwards by how much I was enjoying going through Lady Trent’s memoirs that I had to fight myself to stop reading. I think one of the reasons why I really enjoyed this book is the focus it gave on dragons, it’s not from a warrior’s point of view or an adventurer, but a scholar’s. And not just any scholar, one who was governed by so many societal rules that it’s one absolutely wonderful battle against the rules of said society.

I identified a lot with Lady Trent, it’s really the first time in all of my reading where I really saw myself in a character and although dragons are one of my absolute favourite things, ever. I believe that this point in particular was why I enjoyed this book instead of all of the others I previously listed. Isabella’s stance or rather her fight against gender norms in their world wasn’t some rebelling against the rules where you just scream at the special snow flake character for trying to do something in a very stupid way, no, she is smart and she knows exactly where she stands in the world, but in her own way she will leave a mark and although the journey will be a long and hard one, Isabella ends up becoming Lady Trent, her world’s #1 Dragon Naturalist.

The sense of adventure and love for discovery in this character was a pleasure to see, I may be biased given that I identified with a lot of aspects of her character but she was such a pleasure to read about. Even more so when you read her retelling of the adventure she had in this book, she’s an upper class woman so I’m really glad that Marie Brennan didn’t try to change how a woman who was raised all her life to act a certain way would deny it and act completely different for the sake of being “different”, but instead managed to work around that and still showcase an upper class woman who smartly didn’t let the world dictate her life for long.

The dragon aspect of the book was not lacking in the slightest either, Marie Brennan gives a different kind of dragons than the usual ones we see in fantasy series who are basically just targets in the end. No, she made them feel genuinely real to me. The way she made Isabella and co discover their mannerisms, see the different species in a way and solve the mysteries presented in their trip made the dragons in this world feel like every other new animal in our world. Dangerous, but immensely beautiful and a very interesting existence to study. I honestly can’t wait to read more about her journeys and what else she could discover about these dragons.

I talk about her a lot and that’s because she’s our narrator, everything is seen through her eyes and most of the story revolves around what she did or when. We meet many other characters and while some leave their ever lasting impressions, Lady Trent is without a doubt the star of the show. Usually in very interesting series like this, the romance would be the worse part of it for me, but not here. Marie Brennan does a magnificent job of showing the importance of Isabella’s relationship, but she definitely doesn’t change a single thing in Isabella herself to make her less of a character when things turn sour, like how I usually feel when I read other stories. Even better when there is something so healthy about the relationship Isabella is in and I can only hope it never changes as we go along.

The only downside I can think of in this book would be some terminologies (countries and seasons...) that weren’t as effectively explained as a I would have usually liked, but honestly they were so minor that I couldn’t care less about them at the moment. I only gave Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire a 5/5 this year, and I think I found my second deserving one right here.

Final rating: 5/5

[brokentune]

3.5*

[Rinn]

I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

A Natural History of Dragons is what you get when you take the sort of memoir written by upper-class female explorers of the nineteenth-century, and add dragons. The writing style as well as the world which Isabella inhabits is not our world, but very similar. In fact, if it were not for the various countries named that Isabella visits or knows of, then I would assume it was our world. Although I am an avid reader of epic fantasies, I also really appreciate and enjoy these more ‘subtle’ fantasy tales, where just one element is a little bit different, or there is something extra.

I was completely enthralled from the start of the book. Being a memoir, we learn of some of Isabella’s childhood, namely how she grew to become obsessed with studying dragons. This is, of course, a most unsuitable activity for a lady of her station, but she finds ways around it until it is impossible to stop her pursuing her passion. To be honest, I have to say that I found the sections of the book before her first major expedition to be the most interesting – they built up the world and society, with a social system not that dissimilar from nineteenth-century Britain. I felt more of Isabella’s passion and love for dragons within the first few chapters, than anywhere else in the book.

In terms of Isabella as a character, she was a fun protagonist – I always love to see studious characters who have something they are really passionate about – but she did occasionally have a bit of an ‘I’m not like other girls attitude’, which can be very grating. She also made a few questionable (read: stupid) decisions that seemed a little out of character for someone so intelligent, although I suppose book smart is not street smart… Her husband was a sweetie, and I would have liked to see their relationship develop a little bit more.

Overall, this was a really solid and fun fantasy read. I loved how Isabella followed her interests and her passion for dragons, even though it was entirely improper for a young lady of her standing. Defying all social expectations of her peers, she did not let them stop her or slow her down. What I would have liked was more detailed information about the various dragons – the book title kind of implies that there might be a lot more ‘scientific’ information than there was, but is in fact named after a book that Isabella holds very dear. I did lose focus on the story about two-thirds of the way through, but the beginning was just so wonderful that I felt it made up for it. One more thing though… can we have even more dragons next time?

[wyvernfriend]

Probably closer to 3.5 than 4 but better than most 3 star books.

An alternative history in a land that closely resembles Britain (and why bother create a new pseudo-britain when you already have a perfectly good for purpose one there?) in the Victorian era. Lady Trent writes an autobiography of her time with science. Growing up in a time where girls didn't do science in any meaningful way, society stymies her natural curiousity and mental abilities. She fights against it until an unthinking moment causes death to someone else. Then she concentrates on being a dutiful daughter, destroying most of her science. She finds a husband who respects her scientific curiousity and wangles a way to get him on an expedition to investigate dragons, and expedition that will change her life.

It's an interesting story, sometimes felt a little bit strained, but overall kept me reading and wanting to know what happens next. The end felt a bit rushed but overall I enjoyed it and want to read on in the series.

[inlibrisveritas]

4.5 Stars

A Natural History of Dragons is a faux memoir set in a Victorian like era where women are meant to be wed, not galavanting after dragons in the wild.

Lady Trent is an intrepid young woman who has a scientific curiosity in dragonkind, and eventually learns to push boundaries to follow her heart as much as possible. I loved that this book was written as a memoir because we get a real since of voice for Isabella, and come to know her as an intelligent and strong willed woman capable of getting herself out of tight bind. She’s smart enough to know when she’s beaten, and quick witted enough to turn the tables on those who might do her harm.

The world building is also fantastic and I loved getting to know more about the lore of the different cultures. I want Draconic ruins to be real so badly, they sound gorgeous and the fact that their language and history are mysterious really adds to the richness of the history. Not everything needs to be explained and having a bit of mystery surrounding a bit of side lore makes me want to read all of the books in hopes of finding out a bit more alongside the main characters. And the Dragons!! While they are a focus they are not THE focus, which was great because we got a ton of awesome character development, but I adored every word having to do with the dragons and wanted so much more. The illustrations were gorgeous and really cemented the tone of this as a memoir and journal for someone enthused in natural history.

Overall I’m an beyond happy I decided to purchase this one, and I can’t wait to get around to A Tropic of Serpents, book two. If you enjoy fantasy and historical fiction this might be worth a shot, and if you enjoy audiobooks the narrator is really great and fits the voice of Lady Trent well.

[Kate (Blogging with Dragons)]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Typically I am not a huge fan of first person narration, but A Natural History of Dragons creates such an authentic picture of Lady Trent that I couldn’t imagine it depicted any other way. The novel is written as a fictional memoir, with Lady Trent reliving the past adventures of her youth, when she is known as simply Isabella Camherst. As a dragon lover, I was immediately able to relate to Lady Trent’s lifelong obsession to dragons and loved how she struggled to be a proper lady while still pursuing her own passion with the creatures.

"I attempted to restrain my enthusiasm; learning is an admirable thing, in women as well as men, but only when it is of the right kind. (That is, of course, society’s opinion; not my own. I am glad to say it has changed somewhat since my day.)""

I really enjoyed the time period of the novel as well. It takes place in an era where women wear petticoats, have ladies-in-waiting, and a lot of societal expectations. Though it reminded me of the Victorian period, the novel is set in a fictional universe, where not only do dragons exist, but not much is known about them at present. Throughout the novel, I struggled to progress as the story was framed as a scientific pursuit of dragons, and not a fantasy, adventure novel, so to speak. It could be quite dry, and parts of the novel that involved executing a dragon, were repugnant to me, a dragon lover. Though I did really enjoy the beautiful illustrations that resulted from their scientific research.

“In which the memoirist forms a youthful obsession with dragons, and engineers an opportunity to pursue that obsession.”

Another thing that I really struggled with in the novel, besides the scientific nature of it, was the fact that Isabella’s husband, Jacob Camherst, was nothing more than a willing plot device. By marrying him, she has access to his library and is able to join on an expedition to study dragons as an “artist”--both things quite scandalous for her sex and for her time period. Though there is some affection between the husband and wife, it is not anything overly romantic and Isabella does not waste much time talking about him. And as Isabella frequently reigns herself in for the sake of her husband and his reputation, I was not overly surprised when he was killed off at the end of the novel. Now as a widow, she has unrestricted access to his wealth and more freedom, as only her reputation will be harmed by her scientific pursuits. So basically her husband’s only role in the novel was to get her where she wanted to go and then die. Her miscarriage is similarly glossed over and practically irrelevant to her character development.

"One benefit of being an old woman now, and moreover one who has been called a 'national treasure,' is that there are very few who can tell me what I may and may not write."

Though interesting to see a man as purely a plot device, it didn’t really do anything to help me sympathize with Isabella. Furthermore, her high-class breeding is even less endearing at times/ She is condescending to the local villagers on her draconic expedition and outright rude to a self-made man of lower birth. Ultimately, I found myself getting tired of her voice around halfway through the book--quite a feat since I related to her dragon passion so much in the beginning of the novel. I liked Lady Trent much better when she was a child, devouring books and wishing she could do the same things boys did. As a young adult, and both an old woman writing her memoirs, Isabella is overconfident and unlikable.


It doesn’t help matters that Lady Trent herself states multiple times that she was very naive during the events of this memoir and that her early traveling works should not even be read. I can only imagine how bad those works were, as I was tired of reading the legitimate memoir. I was also dismayed the A Natural History of Dragons had more to do with Isabella’s constant poor decisions, illegal smuggling, murder, and other conspiracies, than actual dragons.


By far my favorite part of the A Natural History of Dragons concerned the world building before Lady Trent’s expedition and also the parts of her expedition that surrounded the local lore of the villagers. Much of it surrounds Zhagrit Mat, a king with the dangerous desire to become a dragon. I was similarly intrigued by the Draconean ruins that Isabella visited, and wished the novel had spent more time on these type of things over smuggling and conspiracies.

"You’re dragon-mad, Mrs. Camherst, and sooner or later you’ll be keen to have another chance at it. When that day comes, let me know.”

Though being quite dragon-mad myself, I will not be rushing out to purchase another novel in The Lady Trent Memoirs. I would be interested to see if future novels deal more with dragons and less with other subjects, but I don’t feel any urgency to read predecessors to A Natural History of Dragons. While I enjoyed the novel’s creative methods of narration and storytelling, there just weren't enough actual dragons or a narrator likable to keep me hooked.


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