A Natural History of Dragons (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #1) by Marie Brennan

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan is part of me still trying to fill the dragon-sized hole in my heart left by Realm of the Elderlings. I'm not sure how this slipped past my radar, since this is a dragon-based series featuring a female lead, but I was so excited when I checked it out from my local library and the librarian, Eric, told me that it was excellent.  Eric was an excellent hype man.

Isabella grows up surrounded by brothers as the only girl. Her mother is troubled by her interest in the natural and the scrapes she gets into while playing with the boys, but all Isabella wants to know is how birds and insects fly. As she grows up, she tries to blend in and do more ladylike activities, like drawing and riding horses. When she's looking for a husband, her brother takes her to the king's menagerie and she sees dragons for the first time and meets her future husband Jacob Camherst. Soon they are married and off an expedition to study dragons and that's where the real adventure begins.

There is so much to love about this book. Isabella is fabulous - snarky, smart, and not above using men's ignorance to best them. There are dragons! It's an interesting look at a woman in the Victorian era trying to find her place and finding an husband who would allow her the freedom to do things women wouldn't have been allowed to do. It's an utterly charming novel.  

All of that said, this book dragged at places. There was a lot of politics, scheming, and violence that took away the attention from the main point of attraction for me, which was the dragons. We didn't spend nearly enough time watching or being with dragons and that was a real disappointment. However, this is the first of five novels in the series and you best believe I'm going to go ahead and order the next one from the library.

4/5 stars