Synopsis from GoodReads:
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.
Review:
If I could describe this book in a word it would be, at best, average, and, at worst, disappointing. As a dragon enthusiast, I was thrilled when this book finally released from its library hold into my hands. However, I soon realized not much after page 10 that this was going to be a horrifically dull read. Is that brutal of me to say? Yes, and I do apologize for my candor but I have no other way of describing the experience.
The title leads you to believe that you are about to embark on a journey filled with dragons – specifically dragons as the primary subject of the book. Instead, it’s filled with reflections and musings of an old woman and a conspiracy she uncovered (in very uneventful ways) with dragons as a haphazard mention occasionally along the way. The book is set in the late 1800s to early 1900s in our current world. Dragons are included as a form of wildlife for observations that occasionally wreak havoc on smaller populations. I don’t always enjoy reading about a world I currently live in as the fantastical appeals more to me, but I did enjoy the concept of imagining a world where dragons existed alongside humankind in a way where they could be viewed in their natural environment as beasts instead of the powerful beings they are often presented as in fantasy novels. Unfortunately, there weren’t as many encounters as I had hoped which dampened my spirits repeatedly as I worked through the book. To be fair, Brennan did present the life of a naturalist in that it’s a very realistic portrayal of encounters with dragons and their frequency. I found it was easy to accept the way the characters searched for dragons over the conspiracy that unfolded with humans.
Lady Trent’s demeanor as she tells her memoir reminds me of an egotistical professor who can’t get enough of her own voice. I was transported back to my college days where I was forced to attend a course in which the professor simply outlined his life and sent you home with a book to read about physics because he couldn’t be bothered to teach it. So is the way, at least for me, that Lady Trent presents her dragons. She boasts so much of passion yet falls short with producing anything other than someone else’s work (which she sites) with small nuggets of information in key places. Now, to say those nuggets were uninteresting would be unkind and unfair because they were indeed worth noting. But for a reader to have to read through an entirety of mundane life reflection to obtain them is simply too much to ask. I found myself frustrated when those points of discovery were presented due to the lack of exploration to expand on them further.
There are certain parts where Marie Brennan tries to bring in conflict that builds exciting tension. Each time I found myself fully engaged only to fall flat with an disenchanting resolution. It felt as if she ran out of inspiration for the dragons – which frankly is a shame because she was doing so well creating an encyclopedia of them in certain portions of the book. It also felt as if she were afraid to write true conflict to take the story to the potential it could reach.
I’ve written a rather scathing review, I’m aware. It’s my honest experience for the long 3 days I’ve spent inside this story. No, I will not be reading the others. But all that aside, Brennan does have a penchant for words. She’s talented as a writer with potential to create something dazzling once she removes her inhibitions in her writing. Even though this is my experience, it may not be yours. I encourage you to explore it for yourself. For a leisurely read/listen, it’s about a week’s worth of entertainment should you take your time with it. Comment your response below. I’m interested to hear your perspectives as well.
