TL;DR review: Fantasy in the form of a memoir where the narrator goes over how they came to love dragons, and the extent to which they had to go in order to pursue their interest. Really easy to read. Gives off cozy vibes. Definitely recommended.
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan is the first of a series of fictional memoirs that follows the illustrious and adventurous career of Lady Trent. The first book follows our protagonist from childhood till the age of 19(?). The book delves into how she came to be fascinated by dragons, a species at the time that not much was known about. Set in a parallel of Victorian England we see the trials and tribulations a young woman has to endure when tailoring her interests in order to fit into society. This is jarring for our protagonist since her interest in dragons was decided to be un-feminine and a masculine pursuit.
In spite of this, our protagonist seems to find herself in one form of trouble or the other, either due to her own curiosity or just plain back luck. Its very refreshing to see her handle problems and how her ability to solve them slowly evolves as she matures. As this is written in the form of a memoir the narrator / protagonist, who is now an established scholar and one of the foremost authorities on dragons, does tend to add a bit of commentary and the occasional apology for what she deems are the acts of a young naive individual figuring her way through life.
The book is a very easy read, albeit a bit slow at times. There are beautiful sketches of the various dragons and other sights interspersed throughout the book which makes for a welcome change. This is the kind of book you can snuggle up on the couch with a cup of coffee and just get lost in. It’s no page turner by any means but will keep you entertained nonetheless. I really liked this book, and am curious to see what the young rambunctious Lady Trent does next in her career. Definitely recommended!
Rating: 4/5
Links:
- Goodreads: A Natural History of Dragons – Marie Brennan
Ramblings 