Reviews with content warning for Death - A Natural History of Dragons

Reviews tagging 'Death'

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

71 reviews

annaplatypus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really liked it! The fantasy-memoir genre is so unique, and normally I am not a memoir enjoyer, but it works in this format; the world was very immersive.
One thing I disliked about the book was that one of the most loveable characters

dies in the end.

I generally dislike

main character death

, especially when thrown in at the very end. It felt a bit unnecessary, but I guess the author had a particular vision for the sequels.

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proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

By now the whole world knows about Lady Trent, the famous dragon naturalist. For the first time ever we get the story with her own words, from her being a bookish young woman with a passion for natural history - dragons in particular - to her first expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana.

"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..."

I've been wanting to read this series for a long time, and the first book did not disappoint! The only thing I really knew was that it was about the study of dragons, and I was pleasantly surprised that the main character Isabella (later known as Lady Trent) was a stubborn, brave and - for her time - unconventional woman. The book takes place in a fantasy world, but remains faithful to the Victorian Age, with all the restrictions women faced at that time. That Isabella despite this manages to get her way with her purpose of studying dragons is quite impressive. Luckily she's got an extraordinarily supportive husband, who understands her passion and determination (we do love those, don't we?!).

The narrator is really good and perfect for the story. To be able to keep all the men's names apart I probably should have read instead of listening, but I believe that Kate Reading brings something extra with her narration so I'll keep listening!

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readandfindout's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

4.0

Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Worldbuilding: 4 stars

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mnstarr's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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brooklvk's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this book! It had happy lighthearted storytelling, but kept me totally interested the whole way. Loved it! Spoiler:

The ending with her husband made me soo sad! I was so invested in the romance!! So sad! but I am still finishing the series of course.

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crunchylettuce's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Fictional memoir that reads like a Jane Austen novel combines the fantasy of dragons with scientific discovery. Cannot recommend this one enough, a delightful read.

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madzie's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Brennan mashes the voices of early English women writers like Austen and the Brontes with scientific notes and realistic fantasy. She excels at worldbuilding and seamlessly fits dragons into Victorian Europe. Her world of dragons is sensical and easy to follow. The dragons feel very real, and you can imagine being a part of this world. However, while Brennan thrives in her exploration of dragons, she leaves me questioning other parts of her world and how it differs from our own historical one. Often, Brennan's exploration of sexism is intriguing, as it is central to the story, but falls short, not incorporating the entire picture, even illustrating that women can only be strong if they show masculine traits, which seems to go against the same theme she is attempting to portray. Other themes follow suit, often making a good attempt at deep ideas but leaving me with questions about the whole picture, especially from a historical perspective.

However, Brennan creates a nicely written plot with a good twist at the end. Throughout, I got bored with the lack of details. Although seemingly purposeful due to attempting to draw in scientific writing, it leaves me again wanting more and never really feeling like part of the story. Perhaps more of a success is her incorporation of Victorian writing, which echoes history while still being accessible to modern audiences, as well as less pretentious. Occasionally, I felt the sentence variety was lacking, especially in action scenes. Lady Trent herself is an intriguing character, who did leave me feeling for her by the end of the novel. Overall, I felt like the book stayed in the middle ground, perhaps rising above for other readers, especially those more interested in scientific explanations and writings over story flow and details.

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