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wieso_auch_immer's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
cellassis's review against another edition
5.0
Cette série s'impose de plus en plus comme une de mes préférées !
Ambiance / Univers : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. L'univers s'étend, avec cette fois-ci une découverte de l'Asie du Sud et des îles de Papouasie Nouvelle Guinée. J'ai vraiment aimé la façon dont l'autrice développe ce monde et cet univers et l'importance croissante des questions géopolitiques.
Personnages : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. C'était un point faible des précédents livres, mais Isabelle et les personnages récurrents sont de plus en plus intéressants. J'adore la relation qu'elle développe avec son fils, mais aussi avec Suhail, nouveau venu de cette équipe de chercheurs.
Intrigue : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Une très bonne intrigue, pleine d'aventure et de découvertes scientifiques. C'est le style de fantasy que je préfère, et je n'ai pas eye déçue !
Style : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Le style est ce qui distingue le plus ce roman d'autres que j'ai pu lire. Il est très original et la plume est bien maîtrisée. La traduction est également très bonne.
Ambiance / Univers : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. L'univers s'étend, avec cette fois-ci une découverte de l'Asie du Sud et des îles de Papouasie Nouvelle Guinée. J'ai vraiment aimé la façon dont l'autrice développe ce monde et cet univers et l'importance croissante des questions géopolitiques.
Personnages : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. C'était un point faible des précédents livres, mais Isabelle et les personnages récurrents sont de plus en plus intéressants. J'adore la relation qu'elle développe avec son fils, mais aussi avec Suhail, nouveau venu de cette équipe de chercheurs.
Intrigue : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Une très bonne intrigue, pleine d'aventure et de découvertes scientifiques. C'est le style de fantasy que je préfère, et je n'ai pas eye déçue !
Style : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Le style est ce qui distingue le plus ce roman d'autres que j'ai pu lire. Il est très original et la plume est bien maîtrisée. La traduction est également très bonne.
reader89's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
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? No
4.0
corfie's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.25
slwest382's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
novelbloglover's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Book Review
Title: The Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan (The Memoirs of Lady Trent Book 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Cozy
Rating: 3.75 Stars
After almost a year away from this series I was excited to continue on especially since I’ve been a lot of non-fiction and dense fantasy so I needed something easier for my brain to digest and this was perfect. We are reacquainted with Isabella, Natalie, Tom Wilker, little Jacob and his governess Abigail Carew. During her time back home, Isabella ended up almost accidentally created the Flying University which opened her scientific reassures to any and all who had the ambition and drive to learn while she was preparing from her world voyage. By the time they actually board the RSS Basilisk to begin their journey Isabella is already full of excitement for what she is going to learn.
From almost the beginning of the journey, Isabella notices that Jake takes far better to the sea than anyone in their party and the longer they spend on the ship the more she realises that Jake feels the same about sailing as she does about dragons. She also realises early on the nuances of bringing a child with them on such as trip especially when he isn’t interested in much of what they have to offer but everything seems to be going pretty smoothly so far. They do encounter both a sea serpents, which is classed as a dragon cousin and a feathered serpent which isn’t not classed as related to dragons. This brings up old questions in Isabella’s mind of what a dragon is and how they are classified and time and time again she returns to the idea that it might be a spectrum but how a spectrum like this came into being would be her next questions. We also get a hint of a potential romance down the line as we see her develop feelings of a sort for Suhail, an archaeologist studying ruins in the area which is the first romance we would see since her husband died.
As their exploration continues, we get some very slice of life moments following on their day to day things rather than anything too exciting. That being said there are moments like diving with the dragon turtles, reinforcing the bond between mother and son and Suhail learning of the Draconic inscriptions Isabella saw in Erica and their importance of his research meaning we might be seeing a lot more of him. Besides that they have done little in terms of seeing dragons and researching them so it is very mundane. The mundane aspects are one reason I like this series as it is very low action, character driven prose but it might not be for everyone and it even becomes a struggle for me at time when I just want something to happen.
That happening comes in the form of a major storm that drives everyone but the sailors below for two days but during those final hours the ship runs aground which is very dangerous given where they are in the world and how far from help they are. However, the islands they have washed up near are inhabited and these people come to first see who they are and then offer help. Suhail is a godsend during this time as he is one of only a few that can speak their language fluently enough to get them aid but during these negotiations, Isabella spies some fire lizards flying around making her excited. However, restrictions are placed on them meaning they can’t travel around the island or other islands without the express permission of the chief which is another political roadblock that Isabella doesn’t want to deal with.
In this island chain, they actually have a third gender between male and female and Isabella is placed into this category because she was wears male clothing and performs roles typically assigned to men despite her being biological female. However, these people have supersistions and customs surrounding this third gender that Isabella has to conform to if she wants to continue her research. The first of these is they can’t have children so she has to claim that Jake is Abby’s son rather than her own and that they can’t be unwed. However, she can’t be married to a man since she is seen as one and ends up getting involved in a sham marriage with a woman from the neighbouring island which was strange to say the least but it gave her the freedom to move around the island as she pleased while the Basilisk is being repaired. This she takes full advantage of getting to see the fire lizards up close and even takes a trip in the diving bell to see the sea serpents which doesn’t go to plan when a couple attack the bell tipping it onto its side. Isabella and Suhail are inside with no oxygen coming down to them and they have to make the swim to the surface but Isabella isn’t a strong swimmer and almost drowns if it wasn’t for Suhail. The romantic tension between this pair is honestly driving me mad.
Isabella has another brush with death that to some toxic volcanic gases but bounces back. It is taking months for the ship to be repaired due to the way trade works on the island and that certain resources aren’t available there so everyone is just making do for now. However, it is Suhail who comes up with the next crazy plan and that is to ride a sea serpent which is a local custom to prove one’s bravery. The pair go ahead with it and everything seems to be going pretty smoothly until the sea serpent swims into a cave with both Isabella and Suhail on its back. The discoveries they make here and the implications they have on the wider story were immense but it was a little sad as Suhail has to return home after the death of his father and this is a sadness that Isabella carries for a long time. While I was hoping for a romance between them we know that the second husband Isabella has bares the name Trent, which is were the series name comes from but right now she has been knighted upon her return home makes her a Dame now. While this allows her more freedom within society and more money, it does destroy the peace she had come to enjoy. While this wasn’t my favourite book in the series I did really enjoy it and can’t wait to continue.
shadykait's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
laumee's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
swansandroses's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0