Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

23 reviews

squinnittowinit's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

I love any world that has dragons in it, but I didn't enjoy how Victorian all the main characters were. I know, that's how it was meant to be, but I found all the misogyny and xenophobia left a bad taste in my mouth. 

It's written as a memoir, so the fictional author as the narrator is writing about a time in the far past, and she does say that she finds some of the sexism to be ridiculous now, but she still makes weird "men vs women" statements that just reinforce harmful gender stereotypes. 

She also read as very Victorian British, in that she was a noble from a colonizing nation

on a journey to a colonized nation, full of privilege and perceived superiority. She freely insults the local people and culture and looks down on them for having less than her, and in the end, has barely any more appreciation for them when she leaves.

This book felt written from the perspective of a colonizer with the assumption that colonizer cultures are better than others and everyone should aspire to be like them.

She's also very callous about killing dragons for science, which I didn't appreciate, as someone who respects nature and living things.

Still, I enjoyed the dragons and I enjoyed the mystery plot. I just wish it had more modern values.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Colonisation

meganpbell's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

I should have been obsessed with this book—I am totally the target audience! However, the main character’s xenophobic stance toward the village she’s intruding upon as a researcher does not change enough to give me confidence in joining her on an expedition to the version of colonial Africa in the sequel. I wanted more dragons, more science, and a more intersectional feminism. I would highly recommend Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina series instead!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Classism

sevensableyes's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious slow-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

Love, love, love.

I knew when I first heard the premise of this series, that I would adore it. And I do. Isabella is fast becoming one of my favourite protagonists, along side Keladry (Protector of the Small series). This book made me feel very nostalgic for my dragon/dinosaurs phase. Isabella's passion is infectious.

The worldbuilding feels very natural, and is fairly easy to keep up with. I think it's because the world will slowly unravel throughout the books, following Isabella's adventures into different parts of the world. I really like how there is no magic system; it's just dragons. It makes them feel like real and vulnerable animals. I'm looking forward to seeing more species.

I loved all of the characters. I liked that

Jacob was a good husband; it would have been very easy to write him as dismissive of Isabella's passions, but he was truly lovely

. I'm fairly certain

Isabella and Mr Wilker will become closer in the future (not romantically)

.

This book ticked all the boxes for me, and hopefully the rest of the series does too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Pregnancy

Regarding the kidnapping,

Isabella wonders if she should try to use her body to escape and also decides she won't struggle, in order to protect herself. There is no sexual assault, but she is preparing for it.

micallab's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Miscarriage

featherinthewind's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

A magnificent read about dragons and history that had an underlying note of love. I really did enjoy this book but boy was I not expecting that ending.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

novella42's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed the angle of writing a 19-yr old character from the vantage of an older woman publishing her devil-may-care memoir. Perhaps because of that, I liked the protagonist more than I expected. One of my favorite parts of the story was Kate Reading's performance as audiobook narrator, as she was a phenomenal fit for pretty much every character. The voices, emotion, and nuance she brought to the story gave it a rich texture that I would have missed if I was simply reading the text. (I'm familiar with her work in Sanderson's Way of Kings and was impressed how much more her voice seemed to come alive with this story. Maybe she really resonated with this story in particular?) The scientific mindset and world building were excellent, and it's always lovely to have more examples of women in STEM fields, even in the fantasy genre. I took away a star because unfortunately I'm not very into mysteries and the book's pacing was slow for me. I almost didn't get the audiobook finished before the library reclaimed it, but I also enjoyed dipping in and out of it for a few weeks. Not every story calls for a fast pace, and this one was well told.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Classism

kk_bonton's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

A thrilling read, I couldn’t put it down and I can’t wait to read more of the series

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, and Kidnapping

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Blood

Minor: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

maelikesbooks's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Such a lovely, gripping book.

The story itself is fun and intriguing, but the protagonist Lady Trent is so easy to root for that it makes this book a delightful experience. I loved the way her youthful nativity, enthusiasm and passion as a young woman contrast with the self-awareness and sense of humour of her older self as she narrates the story.

Great springtime read, can’t wait to pick up the sequels.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, and Grief

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Misogyny

Minor: Body horror, Gore, Murder, and Pregnancy

achingallover's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping