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A review by laurenfro22
Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
“Many of my discoveries have been made by doing one thing after another. Each step leads to the next, and sometimes there is virtue in not allowing common sense to call you back.”
Installment 3 of Isabella Camherst's fantastical memoirs has inched its rating past the first two. Isabella's adventures take her to the deep oceans and fantasy interpretations of the Pacific islands. Part of the higher rating likely comes from the familiarity of the characters, but I think Brennan is also hitting her stride in Voyage of the Basilik. We get to see the ever deepening characterization and scientific inquiry through Isabella's eyes, and the addition of a whole host of supporting characters means even more scrapes for her to puzzle through.
While marooned on the island, I loved the way Isabella navigated her 'dragon-spirit' status and the 'unusual' arrangement to which she had to agree in order to be accepted by the community. It is a fascinating play on real world relationships, religions, and cultural aspects. This book also focused more on the 'science' of dragons and really leaned into the expedition/knowledge-gathering essence of Isabella's character. Brennan's writing makes it seem almost reasonable to expect dragons to show up in our real world. It is one of the most thrilling aspects of this series - crafting the story in such a way that balances the reality with the fantasy and blurring the lines between the two.
Brennan has done a great job of tying the long term plot lines (e.g. the pinched scientific findings) throughout the novels. We have the immediacy of whatever threat Isabella and her crew are facing, with the knowledge that there are also mysterious larger forces at play. With the introduction of a few new characters, we are starting to get glimpses of Isabella's impact on a larger scale, and how her passion for uncovering the secrets of the dragons may end up revealing secrets about their world long lost to time and industry.
Installment 3 of Isabella Camherst's fantastical memoirs has inched its rating past the first two. Isabella's adventures take her to the deep oceans and fantasy interpretations of the Pacific islands. Part of the higher rating likely comes from the familiarity of the characters, but I think Brennan is also hitting her stride in Voyage of the Basilik. We get to see the ever deepening characterization and scientific inquiry through Isabella's eyes, and the addition of a whole host of supporting characters means even more scrapes for her to puzzle through.
While marooned on the island, I loved the way Isabella navigated her 'dragon-spirit' status and the 'unusual' arrangement to which she had to agree in order to be accepted by the community. It is a fascinating play on real world relationships, religions, and cultural aspects. This book also focused more on the 'science' of dragons and really leaned into the expedition/knowledge-gathering essence of Isabella's character. Brennan's writing makes it seem almost reasonable to expect dragons to show up in our real world. It is one of the most thrilling aspects of this series - crafting the story in such a way that balances the reality with the fantasy and blurring the lines between the two.
Brennan has done a great job of tying the long term plot lines (e.g. the pinched scientific findings) throughout the novels. We have the immediacy of whatever threat Isabella and her crew are facing, with the knowledge that there are also mysterious larger forces at play. With the introduction of a few new characters, we are starting to get glimpses of Isabella's impact on a larger scale, and how her passion for uncovering the secrets of the dragons may end up revealing secrets about their world long lost to time and industry.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence