I’m currently reading A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. I came across it in an email from BookBub and scooped it up in the Kindle store for less than $2. If you aren’t familiar with BookBub, I reviewed the site here.

It’s a neat concept. The author approaches the writing of the story as though it’s a real memoir by the main character Isabella Trent, recounting her adventures as a naturalist studying dragons. I’m enjoying the pseudo-scientific writing when Isabella describes her discoveries and the honest way Isabella describes her personal life. She’s a tough character, chafing against the confines of her expected behavior and unafraid to stand up for herself.

The story is set in an approximation of the Victorian Era. I say approximation because I realized partway in that the book isn’t set in England. Instead, Isabella’s home country is called “Scirland.” Isabella frequently makes references to other made-up countries, some that sound like they may approximate Egypt and others that sound vaguely European. One thing I wish is that the author would devote slightly more time to laying out the details of her world. I kind of get the feeling the author made up names in order to avoid cultural insensitivity rather than out of a genuine desire to create a new environment.

The story has just enough action so far to keep it interesting without being stressful, and I’m enjoying it enough to order the next two books in the series.