It was fun to follow Isabella as she came of age in a Victorian like setting which just happened to include dragons. I loved seeing her develop her love of science and natural history as she grew up and tried to maneuver her way into learning about dragons. I especially loved that, although a strong woman protagonist, she didn’t fall into that anachronistic feminist woman trope (eschewing everything about the femininity/womanhood of her time period). She is aware of sexism, but also participates in society in ways that feel believable and authentic. I overall loved her as a character. I also love her husband, Jacob, and the Duke they go adventuring with.

Isabella is very reckless in the latter half of the book, which can be frustrating. She also isn’t aware of her class privilege, which the narrator, an older Isabella, points out several times. I actually really liked that, because it shows that she grew and wasn’t just born aware of social issues. It makes her realistic as a person, especially coming from her socioeconomic class. Knowing about her growth makes me more excited for the adventures in the future and opportunities to see that growth. The older Isabella (Lady Trent) is also delightful, with a lot of funny asides.

I didn’t find this book particularly gripping, so I’m not ready to rush to the sequels, but I am at least interested in going on to the next one to see where the narrative takes us.

I listened to the audiobook (which was great!), but apparently the written book has nice illustrations, so may be worth checking out.