This is a fantasy novel which doesn't feel like one. It's set in a world which is not Earth, but is clearly heavily based on Earth, with the main character coming from a culture strongly reminiscent of 19th century England (including all of the attitudes of this time). This is a world with dragons, but at least in this first book they don't feel fantastical and are just treated as another variety of animal. 

It's well written and at times quite interesting but I struggled to connect to it and on reflection that could be partly because it is written as a memoir - I don't enjoy autobiographies and actually don't think I've ever finished reading one. I also didn't particularly love the main character. Still though, I did have a decent time reading this book and I do recommend giving it a try if the premise interests you.