I’ve long been a fan of mystery writer Elizabeth Peters’ series chronicling the fictional adventures of Victorian-era Egyptologist Amelia Peabody. So when a friend recommended this first book in Marie Brennan’s fantasy series as reminding her of that series, but with dragons, I didn’t resist for very long.

I opted for the audio version of the book, figuring it would keep me company while I worked on some home improvement projects (including long commutes to and from Home Depot) over the weekend. I accomplished much more than originally planned, simply because I didn’t want to put the book down!

The fictional memoir is told by an aged Lady Trent, who has made a name for herself as a dragon researcher, overcoming everything from societal disapproval to wide-spread misunderstanding of dragon science to do so.

This first part of this memoir paints a quick picture of Isabella’s privileged and overprotected upbringing, complete with its family expectations and societal presumptions. These are very much in opposition to her natural curiosity and sense of adventure, which are painfully curtailed during the years of her adolescence, leading up to her “coming out” season.

Isabella does her best to suppress her natural inclinations during the all-important hunt for a suitable husband. Just when she thinks her hopes have been dashed by a momentary lapse in lady-like-ness, she is rewarded with a suitable match. Their relationship grows as he allows her to borrow natural history books from his library and even funds her amateur researches on “sparklings,” an insect-sized version of dragonkind.

Eventually Isabella and her husband join an expedition to a far-off country to capture and study a type of cave-dwelling dragon. Author Marie Brennan does a wonderful job of capturing the flavor of a Victorian-era natural history expedition, augmented with marvelous imaginary beings, languages, and places. Isabella survives everything from professional jealousy to dragon attack to kidnapping and beyond in this first, fast-paced adventure.

But it’s not all swashbuckling and feats of derring-do. Isabella also grows as a natural historian and as a human being, enjoying moments of blazing happiness and periods of tremendous loss, forging emotional connections with beautifully rendered supporting characters, gaining insight into her own weaknesses, and tapping into her deepest strengths.

I can’t wait to read her next adventure.