The Procrastinators Book Club discussion

Welcome to the A Natural History of Dragons Buddy Read Discussion thread! This thread officially opens on May 17th and anyone can join at any time. Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days can be used to catch up!

Each day we will be reading by chapters or page numbers. Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads. The suggested Buddy Read discussion schedule is as follows:

Week of 05/13
17th: Ch 1-4
18th: Ch 5-8
19th: Ch 9-12

Week of 05/20
20th:Ch 13-16
21st: 17-20
22nd: 21-24


PARTICIPANTS
~ LiteraryCryptid
~ Dia

I'm going to jump in on this buddy read as I own this book, haven't read it, and can't turn down reading a book about dragons like ever.

through end of chapter 4
(view spoiler)[I really like Isabella so far - she is definitely rebelling against the typical norms for females in her type - but primarily in a subtle way (but not always subtle). It seems like her husband is a good fit since similar interests and he doesn't seem bothered by her "oddness". (hide spoiler)]

I'm on the road since Friday. We're riding for 8 hours each day to cover a huge distance so I'm exhausted each night but will start soon lol

through end of chapter 12

I'm liking this so far. It is definitely not what I expected but it is still interesting! I'm curious to see where things go from here now that there are kind of more people involved but also more unanswered questions about the dragons.

I am absolutely in love with the sketches in this book. It adds a an extra layer of imagery for the scenes that is absolutely wonderful. - I am slightly wishing they came in poster form, as I'd absolutely love to have them on my wall (lol)

I fell a bit behind on my reading thanks to unexpected events, but with tomorrow off, I'm hoping to catch up.

Up to chapter 4
(view spoiler)[
The debutant scene reminds me slightly of Bridgerton, I don't read too much historical fiction so that is my base for comparison.
I find myself reliving childhood memories of science and intrigue reading of Isabella's hunt for knowledge. Her constant search for understanding reminds me fondly of my home-made nature guide I built while camping one year.
Her approach to finding a husband make me laugh. She took the most analytical approach to it - and I'm glad her father was there to support her and her interests.
(hide spoiler)]

@LiteraryCryptid - I think the sketches are one of my favorite parts! I think they add such cool element to what this book is supposed to be - a memoir about a naturalist (I think that's what they're called).

through end of chapter 16: (view spoiler)[There's definitely more happening and I am curious to see how everything gets solved. I am struggling with the language a bit - probably similar to Lady Trent - but I think I'm getting the gist of it all! I really like her relationship with her husband. They seem to be a good fit. He's not a total chad and understands why she wants to be out there with him also learning/discovering things. (hide spoiler)]

I just finished Part 1, end of Ch 6. I was recommended this series because it is similar to Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and I am enjoying this style of storytelling.

I love the sketches too! It helps when trying to visualise the species of dragons. I like how Isabella is not a typical lord's daughter and silently continues to pursue her passion.

I love how her father helped her with finding a husband and how she managed to get someone who wasn't even looking to marry! (all for his library! that was funny) I can't wait to read about their new adventure.

Just finished part 2, end of Chp 12.
@Brianna, yes you're quite right, not what I expected either. I was hoping for more dragon sightings hahha
(view spoiler)[ I'm curious about the significance of the ruins, I think there's more to it as well but I might be wrong. It's a little sad that this far away from society and Isabella is still somewhat confined to what society deems appropriate. (hide spoiler)]

@Brianna I love Isabella's relationship with her husband too! She found good match for herself.

I've finished this. So I'm a little disappointed, it isn't quite like Emily Wilde's but many the next books changes a little bit?

Till Chp 19 (view spoiler)[ I suspected that they're being scared off but I didn't think it was the smugglers. Who knew it was being orchestrated by one of the villagers? There's definitely something bigger going on (hide spoiler)]

Till the end Ch 24. I feel like a lot of the ending is rushed, too many things happening packed together in Part 4.
(view spoiler)[ I knew the boyar was somewhat fishy, but I didn't guess the science experiment he was conducting, all for money. I'm so sorry for Jacob, that was sad. I guess in a way I should have guessed because Isabella became Lady Trent, suggesting she married another. The dragon's saving Isabella was also kinda cool. But I was hoping we'd get to see more dragons, or learn more about them, so I was quite disappointed by that.

I get that Lady Trent supposedly wrote this when she was elderly so it is years after the adventure, and I know the title is based off the book she read as a young girl, but it is a little deceiving because we're not learning about a natural history of dragons here! (hide spoiler)]

through end of chapter 21 (a bit behind but should still finish today)
(view spoiler)[I have theories that they are getting pulled to the lodge to get them out of town - something to do with the smugglers. I am also of the mindset that it has something to do with the smugglers that is causing the dragons to attack and for their bones to be behaving differently than expected in the graveyard. Not sure how or what though but we will see! (hide spoiler)]

through end of book:
(view spoiler)[This was a pretty rushed ending in my opinion. All of a sudden there are all kinds of other elements and pieces to the story that weren't even hinted at previously. Jacob's death totally surprised me! His and Isabella's relationship was one of my favorite parts. (hide spoiler)]

@Dia - I was just saying to my co-workers - that this book is very similar in storytelling style to Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I'll see if I too change my mind about the likeness at the end.
It's definitely an interesting sub-genre of fantasy - not quite sure what to call it. Almost cozy adventure, but more natural-fantasy in a way. A beautiful blend of fantasy magic, and memoire narrative that seems to be developing a new interest.

I am still unfortunately behind in my reading, but I plan on trying to finish tonight.

Until cpt 13
(view spoiler)[
Once again I draw attention to the beautiful artwork of Isabella's findings. These add an element to her narrative that I absolutely adore.
I am so curious about the developments with the suddenly aggressive dragons. The theories on cannibalism potentially causing a loss of sanity among the species in intriguing.
The attention to detail regarding the preservation process for the dragons was interesting. It really speaks to Marie Brennan's background in archaeology and anthropology - breaking down how specimens are preserved, and the known deterioration rates.
(hide spoiler)]

LiteraryCryptid wrote: "@Dia - I was just saying to my co-workers - that this book is very similar in storytelling style to Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I'll see if I too change my mind about th..."

@LiteraryCryptid - I had no idea of the author's background! That's so cool!

I didn't know about the author's background either! I thought that a lot of research must have gone into writing much of the details, but that's good to know!

Yeah, I find her background definitely shows through her writing. According to her bio, she was pursuing a PhD but stopped to focus on writing.

I just binged the last third of the book before work today, and then spent my entire shift wishing I could start the next.

(view spoiler)[
@Brianna - I agree about the somewhat rushed feeling at the ending. But at the same time, I feel like if it had drawn out more, the pacing would have felt weirder and lost steam.

@Dia, I agree, I would love to know more about the way Dragons live in this world. Maybe there's more in the next books that expands on that.

(hide spoiler)]
Overall - I'm giving it a 5/5 - it reads like a memoire (as it should), with engaging fantasy aspects, and I have no complaints about it. I might try and get to the second in June for the challenge .

@LiteraryCryptid I'm glad you really enjoyed it. Perhaps I should have managed my expectations better hahha

I'm planning to read all the books in the series so if you'd like to BR the next ones, we could do that

I've already got the second on my shelf - so if you wanted to read it for a BR next month, I'm down for that.

There's 25 chapters and I don't think you have a BR from the 1st-7th June? So how about we read in that first week? 3-4 ch/day? Let me know if this works!

1st: Ch 1-4
2nd: Ch 5-8
3rd: Ch 9-12
4th: Ch 13-15
5th: Ch 16-18
6th: Ch 19-21
7th: Ch 22-25