Despite the old axiom, I'm not ashamed to admit that this book grabbed me the first time I saw its cover. I then read the cover blurb and a preview article of it online and had my initial reaction confirmed. 
 This is the memoir of Lady Isabella Trent, a woman of noble birth who goes on to leave the expectations of her station (analogous to 19th century in our world) and become not only an adventurer, but a scientist who brings light to the behaviors and biology of dragons. This book includes the story of how she began her career and reads as a travelogue and mystery novel rolled into one. The story is quick, engaging, and very hard to put down. The intermixing of daily life with scientific inquiry provides a nice flavor as well. The story progresses through her experiences as part of an expedition to a neighboring country to uncover new information on dragons. Along the way several other subplots come to surface that eventually all weave together into the conclusion. 
 I enjoyed the plot and characters, but also the modern twists on the historical travelogues that are put into play here. Brennan shines a light on the shortsightedness of travelers who, in wishing to retain the comforts of their known lives, see foreign experiences as backwards or not as desirable. Lady Trent, both in her recollections and especially in the contemporary passages, points out that despite their experiences abroad are merely different, and neither inferior nor superior to her own, but instead that people are always people despite their backgrounds. It's this kind of insight that drives her to dare, to explore, and to push beyond what is normally accepted.