This was a really delightful and occasionally quite dramatic read, considering it's all about the beginnings of a natural historian's career. Isabella is a remarkably enjoyable character to read about, both the elder Isabella narrating her story in her memoirs (with a great deal of foreshadowing, scientific commentary, and wry commentary interspersed throughout the narrative), and the younger, impatient and headstrong Isabella first making her way in the world as a budding natural historian. The fantastical dragon science is very interesting as well, and there's a fair amount of worldbuilding hinted at but never fully explored, in a quite tantalizing way. 
 Do be aware, though, that there aren't all that many actual living dragons in the book, and several of those encountered are killed quite summarily. Draconology provides the book with a premise and the character with her motivations, as well as balancing some of the book's dramatic high-points, but most of the story focuses on Isabella and her struggles to reconcile her efforts at draconology with the various people and interests hemming her in. 
 I greatly enjoyed the book, though, and I think I'll be hunting down the sequel soon!