First, I want to say that I haven't read any of the previous books
in The Memoirs of Lady Trent
series. However, it has been one that I have been curious about for
some time. As a fantasy fan can't I help but find the books in this series
very appealing. The covers for the books are fabulous and I found the
idea of an alternative world set in the early 20th century with dragons
intriguing. Now, since the book didn't have many maps can't I say for
sure how similar the world in this series is to ours, and all the countries
have different names. But, it does feel like reading an alternative
Victorian-era book.
Since I'm totally new to this series, there were plenty of new names and
places. A list of all characters and more maps would have been helpful,
but alas, I had to try to keep track of everything and everyone in my
head instead. The main character, dragon naturalist, Lady Isabella
Trent, is an interesting woman. In her last memoir, Lady Trent is
retelling how she and her team of explorers traveled to Scirland and
what they discover there, within the Sanctuary of Wings... A discovery
that will change the world.
THE SANCTUARY OF WINGS
is a fictional memoir and did feel like that. But, unfortunately a
very dry memoir. I liked the idea of the series, with five memoirs written
by an adventurer's dragon naturalist, but it was like reading a textbook!
A dry retelling of an adventure without any passion to the story. It didn't
start off well for me either, with Lady Trent's husband holding a lecture
about draconic linguistic that almost put me to sleep. And, that was I
had to fight against throughout the whole book... falling asleep.
Between the writing and the story, it was all so dry that I lived for the
moments when something happened in the story that was interesting.
Unfortunately, those moments were rare. Not even the discovery in
Scirland really intrigued me. I wished that I could have liked this book
better, but I was just not the right reader.
I can see that this is a book that will appeal to those that have read the
previous books in this series and loved the tone in the book and found
the writing style appealing. I personally loved the look and feel of the
book. The old feel of the pages and the font together with the images
inside the book are what I loved the most. I just wished that I had loved
the story as well.
Within the Sanctuary of Wings is the conclusion to Marie Brennan's thrilling Lady Trent Memoirs After nearly five decades (and, indeed, the same number of volumes), one might think they were well-acquainted with the Lady Isabella Trent--dragon naturalist, scandalous explorer, and perhaps as infamous for her company and feats of daring as she is famous for her discoveries and additions to the scientific field. And yet--after her initial adventure in the mountains of Vystrana, and her exploits in the depths of war-torn Eriga, to the high seas aboard The Basilisk, and then to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia--the Lady Trent has captivated hearts along with fierce minds. This concluding volume will finally reveal the truths behind her most notorious adventure--scaling the tallest peak in the world, buried behind the territory of Scirland's enemies--and what she discovered there, within the Sanctuary of Wings.