#isabella camherst

[bookishfae]

i understand isabella camherst bc i too would marry a man who had a library and shared my hyperfixation

#lady trent #isabella camherst #a natural history of dragons #marie brennan #jacob camherst #a memoir by lady trent

[derangedpracticality]

I finished reading part 1 of A Natural History of Dragons to my friends, which begins with Isabella's first interest in natural history and ends with the expedition's departure from Scirland.

Once again I'm reminded how much I like Isabella as a character, and how she is written. The difference between her narration in her memoirs and how she describes her 8-19 year old self is very interesting. Anything we know about her, we read from decades of distance, but I feel she is a very realistic teenager, in how she views the world, and how much she still doesn't know that she will know later.

I love that she is driven so much by curiosity. It's the best reason for becoming an explorer, and I love when characters are shown engaging with the world like that.

I had almost forgotten about her garden shed filled with neatly labeled sparklings. <3 And when I read chapter four, in which Lord Hillford questions Isabella about her interest in the expedition, I had the idea that he probably realised quite early on that Isabella was way better suited for this kind of work than Jacob. She has the kind of brain needed for this and going by how quickly he was ready to let her join the expedition, he realised it.

#lady trent #isabella camherst #a natural history of dragons #the memoirs of lady trent

[bookwyrminspiration]

(spoilers for A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan)

I legitimately can't stop thinking about "He would not move from this place: Jacob knew it, and so did I." The dawning horror of his injury culminating in that one sentence punched me straight in the face. The structure of the book tricks you into believing that they're both going to survive, because Isabella is an elderly woman who talks about her husband in the present tense looking back on her past, so clearly that means they both survived, right?

I was actually fully prepared to critique and assess whatever method of treatment they used to miraculously get Jacob through a stab would in the middle of nowhere all alone with no supplies, because the format made it so I didn't even question at all whether he'd survive! Books have characters miraculously pulling through so frequently I paid almost no heed to the possibility that he wouldn't be okay

And then "he would not move from this place" completely shattered everything and he died collapsed on the ground, telling Isabella to stay strong with one last kiss. The following moments where it all sinks in that Jacob, loving Jacob is dead.

I cannot get over it and I cannot stop thinking about it. He would not move from that place, and he didn't. There he still lays, six feet under

#the memoirs of lady trent #lady trent memoirs #isabella camherst #jacob camherst #just to be clear this is not about twilight #yes both series have a jacob x isabella pairing but they are very different #jacob wasn't even my husband but god damn I'm mourning him like he was #GOD he never got to meet his son #he never even knew he was going to have a son #he would've loved that kid so much #listen I refuse to get over Jacob Camherst #tw death

[gayestfroginthepond]

actual photo of me trying not to check the tags for a book I'm reading

#I love the starless sea sm #and wanna see if therws fanart #cause dorian <3 #but if I spoil it for myself Ill shit tears #reading #book memes #bookblr #idk if thags a thing tbh #should be #probably has a better name #I literally did it with the isabella camherst books #specifically book 1 #hhhhh #I wont #but I wanna

[logictoinsanity]

Isabella Camherst is the most autistic, aro ace bitch I've ever heard of, and while I will not be accepting questions at this time, I am only on the second book, so im open to growth and fluidity. she's 100% autistic and queer though, I'll fight u on that

#lady trent #a natural history of dragons #memoirs of lady trent #tropic of serpents #marie brennan

[two-hands-toward-the-sun]

Thanks for tagging me @flower-dagger-gay!!

Three ships I like: Gault/Lucienne (Sandman), Kassandra/Brasidas (AC Odyssey), and Suhail ibn Ramiz/Isabella Camherst (Memoirs of Lady Trent) <3

First ship ever: Oh, lord. Probably Nymphadora Tonks/Remus Lupin?

Last song: Rumi by Huayucaltia

Favorite childhood book: HOW DID I NOT KNOW YOU LIKED GREGOR THE OVERLANDER??? That was my childhood favorite too and remains so very important to me to this day!! I was also huuuuge into Warrior Cats.

Currently reading: Well, I just finished reading In the Company of Crows and Ravens by Tony Angell and John Marzluff today! Currently listening to the audiobook of the Spanish-language translation of Watership Down (another childhood favorite) and working on Gay and Lesbian Poetry in Our Time, an anthology edited by Joan Larkin and Carl Morse.

Currently watching: I have two episodes left of the first season of The Bear!

Currently consuming: about to eat frozen macaroni and cheese.

Currently craving: god, I would do unspeakable things for mantou right now.

No pressure tags: @jlemonster @seddenostalgia @lucienne-thee-librarian @the-everqueen @stellerssong @cosmictapestry @rowan-ashtree

#tag game

[theravenlyn-art]

@two-hands-toward-the-sun were joking about subella but are we wrong??

#normalise infodumping to your partner who listens like 🥰 #// #marie brennan #memoirs of lady trent #a natural history of dragons #isabella camherst #suhail ibn ramiz #subella #artlyn #digital art #character art #fan art

[theravenlyn]

the part where Isabella gives the original rubbing of the Cataract Stone to Suhail makes me want to scream,,,, my heart: bursting

like imagine being stuck at home dealing with disapproving family member/s when you long for the seas and exploring new places and deciphering dead languages, and getting entangled in messy political affairs. you were dragged into these murky grey waters and youre drowning in them and every day is just another day and you’ve lost touch with your passions because of your obligations. it’s your grey years. there’s nothing to look forward to. when you look to the future, you don’t see anything at all. who even are you anymore? you’re not a face, just the hand of your brother, doing his bidding.

and then this person who you shared an adventure in the past shows up?? and after dodging through social customs, you finally get to speak to each other properly. and she gives you a gift. not just any gift. but a gift so specific to you. 

it’s a gift that proves that someone saw you and knew you deep to your core. it’s a gift that proves that someone does care about the real you. it’s a gift that proves that you are still you.

not only did she give you a key part to your research into the Draconic language, she gave you the original. she delayed making it public knowledge to the science community on the off chance that she might see you again. that she cared enough, thought you important enough, thought you worth the wait. she had this piece of knowledge and all she could think of was giving it to you. and you’d chide her for her foolish irresponsibility but the world is quiet and your mind is roaring.

it’s a token of hope. a flicker of light in the fog. when you look to the future, there’s something there. 

platonically or romantically or other, it doesn’t really matter. that’s pure love, in my opinion. i just think that we treat love like it’s something so complex and it’s almost strange that it is boiled down to one four-letter word (and 100% there’s so much to love, don’t get me wrong) but i think that there’s also a simplicity to it. sometimes you just see another person and you care about them. you want them to be happy and you want them to thrive. Isabella was so intent on bringing something important to Suhail because she knew that he would appreciate it most, and then when she empathised with his passion drying out due to his duties, she found a way to alleviate it and i think that’s a beautiful thing.

#*slaps roof* this bad boi can fit so much pure love #this was supposed to be a one line post but ended up ranting alksjdlkjhfd #listen it's about the yearning to be known i think #for someone to know you deeply and to love you as such #// #marie brennan #in the labyrinth of drakes #lady trent #isabella camherst #suhail ibn ramiz #theravenlyn.zip #theravenlyn.txt #a natural history of dragons #memoirs of lady trent

[sharry-arry-odd]

He regarded me with a bemused expression. "You want me for my /library/." Put so baldly, it sounded ridiculous. "Oh dear–I don't mean to insult you–" This time his laugh was more full-bodied. "It's the strangest insult I've ever suffered, if indeed I would give it that name. So Edgeworth, then–"

A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan

#page 58 #a natural history of dragons #a memoir of lady trent #the lady trent memoirs #the memoirs of lady trent #marie brennan #bryn neuenschwander #dragon #isabella trent #isabella camherst #jacob camherst #quote #quotes #literature #book #booklr #reading #the strangest insult #but also #absolutely you should marry a man for his library

[thegoblincourtier]

There is a SEVERE lack of fanart for The Memoirs of Lady Trent and it’s unacceptable. Isabella and Suhail are two nerds in love and I need to see more of them on the internet, please and thank you.

#fanart #the memoirs of lady trent #marie brennan #fantasy of manners #fantasy #isabella camherst #suhail #lady trent

[queenaryastark]

Marie Brennan didn't just avoid the "not like the other girls" trope in writing Isabella, she examined and broke down the misogynistic aspects of the concept:

But really everyone needs to read Memoirs of Lady Trent. The whole series is amazing.

#isabella camherst #marie brennan #memoirs of lady trent #misogyny #isabella trent

[bookwyrminspiration]

Isabella, dragon naturalist, about to throw herself off a cliff over a raging cataract of wild waters using untested and never before successful flight technology constructed by her friend in a swamp to try and pass a sacred test she doesn’t even believe in: I am going to think about politics right now

#Isabella camherst #the memoirs of lady trent #the tropic of serpents #lady trent memoirs #honestly iconic #i too would get mad about politics when about to jump off a cliff #what else would you do? #think about trying to land on an island surrounded by raging waters with untested flight technology? #i love her

[lizziestudieshistory]

Books of 2019: Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan (Memoirs of Lady Trent #5)

Within the Sanctuary of Wings is the 5th and final book in Marie Brennan’s fantasy of manners series about the life and adventures of Isabella, Lady Trent. I am sorry to see this series go. I have loved every second of the time I have spent with Isabella as she travelled around a Victorian-esque world to study dragons.

There’s not much to say about this book other than it was fantastic, we finally get the answers to the Draconean questions that has been intriguing us and see why Isabella made her name as a dragon naturalist. If I say much more I’ll spoil this book and the other four…!

Isabella swiftly became a favourite character for me. She is a formidable scholar and very much became a woman after my own heart. She would do anything to further her academic interests, despite the set backs she had along the way, and succeeded. 

This series is fantastic, while not the epic fantasy I often read it was brilliantly executed and an enjoyable read. What made it truly special was the characters and themes around academia and gender. I would highly recommend the series (begins with A Natural History of Dragons) and I am very sorry to have finished it. 

#within the sanctuary of wings #a natural history of dragons #marie brennan #memoirs of lady trent #lady trent #isabella camherst

[two-hands-toward-the-sun]

i am exchanging a glance loaded with a debilitating measure of romantic tension with suhail as we speak

#am i talking about me or isabella? #that’s the real question huh #suhail ibn ramiz #a natural history of dragons #marie brennan #in the labyrinth of drakes #lady trent #isabella trent #isabella camherst

[skygemspeaks]

Do you have any recs for fantasy novels written by women that aren't centered about romance?

Oh hell yeah, here's some of my favs:

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (Sarah Monette) - Maia is the fourth son of the emperor, and has grown up in exile. No one ever expected him to assume the throne, with three older brothers and a nephew the line of succession seemed ironclad. but then his father and all three of his brothers die in an accident, and suddenly he finds himself on the throne.

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan - Isabella Camherst is an old woman living in an alternate version of Victorian era England. she's the world's leading expert in dragon naturalism, and in this series of memoirs she looks back on her life, from her fascination with dragons in childhood, and throughout several decades as she overcomes the sexism of her world to do what she loves. this series does include some romance in later books, but the primary focus is on her career.

Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter - this novel is super trippy and is more of an urban fantasy but i love it. Vassa and her family live in a town that's under a strange curse - as the days go by, the nights stretch ever longer and longer and longer, and no one knows why. the days stay the same length, but the long hours of the night stretch into oblivion, seeming almost never ending. the one day vassa takes a trip to the strange shopping mart that dances around on chicken legs, run by the horrifyingly cruel baba yaga, and through some misunderstanding she's accused of stealing from the store - a crime punishable by beheading. how does she get out of this one?

#anon asks #book recs #fantasy recs #fantasy #booklr

[theravenlyn-art]

hello ive become attached

#here we go again #lyn drawing for small fandoms #this one doesnt even have a wiki #lmao #anYWAY #// #marie brennan #a natural history of dragons #suhail ibn ramiz #another for my beloveds <3 #isabella camherst #lady trent #artlyn #digital art #character art #fan art #god this stressed me out to draw though #the research was killing me and having to comb the books again was awful for looking for the details i needed ;-; #anyway i tried my best #and yet suhail looks different every time i drew him what the heck