#isabella camherst

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Nick Bell/Seth Gray- The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune  

Ballister Blackheart/Ambrosius Goldenloin- Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

Fu Shen/Yan Xiaohan- Golden Stage/Golden Terrace by Cang Wu Bin Bai

Isabella Camherst(“Lady Trent”)/Liluakame- Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan 

[bookishfae]

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

[lilareviewsbooks]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN ISABELLA WENT INTO THE DRACONIC RUINS BY HERSELF CAUSE EVERYONE ELSE COULDN'T FIT THROUGH THE DOOR, SUHAIL TURNED TO HER AND SAID "COME BACK AND TELL ME OF WONDERS?"

EXCUSE ME???

AND THEN ISABELLA FIGURED OUT A WAY FOR HIM TO COME IN, TOO, AND SAID "COME. LET ME SHOW YOU WONDERS"???????

FUCK OFFFF

[birdylion]

Five of my Favorite Characters

@beatrice-otter tagged me for this game, thank you!

I'm using this as an opportunity to ramble about why these characters are among my favourites below the cut.

But first I'm tagging: @hermitknut, @bumblebee-and-tea, @caffeespresso, @freizusein, @shakespearerants, @biacetenebrae and @cleargreyskies. Anyone who wants to do this, feel free!

Karigan G'ladheon

She rides horses, she fights with a sword, she has the magic ability to cross boundaries of time and space, she's the avatar of the God of Death. She just wants a normal life. She refused the (literal) Call of adventure after getting home from her first one for as long as was humanly possible. She's a sometimes reluctant heroine, but also she does the things that fate asks of her because they are important even though it costs her a lot. I related a lot to her as a teenager.

Isabella Camherst

She has one (1) interest and she follows that interest. She's driven by so much curiosity and the need to know. Her husband describes the things she does in pursuit of said interest as "deranged practicality". In the pursuit of her interest she's absolutely unhinged. She's gender nonconforming not necessarily because gender nonconformity is a gender expression for her, but because the rules for conformity are so strict that she wouldn't be able to follow her one interest if she adhered to them. I just love characters who are very intense about their interests.

Samuel Vimes

I love idealists who are idealistic because of their life experience, and not their lack thereof. I love characters who strive to be better, to do better. I love a character who looks the darkness inside them into the eye and says "no we're not having that". That last part is what sealed the deal for me with Vimes; before reading Thud, I was fascinated by him, after Thud, he's on a whole different level of 'favourite'.

Naomi Nagata

Why I like her is similar to Vimes actually? She has gone through so much even before we meet her, and still believes in making the world kinder. That takes so much strength and conviction, I admire that a lot. Also, her willpower is beyond strong and she's the biggest badass in space.

Chirrut Îmwe

Characters who have a strong faith (that's rewarded by the narrative) often touch me very deeply, mostly because I don't have that; whatever faith I have is neither strong, nor has it so far been rewarded by my narrative, if I can say so. One would think I'd feel closer to Baze Malbus than to Chirrut, but it's the latter who brings me hope. To see a character who's so secure in their faith ... yeah, that touches me.

[aroacespaces]

Isabella Camherst from A Natural History of Dragons is a sex-postive asexual and grey-romantic icon

[gayestfroginthepond]

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

[bookwyrminspiration]

i finally finished THE TROPIC OF SERPENTS

took me so long because I put bit down and then came back to it and was reading three other books at the same time BUT IT’S AWESOME AND ILL BE BACK WOTH MORE COHERENT THOUGHTS LATER :)))))))))))

HAHA YES!! No worries about the time, take as long as you need. I'll be here. The series is just SO GOOD.

I must confess it's been a while, but I remember book 2 especially sets the tone for the rest of the books. Following the end of book 1, Isabella's in a very different place. Socially, emotionally, etc. She was going through Jacob to get access to what she wanted, but now can't. And book 2 shows how she adapts, what she does, and what she'll continue to do. Sink or swim style

I think books 3 and 4 are my favorite of the series, so wishing you the best in reading them!!

[ninja-muse]

At last, a month where I feel like I read enough! The trick, clearly, was to pick up graphic novels and other very short things. Will this trend continue in November? Almost certainly not.

Followers might have seen my review for The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan last week but that's not actually my top read of the month. That honour goes to Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney, which I got as an ARC from work, told myself I wouldn't read just yet, then promptly picked up after The Dollmakers and all but burned through. It's about the female authors we know Austen read and why they were bestsellers in their day but are barely known now, with all sorts of publishing and book industry history thrown in, along with a dose of memoir. Needless to say, I was the target audience and I've added a good handful of classics to my TBR. (It's out in February, in case you're interested.)

The rest of my top reads are there for just being solidly good. The Disappearing Spoon gave me all the fun science history I wanted. The Angel of Indian Lake gave me a good horror trilogy ending. The Tropic of Serpents gave me more Lady Trent adventures. And so on. I only really had two misses: The Aeronaut's Windlass, which felt very by-the-books epic fantasy without pushing boundaries, and Wordhunter, which I'm actively recommending people don't read. It was utterly average and kind of trying too hard to be edgy, and then it needlessly introduced sexual violence against women and children and handled both badly. How a book that lets a pedophile off with a warning got published in 2024, I will never understand.

In happier news, my book haul! Two books this month: Sorcery and Small Magics, sent by the publisher, and another volume of The Unwritten, meaning I only need to find one and I've got the full run. Hurray! (If you ever spot Vol. 9, folks, lemme know.)

All that reading means that I haven't done much writing. I need to get back to that, but at least I know what was blocking me and am working to rectify the situation. I am, however, starting to get seriously envious of authors who were able to write during the pandemic and are now getting those novels published. I stopped writing entirely for a year and a half, for various reasons, and now I feel like I've fallen behind.

Someday I might return to the Not-Quite-Urban Fantasy but I'm still too raw to handle the edits even now.

Oh, the worlds of might-have-been!

And now I've gone and left this on a down note. There'll be more positivity next month, I promise. In the meantime, here’s my list of everything I read this month, in the rough order of how glad I was to have read them.

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf - Rebecca Romney

A rare book dealer explores the literary histories of Austen’s favourite female authors, and how they didn’t make the English canon the way Austen did. Out in February.

8/10

reading copy

The Disappearing Spoon - Sam Kean

An entertaining history of chemistry, atomic physics, and the elements of the periodic table.

8/10

library ebook

The Tropic of Serpents - Marie Brennan

Isabella Camherst travels south to Bayembe to study savannah dragons, but finds herself caught in politics and sent on a mission to the swamp of Mouleen.

7.5/10

African-coded secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (asexual)

library book

The Dollmakers - Lynn Buchanan

When Shean of Pearl receives, and refuses, an artisan dollmaker license, she sets off for a remote village to prove she and her dolls have what it takes to be guards against the Shod. If this means luring the monsters in, so be it.

7.5/10

reading copy

The Angel of Indian Lake - Stephen Graham Jones

Jade Daniels, now Proofrock’s history teacher, has put slasher cycles behind her. Except it’s looking like another one’s started anyway.

7.5/10

Blackfoot protagonist, 🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (sapphic), Black secondary characters

warning: blood, gore, death, murder

reading copy

Reluctant Immortals - Gwendolyn Kiste

Lucy Westrena and Bee Rochester are trying to get through the days in 1967 LA when their exes return in San Fransisco.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (sapphic), Jamaican-British secondary character

warning: abusive relationships

reading copy

Bury Your Gays - Chuck Tingle

After Misha refuses to kill off his queer leads for the season finale, he finds himself stalked by horror villains he created.

7/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (bi, aroace), 🏳️‍🌈 author

warning: death, murder, torture, homophobia, child abuse

library book

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 7 - G. Willow Wilson with Mirka Andolfo (Illustrator), Takeshi Miyazawa (Illustrator)

Kamala Khan faces two difficult foes: gerrymandering and a sentient computer virus.

6.5/10

Pakistani-American protagonist, Muslim protagonist, Pakistani-American secondary characters, Muslim secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (sapphic), Black secondary character, secondary character with limb damage and a cane, Muslim author

warning: outing

off my TBR

Paladin’s Grace - T. Kingfisher

Stephen is a paladin whose god has died. Grace is a perfumer trying to keep her past buried. Witnesses to a failed assassination, they now must work together to navigate a world of intrigue, poisoners, and zealots. It’s a good thing they like each other.

6.5/10

off my TBR/ebook

Plain Jane and the Mermaid - Vera Brosgol

When Jane’s potential fiancé is kidnapped by a mermaid, she descends into the depths to rescue him even though she can never hope to compete with true waifish beauty.

7.5/10

warning: body shaming

library book

Sorcery and Small Magics - Maiga Doocy

Leovander Loveage and Sebastian Grimm get along like oil and water—which makes it all the worse when Leo's hit with an illegal curse and they must work together to break it.

6.8/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (achillean), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (achillean), 🏳️‍🌈 minor character (ungendered), minor character with dark skin, minor character who uses a cane

gifted by publisher

Dictionary of Fine Distinctions - Eli Bernstein

Illuminating and illustrated definitions of commonly confused words.

7/10

library book

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop - Satoshi Yagisawa

When Takako finds herself adrift in life, she accepts a room in her estranged uncle’s bookshop.

7/10

Japanese cast, Japanese author

library book

Wordhunter - Stella Sands

A spiky forensic linguistics student is tapped by her local PD to help find a kidnapped teen, but that brings up a missing person’s case from her own past. Too close, too soon.

2/10

Black secondary character

warning: drug use, alcohol abuse, rape and an odd attitude towards its aftermath, pedophiles given a pass

library book

Picture books

All the Books - Hayley Rocco

Piper loves books so much she takes her whole collection everywhere, but when her wagons tip over in the rain she discovers … the library!

9/10

DNF

The Aeronaut’s Windlass - Jim Butcher

The cold war between Spires Albion and Aurora is heating up, and something uncanny is showing itself. Caught in it all are Captain Grimm, late of the Predator, a handful of trainee guards, and a prince of cats.

library ebook

Currently reading

The Price of the Stars - Debra Doyle and James D. MacDonald

When Beka’s politician mother is assassinated, her father gives her his warship in exchange for her tracking the assassins down. But when someone has it in for your family, sometimes one must take drastic measures.

off my TBR

The Empress Letters - Linda Rogers

A mother in the 1920s writes her life story in a series of letters to the daughter she’s searching for in China.

🇨🇦, Chinese secondary characters

warning: fetal remains, anti-Chinese racism

off my TBR

Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.

The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle Victorian detective stories

disabled POV character (limb injury), occasional Indian secondary characters

warning: racism, colonialism

Monthly total: 14 + 1 Yearly total: 106 Queer books: 3 Authors of colour: 2 Books by women: 9 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 0 Classics: 0 Off the TBR shelves: 3 Books hauled: 2 ARCs acquired: 3 ARCs unhauled: 4 DNFs: 1

January February March April May June July August September

[jewishdragon]

Meme: make a poll with your favorite characters and tag folks to do the same!

Tagging: anyone who wants to do this AND Tagging: @jewishfalin @earlgraytay @nymphofnovels @tanoraqui

@tanadin @fancydunamancy @tragedyposting @sidhewrites

[elliepassmore]

Turning Darkness Into Light review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: dragons, linguistics, light/dark academia, multimedia narrative

A Natural History of Dragons review

Tropic of Serpents review

Voyage of the Basilisk review

In the Labyrinth of Drakes review

Within the Sanctuary of Wings review

This book stands as a companion/sequel to the rest of the Lady Trent memoirs. It takes place while Isabella is publishing her memoirs and focuses on her granddaughter, Audrey, who is a linguist specializing in Draconean. While I do think you could read this book without having read the rest of the series (stuff is explained as it comes up and for the most part the two focus on separate things), it does 100% spoil Within the Sanctuary of Wings and the series' 'big reveal,' so bear that in mind. I will also note that there are no dragons in this book, it's all focused on the Draconean stuff.

I was super excited to see a book focusing on linguistics since it played such a big role in the later Lady Trent books. Suhail makes a lot of really big discoveries alongside Isabella and so we got to read about those, but it only whet my appetite for more Draconean linguistics. That being said, I wish we got more of the nitty gritty aspects of linguistics and translating ancient languages. I know getting too into it would probably make it boring for readers not interested in that field, but as a linguist I so desperately wanted all the 'boring' details. I did find it interesting and fun that Brennan decided to model ancient Draconean orthography more on Akkadian and Sumerian than Egyptian, despite the rest of the ancient Draconean culture + the Cataract Stone being modeled on the latter. Akkadian/Sumerian is notoriously difficult to read and translate, especially if you're not an expert, and it doesn't really change anything else, so it makes sense to use that as the basis for Audrey and Kudshayn's work here.

At this point in time, Draconeans were discovered ~40 years prior, giving people enough time to form opinions and biases about them. The desire for ancient Draconean artifacts hasn't died down, and with the upcoming Falchester Conference to determine the fate of the Sanctuary of Wings and Draconeans as a whole, there's a new boom for them. Despite that, there are some people who are neutral, some who support the Draconeans, and some who dislike them. The latter group can be split into different fields of thought: Calderites who think Draconeans are lesser than humans and should stay in the Sanctuary, and Hadamists who think Draconeans mean the end of human civilization and want them dead. Both Draconean supporters and haters are out in full force with the upcoming conference, and some are eager to see what the translated tablets have to say, if only to use them against the other side.

The book is told in a multimedia style, with snippets from Audrey, Kudshayn, and Cora's diaries; newspaper articles; translated tablets; and letters. I really liked this method of telling the story since it allows us to get a much fuller look at everything going on during the course of the story. It's also interesting because it provides us with a number of different narrative styles, and I enjoyed how this storytelling technique nods to the topic of the book. I also liked that Brennan included the translations as Audrey and Kudshayn made them since we got to see the story unfold alongside them and we got to see some of their notes about the translation, some of which come back later on as plot points.

Audrey is clearly very passionate about linguistics and Draconean rights (obviously), and it's clear she's got the Trent/Camherst passion in her. At the same time, she has to juggle with the knowledge that she's being compared against her other illustrious family members -- from Isabella and Suhail to her father and mother -- and wants to achieve her own greatness. She doesn't always make the best decisions, but neither did Isabell, and I enjoyed seeing the dynamic of her trying to pursue her passions, live up to her family name, and 'do what grandmama would do.'

Kudshayn is a Draconean whose mother purposefully laid her clutch in a different environment in order to experiment with Draconean developmental lability with the hopes of ensuring Draconeans can live among humans and not just in the Sanctuary of Wings. Kudshayn, being a male Draconean, is a scholar and a priest, thus the translation is important to him as well as to Audrey. Kudshayn has a lot to grapple with in the book, from the upcoming vote about whether the Sanctuary should be recognized as independent and Draconeans free to roam, to the new religious insights found in the tablet, to the rocky history of human-Draconean relations. He's fairly quiet and sensible, but he also understands a lot about people and is forgiving when something is a genuine mistake vs. malicious intent.

Cora is Lord Gleinheigh's niece, tasked with being Audrey's assistant and with spying on her. Cora is autistic coded, though considering the time period, no one comes out and says it. Poor Cora is stuck between somewhat of a rock and a hard place -- she feels indebted to her uncle and so she spies on Audrey + Kudshayn, but at the same time she becomes friends with them and doesn't necessarily want to do it. Cora is quite clever and while she can't translate Draconean as well as the other two, she actually makes some decent headway and is able to pick some of it up quickly. I did enjoy her frustration with the more confusing or intricate aspect of ancient Draconean orthography. Cora comes into herself in this book and becomes quite the little advocate for herself. I really liked seeing her friendship with the other two (and a little hint in The Long Fall of how the three are still connected.)

Overall I enjoyed this book and think it's a great companion to the Lady Trent memoirs. I liked Audrey as a character and enjoyed following her journey in this book. I also really loved the linguistic aspect of things and am glad that we got a book focused on Draconean translations and linguistics.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

TOP CHARACTER OF ALL TIME (bigcats-birds-and-books edition)

hi yes hello @asexualbookbird tagged me to do the TOP FAVE CHARACTERS thing. in the name of Gender Balance (with a pivot point of "N/A"), i have gone with seven (7) options for you all to vote on. choose wisely.

(no non-option option, if you don't know any of these people but still want to push a button, show laverne some love, i think she'll need it most and she's a fucking delight)(and then go check out NOTHING BUT THE RAIN, because it's SO GOOD)

i tag: @sixofravens-reads, @emoclone, @e-b-reads, and @pyr0clast, if you wanna play!! no pressure, as always

[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

[lilareviewsbooks]

isabella and suhail are the only straight couple i care about

[judgeitbyitscover]

The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

Cover illustrations by Todd Lockwood

A Natural History of Dragons (2013)

You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one's life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . . All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day. Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

A Tropic of Serpents (2014)

Attentive readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoir, A Natural History of Dragons, are already familiar with how a bookish and determined young woman named Isabella first set out on the historic course that would one day lead her to becoming the world’s premier dragon naturalist. Now, in this remarkably candid second volume, Lady Trent looks back at the next stage of her illustrious (and occasionally scandalous) career. Three years after her fateful journeys through the forbidding mountains of Vystrana, Mrs. Camherst defies family and convention to embark on an expedition to the war-torn continent of Eriga, home of such exotic draconian species as the grass-dwelling snakes of the savannah, arboreal tree snakes, and, most elusive of all, the legendary swamp-wyrms of the tropics. The expedition is not an easy one. Accompanied by both an old associate and a runaway heiress, Isabella must brave oppressive heat, merciless fevers, palace intrigues, gossip, and other hazards in order to satisfy her boundless fascination with all things draconian, even if it means venturing deep into the forbidden jungle known as the Green Hell . . . where her courage, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity will be tested as never before.

The Voyage of the Basilisk (2015)

Devoted readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoirs, A Natural History of Dragons and The Tropic of Serpents, may believe themselves already acquainted with the particulars of her historic voyage aboard the Royal Survey Ship Basilisk, but the true story of that illuminating, harrowing, and scandalous journey has never been revealed—until now. Six years after her perilous exploits in Eriga, Isabella embarks on her most ambitious expedition yet: a two-year trip around the world to study all manner of dragons in every place they might be found. From feathered serpents sunning themselves in the ruins of a fallen civilization to the mighty sea serpents of the tropics, these creatures are a source of both endless fascination and frequent peril. Accompanying her is not only her young son, Jake, but a chivalrous foreign archaeologist whose interests converge with Isabella’s in ways both professional and personal. Science is, of course, the primary objective of the voyage, but Isabella’s life is rarely so simple. She must cope with storms, shipwrecks, intrigue, and warfare, even as she makes a discovery that offers a revolutionary new insight into the ancient history of dragons.

In the Labyrinth of Drakes (2016)

Even those who take no interest in the field of dragon naturalism have heard of Lady Trent's expedition to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia. Her discoveries there are the stuff of romantic legend, catapulting her from scholarly obscurity to worldwide fame. The details of her personal life during that time are hardly less private, having provided fodder for gossips in several countries. As is so often the case in the career of this illustrious woman, the public story is far from complete. In this, the fourth volume of her memoirs, Lady Trent relates how she acquired her position with the Royal Scirling Army; how foreign saboteurs imperiled both her work and her well-being; and how her determined pursuit of knowledge took her into the deepest reaches of the Labyrinth of Drakes, where the chance action of a dragon set the stage for her greatest achievement yet.

Within the Sanctuary of Wings (2017)

After her adventure in the mountains of Vystrana, and her exploits in the depths of Eriga, to the high seas aboard The Basilisk, and then to the 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, behind the territory of Scirland's enemies - and what she discovered there, within the Sanctuary of Wings.

[b-plot-butch]

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

[derangedpracticality]

I love Isabella Camherst so much

if you're not obsessed with a fucked up female character i hope that changes for you soon. becoming obsessed with a genuinely deranged fictional woman will change your life.