Der Wendekreis der Schlangen

More of a 3.5 than a 3 star book; oh Goodreads, why do you foil the half star?!

It took awhile for me to cozy back up with Lady Trent and the world she inhabits, in addition to the various cultural and social structures she must manage in her home country and those she visits to research all things dragon, including tying other species to the dragon family tree that aren't recognized as such in book 2. I would not recommend jumping into
Book 2 without first reading book 1; the backstory is required to really get anywhere.

Lady Trent is an excellent character, who shares some character leanings with both Amelia Peabody of Elizabeth Peter's excellent series and Lady Emily of Tasha Alexander's “And Only to Deceive” series. Lady Trent is spunky and, sometimes, a bit foolish. However,Marie Brennan's writing style is well worth and small flaws in plot or character.