I love this series a lot. It's not for everyone though. I think if you are into historical fiction or classic literature about exploration you may find this more enjoyable than those who are more into straight fantasy. Really the only fantasy element to this series is the fact that the charaters are studying dragons. While the decriptions and illustrations of the dragons are facinating, they might as well be any other kind of reality based exotic creature as far as their interactions in the books are concerned. It's more about the main character's journey through physically and emotionally difficult situations and political intrigue than anything. I love this series through because I find the main character's narrative funny and snarky and the psuedo-sciency biology/archaeology elements to be interesting. Despite the plot in this book beginning to feel similar to previous books in the series, it's still enjoyable and I would highly recommend it.