History Literature / AMemoirByLadyTrent

* ArtisticLicense: Isabella repeatedly mentions how certain things that people have romanticized about her life were in fact a lot less dramatic, neat, or impressive when they happened. For one example, Isabella mentions that there are numerous paintings of the moment she [[spoiler:took down a caeliger]] while riding a sea serpent, most of which depict her as standing atop the beast, wearing a dress, her hair blowing majestically in the wind. The reality was a lot less romantic: she was dressed in practical trousers, had short hair that was plastered all over her face, and she was hanging on for dear life off the sea serpent's nose.

* ScienceHero: Isabella what we'd now recognize as a biologist but in faux-victorian times called a natural historian, uses dragons quite a few times to get out of scrapes, {{lampshaded}} in a later book.

* OrphanedEtymology: The expedition falls afoul of some Komodo dragons - specifically named as such in the narration -- at one point during ''Voyage of the Basilisk'', despite the series taking place in a world where the Indonesian island of Komodo does not exist.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: There are many, many species of dragon and dragon-like animals, their bones tend to decay quickly when dead [[spoiler:though can be preserved by sulfuric acid]], a lot of work was put into making them plausible as real animals by the author, and no one knows just how smart they are.

->''You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart -- no more so then 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 of one's life -- is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten...''

** Similarily, Thomas Wilker is never given a detailed description, but is revealed in an illustration at the end of ''The Voyage of the Basilisk'' to look like Creator/DomnhallGleeson.

** Similarily, Thomas Wilker is never given a detailed description, but is revealed in an illustration at the end of ''The Voyage of the Basilisk'' to look like Domnhall Gleeson.

* MainliningTheMonster: Gaetano Rossi discovers a chemical process to preserve the fast-decaying bones of dragons. Isabella and Tom realize that this would lead to dragons all over the world being hunted to extinction for their bones, which once they're preserved are extraordinarily strong and light. They try to keep it under wraps, but the research is stolen and eventually becomes an open secret. They then shift to funding research into synthesizing artificial dragonbone, to obviate the need to kill dragons.

* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Isabella herself is never really given much physical description, but the one time we get a clear illustration of her at the very end of ''Within the Sanctuary of Wings'', she looks very like Creator/MaggieSmith.

** Since they are written assuming that the reader already knows about Lady Trent's exploits, there are numerous references to other adventures, books or associates that are never elaborated on; some are treated as such in the earlier books, but are then described in detail in the later ones.

There was an interquel short story [[https://www.tor.com/2016/04/05/from-the-editorial-page-of-the-falchester-weekly-review-a-lady-trent-story/ From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review]] set between third and fourth novels. While [[https://uncannymagazine.com/article/on-the-impurity-of-dragon-kind/ On the Impurity of Dragon-kind]] has a character go through an important life event [[SimultaneousArcs during the fourth book]].

* BasiliskAndCockatrice: The only Basilisk that shows up is the ship of that name. Cockatrices are another matter being simply a medieval legend, this fact is the central conceit of the 4.5 short story.

* WholesomeCrossdresser: Isabella's habit of wearing trousers while on expeditions paints her as this in the pseudo-victorian Scirling society. She meets a few others who do something similar.