His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

This is the first book in the Temeraire series. It takes place in Europe during the Napoleonic wars. Ship Captain Will Laurence finds himself unexpectedly in possession of a dragon's egg that is ready to hatch. He knows his duty...and he knows that it will possibly end his career in the Navy.

There are a lot of dragon books out there. But I've never read one set in the time of Napoleon. And I've never read one where the dragon is somewhat autonomous. Temeraire is an especially intelligent dragon and he asks questions about his role in the war, his subjection to the British government...he's a thinking dragon.

I really liked Naomi Novik's characters. I especially liked Will Laurence and his formality, his gentleman-like ways. I loved the close relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. 

I didn't like the many battles and the inevitable deaths--I like happy endings best, of course. I also didn't like the free and easy moral code of the Aerial Corps. Why is this lifestyle idealized this way in so many novels? But those are just small irritations in a book that I really, really liked a lot. I look forward to reading the whole series.