The first in a new fantasy series about a world where dragons exist and can be tamed. It centers around Anequs, an indigenous girl, who finds a dragon's egg and is then sent to the Anglish boarding school to learn how to train her dragon.

I thought this concept was really interesting. The world building was unique, and I loved the parallels between real life and this world, with clear colonizers and pushback, etc. My main critique of this is that I found the writing very slow and dense. I was not immediately pulled in by the writing, especially before Anequs gets to the boarding school. It does pick up a bit from there, but that definitely detracted from my enjoyment of this novel.

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Nampeshiweisit series. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This is the 1st book in the Nampeshiweisit series and was good but a bit slow at parts. There is a ton of detail here on the magic system and our main protagonist learning things about dragons at her school. It can get a bit dry at times and the main protagonist comes off as one of those people who can do no wrong. The world-building is very intricate and unique but at times it completely takes over the story.

The story follows Anequs, who finds a dragon egg. When the dragon hatches it chooses her to be its bond mate. Unfortunately, no one on Anequs’s island knows much about dragons so Anequs is forced to journey to the Anglish mainland to go to a dragon school and learn how to control her the very dangerous breath of her dragon. What Anequs doesn’t realize is how big of a deal it is for someone from Masquapaug (Anequs’s home island) to go to an Anglish school and how much prejudice there will be against her.

The world-building and magic system is intense in this book and explained in somewhat excruciating detail. There are large sections of the book where we attend lectures at school with Anequs and are taught about the world in extreme detail. While I appreciate solid world-building, I though portions of this book took it too far and just made the whole thing a bit boring.

The characters are generally well done and have a lot of depth to them. I did struggle a bit with Anequs’ character, she was way to well spoken and knowledgeable for her supposed situation and she is one of those characters who can do know wrong. She is wiser than everyone around her and helps everyone solve everything. I would have preferred a bit more balance to her.

I did greatly enjoy seeing the contrast between Anequs’s people and the Anglish and I also enjoyed Anequs’s family. The dragons were amazing and I loved seeing the different types of dragons and their different skills. This book deals very deeply with prejudice and you can see huge parallels between real-life European or American culture and the conflicts these populations have had with smaller indigenous cultures.

This was an easy read, I enjoyed it. However, I did end up skimming parts that were too drawn out. I think some better editing could have made these more boring portions tighter and more fun to read. I did enjoy that there are a number of times throughout the book where a character goes into a folklore story within the book.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a decent read. I loved the dragons and the intricate world-building. I do think some of the details of the world-building and magic were a bit too drawn out. I also thought Anequs was one of those heroines who can do no wrong and that makes her a bit boring to read about. This book also has incredibly heavy themes around prejudice and mainstream cultures taking over important small-group traditions. I do plan on reading the next book since I think this could develop into an amazing epic fantasy series.

This book is an excellent example of the usual magical school setting while being artfully entwined with own voices experiences of colonialism. The way that the story continues to develop make you want to understand more about Anequs and her adventures while she tries to understand what it means to be Nampeshiweisit and how to navigate the Anglish world that she's never been apart of before in a truly amazing way. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one!

3.5 rounded to 4
Our heroine is Anequs, an Indigenous girl living in an an alternate Earth that evokes the mid-nineteenth century, when empire-building was rampant. She discovers that a Nampeshiwe, a nearly extinct dragon, has laid an egg on her island. As in many dragon fantasies since Andre Norton first introduced dragon-egg bonding, the baby dragon, Kasaqua, on hatching bonds with Anequs.

As dragons are nearly extinct, no one has any idea how to care for and train a dragon, so Anequs must attend an Anglish dragoneering academy. And here, she runs straight into colonialist racism and bigotry, but she has to stick it out learning how to shape her dragon’s breath, or her dragon will be put to death.

The opening was a real page turner. The setting was vivid, island life rich with tradition and details of daily life. I also loved the fact that polyamory was a part of life here, and Anequs's bisexuality was an integral part of her personality.

That said, once Anequs got to the dragon academy, the plot slowed down. I found myself putting the book down after shorter and shorter reading engagements. The emphasis on colonialist bigotry was like a huge, stomping boot constantly thumping its message, between long, long dissertations on the "science" of dragon breath. It could be that all this is setup for the series, but it made it difficult to engage with the story, especially when the narrative voice resorted to summarizing occasional action after the fact.

Also, though I really like diversity in novels, the sense that the protagonist's group is all rejects for being Different veers a bit too close to checking boxes. But that might be my old age, and younger readers coming fresh to a book with lots of diversity will be engaged with the characters, who--as individuals--I liked a lot.

To wind this up, we have a very long book here that I felt would have kept its great pacing all the way through if a couple hundred pages had been trimmed at the back end. But overall, it's an engaging read, and I'm sure once the story gets going, the stakes, and the pacing, will pick up again, fulfilling the promise of the early part of the book.

Ahoy there me mateys!  This is a dragon book and the start of a new series that ended up being an uneven read even though I do want to read the next one when it comes out.

Pros:

- Dragons: Cause who doesn't love them?
- Indigenous main character: I really enjoyed Anequs and did sympathize with her plight regarding her world being colonized by the Anglish.
- Diversity: I enjoyed the ideas of a bi-sexual main character who comes from a culture that is okay with polyamory.  I enjoyed the neurodivergent friend.  I loved Anequs befriending a servant against the norm.
- Alternate History:  I like worldbuilding where our world is twisted.

Cons:

- Dragons:  How can they be a con?  Not much happens on the page with them.  If they were turned into fancy horses or dogs, a lot of the story would stay the same.
- Indigenous main character:  Anegus world seemed like an utopia with only a little bit of money.  It seemed like an overly idealized version of such a culture.
- Diversity:  Some of the friendships seemed contrived, and I am not always a fan of the friend group being made up of all misfits.  Makes it feel like the characters are checkboxes.
- Alternate History:  I felt that this alternate history was too much English and Nordic culture.  We did not get enough of Anequs' world.  I also feel like the message about colonization took away from the plot.  Too much moralizing and not action.
- Too Long:  This book was over 5oo pages.  A lot of the political philosophizing could have been removed as well as the chemical educational lectures.  This novel needed about 200 pages trimmed.  And more dragons!

Arrrr!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this eARC through NetGalley.

3.5 stars, rounding to 4

I genuinely really enjoyed this book. Something I felt all throughout this book was that it felt like a story that was being verbally told and just happened to be written down at the same time. I have a feeling that was intentional, but it made for an interesting experience, especially since there are no chapter numbers. But I thought it was kind of cool. Like it was a story meant to be TOLD, as many indigenous stories have been passed down through the generations. I found the overarching themes and messages to be so well done and laid out. It was very obvious that the author put a great deal of time and thought into this world and the creation of it, while at the same time clearly drawing on the true history of indigenous people under the thumb of colonialism. The references to indigenous culture in this book were so informative and I feel like I learned quite a bit. I really enjoyed reading about the culture from the perspective of an indigenous person. I could feel the authenticity and I also felt the anger and frustration that they felt during the moments of trial when pushed against the colonizers.

Unfortunately though, I found that some parts were a little too heavy on the intricate "scientific" details for my attention span (i.e. during Anequs' classes) and I found myself skimming to get through some parts (which I don't typically do). I also found the fantasy side lacking a little for me. I thought this was going to be a little heavier on the dragon side, and it was very much in the background. I would have liked to have seen it a little more at the forefront. I believe this is the first book in a series, so that could be why. Maybe the later books will have more dragon action.

I absolutely adored Anequs and loved the bisexual representation of her character! She truly demonstrated the simple nature of being attracted to more than one gender and her love for both was just so beautifully done. I loved her determination, her love of home and family, the reverence she has for Kasaqua and her island/culture. I adored the way she looked at the world, just the simplicity of it, like Theod said "she always had an answer for everything" and was always so sure of herself. Her confidence, steadfastness and willingness to always speak her mind really just spoke to me. I thought she was a beautifully done character and I enjoyed her development despite being chastised at every turn.

I also enjoyed Sander and Theod's characters and their development over this book. Sander just seemed like such a beautiful soul and genuinely good person and he and Anequs' friendship really was so sweet. Theod rubbed me wrong a little at first, but slowly grew on me. But then when events happened later in the book...my goodness, I was close to tears for him! Liberty was another that I really loved reading about. Her interactions with Anequs just made me so giddy for them and I really hope there is more to their story.

Another aspect I wish there had been more of: moments of bonding between Anequs and Kasaqua. It felt like their connection was very instant, but never really cultivated between the two of them. Like as soon as Kasaqua hatched, they were connected, but they never really spent a whole lot of one-on-one time together to form a tighter bond. I don't know, maybe it wasn't necessary, but I would have loved to read a little more about just the two of them having more experiences together. Again, maybe they will have more time together in later books. I hope so.

I think I would be interested in reading the follow-up book to this, there's enough here that I'd be interested to see where the story goes. I would definitely recommend if you are looking for: light on fantasy; steam-punk vibes; queer representation; own voices; YA; no spice; genuinely feel good story; and overcoming obstacles set by society. Enjoy!

A brutal and beautiful story about a girl and her dragon. I haven’t connect with book that featured dragons like this since Eragon. This story had all the elements I loved from Eragon but with so much more. I really felt the sense of culture and history. Excited to see what this new author writes next, one to watch!!

I really enjoyed Moniquill Blackgoose's To Shape A Dragon's Breath. The novel follows Anequs, an indigenous woman, as she travels with her hatchling dragon to an academy run by the Anglish colonizers. Anequs has to navigate social and political challenges in order to be able to "prove" herself and keep her dragon.

The middle section gets a little slow as it teases out more exposition, but this is clearly in advance of future novels in the series.

Set in the nineteenth century, To Shape A Dragon's Breath is a reimagined United States during, I imagine, the US's most aggressive expansionist policies and "Frontier Wars." The fantasy reshaping of historical events reminded me of The Poppy War.

Overall, I'm really looking forward to the next books in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Rating: All-Time Favorite, 5 stars

To Shape a Dragon's Breath was an absolute masterpiece! This book follows Anequs, a young, indigenous woman in a fantasy version of America where we were settled by the Vikings instead of the English, and there are dragons and the magic that comes from their breath. One day Anequs sees a Nampeshiwe dragon that are considered sacred to her people. They had thought to have all died many years before, and when Anequs finds the egg this dragon lay, she bods with the hatchling and becomes Nampeshiweisit, one who belongs to a dragon. The Anglish have lots of rules and regulations surrounding dragons, and she needs to learn the secrets of skiltkraft from someone so that she can safely control Kasaqua's breath. So, Anequs finds herself as the only indigenous woman at a prestigious dragon academy. She must find a way to learn everything she must without losing who she is.

We essentially follow Anequs through her first year at school. By the nature of the setup of the book, we take a hard look at colonization, systems of inequality, classism, racism, sexism, and so many other big topics. But I feel as though this book handled it really well. First off Anequs is a joy to follow. She is smart, determined, and very sure of her identity and worth. It was super refreshing to follow a young woman who already possesses that sense of self-worth and self-peace.

I thought that while the trials that Anequs has to go through throughout the book were at times difficult to read about because it just felt so unfair, her spirit and determination really kept the book from becoming too overwhelming with all the racism and microagressions that occur throughout. This book has a lot of diverse representation. In addition to the fact that this is written about an indigenous MC by an indigenous author, we also have other people of color, LGBTQ+ rep, polyamory rep, and a heavily featured side character who appears to be on the autism spectrum. I thought that the issues that arose for these different characters and groups of characters were tastefully handled and got the message across without being overly on-the-nose.

I ended up loving the characters though. Anequs and Kasaqua are delightful, and I came to really love Theode, and Sanders. I also really enjoyed the Fraus running the academy, Anequs' family, and even came to appreciate Marta. I appreciate the personalities of the characters, and while Anequs is the most developed, I think they all were pretty well-written with good individual motives.

Something else that I really loved was the storytelling voice. I feel like it is super descriptive, which as someone who is not a very visual reader can be a detriment, but not in this case. It almost felt like as I read it that it should have felt info-dumpy or over the top, but it never really did. I felt like it added to the voice and the cadence. It felt to me like an oral story, and I loved that. The chapters are very short and it moved so quickly, despite being over 500 pages. We are learning a lot about the world at the same time that Anequs is, so by nature there will be some info-dumping but it felt fairly natural and it mostly flowed.

I think that is it in a nutshell. This is a beautiful, dragon school story that was incredibly difficult to read at times, but has ended up being one of my favorite books of the year so far. Anequs is a strong and brave heroine who I greatly admire and really loved reading about. I highly recommend this book if anything about it sounds like it would be up your alley. I think this is the first in a series, but it also wraps up really well and feels like a contained thought. I will definitely be keeping my eye on this author and checking out other works by them.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Del Rey for an advance eARC of this book. All opinions are my own. To Shape a Dragon's Breath comes out on May 9, 2023.

HIGHLIGHTS
~a dragon cannot be owned
~never forget where your home is
~draw the line and hold it
~two love interests ≠ love triangle
~weaponise the tea parties
~remember your dances
~take what’s useful from your colonisers and set the rest on fire

OH, TO SHAPE A DRAGON’S BREATH, HOW DO I LOVE THEE? LET ME COUNT THE INNUMERABLE WAYS!

This is a queer Native American dragon-rider story. If that’s not enough to make you preorder it immediately, I am happy to enumerate for you exactly how excellent it is, but the tl;dr version is that yes, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is every bit as epic as that sounds.

QUEER

NATIVE AMERICAN

DRAGON-RIDERS.

Or dragon-rider, technically. Even more technically, not a dragon-rider but a Nampeshiweisit, which means chosen by a dragon, because Anequs’ people do not consider dragons as animals to be owned and it’s you who belongs to the dragon, not the other way around–

…I’m getting slightly ahead of myself, aren’t I?

Okay. SO.

Blackgoose introduces us to a world where the Anglish, aka the Vikings (who, now I think about it, made it to North America before Columbus in our world too!) have taken the role the British Empire did in our own history, ie colonising everyone they could, considering themselves the pinnacle of civilisation, and slaughtering everyone who disagrees with them. Or looks different from them. Or lives differently from them. Or–you get the idea.

Anequs is a young Indigenous woman in an analogue of our North America, who can mostly ignore the existence of the Anglish, as they rarely come to her island. And she lives a perfectly normal life, until one of her people’s dragons – thought to be extinct, at least in the area – guides her to an egg. When the dragon who hatches from it – Kasaqua – chooses Anequs, Anglish law says she must attend a dragoneer academy to learn the ‘right way’ to be a dragon-rider. If she fails, Kasaqua will be executed – and the Anglish really want her to fail.

I don’t think Anequs is intended to be read as autistic – especially since one of the secondary characters very much is clearly autistic, even if Anglish society doesn’t have a word for it – but my gods: as an autistic reader, Anequs was a JOY and a RELIEF to read! She just makes sense in a way neurotypical characters often don’t, just as the culture she comes from makes sense in deep, sweeping ways. Her rational, compassionate matter-of-factness highlights the glaring nonsense that is ‘civilised society’; she’s quick to point out, and call out, how meaningless, bizarre, and often damaging the Anglish way of doing things is – and she doesn’t let any of these new and ridiculous rules compromise who she is, or what her goals are. (Or stop her from having two love interests, and no, this is not a love triangle!) Her dedication to her people and her heritage is one of my favourite things about her, and I cannot tell you how much I loved that she has absolutely no interest in becoming an Anglish-approved ‘Nackie’, nevermind trying to become Anglish herself.

<“I didn’t ask to be a precedent. I never wanted to leave Masquapaug. If we had anyone there who could teach me, I’d still be there. But our dragons died two hundred years ago, and their dragoneers with them, and the knowledge was lost. I’m here to help my people, Frau Kuiper. I’m not here to make them more like yours.”>

Which is not to say that she doesn’t do her best to not make (unnecessary) waves, because she’s very much aware of how precarious her position (and Kasaqua’s) is – but she also knows when and where to draw the line and defend it. I will always love a character (or real life person) who isn’t afraid to say this is wrong – or who is afraid but does it anyway.

And unfortunately, Anequs does have cause to draw that line and say that what she’s facing is wrong, a lot more than once. Racism and colonialism are very big themes in this book; both the institutionalised kinds and the direct, personal kinds aimed at Anequs specifically. One instance of the former that hit hard was on the first day of classes, when Anequs comes to the classroom without notebook and pens – because she’s never been taught this way before, and no one thought to prepare her. Worse is the teacher’s reaction; he assumes she either doesn’t care about his class or is an idiot, rather than the obvious conclusion, which is that her people teach and learn in a very different way. (As someone who is very anti the rote-memorisation approach to learning, this was yet another case where I thought Anequs’ people were much smarter about things!) Even the apparent ‘liberals’ are unintentionally thoughtless or insulting at least half the time – in other words, it’s all exactly like real-world racism.

The clear contrast between how the Anglish are obsessed with their history and myths, while so much of Anequs’ heritage has been lost – because of Anglish colonisation – is a perfect snapshot of the horrifically imbalanced power dynamic between the two cultures. Anequs is penalised in her lessons for her unfamiliarity with Anglish history and lore – but she’s only at the academy in the first place because the Anglish wiped out the Nampeshiweisit who could have taught her what she and Kasaqua need to learn. It’s as enraging as it is heart-breaking.

But Blackgoose has absolutely not written a story that is all suffering or misery-porn; I experienced a lot of rage at what Anequs and her people have to deal with, but I never felt despair. Blackgoose writes bigots as potentially very dangerous but also contemptible, and between Anequs’ calm but fierce strength, her brilliant clever mind, and the allies and support network she has and adds to over the course of the book, it’s pretty clear that no one is going to snuff her out.

If anything, she is clearly starting a much-needed wildfire.

<I had become like Crow, venturing to dangerous and unknown lands to bring fire back to my people. I wondered, as we sat together in one another’s company, what we were going to burn with it.>

Speaking of fire: let’s talk about the DRAGONS!

Blackgoose has also come up with a really unique (as far as I’m aware) approach to dragons: in this world, dragonfire makes an excellent weapon, but that’s not actually its most important function. Guided by the will of their bonded rider, a dragon’s breath can break down materials into their component elements – think the Periodic Table, not earth/air/fire/water – or combine them to create different materials. Uncontrolled, this is massively dangerous; controlled, it’s almost endlessly useful for all kinds of applications, and it gives dragons a place and role in human society that’s not like any other dragon-rider book I can think of. It’s learning this power and bringing it back to her people that is Anequs’ main goal in studying with the Anglish, although it gradually becomes clear that the Anglish skiltakraft – what we might call chemistry – doesn’t go far enough, has the potential to be and accomplish so much more, but is limited by the Anglish’s rigid thinking and their belief that dragons are ‘just animals’.

<“Well, I can certainly see why Frau Kuiper solicited my assistance in making you aware of civilized customs, as it’s obvious that you have little experience with polite society. Primitive superstition and folklore aside, dragons are beasts—as much as dogs or horses are. I very dearly love Magnus, and I’m sure that every dragoneer would say the same of their dragon, but I hold no particular illusions about him. He’s an animal of a witskrafty nature. If he weren’t bonded with me, or some other dragoneer of firm resolve, he would be vicious and dangerous. There are still truly wild dragons in the remote mountains of Tyskland and Vaskosland, and they still menace shepherds and even kill and eat mountaineers and explorers from time to time. It’s my understanding that there are wild dragons in the interior of Markesland as well, along the western and northern frontiers, and that they’re as much a menace to settlers as wolves and great cats are.”

“The dragons—and the wolves and great cats—were all here long before people were. My people have always endeavored to be good neighbors to them, and if your people find them menacing, then I can only presume that you haven’t taken the same care,” I said. “My grandmother didn’t think that there was anything worth knowing that I could learn by coming here, and I’m beginning to wonder if she wasn’t right.”>

(Passages like the one above are manifold and will make you want to shake the Anglish idiots. Dragons form psychic bonds with humans, and even if they don’t think in words, how stupid do you have to be to think they’re no different from dogs? THEIR BREATH LITERALLY RESHAPES THE WORLD. THEY ARE CLEARLY NOT ‘JUST ANIMALS’!)

The role of Anglish dragoneers in their society, versus that of a Nampeshiweisit in theirs, is radically different. A Nampeshiweisit works for the good of their people; being a dragoneer, on the other hand, is essentially a status symbol, as if a dragon is the equivalent of an expensive car or Louis Vuitton handbag. We see this in the completely opposing ways Nackies and Anglish take to the hatching of a dragon egg; Anequs’ people keep the egg in a communal space so the dragonet inside ‘meets’ everyone in the village, and chooses their Nampeshiweisit from among all those people – but the Anglish stick the egg in front of just one person, and the dragon can bond to that person or be put down as feral.

Honestly, that kind of tells you all you need to know about how the two cultures view dragons.

Another way in which Blackgoose’s take on dragons – and dragon-riding stories – is something special is that, in this book, Anequs never actually gets to ride Kasaqua. Not because the Anglish won’t allow it or anything, but because Kasaqua is still a baby! I feel like this is something we don’t see very often in dragon-rider stories; in all the examples I can think of, the period between a dragon’s hatching and when they’re big enough to ride is skimmed over, fast-forwarded through. And as much as I am looking forward to Anequs and Kasaqua’s first flight together – and I REALLY AM – I really loved that we got to see this phase of Kasaqua’s development in depth. For one thing, it makes Anequs and Kasaqua’s relationship feel much more organic and real; we see and experience them growing together and into each other, rather than just being told about the bond they have. But it also makes Kasasqua feel more like a real creature; as magical and incredible as dragons are, they start off small and take time to grow bigger, like all living things. It makes Kasaqua easier to believe in.

(And a book full of small!Kasaqua is, as you might expect, completely adorable and enchanting. I’m more than happy to wait for her to get big when it means we got a whole book of her curling up on Anequs’ shoulders, or in her lap, or bounding around like a puppy after butterflies!)

Look: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is a beautiful, impassioned book, a journey of discovery and dragons, friendship and fear, and being true to yourself, your people, and your dragon. It’s about being an outsider while knowing exactly where your home is; it’s about refusing to be made small, made less, by the people who hate you; about succeeding in spite of how much they want you to fail. It’s about having a strong heart and an open mind, about the importance and value of your heritage, about being able to identify and hold to the things that truly matter. The worldbuilding is deceptively simple and unabashedly impressive; the cast is wonderful, with a whole slew of amazing misfits and social outcasts for Anequs to weave into her pattern; and the main character is an absolute star. The whole approach of this book – to literally everything – filled me with Feels and made me so damn happy.

There’s absolutely nothing I would change. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is utterly perfect in every respect. This book feels like a game-changer, the start of a new generation of dragon stories, and I could not be more delighted to see it.

<“Daughter of my daughter, you’re going to teach us all how to dance with dragons again.”>

I can’t remember the last time I was this excited for a book, for what it has the potential to do – to its readers, to the genre, to the publishing industry.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is possibly the most unmissable fantasy book of 2023, and definitely the start of the next great dragon-rider series! Preorder it now to come dance with Anequs and Kasaqua next week!

the premise of this book sounded right up my alley, queer Indigenous fantasy with dragons??? sign me up.

however, i think the book was unnecessarily 500+ pages with really not that much happening. this book did a good job in laying the groundwork and setting the world building for the series. we spend a lot of time getting to know the characters and lore of this world, which was interesting in the first chunk of the novel but just felt far too long. Anequs didn't seem to have much growth as a character which is part of what really irks me about the length of this novel. with 500+ pages you would expect the main character to have some sort of internal growth and there just wasn't. Anequs is a pretty level character the entire time and it felt to me that she was having the same conversations over and over again about this new society she was thrown into. i just wish there was more interesting plot points to break up the monotony.

there might be enough interest for me to pick up the second book but i'm not 100% sure yet.

Overall, this was a really great start to a series. The world is sort of a transplant of our own in a steampunk-type world with dragons. There's a wide range of diverse characters and the world, despite seeming like our own, is unique in a way that makes it a pleasure to immerse yourself in. I will say that this book is not action-heavy. There's a lot of lore and scene-building, but the majority of the novel is Anequs trying to navigate in a world that, despite a thin veneer of politeness in some places, doesn't believe she deserves the right to exist in it as herself (and in some cases, not at all).

One critique I have is that there's a <i>lot</i> of info-dumping. Anequs comes to the Anglish dragon school to learn and you learn alongside her. There's a helpful glossary in the beginning (at least, there is in the arc I received), but it's relatively simple to follow along with; it's just a lot at once. And, a lot of the time, this info-dumping is done through huge swathes of dialogue. This can have the unfortunate side effect of making things a little stilted at times.

Despite this, the real strength of Moniquill Blackgoose's writing comes through in the characters. Anequs and her interactions with the people around her are wonderfully fleshed out. I loved seeing Anequs make friends and stand up for herself and her people. The way each character was fleshed out felt done with care and compassion and I truly rooted them.

Things really ramp up towards the end, but I do feel that the ending could have been slightly smoother(?). It just felt slightly abrupt, but it definitely wasn't bad. More than anything, I'm eager for the next book (not sure how many are going to be in the series yet).

Honestly, despite the critiques, I do think this is a book worth picking up. The characters really make it and Anequs is a protagonist that truly shines.

Fifteen year old Anequs becomes the first person to become bonded to a dragon on her island in over 200 years. She is Nampeshiweisit - a person who belongs to a dragon. Her people are seen as backwards and uncivilized to the colonizer Anglish people. However, in order for Anequs to keep her dragon Kasaqua alive she must attend an Anglish dragon academy to learn to control Kasaqua's breath. She faces many challenges from people who don't want her at the academy, but she is determined. Truths come to light that were hidden or forgotten. Anequs makes several unexpected friends and teaches them about her people. Will Anequs make it through the school term and keep Kasaqua?

The book is full of adventure and magic. It is a great read for anyone looking for a unique fantasy story. It is also a great example of indigenous representation in fantasy literature, as Anequis story is explored. From start to finish it consumed my thoughts.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read this incredible book early!

For those missing magical schools and dragons in their TBR, this subversive new addition is not one to be missed. This is a story about both magic academies and dragons, this is also a scathing allegory for the generational impacts of colonization. This is also a coming of age tale as Anequs discovers the true cruelty of the world she lives in and chooses the make a stand. I’m still having trouble putting into words how much I loved this book and intend to push it onto everyone I know, but what I can say is that it is an excellent (perhaps dark academia) story that shows us that no one is too small to make a difference.

This excellent steampunk world that also has dragons was not only fun but also very poignant about the reality of colonialism and racism (many of these factors still exist today).

I loved the energy here. The author did not hold back with this main character. I felt pure pride reading about this MC challenging every misconception of her people and standing up against any slight.

This is a great fantasy with a lot of attention to the details, which is what really highlights it as steampunk to me. These small details of designs to either create machinery or to control a dragons breath are simply fantastic.

I will say that parts of this book seriously dragged for me and seemed a bit slow. But I am so glad I kept reading because the ending is wild!

Out May 9, 2023!

"To Shape a Dragon's Breath" is a captivating and enthralling book that will leave you spellbound from the very first page. The story is richly imagined, with a deeply immersive world filled with magic, dragons, and danger.

The characters are complex and fully realized, with unique personalities that draw you into their individual journeys. The protagonist, Anequs, is particularly compelling. One of the strengths of this book is its pacing, which manages to balance action, intrigue, and character development in just the right proportions. The plot twists and turns in unexpected ways, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat until the very end.

Overall, "To Shape a Dragon's Breath" is a must-read for anyone who loves epic fantasy. It is a masterful work of world-building and storytelling, with richly drawn characters and a gripping plot that will keep you turning the pages long into the night. Highly recommended!

This is the first book in a new YA series about an indigenous girl and her dragon going to a colonizer dragon school, because her people's dragons all died out and their knowledge of how to work with them is therefore limited. It comes with all the usual rage-inducing micro- and macro-aggressions you'd expect of that setup, but Anequs is a fantastic main character who takes no shit from her schoolmates, teachers, or authority figures. She's quick to question things that don't make sense and will challenge the systems when she struggles with them. She is clever and kind and confident in her identity, and was a very endearing character to follow.
It does read like a first book in a series, and spends a great deal of its pages setting up characters, the setting, and following Anequs through her schooling. My primary complaint was with its choice to use fantasy recreations of existing things; the most egregious example was school subjects that had to be explained in detail via pages of lecture to convey "this is chemistry, but with dragons" and a world map that was described in pages of detail despite being essentially just "Europe and North America". I appreciated that it was a fantasy analogue to our world, which frees it from our own history's course, but I found the explanations tedious when we could've just said "anglereckoning is math". That said, the world and its societies are interesting - I like that our colonizers are Norse-inspired peoples, and I've enjoyed seeing our side characters and Anequs do their cultural exchanges, telling each other stories and explaining important holidays. It added a lot of depth to the characters and societies at play. This book did a lot of work to set up for what I anticipate will be the big confrontations in the next books, and I look forward to seeing how things unfold.
Overall this book was a very enjoyable read, and I think it would appeal to those who liked R.F. Kuang's Babel, though with a more hopeful tone. It releases May 9th.

From the publisher: A young Indigenous woman enters a colonizer-run dragon academy—and quickly finds herself at odds with the “approved” way of doing things.

Harry Potter meets Temeraire in this magical-school-with-dragons series launch.

Anequs lives with her people on a remote island, living a life her people have lived for many generations. They have an uneasy relationship with the Anglish, conquerors who see Anequs and her people as uncivilized barbarians. To have a dragon is a rare thing, and there has been no dragon among her people for many years. She finds a dragon egg, and the hatchling bonds with her. Her brother, who has left the island, tells her, “There’s a ministry for dragons. The Anglish have a ministry for everything. Dragons are supposed to be registered, and dragoneers need to be tested to prove they’re competent, because dragons are dangerous. There’s going to be trouble with the law if you don’t enroll in an academy.” (p. 27 of the advance reader copy)

An Indigenous person with a dragon is not something the Anglish dragoneers approve of, but there are some individuals working to change perceptions of the Indigenous people, and Anequs is reluctantly enrolled in an Anglish dragon school. Only one other girl is enrolled, and only one boy from an Indigenous people.

The world building is slow. You might even say languorous. We see what life is like on the island for Anequs and her kin. We hear about their food and drink. We hear their stories. We watch their dances.

Once Anequs makes it to school, the world building is also slow. She is hot tempered and often says and does things that are not wise. Most of her teachers and fellow students don’t want her there. They invent rules for her and the Indigenous boy. Everyone assumes she knows things about Anglish school that she does not. But she is also smart and clever, and she learns despite the odds against her.

I enjoyed To Shape a Dragon’s Breath very much, while also finding it a bit slow. Its strengths include world building, character development, and diverse representation. But there is also virtually no action until the end of the book, there are a LOT of new words/altered words to figure out, the author is fond of telling instead of showing, and some of the ideas she is trying to get across are repeated over and over. Still, I recommend it and look forward to the sequel.

I read an advance reader copy of To Shape a Dragon’s Breath. It will be published on May 9 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library in multiple formats.

🦇 Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ "I don't believe that any of the changes that you or others seem to expect of me would be improvements," I said. "I don't think that there's anything wrong with the way I dress, or speak, or behave. My clothes are clean, and in good repair. I can make myself understood. I am honest, and I endeavor to be kind. I don't speak ill of others regarding things beyond their control, and I don't speak against anyone who hasn't given personal insult to me or my loved ones. I wouldn't consider a person to be my social inferior simply for being poor. ❞

❓ #QOTD What would you name your dragon? ❓

🦇 After finding a dragon egg and bonding with the hatchling, fifteen-year-old Anequs becomes Nampeshiweisit—a person in a unique, unbreakable relationship with a dragon. Dragons were once common on the remote island Masquapaug, long before the Anglish conquered the land. Anequs and her dragon Kasaqua are forced to attend an Anglish dragon academy, where Anequs is expected to dress and behave like the Anglish who killed and conquered her people. Despite being treated like a second-class citizen, Anequs keeps her head held high to prove she's worthy of Kasaqua. If she can't pass her classes, Kasaqua will be put to death—and Anequs will unintentionally prove the Anglish right about their prejudice against her people. Can she defy the prejudice set against her?

💜 Moniquill Blackgoose shines a powerful light on important themes we can never allow society to ignore: equality (both in political and social power, between races and genders), agency, power, and consent. The entire story reads like an oral history, easily sweeping readers into the thrall. Anequs encounters extreme prejudice from teachers and classmates alike, yet still navigates both physical and emotional harassment with grace. This alternative history fantasy shows North America's occupation from an Indigenous perspective in ways no book has before. Despite the dark themes (including cultural genocide, indentured servitude, and child abuse, among others), Anequs is a delight. She's passionate, determined, and never falters in who she is—despite the number of Anglish people who want her to feel bad for remaining true to her history and heritage. Sending Anequs extra love for her bisexuality and interest in a poly relationship, both of which are normal among her people.

🦇 There is a HEAVY, seemingly unnecessary STEM-focus, namely through the combined geometry and chemistry necessary to shape a dragon's breath. While interesting, it's difficult to follow the logic that's given so much time and attention in this book. These explanations steal away from the story's real magic while adding hundreds of pages to the text, making some chapters lag. I also wish a glossary accompanied the novel, since there are a lot of foreign words and phrases readers will need to use context clues to unlock. If you pause reading long enough (or try to juggle reading multiple books at once), it's easy to forget what certain words mean. Some scenes drag, namely because of the necessary world-building. I'm eager to see if the second installment in this series flows better.

🦇 Recommended to anyone who loves alt-history fantasy fiction, dragons, amazing representation, and thorough world-building. Get ready for some serious escapism.

🐉 Fantasy Fiction
🐉 Queer MC
🐉 First in a Series
🐉 Indigenous Representation
🐉 Women of Color

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #ToShapeaDragonsBreath #Netgalley @netgalley @randomhouse