**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Moniquill Blackgoose presents To Shape a Dragon's Breath, the first book in a new fantasy series centered on dragons and their companions. Written in a fashion suitable for upper young adult or adult audiences, our story begins with a young Indigenous woman, Anequs, being chosen as the companion to the dragon Kasaqua. Anequs is quickly thrown into the political implications of what this may mean for her and her people as she enrolls in a colonizer-run academy for dragoneers.

Blackgoose has clearly spent a lot of time establishing the cultural and political landscape of Anequs' world. It is very clear to the reader that the world extends far beyond Anequs' narrow lens and that the world will continue to broaden as Anequs is also introduced to more. This is an admirable part of this world, at least to me. The downside to it is that the book, while never failing to be interesting, reads as very slow-paced, even in times of direct conflict. This pacing combined with the sheer complexity of the world Blackgoose has built is a large part of why I would consider this novel more for older audiences than younger as a whole rather than any specific content.

There are aspects of social conflict such as racism and homophobia as well as general classism and other injustices that Anequs never hesitates to face head on. Anequs makes her interest known to two potential love interests, a male and female, and shares that polyamorous or queer relationships are not at all frowned upon in the Indigenous societies the way they are in Anglish ones.

Blackgoose manages to blend scientifically-based alchemy into skiltakraft, the possibilities of a steampunk-type machine-working into enginekraft, early studies of the natural sciences into natural philosophy, and all of that occurs before ever considering the multitude of dragon breeds and how they are cared for or what they can do.

I am absolutely interested in continuing in this series and feel Blackgoose has a strong debut and foundation for future installments.

A debut with a compelling premise, but could have used a bit of editing to really meet its potential.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath follows Anequs, an Indigenous young woman living in a fantasy world that closely mirrors the history of our own world. Her story begins in the equivalent of the 1840s, when she discovers that a Nampeshiwe – a dragon native to her land that has all but been wiped out – has laid an egg on her island. When the egg hatches, the dragon, Kasaqua, chooses Anequs to bond with. However, the knowledge of how to care for and work with dragons was lost years ago, so Anequs makes the difficult decision to enroll in an Anglish dragoneering academy. There, she will face hostility and colonialist racism as she begins to learn how to shape her dragon’s breath.

The beginning of this novel was incredibly stellar, and I really do love the premise of the story. The simple and direct narration worked for me and I found myself quite emotional over Anequs and Kasaqua’s bond! In addition, I loved the setting, especially the scenes that took place on Masquipaug (Anequs’s island). Those scenes were infused with a sense of community, history, and cultural details that kept me captivated. I was very intrigued by the themes of anti-colonialism and Indigenous strength. And I really loved everything to do with Kasaqua. I love dragons!!

However, I do have to say I felt a little underwhelmed with the rest of the novel. There wasn’t much a plot, beyond Anequs trying to excel at the Academy while facing racism. There was some action toward the end, but it felt very sudden and was over quickly. There wasn’t much build up of tension. And the writing style made me feel removed from any sense of urgency, as it would often summarize events in paragraphs afterward, without showing the scene and the immediate emotions of the characters.

While I enjoyed Anequs’s perspective, she didn’t have much of a character arc. She was calm and levelheaded, always had an answer for how to handle situations, and always saw the truth of situations. This isn't a criticism in and of itself, but maybe as a result of this characterization, she didn’t have much internal growth or internal difficulties. Even her relationships with her roommate, friends, and romantic interests weren’t especially compelling. The dialog was stilted, there was lots of worldbuilding explanation dumped into conversations, and it felt like she kept having the same conversations over and over. My reading doorways are character and plot, so I found myself wanting more.

Overall, I wanted to like this more than I did – I think it needed editing to meet its full potential, with the addition of more plot or character work to really get it there. Also. I just wanted more dragon scenes, there didn't seem to be enough! However, I think this book could still appeal to readers that like a strong setting and explorations of history through fantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchanged for an honest review.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
I am just blown away with this amazing debut novel. I loved the entire thing. I loved the alt-history, the dragons, the dark academia aspect, the beautiful portrayal of a Native culture who reveres dragons, the terrific main character. I just almost don't have words. Highly, highly recommended. This is a great fantasy. A great dragon book (maybe my new favorite dragon book--and I love dragon books). A great peek into a Native culture. There is no doubt this will be in my top books at the end of the year.

This book was great and I highly recommend it! It’s historical fantasy set in the 1800s, which means that the places and groups of people feels familiar even though they have fictional names (and there’s magic).
The story begins with Anequs (a 15-year-old Indigenous teenager) finding a dragon egg, which has not happened to anyone on her island in many years. The majority of dragons live with the Anglish. The dragons in this world have powerful breath that can be extremely dangerous as they grow up unless they learn to control it, and the only places to learn how to control it are schools run by Anglish people.
This combination of things eventually leads to Anequs enrolling in an Anglish magical school. This book is a true magic school book. You get to hear lectures, watch characters do homework, and see them prepare for exams. It’s a major part of the book! And of course, you meet many different characters and watch Anequs make some friends (and enemies? and love interests? yes it’s queer too!) at school. Everyone at the school has a companion dragon so there’s lots of animals!
She also faces a lot of racism and has to hear the Anglish side of many tragic events that happened in history. This oppression is a core part of the story and not a brief mention, so big TW for racism.
Anyway this book is perfect for you if you want Indigenous-centered fantasy, queer characters, disability rep, magical animal companions, detailed worldbuilding, and a very academic setting. I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between this book and Babel by R.F Kuang as I read.
4.5 because I thought some of the history and worldbuilding was a bit too info dumpy, but I really enjoyed reading this book!!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this book. It gets five stars for that--not because I'm using an "objective" standard to measure it against other books.

Now, I don't care about the dragon rider trope all that much, but I am interested in a new take on just about any trope. That's what Blackgoose gives us, here. Really, if you're coming for a lot of high-flying dragon adventure, you're going to be disappointed. The main dragon is a baby throughout. This is a story about cultures clashing (though there are some cool descriptions of the different dragon breeds). I *do* like steampunk-y settings a whole lot, and the colonizer cultures in the book are very steampunk.

Speaking of which, the way colonialism is dealt with is so good. If you've read any other books dealing with the subject, you may find it hard to read books on colonialism--just waiting for your beloved main characters to face some unspeakable horror at the hands of their rapacious colonial overlords. TSaDB does not do that. By no means does it gloss over the evils of colonialism, but it also doesn't force us to live through that trauma with its characters (I do think it is very important that some books do, but it is nice to not ALWAYS have to read that). I imagine that things may get darker as the series goes on, but this first book lets us dip our toes in the world without plowing right into the worst atrocities humanity can commit.

If you've read Hand of the Sun King, for example--imagine how that story would feel if there wasn't such terror hanging over the protagonist's head all the time. Granted, TSaDB leans a bit more YA, but it doesn't have that YA *feel*, so to speak. There is a bit of romance, but it's worked in naturally, and--as someone who is not interested in reading romantic subplots very often--I was not even slightly bothered.

The authorial voice, as I said, does not come off as YA to me. Some readers may feel a distance from the main character, but that's just her personality. She's got a very matter-of-fact way about her that shines through the first-person narration. Her plain-stated observations of an unfamiliar culture are often quite humorous (unintentionally, from her perspective, I'm sure).

You may be wondering if this book uses Native American culture as set dressing, or if it really feels rooted in its source cultures, and I'm happy to say that it is the latter. This is not standard Western fantasy dressed up in leather and beads--the voice itself is Native but also natural and unpretentious.

That quality is one of the best things about the book--it puts on no airs, is never performative. Is it full of representation? Well, not how most books do representation--the text never screams at you, "Look! I'm doing REPRESENTATION!" the way one so often sees it done. Yeah, the main character is bisexual, and her view of relationships would be called polyamorous, in modern terms. She just is, though. We aren't making a big deal about it--it's just her character. One might say that the autistic character isn't quite so subtly rendered, but he's still good representation, too.

If you're not interested in the fiddly details of high fantasy--fake science related to the magic and such--maybe the book will feel overlong. It didn't to me, at all. Indeed, I often find myself thinking about how much I want to get back to the story--having to remind myself that I've already finished it. And it does have an ending! I've nothing against the many fantasy tomes that lead us through a 500-page adventure, just to leave us on a cliffhanger that may not be resolved for years, but TSaDB gives us an ending. It's not a standalone, though. It's very much the ending of a chapter, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I DNF this book. The premise sounded interesting but the way the story is told is making me feel uninterested. I don’t really care for anything that is happening and the pace is so slow. I’m only rating this because it makes me and so that my feedback ratio doesn’t get messed up.

DNF @ 30%. I found this very difficult to get into. If you're in the headspace for high fantasy, I hope you read this and love it! Unfortunately, I was not.

I really enjoyed this for the most part. It was HUGE though and was full of soooo much detail and world building. I did find myself wanting more action through out and found it to be a but clunky. However, the message was great and the story unique and interesting. I love the representation and how strong of a fmc Anequs is.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Too character-driven for me, I found it dragged on and on. I hope to pick it back up just to finish the story in the future. DNF

This book has such great potential. An own voices indigenous fantasy with a strong bisexual teenage girl, her neurodivergent best friend, and polyamorous love interests. All of the things that make this book great were done well. I am excited to see where the series goes from here and I had a difficult time putting the book down for the final half.

Unfortunately, the things that made the book really great were often cut short or neglected in favor of establishing the Anglish world. Despite the narrative being an own voices criticism of colonialism I felt the emphasis even within the writing was still so heavily focused on the Anglish society and world vs that of Anequs. Whenever Anequs encountered a new aspect of the Anglish world the readers were taught that this custom was new and different to her with the customs that Anequs was used to being an afterthought. I wished the narrative had spent more time with Anequs at home ahead of leaving for the school and gave a stronger look at her as a person within her own right instead of solely focusing on the strangeness and otherness of herself within the context of the Anglish.

I hope that as the series progresses we see so much more of life on Mask and Nack Islands. As well as more time with Anequs, Theod, Sander, and Liberty’s lives as they exist outside of the Anglish society and culture.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. To Shape A Dragon’s Breath will be published May 1st, 2023

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to To Shape a Dragon's Breath because 1) dragons, 2) sort-of a magical school, and 3) I'm indigenous through my father's family and get stoked when I see fantasy stories in this vein (which isn't often).

Unfortunately this ended up being a DNF. I felt like the writing style kept me at arm's length from the MC, and the story itself felt a bit flat.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an advance copy of this fantasy novel that has one of the most unique stories I have read in quite a long time.

I have read a lot of fantasy books over the years, and the one thing I am always aware of while starting a new novel is the the feeling that I get from the first chapter. Is this a high fantasy story, or a Dungeons & Dragons kind of tale. Is the author serious, or will there be some humor. Or is this just plain weird. More than the world building, more than the magic, mythology or majesty of the story, this feeling, call it tone, but it is much more, means a lot to me. Again, I have read many stories, but the tone, the feeling, the presentation that I could see emanating from the pages hooked me in a way that I have not felt in quite a while. And it never let up. To Shape a Dragon's Breath, The First Book of Nampeshiweisit by Moniquill Blackgoose is a story of oppression, colonizers, mythology, magic, dragons, and keeping true to what you are, even when your culture is being dismantled around you.

Anequs is with her brother by the shore searching for food when Anequs first sees the dragon. Red and gold, with great antlers that denote age, riderless, and giving off a feeling of great sadness as it flies off to the east over the ocean. Once there were many dragons on the island of Masquepaug but that was generations ago. Anequs returns home and tells her story to her family, who are enthralled with her story. Soon Anequs comes across an egg, from which a hatchling dragon is born. The people of the island are thrilled, but the Anglish, those who control the island of Masquepaug are not. The Anglish have a way of working with dragons, and it is not the way of the indigenous people. Anequs is presented with an offer. Come to the dragon school, learn the way of the Anglish, or the young dragon, and probably herself will be killed, Anequs agrees and finds herself in a strange school, learning a strange way, but also learning valuable secrets about her oppressors, and how maybe to make some changes with her dragon.

Readers really will be hooked from the start. The setup, the writing the way the story is told is very, very good. There is a skill to the writing that is rare, one that everything from dragons, to preparing meals seems lived in, familiar and not drawn from a writer's imagination. Anequs is a fascinating character, strong, smart, humble, scared, alone, and yet determined to win this game she has been forced into. The storyline is different, with a viewpoint that will be unfamiliar to many readers, and yet speaks to everyone today. This story is about family, belief and the right to be who you want to be, and to fight for that right, no matter what the powerful say. The world is both new and familiar, and really is well thought out, and planned. Blackgoose has a very assured writing style, and really has a sense of narrative that keeps the reader wanting to know more.

The first in a series I am already waiting for. The use of characters, dragons, the rights of indigenous people to exist, dying cultures, and cultures worth fighting for. This is a fantasy of the highest caliber, and a book I am really excited for.

"A young Indigenous woman enters a colonizer-run dragon academy - and quickly finds herself at odds with the "approved" way of doing things - in the first book of this brilliant new fantasy series.

The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations - until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon's egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit - a person in a unique relationship with a dragon.

Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. They have a very specific idea of how a dragon should be raised, and who should be doing the raising - and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed.

For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land, challenges abound - both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart, determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects.

Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they're also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing - and they might just be the ones to do it."

Indian boarding schools via Game of Thrones.

Anequs finds a dragon egg on a sacred section of her island, Masquapaug, and brings it home to her people. Dragons of its type have not been seen in many generations, and the Masquisits are thrilled when the dragon hatches and chooses Anequs to be its bonded Nampeshiweisit. Following the laws of the Anglish people who have conquered their territories, Anequs and dragon Kasaqua must go to a dragoneer school to train and be proven capable of controlling such dangerous powers. Anglish school and customs are difficult for Anequs to adapt to, and though she eventually makes some friends, there are many others glad to remain her enemies. When Anequs and Kasaqua receive actual death threats, Anequs knows that she must help to change the views of the Anglish and learn all she can to protect her people from the violence of this hostile culture.

WOW what a book! I couldn't put it down, despite the pace actually being rather slow. This is the first book in a planned series, and it is the type that starts out very deliberately building up the characters, world, and connections. There is not a lot of "action" in this book, but I found the characters and the set up compelling and I am greatly looking forward to the next in the series!

Anequs is a bold, strong heroine with plenty of compassion and intellect. The world into which she is placed is a unique combination of reality and speculation — the Anglish are a blend of what we know as English (geography, politics), German (honorifics, etymology, food), and Scandinavian (names, mythology, nobility) which I found really fun. There are hints at other cultures and religions in some of the minor characters, which is also great.

Masquapaug has an Indigenous culture and way of life, and watching Anequs interact with the Anglish goes about as poorly (for the most part) as you're thinking it does. There's something about watching historical prejudices and atrocities take place "real time" in fiction that is just so unsettling, and I think the fantasy setting makes it somehow even more disturbing.

As for the other characters, they're all endearing, but I especially love Sander Jansen and Kasaqua. I'm intrigued to see what trajectory the possible romantic interests take in book two. This is classified as a Young Adult novel, but I honestly didn't realize that until I looked at the tags on GR.

Thank you to Moniquill Blackgoose, Del Ray, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy!

A stunning Indigenous fantasy novel that I'll be talking about forever.
Anequs is our main character who is taken from her home to be trained as a dragon rider but not in her traditional ways.
Vivid world- building, badass main character, dragons, magic! My favorite thing about this book though is that the author doesn't shy away from showing colonization and racism. This book takes you through a journey and I loved it.

Here for the anti-colonial dark academia books we're seeing! (Babel, anyone?)

This is a page-turning and fantastical addition to the subgenre and provides a lot of allegory and good for thought.

I honestly love the takes we are seeing on the "magical boarding school" genre these days, especially from groups that have A History with them. Ms. Blackgoose writes a dragon training/boarding school story from the point of view of a girl growing up in an indigenous culture, and doesn't shy away from the fact that these kinds of boarding schools were used to culturally overwrite native children, We get the dueling desire in our main character to be able to make her dragon's magic work so that she can protect her and her people, and her desire to burn the entire school to the ground for how she is constantly treated as less than. We also get another indigenous kid whose parents were murdered in an uprising and raised as a servant who is unexpectedly chosen by a dragon and him being able to learn more about his family that remains from our main character. She's also adorably bisexual and poly and starts dating a woman she loves and the previously mentioned boy for them all to form a family together. The only thing I will knock her on is that the world building sometimes feels like a bunch of info dumping, but props on using the English/Viking culture mashup to highlight the white supremacy takes that the Norse Viking culture can take. I'm definitely interested in what might come next here. TLDR, do you want a dragon and magical boarding school book that's aware of the historical use of the real thing in cultural genocide? You want this book.

Anequs is a 15-year-old born and raised on Masquapaug Island. Dragons are nay but a thing of the past, of old and legend - at least on her tiny island. But one day, she happens upon a dragon leaving the island, marking itself for death. She returns the next day to find a small dragon egg and takes it to her council. They allow the dragon to choose from anyone on the island, as is tradition - and out of over 1000 people, the young hatchling chooses her. She is revered as a Nampeshiweisit, a person with a close relationship to a dragon.

However, upon hearing of her newly found relationship with her dragon Kasaqua, her Anglish conquerors force her to enroll in a dragon academy. With strict rules, new friendships, relationships, and dark secrets, Anequs is out of her zone. With a lack of formal education and understanding of social hierarchies, she is challenged and faces prejudice in all forms. However, this coming-of-age YA book reveals a strong character and even stronger loyalties.

"I was not welcomed or wanted here, and everyone I'd met was quite eager to think the absolute worst of me."

Let me start by saying I wanted to love this book. I truly did. An indigenous, queer girl who goes to a dragon riding school? Sign me up! Except for the biggest thing for me - it just... drags. With long, made-up words for the fantasy world, it sounded fantastical, but almost always dragged me away from the story. Sometimes I found myself flipping back to the words explanation because after getting halfway through the book, and no additional re-explanation, I was confused.

I had to take big breaks when I read this because unfortunately, I found the majority of it.. boring. Anequs attends dragon school, and learns about history, shaping her dragons' breath, social hierarchies, and social interactions. I'll give credit where credit is due, though - the last ~10% or so was the most entertaining the book had been throughout. Otherwise, the conversations, thoughts, and interactions felt unnecessary and contrived.

If you're a fan of any YA book with dragons, positive queer representation, or mystical fantasy, then look no further. "To Shape a Dragon's Breath" may be right up your alley. However, it just wasn't for me.

If you’re looking for a book with dragons, an indigenous mc who is also queer, and just full of indigenous culture then this is the book for you.

When Anequs found a dragons egg one morning she was ecstatic, and so was her whole village on Masquapaug. In her culture dragons are rare, sacred, and the community rejoices at the discovery, gathering to celebrate the egg as they wait for it to hatch. The celebration is cut short when they find out that the Anglish, who have colonized the lands, have very strict rules regarding dragons. Either you attend the Anglish run dragon academies or your dragon will be put to death. Anequs, unwilling to let her dragon Kasaqua die, decides to attend the academy.

There were many elements of this story that I really enjoyed. I adored some of the side characters, especially Sander (he is definitely neurodivergent and that made my neurodivergent heart happy), Theod, and Liberty. I also loved Anequs. She’s such a kind-hearted, smart character and her relationship with Kasaqua is one of my favorites of the entire book. I also really just loved how easily/casually the topics of bisexuality and polyamory appeared in the book (and I’m so excited to see how these relationships develop).

This book also does a really good job at showcasing the different ways that Anequs and other indigenous characters in the book experience racism. Niquiat (Anequs’ brother) talks about how hard it is to find a landlord who will rend to indigenous people. At school Anequs is regularly talked down on for being “uncivilized”, her customs are made fun of, and there are near constant microagressions made by peers and teachers alike. I know that this lines up with the life experiences of many indigenous people across the world and it was handled very well.

My only major complaint is that some parts of the book were much slower paced than the rest of the book. A lot of the scenes that take place in the classroom are just pages of lectures from the professors which just didn’t hold my interest. I also think a decent chunk of this book (it’s over 500) pages is just world building and setting things up for future books which just drug the pacing down for me.

Overall though I did really enjoy it (I mean of course I did… there are dragons). So thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the gifted ecopy of this book. This is my honest review.

AMAZING! I cannot say that word enough! It had everything and more when it came to a book about dragons! You can tell the author took a lot of time and care to craft the world. The main character, Anequs, bonds with a dragon and ends up at an academy for dragon riders. This world is a fictionalized version of the 19th century, with magic abounding! This book keeps amazing pacing throughout the tale and makes you want to get to the next chapter to see how the world continues to unfold. I was astonished that this was a debut novel because of how good it was! Can't wait to see more from this writer!