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

**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.