This book felt like it was written for me. It clearly wasn't, of course; for one thing it's a YA novel, and I am 36 years old. But it did a bunch of things I absolutely love in fiction and very rarely see. It's my first time getting to read an ARC but I'm very happy this book happened to catch my eye just after I set up my Netgalley account!

Anyway, I requested this book because 1. DRAGONS and 2. I enjoy familiar fantasy tropes juxtaposed with worldbuilding that I haven't seen five hundred times, and "telepathically bonded dragon rider" is something I've enjoyed a lot of, but "alt-history fantasy North America from an Indigenous perspective" is not something I've seen much. I will admit that I didn't notice the "magical boarding school" aspect of the blurb when I requested this ARC (I was very excited by the dragons!) but it's also a trope I've enjoyed; that said, I know enough history to be aware that "magical boarding school" has an extremely different tenor when you add "Indigenous protagonist," and I was a little apprehensive that it would be very dark. (It was not. There was certainly darkness, and Anequs' boarding school experience is a troublesome requirement of the society that's colonizing her people's land rather than a welcome escape, but this is also not a book about the realities of child abuse and cultural genocide at residential schools for Indigenous children. There's certainly discussion of both cultural and literal genocide, but Anequs is always able to find her way out of harrowing situations eventually.)

Anyway, I loved the dragons immediately, of course, and the alternate history + boarding school elements were really interesting, but the trope absolutely nothing prepared me for was the particular focus on how magic interacts with *chemistry.* Instead of a map in the front, the book has an in-universe periodic table of elements, or "aethers" -- with some super intriguing (to me, anyway) gaps and layout changes from the one I'm familiar with, and a completely different set of names and abbreviations for substances I recognize. (It was very jarring at first to realize their abbreviation for carbon was K, but fortunately I was not, as I first feared, in danger of confusing kolfni with potassium.) This is the part where "this book feels like it was written *for me*" comes in, and it is not necessarily a selling point for other people, because I don't know how many people have thought "if only Uncleftish Beholding was longer, and maybe more about chemistry," BUT! If you do like that kind of thing, you will like this book a *lot.* I should also say that the Uncleftish Beholding comparison is a bit unfair, because this author is trying to tell a story, not showcase how many commonplace science words come from Latin and Greek sources, so it's less of a vocabulary puzzle and was pretty easy to follow along. That said, I am a little apprehensive about how my less-STEM-focused friends will enjoy this aspect of the book; my main Discord hangout now has a thread filled with me shouting at my friends about biology/chemistry/physics-related worldbuilding implications I discovered along the way, and I'm aware that people who didn't like chemistry won't find this aspect of the book as enchanting as I did. So that is potentially a selling point if you, like me, are into aspects of real science mixed in with your magical worldbuilding, but potentially also a stumbling block if that's not your jam.

Although maybe if you're nerdy about something else mixed in with your magical worldbuilding, you'll find it here, because this book has so much Explaining in it. It rarely gets to the point of feeling like an unnecessary infodump, but sometimes it does feel odd for people to be so patient with Anequs for a couple paragraphs when they are often so impatient with her elsewhere. She certainly deserves their patience, as someone faced with having to navigate an unfamiliar culture that is hostile to her existence, but as a fictional character, I do sometimes wish she'd distribute the knowledge gained from these explanations throughout the text when *we* need it a little more often, rather than slowing the action down to digest it all at once. The world the author has built is *very different* from our own, particularly in terms of technology, the dominant cultures/religions, and vocabulary, and I understand why so many explanations are needed, but it does get kind of frustrating unless the explanation is about something you happen to be really into, like, for example, if you are me and the explanation is about chemistry.

Back to the good stuff, though! I rated this book five stars despite the slowness of some of the conversations about the worldbuilding, and that's because it's absolutely *fantastic* at other things.

In terms of pure writing/tropes, I enjoyed the dragon descriptions greatly, from the worldbuilding about dragons' breath (not a breath of flame, exactly, but of chemical reaction!) to the way Anequs and Kasaqua's connection is written. (Also, I would extremely like to pet Kasaqua; I am sure she wouldn't rearrange my molecules unless I really deserved it.) I loved Anequs as a protagonist who is determined not to lose herself and to do what's right by those she loves, but is also prickly and impatient and sometimes unwise; I love that this book turns the trope of "opulent magic boarding school" on its head and turns it into "these gifts come with so many strings attached, and an insufficient performance of gratitude will get you in trouble."

One thing that I know other reviewers will be talking lots about is the ethnic diversity of the cast, so I won't spend a ton of time blathering on about this. The thing that strikes me here is that that diversity felt as natural as it ought to, despite being set in a highly stratified, very segregated world. A lot of authors write this kind of thing very awkwardly, and one gets the impression they've never been on a city bus before, but in this book no one ever feels like a tokenistic Representative of Their Race, even though Anequs is constantly being forced into that mold in-universe along with the other Native characters who have the misfortune to capture the attention of the public.

Another thing that felt true to life was the way in which people kept pressuring Anequs to do all their holidays, and how annoyed they were when her culture had its own holidays which she wanted to observe with her family. I'm white, but I'm Jewish, and while people are aware I might not celebrate Christmas I've still gotten the weird reactions to not doing Easter that Anequs gets about several of the holidays in the book, and while that's moderately annoying, some friends of mine have much, much worse stories about not being allowed to observe holidays in peace. The "well it can't be THAT important a holiday, I haven't heard of it, anyway you should come do Jule with us!" attitude that Anequs' Anglish classmates and the school administration has is familiar and infuriating. The narrative also perfectly captures the absolutely suffocating feeling of telling people over and over -- people in authority, who ought to be standing up for you, and maybe even think they *are* standing up for you -- that there's just no point in being civil to powerful people who think your entire ethnic group needs to be eliminated, and that nice manners won't win them over; that this might be a fun thought experiment for them but recent history suggests that for your family it could be life and death.

And one last, smaller "diversity!" note: I adored Sander, Anequs' best friend in the book. He's kind and helpful, enthusiastic about geometry, and really loves pennik novels. He also is mostly nonverbal (when he speaks, it's often not quite what he means to say) and communicates primarily through a wax tablet which magically erases itself when he runs out of space. I can't speak to Authenticity Of Experience, because I'm not autistic, but I have a lot of good friends who are, and Sander immediately bonding with Marta over pennik novels was delightful and relatable, and a lot of his struggles with getting people (especially his family) to take him seriously sounded familiar too.

Finally, I want to talk about the romance plot -- which is yet another thing that I have been wanting but didn't know I was ever going to find, especially not in a YA novel. See, the thing is, I like a lot of YA tropes, but I dislike YA love triangles enormously. I especially dislike love triangles where a girl must choose between a sexy bad boy and a sexier, worse boy, and neither of them treat her very well and it's a big important symbol of her choices in the plot, but the bad boy and the worse boy act so similar I sometimes forget which one is which.

*None* of that fucking happens in this book and I love that. I adore that. I was delighted for that not to happen. You may think, "well, yes, I've read other reviews, this book is apparently queer and poly," and those things help, but it goes beyond that.

In *this* book, a girl meets another girl who is kind to her at a time where it really matters, and she also meets a boy who's initially hostile but also clearly terrified for completely understandable reasons, and as she gets closer to these people they become important to her -- and most importantly, to me, they genuinely feel like people she cares for and not a symbolic binary choice she must make to further the narrative. And because Anequs herself is from a culture where polyamory is fine and normal and so is queerness, there is no time wasted on BUT WHICH OF THESE NEARLY IDENTICAL CHOICES WILL I CHOOSE??? The dramatic tension instead comes from everyone's ongoing character development, and how that bumps up against the world that they live in, and that feels so much more *authentic.* I don't know that this book series is necessarily *going* to end with polyamory -- I do hope so! -- but I do know that it's not setting up a "Team Bad Boy" vs "Team Worse Boy" dynamic, and I am so glad of that. The romance aspect in this book is pretty low-key, but I generally like how this author has been writing interpersonal relationships and I don't think the romance subplots will feel forced no matter how they shake out.

Anyway, look: if one or two of the nerdy topics in this book sounds interesting, I really highly recommend it. I recommend it even more if one of those topics is chemistry and/or alternative history! But I also recommend it if you'd just like some YA fantasy adventure that has (at least, I think) a good, readable mix of dragon-y gaslamp escapism and emotionally real scenes of a protagonist navigating (and often defying) a hostile and uncaring dominant culture that's trying to remake her.

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, magic, dragons, Indigenous fantasy, magic schools, LGBTQ+ characters, autistic characters.

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 10/26, my book blog as of 11/1, and Instagram as of 11/9.

This might be my favorite book of the year! I really like the take on dragons shown here and that there's such a big variety between the different kinds. I also liked the worldbuilding and enjoyed learning about the two main cultures of the book (Anequs' culture is one indigenous to this alternate-North America, and the settler culture is a German-Nordic mix). I also enjoyed how there were stories within the story and how these were used to bring more history and lore into it.

The dragons and the lore were clearly well thought out. I can't remember all the species of dragons, but Anequs comes into contact with a lot of different species that each seem to have their own appearance, temperament, and activities/uses. Some of them come across as being more of the traditional Western kind of dragon while others have feathers, fur, and/or antlers. We also get to see some of the lore of the world, with some of the stories being completely unique and others being repeats of the same myth/story but from a different angle. I thought this was a fun way to include information about the different cultures and beliefs while still fitting them within the frame and style of the story.

I liked learning about Anequs' culture and their beliefs. There's clearly a greater appreciation for nature and animals than in the Anglish culture, and Anequs gets quite the culture shock. Likewise, the Masquisit and Naquisit are much more LGBT+ friendly and same-sex relationships, transgender/gender fluid people, and poly relationships are all casually accepted. There are several LGBTQ characters in the book, including Anequs, who are out to varying degrees. I also enjoyed learning about the oral history traditions and the dances, and the role they play in the story is very interesting.

I thought Anglish culture was mostly stuffy, which I think is the point, but there were also some interesting aspects to it as well. As a German speaker, I'm always delighted to see it show up in English books. While the language used in this book isn't exactly German, my take on it is that this is an 'alternate' earth anyway, so the German language just underwent a different history than the one on this earth, one that involves a lot more Dutch and Nordic influence. Some words are changed, so, pfennig = pennik, but others remain the same, Versuch = try/attempt. The compound words were a little difficult to get a hold of, I think another reviewer mentioned that they aren't compounded morphologically correctly, but it wasn't too troublesome and I don't think any non-German speakers would notice.

This is a very character-driven story, with each of the major characters having at least some learning and growth to do. There's a couple of scenes that have action in them, but a lot of the book is an exploration. I enjoyed the slower pace and getting to know the characters and the world they're in. It felt slice-of-life at times, which I feel is often missing from fantasy stories, especially ones that are more action driven.

Anequs is someone who is very solid in who she is. She may have doubts about things at times, but she never doubts who she is as a person and what she wants out of life. This leads to her very matter-of-factly pushing back against the expectations people have of her as a result of her race and/or gender. I very much enjoyed seeing her go head-to-head with others' expectations and prejudices because she was never one to backdown to keep the peace, but rather forced people to consider their prejudices, even if it didn't always lead to them reconsidering them. Anequs is also someone who seems to make friends easily, and she has a friendly and welcoming demeanor and is considerate of others' needs.

The story is, obviously, mainly about Anequs and her dragon, Kasaqua, but there are some major side characters in the book as well. Marta is Anequs' roommate at the school and the only other female dragoneer (or really, only since Anequs distinguishes between dragoneer and Nampeshiweisit). She can be a bit annoying at times because she is so invested and interested in the workings of society, and thus likes to discuss dresses and the who's who gossip. Marta is from high Anglish society and brings those prejudices and rules of civility with her, resulting in some clashes between her and Anequs. Marta is an interesting character because she's clearly interested in being friends with Anequs but also thinks that the way things are done in Anglish high society is the correct way to do them and that Anequs breaking those rules makes her backward. She does get the chance to learn over the course of the story, but doesn't fully break free of her prejudices even by the end of the book, though she does improve. As much as I would've liked to see Marta learn and completely change her ways, I think the way it's written is probably more realistic.

Theod is another interesting case. He's a Naquisit who was raised in Anglish society after his parents were killed and hasn't had any contact with his own culture. Like Marta, he has prejudices against the Indigenous cultures of the region and thinks that Anglish high society is improvement/progress. He and Anequs butt heads as well, but Anequs is able to get through to Theod more than Marta by commiserating with him and sharing information from her/their culture. He's a bit difficult to like at first since he's quite abrupt and grumpy, but over the course of the book he warms a lot and seems happy in the friend group.

Sander is the other really 'main' side character. He's also Anglish, like Marta, but unlike her he's far more open and less prejudiced. He's autistic and largely nonverbal, preferring to write instead. He has an AAC device that allows him to write something in wax using a stylus and then use magnets to erase it so he never runs out of room. You don't really see AAC devices a lot in fiction (I don't think I've ever seen one), even when characters are completely nonverbal, so I was both surprised and excited by it's inclusion here. I liked Sander a lot and thought he was a good friend to Anequs from the beginning. A lot of his story is about gaining confidence in himself and getting free from his mother, who's a truly terrible person. I liked Sander's sister, Lisbet, as well and hope we see her in future books.

Liberty is another side character, I wouldn't say she's a major character since I don't think she gets enough scenes, but she impacts Anequs a lot and I suspect she'll be a bigger character in the sequel. Liberty is an indentured servant at the school and is the first person Anequs befriends when she gets there. The two of them develop a close relationship, and are supportive of one another's goals. I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.

Niquiat is Anequs' brother also plays a role in the book. He left their island a few years prior to Anequs and lives in Vastergot, the closest city to the school. Niquiat has a bit more conflict with the family than Anequs does, though this improves over the course of the book as Anequs, then their father gain a better understanding of Niquiat's interests and goals.

This book really dives deep into into discussions of colonialism and all its violences and injustices. It tackles both the overt instances of it (i.e., racism and ethnocentrism) as well as more subtle instances (i.e., the erasing of Indigenous knowledge and silencing of Indigenous people), and the well-known assumptions that 'of course you want to be part of settler society, it's a vast improvement from your own.' There's a really great juxtaposition between the two main cultures of the book, with the settler culture claiming civility but reflecting a stark lack of care and community, while the Indigenous cultures embody that care and community and show that the so-called 'uncivilized' are actually far more welcoming and accepting. There's also a clash in the book between tradition and progress, deciding what exactly progress looks like, and whether and how foreign technologies can be adapted to the culture so the advantages of it are there without also seeing any erasure.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think it'll probably be one of my favorite reads for the year, if not my favorite. I can't wait for the sequel and am so bummed I'll have to wait until 2024 to get it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Okay, this is one of my favorite books of the year, so far! I know it's just January but I adored this book and am already excited to read the rest of the series. As soon as I read the blurb, I knew this was one I would cherish. A indigenous fantasy about a dragon riding school? That is queer and has poly rep?! Anti-colonialism?? YES YES YES.

Aneques spots a dragon on her island when sightings have not occurred there for over 200 years. She ends up finding a dragon egg shortly after and once it cracks her life changes forever. The dragon choses her to be its rider. She is soon informed that she must go to a colonizer run dragon training school and register her dragon. Once she arrives at school she faces a lot of racism and BS. And takes none of it!

I absolutely loved Aneques and getting to know her friends as well. So much growth and development in this book. It provided everything I would want out of the first book in the series. Beautifully written, a solid base of world building that left me wanting more, character/plot arcs that I am deeply invested, all of it!

This book comes out May 9th and is so so worth a pre-order!

Not sure if this is a 4 or a 3.5 for me. Conceptually, I thought it was amazeballs. But it fell apart for me a bit in execution for one reason...too much exposition/not enough dragon action.

First the pluses. The exploration of indigenous culture and how Anequs is forced to adapt to life among the "Anglish" was excellent. Loved all of the sections when Anglish faculty talk about schooling her to "save" her from her lowly status, while she keeps reminding them that her culture is likely, in fact, superior.

I liked that, not only was this an indigenous lead character, but also a queer one. Though, to be honest, I was only really buying into the relationship with Liberty. I thought her relationship with Theod was very cool, and loved the juxtaposition of his experience at the school with that of Anequs, but I never really felt like there was deep love there.

Now the downsides...which to me seem entirely a function of poor EDITING, rather than poor writing. While I get that this is planned to be a series, there is too much clunky exposition in this book in the service of world-building, which often comes at the expense of action and character development.

The book has moments when it is humming along and then....just...stops momentum while one character gives Anequs a long history lesson on Anglish holidays, government structure, history, etc. I get that in a series, all of this is important information that helps us understand this world. But it felt like entirely TOO MUCH for the first outing in the series. I don't care about how districts elect politicians, I CAME FOR THE DRAGONS! All of this extra world building means the book is probably a little longer than it needs to be too.

So, overall I dug it. But I was frustrated by it too because it could have been a slam dunk if it was edited make it leaner and more focused and action-oriented. Thank you the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I really liked the world building, really like the intertwining of steam punk and dragon husbandry. I will recommend it to friends. I look forward to more from this author.

I loved this book and I can't *wait* for it to be out in the world! To Shape a Dragon's Breath takes place in an alternate version of Massachusetts where 1) the Northeast was colonized by the Anglish (Norse) and 2) well, there are dragons. Anequs, a teenager from Masquapaug, is chosen by a Nampheshiwe hatchling and they bond. Kasaquas, the darling dragon babe, accidentally burns Anequs' little sister and Anequs realizes it is in everyone's best interest to head to the mainland to go to dragon school.

Although this might sound like a familiar magic school situation -- it's so not. A reader who knows anything about the colonial history of the Northeast, and the 19th century history of the U.S. will soon recognize how Anequs' experience is informed by the trauma of Native children being taken from their families and homes to be "civilized." (Although the Gen. Pratt residential institutions in the U.S. came a bit later in the 1800s than the setting for this book, boarding schools were a part of colonial history since the 1600s.) It is so satisfying to read a book from the perspective of a young woman who is navigating her modern world with agency and with the best interest of her family and people at heart. Anequs is an amazing protagonist and hero and her often-vocalized inner dialogue was perfect.

I loved the way Blackgoose emphasized Indigenous ways of knowing as valid eralore (history) and skiltakraft (science). In fact, Anequs has a revelation about her people's history with dragons that helps her advance in the skiltakraft studies she needs to protect Kasaquas that was so beautiful I had to put the book down while chills washed over me. I also loved the way Blackgoose wove Wampanoag language and storytelling into the book. I can't wait to see where this series goes!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this book!

I know it's early in the year, but I consider this very much one of my favorite books for 2023! It was very much a huge journey-- traveling with Anequs, and seeing how and why she needed to make the difficult decisions she did, her experiences everywhere off Masquapaug (and in, too), her connections with some of her peers, and how she had to fight for everything.

Anequs was beautiful. Anequs was stubborn, knowing herself, knowing what's right, and knowing what she had to do for much of her difficulties. She did what was best-- not simply for herself, but for others. There were so many moments I found myself with tears on my face during this book, because of what was happening: acceptance, connection, finding, reunions--

I really appreciated too, how similar the names were. For most of the Native lands, I liked being able to identify which stolen land they corresponded to in today's world, as well as noticing my own. I also liked the names for the school subjects-- anglereckoning, for one of them-- and I also loved the casual representations. Anequs is bi/pan and polyam, a friend is nonverbal, possibly on the spectrum, and might have adhd?, and there minor other queer characters. Anequs comes from an accepting society, but it's the Anglish who aren't, and simply being queer does not exempt you from holding and enacting prejudice of your own.

I also loved the storytelling aspect, and the chapter titles. I'm sure this will be excellent on audiobook.

I absolutely loved this book. I will absolutely be recommending it to as many people as I can.

In this fantasy world, the Anglish have overtaken the lands of an indigenous people, and are bent on either exterminating or civilizing them (depending on political party). Anequs is an indigenous girl who lives peacefully on her island – isolated from the Anglish. Then she sees a dragon lay, and abandon, an egg. She brings the egg back to her village, where it hatches. The hatchling chooses Anequs as its person.

Anequs is pressured into going to a school for dragoneers run by the Anglish. There, she learns to shape her dragon’s breath, but has to deal with racism and culture shock.

This was a fantastic first book. The story was typical of the school-for-magic sub-genre, but is really impactful in its depiction of how indigenous peoples were/are treated when entering “civilized” culture. Instead of being a super special someone, Anequs is just an average indigenous girl, struggling to find her way amid the politics of a foreign culture.

I felt that there were some improvements that could have been made – things that will likely correct themselves as the author becomes more seasoned. For one, she spends too many words describing the intricacies of the science/magic she has developed. It is beautifully organized and inventive, but uses a lot of words that are not English, and therefore make some heavy reading.

However, I really loved this book despite that shortfalling. It was creative, fun, and culturally sensitive / informative. I appreciated the characterization. It is also an LGBTQ+-friendly book on top of all that. I am certainly going to watch out for the next book in the series.

This was a fantastic read! The story follows a young Indigenous character named Anequs as she finds a dragon egg, trains as a dragon rider and everything that being thrown into this new world for her entails. The characters, the world building, the dragons! Yes... dragons! Add to that the Indigenous American and LGBTQ+ representation as well. I will admit that sections did seem to drag on but overall I enjoyed this one and am excited to see what else is in store for this world!

This is the story of Anequs, an Indigenous teenager living on a remote island who forms a unique bond with a dragon hatchling. Those who have been chosen to share this bond with a dragon hold a particular kind of power, and the colonizers from the mainland are outraged to learn that an Indigenous girl is one of those chosen. To mollify the colonizers and to protect her dragon companion, Anequs agrees to attend the dragon training school on the mainland. This book follows Anequs’ journey through her first year at the school.

Here are some of my thoughts, starting with the positive.

First, the representation: our main character is a young Indigenous, queer woman. Throughout, we also get to know various POC, neurodivergent, and LGBTQ+ characters. Most of these characters felt richly developed and thoughtfully drawn.

This being said, I personally found this book somewhat difficult to get through. The pace was slow. Of course this isn’t by itself a criticism, but in my opinion the slow pace didn’t suit the premise, nor were we told enough about what was going on internally to the characters to justify it. This meant that after putting the book down, I would often find I had little motivation to pick it up again.

On world-building: while the book clearly strives to build a rich and authentic world, I felt that the method of world-building was somewhat uninspired. In particular, world-building typically seemed to be done as follows: 1. It becomes apparent that one character does not know or understand something about the nature of the world. 2. Another character says “oh wow, I can’t believe you don’t know this. Let me tell you!”. 3. We receive pages (sometimes entire chapters) of exposition in the form of a monologue about that particular feature of the world. Often, it seemed as though the precise details of this in-depth exposition failed to be relevant to anything later in the book, which made me think it could have easily been cut.

This book is the beginning of a series, and maybe the author needed to get all of this detailed set-up out of the way early before getting to the really meaty stuff. With this in mind, I’ll conclude with this: while I wasn’t personally totally blown away by this book, I was impressed by both the representation and the book's message and I'd be interested to see where the series goes.

(I will post this review to instagram on or after the publication date. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC)

This book has a great concept and interesting characters! I will be recommending this book to patrons interested in dragon books.

This was incredible. I didn't know too much about it besides the basic premise before I started reading. But wow, this was fantastic. First of all, anything with dragons in it is automatically on my TBR, but this was so much more. I really loved Anequs and her journey, the atmospheres were immersive and sucked you right in. Such a good read.

Rating: 4.5

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
TW: Racism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia

A huge thank you Del Rey and Penguin Random House! E-ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Plot -
To Shape a Dragon's Breath follows a young indigenous woman named Anequs who comes into possession of a dragon egg. When the dragon hatches, Anequs and the hatchling, Kasaqua are bonded. There hasn't been a dragon amongst Anequs' people for generations and the ways of becoming a dragon rider have been lost to time and colonization. To keep the peace between Anequs' people and their colonizers, the Anglish, Anequs agrees to go to an Anglish dragon rider academy. Upon entering the academy Anequs faces racism and colonialization as she struggles to find her place in this new world. And what a story it turns out to be. With a beautiful mix between fantasy and historical fiction, Blackgoose has delivered a compelling story of a young woman trying to survive in a society that will never accept her. This book is a hard read since Anequs faces so much racism and colonialism in each chapter, but it is unapologetically indigenous. The book is more character driven than plot, as the main focus of the story is Anequs and Blackgoose showing the reader the effects of colonization on indigenous peoples. Overall, this book is a beautiful addition to the fantasy genre and is a captivating read.


Characters -
As mentioned above, Anequs is the main character of the book. She is a headstrong, female protagonist who refuses to appease to Anglish sensibility. She befriends a younger boy at the academy named Sanders, who is on the autism spectrum. Their friendship displays the cruelties to the patriarchal Anglish society and the toxic masculinity of the fellow male students at the academy. Theod, the other indigenous student at the academy, was taken from his homeland at birth and raised in Anglish society. Anequs is often at odds with Theod who is considered, the "model minority" of the story. Lastly, Marta, Anequs' roommate is the only other female student at the Academy. Her obsession with social advancement leaves her at odds with Anequs. Each of these characters are compelling and complex. They are all fleshed out and provide an essential part to the story. Even smaller, side characters help to bolster the story. The characters are well thought out and intriguing.

Writing -
The prose of this book was stoic and defiant. While there were slow moments in the book, I felt that the writing was good. Most of the world building was added in when it felt necessary; there was no info dump at any point in the book. Sometimes it felt that there were societal clues the reader was expected to know or off-handed references to random things that felt out of place. But overall, a wonderfully crafted novel that will leave an impact on you.


Quotes that left an impact:
"In fact, you will have to prove yourself superior in all the ways they expect you to be inferior, just to be regarded as equal"

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is a refreshing mix of a novel of manners and YA fantasy. We follow Anequs, a young indigenous woman by her society’s understanding and an uncivilized “nackie” girl by white Anglish reckoning, as she finds a dragon egg and becomes bonded to the dragon inside. Their pairing causes an uproar among the Anglish, and in attempts to soothe their fears and her own, Anequs must face Anglish society and attended Dragoneer schooling, making new friends and challenging social expectations along the way!

I thoroughly enjoyed To Shape a Dragon’s Breath. Anequs is smart, opinionated, and unfair of ruffling the feathers of white society. While the pacing is a bit slow, it’s call backs to a novel of manners is unique among fantasy. This is the second book I’ve read lately that offers a fantastical explanation for the Industrial Revolution—in this case a dragon’s breath. The fictional science is cleverly done while still being recognizable as something from our own world in a way. The author does an excellent job showing the arrogance of white settler colonialism in contrast with a society more socially progressive and caring than its own. I cannot wait for the second book to come out and will absolutely be continuing this series!

A fun read for teens and adults who enjoy fantasy and some Jane Austen!

To Shape a Dragon's Breath follows Anequs as she finds a dragon egg on her island Masaqupuag. This was one of the most unique fantasy novels I have ever read. I have never read anything that integrated dragons and magic into the indigenous culture. It was a brand new take on fantasy that I'd love to see more of.

At first, I felt that the novel was very long and not a lot was happening. After finishing it, I realized that yes it may have been long, but Moniquill Blackgoose did not waste a single page. They cover every pressing issue that we face in society today through the lens of an indigenous person. They challenge colonialism, classism, colorism, religious extremism, sexuality, stigmas against autism and polyamory, and many more. Anequs was a fantastic vessel to deliver how white settlers have stolen their culture and labeled it as their own discoveries. She knows her peoples history and isn't afraid to educate the Anglish who think they are above her simply because she is an islander. The irony is that the Anglish call her a savage, yet the way they treat each other is horrendous. It is a period novel and Anequs has to learn all of the contradictions that come with being a "polite woman of society" and challenges them in her own way.

The part of the story that I loved the most was the aspects of steampunk and chemistry that the author seamlessly wove throughout. Being a scientist it was interesting to read how they described the natural elements and how they joined together to create other substances. The integration of magic and machines to create vehicles and technology was very interesting. I won't give up the best part because it would be a massive spoiler, but I screamed when Anequs discovered how her people have learned to do the diagrams required for shaping dragon's breath. It was so freaking awesome.

My recommendation is not get bogged down with all of the terminology that the author uses. They do a fantastic job of world building. Every single detail has been included to adhere to the Scandanavian theme. It is very thorough. Focus less on the terminology and more on immersing yourself into the world and I guarantee you will enjoy it. Anyone who grew up loving Harry Potter, but want to support a BIPOC and truly inclusive author will absolutely love this one. Anequs gives of Hermione vibes. She's a genius, she stands up for what is right, and in a sassy way that you just can't help but love her. It is much more real than the way Harry Potter romanticized and white washed the treatment of other races (ie. mudbloods). I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Although the book itself was really good, and reading about how imperialism and the education system are connected, along with the imperialist superiority complex, with the addition of dragons, I had one major problem that made this book a four star novel. The names of the Anglish honorifics, buildings, types of people, cultural holidays, etc. were a strange combination of English, German and Scandinavian names, and although the book was written like the fictional countries should have an obvious basis, I had difficulty understanding which places were which, and the European names then being further changed to appear more fantasy confused me further.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath;The First Book of Nampeshiweisit by Moniquill Blackgoose is absolutely genius fantasy! I'm not a huge fan of fantasy but this book enticed me right away and drew me in. A must read!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Indigenous MC, magic school, dragon riding, Viking-meets-Regency era society, poly romance....WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!?!

Not a lot, is the answer. Anequs is a breath of fresh air as a female YA protagonist. She had a solid voice, a firm resolve, and a level head. She was easy to root for and never once made me feel the need to slap some sense into her. She--GET THIS--communicates with the people around her clearly and effectively. I loved it.

This book doesn't shy away from facing social injustice head-on. It focused on the complexities of meshing cultures in which one views itself as "cultured" and the other as "savage." Very fascinating and real-world applicable.

The only reason I knocked a half-ish star off this book was because of the pacing. This was a really cool world and there was a lot for the reader to wrap their head around...but there was a LOT of exposition and while it was often conveyed within dialogue between characters, it occasionally got tiresome. I scanned through a few long-winded info dumps, not going to lie. It wasn't a world so utterly unfamiliar that it required huge bouts of information.

The pacing wasn't entirely ideal, in that the last 10% of the book contained most of the action...though there was enough political/social machinations going on throughout the novel to keep me interested.

All this to say that if the opening line of this review caught your attention, you should most definitely grab a copy of this book when it comes out this spring. I look forward to seeing other people read this, and very much look forward to seeing what goes down in book two of this series!

This is such a stunning book in so many ways. Despite its length, it held my attention from beginning to end, and I cannot wait to see where Anequs and Kasaquah's story takes them.

I love Anequs. She is bold and strong and honest, and she can't imagine being anyone that she's not. Her affection and respect for her family, her people, and the land is beautiful and builds the foundation of her character. Blackgoose crafted her with such thoughfulness, and I loved seeing her navigate her sudden and confusing change of circumstance.

The world Blackgoose sets us in is a sort of magical alternate version of our world in the 1800's, but I would have preferred if it was either set fully in our world or in a different one instead of what felt like an oddly constructed inbetween. The spelling changes felt especially awkward. For instance, Africa becomes Aprika, algebra becomes al-jabr, and English becomes Anglish.

The magic system is very interesting and complex, and I am seriously looking forward to seeing more of how it works and seeing more impactful applications of it. I'm especially looking forward to more dragon badassery. Kasaquah is so precious and fierce, and I cannot wait to see her grow into an even more formidable partner to Anequs.

I was a little disappointed by the romantic chemistry between Anequs and Theod. At this point, it kind of feels like their otherness is the only thing they have in common, and very little insight is offered into why Anequs is interested in him aside from being handsome.

I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel that this is clearly building toward. I look forward to seeing where Anequs's romantic feelings take her, the result of the developing political unrest, and the blossoming of Anequs and Kasaquah's power.

This book is an indigenous historical fantasy. The main character is a young indigenous woman in a world greatly affected by colonization. She lives on an island off the mainland and her people have little interaction with the colonizing people, but their community has still been greatly affected by it. This is a world in which dragons exist and choose a human partner when they hatch. Anequs finds a dragon egg and the dragon that hatches is an indigenous dragon that has not been seen in generations. When she is chosen she is compelled to attend an Anglish school to teach her to shape her dragons breath.

This book is obviously fantastical, full of many different, well thought out breeds of dragons with different characteristics. But it also touches on so many real life themes in what I thought was a very accessible way. This book is full of representation. There is indigenous, black, queer, and autistic representation. There are some very difficult and uncomfortable themes in this story, but it all felt natural to the story and not forced.

I’ll admit that I almost DNFed this book in the beginning because there were so many strange terms for things and confusing descriptions that had me feeling very confused. The colonizing people of this world seem to be a mix of Norse and German and some of the words felt just a little off and others were completely unintelligible to me. But eventually I realized that this was probably done intentionally to show the reader the way Anequs and other indigenous people must feel when being thrust into an unknown society and being expected to assimilate and understand the strange world around them. Besides that there were some times when the story dragged at a slow pace and took a while to get through, and the main character seemed almost too perfect and always completely confident in herself and her choices, and her only struggles or flaws are just cultural differences.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and am curious to see what the author does with the rest of the series.