I truly enjoyed this story, the world building was impecable it had me beliveing in dragons a little bit by the end! the author does an anmaxzing job seemlessly incorperating in a wide variety of representation and the story emphasises many important messages that deserve to be explored more in our world as well as this fantasy one.

Intriguing magic school premise with well thought out themes of the difficulties indigenous groups face attending schools designed for the coloniser.s

"To Shape a Dragon's Breath" is the dragonriding book I have always wanted to see. The worldbuilding is unique and well thought out. I enjoyed learning alongside the main character, and the lore of the various dragons and dragonriders portrayed. I really loved seeing Anequs interact with her community. The world was very lived in.

This was such an amazing book. I don’t know that I have the words to fully express it.
First off, the representation. The author is indigenous and writes about indigenous people. While this is fiction, it definitely shows the evils of colonization and mirrors much of real world happenings.
Then our FMC is queer, her village has no issues with this. It’s normal among them. It was refreshing to see bisexuality and polyamory as an everyday thing among their people. The normalcy of it was refreshing.
Then there is a character who’s most likely autistic, but he’s a well rounded character and not a caricature of stereotypes of autism. Next to our FMC he’s actually probably my favorite character.

This book will make you feel a wide array of emotions. I was angry, scared, sad, happy and everything

If this is Moniquill Blackgoose’s debut novel, I cannot wait for book 2.

I loved this! The worldbuilding is excellent. It reminded me of Lyra's world in His Dark Materials - a universe brushing up against our world, but profoundly different at the same time. Exploring colonialism realistically in a fantasy setting is something I haven't seen done in this way (or this well) in many other books. The use of language, especially academic and political terminology, as part of creating a distinctive world and its power structures is very effective.

Anequs is a fantastic character and she often surprised me with her strength and directness. I love how she pulls together very different people to create a group of friends. I adore Sander in particular and want so much for him to live his best autistic life. Also, the dragons are wonderful.

The plot didn't have much forward momentum, which came to feel frustrating by the end. I felt like we kept going round and round and having to deal with the same issues. There's some political intrigue in the last few chapters, but most of it happens off-page and is summarised very briefly.

I love that Anequs is from a culture where queerness is normalised and monogamy isn't compulsory. That said, I do think this book suffers a bit from presenting the Masquisit as perfect in comparison to the Anglish on every point - although that choice also makes sense to me as a correction (maybe an overcorrection?) to colonial notions of indigenous people as savage. I do appreciate that individual characters, like Anequs's father, are allowed to be complex and difficult without being wholly evil or unlikeable.

I hope the next book is a bit more plot-driven, now that the foundations of the world have been established. But if this is just the author's style, I'm sure I'll enjoy it either way.

Set in an alternate mid-19th century where Norse colonizers (yep, Vikings!) landed in the Americas instead of the British, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is a deeply layered coming-of-age story that blends colonial critique, Indigenous resistance, and dragons (did I mention the dragons??) into something utterly fresh and captivating.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose was such an delightfully fresh breath of air. Our heroine, Anequs, is a young Indigenous girl bonds with a dragon and is thrust into a rigid, colonizer-run dragoneering academy. Sound familiar? That’s intentional. The parallels to Native American boarding schools are clea, sharply drawn, and handled with nuance and care. The whole story is threaded with a fierce undercurrent of cultural survival and sovereignty.

I absolutely loved Anequs-- she is not your typical YA protagonist. She’s self-assured, intelligent, grounded in her values, and (gasp!) makes consistently thoughtful decisions. I’m so used to screaming “Girl, NO, why are you so dumb?!” at YA characters, but with Anequs, I just wanted to high-five her after nearly every chapter. She’s confident in her sexuality, her culture, and herself. It was such a balm to read.

The cast is wonderfully diverse, with queer, poly, and neurodivergent representation woven in naturally, and the magic system is as rich and intricate as the history it's embedded in. And the dragons are SO CUTE. Like super powerful, mentally bonded puppies.

If you’re into smart, slow-burn fantasy with teeth and heart and you’re ready to follow a heroine who actually has her act together, I cannot recommend this one enough.

Thank you to Moniquill Blackgoose and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for providing the ARC in exchanged for an unbiased review.

This was such an amazing book. I don’t know that I have the words to fully express it.
First off, the representation. The author is indigenous and writes about indigenous people. While this is fiction, it definitely shows the evils of colonization and mirrors much of real world happenings.
Then our FMC is queer, her village has no issues with this. It’s normal among them. It was refreshing to see bisexuality and polyamory as an everyday thing among their people. The normalcy of it was refreshing.
Then there is a character who’s most likely autistic, but he’s a well rounded character and not a caricature of stereotypes of autism. Next to our FMC he’s actually probably my favorite character.

This book will make you feel a wide array of emotions. I was angry, scared, sad, happy and everything

If this is Moniquill Blackgoose’s debut novel, I cannot wait for book 2.

To Shape a Dragon"s Breath is an intricately written fantasy, highly detailed and descriptive. I loved the author's depictions of dragons and their history interacting with the people of this world.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

This story sounds like an absolutely compelling blend of fantasy, cultural commentary, and coming-of-age adventure.

At its heart, this is a powerful tale about resistance, identity, and reclaiming tradition in the face of colonial systems. Anequs’s journey—from the reverent dragon-bonded of her people to an outsider forced into a foreign institution—sets the stage for a rich exploration of whose knowledge is valued, what traditions are erased, and who gets to wield power. The dragon school premise adds a familiar fantasy flavor, but it’s subverted by the cultural conflict and Anequs’s refusal to be molded into the Anglish ideal.

This Nordic-inspired, steampunk-adjacent, anti-colonial, polyamorous, queer, dragon academia fantasy with dragons on literally every page (no exaggeration), was really original and captivating.

If you liked Andarna from that other dragon fantasy boarding school book, there is a good chance you’ll be enamoured with Kasaqua. This adorable baby dragon has bonded with Anequs, our 15-year-old Masquisit protagonist, and their relationship is gorgeous. But what really sets it apart is how their bond reflects the book’s deeper themes. Anequs sees Kasaqua as a partner, an equal, she belongs to her dragon. Meanwhile, the Anglish settlers see dragons as something to be tamed, controlled, and wielded as status symbols. This fundamental clash of ideologies of coexistence vs. domination mirrors the larger cultural struggle at the heart of the book.

Anequs, our protag, refuses to contort herself to fit into a world designed to exclude and erase her. She’s constantly underestimated, patronised and expected to assimilate. The microaggressions aren’t just coming from overtly racist villains, either, although there are plenty of those too. They’re embedded in the well-meaning classmates who patronise and condescend to her, whilst believing they’re being kind. In the teachers who think that “including” her means forcing her to conform rather than questioning why the system was built to erase people like her in the first place.

The novel unpacks the insidious ways colonialism operates which is not just through violence, but through the erasure of culture, language and autonomy. Fortunately, Anequs finds true friends along the way, and I especially loved the neurodivergent rep in one of them and the author’s nuanced characterisation of them all.

That said, while the book nails its themes, Anequs herself sometimes feels too perfect. Don’t get me wrong, I adore and admire her. She’s beautiful, brilliant, self-assured, compassionate, effortlessly competent, and somehow never truly shaken, no matter what gets thrown at her. And while I love that she doesn’t have to suffer to be worthy of her own story, I wish she had more internal conflict. Her arc is largely about proving herself to others rather than experiencing meaningful personal growth, and that makes her journey feel a bit static. That said, I do adore how she can verbally eviscerate someone in a debate and her directness. I’d pay money to watch.

Besides that, the other Indigenous characters aren’t a monolith, they’re layered and compelling. Anequs’ brother believes that working within the Anglish system could be a way to help their people. Another student, orphaned and raised to be a “model” servant, has internalised Anglish superiority to survive. Survival under colonial rule forces difficult choices, and the book respects those complexities.

Even the romance subplot resists easy categorisation. Instead of slotting into a traditional love triangle or fated-mates trope, it challenges ideas of love, gender, and monogamy in ways that feel organic to the world. Love itself is explored as something shaped by the systems we exist within, who we’re “allowed” to love, under what conditions, and with what expectations.

Anyways, if you love dragons in your academia and fantasy books, you’re going to love this. I found the rich themes, compelling world and decolonisation of engrained social attitudes super refreshing and empowering. There is also a lot of academia and exposition in the classroom itself. I’m so eager to see where the author takes the story for book two. Highly recommend!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for the digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I finished To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, I felt as if I had come down from the best day I’ve ever had. The adrenaline and excitement I felt as Anequs and Kasaqua, her dragon, were forced into an Anglish school and customs so far removed from the culture Anequs grew up in, was exhilarating. As I closed the cover, metaphorically of course, on my e-galley, I instantly wanted to know what was next for my beloved duo. It’s safe to say I would reach each and every book Moniquill Blackgoose puts out, based on this book alone. Beyond that, the exposure to a lore that I did not know a thing about, had me rushing to turn page after page. I definitely give this book 5 out of 5 stars, and eagerly await the sequel in the Nampeshiweisit series.

"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."

I enjoyed this story overall, but did get a little bored at times. I have to pick up a book pretty much anytime it is about dragons, and I am glad I picked up this one. Anequs was a great main character to follow. The author did a pretty good job at world building, but I do wish there was more about the dragons. There is almost never enough about dragons in dragon themed books.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose is a captivating and immersive fantasy novel that blends rich cultural traditions with the thrill of dragon taming. At the heart of the story is Anequs, a young Indigenous girl who becomes the guardian of a dragon egg and embarks on a journey to an academy where she must train her dragon while facing prejudice and societal challenges.

Blackgoose crafts a world that feels both magical and grounded, drawing on Indigenous culture and storytelling to create an immersive setting. The vivid descriptions and strong character development make the plot come alive, while the themes of identity, resilience, and challenging systems of power resonate deeply. Despite exploring heavy themes like colonialism and cultural identity, the novel remains a compelling and heartfelt read, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow characters to grow.

Anequs is a relatable, determined protagonist whose voice feels genuine as she navigates a world that doesn't always accept her. The novel is a must-read for anyone who enjoys fantasy with substance, unforgettable characters, and stories that celebrate diversity. Highly recommended for those looking for a rich, engaging story that lingers long after the final page.

Great book overall. A young woman attends the colonist school to learn how to bond and train her found dragon. She tries to fit in but has a difficult time and starts calling out all the bs they engage in. If you enjoy story’s about classism, discrimination, colonialism and its impact, this is for you!

I adored this book. Anequs' is a fascinating main character, trying to balance her thirst for knowledge and protection of her dragon with the realities of a government not built for those who look, think, act or believe like her. The characters have a depth and awareness to them that can sometimes be lacking in novels which so heavily feature dragons. Anequs' journey is engrossing and I eagerly await the next book in this series.

Very unique story which was very enjoyable! Loved the similarities to Babel one of my favorite reads of 2024. Plus dragons are always a good thing!

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose is a fresh and engaging take on fantasy, set in a world that combines rich cultural traditions with the thrill of dragon taming. At its heart, the story is about identity, resilience, and fighting for your place in a world that doesn’t always accept you.

The story follows Anequs, a young Indigenous girl who discovers a dragon egg and becomes its guardian. Her journey takes her to an academy where she faces both the challenge of training her dragon and the prejudices of a society that looks down on her people. Anequs is a smart and determined protagonist, and her voice feels genuine and relatable as she navigates a new environment while staying true to her roots.

One of the book’s standout features is its world-building. Blackgoose skillfully blends elements of Indigenous culture and storytelling with the fantasy genre, creating a world that feels both magical and grounded. The descriptions of dragon training, the academy, and the social dynamics are detailed and immersive without being overwhelming.

This is more than just a fantasy story—it’s also a powerful exploration of colonialism, cultural identity, and what it means to challenge systems of power. But even with its deeper themes, the book remains an exciting and heartfelt read that’s hard to put down.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is perfect for readers who enjoy fantasy with substance, compelling characters, and stories that celebrate cultural diversity. It’s a standout novel that leaves you eager for the next chapter in Anequs’s journey.

Rating: 4.5/5

Profound insight on how Native people are treated in the Americas through a consumable fantasy lens. Highly recommend for young readers around 14

Along the lines of Iron Widow, I loved How to Shape a Dragon’s Breath! I can’t wait for the next book to come out. That characters are well developed and there is strong representation, the complications of colonization and capitalism are woven expertly, both literally and metaphorically, into the story line, and I am here for all of it.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath is a really cool start to a new fantasy series. The world feels alive with dragons and magic, and it’s such a fresh take on things. The main character is easy to root for, and watching her grow throughout the story is awesome. There’s a nice mix of action and moments that hit deeper, and it keeps you hooked the whole way through. Definitely a fun, engaging read that leaves you wanting the next book!