Dragons! What more so I need to say?! The cover drew me in but the words are what kept me coming back for more! This was a very unique read!

Fifteen year old Anequs lives with her people on a remote island, living a life her people have lived for many generations. They have a longstanding, difficult 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 new born dragon 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, and teach their dragons to use their dragon breath safely. .Anequs enrolls in the academy and is sponsored by the Headmaster.

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. Anequs is enrolled and she and her dragon are asked to represent her people in order to change perceptions and rule of law with the Anglish. Only one other girl is enrolled, and only one boy from an Indigenous people. We see what life is like on the island for Anequs and her developing relationship with the other indigenous boy. . We learn about their food their drink and how they live and support themselves. We listen to their stories. And watch their dances and festivals. Their lives are fulfilling and they want to live in peace with the Anglish.

Once Anequs makes it to school, she is put to task , and discriminated by others, causing her to be defensive and outspoken. Most of her teachers and fellow students don’t want her there. They invent rules for her and the other Indigenous boy But she is also very intelligent and capable, and she learns despite the odds against her. The story is about colonialism more than a dragon story. The dragons, though great, are secondary in this story.

I enjoyed To Shape a Dragon’s Breath very much. I did find the long names and spellings difficult to read, and shortened them in my mind for my ease of reading. Lots of characters and lots of “indigenous “ names. But Its strengths were the characters and we learn a lot about family, relationships and community. There is a great deal of world information and history of both the groups, which to me was long and repetitive towards the middle of the book, it does slow the story down. But that said, it was interesting and enjoyable and I read it quickly.

I was a Dragon Kid.

I read the first Eragon book to tatters, and obsessively read the third around four times a year. Dragonology was my favorite -ology book. It was Lady Trent’s Memoirs, a series about dragon naturalism, that broke me out of my four year reading slump.

I haven’t read a good dragon book in a while, but I’ve been itching for one. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is exactly what I needed to scratch that itch.

WORLDBUILDING

The story is set in an alternate history version of America based upon not Christian English beliefs but Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, and Old English religion and culture. I loved how Blackgoose reinterpreted and structured these inspirations; for example, the political system is a cross between the real world early American democracy and the Anglo-Saxon aristocratic system with a king, thanes, and halls.

The magic system, too, is so well-done. It’s more of a magical alternate science system, which I would describe as a cross between chemistry and alchemy. Though the vocabulary is different (for example, iron is called isen and elements are called skiltas), the foundational concepts are the same, making it easy to follow as we learn about it beside Anequs.

I adore dragon fantasy stories that reinterpret our own history and natural science through its own lens. That’s no easy feat to accomplish, much less do it well. With To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, Blackgoose has created not only a fantastic science fantasy but also one of the best dragon fantasy books I have ever read.

FOLKLORE IN TO SHAPE A DRAGON’S BREATH

I could write an essay on the way Blackgoose implements folklore into her storytelling. However, this is a book review, and as such I shall restrain myself to a few paragraphs.

Folklore—more specifically, the telling of stories—is a major theme in To Shape a Dragon’s Breath. More than one chapter is a story within a story, framed by Anequs asking another character to tell her a story or telling a story herself. It’s obvious to me that Blackgoose is passionate about folklore, reinterpreting lore from real-world cultures with care.

Even the presentation of the novel itself has links to folklore. The chapter titles, when considered together, read as a bare-bones bedtime story version of the narrative. It’s so clever, and I absolutely cannot wait to see how Blackgoose continues the theme of folklore in the rest of the series.

PLOT

I sometimes struggle to enjoy some fantasy titles, as they tend to incorporate tropes and narrative beats I find tiring (for example, the love triangle and poorly handled fantasy racism).

However, Blackgoose not only avoids these tropes but actively challenges them. In example, although Anequs is interested in two characters, she plans to pursue both of them, avoiding a tiresome love triangle that so often drags books down for me. She also handles racism and bigotry on several levels. For example, by reflecting problematic tropes and narratives present in real-world literature through in-world books Anequs encounters, and exploring how those racist narratives effect Anequs’ life and relationships.

And now we come to the only caveat I have to say about To Shape a Dragon’s Breath.

The plot is largely concerned with worldbuilding, society, and culture. If you’re expecting a high-octane adventure fantasy, you will be disappointed. There are no sky battles or magic duels or special ancient weapons.

I’ve seen some other reviewers complain that nothing happens in this book. I disagree.

Things do happen, it’s just that those things concern cultural, scientific, and political worldbuilding, the navigation of social settings, and the development of character relationships.

At its core, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath about exploring a world through the eyes of an Indigenous teenager living in a colonial world and moving through a restrictive social structure she refuses to assimilate into.

The plot, therefore, is about what she learns and who she learns it with. For someone expecting dragon battles or a fantasy boarding school mystery, it may feel as though nothing is happening.

But something is happening: an exploration of the crossroads of race, gender, religion, class, and culture in this fictional setting throug nuanced, well-written dialogue between diverse, well-written characters.

It is a slow paced book, but like a good hike, the pleasure is in the journey and who you’re walking with.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath provides a breathtaking trail and excellent company.

FINAL THOUGHTS

After finishing To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, I already missed the characters and the world. This is the first installment in a series, and I cannot wait to see what else Blackgoose has in store for us.

If you love dragons, science fantasy, or well-written diverse characters, I cannot recommend To Shape a Dragon’s Breath enough.

Thank you to Del Ray for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley.

This book did not work for me quite as well as I had hoped it would. There were plenty of things I liked, but they were overshadowed by just how boring and drawn out the story became. It didn’t help that the writing was incredibly matter of fact and detached, which kept me from becoming emotionally attached to the main character.

The world-building was a bit of a mixed bag. I really loved it at first even though there was a steep learning curve. The alternative history and culture of both the Indigenous people and the Viking colonizers were incredibly fascinating. I enjoyed learning about it all from context and experiencing it alongside the characters. Unfortunately, it got stale after a bit. Pretty much the entire story was just teaching the main character about the culture of the colonizers and having her think it was weird. This repeated over and over again with different customs, and it just got old and boring long before the book reached its end.

I also really wanted more of the academics and dragons. The book focused so heavily on Anequs’ social life and her adjustment to the culture shock. Everything else seemed like an afterthought, which was a shame because there was a lot of interesting stuff in this book. The magic system was so unique, a blend of dancing, drawing, and chemistry, but it was used so little in the story. Furthermore, there were only one or two actual dragon lessons in this entire book about a dragon school. It was a huge disappointment because I definitely wanted more dragon action.

My favorite thing about the book was how it compared the motivations and day to day life of the two very different societies, one Indigenous and one Western. It called into question the very notion of what it means to be ‘civilized’ and left me thinking about how progress can be conceptualized in radically different ways by other cultures. The story illustrated just how unnecessary, and a bit ridiculous, many of the excesses of capitalism truly are. It also highlighted an alternative way of life to the chasing of endless growth and showed one way to live more in harmony with nature. It was all very thought-provoking.

I cannot end this review without commenting on the characters. The main character, Anequs, was headstrong and had a solid understanding of her identity. She was unwavering in her beliefs, and I liked that she didn’t bow to the pressure of the colonizers. However, it also left her as a bit of a one note character because not much about her or her reactions really changed over the course of the book. She felt like more of a steady change agent that altered the people and institutions around her, which was interesting but kept me from building a strong emotional connection to her. I loved her friends, though. They each had compelling character arcs, and I loved the little found family unit of outcasts they created at the school.

Overall, this was a really interesting read with so many great elements. They just didn’t all come together in a completely satisfying way for me. If you enjoy stories with indigenous influences or centered around critiquing the status quo and colonialism, you will most likely enjoy this book. Just don’t go into it thinking it will be an action-packed tale with tons of dragon action. That is not this book’s vibe. I thought this one was okay but not a page-turner. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

There’s something subtle, yet distinct, about Indigenous storytelling. So often, I think of it having a lull, like the gentle rocking of the water when you’re lying on a boat. I hadn’t looked into anything about the author, or even read the book description, before I started reading To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, but it wasn’t long before I knew this was an Indigenous author.

There’s a lot here for fantasy fans to love. Dragons are front and center in this story, and for Anequs, learning to shape her dragon’s breath is key to the dragon’s return to her people. This is a prestigious honor and a great responsibility, which she takes seriously.

As an Indigenous student at a dragon school, she’s one of only two girls in the student body, and one of only two of her people there. Anequs deals with sexism and racism from students and faculty alike, and venturing into town isn’t much safer at times. For me, this story worked on several levels. Anequs is on a personal journey, Anequs’s people are contending with threats and change, and Anequs is on an academic journey, with her dragon’s ife hanging in the balance. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath paints an unflattering picture of colonization, and also delves into other forms of bigotry. The book contains one of the best explanations of Two Spirit I’ve seen, and shows how forward thinking Indigenous cultures were while colonizers prohibited same sex relationships and other upheld traditional male-female gender roles.

One of the things about the gentle ebb and flow of this kind of story is that it isn’t always possible to anticipate future events, so those readers who like to look forward to specific conflicts or developments playing out on the page may be disappointed. For me, this works well because it keeps the story from feeling predictable. At the same time, the story delivered on some things that were hinted at in the text, and it built up to a suspenseful climax and satisfying resolution. I found Anequs memorable and loved this book. I hope we see more stories featuring her and her people.

Overall, I was left feeling disappointed from this book. I thought I was in for an epic fantasy involving dragons. I thought it was an intriguing concept with the main character being Native. However I thought that the majority of the book was boring. I felt like the author had so much potential to have this be an engaging fast paced story. The majority of the book felt like it was world building, and setting up for other books in the series.

I felt like the subject that they are learning about in school is very confusing and isn't well explained. Most of the action began in the last 25 pages of the book. And this was a big book.

I thought the romance was the best part of this book, however it was a very small part. I will not be reading the next book in this series. I just think there are more engaging fantasy stories being written.

Thanks to Random House, Ballentine, and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I really loved the world building in this book. Starting with the island cultures, to the dominant Anglish cultures, to the dragons (!), I found all of the different cultures and spaces in this novel fantastic. Blackgoose has created a fascinating background for a great story about a young girl being forced into new circumstances because she finds a dragon egg and bonds with the dragon once it's hatched.

I don't think I even fully realized all of the native and indigenous cultural aspects of Blackgoose's novel, but I loved the character of Anequs: she is so fiery and feisty and proud of her heritage. And I appreciated all of the other characters. Some were more fully drawn than others, but it seems like this is part of a series and I hope we hear more from all of them moving forward.

I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

To Shape A Dragon's Breath is a quiet book. It follows our protagonist and narrator, Anequs, after she bonds with a newly hatched dragon named Kasaqua. Steeped in culture and filled to the brim with conversation about colonialism, this book is a must read for fantasy genre enthusiasts.

My four stars is in reference to how, in some places, it felt a little overlong. I could have done with a final product that was about a 100 pages less, but overall, I loved this book for its lush descriptions, its deeply important message, and its unapologetic queerness. I'm deeply looking forward to the sequel.

When you say dragons we all know I am going to be aboard. I was a little hesitant about this one because of the academy part but I should not have been.

While this book is a good 500 pages the start comes straight to the point. Anequs meets a dragon and later finds their egg. It is the start to a great many changes for her as the newly born dragon chooses her as their companion, their Nampeshiweisit as they call it in her culture. It is an important position. It also means that she has to go to an academy with the Anglish, those that have colonized her island and her culture.

This book is set in an alternate history. It takes the colonization that has happened forward more. The island of Masquapaug is also quite a bit closer to this alternate England than any colonised island in our world is. It is an interesting look at the world and colonization from a young girl who was still able to grow up with her own culture.

If you are coming to this book for just the dragons, this might not be the book for you. The dragons are what set this book in motion but most of the book deals with the colonization. About the racism and bigotry that Anequs has to deal with. There is a lot of discussion there. I will say it borders on idealizing Anequs culture and demonizing everything from the Anglish. Which from the view point of a 15 year old girl makes sense, but for me grew a little old at some point. Not one culture or community is perfect.

Despite that I really grew to love Anequs. For a 15 year old she never lost sight of herself. She stayed true to herself and what she believes in. She also makes quite rational decisions. She was truly smart and intelligent on the page. Something that is often said of mc's in other YA but never shows through their actions. Here that is not the case. I also loved her group of friends. The boy who is kept small by his mother (seems to be autistic though never said as such in text). The maid who she isn't suppose to interact with. The boy who is an outcast. Her roommate who she isn't sure is her friend but they kind of are.

I am very interested in seeing this story develop further and seeing if Anequs will create the changes that I think she will.

I gave this a three out of five stars. I enjoyed it and would be interested in next book in series. I didn’t love it though but I’m hoping book two will be better.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK!

Not only is "To Shape a Dragon's Breath" a fantastic fantasy novel in its own right, but it also brings so many other nuanced threads to the genre. A queer, indigenous protagonist meets with other queer, disabled, and indigenous characters in a world racked with colonialism and race supremacy. I love the matter of fact way that Anaques views the world (tbh it's very similar to how I view it myself) and seeing it foiled in Marta, Liberty, and Theold was so engaging.

I could not put this book down and devoured it! I can't wait for the next book to come out and see what's coming next (I'm betting on a civil war, a polyam relationship, and LOTS more microaggressions to call out!).

Mood: An indigenous storyteller about dragons. Mood: School for dragon riding. Mood: Writing voices that aren't the typical, mainstream format and prose.
The first thing I loved about this was the table of content. The chapter titles read like a strange poem or story. Second is putting to the front of what colonization takes away from a people, and then once it's all been taken, how it continues to harm. Our MC isn't confused about who she is, though, and rises to the challenge of every misperception she meets and all with a dragon.
The world-building is very broad too, which in the middle did contribute to a slower pace than I wanted, but that is criticism I hope is taken and reworked in the next book because I will be picking it up! The dragons are different and in Blackgoose words "breathe a kind of pure chaos magic that rips molecules apart rather than “fire”, “ice”, or “acid”.
This alteration in dragons, and the different ways dragons are utilized by humans depending on their culture made this book fascinating.
If you love dragon fantasy, but refuse to give this book a chance, well I won't judge you because I don't need to. Actions speak for themselves.

Actual Stars: 3.75

I truly enjoyed this story - the fact that the FMC demonstrates a known strength instead of the 'coming-of-age, finds the strength' sort of story was more compelling for me personally. I am very excited to see where this series goes and following the story!

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me. I wanted to love it so badly! But after reading a third of the book and not getting much substance/hoping the execution would live up to the concept, I gave up. I also had a hard time with the writing style, because it was very observational (a character saw this/thought this) as opposed to descriptive (painting a picture).

Anytime a book premise involves dragon riders I am INSTANTLY interested and To Shape a Dragon’s Breath did not disappoint. I really fell in love with the world building and how dragons fit in to this society. The representation in this book and the way Anequs experiences racism and colonialism added so much depth and told a story that everyone needs to hear. The pacing was a little slow but I feel like as a first book in a series it worked hard to establish a lot that will make for more effective storytelling in the subsequent novels. Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!!

To Shape A Dragon’s Breath is one of the most vivid stories I’ve ever read. There is so much care and detail that goes into building this world that those who struggle a bit to visualize stories might be able to picture it, like myself. The setting is not lost on me and it was incredible to read.

This story mirrors our world, set in the past, with ties to what happened to Indigenous people. There was this looming air of worry I felt while reading because we know the trajectory of how things played out, and every move Anequs made felt heavy and dangerous. It was unexpectedly emotional in that way. She is only 15, studying to be a dragoneer for her dragon Kasaqua, and every step of hers feels fragile. Theod is a great representation of this hesitation, as he grew up outside of his culture due to what happened to his parents. His upbringing was centered on being anything but a “nackie” and Anequs who is so unapologetic in who she and her people are causes a lot of questions and friction for him. She is strong spirited and because of their connection of being the only two “nackies” at the school, it keeps bringing him back into her orbit despite his best effort.

This book really does not hold back in the treatment of Indigenous people. It is painted across every page and a reminder with every Anglish person that Anequs meets. Even those who consider themselves well intentioned, like Frau Kuiper and Marta, are harmful in their treatment. It shows that very real reality of how people who try to be progressive can be harmful. That really is what this story is centered upon. Anequs finds a dragon egg and has to go to an Anglish school to learn skiltakraft because no one on her island remembers how to do skiltas. There is also the matter of her not truly having a choice, since anyone with a dragon must attend a school so their dragon isn’t destroyed. This is set up by her brother Niquiat and everything from there sees Anequs separated from her family, her people, and their way of life. There are prejudices, racism, on-going colonization and genocide. The attempted destruction of a people and the mistreatment of them because of a desire to take the land. Everyone sees Anequs as an unintelligent savage though she often questions the societal upbringings the Anglish have that put so many of them in turmoil.

One such instance is with Liberty, a laundry maid that Anequs grows smitten with. Among her people it is normal for two women to be together, whereas among the Anglish, this puts them both in severe danger. And when Anequs develops feelings with Theod, it is normal among her people to have multiple partners, but just as expected, uncommon among the Anglish. The book weaves this dynamic in and out, setting up the potential without making it a sole focus of the book.

This story does have heavy Indigenous storytelling influence. Such as the descriptions and other stories told within the story. It does not follow a western standard. That is something I’ve come to love, appreciate, and even prefer when it comes to Indigenous storytelling. With this one, I do feel some went beyond Indigenous storytelling and it made it harder for me to read. I do think the story could have kept to Indigenous style storytelling roots with some stuff cut out. It was conflicting because I was immersed in the story but I could only read in short sprints because so much felt overwhelmingly repetitive.

Despite this, I think it is one of the most immersive fantasy books that ties into Indigenous culture. Every page had ties back to its roots and that is what made it so endearing. I also appreciated the subtle representation of so many people. It felt extremely natural, like Liberty being a lesbian, Anequs being bi and poly, Sander being selectively mute and speaking through his tablet. There are also different cultures that are not skimmed over and ignored. I cannot speak to their sensitivity or accuracy, but nothing stood out to be as blatantly inaccurate with the bit of knowledge I do have.

Overall, a wonderful first book with so much potential for the rest of the series. My mind is buzzing with where it will take us.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

What an absolute delight! This book is a must for fans of dragons and Babel by RF Kuang. Moniquill Blackgoose has started this out with a unique voice and a lovable set of characters and my only complaint is that I don’t have the second book to start now! Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for the eARC of the book.

Amazing cover! I love alternate histories with magic and science. I also love a protagonist who starts out strong and overcomes challenges rather than a weak girl who realizes how strong she is. Thank you publishers for providing more indigenous literature about people still part of their communities. The details of the science and all the place names got a little tedious, especially as an audiobook.

This book ticked a lot of "good book" boxes for me. I can't wait to see where this series goes. I am loving the plot, the world building, the fantasy elements, the fact there is wonderful representation, it is YA that doesn't quite read YA, and I could go on and on. I did mention this one ticked a lot of boxes for me.
The only reason I did not rate this book higher is because there were a lot of pages that the dialogue dragged or covered things that didn't really need that much depth, imo. This could have been a much shorter book. I also realize this doesn't bother everyone and certainly shouldn't stop someone from picking up this wonderful book.

Fans of coming-of-age stories, fantasy, YA fantasy, and wonderful worldbuilding should check this one out.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

This was so incredibly good and I need the sequel immediately! This takes place over the course of about a year and follows Anequs, a 15-year-old Indigenous woman who finds a dragon egg of the dragons endemic to the land, which had died out 200 years ago. When the egg hatches and Anequs is chosen as Kasaqua’s Nampeshiweisit, she is forced to go to an Anglish dragon school in order to keep her family and community safe. The Anglish have a history of taking and conquering what they believe they are entitled to, and dragons are at the top of the list of things they believe they can and should control. At this school Anequs has to contend with everyone trying to make her more Anglish while belittling and harassing her for her Nackie identity, but from the beginning Anequs has known she would go to the school long enough to get the knowledge that would help her shape Kasaqua’s breath and help her community to thrive and prosper.

This was such a fantastic story with an incredible protagonist and I love so many of the secondary characters. There are times I don’t like Marta, Anequs’ Anglish roommate, but other times she does make actual efforts and I think it’s such a good showing of someone trying while their entire understanding and worldview is being forced to shift by actual interactions with marginalized peoples. Sander is such a wonderful friend and I love how Anequs’ friendship helps him to gain internal strength because she never tries to change him and makes sure he has the accommodations that make him more comfortable and able to interact. And LIBERTY! Gosh, the dynamic between Anequs and Liberty is soooo good and I cannot wait to see things continue to develop between them, especially as Anequs is also wanting to court Theod (all of which is normalized to her and her community!!!). So many wonderful, complex, nuanced interpersonal interactions.

This was just all around such a fantastic book with great commentary on colonialism and holding onto identity when the majority is trying to assimilate anyone different while not letting them forget their differences. I love so much of the world building and the history development. So many interesting choices, and I just adored this whole thing. When will the next book be available???