3.5 stars rounded up to 4

im so sad. book one was so good. this one has such book 2 syndrome. nothing happens for so long and then the ending punches you in the face with the premise for book 3 that you'll have to wait another few years for.

I was able to forgive Anequs's flat arc in book one because so much is happening around her and tbh the other people were wrong 95% of the time! it was nice to see someone stand up for their morals and not worry about the consequences!

but at some point there will be consequences, and Anequs acts like that's not true even when it's being explained to her again and again. we had a great opportunity here for her to do some growing that wasn't necessary yet in book 1.

other characters that I loved from book 1 did have a chance to grow and I appreciated that, but it meant that we spent a LOT of time focusing on Anequs's feelings and not much at all on the brewing political stuff. the ending was such an abrupt escalation because we didn't see anything about the bad guys for so much of the book.

look, it's still well written and the world building is excellent. I liked the continuation of the world. I will still read and be excited for book 3! I just had very high expectations after book 1 and this failed to meet them

To Ride a Rising Storm absolutely delivered for me. I was in love with the world building of the first book, To Shape a Dragon’s breath, and that continued to be a huge part of this book. The world felt complex, lived-in, and so easy to sink into. I loved spending more time with Anequs at home; I loved the quiet exploration of her family and her community.
There’s lots of queer rep woven in naturally, and the character dynamics had me quietly chanting “please make this a why-choose”, I need the three of them to be together like now!
As a Canadian, there is a stark tension sitting over some of the scenes. Knowing our history around potlatch bans and the persecution of Indigenous leaders made certain moments feel like a waiting gut punch. Nothing has landed yet, and this is a very alternative Canadian History, but there is always the possibility that Anaqus will suffer under many of the repressive laws and policies that happened here in Canada.
I was super excited to read this ARC, but now I’m a little sad. I have to wait for this book to be published AND for the next one to come out!
**This review is based on an e-ARC generously provided to me through Netgalley**

I very much enjoyed the second book in this series, I think even more so than the first! I particularly applaud the author for her ability to progress the character arcs of even minor supporting characters--allowing past problems to stay solved while also introducing new problems and characters that further the plot and deepen the world!

As with the first novel I found the world-building perhaps the most fascinating part of the novel, although the diegetic story-telling occasionally took me out of the moment. I love that the vast expansion of our understanding of the world, government, and cultures so believably matches Anequs' own expansion of understanding.

I found all of the characters nuanced and wonderfully flawed in different ways. Personally I am a big fan of the way the two romances were handled--Anequs' forthrightness and strong self-identity can be her greatest strength, but we see in her personal relationships it can also be a flaw. I also applaud the author for choosing not to focus on Liberty and Theod solely as love interests, but as whole people who have their own plans and dreams for the future.

This book tackles many flavors of racism and discrimination in a way I find extremely refreshing. Systematic issues are never handwaved, nor solved single-handedly by a daring protagonist, but are discussed in meaningful ways that impact each character differently. The second-hand embarrassment from Marta and Mathilda specifically is Very Pointed. And necessary! This book can and should make people uncomfortable, but never veers too far into pedantry or finger-wagging.

4.5⭐️

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is one of my all-time favorite reads, so I was thrilled to receive this ARC—thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

This sequel is absolutely stunning. The story of Anequs, an Indigenous girl at a colonizer-run dragon academy, continues with depth and nuance. The themes resonate strongly, reflecting both historical and current issues. The multicultural, polyamorous, and LGBTQ+ representation is woven in seamlessly. Blackgoose’s portrayal of diverse cultural practices is masterful. Anequs remains one of my favorite characters for her confidence and conviction.

The sequel expands the world beautifully—mythology, cultures, and dragon lore (including breeds and anatomy/physiology) are all explored in greater detail, which was exactly what I was hoping for.

My only minor critique is the slower pacing in the opening chapters, where the focus on Anequs’s return home and the romantic subplot felt drawn out (this also may be a personal preference). However, once she returns to the academy, the story finds its stride. It then balances the plot and character growth perfectly.

Overall, this was one of my most anticipated sequels and it more than delivered. Blackgoose has created a brilliant alternative historical fantasy that blends dragons, a unique magic system, multicultural representation, and sharp social commentary. I can’t wait for the next installment!

This series is simply remarkable. I read To Shape a Dragon’s Breath a few weeks ago and had to jump on the chance for an ARC of the second book. I truly love stories about Indigenous culture and mythology. I loved the continuation of Anequs’s journey. The covers for these books are so beautiful.

This is a really well done sequel that manages to build on what came before, build out new exciting threads, and make it clear what the stakes for the next book are. We get more on the nationalist uprising threads from the last book and the poly trio, and also manages to be an effective criticism of schooling systems while she's at it. Ms. Blackgoose won the Hugo for most promising new author as I finished this book, and hopefully she'll be appearing more in the times to come.

I was super excited to read the next instalment of this series. Having an indigenous dragon rider at a colonizer school is an extremely interesting direction for YA.
My pain issues with this book had to do with pacing. For most of the book, there is exceedingly little friction in the plot. In the first 80% of the book, there are some political consequences and fallout from the end of the last book but that takes up very little page time. All the action happened, in the last twenty percent and really only like the last 5% had action in which the FMC was involved.
Because of the pacing, I found myself never feeling compelled to keep reading or feeling drawn to pick the book up. In many ways, the book felt more like slice of life. There were many plot lines about bring people together and introducing new cultures to Aneques.
I do really appreciate blackgoose continuing to fill up the world with more stories of folklore from the various cultures in the book.
It grated on me more in this instalment than in the previous book but Aneques very much is set in her ways and belief in her own and her culture’s superiority.
Aneques’s insistence on the superiority of her culture sometimes makes her seem like an asshole especially when it comes to her friends. I understand Marta is extremely rich and privileged but when a friend is visibly upset about a change in her circumstances that shouldn’t just be dismissed. Aneques spends very little time trying to understand and sympathy size when instead she can lecture.
She is also dismissive of Theod’s concerns about being in a throuple. The constant unwillingness to understand or compromise is a bit frustrating to read or relate to.
It’s also not great how aneques sees her need to see her family as a greater need than her friend, Jadi’s need when Jadi was near the attack and has religious reasons to leave campus.
It was more understandable in the first book that Aneques reacted this way since no one was trying to understand her and these people were basically strangers but as she builds bonds and friendships it is odd that she never stops to consider anyone else’s circumstances or feelings.

The slow slice of life beginning does not match the riots and civil war type ending. I wanted more politics woven through. In the first book, it felt like there was more clear constant political tensions because certain professors and other students hostility toward Aneques. But there is so little of that here that things seem to float along really well except at the end.
Overall, I think Blackgoose does a great job creating a new and interesting world but the pacing and lack of character growth kept me from completely loving this book.

I liked this more than To Shape a Dragon's Breath, but had some similar problems with it as I did the first.

I love the world Blackgoose has created here (which is the main reason I have and will continue to read this series), but I have very little interest in the mechanics of skiltskraft. I am glad this has all obviously been figured out by the author, but there's just too much of it that I don't find particularly interesting. I also still think everything ends up working out for Anequs with far too little effort on her part, but perhaps I only find this bothersome bc I'm significantly older than the book's intended audience.

Overall, though, lots of interesting new (ere)lore, several new characters I loved, and plenty of threads to mull over while we wait for the next book.

Rating 3.75 rounded up

After completing her first year at Kuiper's Academy, Anequs returns to find her homeland occupied by Anglish forces. She becomes intwined in the political struggle. Torn between her home land and learning the ways of the dragon. She now has to navigate her place within the expanding influence of the colonizers as well as the deal with resistance from her own people. Right away the second book in the series shows that it is building upon the amazingly well done first book. The character development is on par with some of the best reads I have read this year. Evoking anger and sympathy, proving that the writing is engaging and thought provoking. I did find book one more interesting but as with book one, this was a well paced easy read that held my interest throughout. I assume there will be another book in the series by the way it ended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc. This is a good continuation of the series and I enjoyed reading it. I love reading about dragons and liked how they were shown in the book. Also I liked learning more about the magic in this world.

The only bad thing I would say is that the pacing dragged a bit.

I was obsessed with the first book in Moniquill Blackgoose's Nampeshiweisit series, so I was delighted that the publisher invited me to read the sequel early! This book picks up where we left off, with dragon school student Anequs and her dragon Kasaqua home on the island of Masquapaug for the summer after a challenging but successful first year at school. Anequs has not one but two love interests -- the first, Theod, is the only other Indigenous student at Kuiper's Academy, and while on break, they discuss their potential future... although Anequs hopes it can also include Liberty, the Black servant who works at the Academy. As Anequs sorts out her personal life, she heads back to school where we meet a few new characters, a new professor, and Anequs shakes things up with a student secret society. Challenges abound as there is political unrest in town, and Anequs and her Tribe deal with the rules and regulations of the Anglish colonizers.

I love love love how Moniquill Blackgoose includes different cultural stories from different perspectives in her books and shows how the characters and their beliefs are, at the core, perhaps not so different from one another after all. Anequs is such a likeable main character -- every time you wish you could jump into the story to correct someone's assumption, Anequs is there speaking up for herself. A fun part of this volume is Anequs meeting Sadsong, a Haudenosaunee dragon rider who is bonded to the only other Nampheshiwe Anequs and Kasaqua have ever met, and who shares with Anequs her traditional woven saddle -- a better fit for the unique anatomy of the Nampheshiwe.

Moreso than the first book, this one ended on a cliffhanger and now I can't wait for the third installment!

This was a great follow-up to the first book. I really enjoyed the mixture of everyday happenings with big, overarching plots and themes. This series continues to not pull its punches when discussing topics such as racism, privilege, sexism, and class and how each of those plays a part in the way each character moves through the world. Anequs saw some great character arc developments in this book as she reckons with the fact that she doesn't know all, and her perspective cannot be applied to all situations and people. I also enjoyed the development of the romance in this book as well. It is taken slowly and given time to develop rather than dumped headlong into it. I cannot wait for the next book in this series and I find that this dragon series is heavily underhyped by the reader community.

Thanks to NetGalley, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This a great sequel and it picks up pretty much where the first book left off. It was great to see more growth in Anequs as a character in this book (compared to the first book). It was nice to see both Liberty and Theod stand-up for their points of view instead of being coerced into doing things only how Anequs chooses. It was nice to see Anequs have some self-awareness of her faults (blunt, not very patient with other points of view).

The social commentary is woven into the very fabric of this story and it drives much of the plot. It is refreshing to read a fantasy book with a focus on indigenous people. I liked the pacing of this book, with all the small actions of various parties involved building up to the major climax at the end. The action, when it starts, is swift and brutal.

My one complaint is that an inordinate amount of time is spent on the chemistry lessons (skiltakraft). I found this a little distracting because on one hand it did not really move the plot forward, and on the other I kept trying to correlate the various elements mentioned in the book with our known elements ( A me problem obviously).

Be warned, this book ends on a sort of cliffhanger! But I truly can't wait for the 3rd book in this series.

I originally dnf'd this book but after discovering i was in a reading slump, I decided to pick it back up and see how my thoughts compared.

This time around, I did enjoy it significantly more and it felt like a lot more of a fulfilling sequel. It kept the elements from the first book i loved such as the world building anc characters.

The book felt like a slow build up which was effective in bringing tension and eagerness to keep reading.

Unfortunately, I did still feel something was missing and i didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. I cant put my finger on why exactly.

This was such a good sequel. I have been waiting so long for this to come out and at one point I thought we weren’t going to get a book two. All I can say, the wait was worth it. This was so stinking good. I really need more people reading these books. Top tier.

What a great follow up to an amazing series! I absolutely love the world the author has created. Each character of importance is well crafted and this book has expanded a bit further on each.

Anequs is still a strong young woman, fighting to be seen as who she is and not be shoved in the mold of high society. The bond between her and Kasaqua has strengthened, to the point they can feel each other’s emotions. Kasaqua is also growing into a charismatic young dragon and I can’t wait to see what’s next for her.

At times I was concerned as it took a bit to get to any conflict, but think it was all important to set up the tension for further books. The progression of both the politics and the depth of learning was paced well.

Overall, great story and now I’m sad that I’ll have to wait to read what comes next after that ending!

First, I want to thank Del Rey for this ARC. I’m glad I was able to try out the second book in this series.

I am marking this book as DNF at 50% because though I really enjoyed the setting, and overall storyline, the writing feels very distant and non-feeling. The first book in the series benefited from a heavier political backdrop to the complicated school portion; something I quite enjoyed because it helped with pacing. The sequel, however, drags through the first third and has two or three scenes that felt meaningful to the plot. It’s only when we get back to the school setting that I feel like the plot settles into place. And by then, I realized the main character’s voice is one I don’t enjoy.

It may be that this author’s writing style isn’t for me, and that is okay. I’m glad they are a welcome new voice in fantasy because conceptually, this story is refreshing! I hope nothing but success for this author and new stories like these.

I am still enjoying this series, but I wish we had a little less of the first third and more of the action at the end. I think it is setting up a good third book, but it suffered from a little bit of a second book slump. Still really liked the characters and themes throughout.

Dragons, school and learning dragon craft… what’s. not to like. The writing style for me leans towards YA. It probably isn’t quite the book for me as ai prefer complex detailed world building and characters.There are many fans of this series, being book 2. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I loved this story! There were a couple typos but not a big deal. I thought it was a great continuation of the first book :)