The world holding in this series is so original and interesting. It was great to come back to these characters.

It was easy to jump right back i’to the story without feeling lost or disinterested

Maybe I’m coming to this one from a different place than the first, but it feels younger this time. Very simply written - well written, but straightforward and perhaps a bit emotionally distant if that makes sense.

In this book, Anequs and Kasaqua continue to grow. Anequs works on her relationships with Liberty and Theod. She teaches Kasaqua to accept tack and tries to figure out how to adapt a saddle to Kasaqua's confirmation, which is unique to her sort of dragon and is not a confirmation found among the colonial dragons. She finds herself thrust into political situations, which she wishes she could avoid.

I didn't rate this book a 5 because there's a decent amount of repitition that happens from the first book with regards to school. It felt like we were working on progressing through time to the next big important change, which happens at the very end of the book. I didn't love this pacing. And we definitely have another book coming because we have to find out what happens next.

Thank you Del Rey and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. An adventure! After surviving her first year at Kuiper’s Academy, Anequs, is heading home with her dragon Kasaqua. But she isn’t able to relax because there’s now an Anglish presence in her homeland, which she despises. She’ll always fight for people’s rights and for the right of her people to govern themselves. They don’t need nor want the Anglish’s oppressive rules. So she’ll fight them, even if it means starting a war. This was an amazing sequel, Moniquill Blackgoose, continues to create a world rich in fantasy, politics, and dragons! The pace is fast and the book is packed with tension! A thrilling sequel that is every bit as good as the first! And the ending!

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this sequel. It had been a while since I read the first novel, but I was easily able to pick up where the story left off. The book flows nicely through the development of the plot. I loved the connection between Anequs and Kasaqua. Many of the characters from the first book were present, as well as new ones, to guide the reader toward what was an exciting climax. I eagerly look forward to the next installment.

I received an e-ARC for To Ride a Rising Storm and want to thank Moniquill Blackgoose, Del Rey Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and give an honest review of this book. To Ride a Rising Storm will be published on January 27, 2026.

This book is better than the first book! I love this series!!

Characters. Perfect.
Plot. Perfect.
History. Dragons. Training. Classes. Story. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

Are WE hinting at a 3rd book???? I HOPE SO!

Received ARC from Netgalley.com. thank you so so much!!!

This is an absolutely fabulous sequel to To Shape A Dragon's Breath. Although I can imagine it not being to some peoples tastes I thoroughly enjoyed how heavy on the politics and lore this book was, it's clear that Moniquill Blackgoose has the concept of the world she's writing fully formed and in immense depth. The first half the book is paced quite a bit slower than the second, with the first half doing a lot of world building as well as foreshadowing of things to come in the second half. Once the action kicks in the book moves at a very swift pace. I also enjoyed the poly and gender diversity representation in this book.

Tras convertirse en Nampeshiweisit de Kasaqua, Anequs regresa a su hogar en Masquapaug, una isla que hasta entonces había estado al margen del dominio anglish. Pero su regreso no es tranquilo: una fuerza militar anglish se ha instalado en la isla, quebrantando antiguos tratados y alterando la vida de su comunidad.

Mientras lucha por mantener su vínculo con su cultura y su familia, Anequs también debe enfrentarse a una sociedad que la ve como una anomalía por ser una dragoneer nacida fuera del sistema imperial. Junto a Theod, otro joven de ascendencia indígena también emparejado con un dragón, Anequs busca abrir caminos nuevos, formar alianzas inesperadas y desafiar las estructuras de poder anglish desde dentro del sistema educativo donde estudia skiltakraft (el arte de moldear el aliento de los dragones).

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La narrativa es densa y detallada, con múltiples capas de crítica a sistemas coloniales y racismo, todo envuelto en una trama de crecimiento personal, política y dragones.




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

I think I liked this book slightly less than the first because there's a lot of background set-up for larger plot points and the plot we focus on for a good portion of the book is a little more low-key. Like, the first book had a lot of Anequs dealing with Anglish expectations (and, lowkey, weirdness) while also having to prove herself worthy of Kasaqua; learning more about dragoneering and what that means for her and Kasaqua, specifically; making friends. While there's still a lot of those elements in this book, there's also just a lot of build-up. That's not to say the plot elements that come up aren't interesting, it's just I think the pacing didn't quite fully work for me this time around.

That being said, the larger implications of Anequs's first year really come to a head in this novel and while Anequs is starting to diverge from Anglish expectations to become a Nampeshiweisit that more accurately reflects herself, her dragon, and her culture, there's a lot of waves from a certain faction of Anglish folk who don't want that or any other Native folk to have a say in what happens in the world. Despite some of the mundanity of Anequs's daily life, there's definitely an undercurrent of tension slowly boiling in the background until that ending. Man, this author is just so, so good at ramping up to some really punchy cliffhangers.

I'm so, so curious what the third book has in store (and honestly? A little terrified). I just want the best for Anequs and Kasaqua and Theod and everyone.

Note: I received an eARC copy of this book through NetGalley for review purposes.

(3.5/5)

A continuation of the standard dragon-girl from Nantucket going to a magic viking dragon training school Bildungsroman. Deviating from the one-year-per-book thing you might expect, this one starts at the beginning of summer break and takes us half way through the Anequs' second school year.

Like in the first book, the anti-colonialism is laid on very thick, though most of the racist caricature villains have been moved offstage or into the background for most of this book. Anequs instead manages to have the same arguments with her friends and classmates.

The writing is still good, but like the first book in the series, the pacing is all over the place and very rushed at the end. I would not be surprised to find out that that had started out as a longer book covering the whole school year that had been cut in half and had some plot points shoehorned in or moved to provide a climax for this book. Despite this, there are several chapters devoted to teach high school level chemistry (but with the world's pseudo-Germanic/Norse names for the elements) and to having Anequs debate philosophy in a way that comes across as virtue signaling.

A bunch of new characters are introduced, some of which follow a trend I noticed in the first book of needing a token representative from each of the cultures described in the worldbuilding. This comes at the expense of some of the characters from the first book getting very little page time. In particular Sander seems to be mostly irrelevant this time, most of the professors fade into the background, and Liberty gets demoted to a second string character. The entire steampunk thing being pushed in the first novel is pretty much dropped.

Anyone who enjoyed the first book will almost certainly like this one as it continues to develop the world and leaves you wanting more.

Spoiler-y bits:
The ending is really jammed in there and comes a bit out of nowhere. It seems like a definite tone shift from the rest of the book.

This was a great sequel. It continues to expand on the knowledge of the previous book in terms of the world politics, how dragons work both individually and with their riders, and also in the lore of all parties. I was invested the whole time to find out what would happen next for Anequs and her friends. I love this series and can't wait for it to continue!

Absolutely wonderful sequel! I loved being back in this world and I cannot wait for more of this story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a e-ARC of this novel.

I adore this series so much. This novel was a bit slower paced than book 1, with more political and philosophical components. Things really picked up in the last quarter, and the ending is explosive. The writing is fantastic- truly Moniquill is now an auto-buy author for me. I absolutely cannot wait for the conclusion to the trilogy.

This book was a beautiful sequel! It keeps up the pace and tension from the first book, while leaving room for new characters to expand the world (I'm particularly a fan of Jadi and her "polszczyzna"). And just like in the first book, Anequs and Kasaqua are reminders of different ways of being and living in the world. But now, Anequs is more confident in her beliefs and more assured in the her decisions. Through older characters, she gets to see possible futures more clearly for herself and for others. She also knows better about the consequences of her actions, and can make more informed choices about what is in her hands and what's outside of them. But that doesn't stop the world around her from getting crazier and crazier. The political situation Anequs finds herself in grows increasingly complex and I have no idea where the next book will lead! (But I'm definitely keeping an eye out for it)

Per publisher instructions in the ebook, the following review will not be posted on social media until after publication date (27 Jan 2026). After that date, it will be posted to: Goodreads, Storygraph, and Instagram.

Thank you to Del Ray for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The first book in this series was an easy 5-star read, and one of my top books of 2024. I've been eagerly awaiting this sequel since then, and it's a superb way to begin 2026. It is at its heart a middle-of-series book in a school/academy series, but an excellent middle book, and it's also getting 5 stars as an extremely worthy sequel. We pick right up with Anequs on her summer break, recovering from the traumatic events of the previous book. But due to those events and the politics of this world, the outside world is beginning to intrude more on the isolated world of her island home.

While the first book focused on Anequs' using her strong core identity and self worth to stand up to the Anglish efforts to reshape her into THEIR identity, this book has her reaching out more to her fellow students and instructors to explain why they should maybe consider doing things more her way. We're also given another new outsider perspective with the introduction of a new Zhidish student, Jadzia (this world's equivalent of Jewish/Yiddish), who also gives Anequs and the Anglish students new perspectives on the world.

One of my favorite parts of these books are that they basically take place in our world, but our world in which dragons have always existed. So when people from the various cultures tell their stories, dragons pop up and change their meaning. I also love that the dragon magic is basically just chemistry and the periodic table, although it's not quite as geeky in this volume as in book one.

To summarize, the world built here continues to be as rich and amazing as the first book, with complex and realistic main and side characters. The main character Anequs continues to be amazing in how she handles everything with grace and aplomb, despite constantly being treated as subhuman by the colonizers who invaded her homeland. I shall attempt to display a similar level of calm while waiting for the next book after that unbelievable cliffhanger, because COME ON!

ahhh this is one of my MOST-anticipated books and I was soo excited to get an ARC! I love the added worldbuilding! I love Anequs my blunt polyamorous queen!!

I can't believe this doesn't even come out for another 6 months so then how much longer am I going to have to wait for book #3???? oh well I'm sure it'll be worth the wait!

To Shape a Dragon's Breath is easily one of my all time favorite books so I was SOOOO excited when I got approved for an ARC of the sequel. I adore these characters and the conceptualization of dragons. I love how Anequs is so steadfast with her convictions. I don't want or need her to yield to Anglish customs. However... intolerance is intolerance even if the side exhibiting it is more progressive. I don't love how she was so intolerant of Theod needed a minute to adjust to a whole new way of life. Or that she didn't get why Liberty was upset. Culture isn't a right or wrong thing. If Anequs expects tolerance, she needs to give it too, especially to those she cares about. I also think this book might be too slow for a younger reader. It didn't bother me at all but I may have struggled with it 10 years ago. Overall though, an amazing read. I can't believe how long I'm going to have to wait for book 3 😭

What a ride that was. To Ride a Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose, published By Del Rey Random House is the second book in the Nampeshweisit Series. The previous book is To Shape a Dragon's Breath. I recommend to read the books in order.
Anequs is back from Kuiper's Academy, exceeded all expectations even when someone tried throwing wrenches her way. She's determined to go her own way, including her dragon.
I'm a fan of dragon stories and this is a great one. It took me a minute to get into the story, the author throws the reader right in, there is no easing in, confronts the reader with lots and lots of characters, that too took me a minute or two.
An exquisitely written story, a suspenseful fantasy that gives all the feels and deserves all the stars. A tearjerker par excellence, literally unputdownable.

To Ride a Rising Storm is just the sequel To Shape a Dragon's Breath needs. Sometimes sophomore books stumble in delivering what people liked about the first and don't live up to expectations, but that is not the case here. Blackgoose delivers the same strong voice and storytelling we were introduced to in To Shape a Dragon's Breath and the same discussions around cultural genocide, forced assimilation, and intersectionality that the first book gave us. All the central characters return for this book, with the addition of a couple new faces such as Jadi and the boys of the DGT. Blackgoose expands upon the lore of this world, including a lot more about the philosophies that have shaped the way people govern their lives there. We also see more of Anequs at home on Masquapaug and get to see her (and her people's) way of being compared to the Anglish.

What is more prominent in this book is the budding romance between Theod, Anequs, and Liberty. I like that open and frank discussions Anequs has with her (potential) partners and the ways this challenges Theod's traditionally Anglish way of being. It's fun to see a poly relationship so thoroughly thought out and discussed, with both potential partners being brought together and everyone's feelings accounted for. It just made me very happy. However, I don't feel a lot of chemistry between Theod and Anequs, but that very well may be 1) I'm a little aro and 2) very sapphic. So that just might be my own personal bias. Otherwise, I love the navigation of that tirade.

One of the other phenomenal things Blackgoose does is build tension in this book. To Ride a Rising Storm start with Anequs arriving on Masquapaug to find the Anglish establishing a presence on an island they had once all but ignored. This first sense of something being different pervades the rest of the book and establishes the tone for the story. It steadily builds with another incident of change and then another and another until suddenly it's snowballing out of control. Blackgoose does a fantastic job of explosive moments followed by a calm that lulls you into a false sense of comfort before hitting you again. It feels natural, an understood escalation of events. To Ride a Rising Storm is a wire being stretched taught until, eventually, it snaps.

There better be a third book or I'm going to scream.

Blackgoose did such a good job laying down the foundations at the beginning that will serve as the catalyst for everything to come through the book and especially the ending. We get to see slowly how the Anglish begin expanding their surveillance and outreach to the island natives.

What I believe to be an improvement from the first is how Anequs receives some pushback on the way that she handles things and to consider how it can not only affect her, but her community and her loved ones surrounding her. The love triangle between Liberty and Theod remains a subplot but helped to ground Anequs.

The politics of this world is interesting and we get introduced to a few characters that shine with their personalities and dialogue. Blackgoose does a great job at illustrating their personalities and you get a feel of the type of person they are. The politics remains steady throughout the book though sometimes happens in the background, but you are constantly aware of the environment and the tension it’s bringing. It also brings upon really thought-provoking questions about the necessity for violence, culture, and how humans relate to nature and animals.

I cannot wait to see how the series will evolve and once again, thank you to Del Rey and Netgallery for the advanced copy!

I am WAITING for the next book! this was an amazing sequel and one that I think is worthy of putting on your shelf!