What a phenomenal sequel and reading experience. I am blown away, I highly recommend it, and that ending has me eagerly awaiting more.

I really like the world of this book and the ways the dragon school setup raises questions about assimilation, when to speak up, the limits to how much people from a dominant group are willing to open their minds. I do think this book fell short in terms of plot, though. At first it felt like just a series of events rather than a story, and it took a long time to feel like the story was going somewhere. This book also introduced a lot of new characters, and I missed seeing more of Marta and Sander. It felt like there was too much going on to get deeply into most of the themes.
I will still be very eager to read the next in the series, though.

To Ride a Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose is a powerful, emotionally rich sequel that builds beautifully on the foundation of To Shape a Dragon’s Breath. As Anequs returns to her island homeland, she’s forced to confront the growing threat of colonial intrusion and the complexities of cultural survival.

Blackgoose’s worldbuilding is vivid, her prose sharp, and the bond between Anequs and her dragon, Kasaqua, remains deeply compelling. The book tackles themes of resistance, identity, and sovereignty with nuance and heart, offering a fantasy adventure that feels both epic and urgent.

With strong character growth, political intrigue, and powerful Indigenous representation, this is a must-read for fans of thoughtful, dragon-infused fantasy.

This ARC was given to me by Del Ray books, via Netgalley for an honest review.

In this excellent sequel to To Tame a Dragon's Breath, the story opens with Anequs, Theod, and their dragons spending time with Anequs's family, and ends amid a battle between the Jarl and the (mostly) progressive thinkers of Kuiper's academy and a white-supremacist faction bent on keeping both dragons and human rights from indigenous people. In between, Anequs fights colonialism and prejudices against non-white folks, polyamory, and much more, and the complications of politics both at school and outside of it become starker and larger. Although there are a few places the novel drags--a long section on skiltakraft, or Anequs's world's chemistry+magic field is particularly numbing and a few sections where characters explain other characters' feelings to Anequs are pedantic--it mostly moves along quickly. The storytelling moves between action and scenes that move the narrative forward, and slice-of-life moments that flesh out the world, its people, customs, and history. It takes a while for the book's crisis to come about, but all of the material leading up to it does--or will, I expect--be necessary in the end. This series is a fantastic take on the "magic boarding school" trope and is a terrific anti-HP story about young people doing right, understanding the stakes, and developing and growing and working with one another and protecting one another. I do recommend that readers start with the first book before reading this one, for context and clarity.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath was a book I enjoyed, but not quite as much as I’d hoped to from what I knew about it beforehand. To Ride a Rising Storm felt like it took a step forward to become a book that I did enjoy as much as I’d hoped, even if it’s a bit tricky for me to put my finger on the reason why. Perhaps in part because it didn’t have to do as much to establish the world since we’d already seen it in the first book, and that made it easier to get into the second. I had found all the changes in place names and vocabulary to be a bit jarring in the first book. But it didn’t bother me quite as much here, even if I did find them a bit distracting at times.

Ultimately, however, the book was a lot of fun. No doubt it’s partially because I’m a fantasy nerd who’s always enjoyed learning about Native Americans and has a degree in chemistry, so the basic premise of the book is very much like catnip to me. But it also felt even easier to enjoy the world and its characters this time around. And I do just love Anequs’s perspective and viewpoints as she finds herself thrust deeper into colonial society. I think this is especially where Moniquill Blackgoose thrives as a Native American writing a native character. As Anequs’s viewpoints and opinions on everything she comes across just feels so authentic.

I enjoyed how everything developed here too; Anequs themselves, what we learned of the world we lived in, the Anglish politics, and the overarching plot itself. Everything seemed to proceed in a way that made sense, and most everything we learned were things that I wanted to find out about. It felt like there was very little waste or filler, everything just worked. And the book did end on a bit more of a frenetic cliffhanger than a conclusion, but that doesn’t tend to bother me much at all in the second book of a series. I’ll definitely be picking up the next book to see where things go from here.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book.
The story picks up where we left in book one. We meet new characters like Jidzia.
My big issue with this book, and it’s the same as the first one, is the name of the chapters. It basically tells us what will happen in it and it kind of spoils it. I don’t know, it just really bothers me.
This book is low stakes at first. Anequs is basically just living her new life at the academy, learning how to be a dragoneer and dealing with Anglish people and customs, while still trying to be herself. The author has a way of making yourself feel immersed in this world which is nice. I particularly enjoyed seeing Anequs and Theod’s growth as young adults. As we get to the end, conspiracies resurface. It ends in a cliffhanger. For sure, if you like high stake fantasy with a lot of action and dangerous quests, this books series is not for you, but I think the third book will have more action, which I’m excited for !

I was OVER THE MOON when I got the ARC for this. This series takes all the good things about popular fantasy books - dragons, academies, slow-burn, sub-plot romance, political tension - and creates such a fresh, engaging world for us to dive into.

There is nothing else out there in the market that is similar to this; the voice is interesting and allows for complicated conversations between characters and for the reader to slowly digest bigger issues, as well as the everyday dilemmas of society, such as balls, outfits and dragon harness fittings!

I will be eagerly awaiting the next book! Thank you so much for the ARC.

To Ride a Rising Storm is a powerful sequel that builds beautifully on the world and characters introduced in To Shape a Dragon's Breath. The stakes are higher, the politics are more intense, and Anequs continues to be a bold, compelling protagonist. Moniquill Blackgoose delivers a thoughtful, richly layered story that had me completely absorbed.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Ray for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What I love most about this book is the dialogue, the information, learning in classes in this world alongside Anequs. I love how seamlessly we get into the continuation of this story, and that ending!? I am so eager to read the next book, I have to know where this goes. We even get more lore from more cultures, new loveable characters, and best of all the cutest companionship with Kasaqua. This series is so thought-provoking and deep and intricate.


Anequs is back at the academy, the Jarl has new Thranes in place, and the political tensions have gotten even higher. This year she's to decide if embracing Anglish ways to strengthen her connections is what she even wants to do, figuring things out with Theod and Liberty, and the treats from the group of people that can't stand to see their government and world evolve for the better.

(I received this as a arc)

There's a social media joke that does the rounds occasionally, where an author is asked to explain their work in the most boring way possible. So: small fellow goes on long journey, loses family heirloom (LotR). If Moniquill Blackgoose played this game, she'd say something like "young woman goes to boarding house, makes some friends and enemies."

It's silly because of course there's more to it than that. Superficially, that's what this book - and the first in the series, To Shape A Dragon's Breath - is about: a girl bonds with a dragon and must therefore go to a dragoneer boarding school to learn what it means to be a dragoneer. So far, so somewhat recognisable. But the world is an alternate one where Vikings took over in what we would call Britain; the story is set in what we would call North America, but it's very different in a lot of ways. Like, for instance, the presence of dragons, and the fact that amongst other things their breath can be "shaped" in order to do some intriguing (al)chemical things. So Anequs has to go learn about all of that. But she's not Anglish, or from another European background; she's a "nackie" - one of the Indigenous folk of the area - and, in one of the very familiar turns Blackgoose employs, she and her people have in no way been embraced by the colonisers.

All of this is what happens in the first book. As with many boarding school books, this second one is in the second year of school - Anequs is 16, her dragon Kasaqua is big enough to ride but not fly, and society is starting to come to turns with two nackie dragoneers. The book is concerned with both personal and political issues - although Anequs, as with many in a position like hers, would recognise "the personal is political" as being a lived reality. So Anequs must navigate friendships that don't always make sense and people who don't rate her abilities and Anglish expectations of how she will comport herself, and what is respectable. At the same time, there is a growing group of people in wider society who are unhappy with how their state is being governed (ie too leniently for their tastes), and Anequs becomes something of a symbol they can oppose.

As with the first book, this one is easy to read: the pacing is perfect, the conversations are believable, the characters are engaging. There are parts where I was very angry about what was being said and done, and I'm not going to lie: it feels like a particularly apropos moment for this novel to be coming out. Highly recommended.

YOU KNOW HOW LONG I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BOOK

Review forthcoming. SO excited to check back in with Anequs from the last novel!

This was one of my most anticipated YA dragon academy books of the year and it did not disappoint. I cannot wait for this to come out so I can add it to my bookshelves! The writing is absolutely stunning and the world building is getting better and better! The character relationships build as you go and each new character brings a little more complexity and lore to the world. This book is the definition of descriptive. There is not a single thought that flits through Anequs's head at we aren't privy to, so much so that at times it reads like a diary. I wish for all young women a smattering of the confidence Anequs has (as long as it comes with a healthy dose of self-awareness.) Also, while this was mainly adding to the lore and worldbuilding, book three is going to be intense! I'm looking forward to it!

I don't know if this is a perfect nerdy easter egg or not but Jadzia? Did you give me a Star Trek reference?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC of this book!

If you asked me to write about every single thing I love about this series, it would be a novel itself. The depth, breadth, uniqueness, writing style, indigenous voice and fully fleshed out setting is a breath of fresh air.

In this second instalment, we follow Anequs as she progresses in her studies with her growing dragon, makes new friends, and continues being unapologetically herself - all while the plot, political climate and stakes really ramp up and build to a firecracker ending that left me desperate for book 3.

If you haven't yet, the series is worth picking up if you're looking for an interesting take on dragons, in a richly immersive setting with a fantastic main character and a masterfully balanced pace that feels like a story being told around a fire.

With thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey/Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot overstate how quickly I devoured this novel. Returning to this world was as incredible as the first book. Anequs is a singular, refreshing main character. She’s straightforward, curious, so willing to fight for the people she loves. The world is also expansive- every addition is purposeful and fascinating. It feels real and lived in. The buildup into the ending gripped me completely. I also love the supporting cast, old and new. They all feel fully formed, especially with how rich the distinct cultural backgrounds are. Theod, Liberty, Sander, Niquiat and newcomer Jadi leaped off the pages. And that ENDING! I would do anything for the third book, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes next!

In a time where fantasy is leaning towards steamy, fast paced and easy to read, the Nampeshiweisit series stands in the opposite direction.
These books are heavy. They aren't written in flowery language but it is dense at times. The books begin with pages of words and their pronunciation, so that should tell you enough.
To Rise a Rising Storm is the continuation of To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, it begins a few days after the ending of book one. It is a little easier to read simply because you have all the world building of the first one to rely on, but the style is pretty much the same. I’m still not really a fan of the chapter names saying what happens in them, but it’s not a major thing. I liked getting to know more about Anequs’s home and I really love her as a character.
This book also explores more the bond between Anequs and Kasaqua, which I love.
It’s a solid sequel.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey/Random House for the ARC!

A phenomenal sequel full of character growth, intricate world building and political intrigue. Anequs continues to grow into a curious young woman and is unapologetically herself throughout this book. I love this series so much and can’t wait to see where the next book takes us!

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, dragons, magic school, Indigenous voices, OwnVoices, historical fantasy, poly rep

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 6/30 and will be posted to Instagram 7/23 and to my review blog 8/26.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath was one of my favorite reads in 2022 and I was so excited to see this one announced. This book immediately brings you back into the fold of Anequs' world and I loved reading in her voice again. This one definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so while it did satisfy my need for more Anequs and Kasaqua, I'm now desperate for book 3!

This book opens relatively soon after the ending of Dragon's Breath, maybe two weeks or so, with Theod and Anequs returning to Masquapaug and Nauipaug for summer break. It was nice to see Anequs and Kasaqua back home and able to just be themselves with little pressure to perform for the Anglish. There was a nice celebratory mood on Masquapaug when they returned, partly because of their return but also partly because of the summer holidays. Likewise, there was a lot of excitement about Theod finally being able to come home and be with his family, and it was nice to see them reunited again. I also liked getting to see more of the Masquisit culture and getting a feel for their everyday lives and routines.

Despite being home once more, and on summer break at that, the world and politics don't just stop. The Anglish are encroaching on the two islands and naturally tensions begin to rise, particularly with the 1825 massacre still so fresh in everyone's mind. But Anequs and Kasaqua impressed the jarl with their quick thinking during the assassination attempt and he seems pretty determined to at least start getting representation for the Masquisit and Naquisit. Of course, nothing is as easy as that, and the Ravens of Joden are quite the white supremacists and have quite the beef to pick with Anequs.

The Ravens of Joden prove to be quite the troublemakers and seem to be stirring sentiment even more against Anequs and Kasaqua. While things were already shaky, they had settled somewhat by the end of last school year, and Anequs and Kasaqua's actions with the jarl helped win them some supporters. However, the Ravens are determined and aren't just targeting Anequs. No, they'd prefer if the power changed entirely from the Freedmansthede to the Ravens, with all the oppression that would accompany it.

Anequs has always had a strong voice and strong opinions, but she was also on shaky grounds environment-wise in the last book. Now she knows what to expect of her time at school and with the Anglish and is better prepared to speak out about things. Her classmates interact with her more in this book, and Anequs is immediately able to see what they're about, but she's also able to turn it to her advantage and begin demanding they expand their brains beyond what the Anglish tell them. I got so much pleasure reading her reprimand them about their casually racist (and sexist) thoughts and behaviors. Anequs remains strongly committed to her people and culture, but she's also more aware than ever of the thin line they're made to walk in Anglish society.

I liked seeing Anequs and Kasaqua explore their bond more, and see Anequs questioning more about the way the Anglish handle their dragons. I loved Kasaqua's friendliness and playfulness, it definitely feels more aligned to what I think dragons would be like naturally than the stiffer behavior the Anglish seem to prefer. It was helpful to have Dynah and Jadi around, since they come from a non-Anglish culture as well and also have a slightly different understanding of dragon bonds. We also meet some additional new characters, both Anglish and not, and seeing how they bucked the system and did things differently than the 'proper' way.

I feel like we see more of Theod in this one, and he's definitely coming out of his shell more. While it's impossible to remove the effect of growing up estranged from his culture overnight (or perhaps at all), Theod is more and more open to Naquisit ways of living and being, and it's clear he enjoys being able to meet his family and start to better understand his culture. I also feel like we got to see more of him and Copper's relationship in this one, and I enjoyed seeing their bond and how deep it runs. Despite having Anglish ways drilled into him, it was clear even from Dragon's Breath that he cares deeply for Copper and struggles in some ways with the Anglish demands on the dragon bond, and we see that again here. It's quite amusing at times to watch his and Anequs' conversations about their relationship, but I also understand Anequs' frustrations with some of his Anglish views.

Sander is also back in this one, and like Theod he's really come out of his shell. Now free from his mother's control, we get to see what Sander is really like. He and Anequs make good friends, and he's got the kind of sharp mind that's good with science and politics. He's a good friend, and I'm glad we got to see more of him in this book, I hope the trend continues in book 3.

Liberty is here as well, though I actually feel like we get less of her than we did in the first book, I'm not sure if that impression is true or not though. Anequs is finally able to go to one of the Saturday salons, so we get to see Liberty in her element, as well as meet some of the other politically and socially active women she's friends with. Her and Anequs' relationship progresses some here, and though their conversations about that, we get a much better understanding of who Liberty is and what she wants out of her life.

We get introduced to a slew of new side characters in this one, so I'll try to focus on only a couple. Jadi is a new dragoneer at the school and is Marta and Anequs' new roommate. She comes from a Zhidi family that immigrated from Polland to Runestung Hold before Jadi and her siblings were born. She knows a lot about a lot of different cultures and immediately makes friends with Anequs. Her dragon, Dreyst, is also a non-Anglish breed, and so we get to see a bit of their bonding as well. I really like Jadi, so I'm excited to see more of her in the next book.

Anequs also gets approached by a group of students called the Disorder of the Grinning Teeth (DGT), who want her to join their secret society. Anequs, of course, finds the idea ridiculous, but her friends encourage her and she uses her influence to get a few concessions from them. The DGT definitely felt a bit like it was veering into dark academia territory, which I enjoyed, and a lot of their conversations centered around philosophy and politics. The DGT members came at things from their well-bred Anglish POV, which Anequs makes sure to consistently push back on. One thing I was surprised about here was that she initially recognizes the DGT isn't as interested in 'equal voices' as they say, since none of the staff are part of it, but even when she pushes for more representation from other students, I don't think she ever brings this point up to the DGT. Maybe in the next book?

Another Nampeshiweisit, Sadsong, comes into the picture toward the end of the book, which was exciting. I loved seeing Kasaqua and Eatsfeathers interact, and it was good for Anequs to have another Nampeshiweisit to talk to, and one who was able to bond with and train her dragon in cultural, rather than Anglish, traditions. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Anequs + Kasaqua and Sadsong + Eatsfeathers in the next book.

The Second Book of Nampeshiweisit continues the story of young Anequs, her dragon Kasaqua, and her friends. There is a pattern to book series about dark academia, wizarding academies, and dragon rider schools, generally they have one book per academic year following the main characters through their education, so when the description of this book only mentioned the summer after Anequs' first year, I was a tad concerned; was it just going to be a duology or something? The book does start with the summer and a visit with her community but we do, in fact, return to the school for a second year. Though, this isn't exactly a full second year so we might not be following the one per year norm. This story does break a few norms so I am not exactly surprised. Anyone that enjoyed the first book, its world building, characters, and narration style, will likely find something in this book. And, those that thought they wanted more action, will be granted their desire of a titular "Rising Storm." The story dives deeper into the issues of discrimination and assimilation though it does appear through a slightly narrow lens of the main character, where anti-Indigenous sentiment is highlighted, anti-black sentiment is noticed, but antisemitism is glossed over. The overall feel to the book from the beginning is that something is brewing and by the end of the book, it starts to bubble over. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series to see where this goes. (3.5/5)
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.