Scan barcode
spookylettuce's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I cannot put into words how much I love this book.
There is such a variety of representation and allusion to painful history that fits within the world-building.
I loved the dragons, and underlying magic/science system.
The chapter “And had a revelation” had me weeping on my commute. It resonated with something deep within me that I also cannot put into words. I am an Indigenous person in the sciences who used to carry around the dictionary because it had a copy of the periodic table in it. Reading Anequs have the revelation that Traditional Knowledge of skiltakraft was still being passed on and hidden in plain sight , and it being relearned after being lost to colonisation and violence made me feel so much.
There is such a variety of representation and allusion to painful history that fits within the world-building.
I loved the dragons, and underlying magic/science system.
The chapter “And had a revelation” had me weeping on my commute. It resonated with something deep within me that I also cannot put into words. I am an Indigenous person in the sciences who used to carry around the dictionary because it had a copy of the periodic table in it. Reading
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Gun violence, Ableism, Racism, Classism, Violence, Sexism, Bullying, and Genocide
Minor: Death of parent and War
pandact's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I like the other review saying the author would be friends with R. F. Kuang, and I'll add Brandon Sanderson because it's almost as similar to the Rithmatist as it is to Babel.
It hits all the right notes If you like magical realism that combines science and mysticism in an alternate history world with multicultural mythologies foreshadowing worldbuilding. The dragons and Skilta system could be developed more, but it almost qualified as math magic and still didn't distract me too much with trying to figure out if it was chemistry or alchemy...
It hits all the right notes If you like magical realism that combines science and mysticism in an alternate history world with multicultural mythologies foreshadowing worldbuilding. The dragons and Skilta system could be developed more, but it almost qualified as math magic and still didn't distract me too much with trying to figure out if it was chemistry or alchemy...
All the more reason to look forward to the sequel because the third act passed five stars! Maybe I'll also read the next one during finals and student protests 🎒
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, and Bullying
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, and Misogyny
Minor: Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
juliaureads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved this world that felt so similar to our own; for better and worse. This social commentary was a little heavy-handed but that felt intentional. The characters are loveable and endearing and the world is fully formed. I feel like Moniquill Blackgoose and RF Kuang could be friends.
Read this if you like:
Social commentary; historical fantasy; dragons and dragon riders; magical schools
Read this if you like:
Social commentary; historical fantasy; dragons and dragon riders; magical schools
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Colonisation, Racial slurs, Bullying, Classism, and Cursing
dreareads_'s review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Indigenous fantasy lore, Dragons, and a fearless main character! There is plenty to love in this book but also a few things that keep it from being perfect.
Things I loved:
- Anequs is such a fun and unique character with a very clear set of believes that she is not afraid to express. I love how unmoving she was in the presence of those that wanted to change her. Her love for her family and community inspired me.
- The DRAGONS!!! Ugh I love how they are described and how each race of dragon is representative of the culture they come come.
- The world building!! Especially the use of stories as mirrors into the make up an ideologies of the communities and individuals in the book. Storytelling was a very beautiful and compelling world building tool that gave something special to the book. I genuinely think the world building is the strongest aspect of this book.
- Beautifully diverse cast with representation of queerness, disabilities, backgrounds, and histories.
- The complex ideologies of the book. Blackgoose did an excellent job at creating characters in all sides of the spectrum of good-bad-complicated. I also think that the politics between and inside the indigenous were fascinating and I wanted to learn more.
What I did not like:
- While I love Anequs, other than reinforcing her believes she did not go through much of a character development. In many ways, Anequs is the same girl in the end as she was in the beginning (albeit a few technicalities here and there). As a main character she is such a clear unmoving moral compass, that she feels one note at times.
- Most of the character development fell on Theod , the other nackie at the dragon school. The problem with this is that due to the book being written in first person we did not get to experience these changes. Majority of the character development takes place off page. We were constantly told that Theod was changing but again, not even in his interactions between Anequs and Theod were these changes clear.
- Anequs love for her community of Masquapaug comes through clearly, but the relationships she has with the people in her community do not. Maybe it is because we spend such little time with her in Masquapaug, but I know more about the believes and history of the Masquapaug than I do of Anequs place in her community. We were constantly told that she has friends, and that she knew her place in the community but we never saw it. Even her friends felt like forgotten side pieces.
- The plot and final resolution felt rushed. I think this is in part due to the fact that the world building took up so much space, but alongside with majority of the characters being underdeveloped so was the plot. In particular the final deus ex machina used to solve the government plot was ridiculous.
Overall, a book with lots of heart and lots to enjoy. It simply suffered from telling more than showing in regards to character development. I truly hope that the sequel will expand on the plot and make the final resolution not feel as jarring
Things I loved:
- Anequs is such a fun and unique character with a very clear set of believes that she is not afraid to express. I love how unmoving she was in the presence of those that wanted to change her. Her love for her family and community inspired me.
- The DRAGONS!!! Ugh I love how they are described and how each race of dragon is representative of the culture they come come.
- The world building!! Especially the use of stories as mirrors into the make up an ideologies of the communities and individuals in the book. Storytelling was a very beautiful and compelling world building tool that gave something special to the book. I genuinely think the world building is the strongest aspect of this book.
- Beautifully diverse cast with representation of queerness, disabilities, backgrounds, and histories.
- The complex ideologies of the book. Blackgoose did an excellent job at creating characters in all sides of the spectrum of good-bad-complicated. I also think that the politics between and inside the indigenous were fascinating and I wanted to learn more.
What I did not like:
- While I love Anequs, other than reinforcing her believes she did not go through much of a character development. In many ways, Anequs is the same girl in the end as she was in the beginning (albeit a few technicalities here and there). As a main character she is such a clear unmoving moral compass, that she feels one note at times.
- Most of the character development fell on Theod , the other nackie at the dragon school. The problem with this is that due to the book being written in first person we did not get to experience these changes. Majority of the character development takes place off page. We were constantly told that Theod was changing but again, not even in his interactions between Anequs and Theod were these changes clear.
- Anequs love for her community of Masquapaug comes through clearly, but the relationships she has with the people in her community do not. Maybe it is because we spend such little time with her in Masquapaug, but I know more about the believes and history of the Masquapaug than I do of Anequs place in her community. We were constantly told that she has friends, and that she knew her place in the community but we never saw it. Even her friends felt like forgotten side pieces.
- The plot and final resolution felt rushed. I think this is in part due to the fact that the world building took up so much space, but alongside with majority of the characters being underdeveloped so was the plot. In particular the final deus ex machina used to solve the government plot was ridiculous.
Overall, a book with lots of heart and lots to enjoy. It simply suffered from telling more than showing in regards to character development. I truly hope that the sequel will expand on the plot and make the final resolution not feel as jarring
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, Racism, Classism, Ableism, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Xenophobia
theirgracegrace's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Flying in with a masterpiece, Moniquill Blackgoose sets up a world with this first instalment of the Nampeshiweisit series. The story centres around Anequs, a young Indigenous woman who discovers a dragon egg on an island near her home. When it hatches, the dragon bonds to her, and the Anglish settlers of her land order that she join a local dragoneering academy.
My favourite part of this book was the worldbuilding! Blackgoose builds a world like our own, but without a Roman Empire or Christianity, the Europeans have a distinctly Norse flair that matches well with the themes of resistance against colonialism. Each character has distinctive features, mannerisms and traits that make them real and powerful parts of the narrative.
Eagerly awaiting the next book of this series, particularly in light of the final handful of chapters!
My favourite part of this book was the worldbuilding! Blackgoose builds a world like our own, but without a Roman Empire or Christianity, the Europeans have a distinctly Norse flair that matches well with the themes of resistance against colonialism. Each character has distinctive features, mannerisms and traits that make them real and powerful parts of the narrative.
Eagerly awaiting the next book of this series, particularly in light of the final handful of chapters!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Ableism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Genocide, Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Animal death, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Murder, and Sexual content
Moderate: War and Medical content
Minor: Cannibalism, Cursing, Infidelity, and Vomit
susanatherly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Sexism, Violence, Bullying, Gun violence, Colonisation, and Classism
tamarant4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was going to make sure that the Anglish understood that we had never gone anywhere. That despite their best efforts, we were still living here among them on the lands where we’d always lived. I was going to show them just how many of us there were. [loc. 6012]
Anequs is fifteen, two years a woman, when she discovers a dragon egg -- the first her people, the Naquisit, have seen for many years. When the egg hatches, in Masquisit's meeting-house and surrounded by the people of the island, the hatchling Kasaqua chooses Anequs to be its person -- its Nampeshiweisit. (If the unfamiliar names and words in that summary have put you off, this is not the book for you.) Anequs quickly learns that the Anglish colonisers have Rules about dragons: they must be registered, and properly trained, because a dragon's breath can reduce any material into its component atoms. Anequs and Kasaqua have to go to Kuiper’s Academy of Natural Philosophy and Skiltakraft in Varmarden, run by the formidable Frau Kuiper: almost all of the other students are male, and there is only one other Naquisit at the Academy.
This is a world in which history happened rather differently. Christianity doesn't exist (despite which -- and I realise this is a minor vexation -- the year is 1842: on what calendar?) and science and culture seem to have their roots in northern, rather than southern, Europe. The Anglish are not English, but a Viking-flavoured hegemony of colonisers. Their religion features Fyra, Joden, Enki and Rune: their interests are conquest and exploration. (There's a map, but it's not very readable on the Kindle.) The Naquisit -- nicknamed 'nackies', a name that they use among themselves and which doesn't seem to have any negative connotation -- mostly inhabit coastal islands, sharing resources communally. Anequs misses her brother Niquiat, who's working in a fish cannery on the mainland, but he sends back enough money that they can buy kerosene and calico 'to share with our neighbours'. Niqiuat also has some ideas about bringing the Naquisit into the modern world, and Anequs is determined to learn all she can about the Anglish.
This is, apparently, a YA novel (it's shortlisted for the Lodestar Award for Best YA Book), so it's unsurprising that a great deal of the novel deals with Anequs' attempts to fit in at Kuiper's Academy. She befriends a Black maid, Liberty, despite Liberty's protests that it is not the done thing; she also befriends the autistic Sander, and Theod, the other Naquisit at the Academy. She stands up to bullies -- some of whom are teachers -- and studies hard, and even manages to get along with her snobbish roommate Marta. She forms not one but two romantic relationships (bisexual and polyamorous!). And she learns skiltakraft, which is basically chemistry, and finds ways to connect it to her own experience.
I would have liked more of Kasaqua, especially her development and personality: she's no Temeraire. I did occasionally find Anequs a bit humourless, though one can hardly blame her in such an atmosphere of racism, social unrest and prejudice. But I enjoyed this alternate history a great deal, and I'm very much looking forward to the next in the series.
Fulfils the ‘featuring indigenous culture’ rubric of the 52 books in 2024 challenge.
Fulfils the ‘a fantasy by a non-Caucasian author’ rubric of the Something Bookish Reading Challenge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Bullying
star_charter152's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Lesbophobia, Ableism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Bullying, Hate crime, Violence, and War
Minor: Slavery, Animal death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, and Homophobia
sustainably_lucia's review
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I was hooked after 4 pages! Strong indigenous FMC, dragons, anti-colonialism. It’s a slow-paced and low-stakes story that gets major points for diversity and inclusion. The realities of racism and prejudice are seamlessly integrated in a way that feels real and honest. I could tell it was written from experience. I would classify this as a cozy fantasy because of the low stakes but it definitely doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. Anequs is a spitfire 15-year-old who is always challenging the status quo. She grew up in a supportive community where she didn’t have many opportunities to doubt herself.
The beginning was great but it dragged in the middle and I lost the main plot line. I wasn’t sure what the goal of the MCs was. The ending was good but not as well crafted as the beginning. Overall, this was a great book and I loved the prominence of indigenous culture and I recommend reading it for that alone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
booksdogsandcoffee's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.75
An absolute masterpiece. Blackgoose melds the perfect combination of political intrigue, an in depth view of colonization, inequality and adds in dragons to create this world that is very parallel to ours.
If you weren't uncomfortable while reading this book, you missed the point. To Shape A Dragon's Breath invokes every emotion imaginable while reading.
I loved everything about this book and will be eagerly awaiting the sequel.
If you weren't uncomfortable while reading this book, you missed the point. To Shape A Dragon's Breath invokes every emotion imaginable while reading.
I loved everything about this book and will be eagerly awaiting the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Bullying, Violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Racism, Classism, Misogyny, Ableism, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Lesbophobia and Genocide