Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - To Shape a Dragon's Breath

Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

17 reviews

dragonstuck's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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1_800_fuck_off's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

wow…. WOW

this book!!!!!

one of my favorite reads this year for fucking sure

the MESSAGE??!!! the ROMANCE??!! THE DRAGONS???? THE CULTURE?!?!? THE CHARACTERS!!!!!!

perfect everything perfect

i don't even usually like romance but this one just hit different it ended exactly how i wanted it to and it's the first of its kind that i've read (IT’S POLYYYY POLY ROMANCE IS SO RARE AND THIS ONE!! UGH this book set up such a perfect path for the romance to enhance in the second book for SURE) i'm so in love with it and guys the characters can not empathize them enough!! i loved the mc and her friends and her family they're the best especially my boy sander he'll live in my heart forever and i just can't recommend this book enough it has such an important message to society about how indigenous people are treated and have been treated for years it also shows just how beautiful their culture is and just how necessary it is to listen to their voices and how society could stand to adopt at least a little bit of the way they see the world

it would be a much better place

can not wait for the next book <3

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anazap's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

This book tackles a lot of heavy topics (colonialism, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism) but I think it does it well. Anequs was an easy character to like, though I felt she had less depth than many of the other characters. This was definitely more character driven than plot driven, which was not necessarily what I was expecting but I am excited to see where the series goes.

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mateyy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.75

This felt like a fresh breath of air. I was so absorbed from beginning to end following Anequs battle her way through a world that wishes for her to fail at every turn.

Moniquill Blackgoose created a really cool almost steampunk-y Colonial North American setting that lends itself well to the story being told. How Anequs (and subsequently the audience) interacted with the setting worked well and it did not feel like I had to sift through so much exposition.

I think coming into this book with the notion that it was a bit like Fourth Wing but TSADB actively deals with the horrors that Native Americans had to (and still deal with the repercussions) face in a fantasy setting, definitely set me up for a different novel than I got. I think if I read this without that bias, I think I would have enjoyed the book more because the stakes were a lot different than I was expecting.

I am excited to see the story continue in the next installment!

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saltylane's review

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adventurous challenging inspiring tense medium-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 enjoyed reading this book, though some parts are a bit rough around the edges, imo. The world building is thorough, but I’m unsure if it all “worked” for me. Some words were used to replace common ones, like names of chemicals/elements, and those words were used in a way that I couldn’t follow what meant what, but that may have been wholly intentional, in order to show the reader how the main character, Anequs, felt being tossed into an unfamiliar world.
Some of the scenes were rather detailed to the point that I was a bit bored with them, like a couple of the class scenes wherein Anequs had to learn detailed concepts. It’s possible they were intentionally written that way to have the reader share the confusion of Anequs upon having to learn the complex concepts, but I almost skipped the scene entirely about midway through. On the other hand, some scenes were briefly described when I might’ve liked to read more about them in detail.
The descriptions of the dragons when they first appeared were added in such a way that it was hard for me to actually picture the individual creatures in my mind. The species were almost all described at once, and I couldn’t retain what they looked like after that point because the ideas blended together. The descriptions were thorough, but being introduced to most of them all at once made it harder for me to keep up with what was what afterwards. I would like to see illustrations of them, though, because they did sound interesting to see!

The story itself is inspiring as Anequs faces much adversity in the community she’s thrust into. The analogs to real-world issues can be painful a lot of the time, but it’s informative and inspiring when Anequs fights to make change. The way she becomes an agent for change in those around her with her tenacity and kindness/empathy is heartwarming.

Overall, I enjoyed the read, and I look forward to the sequels.

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_lostinthetrees's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

It was a privilege to read this book. I genuinely loved it, and the story it told, though I wanted to jump through the page and scream at some of the adults in it more than once.

Anequs was such a lovely, dynamic main character. Also, Kasaqua was just the bestest dragon.

As far as books about dragons go, this one is top tier; well thought out descriptions and lore abound.

I loved the varied cast of characters who are in Anequs' orbit; at least, the ones who didn't cause her so much grief, anyways.

Overall, I definitely hope to reread this book one day, to appreciate the story all over again. This one deserves to become a classic, and I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

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thecatconstellation's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful 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

This was really enjoyable. A decent amount of plot and a lot of excellent world building. I enjoyed the various folklores, the representation of queer and poly relationships, and the autistic representation. The dragons! So many different dragons. I love reading about them. I also love the bond that they have with their chosen people. The pronunciation guide at the beginning is super helpful!

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