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theirgracegrace's review
- 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
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!
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
nicoleevelyn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Slavery
kirstenreading's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
podanotherjessi's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
The characters were probably the strongest part of the series (aside from the theming). None of the characters were particularly complex, but they were all interesting, and I can see the room for the characters to grow and become deeper as the series goes on. There's also fantastic representation, with characters of various sexualities and neurodivergence. Anequs, however, is sometimes very unbelievable. She has an emotional maturity that just surpassed plausible deniability for me. I was fine with the moments that were cultural - such as being more accepting of differences in people - but the way she talked and articulated her feelings were just not something I've rarely seen in adults, let alone teenagers.
The plot was weaker, but in a way I think is fairly typical of a first book in a magical school story. There just wasn't really much plot. It's mostly slice of life with the intrigue coming primarily from cultural conflict and racism/xenophobia. This isn't a bad thing, but it does make the story lag at times. If you're not invested in the characters, you'll probably be rather bored by the book as a whole.
And then there's the world building. There were two things that really bothered me here. The first is that this did that thing in fantasy novels where the world is basically just Europe but magic. And this is boring but fine, except that the world was developed in a way that was really confusing. I could never quite figure out the 1:1 analog of real world place to fantasy place. Which would seem like a good thing, except it just felt kind of frustrating. And this led into the second problem, which is that the magic was just science but presented in a magical way. Normally, this is actually a thing I really like. Magic being just chemistry - or really more alchemy - is really fun in theory. But I found myself kind of annoyed by the different names of things. Eventually it clicked that Blackgoose was using Germanic (or, based on the setting, more likely Norse) names for the elements - Eisen for iron, Geld for gold - and that made it more tolerable.
The themes, in the end, are where this book really shines. Themes around communicating discomfort, accepting others, and embracing difference were heavy-handed but very welcome. I enjoyed every moment Anequs had of essentially saying "what do you mean this totally harmless thing is shunned because of pointless cultural norms?" It was so refreshing to read from a perspective where the MC isn't learning to accept differences and instead accepts it as the norm.
In the end, I would readily recommend this to any young reader looking for a new fantasy to try. I can't wait for the next book!
Graphic: Xenophobia and Ableism
susanatherly's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Slavery, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Sexism, Violence, Bullying, Gun violence, Colonisation, and Classism
star_charter152's review against another edition
- 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
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
annamay1021's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: War
booksdogsandcoffee's review
4.75
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.
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
rosepetalsandpaperbacks08's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Racism
Moderate: War and Ableism
quartz's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Classism, and Bullying
Moderate: Colonisation, Xenophobia, Homophobia, and Death
Minor: War and Genocide