Scan barcode
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
rosepetalsandpaperbacks08's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Racism
Moderate: War and Ableism
quartz's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
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
thoughtsontomes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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
5.0
The closest thing I can get to describing this is the boarding school aspect of Harry Potter but add dragons and own world mythology inspired by Norse, American Indigenous, and German folktales using oral tradition mixed with the historical setting, unique worldbuilding, and society of the Winter’s Promise series. Also it’s queer and polyamorous?! What’s not to love??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
jainabee's review
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I couldn't put this down and I told each and every one of my friends, colleagues, and quite a few strangers that they really ought to read this book! I can barely wait for the next one—so curious to see where the story goes from the astonishing set-up of the first book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, Racism, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Gaslighting, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
The great thing about the challenging content is that is is witnessed from the point of view of a very confident young woman of color who calls out that %$#!bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- 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
This is my new favorite book. it delivered on every possible level. I adored the characters and the worldbuilding and the writing style. I will come back and write a longer review when I can express my love for this book more coherently, but wow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Misogyny, Violence, Xenophobia, Bullying, Death, Colonisation, Classism, and Ableism
Moderate: Homophobia, Genocide, Death of parent, War, Slavery, and Murder
Minor: Animal death
alliekc1010's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
It took me about 50% of the book to get used to the writing style, which has a lot of transitions in conversations and scenes that do not flow very well. However, I love the characters so much; they make the story amazing. TSADB is an excellent examination of colonization, racism, gender roles, and more from the perspective of an indigenous teenage girl in a reimagining of the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. There is excellent depictions of queer relationships and autism spectrum disorder. I know that this is supposed to be a series, so I'm excited to see where Anequs and her friends go!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Genocide and Hate crime
There is a specific word in this book that I believe the author uses as a made-up racial slur against the indigenous peoples in this world. It is used very often throughout the book.mateyy's review against another edition
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Lesbophobia, Genocide, Sexism, Murder, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Homophobia, Xenophobia, War, Transphobia, and Slavery
spicycronereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
4.0
This one took me a while. Partly because of life but partly because the pace is a bit on the slower side and there is *a lot* of worldbuilding. I also paused frequently to double check how I was hearing character names, consulting the pronunciation guide that the author helpfully supplied.
The story is set against a backdrop of colonialism in progress. The setting moves between the “mainland” and Masquapaug, an island off the coast of, I think, Nova Scotia or the upper northeast coast of what we think of as the United States. The Maquisit and their neighbors the Naquisit are trying to live in peace and preserve their way of life amidst ongoing attempts by Norse and English forces to colonize them. The setting includes some steampunk events as well as magic.
Anequs, the FMC, is a fifteen year old “woman.” I put woman in quotes because the indigenous customs are quite different from ours - she became a woman when she bled at age 13. The story centers on her as she is the first of her people in a long time to be chosen by a dragon and goes off to dragon school on the mainland, which is ruled by, and heavily steeped in the culture of the Anglish, a people of seeming Norse - British hybridity. She’s confident, assertive, and determined to do her best to benefit those whom she loves. She’s a mender in a lot of ways, always trying to repair broken relationships or to befriend those whom others would overlook or discard.
She is surrounded by a full cast of secondary characters, including two love interests, one female and one male. This is not a love triangle. She intends to court them both according to what is permissible in her culture though it should be noted that the neither romance advances very far. Maybe .25 🌶️ for a few swoony moments. The most important secondary character is Kasaqua and she is my absolute fave! A little dragon that acts like a kitten? Yes, please! Their relationship is really sweet to see developing. There is enough depth in Anequs’ friend groups and her brother, Niquiat’s, friend group that I hope we will see lots more of them in subsequent books.
The book has a lot of diverse representation. Anequs, her family, and Theod, Anequs’ male love interest, are all indigenous. Anequs is polyamorous and there is a FF couple among the faculty. There are characters and societies that seem to draw from Muslim and Asian cultures. Liberty, Anequs’ female love interest, is Black and her background seems to draw on some elements of a vaguely African culture.
Not much actually happens in terms of plot. There is a lot of worldbuilding and establishing of relationships. The story mainly revolves around Anequs starting at the school and her struggles with assimilation. There is a bit of political intrigue that develops toward the end, setting the stage for the next book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and I am intensely curious to see where it goes next. I wish a bit more had happened in this book, but what was there was done well enough that I feel good about investing more time in the series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / .25🌶️
The story is set against a backdrop of colonialism in progress. The setting moves between the “mainland” and Masquapaug, an island off the coast of, I think, Nova Scotia or the upper northeast coast of what we think of as the United States. The Maquisit and their neighbors the Naquisit are trying to live in peace and preserve their way of life amidst ongoing attempts by Norse and English forces to colonize them. The setting includes some steampunk events as well as magic.
Anequs, the FMC, is a fifteen year old “woman.” I put woman in quotes because the indigenous customs are quite different from ours - she became a woman when she bled at age 13. The story centers on her as she is the first of her people in a long time to be chosen by a dragon and goes off to dragon school on the mainland, which is ruled by, and heavily steeped in the culture of the Anglish, a people of seeming Norse - British hybridity. She’s confident, assertive, and determined to do her best to benefit those whom she loves. She’s a mender in a lot of ways, always trying to repair broken relationships or to befriend those whom others would overlook or discard.
She is surrounded by a full cast of secondary characters, including two love interests, one female and one male. This is not a love triangle. She intends to court them both according to what is permissible in her culture though it should be noted that the neither romance advances very far. Maybe .25 🌶️ for a few swoony moments. The most important secondary character is Kasaqua and she is my absolute fave! A little dragon that acts like a kitten? Yes, please! Their relationship is really sweet to see developing. There is enough depth in Anequs’ friend groups and her brother, Niquiat’s, friend group that I hope we will see lots more of them in subsequent books.
The book has a lot of diverse representation. Anequs, her family, and Theod, Anequs’ male love interest, are all indigenous. Anequs is polyamorous and there is a FF couple among the faculty. There are characters and societies that seem to draw from Muslim and Asian cultures. Liberty, Anequs’ female love interest, is Black and her background seems to draw on some elements of a vaguely African culture.
Not much actually happens in terms of plot. There is a lot of worldbuilding and establishing of relationships. The story mainly revolves around Anequs starting at the school and her struggles with assimilation. There is a bit of political intrigue that develops toward the end, setting the stage for the next book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and I am intensely curious to see where it goes next. I wish a bit more had happened in this book, but what was there was done well enough that I feel good about investing more time in the series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / .25🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying and Genocide
Minor: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Animal death
onegalonelife27's review against another edition
At this moment, the book is a bit slow and long for my liking. I do want to finish it later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Colonisation
Minor: War and Pandemic/Epidemic