Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

38 reviews

kylieqrada's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

5.0

Maybe my favorite book of the year so far. Fascinating world-building in an alternate US shaped by Scandinavian colonization. Incredible characters, queer/poly rep, an Indigenous heroine, DRAGONS, an academy setting… I could go on. Please please please read this!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, and Ableism

Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, and Violence

Minor: War and Animal death

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!

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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

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Content Warnings

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

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

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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.

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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. 

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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

breezer's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-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? Yes

3.25

The dragon school and discussions on colonialism were great but the writing style didn't mesh with me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Genocide, Colonisation, Suicide, Sexism, Classism, and War

Moderate: Animal death

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.

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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

garrettcz's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Colonisation, Racism, Ableism, and Classism

Moderate: Hate crime, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Racism, Genocide, Murder, and Grief

Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Confinement, Child abuse, Sexism, Colonisation, Animal death, Biphobia, Classism, Murder, Lesbophobia, Death, and Death of parent

anazap's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Classism, and Ableism

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Transphobia, Animal death, and Homophobia