Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

115 reviews

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring medium-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

4.0

Look at me, you are going to want to quit this book at the first third where they start introducing fantasy chemistry. DO NOT. I promise it is worth it for the way it is used later in the book, with a twist that made me gasp aloud. I do think in general this book would be greatly improved by just saying this is America but it has dragons, deal with it, instead of making the audience memorize fantasy words for everything. Other than that I had so much fun. I really liked the characters, with Anequs someone I would have been utterly obsessed with if I had this book at the right age. I love that she knows who she is, what she wants, and what is right and she is going to do that. The bisexual poly romance is super cute as well. And the exploration of native vs colonizer ways of the same knowledge was so interesting.

I called my roommate when I got to the dance reveal, I was so excited.

Can't wait for the next one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, and Sexism

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Hate crime, Murder, and Animal death

Minor: Genocide, Slavery, and War

blakeandbooks'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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Ableism, Classism, Lesbophobia, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Murder, Sexism, Racism, Colonisation, and Misogyny

Moderate: War, Sexual harassment, and Homophobia

stacyaj's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Minor: Violence

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Colonisation, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Hate crime, Genocide, Racial slurs, Death, Classism, Transphobia, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Bullying, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol

hawksrye's review

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Animal death, Confinement, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Genocide, Slavery, Colonisation, Homophobia, Blood, Hate crime, Death of parent, Gun violence, Ableism, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Transphobia

discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

If you want to read an incredibly well-written fantasy with vivid and expansive worldbuilding (which will, to the American reader, seem verrrry familiar) that involves dragons, some queer romance, and, most importantly, a clever young Indigenous woman handily beating the racist colonizers at their own game even with all the chips stacked against her, then this is an absolute MUST.

I read this in audiobook format on a couple long drives, and I thought the narrator, Charley Flyte, was really impressive. It was an engaging and thrilling listening experience.

This story will make you laugh, it’ll make you cheer, and it’ll most certainly make you viscerally angry. I highly HIGHLY recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Ableism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Death of parent, Classism, and Hate crime

Minor: Homophobia and Gun violence

serendipitysbooks'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? It's complicated

4.0

 An academic campus novel that features dragons, is explored through an indigenous worldview, features a fierce unflinching heroine, has a sex positive focus with LGBTIQA+ representation and an acceptance of polyamory, as well as positive disability representation? Yes, please. I loved Anequs, her refusal to be cowered or overawed by the Anglish and what she doesn’t know about their ways, by her refusal to conform to Anglish expectations and her insistence on staying true to her culture and correcting any false beliefs or prejudice about it. A fun escapist read with great world building - the dragons, the school, and the wider society were all fully realised but the information felt seamless rather than “info-dumpy” - with unabashed anti-racist and anti-colonisation messaging. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Racism, and Ableism

quartofgoats's review

adventurous emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book is such an absolute gem I don't know what to say. I can't wait for more of this series. 
The protagonist is the very very best of humanity and forges through horrible circumstances and upfront racism with unbelievable grace and eloquence. Which, while unrealistic, was inspiring and heartening. It was also just tremendously fun. I read it in like 24 hours.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Bullying, Classism, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, and Misogyny

Moderate: Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, and War

Minor: Gun violence

taroroot's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

really great start to a fantasy series at a dragon school. i'm looking forward to seeing where Anequs's journey takes her!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Colonisation, Racism, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Violence, Sexism, Classism, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Slavery, and Transphobia

Minor: Blood, Drug use, and Alcohol

applejacksbooks's review

adventurous fast-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

5.0

Now this is a dragon book that everyone should read and love. It's so well done and the narrator for the audiobook is amazing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Racism