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A review by svangleboyer
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
To Shape a Dragon's Breath is an interesting fantasy that takes place in an alternative timeline where North American is colonized by Anglish conquerors. Anequs, an Indigenous woman living on the island Masquapaug, finds a dragon egg that hatches and becomes bonded to Anequs. Anequs ends up going to a dragon academy on the mainland to learn to shape her dragon, Kasaqua, breath so that the dragon doesn't accidentally hurt anyone. Anequs has to fight against the prejudices from the Anglish who see she has nothing but a savage while trying to learn how to be what Kasaqua needs to survive and thrive in the world.
I enjoyed gaining more perspective into the Indigenous culture that Anequs belongs too. Some of my favorite chapters were hearing old stories from their culture. I find their storytelling to be so magically and feel like I am experiencing it along with the characters. I actually wish we could have had more focus on her culture as opposed to the Anglish trying to convert Anequs. I also love all the various dragon breeds because each one is so unique and have their own personalities that I find so endearing. I admire Anequs for sticking to her culture and not letting the Anglish try to convert her to their way of thinking and trying to make her a proper lady. It was nice to see a strong female who is not afraid to stand up for herself against authority and not letting others insult her and her people for being different from what society says is normal.
While I wanted to love this novel, I was a little disappointed, so I had to give it fewer stars. One major issue I had is that this novel is just too long. The author did a wonderful job world building but there was quite a bit of info dumping that just didn't need to be in the novel. I believe it could easily have been 200 pages short and still made a strong impact. There were several times I put down the book because it was a little overwhelming. I mean if you are going to give us multiple chapters about the actual class lessons, maybe provide some images to accompany the actual lessons specially the various skiltas that is essential to shaping a dragon's breath.
The other major issue I had was that this book had me sold from the beginning because I am a sucker for dragons. While there are dragons throughout the novel, there are more just there, and you don't really get to see what they can do. I would have liked to see the dragons have a more active role in the story besides just being with their owners.
I will be reading the sequel because I am interested to see what comes next for Anequs.
I enjoyed gaining more perspective into the Indigenous culture that Anequs belongs too. Some of my favorite chapters were hearing old stories from their culture. I find their storytelling to be so magically and feel like I am experiencing it along with the characters. I actually wish we could have had more focus on her culture as opposed to the Anglish trying to convert Anequs. I also love all the various dragon breeds because each one is so unique and have their own personalities that I find so endearing. I admire Anequs for sticking to her culture and not letting the Anglish try to convert her to their way of thinking and trying to make her a proper lady. It was nice to see a strong female who is not afraid to stand up for herself against authority and not letting others insult her and her people for being different from what society says is normal.
While I wanted to love this novel, I was a little disappointed, so I had to give it fewer stars. One major issue I had is that this novel is just too long. The author did a wonderful job world building but there was quite a bit of info dumping that just didn't need to be in the novel. I believe it could easily have been 200 pages short and still made a strong impact. There were several times I put down the book because it was a little overwhelming. I mean if you are going to give us multiple chapters about the actual class lessons, maybe provide some images to accompany the actual lessons specially the various skiltas that is essential to shaping a dragon's breath.
The other major issue I had was that this book had me sold from the beginning because I am a sucker for dragons. While there are dragons throughout the novel, there are more just there, and you don't really get to see what they can do. I would have liked to see the dragons have a more active role in the story besides just being with their owners.
I will be reading the sequel because I am interested to see what comes next for Anequs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Misogyny, Bullying, Mental illness, Classism, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Sexism, Slavery, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Racism, War, Homophobia, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Murder, Sexual harassment, and Forced institutionalization