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A review by ketreads
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was both a fantastic and thoughtful coming of age story but with dragons.
This book focuses on our main character of Anequs, an young indigenous woman who, after bonding with a hatchling dragon, finds herself forced to enroll in a coloniser-run school for dragon riders. While the world itself is written similar to our own world set 17th century, it's also unfamiliar enough that we are easily able to feel the confusion and 'otherness' of our situation alongside Anequs.
Anequs was such a breath of fresh air as a main character. This book focuses VERY strongly on racism, both institutional & interpersonal, sexism, ablelism, and more. Yet our main character is able to both reflect modern and cultural ideals while being a genuinely enjoyable person to follow. Anequs is smart, capable, but also eloquent enough to understand the wrongs around her and put into words what we feel as a reader. Watching her find and navigate Anglish society, while also finding some like-minded friends, was the highlight of the book.
Not only that, but I really loved the detail the author puts into dragons, their different breeds, and classification system. We don't get to see much of it but there's a clear passion to detail that, as a dragon lover myself, I thrive on!
In this book, the dragons feel less of their own characters than an extension of their 'riders' but I have a feeling this may be something the author plans to touch on in her later works. Of which I am VERY much looking forward to.
This book focuses on our main character of Anequs, an young indigenous woman who, after bonding with a hatchling dragon, finds herself forced to enroll in a coloniser-run school for dragon riders. While the world itself is written similar to our own world set 17th century, it's also unfamiliar enough that we are easily able to feel the confusion and 'otherness' of our situation alongside Anequs.
Anequs was such a breath of fresh air as a main character. This book focuses VERY strongly on racism, both institutional & interpersonal, sexism, ablelism, and more. Yet our main character is able to both reflect modern and cultural ideals while being a genuinely enjoyable person to follow. Anequs is smart, capable, but also eloquent enough to understand the wrongs around her and put into words what we feel as a reader. Watching her find and navigate Anglish society, while also finding some like-minded friends, was the highlight of the book.
Not only that, but I really loved the detail the author puts into dragons, their different breeds, and classification system. We don't get to see much of it but there's a clear passion to detail that, as a dragon lover myself, I thrive on!
In this book, the dragons feel less of their own characters than an extension of their 'riders' but I have a feeling this may be something the author plans to touch on in her later works. Of which I am VERY much looking forward to.