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kell_xavi 's review for:
To Shape a Dragon's Breath
by Moniquill Blackgoose
challenging
inspiring
slow-paced
I enjoyed To Shape a Dragon’s Breath and look forward to reading the rest of the series, when it is released. There were some quirks, however, that I’m conflicted about.
This novel of an Indigenous teenage girl in a Victorian fantasy North America with dragons was slow to start, with a great deal of detail regarding the society that Anequs, our protagonist, does not wish to assimilate into.
Anequs is confident and clever, kind and intentional in her choices. She has a strong connection to her dragon as nampeshiwe is a great symbol in her culture. She is a perfect representative of her people as she enters the colonizer’s city and educational institution (for dragon riders) for the first time.
I was surprised, given the blurb, that Anequs is not a fierce, angst-driven girl, but would be unassuming, except that her existence creates controversy. I liked that about her. The alternate historical setting helps to create a voice for Anequs, as does her maturity—when viewed alongside the average young adult novel. This studious, kind, respectful but bold narrator made this a uniquely great young adult selection. I’m sure many intelligent readers will be won over by Blackgoose’s telling of the harms of colonialism’s control and othering, and the strength of those who resist or even reshape it. For girls, queer, autistic, and Indigenous youth, there is a story here about taking up space and figuring out identity on one’s own terms (with the help of those who care).
As an overarching comparison, this book reminded me of Jane Eyre. The Victorian setting, writing style (ie focus on the architecture of moments, which takes time to move forward), and character sensibilities are the first similarity. More than that, Anequs is something of a Mary Sue, someone who expresses strong emotion and speaks out of turn, but always with good reason, so that it’s easy to take her side. After sitting with it for a few days, I wonder if this empathetic revolutionary attitude was intentional, a sort of decolonial, anti-Jane who knows her mind and has a cultural foundation to argue her choices. Regardless, it was odd to read about a people having little conflict and wrongdoing, and I wasn’t sure if this was parallel history or itself a part of the fantasy world.
Another aspect that I wasn’t sold on was the painstaking outlines of things with made up names, but real world analogues: the settler colonial setting, magical symbols made of periodic table elements, government structure, words like “Anglish”. It was all very put on, making it difficult for me to become immersed, while not revealing much in the comparison. Especially on the audiobook (though I couldn’t find a map or skillcraft/alchemy legend for the print book, which would certainly have helped me navigate), many of these world-making gestures are confusing rather than illuminating.
Initially, I looked at a physical copy of the book, but was dissuaded by the small text. The audiobook solved this issue, but the decision to use upper class British accents for the students, teachers, and society folk was one I didn’t prefer. The book’s narrator was not terribly good at these accents. Exposition is given often through dialogue, as Anequs asks about the way of things and is given explanations. The breathy murmurs of the accents weren’t easy to follow in these cases. Also, another reviewer suggests that this alternate “New World” is a Viking colony, which I think makes sense, and which seems to mean the annoying accents don’t track. Relatedly, Anequs’ mastery of the colonizer’s language, despite little contact with them, while referring to many things in the Masquapaug language, was without a satisfactory explanation.
I believe many of my qualms are features of the debut novel, made especially prominent by its being a fantasy endeavour and a series opener. Blackgoose lays a lot of groundwork here. The story itself covers Anequs’ first year at the dragon academy, alongside Marta, Liberty, Sander, and Theod. There is culture clash, bullying, racism, scandal, and political turmoil, and all of the major characters learn a great deal. It builds such that, by the end, there’s real excitement and intrigue. I want to meet the characters again, both dragon and human! I have great hopes for where the story goes next.
This novel of an Indigenous teenage girl in a Victorian fantasy North America with dragons was slow to start, with a great deal of detail regarding the society that Anequs, our protagonist, does not wish to assimilate into.
Anequs is confident and clever, kind and intentional in her choices. She has a strong connection to her dragon as nampeshiwe is a great symbol in her culture. She is a perfect representative of her people as she enters the colonizer’s city and educational institution (for dragon riders) for the first time.
I was surprised, given the blurb, that Anequs is not a fierce, angst-driven girl, but would be unassuming, except that her existence creates controversy. I liked that about her. The alternate historical setting helps to create a voice for Anequs, as does her maturity—when viewed alongside the average young adult novel. This studious, kind, respectful but bold narrator made this a uniquely great young adult selection. I’m sure many intelligent readers will be won over by Blackgoose’s telling of the harms of colonialism’s control and othering, and the strength of those who resist or even reshape it. For girls, queer, autistic, and Indigenous youth, there is a story here about taking up space and figuring out identity on one’s own terms (with the help of those who care).
As an overarching comparison, this book reminded me of Jane Eyre. The Victorian setting, writing style (ie focus on the architecture of moments, which takes time to move forward), and character sensibilities are the first similarity. More than that, Anequs is something of a Mary Sue, someone who expresses strong emotion and speaks out of turn, but always with good reason, so that it’s easy to take her side. After sitting with it for a few days, I wonder if this empathetic revolutionary attitude was intentional, a sort of decolonial, anti-Jane who knows her mind and has a cultural foundation to argue her choices. Regardless, it was odd to read about a people having little conflict and wrongdoing, and I wasn’t sure if this was parallel history or itself a part of the fantasy world.
Another aspect that I wasn’t sold on was the painstaking outlines of things with made up names, but real world analogues: the settler colonial setting, magical symbols made of periodic table elements, government structure, words like “Anglish”. It was all very put on, making it difficult for me to become immersed, while not revealing much in the comparison. Especially on the audiobook (though I couldn’t find a map or skillcraft/alchemy legend for the print book, which would certainly have helped me navigate), many of these world-making gestures are confusing rather than illuminating.
Initially, I looked at a physical copy of the book, but was dissuaded by the small text. The audiobook solved this issue, but the decision to use upper class British accents for the students, teachers, and society folk was one I didn’t prefer. The book’s narrator was not terribly good at these accents. Exposition is given often through dialogue, as Anequs asks about the way of things and is given explanations. The breathy murmurs of the accents weren’t easy to follow in these cases. Also, another reviewer suggests that this alternate “New World” is a Viking colony, which I think makes sense, and which seems to mean the annoying accents don’t track. Relatedly, Anequs’ mastery of the colonizer’s language, despite little contact with them, while referring to many things in the Masquapaug language, was without a satisfactory explanation.
I believe many of my qualms are features of the debut novel, made especially prominent by its being a fantasy endeavour and a series opener. Blackgoose lays a lot of groundwork here. The story itself covers Anequs’ first year at the dragon academy, alongside Marta, Liberty, Sander, and Theod. There is culture clash, bullying, racism, scandal, and political turmoil, and all of the major characters learn a great deal. It builds such that, by the end, there’s real excitement and intrigue. I want to meet the characters again, both dragon and human! I have great hopes for where the story goes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Genocide, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Classism
Minor: War