To Shape a Dragon's Breath
Books | Fiction / Fantasy / Dragons & Mythical Creatures
4.6
Moniquill Blackgoose
A young Indigenous woman enters a colonizer-run dragon academy—and quickly finds herself at odds with the “approved” way of doing things—in the first book of this brilliant new fantasy series.The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations—until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon’s egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit—a person in a unique relationship with a dragon. Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. They have a very specific idea of how a dragon should be raised, and who should be doing the raising—and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed. For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land, challenges abound—both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart, determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects. Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they’re also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing—and they might just be the ones to do it.
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Author
Moniquill Blackgoose
Pages
528
Publisher
National Geographic Books
Published Date
2023-05-09
ISBN
0593498283 9780593498286
Community ReviewsSee all
"If you’re looking for a good action fantasy book to get you out of a reading slump, this is not the book for you. It was a nice plot and I liked the love triangle, but honestly I had to force myself through it. The main character Anequs is written well, and most of the characters are too. It makes you feel what Anequs is feeling. The romance is really slow, and when you feel like you’re getting somewhere it gets completely halted by other events. Nonetheless if your looking for a book to read that has the mc fighting against culture stereotypes and prejudice then I recommend. It did have a bunch of things I had never heard of before, and the plot never described them too."
Katherine marie
"I mean....it was aiiight. This book was good, but it didn't do much else than other books in the same genre. The characters were a bit of a stain between the actual story which wasn't the entire focus. It was indeed enjoyable but I'm going through a bit of a reading slump and pushed myself to finish this (as always) and didn't regret reading it. I recommend reading it but it's nothing outstanding. It's enough to entertain and keep you busy though. My overall rating is a 3.5/5.<br/><br/>Extended Breakdown:<br/>Characters: 2/5<br/>Story: 3.5/5<br/>Pace: 3/5<br/><br/>TikTok: @wvbookwitch<br/>Blog: http://wvbookwitch.blogspot.com/"
Val
"I found myself getting angry… but that was the point. So often, the author immersed me in the POV of the indigenous MC, and I felt deep offense and outrage on her behalf as she confronted blatant racism and the looming threat of literal genocide. The descriptions and imagery of the dragoneer experience felt intimate and poetic without even needing actual dialogue between dragon and human. I felt that I could live in this world and wished that I could be a friend to Anequs. I hope that we explore other regions and her continued education in future books."
Callisto Aotsuki