Wowowowowowowowow.

I’ll admit it was a bit of a slow start. It’s just so idyllic and with so little conflict or strife at the start. But once the action starts this book is everything I could have wanted. Again, WOW.

For lovers of RF Kuang boy is this a book you’re going to adore. I’ll admit the names were difficult for me to differentiate, but not the native names, the anglish ones. It didn’t detract a bit from my enjoyment of this book.

Dragons, passes the Bechtel test. magic and science wrapped up in an absolutely perfect package with logic that is impeccable. I could not love a book more - though I think I’m going to love the next one even better!

This book was the perfect blend of dragons, dragon school, and more dragons. It's a wonderfully written story, and one that is easy to fall into and fall in love with.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath is a very intriguing beginning to a fantasy series that I will definitely have my eye on from now on.

The story follows Anequs, an indigenous girl who is chosen by a dragon and attends an Anglish dragoneering academy in order to learn to shape her dragon's breath. This is a fairly slow-paced story that takes a lot of time to develop its world and characters, but that worked really well for me. Anequs, Theod, Sander, and Marta all felt well-developed but I'm also really curious to see what direction their characters will take in future installments.

I think readers who enjoyed the Temeraire series and R.F. Kuang's Babel will also enjoy this book. To Shape a Dragon's Breath blends historical inspiration with fantasy elements (dragons and their ability to power fantasy chemistry) smoothly. It's definitely a book that makes you both want to read the next in the series and to learn more about the actual history that inspired it. I'm certainly interested in doing both!

What you’ll find in this book:
🔥 Dragons
🐲 LGBTQIA+ Representation
🔥 Historical Setting
🐲 Based on Western colonization of Indigenous Peoples
🔥 Dragon Academy
🐲 Complex world and politics

To Shape A Dragon’s Breath had me hooked in chapter one! The world and characters are amazing. I loved Anequs. She is strong, but also kind and very smart. I also loved the other characters- Sander, Marta, Liberty- they were all amazing.

Many of the characters are diverse and represent various groups (races, sexualities, and disabilities).

I enjoyed the whole concept of how they use a dragon’s breath to create things. The whole system was incredible and complex.

While reading, I just didn’t want this book to end! This is a five star read for me, and I would recommend To Shape A Dragon’s Breath to any fantasy lover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!

I am so happy that this book exists! I absolutely loved the representation in this book; I love having an Indigenous queer main character who are also surrounded by neurodivergent and queer characters. Anequs is a kind and clever main character who is unapologetically herself and I believe that her characterization is so important, especially for young adults. I also absolutely loved the premise of the book of attending a dragon school and I loved going into the relationship between dragon and dragoneer.

All of that being said, I felt that this book had so much exposition that was not well-built into the story, as most of the exposition was delivered through characters explaining things in long sections that took me out of the story. Anequs (as much as I enjoy her traits as a character) also felt a bit flawless. Most of the characters lacked depth and those who were villainous were almost cartoonishly so.

I do appreciate what this book has done, as the book's themes are centered around colonialism and the erasure of Indigenous communities. There's a lot of parallels to real life treatment of Indigenous communities, which I thoroughly appreciated. This book would be great if you like Indigenous fantasy and a lot of world-building in fantasy books.

4.5/5 stars. This book was amazing. It had both indigenous and LGBTQ+ representation and was a painfully beautiful fantasy tale. The subtext of struggles to be seen as worthy and equal in this story touched my heart. This story very vaguely reminded me of the fantasy series Dragonriders of Pern that I devoured as a child. More in the sense of the dragon's connection to its partner than anything else. I think this is a stunning YA fantasy entry and highly recommend it to all readers.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

An Indigenous teen discovers a dragon egg and is thrust into the world of dragon raising at an elite academy. The parts of this book that I enjoyed the most were the similarities to the world of the novel with our world, especially relating to colonialism and the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples. The author did a great job of creating a magical overlay that created a different world that is nonetheless very much like our own. The depiction of Anequs constantly struggling to assert her personhood and culture in a world that so disparages and demeans it is heartbreaking, but important to see. However for a book about dragon raising there was much less actual time raising dragons than I would have liked.

While I enjoyed reading this book, I do feel like it could have used some more editing. It's probably longer than it needs to be and the ending gets strangely rushed - like the author realized it was getting really long and then tried to hurry everything up. I'm not sure why the author decided to give us all the background and technical information needed to perform skiltakraft and I found the parallels to our world to be distracting and unnecessary. When authors use words too similar to ours to describe things unique to their book's world, I find it harder to fully immerse myself in that world. Is it a different world or not? Having said all that, I did find the book interesting enough for me to finish it and I will keep an eye for future books.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel in ARC in exchange for an honest review. Set in a remarkably detailed and immersive world built on similarities with our own world history, Blackgoose's novel tells the story of how Anequas, a young Masquisit woman is chosen by a newly hatched dragon and must leave her family and remote island community to master the skills she needs to harness her dragons remarkable power. Along the way, she must also learn to navigate the politics and social whirl of nearby Anglish society, a society that continually questions her suitability to take any kind of place within it. The writing features strong three-dimensional characters representative of a layered and complex society with a clear steampunk flavor.

This is an amazing debut novel, and I truly hope this will have a sequel! I truly loved reading this, tearing through it in just three days, and am sad the journey is over!

This book flowed so beautifully, with rich and diverse characters, and I absolutely LOVE the LGBTQIA+ and polyamorous additions, as well as someone who I believe is on the autism spectrum. The culture, traditions and history from both sides felt real and well-developed, and I would love if the author would come out with a stand-alone book with more from each society.

Moniquill Blackgoose, with this book, has shown that they are a force to be reckoned with. This novel has me so excited for the future of Nampeshiweisit -- I look forward to following Blackgoose's work as an author, and the progression of Anequs' journey!

A sweeping fantasy that looks colonization in the eye, cries “land back!”, and soars to a new world not so different than our own. Even at the book’s most emotionally painful points, it gave me so much hope to see indigenous ingenuity, community, and even healing take place even in this high fantasy setting.

Anequs is the resourceful, driven, and compassionate protagonist who carries the story forward in a larger cast of characters that celebrate difference in all its forms. “To Shape a Dragon’s Breathe” is a book that understands that liberation for some is nothing without liberation for all, and its deft handling of how colonization is deeply rooted in all of the isms (sexism, ableism, homophobia, etc) only makes when Anequs succeeds feel that much brighter. I also loved that this book subverted the expectation that Anequs would simply want to assimilate to the larger Dragoneer academy; she’s a protagonist who understands the stakes at play and isn’t willing to compromise on her values or her people, and I wish I got to see more protagonists like that in more stories.

My only gripe with the book is that I’m still not clear on how the magic system works (I’m still totally in the dark as to why we’re offered a chart at the beginning of the book and how that’s relevant to Skiltatkraft?); my hope is that in the sequel and subsequent books - which I wait desperately for - can expand and make more sense of it as it didn’t seem like a coherent system to me at this point.

Finally, this book is dazzling example of why we need more indigenous authors to tell their own stories. Theod’s arc in the story, for example, is deeply relevant given the fight at the Supreme Court in the US over the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). In short, ICWA right now is being contested by white families who want to be able to adopt native children, despite ICWA being there so that native children can continue to have a connection to their cultures and other native peoples. For those that enjoyed the book, please remember that native people are here, still thriving, and are still fighting back against colonization to keep their families and communities whole.

I can’t wait to see more people get to read this book, and thank you again to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC copy!

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is a beautifully written story about a young Indigenous woman who is taken from her home to train at a colonizer-run dragon academy. The author, Moniquill Blackgoose, was excruciatingly honest as she described the suppression of Indigenous culture; the protagonist, Anequs, is faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles and biases at every turn, yet never backs down from the challenge of standing up for herself, her customs, and her people. Blackgoose painstakingly constructs a fantasy world that is both unknown and familiar to us. It is the first fantasy book I’ve read based on early American history, and somehow seamlessly combines dragons and magic with historical accounts of the early US. I found the created terminology about everything from politics to dragonry incredibly compelling, and it left the reader feeling just as uninformed as Anequs as she is thrust into an unknown and unwelcoming society.

This book contains some of the best and most natural representation I’ve read in fantasy. Anequs is not only Indigenous but also bisexual and polyamorous, which is common in her culture. One of her friends at the academy is mostly mute and autistic, and she has two main love interests: a black queer woman and an orphaned Indigenous man from another tribe.

In addition to its incredible representation and history, I loved the dragons (SO FREAKING CUTE), the side characters (Sander, Liberty, and Theod especially <3), and Anequs herself. The downside for me was that the book is longer than necessary; there were a lot of tedious descriptions of food and Anequs’s classes, and the middle dragged on. Overall, I loved it and look forward to reading the sequel!

I received my copy of To Shape a Dragon’s Breath from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
- Tiktok review will be posted to @beth_and_books closer to publication date
- Tiktok wrap-up video: https://www.tiktok.com/@beth_and_books/video/7171966404810296582?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7143337437756966401
- Goodreads review (11/22): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5111983195

4.5 STARS BUT ROUNDING UP

This is a fabulous YA Fantasy book about a young indigenous woman who goes to “dragoneering” school. The writing style felt similar to middle grade so I think that it would be a good option for many different age groups. (Though it is YA so deals with some mature themes)
I loved learning the different traditions and Anequs’ culture and felt like the author did a great job at teaching colonialism through fantasy.
I also loved the main character Anequs. She is probably the most steady characters I have ever read and a great fictional role model.
I would recommend this book to fans of Six Crimson Cranes, The Goose Girl and Babel. I really hope to read more from this author in the future!
Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is a beautifully complex coming-of-age novel about a young indigenous girl, Anequs, who discovers a dragon and must become a dragoneer on the mainland of the Anglish conquerors. The novel is not plot-heavy, and instead shows a deep look of Anequs’s experience of being an indigenous person at an Anglish school. Fans of the academia genre will enjoy the school setting and the interesting magic system. This book is a stark reminder of the way that indigenous peoples tend to be treated and how they are thought of. The Anglish see Anequs’s people as savage and incompetent, and many scenes are painful to endure as you watch her classmates torment her. But her strength of character and unwillingness to be treated as a lesser human is a joy to read. I also loved the LGBTQ+ representation. Anequs is bisexual, and it is very common among her people to be polyamorous. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I did find it to be longer than necessary. Since it is primarily character driven, it’s a bit slower paced and at times felt too long. However, I still highly recommend this book for anyone who loves academia and dragons. Review to be posted to Goodreads 11/21/22 and posted to TikTok two weeks prior to its publication date.

To Shape a Dragon's Breath is a stunning debut, and a wonderful fantasy that feels mostly like a historical fantasy due to the close parallels this fantasy realm has with the real world (in the mid 1800s). This is not a grim nor dark fantasy, but the themes are still serious and cover meaningful topics that have relevance today. I loved the magical dragon system, and while it was complex, I appreciated the world building that made the dragon magic make sense in the world. This reads much like an academic fantasy due to the fact our main character attends a dragoneer academy; you'll find so many of the same threads of other academia books: classes, professors, peers, classmates who are enemies, classmates who are friends, examinations, and so on.

Some major components of this book is the impact of violent colonization, breaking of treaties by those in power, racists being angry at non-Westernized peoples merely existing, Native characters having to navigate forced assimilation and racism, and so on. The topics are poignant and I felt these themes radiated well with the story and they were executed in a way that truly highlighted how community and acceptance = resistance and how much value the support of a community means in a society that would prefer to alienate and divide as they conquer.

While the book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, there's still so much to explore in this universe and I would be so excited to read every future book that Moniquill Blackgoose publishes. I truly cannot hype this book up enough, it is a must read if you enjoy dragons, historical fantasies, or academic fantasy settings.

I was randomly selected to read and review this book via Netgalley, and I am not an ownvoices reader.

Thank you random house publishing and net gallery
for my e-arc.

HOLY CRAP I LOVED THIS BOOK!! This is very much a
character driven book, and while there was basically no
plot other than following the main character Anaqus
from her island home into the white "Anglish"
community when she finds a dragon egg and the
dragon bonds with her, and so she has to go to a
dragoneer school, I was never bored. If you liked the
themes of colonialism and inequality and racism of
Babel, you'll definitely like this one. The writing was
phenomenal and the lore behind the world was soo
immersive!

Representation included:
SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD
(Please keep in mind that because this is a fantasy
world they use different words to label people)
Main character and her entire family is of indigenous
Asian decent and is called a "Nackie"
Main character is Bisexual and Polyamorous
Side character is Nackie
Side character is autistic and mostly mute, he
communicates through writing on a tablet he might also
have ADHD since he says that he needs thing to fidget
with to help him think
Side character is black and a lesbian and is called a
"tribade"
Two side characters are tribades but it's mentioned
very briefly only once near the end.
Side character is confined to a wheel chair

Now I am White, Cis-het, and not autistic, mute, or
confined to a wheel chair so please take my opinion
with a grain of salt but I thought that the rep was really
well done. The author handled everything with care and
produced a book that deserves to be on everyone's shelves.

This is a fantasy book which kept me in rapture from beginning to end. It has intriguing characters and a complicated yet fascinating storyline. The world building is excellent and helps keep the book moving. I highly enjoyed it

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House for providing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for honest feedback.

When I first saw the synopsis for this book, I was pretty excited about it. And when I began reading it I was still very excited. There wasn't a moment during my reading of this that I thought I wouldn't finish it. There was a small part of time where I felt disinterested in some of the names of places or things, as some seemed too unchanged from their real-workd Origins sometimes. However this is something I quickly got over in favor of finding out what was going to happen to Anequs and the rest of these characters. The fact that there is queer and poly content as well here is the cherry on top of a fantastic fantasy novel. I would definitely recommend this book to others and am excited to see where the next books will go

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is an indigenous-inspired fantasy story complete with dragons, magic, and lessons in humanity—but above all, it is about stories and how we tell them. The main character, Anequs, must leave her home to attend a dragoneering school on the mainland where she faces discrimination while she attempts to protect her home and discover herself (alongside her dragon, of course!).
Blackgoose provides rich descriptions of cultural tales and global histories that show how our perspective changes a narrative. Anequs, is kind and spunky, with a strong moral compass, but not above fault. I also really enjoyed many of the side characters, especially Niquiat and Sander.
The main strengths of this novel lie in its worldbuilding and descriptions of the various cultures and stories. The lore is essential to the plot (which I love). This tale may not be action-packed at every turn, but it holds a rich coming-of-age tale that focuses on knowing oneself, their people, and their place in the world.
Sometimes the scientific descriptions of the magic system can overwhelm the reader, and I get the sense that To Shape is laying the groundwork for future books in the series—again, not a lot happens in the way of action—but it is overall an enjoying and thought-provoking read!