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To Shape a Dragon's Breath

by Moniquill Blackgoose

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Nampeshiweisit (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3071486,237 (4.16)23
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.… (more)
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» See also 23 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
Dragons will always make me happy, but there wasn't as much as I'd maybe like in this one, as a review I read said they appeared to be very secondary. What was front and centre was how Anequs found herself as a fish out of water in a place where she is barely tolerated basically being billed as a savage thief of a valuable dragon. She has some education but basically doesn't know what the school expects of her, but she desperately wants to have some control over her dragon's breath so that he will not do some unwitting damage.
Life as a indigenous person seems almost perfect, but then again many people see their own world as pretty perfect, except when it isn't and the racism is both covert and overt in the story and you can see sometimes where the characters have to settle for best of bad choices. I'm looking forward to more in this series and what Anequs is going to do with her life and what her presence in the world of dragons is going to do to it.
I've enjoyed this read, there were some moments where it was telling things a bit too much and sometimes the more nordic twist to everyday words made it a bit of work to read but overall it was an interesting read. ( )
  wyvernfriend | May 22, 2024 |
Well paced, if a bit deliberate, alternate world with both dragons and pagan Norse takeover of Europe. Set in the central northeastern western continent, all scientific language is Norse based. A young native woman from a remote island is chosen by a dragon hatchling she found and required to attend "white" boarding school where the she is expected to fit in and adopt their values. She is not what they expect and what she wants isn't what they expect her to want. The incidents of the story are all familiar, but the approach and resolution are creative use of a strong minded but not irrationally foolhardy young woman as a main character. ( )
  quondame | May 7, 2024 |
Anequs is fifteen and lives with her family on Masquapaug Island. Because the island is remote and doesn't have resources like coal to attract notice, the Anglish conquerors have left them pretty much alone. But when Anequs finds a dragon egg, and the dragon chooses her - and while being Nampeshiweisit to a dragon is revered by her people, no one has seen one in 200 years - she determines that the best way to learn what she needs to help her people is to go to the Anglish school to learn dragoneering and how to shape the breath of a dragon.

This steampunk-y fantasy by enrolled Seaconke Wampanoag member Moniquill Blackgoose should have wide appeal. Anequs is a great character, I loved her narration and no-nonsense approach to life even as she struggles to understand the often nonsensical rules of Anglish life and "civility". There is depth in the history of the world, which is not quite like our own but has certain parallels. You can tell the author knows the tropes of fantasy and also what she wants to do with them - going to a school is common but subversively going to the conquerors' school, not so much. I also loved the clear importance of story in multiple cultures and how it's used to create both what we would call mythology and history in Anequs's world. There's also a satisfying, cliff-hanger free ending, but you can bet I'll be looking up the next book as soon as it comes out. ( )
  bell7 | Feb 2, 2024 |
This is an engaging, highly original steampunk-tinged young adult book. After fifteen-year-old Anequs finds and is bonded with a dragon hatchling, the first dragon her people have encountered in some two hundred years, she is forced to attend a school run by white colonialist rulers that trains up other young people bonded with dragons. In this alt history setting, the rulers are both English and Nordic, and Christianity is not the dominant religion. Language is quiet different as well, but there are often hints to help readers identity place names parallel to our world or to give context to vastly different traditions; sometimes, though, I felt a bit adrift, even as I admired the incredible research that must have gone into the world-building.

This book doesn't follow the usual plot progression of the boarding school trope. The focus isn't on the usual bullies and classroom anxieties. I welcome this fresh take. Without delving into spoilers, this book addresses vast political consequences. Anequs is a stone vast into an ocean, causing incredible ripples. ( )
  ladycato | Jan 28, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Moniquill Blackgooseprimary authorall editionscalculated
Flyte, CharleyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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I was gathering mussels on Slipstone Island when I saw the dragon.
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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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