Reviews tagging 'Death'

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

33 reviews

dragongirl271's review

adventurous challenging emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, and Death of parent

lpdx's review

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Death, Genocide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, and War

Minor: Confinement, Transphobia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

jainabee's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

After reading the hardcopy once and listening to the audiobook twice, my appreciation for the rich complexities and top notch storytelling is even stronger. Magnificent. Listening to the wonderful character voices and accents performed by Charley Flyte brought out the intercultural class differences and complex social nuances more distinctly. 

So much happens so quickly in this first installment of the series that I missed a few important details which deepen the characters—such as the look that Frau Kuiper gives Anaqus right before her skiltakraft final. The look that Anequs cannot interpret in the moment. I think I know what it means now, but it took three reads! The complicated social and political layers of this story are profound—and quite relevant to contemporary issues.

Another aspect that took me this long to get (I am white from a colonizer heritage and this tale is told from an Indigenous POV—there’s probably a LOT MORE that I don’t get) is the stylized language throughout the book. Though most of the places and objects in the book are all places and objects that would be familiar to most contemporary readers, they all have abstracted names; English is Anglish, a penny is a pennik, a photographer is a lichtbildmacher, radium is strahlendstone, etc… why all of this confusing terminology??? Other than sustaining the tone of the alternate reality, it also puts a reader who has been educated in a typical American school in the same confusing position as the Indigenous protagonist. The words and customs that the colonizers all take for granted are almost as baffling to the reader as they are to Anequs. If the author had simply used words any typical American would understand, the reader would not be able to empathize with the confusion and frustrations and other obstacles that Anequs must move through.

The final layer I that understood more this time I wrapped in spoiler alerts in the content warning section.

I can barely wait for the next installment!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Finally, the third time through this story brought into sharp relief the themes of abduction and imprisonment that the characters of color all experience. Theod narrowly escaped indentured servitude, after being accused and tried in court for “stealing" a dragon, by becoming a legal ward of Frau Kuiper, Liberty is indentured to Frau Brinkerhoff and explains the unspoken complexities of paying her way out, and Anequs may appear to be making a choice, however she comes to realize that her entire village and island could be eradicated if she fails to assimilate. Locked doors, vehicles with smoked windows, and even her corset all remind her of how she cannot escape her predicament. Even Frau Kuiper—who seems to have some sympathy for the protagonist—threatens to let the enemies of Anequs destroy her dragon and raze her village if she fails the expectations of the “darling of the Jarl."

toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Loved this book! Really looking forward to more in this series when it eventually comes out. The worldbuilding was very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot, and all the characters felt very well developed and complex. Anequs was a great narrator and I enjoyed being in her head, and I loved

how her knowledge of her people's traditions is what allowed her to succeed

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Gun violence and Hate crime

Minor: Animal death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Sexism, Slavery, Transphobia, Murder, Lesbophobia, and War

heather_harrison's review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you NetGalley, Moniquill Blackgoose and publisher for my e-arc of To Shape a Dragon's Breath (TSaDB). 

This was a fantastic read if you want to continue to dragon/dragon school trend - but want something completely different than Fourth Wing. TSaDB was more aligned with Babel - with young Indigenous woman Anequs is chosen by a dragon hatchling and has to leave her home to train at a coloniser school. There is plenty of exploration around colonisation, identity, sexism, racism, and classism. 

It did take a while to become acclimatised to the world - in TSaDB the world has been colonised by Scandi/Norse (known as Anglish). There are Norse myths alongside German phrases and the geography described what I assume is Indigenous America. I would have really enjoyed some illustrations or world maps to go alongside the story. In addition, the story also had a slow start, but once we were well established the pacing seemed to be perfect. 

The writing style was descriptive and direct, and I particularly enjoyed it and found it refreshing. 

There was plenty of time spent with the FMC focusing on the classes to become proficient in handling dragons and shaping dragon's breath. 

I also really appreciated the LGBTQ, poly and divergent representation, alongside the Indigenous FMC. 
There were some comments that the love interests didn't seem to have enough conflict, but there was plenty of simmering points of unrest such as the issues with class and race. I think in the next installment when they are all courting then I'm sure they'll be no shortage of conflict as same sex relationships are not the norm in Anglish society, let alone poly relationships. 

I am already eagerly awaiting the next book, and was very sad to have to leave the world of Nampeshiweisit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Gaslighting, and War

ethuiliel's review against another edition

challenging inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime and Colonisation

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Slavery, Suicide, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

alyanna_dm's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

If this was a stand alone novel, I would be fine. Do I want to know more about Kasaqua and Anequs' future? Yes. However, I don't want anything bad to happen to them so I'd leave it on a high note.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Colonisation

Moderate: Death and Violence

lyndle's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

very obvious 1-to-1 metaphor for the colonization of native American land, down to keeping the same map of the world and 18th/19th century high society, but that helps make the authors point. does a good job of putting you in their shoes to reflect on how their world changed, like anequs's did. kind of wordy at times but a cool "magic" system. also tons of representation, from LGBTQIA to autism spectrum to the color of their skin. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Genocide, Suicide, Lesbophobia, and War

sicilyjoy's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and War

Minor: Slavery

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Flying in with a masterpiece, Moniquill Blackgoose sets up a world with this first instalment of the Nampeshiweisit series. The story centres around Anequs, a young Indigenous woman who discovers a dragon egg on an island near her home. When it hatches, the dragon bonds to her, and the Anglish settlers of her land order that she join a local dragoneering academy.

My favourite part of this book was the worldbuilding! Blackgoose builds a world like our own, but without a Roman Empire or Christianity, the Europeans have a distinctly Norse flair that matches well with the themes of resistance against colonialism. Each character has distinctive features, mannerisms and traits that make them real and powerful parts of the narrative.

Eagerly awaiting the next book of this series, particularly in light of the final handful of chapters!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Medical content and War

Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Vomit, and Cannibalism