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fiifarts's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was such an incredible fantasy novel. It was rich with social commentary, complex characters and powerful moments. I’m looking forward to reading the second one to come out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
chasinggrace's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.0
A Native American-inspired coming-of-age story with dragons and British-inspired academia.
This book reminded me a lot of Babel by R. F. Kuang. There was a heavy, heavy dose of racism that the main character(s) had to endure, and complex side characters that gave insight into how different personalities navigate a colonialist society. This book, in the latter half, became heavily political as well.
Of course, I enjoyed the dragons in this book. They seemed to have distinct personalities and I appreciated how they were tied to their owners. I also liked how Anequs, our main character, was very vocal. She refused to assimilate to colonial society and was very good at advocating for herself. The cast was also extremely diverse - other than race, there were LGBTQIA+ characters, neurodivergent characters, and a clear socioeconomic divide between many people.
What distracted me from the story was the heavy writing style. Somehow, it worked for me in Babel and did not work for me here. The magic/dragon system was complex, as were the explanations of the local politics. The dialogue was stiff, and the descriptions of surroundings were long-winded. It took me almost a week to read this book, when I can usually consume novels that I enjoy in 1-3 days. Lots of things happen TO our main character and she is forced to play an observational role that can get stale after 400+ pages. In the end, I am not invested enough in the politics or budding romances to read the next installment.
This book reminded me a lot of Babel by R. F. Kuang. There was a heavy, heavy dose of racism that the main character(s) had to endure, and complex side characters that gave insight into how different personalities navigate a colonialist society. This book, in the latter half, became heavily political as well.
Of course, I enjoyed the dragons in this book. They seemed to have distinct personalities and I appreciated how they were tied to their owners. I also liked how Anequs, our main character, was very vocal. She refused to assimilate to colonial society and was very good at advocating for herself. The cast was also extremely diverse - other than race, there were LGBTQIA+ characters, neurodivergent characters, and a clear socioeconomic divide between many people.
What distracted me from the story was the heavy writing style. Somehow, it worked for me in Babel and did not work for me here. The magic/dragon system was complex, as were the explanations of the local politics. The dialogue was stiff, and the descriptions of surroundings were long-winded. It took me almost a week to read this book, when I can usually consume novels that I enjoy in 1-3 days. Lots of things happen TO our main character and she is forced to play an observational role that can get stale after 400+ pages. In the end, I am not invested enough in the politics or budding romances to read the next installment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism
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
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
persephonefoxx's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.25
“All I've ever tried to do is the right thing. If that's so very different from how things have been done before, then what's done before was wrong.”
There is a lot to love about this story. A rich fantasy full of culture, politics, and dragons - sign me up! But what really took me my by surprise was the sheer amount of representation oozing out of this book.
I knew going in that this was a story of an indigenous girl flung into coloniser society, tackling issues of colonisation and racism from an incredibly important perspective. But on top of that, the story also handles queer and polyamorous identities, particularly from the viewpoint of someone from a more accepting culture.
But the representation that really caught me off guard, and the representation that meant the most to me as an autistic person, was the beautifully handled, well-crafted, autistic coded character.
The pacing was this novel’s enemy. And as a result of overall pacing issues, the climax felt lacklustre. Which is a shame for a novel with such a good foundation in world-building, characters, and a magic system that will make science lovers giddy.
Overall, this book left me very excited for the rest of the series. And more importantly, the narrative centralises around deep themes of culture, indigenous peoples, colonisation, and identity from a vital perspective. I am keen to see what else the Nampeshiweisit series has in store
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, and War
rberdan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
slow-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
4.5
This one took me a while to read, but I did ultimately love it and I’m looking forward to the next.
I must agree with the Mary Sue critique some of the other reviewers had, but I don’t think it bothered me as much because I did also feel that there was nuance to this. In particular, keeping in mind that this feels YA/Middle Grade, the way things came easily to Anequs were also surfacing alongside deeply colonial worldviews and anti-IIndigenous racism, so what came through at the same time was a means of surfacing Indigenous ways of knowing as equally valuable and valid relative to “Anglish” ways. I chose to appreciate that over being irked by Anequs being painted as so clever and right without consequence.
I absolutely adored Sander and appreciated how other side characters were brought to life. I think there’s even more room for some of them to grow in future books and I’m interested to see where that goes.
I’m a white settler, so I can’t speak to this from lived experience, but the way racism and colonialism played out in the book were very true to what I see in community. As such, some parts were very heavy and I needed some breaks for the sake of my spirit.
The dragons were delightful and I’m excited to see more of them.
Overall, this is a great read with a lot going on at a societal level. It’s a lot to follow, but I was never really bored. I’m definitely looking forward to the next.
I must agree with the Mary Sue critique some of the other reviewers had, but I don’t think it bothered me as much because I did also feel that there was nuance to this. In particular, keeping in mind that this feels YA/Middle Grade, the way things came easily to Anequs were also surfacing alongside deeply colonial worldviews and anti-IIndigenous racism, so what came through at the same time was a means of surfacing Indigenous ways of knowing as equally valuable and valid relative to “Anglish” ways. I chose to appreciate that over being irked by Anequs being painted as so clever and right without consequence.
I absolutely adored Sander and appreciated how other side characters were brought to life. I think there’s even more room for some of them to grow in future books and I’m interested to see where that goes.
I’m a white settler, so I can’t speak to this from lived experience, but the way racism and colonialism played out in the book were very true to what I see in community. As such, some parts were very heavy and I needed some breaks for the sake of my spirit.
The dragons were delightful and I’m excited to see more of them.
Overall, this is a great read with a lot going on at a societal level. It’s a lot to follow, but I was never really bored. I’m definitely looking forward to the next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Genocide, Racism, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
senevilla's review
adventurous
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal death and Homophobia
magicant's review
I just cannot handle the colonization and bigotry within the book due to my mental health. I plan on coming back for this book though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Classism
readingwithtemperance's review
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
tense
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? No
5.0
I really loved the representation in this book. There were bisexual/lesbian and neurodivergent/mute characters. As well as polyamory; which is something I haven't really seen in YA.
Anequs was such a wonderful lead. She was constantly advocating for herself/her people. While simultaneously proving the Anglish wrong about their prejudices regarding her capabilities. I especially enjoyed when Professor Ezel had no choice but to pass her and Theod. I also loved that our love triangle was solved via polyamory. And I'm looking forward to that being explored in the sequel! A double marriage would be incredible.
I loved her friendships with Sander and Liberty in particular. And I'm hoping Marta improves in book two because honestly I just found her very annoying.
At times this book was so incredibly heavy. To Shape a Dragon's Breath shone a light on atrocities that happened throughout history to native peoples. Colonization is an ugly beast. The Anglish want nothing more than to strip Anequs and her people of their land and culture.
I thought that the magic system was so interesting. And I'm very eager to see more skiltakraft in book two.
My favorite aspect of this book aside from Anequs' bond with her dragon was the time we spent among her people. I loved learning about her culture and hearing their stories. All of the food sounded incredible!
This was something truly remarkable. I'm so impressed that this was a debut! I cant wait for more feom this world and this author. Sequel NOW!
Anequs was such a wonderful lead. She was constantly advocating for herself/her people. While simultaneously proving the Anglish wrong about their prejudices regarding her capabilities.
I loved her friendships with Sander and Liberty in particular. And I'm hoping Marta improves in book two because honestly I just found her very annoying.
At times this book was so incredibly heavy. To Shape a Dragon's Breath shone a light on atrocities that happened throughout history to native peoples. Colonization is an ugly beast. The Anglish want nothing more than to strip Anequs and her people of their land and culture.
I thought that the magic system was so interesting. And I'm very eager to see more skiltakraft in book two.
My favorite aspect of this book aside from Anequs' bond with her dragon was the time we spent among her people. I loved learning about her culture and hearing their stories. All of the food sounded incredible!
This was something truly remarkable. I'm so impressed that this was a debut! I cant wait for more feom this world and this author. Sequel NOW!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, and War
cozyscones's review
adventurous
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Death of parent, and War
nboyd31's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Blood and War
Minor: Biphobia, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia