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charcha01's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racism
Minor: Genocide, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
jennireadsmaybe's review against another edition
- 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
Anequs is by and far the best fantasy character I've ever read because she knows who she is and what she stands for. You learn right alongside her. I loved her relationships with other the students and teachers and most of all her family. The way she took bits of what she'd learned in school and connected them to her own culture was very powerful!
I'm definitely looking forward to whatever comes next in the Nampeshiweisit saga!
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, and War
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, and War
caitlin_bookchats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Racism and Colonisation
Minor: Genocide, Gun violence, and Cultural appropriation
chasinggrace's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism
lpdx's review against another edition
- 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
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
rberdan's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
magicant's review against another edition
Graphic: Bullying, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Classism
readingwithtemperance's review against another edition
- 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
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!
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, and War
cozyscones's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Death of parent, and War