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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
senevilla's review against another edition
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal death and Homophobia
magicant's review against another edition
Graphic: Bullying, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Classism
vermithraxrose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A second note, I think you're meant to think of the main character as a natural leader, and someone who is practical and has a good head on her shoulders, but she comes across as a clearly morally superior character to everyone else and seems to be on a one woman crusade to right all the wrongs of the world and there's very little resistance or drama that seems to prevent her from doing that. She does not have any clear flaws other than the stereotypical "not afraid to speak her mind" flaw that you tend to find in "strong female characters" in other books. And this almost always seems to work in her favor, she gets very few consequences or true resistance in doing this. It just made her...kind of flat.
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, and Racism
nboyd31's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Blood and War
Minor: Biphobia, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
sproutedpages'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
4.5
Though decidedly set in another world, this novel feels very much like an alternate history fantasy novel, as there are many clear parallels to real-world events, cultures, places, etc. There is also exploration of the disparity in colonizer and indigenous views of societal expectation, community, and utility, and the struggle to retain cultural identity in the face of (violent, subsuming) modernization and colonization. Nampeshiweisit (Masquisit dragoneers), Anglish dragoneers, and their distinct approaches to working alongside dragons, provide a really interesting fantasy vector for further exemplifying this.
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is particularly remarkable in how effectively Moniquill Blackgoose manages to portray the European-inspired fantasy elements as foreign and confusing , despite the likelihood of readers having already had an overexposure to European-inspired fantasy media, European mythology, etc.
Thank you so much to author Moniquill Blackgoose, Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this novel to read and review! All opinions within this review are voluntarily given and entirely my own.
Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Police brutality
Minor: Genocide
Anti-indigenous and anti-Black racism, indentured servitude, mention of past slavery, mention of past genocide, threatened hate crime, police brutality (in this case by guards)kwthor'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
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
jainabee'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
5.0
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!
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
autumn33344'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
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Gun violence, Transphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide and Alcohol