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dweeks417's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.5
Anequs is a kind, wise, and brave woman, but she didn't develop very much as a character. She remains pretty static throughout the book and never really makes any mistakes, which made her less interesting. All the other characters - including Theod, Karina, Aponakwe, etc - have moments where they realize they were wrong and make amends, or when they face consequences. Anequs doesn't have that growth because she is apparently infallible. 🤷‍♀️ I was also a little disappointed in the lack of exploration of Anequs and Kasaqua's relationship. We don't spend a lot of time with them just together.
Overall, this is a really solid steampunk fantasy, and I'll read the rest of the series when it comes out.
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and War
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
magicant's review against another edition
Graphic: Bullying, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Classism
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)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
welgan's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
I'm grateful also for the strong character of main character Anequs, and the fierce fire of righting some wrongs which is always satisfying. I also appreciate a good bisexual and polyamorous representation!
The writing style kept me engaged with it's flaw, and the world building of a parallel world where things end up a bit different than our own history was very interesting, as was the science based magic.
I regret that dragons don't play a more important role in the story, in the end : this is before everything else a story about society and injustice. The dragons give a flavor to it, but not its substance. I think I was expecting a deeper connexion between dragon and dragoneer, like in Eragon ; I also think the author did a great job at keeping the dragons around in every scene, they're not forgotten, but they're simply not the main subject of the book.
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Blood, Murder, and War
relin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Murder, Lesbophobia, and War
koreydobbert's review against another edition
Graphic: Colonisation and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Racism, and Xenophobia
toopunkrockforshul'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: Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Gun violence and Hate crime
Minor: Animal death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Sexism, Slavery, Transphobia, Murder, Lesbophobia, and War