A review by mahaila
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Among the many stories of teenagers being sent to magical academies, To Shape A Dragon’s Breath is a unique and inspiring parallel history, reclaiming, Indigenous culture, and depicting the lived experience of colonization and racism. A central idea of the story, the idea of connecting traditional dance, folklore, healing, dragons and magic was so interesting. I found it comforting reading about Anequs recovering lost parts of her peoples’ traditional knowledge. 
 
I loved meeting  Anequs’ close friends and family, particularly Sander who is neurodivergent and prefers to communicate via a magically powered wax tablet. I would have been happy learning more about the technology unique to this historical timeline. 
 
I found the sections where Anequs is learning scholarly topics like skiltaktaft somewhat difficult to follow. This was not helped by the many neologisms and use of German words. 
 
Nevertheless I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings