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

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
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