A magical school story, a political critique, a dragon rider fantasy: so many of my favourite things! Book 1 of the Nampeshiweisit series was one of my favourite books of the year and contained probably my most memorable reading moment, in which Anequs makes an incredible discovery that rewrites her understanding of her dragon and of her peoples’ history, and it reshaped what I thought the book was doing, too. It was absolutely electric. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Spoiler warnings for book one.
Content warning: this review contains discussions of anti-Indigenous racism and colonialism.
The Nampeshiweisit series takes place in an alternate past universe where the Vikings are the primary colonial force, in concert with the English (the Anglish in this universe), governed by jarls, thanes, torgars, etc. It’s part steampunk, part Victorian manners, and all seen through the eyes of a young Indigenous woman trying to hold on to her people’s traditions in the face of overwhelming colonial racism.
In book 1, Anequs, from the island of Masquapaug, finds a dragon’s egg. It’s a holy moment for her tribe: Indigenous dragons have all but disappeared since the invading Anglish arrived with their foreign dragons and set up colonial rule. When the egg hatches and the dragon, Kasaqua, imprints on Anequs, there’s even more cause for rejoicing— until the ruling jarl and the Anglish military discover the “unauthorized” dragon. Worse, Anequs is young, female, and of the wrong race—a “savage” nackie. She’s forced to move to the mainland to attend the Anglish school for dragon riders and prove she can control Kasaqua. There she causes a sensation, makes friends, flirts with men and women, aces her studies, faces horrendous racism as well as constant microaggressions, and, oh yes, foils a plot to assassinate the jarl, the local ruler.
Book 2 picks up shortly after that, in the summer following Anequs’ first year of school. She is recovering from the wound she took defending the jarl and dealing with newspaper coverage making her even more of a celebrity than she already was as one of the first nackie dragoneers. Local politics are in an unsettled state, with parties fragmenting within the Anglish government as well as tensions growing between it and the nackie leaders. All sides want to use Anequs in some way, either as a target or as an example. And Anequs? She wants to improve conditions for her people, learn how to care for her dragon, and show the racists she’s just as good as they are—plus she wants to figure out whether she can court both Theod and Liberty or whether their weird mainlander upbringings will get in the way.
Book 2 deepens the characters and their relationships, heightens the politics, and raises the stakes. Anequs’ interactions with her classmates—now that she has a sense of how to hold on to her own identity while at school—are deeply enjoyable. I loved seeing more of the world Blackgoose has created here. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of a new character, Eskil Gerdasson, who is half court jester, half bard, and utterly charming; I can’t wait to see how his presence will play out in the final book.
I read the first book shortly after working on a project that asked us to consider what Indigenous stories aren’t being told and how those stories can challenge our understanding of a place that we (speaking, in this case, as a settler) think we already know. This series does an incredible job of answering that question and making us see how Indigenous stories can reshape our concept of genre.
I originally thought this was a duology; I’m a little disappointed that it is a trilogy, only because I want to know the WHOLE story RIGHT NOW. But more time with Anequs and Kasaqua is worth waiting for.
To Ride a Rising Storm will be released on January 27, 2026. For more info and preorder links, see Penguin Random House. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Content warnings: Racism, cultural homophobia.
Kathryne Slant (she/her) is a queer Canadian writer and general pop culture enthusiast. She wants to spend less time online and more time at puppy yoga. Find her @SapphosHands.bsky.social.
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