Dragons seem to be having a pop culture moment once again, whether it’s on your TV or on your bookshelf, as alluring shapeshifters or war steeds. In a crowded field, Moniquill Blackgoose’s To Shape a Dragon’s Breath holds its own as a unique take on classic fantasy tropes. Set in an alternate version of 1800s Massachusetts, the novel follows Anequs, a young Indigenous girl who bonds with the first dragon her people have seen in generations. While Anequs is now revered as a Nampeshiweisit–one who has a special relationship with a dragon, creatures viewed as sacred–the Anglish colonizers who have conquered her land have a different view. Under Anglish rule, Anequs is forced to attend their dragon academy to learn their methods of dragon-training. If she fails, her dragon will be killed.
As a series opener, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath introduces a detailed, expansive world that unfolds over the course of the novel to showcase a world with true depth despite the limited settings. I was really interested as I read on to discover that the world Blackgoose creates is not simply a reimagining of 1800s America with the addition of commonly accepted magical species, but a truly diverged alternate history garnished with a steampunk flair. In the world that Anequs inhabits, Norse and Germanic colonizers are the primary cultural influences instead of British, meaning that as Anequs leaves her remote island home and Indigenous community to navigate the Anglish world of the mainland, you as the reader are also familiarizing yourself with the history, culture, and language she finds herself abruptly immersed in. From the broader strokes of world-building like colonizing powers and magic systems to details like clothing, food, and cultural norms, the world that Blackgoose constructed felt incredibly real and immersive.
In addition to offering an Indigenous perspective on a genre that can be very white and pseudo-medieval, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath also introduces a unique magic system alongside the detailed cultural world-building. Rather than simply breathing fire, a dragon’s breath produces elements that can be shaped using alchemical symbols. To understand magic and harness the power of a dragon’s breath, one must also understand chemistry and the periodic table, an incredibly interesting idea that had the fantasy geek in me swooning. I also loved the way that To Shape a Dragon’s Breath explores magic systems and methods as not being set in stone, but varying between cultures. Oral storytelling and other ways of passing down ancestral wisdom play an important role in the story and Anequs questions the Anglish style of understanding dragons and magic rather than accepting them at face value.
While I’ve waxed at length about the world-building present in To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, the story is first and foremost a coming-of-age story for Anequs. In many ways, her story has the bones of a traditional fantasy coming-of-age as she leaves home, learns magic, and begins to embrace her own power. At the Anglish dragon academy, however, Anequs faces constant racism from both her peers and teachers, ranging from microaggressions to the constant threat of being deemed unworthy of her dragon. While To Shape a Dragon’s Breath lets the story unfold at a more leisurely pace, instead of plunging into battles or magical spectacles, there is constant tension in the story as Anequs is forced to navigate a world that dehumanizes her and demeans the culture she’s proud of.
In addition to making allies and enemies at the dragon academy, Anequs also has her first forays into romance. Anequs finds herself romantically drawn to two of her new friends at the dragon academy–Liberty, a Black indentured maid, and Theod, the only other Indigenous dragon rider at the school. Rather than falling into traditional love triangle tropes, however, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is more interested in exploring Liberty and Theod as romantic interests for Anequs. On Maspaquaug, Anequs’s island home, same-gender and polyamorous relationships are common, and transgender/nonbinary/Two-Spirit people are similarly an accepted part of society. Anglish culture, however, is far less accepting of queerness, so Anequs’s romantic experience is not without tension, just not the traditional indecision of a love triangle.
As the first book in a series, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath takes its time to unfurl the world Anequs inhabits, but rather than being bored by the slower pace, I found myself absorbed by the world the novel it created and its fresh take on classic fantasy tropes like dragon-riding or magic schools. When the sequel hits shelves, I’ll be happy to continue the series!
Content warnings: depictions of colonization, genocide, slavery; anti-indigenous racism; violence; ableism; misogyny
Representation: bi, polyamorous, Indigenous main character; Black lesbian love interest; Indigenous love interest; Indigenous side characters; semi-verbal autistic side character; paraplegic side character
Rose R. lives by the ocean, where she can often be found picking berries, reading fantasy novels, and thinking a lot about vampires.
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