To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

Here we go. To Shape a Dragon's Breath is a dynamic fantasy that fiercely focuses on themes of colonialism, hegemony, and assimilation.

In this incredibly rich series opener, Blackgoose creates an alternate history filled with a steampunk influence, a formidable protagonist, and — of course — dragons. Set in the 1840s in a very different New England from what we'd recognize, Blackgoose drops influences and phrasings from which we can parse the origins — and it's clear that the European colonization of the United States happened quite differently.

When we meet Anequs, a fifteen-year-old Indigenous woman, she has just spotted a large dragon flying over her island and leaving behind an egg — neither of which has happened on the remote island of Masquapaug in generations. After bonding with the hatchling, Anequs's people celebrate her as Nampeshiweisit — a revered figure with a unique bond to dragons. As her dragon grows, it's clear that she will have to travel to an Anglish academy — both for the safety of her dragon, because of the Anglish colonizer's strict rules around dragon riders, and the safety of her people, as there is no one on the island after so long who remembers the way of dragons.

In Anequs, Blackgoose hasn't crafted a main character who shrinks from her solid upbringing in the face of expectations to conform. Nor does Blackgoose shy away from the tension created between the colonialists' views and Anequs's challenges (both socially and academically). Though it's clear from the Anglish she meets, they expect her to feel grateful for this opportunity to elevate herself above the savagery in which she was raised, Anequs holds tightly to her sense of self and her heritage, all while trying to learn all she can about dragon husbandry and care.

Written with a gorgeous sense of place and time, with such deep world-building, even the shadows came to life. And I'm excited to see where Blackgoose takes this series.

Audiobook, as narrated by Charley Flyte: Flyte did a beautiful job of narrating — and I'm glad I went the way of the audiobook for the introduction to this world created by Blackgoose. Flyte's voice was calm and yet reflected a constrained undercurrent of emotion that properly reflects the same strong demeanor from the main character, Anequs. My one complaint would be with some of the male adult voices, she leaned too far into the blubbering, blustering voice I associate with cartoon characters.