To Shape a Dragon's Breath

The First Book of Nampeshiweisit

De: Moniquill Blackgoose

Narrado por: Charley Flyte

Duración: 16 h y 53 m

Resumen del Editor

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE NEBULA AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE ASTOUNDING, LOCUS, AND LODESTAR AWARDS • “My favorite book of the year . . . a coming-of-age story that is cozy and hair-raising in equal measure.”—Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post

“I tore through it, caught up in an enthusiasm for dragons that I hadn’t experienced since I was a teenager obsessed with Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea and Anne McCaffrey’s Pern.”—NPR

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, NPR, PopSugar, Chicago Public Library, Polygon, She Reads, Autostraddle

The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations—until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon’s egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit—a person in a unique relationship with a dragon.

Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. They have a very specific idea of how a dragon should be raised, and who should be doing the raising—and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed.

For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land, challenges abound—both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart, determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects.

Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they’re also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing—and they might just be the ones to do it.

©2023 Moniquill Blackgoose (P)2023 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Imagine a world full of dragons where a newborn chooses you to be its caregiver. Imagine you have to go to a special school to learn how to train it. Imagine that almost no one at the school wants you there. This is how the well-written, compelling tale of To Shape a Dragon’s Breath begins, and once underway it doesn’t let you go.”—New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks

“My favorite book of the year . . . a coming-of-age story that is cozy and hair-raising in equal measure.”—Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post

“I tore through it, caught up in an enthusiasm for dragons that I hadn’t experienced since I was a teenager obsessed with Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea and Anne McCaffrey’s Pern.”—NPR

Amazing story

nothing that I can think of at this time. it was a great read for me.

immediate re-listen

I have this on Kindle for when I don't want to wake everyone with the audiobook. I've just finished and will be immediately re-reading to savor it again. A thoughtful, much needed story.

World building

Just upset the second book hasn’t been announced yet
Wonderful story loved every minute
Wish I had this story when I was younger

This was Great

I only take off half a star for slow pacing sometimes that was Too slow, but it’s easy to get past that. Otherwise, this was a wonderful read.

Such a wonderful story the reader was excellent

Loved every minute of the story sad it was over . I hope the story continues

Why Isn’t This Book More Popular???

“All I’ve ever tried to do is the right thing,” I said. “If that’s so very different from how things have been done before, then what’s been done before was wrong.”

I don’t even know where to start here. I think this just might be my favorite book of 2023. I finished this story and hugged the book to my chest for 15 minutes. I may or may not have shed a tear or two.

Anequs is one of the most interesting, incredibly developed characters that I have read. This book is very much a character driven story that focuses on colonialism and racism in a steampunk, US adjacent world. With dragons.

This story takes place in a country not unlike the United States, with clever world building and language that’s fun to decode. The time is 1840’s and set in what would roughly be New England. If you merged How to Train Your Dragon with Daenerys Targaryen of GOT, along with Hogwarts, and told from an indigenous point of view, you get this phenomenal book.

Moniquill Blackgoose weaves a story that challenges the reader to understand the structure of this seemingly Nordic version of our own world and to see it through the eyes of people who have been marginalized and devalued as human beings. The diversity and representation of different cultures and characters gives this book a unique identity compared to other fantasy novels that I have read.

This book is a debut for the author and is the first book in a planned series. I am so blown away by this book and have high hopes for the future books!

The best historical fantasy I’ve read in ages

The story of best girl Anequs is full of nuance and light, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and have to sit through scenes of bullying or assault and I can’t say how I’m relieved that neither happen within these pages. People in power are nuanced and doing what they perceive as their best to help underdogs in a hostile world but aren’t perfect and are written with their imperfection and prejudice on full display. Characters that might have been relegated to window dressing and animosity are realistically depicted as full people in their own rights. My only regret with having read this as an audiobook rather than written is that I don’t inherently know how to spell everyone’s names and titles because vaguely Norse (a choice of ethnicity with fascinating implications for how colonialism unfolded in this universe) and pointedly indigenous don’t come as easily to my mind as anglicized spellings. I am incredibly eager for book 2 and wish i had read this book a few years from now just so i could immediately jump into the next volume instead of having to wait.

It challenged so many things I thought I knew!

This is truly a one of a kind book! or at least I've read anything like it. it questioned so many things I've held as universal truths, things I didn't even know could be questioned. From the start of the book, the story disrupts tropes I've become so accustomed to expect. the main character will be an orphan, right? or somehow ostracized from her family and society. if she says she saw a dragon, something not seen in her community for hundreds of years, she will be shunned and not believed, right? think again.

the story itself was a slow and casual pace, which suited my needs. the characters were fleshed out and diverse. worldbuilding is usually boring to me, but this was simultaneously shattering what I thought I knew about my own world, so it kept my interest. characters were diverse in a way that felt natural to the story and add depth to the world.

all in all I really loved it. I don't leave many reviews. this book was special. excited for the next one.

Fun and honest fantasy

The perfect blend of fun high fantasy, and honest experience that parallels the horrible history of our own world. Waiting eagerly for book two!

Cool book!

Such a unique and refreshing take on the dragon rider trope. Makes me think of the little explored North America on Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series. I can’t wait for the next book!