Why read To Shape a Dragon's Breath?

Book cover of To Shape a Dragon's Breath: The First Book of Nampeshiweisit

Book description

“An early contender for the best fantasy novel of 2023.”—The Washington Post

“A very entertaining and fun read, full of loveable characters and intricate, original worldbuilding.”—NPR

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…

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Fantasy

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Why read it?

2 authors picked To Shape a Dragon's Breath as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Maureen Ulrich

Author

I have never anything like To Shape a Dragon's Breath which combines colonialism, STEAM, epic fantasy, Indigenous lore, and LGBTQ+2 between two covers. Anequs is a spirited, resilient heroine who, along with her young dragon Kasaqua, is torn from her village and sent to an English school for a "proper" eduction. Sound familiar? I loved Anequs' independence and outspokenness, and look forward to the next book in the series.

From Maureen's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Robyn Ryle

Author

Who doesn’t love a book with dragons? Bonus—a magic Hogwarts-ish school where you go to learn about how to control your dragon.

The extra twist in To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is that the story is told from the perspective of an indigenous woman, Anequs. People like her aren’t supposed to have dragons, let alone be capable of learning how to manage them. No one at the Anglish dragon school she’s forced to attend believes Anequs can succeed, but Anequs doesn’t care what the Anglish think.

What I loved about this book was how firmly grounded Anequs is in her…

From Robyn's list on The best books about women who just won’t quit.