To Ride a Rising Storm review
5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, dragons, magic school, Indigenous voices, OwnVoices, historical fantasy, poly rep
To Shape a Dragon's Breath review
Big thanks to Del Rey, Netgalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
To Shape a Dragon's Breath was one of my favorite reads in 2022 and I was so excited to see this one announced. This book immediately brings you back into the fold of Anequs' world and I loved reading in her voice again. This one definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so while it did satisfy my need for more Anequs and Kasaqua, I'm now desperate for book 3!
This book opens relatively soon after the ending of Dragon's Breath, maybe two weeks or so, with Theod and Anequs returning to Masquapaug and Nauipaug for summer break. It was nice to see Anequs and Kasaqua back home and able to just be themselves with little pressure to perform for the Anglish. There was a nice celebratory mood on Masquapaug when they returned, partly because of their return but also partly because of the summer holidays. Likewise, there was a lot of excitement about Theod finally being able to come home and be with his family, and it was nice to see them reunited again. I also liked getting to see more of the Masquisit culture and getting a feel for their everyday lives and routines.
Despite being home once more, and on summer break at that, the world and politics don't just stop. The Anglish are encroaching on the two islands and naturally tensions begin to rise, particularly with the 1825 massacre still so fresh in everyone's mind. But Anequs and Kasaqua impressed the jarl with their quick thinking during the assassination attempt and he seems pretty determined to at least start getting representation for the Masquisit and Naquisit. Of course, nothing is as easy as that, and the Ravens of Joden are quite the white supremacists and have quite the beef to pick with Anequs.
The Ravens of Joden prove to be quite the troublemakers and seem to be stirring sentiment even more against Anequs and Kasaqua. While things were already shaky, they had settled somewhat by the end of last school year, and Anequs and Kasaqua's actions with the jarl helped win them some supporters. However, the Ravens are determined and aren't just targeting Anequs. No, they'd prefer if the power changed entirely from the Freedmansthede to the Ravens, with all the oppression that would accompany it.
Anequs has always had a strong voice and strong opinions, but she was also on shaky grounds environment-wise in the last book. Now she knows what to expect of her time at school and with the Anglish and is better prepared to speak out about things. Her classmates interact with her more in this book, and Anequs is immediately able to see what they're about, but she's also able to turn it to her advantage and begin demanding they expand their brains beyond what the Anglish tell them. I got so much pleasure reading her reprimand them about their casually racist (and sexist) thoughts and behaviors. Anequs remains strongly committed to her people and culture, but she's also more aware than ever of the thin line they're made to walk in Anglish society.
I liked seeing Anequs and Kasaqua explore their bond more, and see Anequs questioning more about the way the Anglish handle their dragons. I loved Kasaqua's friendliness and playfulness, it definitely feels more aligned to what I think dragons would be like naturally than the stiffer behavior the Anglish seem to prefer. It was helpful to have Dynah and Jadi around, since they come from a non-Anglish culture as well and also have a slightly different understanding of dragon bonds. We also meet some additional new characters, both Anglish and not, and seeing how they bucked the system and did things differently than the 'proper' way.
I feel like we see more of Theod in this one, and he's definitely coming out of his shell more. While it's impossible to remove the effect of growing up estranged from his culture overnight (or perhaps at all), Theod is more and more open to Naquisit ways of living and being, and it's clear he enjoys being able to meet his family and start to better understand his culture. I also feel like we got to see more of him and Copper's relationship in this one, and I enjoyed seeing their bond and how deep it runs. Despite having Anglish ways drilled into him, it was clear even from Dragon's Breath that he cares deeply for Copper and struggles in some ways with the Anglish demands on the dragon bond, and we see that again here. It's quite amusing at times to watch his and Anequs' conversations about their relationship, but I also understand Anequs' frustrations with some of his Anglish views.
Sander is also back in this one, and like Theod he's really come out of his shell. Now free from his mother's control, we get to see what Sander is really like. He and Anequs make good friends, and he's got the kind of sharp mind that's good with science and politics. He's a good friend, and I'm glad we got to see more of him in this book, I hope the trend continues in book 3.
Liberty is here as well, though I actually feel like we get less of her than we did in the first book, I'm not sure if that impression is true or not though. Anequs is finally able to go to one of the Saturday salons, so we get to see Liberty in her element, as well as meet some of the other politically and socially active women she's friends with. Her and Anequs' relationship progresses some here, and though their conversations about that, we get a much better understanding of who Liberty is and what she wants out of her life.
We get introduced to a slew of new side characters in this one, so I'll try to focus on only a couple. Jadi is a new dragoneer at the school and is Marta and Anequs' new roommate. She comes from a Zhidi family that immigrated from Polland to Runestung Hold before Jadi and her siblings were born. She knows a lot about a lot of different cultures and immediately makes friends with Anequs. Her dragon, Dreyst, is also a non-Anglish breed, and so we get to see a bit of their bonding as well. I really like Jadi, so I'm excited to see more of her in the next book.
Anequs also gets approached by a group of students called the Disorder of the Grinning Teeth (DGT), who want her to join their secret society. Anequs, of course, finds the idea ridiculous, but her friends encourage her and she uses her influence to get a few concessions from them. The DGT definitely felt a bit like it was veering into dark academia territory, which I enjoyed, and a lot of their conversations centered around philosophy and politics. The DGT members came at things from their well-bred Anglish POV, which Anequs makes sure to consistently push back on. One thing I was surprised about here was that she initially recognizes the DGT isn't as interested in 'equal voices' as they say, since none of the staff are part of it, but even when she pushes for more representation from other students, I don't think she ever brings this point up to the DGT. Maybe in the next book?
Another Nampeshiweisit, Sadsong, comes into the picture toward the end of the book, which was exciting. I loved seeing Kasaqua and Eatsfeathers interact, and it was good for Anequs to have another Nampeshiweisit to talk to, and one who was able to bond with and train her dragon in cultural, rather than Anglish, traditions. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Anequs + Kasaqua and Sadsong + Eatsfeathers in the next book.
