I usually hold off on writing about series until they are complete, but it’s not clear when (if?) Moniquill Blackgoose plans to release a sequel to 2023’s To Shape A Dragon’s Breath. I hope they do, as this is an engaging, thoughtful, and creative work. It is firmly and fully a YA adventure.
Set in an alternate colonial North America, the protagonist is an indigenous member of an island community off the coast of Massachusetts that is subject to colonial rule, but, lacking any desirable natural resources, has to date been largely neglected by the increasingly oppressive powers of the mainland. Neighboring communities have not been so fortunate, and the expansionist hunger of a young nation is in full bloom.
This word alternate is important: this is a land of a different colonial mix, including a greater presence of the Nordic powers, and, of course, here there be dragons. In traditional YA structure, and much to everyone’s surprise, the protagonist is selected by a young dragon and she is then sent to the mainland to an educational institution for proper instruction in dragon care and management, and the story expands from there.
Some of it is familiar: class and culture clashes abound, a small group of outcasts band together, indignities are suffered and resisted, and help comes from a small minority of sympathetic faculty members, all against a backdrop of growing oppression and growing violence from different colonial interests.
The charm of the book is Blackgoose’s ability to pull it off, but its power is their ability to do so within a nuanced and diverse universe. Differences and disabilities are embraced, and supported in ways that feel subtle, realistic, and never overly forced into the spotlight. You may be aware that Blackgoose is saying something about Autistic communication needs, but it is so firmly grounded in the characters that it never, for me, felt preachy or false.
There is far more to Blackgoose’s narrative than the surface reveals, making it a highly recommended YA adventure tale. I do hope sequels, or at least other works by Blackgoose, emerge.