To Shape A Dragon's Breath

To Shape A Dragon's Breath, Moniquill Blackgoose, 2023 YA novel. Why didn't anybody tell me this was a chemistry fantasy?? If I had read it in time to Hugo-nominate it, I absolutely would have; luckily it seems to have gotten some buzz and made the Norton ballot, so I think there's a good chance we'll see it on the Lodestar. An extremely enjoyable book, which I would like to recommend to people who like school stories, locals who will enjoy the local alternate-history setting (the protag is more or less a Wampanoag from ~Nantucket, attending school somewhere south of the greater ~Boston area, and there's a bit where I think she goes out to ~Waltham), fans of Tamora Pierce (there is a lot of tonal/thematic similarity to the Alanna and Kel books here, and it would not shock me to learn Blackgoose was a Kel/Lalasa shipper), fans of Pern, fans of "Uncleftish Beholding".

Behind the cut I am going to talk more about some of Blackgoose's choices around tone, handling of racism and colonialism, and chemistry worldbuilding. I don't think any of this is massively spoilery for big plot points, but it's probably more detail than you want if you like to read things cold, ymmv. ( Read more... )