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A review by crybabybea
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
I just can't. Almost 50% of the way in and nothing happened and every page feels like a chore. I was so so excited for this but it just didn't work for me.
The main character is interesting but she doesn't have any internal conflict; I don't mind a character that is strong-willed and sure of themselves, but they need soooome sort of internal pressure to make them interesting. The result is that Anequs ends up serving almost as a plot device to move the other characters forward.
The plot is nonexistent, we are just at school, going to class, then going to lunch, then sometimes going out to the coffee shop or going shopping or to a party. And repeat. There are no stakes. The character's main goal is to pass the final examination to become a licensed dragoneer, and the reader never wonders if she won't be able to make it because she doesn't struggle with anything. Again, it's fine to have a character be a natural at things and be intelligent and powerful, but there's nothing that makes the plot feel intriguing.
Actually all of this would be fine but the writing style and worldbuilding is just. Ugh. We get worldbuilding via one of two sources: from sitting in a lecture or from dialogue between characters. Either way results in lengthy paragraphs of explanation that feel like reading a textbook. On top of that, the magic system is just basic chemistry with some words changed around, and the world is a fictionalized version of North America if it were colonized by Germans/Norse? There's just nothing special to make the infodumpy world-building worth it.
I know I just complained for 5000 words but fr if you liked Babel, I think you would like this. They both didn't work for me for pretty much the exact same reasons, and they both tackle similar themes of colonialism and racism in a historical time period. It was kinda like Babel but if Robin spoke his mind and slapped people every time someone was racist instead of trying to fit in.
The main character is interesting but she doesn't have any internal conflict; I don't mind a character that is strong-willed and sure of themselves, but they need soooome sort of internal pressure to make them interesting. The result is that Anequs ends up serving almost as a plot device to move the other characters forward.
The plot is nonexistent, we are just at school, going to class, then going to lunch, then sometimes going out to the coffee shop or going shopping or to a party. And repeat. There are no stakes. The character's main goal is to pass the final examination to become a licensed dragoneer, and the reader never wonders if she won't be able to make it because she doesn't struggle with anything. Again, it's fine to have a character be a natural at things and be intelligent and powerful, but there's nothing that makes the plot feel intriguing.
Actually all of this would be fine but the writing style and worldbuilding is just. Ugh. We get worldbuilding via one of two sources: from sitting in a lecture or from dialogue between characters. Either way results in lengthy paragraphs of explanation that feel like reading a textbook. On top of that, the magic system is just basic chemistry with some words changed around, and the world is a fictionalized version of North America if it were colonized by Germans/Norse? There's just nothing special to make the infodumpy world-building worth it.
I know I just complained for 5000 words but fr if you liked Babel, I think you would like this. They both didn't work for me for pretty much the exact same reasons, and they both tackle similar themes of colonialism and racism in a historical time period. It was kinda like Babel but if Robin spoke his mind and slapped people every time someone was racist instead of trying to fit in.