Fun fantasy book , heavy on the world building but that sets it up for well for the sequels.

I felt it went over long and dragged in places, but overall I really enjoyed reading about Anequs. She was the driving force in the book and I am eager to find out what comes next.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC ( )

This was a very entertaining read set in the 1800's. It's a story set in an alternate history where the United States was taken over by the Vikings into territory settled by what would be Native Americans. There are also dragons! Dragons have not been seen by the indigenous people in the region for many generations. Our main character, Anequs finds a dragon egg and is sent to a colonial run school for "Dragoneers" where she finds her way of life is vastly different from her fellow students.
I did find the names difficult to pronounce and the places seemed based off of actual cities such as Massachusetts being written as "Massy-chooseit". A little odd but it didn't distract from the story. I'm looking forward to the next book! ( )

Excellent fantasy blended with elements reflecting the abysmal treatment of Blacks and First Nation members. The way dragons select their trainers, the world building, cast of characters, and Anequs' grit and determination come together to create a very fine story. I look forward to the sequel. ( )

Monumentally good. Beyond any expectations I've had for young adult fantasy; just phenomenal.

Just a few generations after a "great dying", indigenous natives of North America must deal with the effects of their vastly disease-reduced population and with their great outnumbering by invading settlers, in an alternate history/Earth in which Vikings, a dominant European civilization, have established cities on the continent, in part with the might of their dragons. Anequs, a teenage woman of Masquapaug, witnesses an extremely rare native dragon—a Nampeshiwei—lay its egg, and becomes that egg's Nampeshiweisit—an emotionally, spiritually, and psychically connected partner to a dragon; a guardian, companion, and trainer. But because Nampeshiwei have not been on Masquapaug since the dying, and because of the island's constrained relationship with the colonizing Anglish, Anequs must venture into an Anglish school on the mainland, to try to glean from members of a society that denigrates and subjugates hers, all that she needs to know about shaping a dragon's breath—a powerful, dangerous substance which can be used for a kind of atomic chemical breakdown or alchemy.

Full of incredibly detailed and believable, firmly grounded world-building, and just excellent lore—the stories from different cultures about the different connections societies have made with dragons were absolutely fascinating. Perfect for fans of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and other detailed, deliciously realized fantastical historical fiction. An absolutely remarkable tome for huge nerds!! I would camp out for a sequel. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Nampeshiweisit series. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This is the 1st book in the Nampeshiweisit series and was good but a bit slow at parts. There is a ton of detail here on the magic system and our main protagonist learning things about dragons at her school. It can get a bit dry at times and the main protagonist comes off as one of those people who can do no wrong. The world-building is very intricate and unique but at times it completely takes over the story.

The story follows Anequs, who finds a dragon egg. When the dragon hatches it chooses her to be its bond mate. Unfortunately, no one on Anequs's island knows much about dragons so Anequs is forced to journey to the Anglish mainland to go to a dragon school and learn how to control her the very dangerous breath of her dragon. What Anequs doesn't realize is how big of a deal it is for someone from Masquapaug (Anequs's home island) to go to an Anglish school and how much prejudice there will be against her.

The world-building and magic system is intense in this book and explained in somewhat excruciating detail. There are large sections of the book where we attend lectures at school with Anequs and are taught about the world in extreme detail. While I appreciate solid world-building, I though portions of this book took it too far and just made the whole thing a bit boring.

The characters are generally well done and have a lot of depth to them. I did struggle a bit with Anequs' character, she was way to well spoken and knowledgeable for her supposed situation and she is one of those characters who can do know wrong. She is wiser than everyone around her and helps everyone solve everything. I would have preferred a bit more balance to her.

I did greatly enjoy seeing the contrast between Anequs's people and the Anglish and I also enjoyed Anequs's family. The dragons were amazing and I loved seeing the different types of dragons and their different skills. This book deals very deeply with prejudice and you can see huge parallels between real-life European or American culture and the conflicts these populations have had with smaller indigenous cultures.

This was an easy read, I enjoyed it. However, I did end up skimming parts that were too drawn out. I think some better editing could have made these more boring portions tighter and more fun to read. I did enjoy that there are a number of times throughout the book where a character goes into a folklore story within the book.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a decent read. I loved the dragons and the intricate world-building. I do think some of the details of the world-building and magic were a bit too drawn out. I also thought Anequs was one of those heroines who can do no wrong and that makes her a bit boring to read about. This book also has incredibly heavy themes around prejudice and mainstream cultures taking over important small-group traditions. I do plan on reading the next book since I think this could develop into an amazing epic fantasy series. ( )