I struggled understanding the different magic systems, but after putting in the time I loved the book. The characters are strong and yet imperfect. They strive to do what is right for the ones they love and conquer their own weaknesses . Magic and dragons with an emphasis on ancestry. 

"For the peace and progression they could all achieve together if the empire stopped for a second to realize that land was not to be owned and cultures were not to be assimilated."

So good! Sisterhood, self-discovery, friendship, love, and dragons all mixed in to a story about how the scars of colonization/imperialism don't just fade away when the oppressor leaves (and especially when they come back for round 2). So much of this felt realistic because it mirrors reality, and I'm invested.

Faron: a messy, imperfect, asexual, Slytherin-esque chosen one.
Elara: the brave, intelligent eldest daughter struggling to have her own identity.

This is my favorite book and consuming it in audio format just made me love it that much more.

Narration: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10

Simply such a great novel that has colonization and diversity and dragons and sapphic relationships and queer characters and morally grey characters and characters you want to hate but secretly love (hi Gael I love you I’m sorry) 

Read this in preparation for the sequel that I have both the digital arc and ALC of. Can’t wait, since i have started that already. My hold expired and then i just got it back again so i quickly finished a little less than 70% of the audio in just today. So good. Highly recommend. 

(I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher Little, Brown Book Group (UK) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review) 

This was such a fun book! 

The characters were interesting, the magic system was unique, but I felt like there wasn't a lot of action. 

There was some great rep (racially and sexuality-wise) with Elara being into girls and casual Queer relationships (the queen having two moms for example). I also think Faron's relationship with Reeve was fun to watch develop, especially as their both dedicated to Elara. 

It went by very fast, and for the first part I genuinely thought I had started on book 2 or something because what do you mean we missed a whole war!? So listening to the main characters talk about these wars and battles that had already happened was a bit confusing for a second, I wish we could've experienced that with the characters instead of as exposition or flashbacks. 

I think I would've liked to see more exposition on the worldbuilding though, some things weren't clear enough for me but maybe it'll clear up in the next book. 

The characters were great. Having the alternating POV from Faron and Elara made the story interesting and I really liked both sisters. I liked how (spoiler for the last chapters):

they basically switched at the end too.

Faron really went through some development, and I'm curious to see where her story goes. I did have to remind myself that they're still pretty young kids though, so give them some grace...

We didn't really see a lot of fighting or action until the very end, which was disappointing.

Faron really only used her powers for "kid-stuff" rather than anything substantial, especially when it would've saved the life of someone close to her.

The majority of the book felt dedicated to Characters > Plot, and it did have some romance side-plots for each sister, which is a plus if you're a fan of that. 

The twist ending was a bit predictable, but it's a YA book so I didn't expect anything super complicated. Over all really great, can't wait for book 2!

This book was such a creative take on the trope of "young woman chosen by Gods gets powers and saves her kingdom." I loved how this picked up years after the big fight with our two female main characters who are grappling with their identity, future, and place in the kingdom after everything that's happened. This unique plot had lots of action and was a unique twist on many of the typical fantasy plots that get a bit stale after so many books. It kept me on my toes the whole time and even though it's a YA, it's complex and satisfying enough for an adult audience. I appreciated the genuine/authentic representation for young women of color and queer folks and think the author did a beautiful job creating a unique world that was also steeped in Jamaican history and culture. Absolutely obsessed with this book (and the characters). The only downside was that I realized too close to the end that this was a series and not just a one-off ... I am definitely counting down the days until the sequel is released in early 2025! 

Overall I had a fun time with this book but when I sat down to review it, all I could think of was that if someone asked me for an anti-colonialist fantasy novel with dragons, I would give them To Shape A Dragon's Breath instead. This was both a more action-y and a more romance-heavy book than I was expecting; depending on the ending of the duology I'd be comfortable handing it to any fantasy romance fan. What really kept me going was some interesting and unique aspects of how magic works in this world and what a "dragon" actually is. I think Kamilah Cole has a bright future as a writer and I will be checking out her next books.

When it comes to aspec representation, I think it's really important to say upfront that Faron is a demisexual character being written by a demisexual author. I think if I had just heard "aspec protag" without that context, the book would have deeply hurt me because without it, it's very easy to see Faron's character arc as "a young woman thought she was aro ace but just needed to meet the right man to fix her." This is #ownvoices so it's not the case, and as an asexual (not demi) person I can't criticize it. I wish being demi and experiencing attraction for the first time, and what that means to her/how she feels about it, was given more attention in the novel. Especially because the dual romances took up so much page count, so it's not like the romance was a small side plot.

I was a bit nervous given my recent track record with debut novels BUT this one was amazing.

I wasn’t expecting the book to follow characters POST a “chosen one child” story, but it was a pleasant surprise. I thought the way the book explored how the girls were impacted by that was really well done. Not just how war and colonisation changed them, but the impacts of being figureheads and symbols of hope. They’re also used to really effectively show the impacts of colonisation. Not just the trauma but the disconnect from their culture and the small resistances to keep it.

I think the characters in general were really well done. Each felt distinct and like real thought was put into WHY they are the way they are. No group felt homogeneous. Even the Langlish had variety in their views and thoughts on the war and wanting to do better. It’s not something I often see and I really enjoyed it. The characters also allowed for a solid look into how both characters suffer in conflict, but didn’t turn the oppressors into victims.

I also really liked the world building. It all felt really unique and like a lot of thought was put into it. The world felt very real.

However, there were some flaws.

The middle and end felt a little rushed. This led to what felt like some leaps of logic and not being able to connect to the supporting cast. This was especially prevent in Elara’s story where her connections to her supporting characters were so vital for emotional payoff. We just never saw enough for a proper bond.

Overall, though, it was a great book. I highly recommend and can’t wait for book two.