Del Rey, 2023. 511 pages. Fantasy
The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations—until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon’s egg and bonds with its hatchling. To her people, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit—a person in a unique relationship with a dragon. Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they’re also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing—and they might just be the ones to do it.
I'm always a fan of a protagonist that goes to lengths to disrupt the social hierarchy, especially one that is racist and sexist. While it has roots in reality, the world that Blackgoose has created is complex and rich in its history and scope. I particularly enjoyed learning the details about their fantasy version of chemistry, which others in the genre gloss over or ignore altogether. However, I see how this could be a bit laborious and cumbersome to those with a different academic background. Also, dragons are always fun, but I feel they could have been developed a little further as characters. And the romance was a very slow burn: IIRC first kiss somewhere around 70%. This one definitely needs a sequel.