Book Report: To Ride a Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose
By: Cassie Birk
Thinking about continuing the adventure with book two in the Nampeshiweisit series? Look at our report to see if book two, To Ride a Rising Storm, is a good fit for your TBR!
BEFORE WE DIVE IN…
Pub Day: January 27th, 2026
Genre: Fantasy/Steampunk
Age Group: YA
The following content warnings are described on page: Racism, Colonization, Injury, and Classism
Spice Level: None, so pure. Since both of the protagonist’s love interests (shout out to the healthy poly rep!) are dealing with a lot of ingrained purity culture, it doesn’t get any spicier than one make-out session.
Page Count: 464 pages
Series Placement: This is the second book in the Nampeshiweisit series. The events of To Ride a Rising Storm take place almost directly after the ending of the first book, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath. Since the first book set up most of the relationships, conflicts, lore, etc., and To Ride a Rising Storm does the same for the third book, this is a series that really should be read in order. To Ride a Rising Storm is very good about placing little reminders of what happened in the first book, so if it has been a bit since reading it, there is a bit of recap for the important moments.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Anques made it through her first year at Kuiper's Academy. For her, that not only means that she and her dragon Kasaqua passed exams, but also that Anques was able to get past her culture shock after leaving her small community of original peoples on Masquapaug and all the strange differences the Anglish who run the school have from her people’s traditions. The colonization standards of her teachers and peers at school do not define what is right or best to Anques, so she lets the dances of her people guide her in the science of skiltakraft, to pass her most difficult course and shape the dragon’s breath.
Now Anques returns home to the island of Masquapaug for the summer, but things are not as she left them. The Anglish have started policing the island and keeping tabs on her and her people, controlling which letters, telegrams, and even people come and go. And when she returns to the mainland for her second year of school, the anti-Anglish sentiment has only grown across the city. A fight against the oppressive laws and social customs that Anques hates is now something that goes beyond the classroom, and could “flare into civil war” (Penguin Random House).
READER PROFILE
You might find this book a great fit for your TBR if:
You were compelled by the fight against colonization in the Magic of the Lost series by CL Clark and are looking for another series that blends wider magical resistance with complex relationships between colonized and colonizer characters.
You loved exploring the Steampunk alternate history of the Adventures of Arabella Ashby series by David D. Levine, but want to see the Indigenous perspective from people, not aliens from other planets.
Tané was your favorite character in The Priory of the Orange Tree and you would have loved to see more of her time at the House of Learning.
Zetian unapologetically pursuing a poly relationship in Iron Widow and Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao is your blueprint for a great resolution to a love triangle.
The Nordic inspired fantasy of The Bloodsworn Saga trilogy by John Gwynne was a breath of fresh air and you want another series that does not include Christianity in its mythos.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Image © Angelina Rose Photography
“Monquill Blackgoose is the bestselling author of To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, which won both the Nebula and Lodestar Awards,” as well as her debut novel Cygenic. “She is an enrolled member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe and a lineal descendant of Ousamequin Massasoit. She is an avid costumer and an active member of the steampunk community.” She writes extensively about “depictions of Indigenous and Indigenous-coded characters” (Penguin Random House). Connect with her on Tumblr!
WHAT READERS THINK
“In this sequel, Anequs returns to school with a mind to learn as much from this Anglish education to bring back to her people, as well as with romantic intent with Theod and Liberty. I loved the openness of the way Anequs and her family saw the world in its dynamics and relationships, and how she attempted to translate that into her current world. Her dragon, Kasaqua, grows in size and intelligence and it’s been lovely to see Anequs’ relationship with her grow, especially as it differs from the other dragons at school—there’s so much respect and mutual understanding. There are underlying themes of privilege, classism, racism, and how to maneuver in a restrictive world not meant for you—and I think it’s very smartly done. Story-wise, I found this book a bit long and dry to read. The action was minimal, and I wish there was more depth to see in our characters.”
—Elisabeth M, via Goodreads
“Perfect sequel to To Shape a Dragon's Breath! The characters were explored with such compassion and grace, and their arcs were so deftly written. The pacing and the plot were also perfectly balanced, you got a good mix of adventure and then also quiet moments. Overall a brilliant book!”
—sorcha_rosa, via StoryGraph
“This sequel dives deep into questions of sovereignty, identity, and resistance. Anequs is a phenomenal protagonist—unflinching, intelligent, and fiercely committed to fighting for her culture. The world-building remains rich and compelling, exploring complex societal dynamics with dragons woven seamlessly into the fight for freedom.”
—Kim B, via NetGalley
BOOK REPORTER’S REVIEW
Look, overcoming second book syndrome is hard. Is the pacing perfect? No. Was I little over Anques making sure I knew her class schedule for every single day by the end? Sure. But this series is so damn needed in this genre. I really appreciated the nuanced Indigenous perspective in horror exemplified by books like Bad Cree and Never Whistle at Night and it’s about time we got a human protagonist rooted in indigenous cultures like Anques in the fantasy space.
While the first book might have been a cure to me for the terrible plot-less dragon riding school books coming out of BookTok (you know the ones), this book dives further into philosophy of power and how far people will go with rage and hate backing them. To Ride a Rising Storm let me reflect not just on what New England in the 1840s looked like for our world, but more current sociopolitical regressions like January 6th. All of that with the character‑driven conflict playing out on the personal level in the dark, academically charged atmosphere of Kuiper's Academy at the same time. The balance between personal growth throughout for Anques and her peers and the larger themes sets us up so well for book three, I don’t know how I’m going to get through the wait for the next book.
Thank you to Erica Brown and the rest of the Del Rey team for providing an advanced digital copy for this report!