Posted by Kristen
https://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2025/08/the-leaning-pile-of-books-443/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-leaning-pile-of-books-443
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The Leaning Pile of Books is a feature in which I highlight books I got over the last week that sound interesting—old or new, bought or received in the mail for review consideration. Since I hope you will find new books you’re interested in reading in these posts, I try to be as informative as possible. If I can find them, links to excerpts, author’s websites, and places where you can find more information on the book are included, along with series information and the publisher’s book description.
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org, and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
It’s been a while since the last one of these since April’s schedule was full and all of the books I’ve gotten since then were covered in my anticipated books of 2025 post. But it’s back this week with a book coming out next year that I’m very excited about!

To Ride a Rising Storm (The Second Book of Nampeshiweisit) by Moniquill Blackgoose
The sequel to To Shape a Dragon’s Breath will be released on January 27, 2026 (paperback, ebook, audiobook).
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, which is set in an alternate version of our world that followed a different path in history and has dragons, won the Lodestar Award and the Andre Norton Nebula Award. Just last night, Moniquill Blackgoose became the latest recipient of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer.
I’m excited for To Ride a Rising Storm since the previous book was one of my favorite books of 2023. Although I usually prefer protagonists to have more internal conflict than Anequs has, I enjoyed reading about someone so secure in who she is and her willingness to call out harmful social rules was a delight.
Moniquill Blackgoose also wrote an article for Women in SF&F Month 2023 in which she discussed media representation (particularly indigenous North American representation) and creativity.
A young indigenous woman and her dragon fight for the independence of their homeland in this epic sequel to the bestselling and multi-award-winning To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, “a remarkable novel that is bound to be a staple of fantasy shelves for years to come” (BuzzFeed).
Anequs has not only survived her first year at Kuiper’s Academy but exceeded her professors’ admittedly low expectations—and passed all her courses with honors. Now she and her dragon, Kasaqua, are headed home for the summer, along with Theod, the only other native student at the Academy.
But what should have been a relaxing break takes a darker turn. Thanks to Anequs’s notoriety, there is an Anglish presence on Masquapaug for the first time ever: a presence that Anequs hates. Anequs will always fight for what she believes in, however, and what she believes in is her people’s right to self-govern and live as they have for generations, without the restrictive yoke of Anglish rules and social customs. And fight she will—even if it means lighting a spark that may flare into civil war.
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The Leaning Pile of Books first appeared on
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