Dreadnought

This book exists right below the wow threadhold for me, which just means this was immensely satisfying and pleasant to read. The superhero story was exactly how I like them—fun and a little zany, but with depth and a hint of darkness. Cool powers, cool world-building, a remix of some familiar tropes, fun characters, generally diverse, etc. It’s a pretty classic origin story, with all the power tests and stumbles and amateur heroics I enjoy, with a few roadblocks I didn’t expect but which made sense within the teen or trans contexts.

I’m going to gloss over the YA aspects for brevity. Daniels writes teens well, writes high school well, and writes teens fighting the system with a light, almost “YA contemporary” touch rather show more than veering towards “teen dystopia”. There’s nothing that really shines, but it doesn’t need to. The YA-ness isn’t the point of the book, Danny’s growing confidence notwithstanding.

The point is the trans-ness, and as you’d expect from a trans author, it is on point. On one hand, it’s reasonably trans 101, running from negative reactions and TERFs to smaller things like the sudden need for bras, but it never feels didactic and gives Danny plenty of time to both enjoy her new body and be awesome. Daniels walks the line between “harsh realities” and “entertaining story” beautifully, and the way she handles the darker aspects makes it clear she knows but doesn’t want to trigger anyone either. (Don’t worry: for every character who says Danny’s lying, there’s someone who believes her and has her back.)

Superpowers get used as metaphors for queerness or visible minorities a lot, but I think this might be the first time I’ve seen the queerness both on the page and playing into the story. Danny’s powers are the vehicle for and the metaphor for her transition, and she has to work out the limits of her powers and whether she’s a true hero at the same time as working out who she is now that she passes. There’s some other stuff that ties into the queer/powers metaphor—interesting stuff—and … yeah. This story wouldn’t have been half as good if it had been about only a teen superhero or only a trans lesbian. It’s a perfect example of doing queer fiction well.

In short: solid superhero novel + solid YA novel + solid Own Voices trans novel = very solid novel. Definitely recommended.

Warnings: Protagonist subject to transphobia, abusive parenting, and brief homelessness.

8/10 show less

Think you're lonely? Think the world is against you? Try being trans. I am happy this book exists. You could criticize the cliches or the simplifications of real issues, but this is a book that explains some difficult things to 13-year-olds. So many tiny emotional details ring true.The big, bludgeoning messages in the book are fine with me, as it is a comic book story. I wanted to clean-up plot arcs a bit, but it's written way better than a comic book. If you read closely, you'll see subtle and nuanced character moments in amongst the giant, technicolor thought bubbles. I had to stop reading a few times due to tears, anger, and fear. The book reminds you what it is like to be a powerless teenager. It might help you empathize with an show more ostracized population. show less

I'd been selling this with an emphasis on the trans character, but after I read it I changed my mind. Sure, she's trans (and also the daughter of an abusive father, which the book also handles reasonably well), but this is primarily a straight-up great superhero story. Daniels has created a whole new superhero universe that will work for Marvel fans without being bogged down in decades of convoluted continuity issues. This is the first trans character I have read in genre fiction, and hooray for more of that! Also hooray for superhero stories that explore the grey areas of good guys and bad guys. Aside from classic superhero stories, this book reminds me most of my beloved [b:Rot & Ruin|7157310|Rot & Ruin (Rot & Ruin, #1)|Jonathan show more Maberry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1264898635s/7157310.jpg|7443037] in that it is a great adventure while also being an exploration of "who are the bad guys really?"

(Full disclosure: the author is a friend-of-a-friend, and I read and commented on a very early draft of the first chapter. I feel honored to have been part of the origin story of such a cool, unique book!) show less

So, a brief breakdown of what this book is actually about before we go into my thoughts about it.

When the superhero Dreadnought is killed by a villain, he passes on his powers to Danny. Part of Dreadnought's abilities is giving it's user their "ideal body" and essentially shaping them into what they wished they looked like. I think it's pretty important to note that this happens to anyone who carries Dreadnought's powers. So far all of Dreadnought's successors have been men but Danny, who is AMAB, is a transwoman not yet out to anybody she knows. When the powers are passed onto her, she gets the body she has always wanted and the body she has always wanted is very noticeably female (or are least what society perceives as the female show more form which is actually addressed in the book and I was thankful for).

I'm not going to go into details of what that transformation means medically because I think the book addresses it perfectly. Danny, of course, is ecstatic. But there are definitely some people who are not, mainly a woman in the legion of superheroes in Danny's town and her own parents, and that poses a lot of issues in her life. While the book focuses heavily on Danny's gender identity and the issues that poses with her taking up Dreadnought's superhero mantle as well as her parents opinions of her, it's not the only focus. Danny and another girl she meets who also has superpowers start to hunt down the person who killed Dreadnought, without informing anyone about what they've been up to, and things get dangerous pretty quickly. A large portion of the plot is focused on their investigation and actual superhero fighting which I loved.

Now, what did I think of it?

THIS WAS SO GOOD AND SO IMPORTANT. I CANT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. I'm blown away by how much I enjoyed reading this and how much I loved Danny and a few of the other characters. April Daniels handles some pretty tough subjects incredibly well and I applaud her for that. I am so excited to read the next book in the series.

Heads up: this book has some pretty big trigger warnings for intense transphobia, misogyny (sort of??), very minor violence (it is a superhero book after all but if you can handle a marvel movie you'll be fine) and a verbally and emotionally abusive parent. Danny is transgender and, while there are a lot of supportive characters and people who are readily accepting of her, not everyone is okay with that and their actions definitely show that.

Because of the nature of the book, there were parts I found incredibly infuriating and somewhat upsetting (I am cis, just putting that out there) so if you feel as if you might not be able to handle that this book might not be for you. That being said, I do think those aspects of the book were handled well and this book is an own voices novel so a lot of Danny's internal feelings are from April Daniel's own experiences.

Overall, I really enjoyed everything I read and if you find the concept interesting and you can handle the trigger warnings I highly recommend it. show less

The Hero We Need

CW: Transphobia, Queerphobia, Abusive Family, Friends, Coworkers, Slurs and Threats (Portrayed as appropriately awful of course)

I feel incredibly emotional after finishing this book.

I'm a transfemme in my mid-30s who doesn't often get on with YA stories, but the quality and content of this were more than enough to keep me rapt. With the world as hateful and scary as it is right now books like this are so incredibly important and the fact that it is written and performed with such heart, honesty, and raw human emotion is utterly breathtaking.

The highs are heady and powerful and the lows are gut wrenching and heartbreaking in Danielle's story. The pure trans joy I felt reading this was incredible, as was just how brutal show more and close to home the vehement transphobia espoused by a number of characters. Honestly, so much so that, while I was absolutely devouring this book, I did have to take a few breaks simply as my mental health isn't as robust as I would like it to be and I did find some of the scenes rather triggering. This isn't a complaint or an issue. We shouldn't shy away from how virulent and abhorrent people can be about and to us simply for being who we are.

There are many books I read that I'm thankful for existing and nearly all stories make the world a more beautiful and incredible place, but this is one of the ones that genuinely, tangibly adds something of such great importance and wonder.

I do have a few criticisms of the book. Unfortunately, it does use the superhero trope of superheroes essentially being cops, cops being portrayed in a positive light (ACAB), and prison being an easy and thoughtless decision, as well as the Jack Bauer/ Reacher aspect of normalising torture and intimidation as an acceptable and effective method of operation 'if the needs must'. This last point is not as egregious as in The Iron Widow, a book I otherwise thoroughly enjoyed, but Dreadnought falls into the trap of questioning when things go 'too far', while allowing a lot that shouldn't actually be acceptable. This all comes down to the politics of the book being a little too centrist for my liking. Yes, the government are criticised, but it is watered down with similar logic to not all cops (Yes, all cops and the entire police and prison complex).

The other issues surround the somewhat appropriate, but unexplored dive into horrific incel behaviour of Danielle's best friend, and the unaddressed transphobia, passive transphobia, and enabling of the Justice League equivalents. This is an ongoing series, so these may be explored further, but some events towards the end of the novel mean that certain characters will not be held accountable. There are some threads that seem to just drop, but we will see if they are explored more in further books.

While I have my criticisms, I heartily recommend this book and genuinely loved it and the phenomenal performance.

Thank you. show less

Exciting YA fare about a trans superhero and her origin story! Featuring some great characters, a lot of simple but cinematic description, and unobtrusive worldbuilding that does a great job making a superhero world both innovative and classic. I loved that instead of using sci fi gobbledygook to explain the superhero-adjacent "hypertech" gadgets, Daniels straight out admits that in this world the science doesn't make any sense but works anyway.

I feel like the book is a little unbalanced pacing and suspense-wise, but it did its job keeping me engaged all the way through, and I'm interested in seeing what happens in book two. The writing can also get a bit heavy-handed, but in a way that's a fine fit both for YA and for the superhero show more genre. A lot of tropes, but April Daniels does them well.

Dreadnought also feels very classic superhero comic in that it doesn't hold back on the violence-- Danny and her fellow capes, though wielding incredible powers, are not invulnerable. There's quite a bit of serious injury and death, and Danny takes a lot of physical punishment while slinging planes and battling villains. These things, along with the stark treatment of her struggles against transphobia and homophobia, make for a bit of a challenging read at times (especially when you remember again that she's only 15 years old!), but the book handles everything well and creates a story more moving for the realness of its stakes.

Not a perfect book, but a good read.


(Just a note: I'm cis. You can find links to reviews of Dreadnought written by trans and/or nonbinary reviewers in this list.) show less

4 / 5 ⭐️'ˢ

"Dreadnought" by April Daniels

This was a compelling and action-packed novel that explores themes of gender identity, self-discovery, and the true meaning of heroism. The story follows Danny Tozer, a teenage trans girl who gains superpowers after witnessing the death of the world's greatest superhero, Dreadnought.

As Danny navigates her newfound abilities and the challenges of coming out to her friends and family, she also faces discrimination and violence from the superhero community and the public at large. Through it all, Danny remains determined to be true to herself and to use her powers for good, even if it means standing up against the people she once idolized.

Daniels does an excellent job of creating complex and show more relatable characters, especially in Danny, whose struggles with gender dysphoria and transphobia are portrayed with sensitivity and depth. The world-building is also impressive, with a richly imagined superhero universe that feels both familiar (set in the PNW!) and unique.

I read this because it was the monthly pick for my Goodreads "LGBTQ/GSM Fantasy & Science Fiction” group. I didn’t even read what this one was about before I started it. I’m glad I read it, it was a SUPER fun read. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Also, If you have an Audible account this one and the next book in the series are currently free to listen! show less