{"id":37505,"date":"2020-06-01T17:22:45","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T21:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=37505"},"modified":"2020-06-01T17:22:45","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T21:22:45","slug":"review-of-dreadnought-by-april-daniels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=37505","title":{"rendered":"Review of Dreadnought, by April Daniels"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Dreadnought<\/p>\n

Nemesis, Book One<\/em><\/p>\n

by April Daniels<\/p>\n

Diversion Books, 2017. 279 pages.
\nReview written April 8, 2020, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

I picked up Dreadnought<\/em> because of a recommendation by a transgender woman I follow on Twitter, and was so glad I did.<\/p>\n

The set-up for this book is maybe a little typical: A fifteen-year-old is present when a superhero dies, so the mantle is passed to her and she gains all the powers of the superhero, to be the next one with that persona.<\/p>\n

But in this case, there\u2019s an extra twist. Danny, the person who received the mantle and the superpowers, is a transgender girl, who wasn\u2019t out to anyone but herself. But part of the superpowers includes Danny receiving her ideal body \u2013 and in Danny\u2019s case, that\u2019s the body of a woman. She now looks like the girl she\u2019s long known she is.<\/p>\n

So besides figuring out what to do with her new superpowers and whether to let the world even know she has them, Danny also has to navigate suddenly looking female.<\/p>\n

Danny\u2019s abusive father does not take it well. He insists on bringing Danny to doctors and trying to set up testosterone therapy. Danny\u2019s former best friend thinks he\u2019s doing Danny a favor when he says he\u2019s willing to date her. And the local Legion of superheroes doesn\u2019t allow underage \u201cwhite capes,\u201d and not everyone currently in the Legion is okay with being joined by someone who\u2019s transgender.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Utopia, the supervillain who killed the last Dreadnought, is still out there. Danny does make a friend in Sarah, who has her own super abilities and acts as a \u201cgray cape,\u201d not affiliated with the Legion. Sarah convinces Danny that they need to deal with Utopia, and Danny thinks she owes it to Dreadnought for the wonderful gift of a female body.<\/p>\n

The story that follows is intense. First, Danny\u2019s father greatly increases his abuse, and then Utopia threatens the Legion itself as well as the world. And she hints that there\u2019s something even more dangerous coming, something called Nemesis. Since right on the cover, we see Nemesis \u2013 Book One<\/em>, I\u2019m looking forward to reading more.<\/p>\n

This book is beautiful with all the things any superhero book might have about grappling with new powers and whether great power really does bring great responsibility. But layered on top of that, Danny grapples with what it means to finally have a body that reflects the person she\u2019s always been, and how people react to her. Danny has a very hard time with her father\u2019s abusive words, and I appreciate that no simplistic answers are given to that. Even with superpowers, it\u2019s hard to stand up to abuse.<\/p>\n

This is a wonderful book, and I\u2019m looking forward to reading the follow-up. (As soon as I can get to the library.)<\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Teens\/dreadnought.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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