Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Dreadnought

Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Dreadnought by April Daniels

19 reviews

tamarant4's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The dirty little secret about growing up as a boy is if you’re not any good at it, they will torture you daily until you have the good graces to kill yourself. [loc. 82]

YA superhero fiction. Danny, fifteen, has gone to the shopping mall to buy nail polish and is hiding out in an alleyway painting her toenails: it's the one way she can rebel against being stuck in a boy's body. Then a superhero, Dreadnought, falls out of the sky. Dying, he passes his 'mantle' -- his powers -- to Danny. And part of that mantle is changing the recipient's body to match their self-image. 'That is not the chest I woke up with', observes Danny.

She's finally herself: but her transformation is only the start of the novel. It's not easy being a fifteen-year-old superhero, but it's even harder being a girl with an abusive father who could never have accepted Danny's transgender identity, and refuses to believe that Danny can be happy about her new body. Danny quickly discovers that her best friend David is actually a complete jerk: but she makes a new friend, Latina vigilante Calamity. Calamity's a 'greycape', morally ambiguous: blackcapes are villains, and whitecapes are the good guys. The local whitecape chapter is the Legion Pacifica, who contact Danny and invite her to Legion Tower. Not all of the Legion are cool with the new Dreadnought, and TERFy Graywytch questions her gender. Danny's happier hanging out with Calamity and fighting crime, but their ambition is greater than their ability: going up against a major blackcape is not a smart move.

I enjoyed this a lot, though did feel that most of the characters could have done with more backstory, and indeed more personality. I'd have liked more world-building, too, though there are some intriguing snippets of superhero history: 'In the last great gasp of radio journalism, the whole world stayed glued to their sets to listen to the live reports as [the original] Dreadnought and Mistress Malice savaged each other...' But this gave me a warm glow and a nostalgic affection for the MCU in its heyday (the Legion are reminiscent of the Avengers: a super-strong fighter, an android, a Norse deity, a guy in a suit of armour, a witch...). Not sure I'll read the sequel just yet, but I'd recommend this as a fun read.

I bought this in DEC 2020, and finally read it as part of my 'Down in the Cellar' self-challenge, which riffs on the metaphor of to-be-read pile as wine-cellar rather than to-do list.

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sillygaylilly's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book single handedly made me go from "shit I don't know if I'm trans or not" to "she is just like me fr fr" and got rid of most of my impostor syndrome about being trans, so if you have any doubts, highly recommended
oh and there is superhero stuff and it's great but come on trans stuff takes the came

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unavezmas's review against another edition

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Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"I see a world that is terrified of me. Terrified of someone who would reject manhood. Terrified of a girl who knows who she is and what she's capable of. They are small, and they are weak, and they will not hurt me ever again.

My name is Danielle Tozer. I am a girl. No one is strong enough to take that from me anymore."

I loved this book. It's a bit rough around the edges. Most of the side characters don't have enough time to shine and I have so many questions about the villain's plan.

Danielle is such a strong person. She also has enough guts to shut the bigots up. She's a superhero after all. She also makes funny jokes in the most inappropriate moments. She's 15, and it's her first experience with any social unjustice. I got a couple of giggles of her being speechless and baffled "What do you mean the government don't want what's the best for the people?" My sweet summer child...

Sarah who is conserned about making enough money to make it to the end of the months and doesn't give a damn about what cops will say to her robbing drug dealers.

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