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Change of Heart
Madison Oakes is a lot of things.
She's 23. She's a big eater. She's a powerful telekinetic. She's the government-backed superhero "Heartforce," trained since adolescence to join the ranks of the PHL. She's second generation, even, upholding her late father's Hero legacy.
They're also a butch, nonbinary trans lesbian, and their Hero team's very first official "LGBTQ2+ Champion." Or at least they were, briefly, as a cynical PR move, before getting reassigned in Director Hagen's obsessive schemes to infiltrate the supervillainous Korps¿ who don't seem anything like what the sheep-bear's always been told, actually.
Now she must choose: Does she want to be a part of Hagen's machinations? Does she want to be a Hero at all? Motorcycling across Canada to find answers, is Maddy on a collision course - with her coworkers, her self doubt, family secrets, and Dad's so-called "legacy" - that can only in a Change of Heart?
She's 23. She's a big eater. She's a powerful telekinetic. She's the government-backed superhero "Heartforce," trained since adolescence to join the ranks of the PHL. She's second generation, even, upholding her late father's Hero legacy.
They're also a butch, nonbinary trans lesbian, and their Hero team's very first official "LGBTQ2+ Champion." Or at least they were, briefly, as a cynical PR move, before getting reassigned in Director Hagen's obsessive schemes to infiltrate the supervillainous Korps¿ who don't seem anything like what the sheep-bear's always been told, actually.
Now she must choose: Does she want to be a part of Hagen's machinations? Does she want to be a Hero at all? Motorcycling across Canada to find answers, is Maddy on a collision course - with her coworkers, her self doubt, family secrets, and Dad's so-called "legacy" - that can only in a Change of Heart?
252 pages, Paperback
Published December 6, 2024
6 people want to read
About the author
Grace Reed
1 book1 followerGrace Reed (she/her) is queer trans furry trash, over 40, an actual professional deer, and part of the MFBC (http://monsterflufferbook.club). She resides in the Toronto area.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 6, 2025
Once again, a Korps novel does not fail to entertain and was a wonderful read.
Maddy is such a great character. Their no-nonsense attitude meant many funny moments of telling assholes to fuck off that I most thoroughly enjoyed. Yet, it also mixed with a kind and caring heart. She was someone who cared about her community and truly wanted to do right by them. Her struggles with her self-doubt and who she wants to be as a person meant I got to read how a multi-layered individual found themself. The other characters also had wonderful additions to the story, and I especially loved Grace, who seemed like a guiding figure in Maddy's journey while forcing them to confront everything they thought they knew. It was also wonderful seeing the two of them connect and their bond grow as the story progressed. Even Slider offered something interesting to the story, as he wasn't the average out-and-out transphobe but rather one who painted themself as an "ally".
Their story of being forced to follow in the legacy of her late father Heartwood, the realization that they were lied to about who he was as both a hero and a person, and her Korps origin was wrapped into a neat story that took a direction I wasn't expecting. I loved how this story took the common Korps theme of finding your true self and who you want to be and focused more on the familial aspect of it. Maddy didn't get to the Korps by beating up a bunch of her coworkers. Instead, it was through confronting a legacy she'd been boxed into by her father's family and breaking out of it, while still holding onto the people who truly cared about her (I do kind of wish we'd seen more of their sister Brianna and her reaction to all of this, but I think the message was still presented in a great way with the characters used). I also liked the edition of the other stories after the main one, each one adding a nice extra sprinkling to the plot and giving a glimpse into what Maddy's future would look like.
Grace Reed did an absolutely fantastic job with this story, and I highly recommend reading about this sheep-bear's recruitment into the Korps organization.
Maddy is such a great character. Their no-nonsense attitude meant many funny moments of telling assholes to fuck off that I most thoroughly enjoyed. Yet, it also mixed with a kind and caring heart. She was someone who cared about her community and truly wanted to do right by them. Her struggles with her self-doubt and who she wants to be as a person meant I got to read how a multi-layered individual found themself. The other characters also had wonderful additions to the story, and I especially loved Grace, who seemed like a guiding figure in Maddy's journey while forcing them to confront everything they thought they knew. It was also wonderful seeing the two of them connect and their bond grow as the story progressed. Even Slider offered something interesting to the story, as he wasn't the average out-and-out transphobe but rather one who painted themself as an "ally".
Their story of being forced to follow in the legacy of her late father Heartwood, the realization that they were lied to about who he was as both a hero and a person, and her Korps origin was wrapped into a neat story that took a direction I wasn't expecting. I loved how this story took the common Korps theme of finding your true self and who you want to be and focused more on the familial aspect of it. Maddy didn't get to the Korps by beating up a bunch of her coworkers. Instead, it was through confronting a legacy she'd been boxed into by her father's family and breaking out of it, while still holding onto the people who truly cared about her (I do kind of wish we'd seen more of their sister Brianna and her reaction to all of this, but I think the message was still presented in a great way with the characters used). I also liked the edition of the other stories after the main one, each one adding a nice extra sprinkling to the plot and giving a glimpse into what Maddy's future would look like.
Grace Reed did an absolutely fantastic job with this story, and I highly recommend reading about this sheep-bear's recruitment into the Korps organization.
March 3, 2025
Another great entry into the Korps world, with its own distinct style and setting to the other novels so far. The unique characters in this story were great, and it was good fun seeing some of the crossovers from other novels too!
One thing that did get me at times was the main character pronouns - the character was introduced as she/they, but there was never consistency to how these were used, often switching multiple times in a scene, which did trip me up a few times. Otherwise though, a pretty flawless story that was really engaging and gripping throughout.
One thing that did get me at times was the main character pronouns - the character was introduced as she/they, but there was never consistency to how these were used, often switching multiple times in a scene, which did trip me up a few times. Otherwise though, a pretty flawless story that was really engaging and gripping throughout.
February 18, 2025
It took me a little longer to finish this than it should have, but I absolutely loved it. That was a me problem, not a book problem.) I would recommend this book to anyone who is trans or furry or both without hesitation and already look forward to a re-read in a few years. (Oh, and I'm totally picking up the other Korps books!!!)
April 13, 2025
Having already sunk my teeth into Korps fiction, Change of Heart is a Delight.
Maddy feels intensely relatable as a character trying to navigate a world that wants to use her to launder their ally credentials. While I was reading through Change of Heart I couldn't help but recall the times where as a queer person, I've worked for companies that loudly would proclaim their support during pride month, only to suddenly and mysteriously stop supporting me the moment someone complains about the presence of a rainbow flag on the company's website.
There's a real righteous frustration and cathartic anger at the world in her too which felt so good to read. The sheep-bear isn't one dimensional though, and has a plethora of things they're working with and through, finding their way throughout the book.
Grace, the author, also has an intense dedication to well-representing the setting and the intricacies of the world. She paints a such great specific details about the world where superheroes are a complex mess of state-sanctioned enforcers, marketable branding opportunities, and of course, extremely relatable tired government workers. It really makes the setting believable and gritty - not in the comically over the top violence kind of way, but in the absolutely harrowing "God, of course this is how a state would handle super powers" way.
Do yourself a favor and pick up Change of Heart.
Maddy feels intensely relatable as a character trying to navigate a world that wants to use her to launder their ally credentials. While I was reading through Change of Heart I couldn't help but recall the times where as a queer person, I've worked for companies that loudly would proclaim their support during pride month, only to suddenly and mysteriously stop supporting me the moment someone complains about the presence of a rainbow flag on the company's website.
There's a real righteous frustration and cathartic anger at the world in her too which felt so good to read. The sheep-bear isn't one dimensional though, and has a plethora of things they're working with and through, finding their way throughout the book.
Grace, the author, also has an intense dedication to well-representing the setting and the intricacies of the world. She paints a such great specific details about the world where superheroes are a complex mess of state-sanctioned enforcers, marketable branding opportunities, and of course, extremely relatable tired government workers. It really makes the setting believable and gritty - not in the comically over the top violence kind of way, but in the absolutely harrowing "God, of course this is how a state would handle super powers" way.
Do yourself a favor and pick up Change of Heart.
May 17, 2025
You might like this book if:
-You're interested in queer, trans fiction
-You're looking for a unique spin on the superhero genre
-You want something relatable as a queer reader
-You like a side of action with your character development
-You wouldn't say no to a first date at a Taco Bell
Change of Heart is another published entry in the Korps Universe, a universe of queer supervillains fighting against a corrupt and bigoted world of superheroes. This book follows Maddy, a sheepbear who's recently joined up with a superhero team, but soon discovers she's only there to make for good PR. This sends them down a rabbit hole as she learns more about the Korps, her own family legacy, and what they really want out of life.
The Korps Universe has always been extremely relatable when exploring the queer experience, and Change of Heart is no different. I thought its mirroring of how a family sanitizes and embellishes their legacy with how an organization does so was particularly effective here. Not to mention how characters from other Korps books make seamless appearances in this one, which made me feel like that Leonardo DiCaprio gif where he's pointing at the TV.
If you're a reader of the other Korps books, or if you're interested in a progressive supervillain universe unlike any other popular superhero franchise out there, I highly recommend this one.
-You're interested in queer, trans fiction
-You're looking for a unique spin on the superhero genre
-You want something relatable as a queer reader
-You like a side of action with your character development
-You wouldn't say no to a first date at a Taco Bell
Change of Heart is another published entry in the Korps Universe, a universe of queer supervillains fighting against a corrupt and bigoted world of superheroes. This book follows Maddy, a sheepbear who's recently joined up with a superhero team, but soon discovers she's only there to make for good PR. This sends them down a rabbit hole as she learns more about the Korps, her own family legacy, and what they really want out of life.
The Korps Universe has always been extremely relatable when exploring the queer experience, and Change of Heart is no different. I thought its mirroring of how a family sanitizes and embellishes their legacy with how an organization does so was particularly effective here. Not to mention how characters from other Korps books make seamless appearances in this one, which made me feel like that Leonardo DiCaprio gif where he's pointing at the TV.
If you're a reader of the other Korps books, or if you're interested in a progressive supervillain universe unlike any other popular superhero franchise out there, I highly recommend this one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews