What do you think?
Rate this book
No Man of Woman Born
Destiny sees what others don’t.
A quiet fisher mourning the loss of xer sister to a cruel dragon. A clever hedge-witch gathering knowledge in a hostile land. A son seeking vengeance for his father's death. A daughter claiming the legacy denied her. A princess laboring under an unbreakable curse. A young resistance fighter questioning everything he's ever known. A little girl willing to battle a dragon for the sake of a wish. These heroes and heroines emerge from adversity into triumph, recognizing they can be more than they ever chosen ones of destiny.
From the author of the Earthside series and the Rewoven Tales novels, No Man of Woman Born is a collection of seven fantasy stories in which transgender and nonbinary characters subvert and fulfill gendered prophecies. These prophecies recognize and acknowledge each character's gender, even when others do not. No trans or nonbinary characters were killed in the making of this book. Trigger warnings and neopronoun pronunciation guides are provided for each story.
A quiet fisher mourning the loss of xer sister to a cruel dragon. A clever hedge-witch gathering knowledge in a hostile land. A son seeking vengeance for his father's death. A daughter claiming the legacy denied her. A princess laboring under an unbreakable curse. A young resistance fighter questioning everything he's ever known. A little girl willing to battle a dragon for the sake of a wish. These heroes and heroines emerge from adversity into triumph, recognizing they can be more than they ever chosen ones of destiny.
From the author of the Earthside series and the Rewoven Tales novels, No Man of Woman Born is a collection of seven fantasy stories in which transgender and nonbinary characters subvert and fulfill gendered prophecies. These prophecies recognize and acknowledge each character's gender, even when others do not. No trans or nonbinary characters were killed in the making of this book. Trigger warnings and neopronoun pronunciation guides are provided for each story.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2018
72 people are currently reading
3256 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews
August 1, 2018
Rarely do I run across a book so needed as No Man of Woman Born by Ana Mardoll. Uplifting representation for nonbinary (and binary trans as well) characters in fairy tale and epic fantasy settings, by a nonbinary author is something I see people asking rainbow book blogs for practically daily. Plus, it has the bonus of being a collection of shorter fiction instead of one long novel, which means there are more chances for each individual reader to find something to satisfy them, as well as more chances for different kinds of representation.
Want to fight a dragon (or ask it for help?) Want to defeat an evil monarch or witch? Want to find the magic sword, avenge your father, or play around with magic plants? There is a place for you on these pages, trans readers. As Mardoll points out in the foreword, these stories are written for a trans audience, with cis readers welcome but not centered. What that ended up meaning for me, as a cis reader, is that every so often I had a little “OH” moment in which I realized that the protagonist of a particular story wasn’t out as their actual gender yet to the other characters. That’s because the author uses the character’s actual pronouns throughout, rather than misgender them until they come out to the other characters. That was neat!
Fair warning that this anthology has a very specific focus, i.e. answering the question of how trans people fit into a world with gendered prophecies. This is intentional, not accidental redundancy. After all, I can only imagine how alienating that feels for a trans fantasy fan, when they run across this gimmick time and time again and wonder whether or not the universe they’re currently reading would validate their gender. Well, in this book, yes. ALWAYS yes. That’s basically the point.
As someone whose tastes in fantasy run toward the intimate and character-driven, I appreciated the narrow framing of each of these stories. A teenager from an impoverished fishing family grieving a dead sister, a young man interacting with the chieftain who took him in and became his mentor after his family was attacked in a raid, a closeted princess out riding with the bosom companion assigned to her in childhood – I’m grateful not to have to keep track of the details of several nations and nobles and chess garbage. These are visceral and emotional stories made up of families and sympathetic protagonists with relatable goals.
Some specific notes on the stories –
“Tangled Nets” was pretty much exactly what I'd want out of a "no man or woman can XYZ but I'm neither so watch me backflip my way to victory" prophecy story. It has a villainous dragon – which if you know anything about me you know that this isn’t a structure I like to inhabit – but the storytelling was so effective and the socioeconomic issues discussed –shades of “The Lottery” and Hunger Games in a fantasy fishing village -- are so gripping that I’ll let it pass. :P I also appreciated the way the evocative descriptions of eating fish made me hungry for fish.
"King's Favor" focuses on a megalomaniac, royal version of Rogue from X-Men who wants to be the only living witch in her kingdom, and the William Bartram-like "weakest witch you'll ever meet" who defeats her with plants. This one has shades of nonbinary/f romance with a warrior woman, although it could probably be platonic flirting, too.
“His Father’s Son” was my favorite. A teenage trans boy’s family was attacked, his father and brothers killed, and his mothers and sisters scattered in the struggle. He’s not out to the mentor figure who took him in, who reluctantly allows him to go off to avenge his father, but things work out in all the good ways by the end of this one. Special note that even if you think the women who are sleeping with other women are going to die, they aren’t. Anyway, this was my favorite in terms of storytelling and also in the specifics of the prophesy subversion. And it even has shades of the Pesach story. Ha! (How about that as an alternative way for Moshe to escape? Pharaoh was only going around killing AMAB babies, after all… ok bye)
"Daughter of Kings" is the one with the closeted trans princess. I love the creative quicksave to the rest of the cis nobility once she's out of the closet as female. Mardoll also shows how easy it is not to deadname a closeted character once you decide as a writer that it matters to you. Cis writers, and trans writers who haven’t thought of this particular method yet, take note. I really enjoyed her relationship with her “assigned friend”.
“Early to Rise” plays some cute games with the technicality of the phrasing in the Sleeping Beauty curse. I’ve never seen a Sleeping Beauty retelling where THIS happens – not telling you what, because it surprised the hell out of me. This one stars an aromantic prince/princess (Claude is genderfluid; how did we get two fantasy books with aromantic, genderfluid Claudes in the same summer?).
“No Man of Woman Born”, the title story, pairs an unresolved gender issue with an unresolved plot issue; whatever happens, is going to happen beyond the scope of the story. Clever juxtaposition, thematically, although not having the plot part resolved did make it less satisfying to read and made it feel more like literary fiction than a fairy-tale or fantasy. It did have a wonderful line, though: “There’s no prophecy that will prove my gender is mine. But I’m happier with my new name and pronouns than I was before, and that’s all that matters.”
The final story involves a little trans girl asking a dragon to make her a girl and was cute but for me personally not as compelling as the others.
This is a really solid collection and I will do what I can to help people find it.
“I confess I once thought to gain a daughter with you, but I would be just as blessed to count you as my son. Come with us.” --His Father's Son
Want to fight a dragon (or ask it for help?) Want to defeat an evil monarch or witch? Want to find the magic sword, avenge your father, or play around with magic plants? There is a place for you on these pages, trans readers. As Mardoll points out in the foreword, these stories are written for a trans audience, with cis readers welcome but not centered. What that ended up meaning for me, as a cis reader, is that every so often I had a little “OH” moment in which I realized that the protagonist of a particular story wasn’t out as their actual gender yet to the other characters. That’s because the author uses the character’s actual pronouns throughout, rather than misgender them until they come out to the other characters. That was neat!
Fair warning that this anthology has a very specific focus, i.e. answering the question of how trans people fit into a world with gendered prophecies. This is intentional, not accidental redundancy. After all, I can only imagine how alienating that feels for a trans fantasy fan, when they run across this gimmick time and time again and wonder whether or not the universe they’re currently reading would validate their gender. Well, in this book, yes. ALWAYS yes. That’s basically the point.
As someone whose tastes in fantasy run toward the intimate and character-driven, I appreciated the narrow framing of each of these stories. A teenager from an impoverished fishing family grieving a dead sister, a young man interacting with the chieftain who took him in and became his mentor after his family was attacked in a raid, a closeted princess out riding with the bosom companion assigned to her in childhood – I’m grateful not to have to keep track of the details of several nations and nobles and chess garbage. These are visceral and emotional stories made up of families and sympathetic protagonists with relatable goals.
Some specific notes on the stories –
“Tangled Nets” was pretty much exactly what I'd want out of a "no man or woman can XYZ but I'm neither so watch me backflip my way to victory" prophecy story. It has a villainous dragon – which if you know anything about me you know that this isn’t a structure I like to inhabit – but the storytelling was so effective and the socioeconomic issues discussed –shades of “The Lottery” and Hunger Games in a fantasy fishing village -- are so gripping that I’ll let it pass. :P I also appreciated the way the evocative descriptions of eating fish made me hungry for fish.
"King's Favor" focuses on a megalomaniac, royal version of Rogue from X-Men who wants to be the only living witch in her kingdom, and the William Bartram-like "weakest witch you'll ever meet" who defeats her with plants. This one has shades of nonbinary/f romance with a warrior woman, although it could probably be platonic flirting, too.
“His Father’s Son” was my favorite. A teenage trans boy’s family was attacked, his father and brothers killed, and his mothers and sisters scattered in the struggle. He’s not out to the mentor figure who took him in, who reluctantly allows him to go off to avenge his father, but things work out in all the good ways by the end of this one. Special note that even if you think the women who are sleeping with other women are going to die, they aren’t. Anyway, this was my favorite in terms of storytelling and also in the specifics of the prophesy subversion. And it even has shades of the Pesach story. Ha! (How about that as an alternative way for Moshe to escape? Pharaoh was only going around killing AMAB babies, after all… ok bye)
"Daughter of Kings" is the one with the closeted trans princess. I love the creative quicksave to the rest of the cis nobility once she's out of the closet as female. Mardoll also shows how easy it is not to deadname a closeted character once you decide as a writer that it matters to you. Cis writers, and trans writers who haven’t thought of this particular method yet, take note. I really enjoyed her relationship with her “assigned friend”.
“Early to Rise” plays some cute games with the technicality of the phrasing in the Sleeping Beauty curse. I’ve never seen a Sleeping Beauty retelling where THIS happens – not telling you what, because it surprised the hell out of me. This one stars an aromantic prince/princess (Claude is genderfluid; how did we get two fantasy books with aromantic, genderfluid Claudes in the same summer?).
“No Man of Woman Born”, the title story, pairs an unresolved gender issue with an unresolved plot issue; whatever happens, is going to happen beyond the scope of the story. Clever juxtaposition, thematically, although not having the plot part resolved did make it less satisfying to read and made it feel more like literary fiction than a fairy-tale or fantasy. It did have a wonderful line, though: “There’s no prophecy that will prove my gender is mine. But I’m happier with my new name and pronouns than I was before, and that’s all that matters.”
The final story involves a little trans girl asking a dragon to make her a girl and was cute but for me personally not as compelling as the others.
This is a really solid collection and I will do what I can to help people find it.
“I confess I once thought to gain a daughter with you, but I would be just as blessed to count you as my son. Come with us.” --His Father's Son
December 4, 2020
A good concept, I just can't understand sometimes if the author was referring to a she or a he or a vice versa character. (not the authors fault maybe I'm not focusing much 😁✌️)...
July 16, 2019
It took me a while to get through this book but this was caused by personal matters and my inability to read short stories collections somewhat consistently and has no say on the quality of it. I loved that every story has trigger warnings and pronunciation guides of neopronouns if needed.
★★★★⭐ | Tangled nets
Good start. I like how it was family-focused and Wren's motivation was xer mother and sister first and the whole unjust system latter. I'm pretty sure it was a retelling of 'The Lottery'? & that Wren's autistic.
★★★★⭐ | King's favour
I think the only thing I didn't like was that the scarce dialogue and listings of herbs made me lose focus every now and then. Other than that I loved the tragic irony the Witch-Queen got herself into and how Caran saved nerself with the simplest magic.
★★★★⭐ | His Father's Son
Trans boy getting revenge on the bastard who killed his family. Cool society concept with many mothers and I think remarrying? Or the concept of marriage as a couple which is currently rising a child together?
A bit deus ex machina but still satisfying.
★★★★,5 | Daughter of Kings
Never say no to a nice trip to an evil magic forest. Cool things may happen.
King Arthur's Excalibur retelling with a bi, trans woman. Also, men are such useless rulers in this one.
★★★★⭐ | Early to rise
Genderfluid sleeping beauty retelling! When you spend your life getting yourself ready for the influence of prophecy but then nothing goes as planned you need to be really clever to get yourself and your kingdom out of the trouble.
Also, I'm pretty sure that MC is ace.
★★★★,5 | No Man of Woman Born
Why the prophecy that "no man of woman born can't kill you" doesn't make you invincible? a. there's a lot of people who are not men, and b. not every person to give birth to another person is a woman.
A story about exploring one's gender in the light of prophecy. Do I feel like my assigned gender does not fit me because I want to fit the prophecy or am I trying to fulfill the prophecy to have an excuse to explore my gender identity? Is there a point at which I should have a definite answer? Will this answer change the more I learn?
★★★★⭐ | The Wish-Giver
A badass little girl battling a dragon to get her gender recognised. Just imagine a tiny girl facing a big ass dragon and tell me you don't want to know how THAT plays out.
★★★★⭐ | Tangled nets
Good start. I like how it was family-focused and Wren's motivation was xer mother and sister first and the whole unjust system latter. I'm pretty sure it was a retelling of 'The Lottery'? & that Wren's autistic.
★★★★⭐ | King's favour
I think the only thing I didn't like was that the scarce dialogue and listings of herbs made me lose focus every now and then. Other than that I loved the tragic irony the Witch-Queen got herself into and how Caran saved nerself with the simplest magic.
★★★★⭐ | His Father's Son
Trans boy getting revenge on the bastard who killed his family. Cool society concept with many mothers and I think remarrying? Or the concept of marriage as a couple which is currently rising a child together?
A bit deus ex machina but still satisfying.
★★★★,5 | Daughter of Kings
Never say no to a nice trip to an evil magic forest. Cool things may happen.
King Arthur's Excalibur retelling with a bi, trans woman. Also, men are such useless rulers in this one.
★★★★⭐ | Early to rise
Genderfluid sleeping beauty retelling! When you spend your life getting yourself ready for the influence of prophecy but then nothing goes as planned you need to be really clever to get yourself and your kingdom out of the trouble.
Also, I'm pretty sure that MC is ace.
★★★★,5 | No Man of Woman Born
Why the prophecy that "no man of woman born can't kill you" doesn't make you invincible? a. there's a lot of people who are not men, and b. not every person to give birth to another person is a woman.
A story about exploring one's gender in the light of prophecy. Do I feel like my assigned gender does not fit me because I want to fit the prophecy or am I trying to fulfill the prophecy to have an excuse to explore my gender identity? Is there a point at which I should have a definite answer? Will this answer change the more I learn?
★★★★⭐ | The Wish-Giver
A badass little girl battling a dragon to get her gender recognised. Just imagine a tiny girl facing a big ass dragon and tell me you don't want to know how THAT plays out.
__________________________
insta | twitter | blog | booksirens | duolingo
January 5, 2021
5 stars
Before I get into the individual reviews, let me just start by saying that I absolutely adored every single second that I got to spend reading this book. Every single story in here brings something new and fresh to the landscape of the fantasy genre. Books like this one are the reason I love fantasy so much. Books where the world isn't confined by the narrow standards of our own society. Books where the author chooses to the world a safe space for their reader. I'm just so glad that this book exists because seeing experiences that I related to so heavily being explored in a fantasy setting means the world to me. And now onto the individual reviews!!
Tangled Nets
This one was probably my least favorite of the bunch, just because it took me a little while to get into the world and the writing, but once I got used to it, I was hooked. I thought the set-up of the MC was absolutely interesting and there is honestly nothing I adore more than the trope of nonbinary main characters defying all the prophecies and curses that are like "no man or woman shall defeat x creature" and that's exactly what happens here!! It was a joy to watch. While the story itself isn't the happiest of the bunch, I thought it was really interesting and I adored what little we got to see of this world, as well.
King's Favor
This one is another one where a nonbinary character defies a gendered prophecy and I loved it!! There's also a lot of talk about poisons and plants, which I thought was really fun!! Oh, and there was some hinting at a pretty cute f/nb romance, which I thought was just a nice little touch that I loved reading about.
His Father's Son
Another one of my favorite tropes in fantasy is gender-affirming prophecies! And Ana Mardoll utilizes those in full in this collection as well. This story follows a trans boy who swore to kill his father's murderers. The murderer had all the father's sons murdered because a prophecy said that a man would kill him, but... he missed the MC!! A really fun take on gender and also a lot of found family vibes all around, which I really loved!
Daughter of Kings
Another gender-affirming prophecy!! This stroke me as somewhat of a retelling of King Arthur, which only gave it more bonus points in my book! I loved the trip through the dangerous woods and I loved the witch and I loved our main character most of all. I think Mardoll does a really great job in this one of really writing the MC as someone who stands sure in her gender despite all the vitriol that she faces for it.
Early to Rise
This one is probably my second favorite story in the entire collection just because all of it was so fucking smart. This one is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but with a genderfluid, aroace MC. I thought this really took the whole playing with gender in fantasy thing to the next level and it did so in such a unique way and I was just?? in love and in awe of this story. Listening to this one was honestly one of the best reading experiences I've had so far this year, I loved this one so much!! Also?? The main character themself is just,,, ridiculously clever and I adore them, thanks.
No Man of Woman Born
This one is the titular story and it's also my favorite! I was listening to this audiobook while doing housework, but I had to sit down at my dinner table and just,,, take a few deep breaths while listening to this one because it hit home on so many levels for me. I really loved the gender-questioning rep and I also really loved how this one pointed out that not all people who give birth are women!! because I feel like a lot of cis folks often forget about that one. I also just really loved the whole concept of training schools for people who fall outside the "man of woman born" criteria and the friendships that we got to see between the MC and some of the side characters.
The Wish-Giver
This one was really short, but it was also incredibly cute!! It's about a trans girl who asks a dragon to make everyone see her as her own gender and it was just,,, adorable?? This one also got me teary-eyed. There was an emphasis placed on acceptance of her and her gender, both from her community and from her parents, which I really loved.
Overall, I absolutely cannot recommend this collection enough. It's absolutely incredible and it made me feel way too many things, but those are always the best books. If you have some spare time, definitely pick this one up!
Before I get into the individual reviews, let me just start by saying that I absolutely adored every single second that I got to spend reading this book. Every single story in here brings something new and fresh to the landscape of the fantasy genre. Books like this one are the reason I love fantasy so much. Books where the world isn't confined by the narrow standards of our own society. Books where the author chooses to the world a safe space for their reader. I'm just so glad that this book exists because seeing experiences that I related to so heavily being explored in a fantasy setting means the world to me. And now onto the individual reviews!!
Tangled Nets
This one was probably my least favorite of the bunch, just because it took me a little while to get into the world and the writing, but once I got used to it, I was hooked. I thought the set-up of the MC was absolutely interesting and there is honestly nothing I adore more than the trope of nonbinary main characters defying all the prophecies and curses that are like "no man or woman shall defeat x creature" and that's exactly what happens here!! It was a joy to watch. While the story itself isn't the happiest of the bunch, I thought it was really interesting and I adored what little we got to see of this world, as well.
King's Favor
This one is another one where a nonbinary character defies a gendered prophecy and I loved it!! There's also a lot of talk about poisons and plants, which I thought was really fun!! Oh, and there was some hinting at a pretty cute f/nb romance, which I thought was just a nice little touch that I loved reading about.
His Father's Son
Another one of my favorite tropes in fantasy is gender-affirming prophecies! And Ana Mardoll utilizes those in full in this collection as well. This story follows a trans boy who swore to kill his father's murderers. The murderer had all the father's sons murdered because a prophecy said that a man would kill him, but... he missed the MC!! A really fun take on gender and also a lot of found family vibes all around, which I really loved!
Daughter of Kings
Another gender-affirming prophecy!! This stroke me as somewhat of a retelling of King Arthur, which only gave it more bonus points in my book! I loved the trip through the dangerous woods and I loved the witch and I loved our main character most of all. I think Mardoll does a really great job in this one of really writing the MC as someone who stands sure in her gender despite all the vitriol that she faces for it.
Early to Rise
This one is probably my second favorite story in the entire collection just because all of it was so fucking smart. This one is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but with a genderfluid, aroace MC. I thought this really took the whole playing with gender in fantasy thing to the next level and it did so in such a unique way and I was just?? in love and in awe of this story. Listening to this one was honestly one of the best reading experiences I've had so far this year, I loved this one so much!! Also?? The main character themself is just,,, ridiculously clever and I adore them, thanks.
No Man of Woman Born
This one is the titular story and it's also my favorite! I was listening to this audiobook while doing housework, but I had to sit down at my dinner table and just,,, take a few deep breaths while listening to this one because it hit home on so many levels for me. I really loved the gender-questioning rep and I also really loved how this one pointed out that not all people who give birth are women!! because I feel like a lot of cis folks often forget about that one. I also just really loved the whole concept of training schools for people who fall outside the "man of woman born" criteria and the friendships that we got to see between the MC and some of the side characters.
The Wish-Giver
This one was really short, but it was also incredibly cute!! It's about a trans girl who asks a dragon to make everyone see her as her own gender and it was just,,, adorable?? This one also got me teary-eyed. There was an emphasis placed on acceptance of her and her gender, both from her community and from her parents, which I really loved.
Overall, I absolutely cannot recommend this collection enough. It's absolutely incredible and it made me feel way too many things, but those are always the best books. If you have some spare time, definitely pick this one up!
July 16, 2019
This is such a good concept - trans and non-binary characters subverting gendered prophecies - and I thought it was executed really well too. I loved the writing style, and most of the plots and characters were quite well-rounded for short stories. There was just a little something missing that prevents me from giving this 5 stars, but it was a great read and definitely worth checking out.
November 24, 2018
This book took me a while to get into.
I am trying to read more LGBTQIA books so i can see more representation of myself and my friends in the world.
This novel definitely achieved that head on in every mini story and taught me things i didn't know like neo pronouns in literature.
I loved the way they changed up the well known fairytales - usually you can tell the ending but in this novel you couldn't as they had re-written the entire theme in order to allow the transgender or non-binary character to blossom.
This was okay, but it was a little bit too shallow in the storytelling. I think i would prefer this sort of book if it was one story in depth focused on one character.
Book given in exchange for a free review.
I am trying to read more LGBTQIA books so i can see more representation of myself and my friends in the world.
This novel definitely achieved that head on in every mini story and taught me things i didn't know like neo pronouns in literature.
I loved the way they changed up the well known fairytales - usually you can tell the ending but in this novel you couldn't as they had re-written the entire theme in order to allow the transgender or non-binary character to blossom.
This was okay, but it was a little bit too shallow in the storytelling. I think i would prefer this sort of book if it was one story in depth focused on one character.
Book given in exchange for a free review.
May 5, 2019
This is a good collection of short stories, and, for the most part, I enjoyed it.
More important than my opinion though: this short story collection is so important in terms of its non-binary and trans protagonists, and their neopronouns!
- Features seven short fantasy stories that take a fantasy trope or gendered prophecy -- and subverts them.
- My favourite stories were Early to Rise, which is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty but with a genderfluid and aromantic protagonist, and The Wish-Giver, the shortest story in the collection and is about a wish-giving dragon and a little girl.
- Though I believe that this is an important and necessary collection (and I am glad that it exists), particularly for trans and non-binary folx, some of the stories were good and interesting --
- But some of them just did not engage me -- and I acknowledge that this may be because it's not written for me. Thus, I recommend reading this review by Xan West.
Trigger/content warning: [trigger and content warnings are provided at the beginning of each story in the book]
More important than my opinion though: this short story collection is so important in terms of its non-binary and trans protagonists, and their neopronouns!
- Features seven short fantasy stories that take a fantasy trope or gendered prophecy -- and subverts them.
- My favourite stories were Early to Rise, which is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty but with a genderfluid and aromantic protagonist, and The Wish-Giver, the shortest story in the collection and is about a wish-giving dragon and a little girl.
- Though I believe that this is an important and necessary collection (and I am glad that it exists), particularly for trans and non-binary folx, some of the stories were good and interesting --
- But some of them just did not engage me -- and I acknowledge that this may be because it's not written for me. Thus, I recommend reading this review by Xan West.
Trigger/content warning: [trigger and content warnings are provided at the beginning of each story in the book]
October 27, 2018
This is an anthology of fantasy stories where the main characters are transgender or nonbinary people. Some of the stories use neo-pronouns (for example, xie instead of he/she and xer instead her/him) which took a few pages to get used to but I quite liked it by the end. In some ways it was easier for me than using them/they pronouns because I have a constant grammar battle in my head. I think this is an incredibly valuable book because there is nothing quite like the feeling of isolation of never seeing yourself reflected in popular culture, screens and books.
There’s a lovely analogy in one of the stories that illustrates that feeling of being ‘other’ beautifully:
In terms of the stories, there are some that I enjoyed more than others and I find that I enjoy a story more when there is more dialogue. Stories with long descriptive narrative don’t engage me quite as much. A story with a twisty re-take of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ comes with a trigger warning of non-consensual kissing which initially I was amused by but then thought about it a bit and realised that I was raised believing that it is okay to kiss an unknown, unconscious person in the name of ‘true love’. Interesting.
I enjoyed ‘No Man of Woman Born’ and I think readers of LGBTQIA fantasy will too. For a more in-depth and thoughtful point of view, read Shira Glassman’s review.
Book received from Netgalley and Acacia Moon Publishing for an honest review.
There’s a lovely analogy in one of the stories that illustrates that feeling of being ‘other’ beautifully:
“How do you know when a shoe doesn’t fit quite right? It covers your food and it’s better than nothing at all, because you’re not getting burrs stuck in your heel when you walk, and no shoe is perfect. Maybe if you just wear thicker socks, it’ll feel right. Maybe all shoes are bad and you just need to accept it and stop complaining that your feet hurt.” Kie grinned, shaking kir head. “And then one day you take the shoe off and try on a different one and it’s like you’re seeing sunshine for the first time. And you realize shoes can be comfortable, you were just wearing the wrong one.”
In terms of the stories, there are some that I enjoyed more than others and I find that I enjoy a story more when there is more dialogue. Stories with long descriptive narrative don’t engage me quite as much. A story with a twisty re-take of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ comes with a trigger warning of non-consensual kissing which initially I was amused by but then thought about it a bit and realised that I was raised believing that it is okay to kiss an unknown, unconscious person in the name of ‘true love’. Interesting.
I enjoyed ‘No Man of Woman Born’ and I think readers of LGBTQIA fantasy will too. For a more in-depth and thoughtful point of view, read Shira Glassman’s review.
Book received from Netgalley and Acacia Moon Publishing for an honest review.
Read
July 9, 2018This collection grabbed my by the heart and by the throat. It was an intense and emotional read for me, and I'm so grateful it exists in the world. These are stories that are very clearly written for trans and/or non-binary readers, and they made me cry in the best way.
Read my full review on my blog.
Content Warnings:
There are content warnings at the beginning of the book, listed by story. Some general ones here:
Read my full review on my blog.
Content Warnings:
There are content warnings at the beginning of the book, listed by story. Some general ones here:
July 7, 2020
if any bigoted fantasy author or fan of a heteronormative whitewashed fantasy series ever tries to make the excuse that fantasy doesn’t NeEd to be diverse or that it’s FiNe that the cast is all straight cis white people because it’s jUsT fiCtioN, i recommend slapping them in the face with this book. literally and figuratively.
March 15, 2019
No Man of Woman Born is a wonderful collection of short stories that center trans and nonbinary characters in traditional fantasy-story roles and prophecies in ways that are always true to their gender.
Content warnings can be found at the beginning of the book and at the start of every individual short story.
The book starts with an author's note that already touched me deeply, and it only got better from there on. The short stories feature a wide variety of characters all over the trans spectrum, from trans women and men to genderfluid to nonbinary to questioning. Some of them use neopronouns, all of which are briefly noted at the beginning of each story.
Overall I adored this book and had a great time reading it. I had no idea how much I needed to hear these stories until I actually read them. Especially the story giving the book its title, No Man of Woman Born, will stay with me for a long time and become something to reread again and again.
Individual ratings for and quick thoughts about the short stories:
Tangled Nets: 4 stars
I'm not a big fan of the Evil-Dragon-Needs-Annual-Sacrafice trope, but it was well executed here. It helped that the sacraficial system in this story is pretty reasonable, actually. I was a bit confused by technicalities of the climax, but ultimately it was a nice story.
King's Favor: 4 stars
This one started out slow and had a bit too much retrospection for me, spending most of it's time setting the scene and world and not enough on the actual story. The second half of it was very cool, though, with a great open ending!
His Father's Son: 5 stars
One of my favourites. It made me cry, had very interesting worldbuilding (without dragging like the previous story) and I loved the family dynamics, for lack of a better word.
Daughter of Kings: 5 stars
Another favourite! A great take on the sword-in-the-stone prophecy. I loved the brother and the companion, the interpersonal interactions in this one were the best.
Early to Rise: 4.5 stars
Fun and intriguing retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a genderfluid aromantic protagonist, which I adored!! The ending, while super cool, seemed almost too easy however and didn't entirely convince me.
No Man of Woman Born: 5 stars
This one resonated with me a lot. It's different from the others in that it doesn't actually.... fullfil the prophecy, slay the dragon, etc. Instead it's introspective and soft, with wonderful conversations about identity and knowing who you are, featuring a questioning protagonist. I absolutely loved it.
The Wish-Giver: 5 stars
THE CUTEST 😭😭😭😭😍
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Content warnings can be found at the beginning of the book and at the start of every individual short story.
The book starts with an author's note that already touched me deeply, and it only got better from there on. The short stories feature a wide variety of characters all over the trans spectrum, from trans women and men to genderfluid to nonbinary to questioning. Some of them use neopronouns, all of which are briefly noted at the beginning of each story.
Overall I adored this book and had a great time reading it. I had no idea how much I needed to hear these stories until I actually read them. Especially the story giving the book its title, No Man of Woman Born, will stay with me for a long time and become something to reread again and again.
Individual ratings for and quick thoughts about the short stories:
Tangled Nets: 4 stars
I'm not a big fan of the Evil-Dragon-Needs-Annual-Sacrafice trope, but it was well executed here. It helped that the sacraficial system in this story is pretty reasonable, actually. I was a bit confused by technicalities of the climax, but ultimately it was a nice story.
King's Favor: 4 stars
This one started out slow and had a bit too much retrospection for me, spending most of it's time setting the scene and world and not enough on the actual story. The second half of it was very cool, though, with a great open ending!
His Father's Son: 5 stars
One of my favourites. It made me cry, had very interesting worldbuilding (without dragging like the previous story) and I loved the family dynamics, for lack of a better word.
Daughter of Kings: 5 stars
Another favourite! A great take on the sword-in-the-stone prophecy. I loved the brother and the companion, the interpersonal interactions in this one were the best.
Early to Rise: 4.5 stars
Fun and intriguing retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a genderfluid aromantic protagonist, which I adored!! The ending, while super cool, seemed almost too easy however and didn't entirely convince me.
No Man of Woman Born: 5 stars
This one resonated with me a lot. It's different from the others in that it doesn't actually.... fullfil the prophecy, slay the dragon, etc. Instead it's introspective and soft, with wonderful conversations about identity and knowing who you are, featuring a questioning protagonist. I absolutely loved it.
The Wish-Giver: 5 stars
THE CUTEST 😭😭😭😭😍
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
May 3, 2018
I should note that I received this as a review copy, with no compensation for my review.
This is an anthology of reworked short fairy tales/fantasy stories about dragons and swords stuck wantonly into stones and prophecies, most of which are gender based. Mardoll is bisexual, on the ace-spectrum, transgender, and autistic and these stories very much reflect xer lived experience, assuming that their lived experience also had dragons and prophecies and polyamorous warrior clans, etc. Xie is also a very good writer.
Reworkings of traditional fairy tales are nothing new. There's a million anthologies with their own spins on fairy tale retellings. They're set in outer space, they're set in modern times, everyone's a witch of some sort, the bad guys are redeemed or are secretly working for the benefit of the good guys, there's a bureau of fairy tale characters investigating other fairy tale characters, everything is feminist either earnestly or satirically. This specific volume of fairy tale retellings has a fairly unique spin: Each story features a protagonist who is trans, gender queer, nonbinary. There's no Tragic Queers. Each story has both content notes/trigger warnings and neopronouns with pronunciation guides. It's a very accessible set of stories that clearly outlines what to expect... which can be quite a relief as the reader doesn't have to brace for the inevitable yet unexpected dead naming, shaming, threats, etc.
...
Part of the relatively recent push for "own voices" in writing and publishing is to enlarge the body of work that we get to enjoy, to experience stories we wouldn't otherwise feel and experience; it's to reflect ourselves and see ourselves as valid, as well as to see others and see their validity. "No Man of Woman Born" validates like hell. It looks out at people who are trans, who are gender queer, who are lost, who are building their own families, who are afraid of being shut out of their communities or families, who are brave, who are not brave, and says hey. It says, I see you. It says, you have a place in the world and you belong. It says, you can exist, it's ok to exist, it's ok to make room for yourself at the table and demand a place setting.
Expanded Review Here.
This is an anthology of reworked short fairy tales/fantasy stories about dragons and swords stuck wantonly into stones and prophecies, most of which are gender based. Mardoll is bisexual, on the ace-spectrum, transgender, and autistic and these stories very much reflect xer lived experience, assuming that their lived experience also had dragons and prophecies and polyamorous warrior clans, etc. Xie is also a very good writer.
Reworkings of traditional fairy tales are nothing new. There's a million anthologies with their own spins on fairy tale retellings. They're set in outer space, they're set in modern times, everyone's a witch of some sort, the bad guys are redeemed or are secretly working for the benefit of the good guys, there's a bureau of fairy tale characters investigating other fairy tale characters, everything is feminist either earnestly or satirically. This specific volume of fairy tale retellings has a fairly unique spin: Each story features a protagonist who is trans, gender queer, nonbinary. There's no Tragic Queers. Each story has both content notes/trigger warnings and neopronouns with pronunciation guides. It's a very accessible set of stories that clearly outlines what to expect... which can be quite a relief as the reader doesn't have to brace for the inevitable yet unexpected dead naming, shaming, threats, etc.
...
Part of the relatively recent push for "own voices" in writing and publishing is to enlarge the body of work that we get to enjoy, to experience stories we wouldn't otherwise feel and experience; it's to reflect ourselves and see ourselves as valid, as well as to see others and see their validity. "No Man of Woman Born" validates like hell. It looks out at people who are trans, who are gender queer, who are lost, who are building their own families, who are afraid of being shut out of their communities or families, who are brave, who are not brave, and says hey. It says, I see you. It says, you have a place in the world and you belong. It says, you can exist, it's ok to exist, it's ok to make room for yourself at the table and demand a place setting.
Expanded Review Here.
September 23, 2018
Disclaimer: I recorded the audiobook. But, if you don't already know, that takes a LONG time with all the editing required -- so I really wouldn't have done it unless I genuinely enjoyed the stories. My rating is both biased and honest. :)
These fantasy stories feature transgender and nonbinary characters dealing with gendered (and therefore potentially subvertible) prophecies. Includes individual trigger warnings, so you can listen to / read each one at a time that's right for you.
Ana is a marvellous and satisfying storyteller, and I happily recommend this book to any lover of fairy tales and to people interested in widening their literary experience of gender.
These fantasy stories feature transgender and nonbinary characters dealing with gendered (and therefore potentially subvertible) prophecies. Includes individual trigger warnings, so you can listen to / read each one at a time that's right for you.
Ana is a marvellous and satisfying storyteller, and I happily recommend this book to any lover of fairy tales and to people interested in widening their literary experience of gender.
September 11, 2019
I would like to thank Ana Mardoll, Acacia Moon Publishing and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have DNFed this book, but gave it 2 stars because the book was okay; I was the problem.
I started this ARC for Reading Rush this year, but could not finish it in time. It's a collection of 7 short stories about queer main characters that have great destinies. The book itself seems great and I'm sure it is /will be some people's favourite book, but it wasn't for me.
I've read the first story - Tangled Nets - and gave it 3 stars, because I like the main character and the story as a whole, although some characters felt flat.
But when I got to the second story - King's Favor - I got really confused. So I lost interest in it and read other books, and when I tried to continue with this one, I felt like I just could not get on with it. So I decided to give up and focus on other books that are waiting for me.
Again, this is a beautiful and emotional book, and if you like short stories/anthologies and queer books, go for it. You might like it or even love it.
Unfortunately, I have DNFed this book, but gave it 2 stars because the book was okay; I was the problem.
I started this ARC for Reading Rush this year, but could not finish it in time. It's a collection of 7 short stories about queer main characters that have great destinies. The book itself seems great and I'm sure it is /will be some people's favourite book, but it wasn't for me.
I've read the first story - Tangled Nets - and gave it 3 stars, because I like the main character and the story as a whole, although some characters felt flat.
But when I got to the second story - King's Favor - I got really confused. So I lost interest in it and read other books, and when I tried to continue with this one, I felt like I just could not get on with it. So I decided to give up and focus on other books that are waiting for me.
Again, this is a beautiful and emotional book, and if you like short stories/anthologies and queer books, go for it. You might like it or even love it.
March 24, 2020
Wow I think that if you're transgender, gender-fluid or a nonbinary person, you should totally give this book a chance and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
I personally loved to see so many representations in a single book (even though I don't feel capable enough to talk about them since they don't represent me particularly), hopefully we'll get to see more books like this in the near future because they are needed.
Another extraordinary aspect of this book is that you have stories that are "coming out" ones and others where the characters' gender is understood and no one questions it! Sometimes what we all need is to read stories were the characters get to show their true selves without anyone judging like it happens in real life (at least that's my experience reading about lesbian characters).
Moreover, this is an anthology where all of the stories are fantasy ones but at the same time, all of them had their unique plot twist, world and extraordinary creatures. Tangled Nets, His Father's Son and The Wish-Giver have to be the stories that I loved the most but the other ones are not that far behind.
I would honestly recommend this collection of short stories to everyone, not only because we need more stories with these kind of representations but because the stories are also fun, interesting and gripping. There is magic, dragons, royalty, everything you could ask for in a fantasy collection plus amazing characters representing people that hadn't gotten their spot light in stories until now.
I personally loved to see so many representations in a single book (even though I don't feel capable enough to talk about them since they don't represent me particularly), hopefully we'll get to see more books like this in the near future because they are needed.
Another extraordinary aspect of this book is that you have stories that are "coming out" ones and others where the characters' gender is understood and no one questions it! Sometimes what we all need is to read stories were the characters get to show their true selves without anyone judging like it happens in real life (at least that's my experience reading about lesbian characters).
Moreover, this is an anthology where all of the stories are fantasy ones but at the same time, all of them had their unique plot twist, world and extraordinary creatures. Tangled Nets, His Father's Son and The Wish-Giver have to be the stories that I loved the most but the other ones are not that far behind.
I would honestly recommend this collection of short stories to everyone, not only because we need more stories with these kind of representations but because the stories are also fun, interesting and gripping. There is magic, dragons, royalty, everything you could ask for in a fantasy collection plus amazing characters representing people that hadn't gotten their spot light in stories until now.
April 30, 2020
A wonderfully queer collection of fairy tale like short stories. The first few stories were a bit vague and confusing but I wanted to continue on and read them all. I think the last three were my favourite. I particularly liked the twist on the Sleeping Beauty tale.
February 2, 2019
This is a short story collection full of magic, myths and dragons, but also full of characters with diverse gender identities.
The stories made me realize how much traditional fairy tales and heroic legends really rely in some ways on the traditional constructions of gender.
So what this collection does with the usual patterns is a pretty smart move: It doesn’t just have characters outside of the cis gender-binary, but also uses their gender identities as a twist to the tales’ expectations.
I love this concept and I think it is important to write and read these stories to help people get used to the idea of different genders, see how one can talk about them and learn to use the pronouns
(so one on complains that 'uh there were mistakes all over I want my money back' like I have seen it before in a review for a book with a non-binary character).
But what made me not rate this higher in the end was that the plots of the stories itself didn’t feel that special to me (with exceptions) and that after a while I didn’t enjoy them anymore because it felt all very repetitive.
The play with myth and gender was cool, but it was kind of the same twist over and over again in most of the stories.
The stories in this collection are still very much worth reading, but reading them all together took some of my fun with it away in the end, sadly.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
[Review on Tumblr]
The stories made me realize how much traditional fairy tales and heroic legends really rely in some ways on the traditional constructions of gender.
So what this collection does with the usual patterns is a pretty smart move: It doesn’t just have characters outside of the cis gender-binary, but also uses their gender identities as a twist to the tales’ expectations.
I love this concept and I think it is important to write and read these stories to help people get used to the idea of different genders, see how one can talk about them and learn to use the pronouns
(so one on complains that 'uh there were mistakes all over I want my money back' like I have seen it before in a review for a book with a non-binary character).
But what made me not rate this higher in the end was that the plots of the stories itself didn’t feel that special to me (with exceptions) and that after a while I didn’t enjoy them anymore because it felt all very repetitive.
The play with myth and gender was cool, but it was kind of the same twist over and over again in most of the stories.
The stories in this collection are still very much worth reading, but reading them all together took some of my fun with it away in the end, sadly.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
[Review on Tumblr]
January 12, 2019
*I Received this book by NetGalley for an honest Review*
Before we even start can we all take a second to swoon over this cover, seriously it drew me in right away. After reading the synopsis I was very interested. I can honestly say I had never read a book anything like it, and I'm trying very hard to expand my reading horizons with new books, genres and important topics. That being said I definitely only read this book for the cover and the fact it was LGBT, I'm still new to this world and know that I need to venture into with open eyes and heart so that I can have more of a perspective and opinion about the genre.
I know so far this reads as a disclaimer and it sort of is, because I definitely enjoyed this book, but it wasn't one of my top books of the new year, or ever. I enjoyed the writing format and the stories very much. I especially enjoyed the fairytales and loved how they have changes and alterations that don't take from the novelty of the original but still mold into the amazingness the author was going for. The world building and flow of he writing was wonderful, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something new and exciting.
Now for the subtle things I didn't quite like, some things felt forced and bland at times. Not so bad that I didn't enjoy the book overall, but enough that sometimes I had to put it down and come back to it. I found some of it a hollow, and made it hard to really connect. A little more depth and I would say this was a 5 star. This is my personal preference and has nothing to do with the subjects of the read.
Honestly this is a great read and I do recommend it, I'm not at all sorry for reading it and look forward to seeing more work by the author. She's very talented.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!
Before we even start can we all take a second to swoon over this cover, seriously it drew me in right away. After reading the synopsis I was very interested. I can honestly say I had never read a book anything like it, and I'm trying very hard to expand my reading horizons with new books, genres and important topics. That being said I definitely only read this book for the cover and the fact it was LGBT, I'm still new to this world and know that I need to venture into with open eyes and heart so that I can have more of a perspective and opinion about the genre.
I know so far this reads as a disclaimer and it sort of is, because I definitely enjoyed this book, but it wasn't one of my top books of the new year, or ever. I enjoyed the writing format and the stories very much. I especially enjoyed the fairytales and loved how they have changes and alterations that don't take from the novelty of the original but still mold into the amazingness the author was going for. The world building and flow of he writing was wonderful, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something new and exciting.
Now for the subtle things I didn't quite like, some things felt forced and bland at times. Not so bad that I didn't enjoy the book overall, but enough that sometimes I had to put it down and come back to it. I found some of it a hollow, and made it hard to really connect. A little more depth and I would say this was a 5 star. This is my personal preference and has nothing to do with the subjects of the read.
Honestly this is a great read and I do recommend it, I'm not at all sorry for reading it and look forward to seeing more work by the author. She's very talented.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!
February 13, 2020
what a great, important, absolutely incredible collection of stories. i could not even pick a favorite and only wish all of these were longer. i'm ready to read a whole trilogy on finndís or nocien or the little girl in the wish-giver!
more importantly, while reading this book i had to take a step back and look at myself, my opinions and experiences and own perceptions. it's an ongoing, complicated process but something i'm glad to work through.
more importantly, while reading this book i had to take a step back and look at myself, my opinions and experiences and own perceptions. it's an ongoing, complicated process but something i'm glad to work through.
January 3, 2021
I received an advanced reading copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book features seven short stories all about trans and nonbinary character with a twist on the common trope "no man of woman born". The idea is ingenious and all of these stories are very different from one another.
The author herself says it in her notes but I loved that no wrong pronouns or deadnames were included unless absolutely necessary. You can tell it's not necessary at all, there were enough other troubles around to keep the story interesting.
Tangled Nets:
★★★✩✩
I loved the whole setup of this story and dragons are always a plus. But it was hard to get into the writing and the ending felt quite rushed. Wren was an interesting character but I'd wished to see more of the relationship with xir sister.
King's Favor
★★★✩✩
This story just confused me. I was not hooked on the idea, the magic felt unexplained and again, the ending felt at odds with the beginning. I wished there had been more of a focus on witches.
His Father's Son
★★★★✩
This story really grabbed me. Nocien's life had a terrible start but his family was so accepting and supportive. I would have loved to read more of it.
Daughter of Kings
★★★★✩
I love this one. Being in Finndís head and following her journey was lovely and her relationship with her brother and her friend was adorable.
Early to Rise
★★★✩✩
A Sleeping Beauty Retelling which was simply okay. While the overall arc was not much, the ending surprised me and after that ending I wanted like 100 more pages.
No Man of Woman Born
★★★✩✩
This was an odd one. I loved the organizations that sprung from the prophecy and the different ideas and interpretations. And I loved how Innes was still learning about himself. It made a lot of sense in his situations and the explorations felt very genuine.
The Wish-Giver
★★★✩✩
I feel this was too short to have a strong impact but I loved the overall message. And again, dragons who grant wishes? Totally up my alley.
This book features seven short stories all about trans and nonbinary character with a twist on the common trope "no man of woman born". The idea is ingenious and all of these stories are very different from one another.
The author herself says it in her notes but I loved that no wrong pronouns or deadnames were included unless absolutely necessary. You can tell it's not necessary at all, there were enough other troubles around to keep the story interesting.
Tangled Nets:
★★★✩✩
I loved the whole setup of this story and dragons are always a plus. But it was hard to get into the writing and the ending felt quite rushed. Wren was an interesting character but I'd wished to see more of the relationship with xir sister.
King's Favor
★★★✩✩
This story just confused me. I was not hooked on the idea, the magic felt unexplained and again, the ending felt at odds with the beginning. I wished there had been more of a focus on witches.
His Father's Son
★★★★✩
This story really grabbed me. Nocien's life had a terrible start but his family was so accepting and supportive. I would have loved to read more of it.
Daughter of Kings
★★★★✩
I love this one. Being in Finndís head and following her journey was lovely and her relationship with her brother and her friend was adorable.
Early to Rise
★★★✩✩
A Sleeping Beauty Retelling which was simply okay. While the overall arc was not much, the ending surprised me and after that ending I wanted like 100 more pages.
No Man of Woman Born
★★★✩✩
This was an odd one. I loved the organizations that sprung from the prophecy and the different ideas and interpretations. And I loved how Innes was still learning about himself. It made a lot of sense in his situations and the explorations felt very genuine.
The Wish-Giver
★★★✩✩
I feel this was too short to have a strong impact but I loved the overall message. And again, dragons who grant wishes? Totally up my alley.
Read
August 13, 2022DNF @ 19%. Fine, I’m just not in the mood for fairy tale vibes… so idk why I picked this up at all haha. I did like the varied pronoun use and the cover is fun as well. I might return to this another time.
June 17, 2020
So this was a very interesting read for me. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book other than that it was a bunch of short stories all featuring trans, non-binary (or questioning) protagonists, I am pretty sure one character was Ace, but this wasn't confirmed on the page, so I'm not going to say its rep for that. This book contained 7 fairy tale retelling, each focusing on a different gender identify or sexuality. The stories were really well written and it was a really thought provoking read and made me think about a lot of the things I take for granted. It was also interesting to hear some new pronouns I've never heard before (like, I knew there were alternative pronouns some like ze/zim I had heard of before, but the rest I hadn't). Each story confronted a different gender-specific prophecy (ie. a daughter of will do X, a son of will do Y, no man or woman will kill...., etc etc) and how this works when the person the prophecy is about is trans or non-binary. One thing I really loved about this world that was while people sometimes didn't understand or didn't believe characters about their identity from the start there was no outright transphobia in the book. There was also one really interesting story featuring a world where there were multiple non-binary people and it also discus what it is like to question your identity, but also how there is an adjustment period with regards to getting the pronouns right and how to deal with that which I thought was a really nice touch. This book really got me thinking and I do feel like to some extend I understand my non-binary and trans friends/acquaintances better now.
One thing I really appreciated in this book was that before each short story there was a list of trigger warnings as well as a neopronoun pronunciation guide. As I said I didn't know all the pronouns so they did take a little bit to get used to for the stories that used them.That being said I loved the use of them, I feel like for the people that use neopronouns this book will be an incredibly great breath of fresh air since for once they will be able to see themselves represented on a page. In addition to that I think this book can be really powerful in exposing the rest of us to using different neopronouns and opening our minds and hearts to them and eventually breed a better understanding for the problems people who are unlike ourselves face. I think that understanding these things can allow all of us to help each other more and I hope this book grows more popular so that it can breed more compassion, empathy and understanding.
Even though I loved it and its a new favorite and I'll be rereading these for sure and if I have nieces and nephews I'll probably be telling them these versions of the fairy tales (because I'll probably be *that* kind of aunt), they are, much like the original fairy tales, a little shallow & surface level. There were times, like with the story " no man of woman born" where I just wanted to know what happens after, or "Daughter of Kings" and "His fathers son" where I just wanted to know more of the world. That being said I know it is the nature of short stories to be exactly that, short. That being said I will gladly read more from this author if the rest of their books are even half as interesting as this one.
One thing I really appreciated in this book was that before each short story there was a list of trigger warnings as well as a neopronoun pronunciation guide. As I said I didn't know all the pronouns so they did take a little bit to get used to for the stories that used them.That being said I loved the use of them, I feel like for the people that use neopronouns this book will be an incredibly great breath of fresh air since for once they will be able to see themselves represented on a page. In addition to that I think this book can be really powerful in exposing the rest of us to using different neopronouns and opening our minds and hearts to them and eventually breed a better understanding for the problems people who are unlike ourselves face. I think that understanding these things can allow all of us to help each other more and I hope this book grows more popular so that it can breed more compassion, empathy and understanding.
Even though I loved it and its a new favorite and I'll be rereading these for sure and if I have nieces and nephews I'll probably be telling them these versions of the fairy tales (because I'll probably be *that* kind of aunt), they are, much like the original fairy tales, a little shallow & surface level. There were times, like with the story " no man of woman born" where I just wanted to know what happens after, or "Daughter of Kings" and "His fathers son" where I just wanted to know more of the world. That being said I know it is the nature of short stories to be exactly that, short. That being said I will gladly read more from this author if the rest of their books are even half as interesting as this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
June 19, 2020TWs are listed at the beginning of each story
Rep: all trans/nonbinary/genderqueer mc’s, several with neo-pronouns
Since I listened to the whole thing at work on audio, doing reviews for all the stories is a bit hard, so just know that I liked them fine but none were particularly incredible to me.
Rep: all trans/nonbinary/genderqueer mc’s, several with neo-pronouns
Since I listened to the whole thing at work on audio, doing reviews for all the stories is a bit hard, so just know that I liked them fine but none were particularly incredible to me.
January 12, 2019
*I Received this book by NetGalley for an honest Review*
Before we even start can we all take a second to swoon over this cover, seriously it drew me in right away. After reading the synopsis I was very interested. I can honestly say I had never read a book anything like it, and I'm trying very hard to expand my reading horizons with new books, genres and important topics. That being said I definitely only read this book for the cover and the fact it was LGBT, I'm still new to this world and know that I need to venture into with open eyes and heart so that I can have more of a perspective and opinion about the genre.
I know so far this reads as a disclaimer and it sort of is, because I definitely enjoyed this book, but it wasn't one of my top books of the new year, or ever. I enjoyed the writing format and the stories very much. I especially enjoyed the fairytales and loved how they have changes and alterations that don't take from the novelty of the original but still mold into the amazingness the author was going for. The world building and flow of he writing was wonderful, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something new and exciting.
Now for the subtle things I didn't quite like, some things felt forced and bland at times. Not so bad that I didn't enjoy the book overall, but enough that sometimes I had to put it down and come back to it. I found some of it a hollow, and made it hard to really connect. A little more depth and I would say this was a 5 star. This is my personal preference and has nothing to do with the subjects of the read.
Honestly this is a great read and I do recommend it, I'm not at all sorry for reading it and look forward to seeing more work by the author. She's very talented.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!
Before we even start can we all take a second to swoon over this cover, seriously it drew me in right away. After reading the synopsis I was very interested. I can honestly say I had never read a book anything like it, and I'm trying very hard to expand my reading horizons with new books, genres and important topics. That being said I definitely only read this book for the cover and the fact it was LGBT, I'm still new to this world and know that I need to venture into with open eyes and heart so that I can have more of a perspective and opinion about the genre.
I know so far this reads as a disclaimer and it sort of is, because I definitely enjoyed this book, but it wasn't one of my top books of the new year, or ever. I enjoyed the writing format and the stories very much. I especially enjoyed the fairytales and loved how they have changes and alterations that don't take from the novelty of the original but still mold into the amazingness the author was going for. The world building and flow of he writing was wonderful, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something new and exciting.
Now for the subtle things I didn't quite like, some things felt forced and bland at times. Not so bad that I didn't enjoy the book overall, but enough that sometimes I had to put it down and come back to it. I found some of it a hollow, and made it hard to really connect. A little more depth and I would say this was a 5 star. This is my personal preference and has nothing to do with the subjects of the read.
Honestly this is a great read and I do recommend it, I'm not at all sorry for reading it and look forward to seeing more work by the author. She's very talented.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!
January 5, 2022
These stories aren't especially deep, and sometimes they're a bit cheesy, and because the whole concept of the collection is "prophecies subverted by transness" a few of them are pretty predictable - but none of that really matters. No Man of Woman Born doesn't try to be anything more than what it is: light, escapist high fantasy aimed at younger audiences. And it does that admirably, while being extremely affirming all the way.
I wish I'd read this book when I was younger. And I hope that many, many people read it today, and going on into the future, who are at the age when it matters most. What age that is exactly I'm not sure - I'm terrible at guessing standard reading age - but preteens, certainly, and probably a good bit younger than that as well. Trans kids, of course, but cis kids as well, and especially - especially - kids who are not quite sure what they are yet, or who haven't been given the opportunity to consider it.
Please distribute this book to your children. (Or yourself.)
Selling points: trans protagonists across a wide spectrum of genders; background trans and otherwise queer representation; an aromantic protagonist trapped in a prophecy about True Love; in one story, interesting polyam family structures; all of this handled with respect; escapism.
Warnings: honestly, none - not only did I find it overall inoffensive and light, but individual stories are also prefaced with generous content warnings. There's a bit of a focus on Chosen Ones and also on monarchy, but these are kind of inimical to the concept and genre, and not every story in the collection goes this way.
I wish I'd read this book when I was younger. And I hope that many, many people read it today, and going on into the future, who are at the age when it matters most. What age that is exactly I'm not sure - I'm terrible at guessing standard reading age - but preteens, certainly, and probably a good bit younger than that as well. Trans kids, of course, but cis kids as well, and especially - especially - kids who are not quite sure what they are yet, or who haven't been given the opportunity to consider it.
Please distribute this book to your children. (Or yourself.)
Selling points: trans protagonists across a wide spectrum of genders; background trans and otherwise queer representation; an aromantic protagonist trapped in a prophecy about True Love; in one story, interesting polyam family structures; all of this handled with respect; escapism.
Warnings: honestly, none - not only did I find it overall inoffensive and light, but individual stories are also prefaced with generous content warnings. There's a bit of a focus on Chosen Ones and also on monarchy, but these are kind of inimical to the concept and genre, and not every story in the collection goes this way.
October 26, 2024
Fantasy short story collection featuring trans heroes who subvert gendered prophecies. Did you *really* like that scene in Lord of the Rings where Eowyn said “I am no man” before slaying the Witch King? If yes, this collection is for you. Who knew magical prophecies cared so much about gender? Short stories aren’t a medium I generally like but I read them for the r/Fantasy bingo square. These stories were too short to give them depth or fully realize any of the ideas in them, I was bored by most to the point I had to keep rewinding the audiobook since I was tuning them out. Oops. I liked “True Love’s Kiss” the best, where an aromantic genderfluid Princess is tasked with finding true love to avert disaster. There’s never enough aro rep and I liked how the character was able to achieve a non-romantic happy ending
January 21, 2019
This is a collection of stories that all feature trans, nonbinary or gender fluid characters in a fantasy world where we don’t usually find them.
What was particularly great about it is that these stories take place in the typical medieval setting, devoid of hormone therapy or anything that would help someone pass, yet there is never anyone purposely misgendering anyone else.
As with any short story collection, I liked some of the stories more than others, but my favorites are the ones that feature someone fulfilling a prophecy that no one suspects they are the chosen one of, due to the prophecy specifying a gender that no one knows this character is.
What was particularly great about it is that these stories take place in the typical medieval setting, devoid of hormone therapy or anything that would help someone pass, yet there is never anyone purposely misgendering anyone else.
As with any short story collection, I liked some of the stories more than others, but my favorites are the ones that feature someone fulfilling a prophecy that no one suspects they are the chosen one of, due to the prophecy specifying a gender that no one knows this character is.
November 20, 2018
I am in love with this collection of short stories.
I can see myself in them because for once non-binary and trans people are represented in such a way that it is not a trope or some major plot point for the rest of the characters.
Them being trans is aid to the story rather than the story!
I also like the way content warnings and neo pronouns are used. Authors, take notes and do it that way!
I am grateful for this book and i cannot recommend it enough! Everyone, especially trans people, go read it!
I can see myself in them because for once non-binary and trans people are represented in such a way that it is not a trope or some major plot point for the rest of the characters.
Them being trans is aid to the story rather than the story!
I also like the way content warnings and neo pronouns are used. Authors, take notes and do it that way!
I am grateful for this book and i cannot recommend it enough! Everyone, especially trans people, go read it!
April 8, 2019
Simply put, wow. I needed this book and I had no idea until I picked it up on a whim.
No Man of Woman Born is a collection of seven short stories, all featuring trans and nonbinary characters in epic fantasy settings. Aside from how overjoyed I was with the representation in this collection, I must take a moment to comment on Mardoll's incredible talent as a writer. In each brief story xie conjures an elaborate, fleshed out world that could support its own collection of tales. Though the world xie creates may be filled with strife and warfare, xer characters persevere. While some protagonists experienced hardship in their past, none suffer gruesome deaths or tragic fates, no characters are deadnamed, and misgendering and bigotry are minimal. Each story elegantly subverts well established tropes in the fantasy genre, and left me smiling each time it did. Mardoll puts the heart of this book best in xer own words:
I loved this book from cover to cover and I highly recommend it to any lovers of fantasy, retellings, and queer fiction.
I received my copy of No Man of Woman Born from Acacia Moon Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
No Man of Woman Born is a collection of seven short stories, all featuring trans and nonbinary characters in epic fantasy settings. Aside from how overjoyed I was with the representation in this collection, I must take a moment to comment on Mardoll's incredible talent as a writer. In each brief story xie conjures an elaborate, fleshed out world that could support its own collection of tales. Though the world xie creates may be filled with strife and warfare, xer characters persevere. While some protagonists experienced hardship in their past, none suffer gruesome deaths or tragic fates, no characters are deadnamed, and misgendering and bigotry are minimal. Each story elegantly subverts well established tropes in the fantasy genre, and left me smiling each time it did. Mardoll puts the heart of this book best in xer own words:
"The heroes and heroines in these pages aren't special because they are trans; they are special and they are trans."
I loved this book from cover to cover and I highly recommend it to any lovers of fantasy, retellings, and queer fiction.
I received my copy of No Man of Woman Born from Acacia Moon Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 8, 2019
This short story collection was a sheer joy to read and I can't even begin to imagine how wonderful it would be for younger people to read this - especially those who are questioning their gender. I wish my teenage self had had something as wonderful and empowering as this to read.
Now onto the stories themselves. They are all self-contained, and come with a list of content warnings at the beginning, which I thought was really nicely done and something that more authors should consider doing. And they were all just really nice, I don't know what more I can say! The writing was excellent, the characters well fleshed-out despite them being so short. I particularly enjoyed the last one, which was short but oh, so sweet.
If there were more books like this the world would be a kinder and lovelier place. I especially appreciated this as a fantasy fan, and the nods to prophecies and the way their wording can be twisted, were excellently done.
I hope to see more from Ana Mardoll in future, as well as more inclusive fantasy for people of all genders.
Thanks of course go to Netgalley for the free copy of No Man of Woman Born. This hasn't influenced my opinion in any way (except that I am super happy to have come across it on there!)
Now onto the stories themselves. They are all self-contained, and come with a list of content warnings at the beginning, which I thought was really nicely done and something that more authors should consider doing. And they were all just really nice, I don't know what more I can say! The writing was excellent, the characters well fleshed-out despite them being so short. I particularly enjoyed the last one, which was short but oh, so sweet.
If there were more books like this the world would be a kinder and lovelier place. I especially appreciated this as a fantasy fan, and the nods to prophecies and the way their wording can be twisted, were excellently done.
I hope to see more from Ana Mardoll in future, as well as more inclusive fantasy for people of all genders.
Thanks of course go to Netgalley for the free copy of No Man of Woman Born. This hasn't influenced my opinion in any way (except that I am super happy to have come across it on there!)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews