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Transmogrify!
Perfect for fans of All Out and Cemetery Boys, this anthology claims a seat at the table of fantasy literature for trans and gender nonconforming stories.
Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.
Featuring stories from:
AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy
g. haron davis
Mason Deaver
Jonathan Lenore Kastin
Emery Lee
Saundra Mitchell
Cam Montgomery
Ash Nouveau
Sonora Reyes
Renee Reynolds
Dove Salvatierra
Ayida Shonibar
Francesca Tacchi
Nik Traxler
Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.
Featuring stories from:
AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy
g. haron davis
Mason Deaver
Jonathan Lenore Kastin
Emery Lee
Saundra Mitchell
Cam Montgomery
Ash Nouveau
Sonora Reyes
Renee Reynolds
Dove Salvatierra
Ayida Shonibar
Francesca Tacchi
Nik Traxler
Unknown Binding
First published May 16, 2023
139 people are currently reading
7931 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews
April 27, 2023
An anthology of trans+nonbinary fantasy??? Written by all trans+nonbinary authors??? HIT ME!
Initial thoughts: a few of these were incredible, but most were fairly meh. I'm very torn. Rtc.
REVIEW
THE GREATS
Origin Story by Saundra Mitchell – this is hands-down the best story in the book, so I’m not surprised they decided to open with it! A ‘trailer trash’ enby kid has been kicked out of magic school, but their adventures aren’t over. Fierce, bold, bright, gorgeous. Daisy, the MC, is fucking epic, and the take on and description of magic was beautiful. I would happily devour a series of novels, or novellas, if Mitchell decided to expand Daisy’s story! 10/10
Bite the Hand by Nik Traxler–Pinar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd – dreamy and surreal and gorgeous, like honey dripping from broken glass. It fit perfectly into its page count, but I would love to see it expanded a little into a novella. The way the blurred lines between gender echoed the blurry boundary between monster and not-monster??? *chef’s kiss* 10/10
If I can’t have love, I want power. by g. haron-davis – if this story were a person, I would dance with them and twirl them. I loved loved LOVED how haron-davis gave a middle finger to how magical-bargain stories usually go; I loved the healthy selfishness and the sharp edges and how much the MC deserves the magic they ask for. 10/10
Espjismos by Dove Salvatierra – slow and simmering, a tale of old fears and new loneliness and growing into hope. Also, very wonderful shapeshifters. 9/10
THE GOODS
High Tide by Francesca Tacchi – a very cool premise built around water magic in a kind of island nation, with a MC who has to get a goddess’ approval to be allowed to take part in their people’s strictly-gendered traditions. I think it would have done better as a novella, or ideally a full novel; it felt very rushed, and could have done with a bit more polishing, but I appreciated the unconventional love interest and an ending that went against expectations. 7/10
In a Name by Ayida Shonibar – another with an excellent premise, and possibly the best opening line in the book; On the eve of my seventeenth birthday, I prepare to earn the seventh–and final–letter of my name. Gender is determined by whether your chakras spin clockwise or counter-clockwise, and you earn a letter of your name for every chakra you learn to control. But what if you can’t, or don’t want to? 8/10
The Hallow King by Jonathan Lenore Kastin – a summon-a-monster revenge fantasy, wherein a young trans man sets the titular Hallow King on various transphobic assholes at his school. I liked it a lot, right up until the very wishy-washy ending. I felt particularly let down by the advice the MC’s witchy (and ghostly) ancestor had on dealing with transphobia. 7/10
Seagulls and Other Birds of Prey by Ash Nouveau – this was so cute!!! About a young witch whose passion is customising their broomstick, and just wants to be allowed to play in the local tournament. I’m a complete sucker for characters who have a hobby they’re passionate about, and I loved seeing them find a team of fellow misfits to play with. Absolutely nailed the tone it was going for. 8/10
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
Initial thoughts: a few of these were incredible, but most were fairly meh. I'm very torn. Rtc.
REVIEW
THE GREATS
Origin Story by Saundra Mitchell – this is hands-down the best story in the book, so I’m not surprised they decided to open with it! A ‘trailer trash’ enby kid has been kicked out of magic school, but their adventures aren’t over. Fierce, bold, bright, gorgeous. Daisy, the MC, is fucking epic, and the take on and description of magic was beautiful. I would happily devour a series of novels, or novellas, if Mitchell decided to expand Daisy’s story! 10/10
Bite the Hand by Nik Traxler–Pinar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd – dreamy and surreal and gorgeous, like honey dripping from broken glass. It fit perfectly into its page count, but I would love to see it expanded a little into a novella. The way the blurred lines between gender echoed the blurry boundary between monster and not-monster??? *chef’s kiss* 10/10
If I can’t have love, I want power. by g. haron-davis – if this story were a person, I would dance with them and twirl them. I loved loved LOVED how haron-davis gave a middle finger to how magical-bargain stories usually go; I loved the healthy selfishness and the sharp edges and how much the MC deserves the magic they ask for. 10/10
Espjismos by Dove Salvatierra – slow and simmering, a tale of old fears and new loneliness and growing into hope. Also, very wonderful shapeshifters. 9/10
THE GOODS
High Tide by Francesca Tacchi – a very cool premise built around water magic in a kind of island nation, with a MC who has to get a goddess’ approval to be allowed to take part in their people’s strictly-gendered traditions. I think it would have done better as a novella, or ideally a full novel; it felt very rushed, and could have done with a bit more polishing, but I appreciated the unconventional love interest and an ending that went against expectations. 7/10
In a Name by Ayida Shonibar – another with an excellent premise, and possibly the best opening line in the book; On the eve of my seventeenth birthday, I prepare to earn the seventh–and final–letter of my name. Gender is determined by whether your chakras spin clockwise or counter-clockwise, and you earn a letter of your name for every chakra you learn to control. But what if you can’t, or don’t want to? 8/10
The Hallow King by Jonathan Lenore Kastin – a summon-a-monster revenge fantasy, wherein a young trans man sets the titular Hallow King on various transphobic assholes at his school. I liked it a lot, right up until the very wishy-washy ending. I felt particularly let down by the advice the MC’s witchy (and ghostly) ancestor had on dealing with transphobia. 7/10
Seagulls and Other Birds of Prey by Ash Nouveau – this was so cute!!! About a young witch whose passion is customising their broomstick, and just wants to be allowed to play in the local tournament. I’m a complete sucker for characters who have a hobby they’re passionate about, and I loved seeing them find a team of fellow misfits to play with. Absolutely nailed the tone it was going for. 8/10
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
Currently reading
August 29, 2023I was really excited for this book. Keyword, was. Now I'm not sure.
The editor responded to a critique of a lack of transfem representation that was relatively mild in a three star review (essentially what I put if the book was still pretty engaging) with a Twitter thread that essentially ended up calling trans women men. Their defense? "oh, i'm a sarcastic s.o.b."
Look, no one collection is going to be emblematic of the entire trans experience. And I get that. But if you don't feature trans women in your collection, own it. Don't hide behind queer identity being messy to avoid critique. Gender fluidity and shifting identity can be a thing and you still may have a glaring absence in your work. And ESPECIALLY don't reiterate TERF talking points and then go all "I'm a little birthday boy" about it. That's not cute and doesn't help your case.
My problems with the collection itself is likely to be small. I don't want to buy this anymore, but I likely was going to request a library copy anyway. Writers gave their all for this, their opinions are not the editor's, and I intend to write as fair a review as I can. That being said, the well has kind of been poisoned by the editor. If anything, I'm sure the nbi, genderqueer, genderfluid, etc. people and trans men in this collection didn't sign up to essentially be called "women lite" by the editor and sarcasm is a poor excuse for doing that to them. I just want to read it more because they definitely deserve better than this.
EDIT: Wow, I didn't expect this to be the second most liked review on the book's page, but, um, yeah. I've mellowed a bit on this, but the editor at least has some unexamined transmisogynistic biases, but then, we all have some biased. Still, y'all have asked for receipts, so here they are. It's worth noting Lydia's review did use the term "binary trans," and that could've been critiqued, but it wasn't.
Direct Link to Lydia's Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
g.'s response (note particularly the "~female~" authors bit. They've since claimed otherwise, but I just don't see how that can't be taken as anything other than contempt directed at transfems in context. If you claim it's a good faith effort to include transfems in the sequel, why say you're being petty at all?): https://web.archive.org/web/202304262...
g.'s apology: https://twitter.com/ghd_twt/status/16...
g.'s explanation: https://twitter.com/ghd_twt/status/16...
The editor responded to a critique of a lack of transfem representation that was relatively mild in a three star review (essentially what I put if the book was still pretty engaging) with a Twitter thread that essentially ended up calling trans women men. Their defense? "oh, i'm a sarcastic s.o.b."
Look, no one collection is going to be emblematic of the entire trans experience. And I get that. But if you don't feature trans women in your collection, own it. Don't hide behind queer identity being messy to avoid critique. Gender fluidity and shifting identity can be a thing and you still may have a glaring absence in your work. And ESPECIALLY don't reiterate TERF talking points and then go all "I'm a little birthday boy" about it. That's not cute and doesn't help your case.
My problems with the collection itself is likely to be small. I don't want to buy this anymore, but I likely was going to request a library copy anyway. Writers gave their all for this, their opinions are not the editor's, and I intend to write as fair a review as I can. That being said, the well has kind of been poisoned by the editor. If anything, I'm sure the nbi, genderqueer, genderfluid, etc. people and trans men in this collection didn't sign up to essentially be called "women lite" by the editor and sarcasm is a poor excuse for doing that to them. I just want to read it more because they definitely deserve better than this.
EDIT: Wow, I didn't expect this to be the second most liked review on the book's page, but, um, yeah. I've mellowed a bit on this, but the editor at least has some unexamined transmisogynistic biases, but then, we all have some biased. Still, y'all have asked for receipts, so here they are. It's worth noting Lydia's review did use the term "binary trans," and that could've been critiqued, but it wasn't.
Direct Link to Lydia's Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
g.'s response (note particularly the "~female~" authors bit. They've since claimed otherwise, but I just don't see how that can't be taken as anything other than contempt directed at transfems in context. If you claim it's a good faith effort to include transfems in the sequel, why say you're being petty at all?): https://web.archive.org/web/202304262...
g.'s apology: https://twitter.com/ghd_twt/status/16...
g.'s explanation: https://twitter.com/ghd_twt/status/16...
Read
April 28, 2023As always with anthologies, this was a mixed bag. Transmogrify! is an anthology of short stories focused trans characters and magic, with most stories about a magic school.
I read this one full of good intentions, intending to take notes for each story but as I got bored with most of them I stopped, which is why no all are reviewed here.
Origin Story by Saundra Mitchell: queer kid kicked out of magic school. Ends up in Indiana. What is even the plot. Boring 2☆
Halloween love by sonora reyes: elemental witch magic hair color. HS love story. 4☆ wasn't bad but there was not much going on
Verity by renee reynolds: the writing and especially dialogue was painful
Dragons names themselves by capetta and Mccarthy : It's cute, two teenstaking care of a dragon egg 5☆ (this one being one of my favourite surprised me as I have disliked everything I've read by those two authors in the past)
High tide by Francesca tacchi: Italian setting but don't remember anything else
In a name by Ayida Shonibar: no thoughts
The Hallow King: was fun
Genderella: a trans lesbian Cinderella! It worked so well as a retelling I loved this one
Note: not including trans women in a trans anthology is a bit unserious (or not even looking for trans women writing self published fantasy right now). It seems like the stories are all by nonbinary writers too but I am not sure if it was intentional when I looked up the original pitch
26/04: so the editor is now upset that people (they seem to be subtweeting either me or another reviewer who said the same things as in my note) have pointed it out the lack of trans women writing for the anthology and have made transmisogynistic comments. This is still an anthology and if you want to support and read some of your favourite authors who wrote for it go ahead some of those stories are enjoyable.
But I would have thought that an anthology wanting to represent varied and colourful transness would have put in the effort.
I read this one full of good intentions, intending to take notes for each story but as I got bored with most of them I stopped, which is why no all are reviewed here.
Origin Story by Saundra Mitchell: queer kid kicked out of magic school. Ends up in Indiana. What is even the plot. Boring 2☆
Halloween love by sonora reyes: elemental witch magic hair color. HS love story. 4☆ wasn't bad but there was not much going on
Verity by renee reynolds: the writing and especially dialogue was painful
Dragons names themselves by capetta and Mccarthy : It's cute, two teenstaking care of a dragon egg 5☆ (this one being one of my favourite surprised me as I have disliked everything I've read by those two authors in the past)
High tide by Francesca tacchi: Italian setting but don't remember anything else
In a name by Ayida Shonibar: no thoughts
The Hallow King: was fun
Genderella: a trans lesbian Cinderella! It worked so well as a retelling I loved this one
Note: not including trans women in a trans anthology is a bit unserious (or not even looking for trans women writing self published fantasy right now). It seems like the stories are all by nonbinary writers too but I am not sure if it was intentional when I looked up the original pitch
26/04: so the editor is now upset that people (they seem to be subtweeting either me or another reviewer who said the same things as in my note) have pointed it out the lack of trans women writing for the anthology and have made transmisogynistic comments. This is still an anthology and if you want to support and read some of your favourite authors who wrote for it go ahead some of those stories are enjoyable.
But I would have thought that an anthology wanting to represent varied and colourful transness would have put in the effort.
April 26, 2023
This is an honest review of the NetGalley eARC
This collection was just okay. There were a few stories I really liked: Dragons Name Themselves, In a Name, and Espejismos stood out for different reasons, the first being a good take on a magical school format, the second having interesting but understandable worldbuilding that didn’t do too much, and the third being beautifully atmospheric and folkloric. However, a lot the the stories either had too much worldbuilding and left me confused or wanting more when they ended, or were a bit trite. The characters in each story seemed to face a lot of the same very stock evil transphobia or “only binary gender allowed” problems and it was quite simplistic, especially in stories like Genderella and Seagulls. I found it interesting that every author who contributed to this anthology appears to be non-binary; I was surprised there was no representation of binary trans authors, especially trans women, though there was a bit of trans woman representation in the stories themselves. Regardless, I’m still glad all these trans authors were able to come together and create a trans centered project; it’s just not completely what I expected based on the description. I didn’t like how the final story The Door to the Other Side handled the topic of suicide and regret thereof; they kind of downplayed it and made it okay because the characters start to fall for each other. It kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.
This collection was just okay. There were a few stories I really liked: Dragons Name Themselves, In a Name, and Espejismos stood out for different reasons, the first being a good take on a magical school format, the second having interesting but understandable worldbuilding that didn’t do too much, and the third being beautifully atmospheric and folkloric. However, a lot the the stories either had too much worldbuilding and left me confused or wanting more when they ended, or were a bit trite. The characters in each story seemed to face a lot of the same very stock evil transphobia or “only binary gender allowed” problems and it was quite simplistic, especially in stories like Genderella and Seagulls. I found it interesting that every author who contributed to this anthology appears to be non-binary; I was surprised there was no representation of binary trans authors, especially trans women, though there was a bit of trans woman representation in the stories themselves. Regardless, I’m still glad all these trans authors were able to come together and create a trans centered project; it’s just not completely what I expected based on the description. I didn’t like how the final story The Door to the Other Side handled the topic of suicide and regret thereof; they kind of downplayed it and made it okay because the characters start to fall for each other. It kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.
February 5, 2023
Transmogrify! is a spectacular binding of trans and queer fantasy stories. This has an imposing lineup of authors so if you're familiar with trans novels you'll likely recognize at least one author. My favorite author on this list is Mason Deaver; if you know me, you'll read anything they write. Ignoring that, I enjoyed a majority of the stories! Anthologies are always a mixed bag but this was definitely on the better side. I adored the representation in this and the different ways it was displayed. I am so happy that a book full of Trans joy exists. The only real downside was that stories focused more on fantasy elements and did not have much time to progress and develop. That is probably why I enjoyed the low fantasy stories more but that was just my preference. Overall, this is a fun read I'd recommend to any queer people looking for short stories full of magic.
December 5, 2024
This is an anthology of fourteen short stories by transgender authors about transgender characters that involve magic in some way!
As is the case with pretty much any anthology you come across, some of the stories in here were better than others. My personal favourites were Mason Deaver’s Genderella, a mostly contemporary retelling of Cinderella featuring a trans girl teenager as the protagonist, Cam Montgomery’s Bend The Truth, Break It Too, featuring a cursed non-binary shopkeeper who cannot leave their shop and is constantly having to fight off possession, and Dove Salvatierra’s Espejismos, about a Latinx person in what seems to be a post-apocalyptic world who’s struggling to both survive in his family home and to reckon with his late father’s expectations of him.
A lot of these stories felt samey, though. You’d think with the freedom to write anything so long as the main characters are trans and there’s magic involved there’d be a little more variety, but no. A lot of these stories are set in a world where women do magic type A and men do magic type B and our brave non-binary protagonist has to argue their case to be allowed to do magic A/B/A+B/C (delete as applicable) and it got a bit tiring after a while. One story with this plot would’ve been enough. The point of an anthology is to have lots of different stories along a similar theme (in this case, transness and magic as a whole) but this started to feel like the same story again and again with different set dressings, and as a non-binary reader frankly it got depressing very quickly. I was hoping for a little more trans magic and not as much transphobia.
If a story wasn’t about a non-binary kid having to fight to be allowed to participate in things, then it was probably about a magic school in some capacity. I do understand why contributors wanted to write about magic schools. A story involving a magic school that centres transgender characters is something of a targeted screw you at a certain once beloved children’s author. But, again, there were a lot of stories involving a magic school, and the only one that seemed to have anything interesting to say was the one told from the perspective of the school itself, which, I’ve now double checked, is the one written by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, and their ability to do something actually interesting is likely unsurprising.
There were very few transfem characters throughout this anthology. Out of fourteen stories, a grand total of only one features a trans girl main character. There’s another with a trans girl love interest, but she’s not the protagonist. Unless I’ve missed something major, that’s it. The overwhelming majority of protagonists in this anthology are non-binary, there are a couple of trans boys, and there is a single trans girl. This is an issue! I’m non-binary. I recognise that non-binary characters are underrepresented. But trans women are also underrepresented, if not more so, and them being so noticeably absent from this anthology is not a great look. This anthology is claiming to depict a wide range of trans experiences. If that’s really the case, you’d expect there to be more trans girls than there are.
This anthology has come under fire recently for not having any trans women or transfem contributors. It’s true that demanding people be entirely open about any queer identities they may align with isn’t a good thing to be doing. Nobody should be forced out of the closet and in many cases it can be genuinely unsafe for people to come out. However, every single contributing author is already openly transgender in some way, making this something of a flimsy defence in this case. To put it charitably, not making sure to include at least one openly transfem contributor to this trans anthology was a mistake, and it’s one that I hope won’t be made again.
In all, this anthology was fine. I liked some stories more than I liked others, which is typical for anthologies! But its claim to include a diverse range of trans experiences when it very plainly does not sours my feelings on it by a lot. In isolation, I wouldn’t even mind the majority of the stories being about non-binary characters provided there were also multiple stories about other varieties of transness, but there aren’t. The lack of stories about trans girls, and the lack of transfem contributors, are glaring omissions that are probably indicative of wider issues in the publishing industry as a whole.
Thank you to HarperTeen for sending me an arc in return for an honest review.
Rep: trans protagonists (mainly non-binary)
CW:
As is the case with pretty much any anthology you come across, some of the stories in here were better than others. My personal favourites were Mason Deaver’s Genderella, a mostly contemporary retelling of Cinderella featuring a trans girl teenager as the protagonist, Cam Montgomery’s Bend The Truth, Break It Too, featuring a cursed non-binary shopkeeper who cannot leave their shop and is constantly having to fight off possession, and Dove Salvatierra’s Espejismos, about a Latinx person in what seems to be a post-apocalyptic world who’s struggling to both survive in his family home and to reckon with his late father’s expectations of him.
A lot of these stories felt samey, though. You’d think with the freedom to write anything so long as the main characters are trans and there’s magic involved there’d be a little more variety, but no. A lot of these stories are set in a world where women do magic type A and men do magic type B and our brave non-binary protagonist has to argue their case to be allowed to do magic A/B/A+B/C (delete as applicable) and it got a bit tiring after a while. One story with this plot would’ve been enough. The point of an anthology is to have lots of different stories along a similar theme (in this case, transness and magic as a whole) but this started to feel like the same story again and again with different set dressings, and as a non-binary reader frankly it got depressing very quickly. I was hoping for a little more trans magic and not as much transphobia.
If a story wasn’t about a non-binary kid having to fight to be allowed to participate in things, then it was probably about a magic school in some capacity. I do understand why contributors wanted to write about magic schools. A story involving a magic school that centres transgender characters is something of a targeted screw you at a certain once beloved children’s author. But, again, there were a lot of stories involving a magic school, and the only one that seemed to have anything interesting to say was the one told from the perspective of the school itself, which, I’ve now double checked, is the one written by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, and their ability to do something actually interesting is likely unsurprising.
There were very few transfem characters throughout this anthology. Out of fourteen stories, a grand total of only one features a trans girl main character. There’s another with a trans girl love interest, but she’s not the protagonist. Unless I’ve missed something major, that’s it. The overwhelming majority of protagonists in this anthology are non-binary, there are a couple of trans boys, and there is a single trans girl. This is an issue! I’m non-binary. I recognise that non-binary characters are underrepresented. But trans women are also underrepresented, if not more so, and them being so noticeably absent from this anthology is not a great look. This anthology is claiming to depict a wide range of trans experiences. If that’s really the case, you’d expect there to be more trans girls than there are.
This anthology has come under fire recently for not having any trans women or transfem contributors. It’s true that demanding people be entirely open about any queer identities they may align with isn’t a good thing to be doing. Nobody should be forced out of the closet and in many cases it can be genuinely unsafe for people to come out. However, every single contributing author is already openly transgender in some way, making this something of a flimsy defence in this case. To put it charitably, not making sure to include at least one openly transfem contributor to this trans anthology was a mistake, and it’s one that I hope won’t be made again.
In all, this anthology was fine. I liked some stories more than I liked others, which is typical for anthologies! But its claim to include a diverse range of trans experiences when it very plainly does not sours my feelings on it by a lot. In isolation, I wouldn’t even mind the majority of the stories being about non-binary characters provided there were also multiple stories about other varieties of transness, but there aren’t. The lack of stories about trans girls, and the lack of transfem contributors, are glaring omissions that are probably indicative of wider issues in the publishing industry as a whole.
Thank you to HarperTeen for sending me an arc in return for an honest review.
Rep: trans protagonists (mainly non-binary)
CW:
February 3, 2023
I’m sad I was overall disappointed in this. Many, if not most, of these stories took a more comedic, goofy approach to fantasy which isn’t my cup of tea. I ended up DNFing quite a few of these due to no enjoying the quirky tones. Also many stories took on way too much world building than should have been attempted in a short story. By the time I understood the setting, the story was over. Or often times I never understood their world.
A few I did like though were:
The Hollow King
Genderrella
Espejimos
Sadly overall as a collection, It didn’t work for mw
A few I did like though were:
The Hollow King
Genderrella
Espejimos
Sadly overall as a collection, It didn’t work for mw
March 22, 2023
What could possibly be a better concept for an anthology than stories about trans magic? I love this concept so much, so I had super high hopes for this anthology.
I did enjoy most stories, but at the same time, most of them felt fairly forgettable. However, three stories did stand out to me: Bite the Hand by Nik Traxler and Pinar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloys, Genderella by Mason Deaver, and the final story, The Door to the Other Side by Emery Lee. This final one was my absolute favourite, which I honestly expected because I love Emery Lee.
I did enjoy most stories, but at the same time, most of them felt fairly forgettable. However, three stories did stand out to me: Bite the Hand by Nik Traxler and Pinar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloys, Genderella by Mason Deaver, and the final story, The Door to the Other Side by Emery Lee. This final one was my absolute favourite, which I honestly expected because I love Emery Lee.
May 30, 2023
i impulse bought this book at the bookstore recently because of its beautiful cover and concept. later, i unfortunately found that in response to other reviews respectfully bringing up the lack of trans women authors being a part of this anthology, the editor of this book went to twitter and made a response thread full of bioessentialism and terf-adjacent talking points that basically compared trans women to men. this was deeply disappointing, and i will let the other reviews that were written back in april when these events initially occurred cover the issue in more detail.
i regretted my purchase after discovering this, but it wasn’t possible to return the book because the particular bookstore i purchased it from is over an hour away from me. i still read the book for this reason, and because the authors are not the editor. i still wanted to give them a chance because i do appreciate what this book generally intended for trans and nonbinary people like myself. that said, most of the stories were not for me. a lot were poorly written, having cringey dialogue or trying to do too much in a short story leaving me unsatisfied.
i did have a few favorites though: halloween love, dragons name themselves, high tide, genderella, and espejismos. i’ll be looking into these stories’ authors and giving their other works a try!
overall, i wouldn’t recommend this anthology unless you enjoy a more juvenile writing style. instead, looking up the authors and trying some of their full-length works may be more worthwhile.
i regretted my purchase after discovering this, but it wasn’t possible to return the book because the particular bookstore i purchased it from is over an hour away from me. i still read the book for this reason, and because the authors are not the editor. i still wanted to give them a chance because i do appreciate what this book generally intended for trans and nonbinary people like myself. that said, most of the stories were not for me. a lot were poorly written, having cringey dialogue or trying to do too much in a short story leaving me unsatisfied.
i did have a few favorites though: halloween love, dragons name themselves, high tide, genderella, and espejismos. i’ll be looking into these stories’ authors and giving their other works a try!
overall, i wouldn’t recommend this anthology unless you enjoy a more juvenile writing style. instead, looking up the authors and trying some of their full-length works may be more worthwhile.
May 26, 2023
Update: Happy Publication to this wonderful anthology!!
This book was such a delight to read. Every story brightened my day. This anthology includes a mixture of stories featuring unique folklore magical systems along with queer, inclusive takes on a certain magical school. There was only one story that in my opinion was not as strong as the others, but it did not take away from the anthology's overall quality.
***Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen Publishing for an eARC in exchange for a review. ***
This book was such a delight to read. Every story brightened my day. This anthology includes a mixture of stories featuring unique folklore magical systems along with queer, inclusive takes on a certain magical school. There was only one story that in my opinion was not as strong as the others, but it did not take away from the anthology's overall quality.
***Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen Publishing for an eARC in exchange for a review. ***
January 19, 2023
an absolute beautiful collection of fourteen short stories involving trans people and magic! what a treat this was to read, as i usually have to hunt for a novel or story with decent trans representation. these stories really show the bond between lgbtqia+ people, especially those of us under the trans umbrella. each voice is diverse, strong, and full of fun. all of the contributing authors cast aside the “kill your gays” / depressing endings, and made their stories about love, connection, and found family.
while some definitely felt more geared towards children, the overall quality of each short story was quite good. i loved the subtle satirization of “harry potter” in an effort to strike back against transphobic jkr. i wish stories like these had existed when i was young. congratulations to all of these authors; you’ve made my inner child feel seen.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
while some definitely felt more geared towards children, the overall quality of each short story was quite good. i loved the subtle satirization of “harry potter” in an effort to strike back against transphobic jkr. i wish stories like these had existed when i was young. congratulations to all of these authors; you’ve made my inner child feel seen.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
August 30, 2023
"Transmogrify!" 5☆🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈
A Young Adult Short Stories celebrating Trans and Non-Binary people🫶😊!
Edited by g. haron davis (they/them). Written by Saundra Mitchell (she/they), Sonora Reyes(they/them), Renée Reynolds(they/them),
A.R. Capetta (they/them) and Cory McCarthy (he/they), Francesca Tacchi (xe/xir), Ayida Shonibar (she/they), Nik Traxler (they/them), g. haron davis (they/them), Jonathan Kastin (he/they), Mason Deaver (they/them), Ash Nouveau (they/them), Cam Montgomery (nonbinary she/they), Dove Salvatierra (they/them), Emery Lee (e/em).
Audiobook narrated by Qamar Yochanan (☆ - 5/5), Nicky Endres (☆ - 100/5), Vico Ortiz (☆ - 5/5), and Avi Roque (☆ - 5/5).
1. Origin Story - written by Saundra Mitchell, narrated by Nicki Endres
☆ - 5/5 (loved it sm! one of my fav!😍)
2. Halloween Love - written by Sonora Reyes, narrated by Vico Ortiz
☆ - 5/5 (loved it sm! one of my fav!😍)
3. Verity - written by Renée Reynolds, narrated by Qamar Yochanan
☆ - 5/5 (loved it sm! one of my fav!😍)
4. Dragons Name Themselves - written by A. R. Capetta & Cory McCarthy, narrated by Avi Roque
☆ - dnf/5 (it got too boring)
5. High Tide - written by Francesca Tacchi, narrated by Nicki Endres
☆- 5/5 (loved it sm! one of my fav!😍)
6. In a Name - written by Ayida Shonibar, narrated by Avi Roque
☆ - dnf/5 (it got too boring)
7. Bite the Hand - written by Nik Traxler, narrated by Vico Ortiz
☆ - 4/5
8. If I can’t have love, I want power. - written by g. haron davis, narrated by Qamar Yochanan
☆- 5/5
9. The Hallow King - written by Jonathan Lenore Kastin, narrated by Vico Ortiz
☆ - 5/5 (loved it! one of my fav!😍)
10. Genderella - written by Mason Deaver, narrated by Nicki Endres
☆ - 5/5
11. Seagulls and Other Birds of Prey - written by Ash Nouveau, narrated by Qamar Yochanan
☆ - 5/5
12. Bend the Truth, Break It Too - written by Cam Montgomery, narrated by Avi Roque
☆ - dnf/5 (it got too boring)
13. Espejismos - written by Dove Salvatierra, narrated by Vico Ortiz
☆ - 3/5 (I liked it a lot! but a lot of parts made me cringe, meaning too much description of animal death for me)
14. The Door to the Other Side - written by Emery Lee, narrated by Qamar Yochanan
☆ - 5/5
************ *************
I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't listen much to Avi Roque narrating (I'm a big fan of their work!🦉🏠), because the short stories they got did not got me interested enough to end them. But without a doubt this is a great great book! The first short story blew my mind, LOVE IT SM, (and I love love love looooove the mention of a specific "oppressive magic school" in England lol LOVE IT SM!). I recommend this book to anyone who needs their "magic or fantasy books dose", because we all need to recover from the toxicity from those "old classic cis-hetero-normative sagas" stories; AND THIS BOOK IS 💯 % AN ANTIDOTE! 😊
A Young Adult Short Stories celebrating Trans and Non-Binary people🫶😊!
Edited by g. haron davis (they/them). Written by Saundra Mitchell (she/they), Sonora Reyes(they/them), Renée Reynolds(they/them),
A.R. Capetta (they/them) and Cory McCarthy (he/they), Francesca Tacchi (xe/xir), Ayida Shonibar (she/they), Nik Traxler (they/them), g. haron davis (they/them), Jonathan Kastin (he/they), Mason Deaver (they/them), Ash Nouveau (they/them), Cam Montgomery (nonbinary she/they), Dove Salvatierra (they/them), Emery Lee (e/em).
Audiobook narrated by Qamar Yochanan (☆ - 5/5), Nicky Endres (☆ - 100/5), Vico Ortiz (☆ - 5/5), and Avi Roque (☆ - 5/5).
1. Origin Story - written by Saundra Mitchell, narrated by Nicki Endres
☆ - 5/5 (loved it sm! one of my fav!😍)
2. Halloween Love - written by Sonora Reyes, narrated by Vico Ortiz
☆ - 5/5 (loved it sm! one of my fav!😍)
3. Verity - written by Renée Reynolds, narrated by Qamar Yochanan
☆ - 5/5 (loved it sm! one of my fav!😍)
4. Dragons Name Themselves - written by A. R. Capetta & Cory McCarthy, narrated by Avi Roque
☆ - dnf/5 (it got too boring)
5. High Tide - written by Francesca Tacchi, narrated by Nicki Endres
☆- 5/5 (loved it sm! one of my fav!😍)
6. In a Name - written by Ayida Shonibar, narrated by Avi Roque
☆ - dnf/5 (it got too boring)
7. Bite the Hand - written by Nik Traxler, narrated by Vico Ortiz
☆ - 4/5
8. If I can’t have love, I want power. - written by g. haron davis, narrated by Qamar Yochanan
☆- 5/5
9. The Hallow King - written by Jonathan Lenore Kastin, narrated by Vico Ortiz
☆ - 5/5 (loved it! one of my fav!😍)
10. Genderella - written by Mason Deaver, narrated by Nicki Endres
☆ - 5/5
11. Seagulls and Other Birds of Prey - written by Ash Nouveau, narrated by Qamar Yochanan
☆ - 5/5
12. Bend the Truth, Break It Too - written by Cam Montgomery, narrated by Avi Roque
☆ - dnf/5 (it got too boring)
13. Espejismos - written by Dove Salvatierra, narrated by Vico Ortiz
☆ - 3/5 (I liked it a lot! but a lot of parts made me cringe, meaning too much description of animal death for me)
14. The Door to the Other Side - written by Emery Lee, narrated by Qamar Yochanan
☆ - 5/5
************ *************
I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't listen much to Avi Roque narrating (I'm a big fan of their work!🦉🏠), because the short stories they got did not got me interested enough to end them. But without a doubt this is a great great book! The first short story blew my mind, LOVE IT SM, (and I love love love looooove the mention of a specific "oppressive magic school" in England lol LOVE IT SM!). I recommend this book to anyone who needs their "magic or fantasy books dose", because we all need to recover from the toxicity from those "old classic cis-hetero-normative sagas" stories; AND THIS BOOK IS 💯 % AN ANTIDOTE! 😊
March 2, 2025
DNF’d it . I realised I didn’t like reading anthologies or short stories . Not enough to dig my teeth in to .
June 6, 2023
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
What gets better than the line on the front of the book, "magic is for everyone". I adore the concept of this anthology - the celebration of marginalized voices, of the myriad images of trans identities, and all in a fantasy anthology. Transmogrify balances an anthology of joy with fantasy stories.
full revieW: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/thre...
What gets better than the line on the front of the book, "magic is for everyone". I adore the concept of this anthology - the celebration of marginalized voices, of the myriad images of trans identities, and all in a fantasy anthology. Transmogrify balances an anthology of joy with fantasy stories.
full revieW: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/thre...
dnf
March 13, 2023i've read two stories but i really can't bring myself to read more
they're just too juvenile for my taste? which i guess it's YA but... i was just expecting something different. i'm really not one for happy go lucky fantasy
another arc i dnf'ed
they're just too juvenile for my taste? which i guess it's YA but... i was just expecting something different. i'm really not one for happy go lucky fantasy
another arc i dnf'ed
June 13, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and HarperTeen for the eARC!
I'm rating this a 4, though I found a lot of the stories here to be in that 3.5-4 range; quite alright and good but nothing particularly interesting or new. The first half dragged a bit and I found myself bored with some of the stories, though I found a lot of really amazing stories in the second half, including Genderella by Mason Deaver and Espejismos by Dove Salvatierra, which I found to be absolute standouts. I think this is good collection overall, and I think stories I found lacking may be more appealing to teens, so I would recommend it to those interested. I also want to shout out that while I appreciated the amount of non-binary representation here, the vast majority of representation was transmasc and I do wish we had gotten more than one (1) story about a trans girl. Still, I did enjoy this. I know short story collections can be hard to market to the YA crowd, so I hope this one finds its audience.
Individual story ratings:
Origin Story, Saundra Mitchell - 4
Halloween Love, Sonora Reyes - 4
Verity, Renée Reynolds - 3.5
Dragons Name Themselves, R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy - 4
High Tide, Francesca Tacchi - 4.5
In a Name, Ayida Shonibar - 4
Bite the Hand, Nik Traxler and Pinar Sinopoulos-Lloyd - 3
If I can't have love, I want power, g. haron davis - 4
The Hallow King, Jonathan Lenore Kastin - 5
Genderella, Mason Deaver - 5
Seagulls and Other Birds of Prey, Ash Nouveau - 5
Bend the Truth, Break it Too, Cam Montgomery - 3
Espejismos, Dove Salvatierra - 5
The Door to the Other Side, Emery Lee - 5
I'm rating this a 4, though I found a lot of the stories here to be in that 3.5-4 range; quite alright and good but nothing particularly interesting or new. The first half dragged a bit and I found myself bored with some of the stories, though I found a lot of really amazing stories in the second half, including Genderella by Mason Deaver and Espejismos by Dove Salvatierra, which I found to be absolute standouts. I think this is good collection overall, and I think stories I found lacking may be more appealing to teens, so I would recommend it to those interested. I also want to shout out that while I appreciated the amount of non-binary representation here, the vast majority of representation was transmasc and I do wish we had gotten more than one (1) story about a trans girl. Still, I did enjoy this. I know short story collections can be hard to market to the YA crowd, so I hope this one finds its audience.
Individual story ratings:
Origin Story, Saundra Mitchell - 4
Halloween Love, Sonora Reyes - 4
Verity, Renée Reynolds - 3.5
Dragons Name Themselves, R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy - 4
High Tide, Francesca Tacchi - 4.5
In a Name, Ayida Shonibar - 4
Bite the Hand, Nik Traxler and Pinar Sinopoulos-Lloyd - 3
If I can't have love, I want power, g. haron davis - 4
The Hallow King, Jonathan Lenore Kastin - 5
Genderella, Mason Deaver - 5
Seagulls and Other Birds of Prey, Ash Nouveau - 5
Bend the Truth, Break it Too, Cam Montgomery - 3
Espejismos, Dove Salvatierra - 5
The Door to the Other Side, Emery Lee - 5
February 28, 2023
Cute cute cute ! Honestly just very sweet and a little bit of trans joy in these times. Short stories mean they can vary in quality - some I liked more than others but overall I loved it <333
October 18, 2023
Okay so most of these stories were okay. Some, not gonna lie, were bad, left me with a sour taste or would have needed more explicit trigger warnings, especially the last story. There are trigger warnings given in the front but its for all of the stories and doesnt say which stories they actually applies to.
My main issue: In this book there seem to be no explicitely trans female authors featured and only one story features a trans woman character and another a transfem nonbinary character. This being a trans anthology and in the author's own words " Trans kids deserve to see themselves in fantasy worlds just as readily as cis kids" but if you dont include an entire part of the trans community thats kinda a glaring issue. I'm a trans woman and i'm working hard to find trans books with ownvoice expierience so i was happy to find this anthology which describes itself to be "for the freaks geeks and outcasts..." but apparently not for trans women. Shoutout to Mason Deaver for writing the best story in this book but i'd caution against picking this up especially with the other information supplied here by other people as well.
For the stories themselves, I really like "Genderella" by Mason Deaver, which was my highlight, "High tide" by Francesca Tacchi was very cool too, had a lot of interesting world building, knew what it was going for and didnt waste a single sentence of space. This was a lovely short story for me. "The hallow king", "Seagulls and other birds of Prey", "Dragons name themselves" and "Espejismos" were good as well with very different appeals to each of them. The other stories i didnt much like for very different reasons.
Important note here I think "The door to the other side" should really include an extra trigger warning for suicide.
More detail below if you dont want to read this thats my main points. Tw for discussions of suicide below.
Apart from that i think that part of the story was also handled poorly, i'm sorry to say. It features a character that died by suicide and is set in the afterlife. It sounds at least from the story like this just happened. The main character wants to shepard their soul to the afterlife but in doing so is mainly concerned with themselves. There is little empathy for the character that just died and certainly no emotion shown on the other character's end. I'm saying all of this because i myself am a suicide survivor. While the language in this story surrounding the death by suicide is in line with how the cdc says its best to write about this, it doesn't do the topic justice at all. This story triggered me, badly. It is not even a major part of the story. When writing a story with such a sensitive topic please please you have to put a warning right in front of the story not just vaguely gesture at 14 stories and say its somewhere in here, figure it out lol. And, please actually deal with it if you put it into the story. The short story "Espejismos" has the same topic but to a much lesser degree of involvement so for me this wasn't a deal breaker but having it be reduced to a b plot feels like a kick in the guts to me. Im sorry to say this but this story hurt me more than it comforted me and i think thats a shame.
My main issue: In this book there seem to be no explicitely trans female authors featured and only one story features a trans woman character and another a transfem nonbinary character. This being a trans anthology and in the author's own words " Trans kids deserve to see themselves in fantasy worlds just as readily as cis kids" but if you dont include an entire part of the trans community thats kinda a glaring issue. I'm a trans woman and i'm working hard to find trans books with ownvoice expierience so i was happy to find this anthology which describes itself to be "for the freaks geeks and outcasts..." but apparently not for trans women. Shoutout to Mason Deaver for writing the best story in this book but i'd caution against picking this up especially with the other information supplied here by other people as well.
For the stories themselves, I really like "Genderella" by Mason Deaver, which was my highlight, "High tide" by Francesca Tacchi was very cool too, had a lot of interesting world building, knew what it was going for and didnt waste a single sentence of space. This was a lovely short story for me. "The hallow king", "Seagulls and other birds of Prey", "Dragons name themselves" and "Espejismos" were good as well with very different appeals to each of them. The other stories i didnt much like for very different reasons.
Important note here I think "The door to the other side" should really include an extra trigger warning for suicide.
More detail below if you dont want to read this thats my main points. Tw for discussions of suicide below.
Apart from that i think that part of the story was also handled poorly, i'm sorry to say. It features a character that died by suicide and is set in the afterlife. It sounds at least from the story like this just happened. The main character wants to shepard their soul to the afterlife but in doing so is mainly concerned with themselves. There is little empathy for the character that just died and certainly no emotion shown on the other character's end. I'm saying all of this because i myself am a suicide survivor. While the language in this story surrounding the death by suicide is in line with how the cdc says its best to write about this, it doesn't do the topic justice at all. This story triggered me, badly. It is not even a major part of the story. When writing a story with such a sensitive topic please please you have to put a warning right in front of the story not just vaguely gesture at 14 stories and say its somewhere in here, figure it out lol. And, please actually deal with it if you put it into the story. The short story "Espejismos" has the same topic but to a much lesser degree of involvement so for me this wasn't a deal breaker but having it be reduced to a b plot feels like a kick in the guts to me. Im sorry to say this but this story hurt me more than it comforted me and i think thats a shame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2023
This was a really great short story anthology. As with most anthologies there were some stories that I loved more than others, but this was really great overall.
Origin Story by Saundra Mitchell (she/they) – 5 Stars
Halloween Love by Sonora Reyes (they/them) – 4 Stars
Verity by Renée Reynolds (they/them) – 4 Stars
Dragons Name Themselves by A. R. Capetta (they/them) and Cory McCarthy (he/they) – 5 Stars
High Tide by Francesca Tacchi (xe/xir) – 4 Stars
In a Name by Ayida Shonibar (she/they) – 3 Stars
Bite the Hand by Nik Traxler (they/them) and Pinar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloys (they/them + he/him)- 1 Star
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power by G. Haron-Davis (they/them) – 3 Stars
The Hallow King by Jonathan Lenore Kastin (he/they) – 5 Stars
Genderella by Mason Deaver (they/them) – 4 Stars
Seagulls and Other Birds of Prey by Ash Nouveau (they/them) – 3 Stars
Bend the Truth, Break It Too by Cam Montgomery (non-binary she/they) – 3 Stars
Espejismos by Dove Salvatierra (they/them) – 1.2 Million Stars
The Door to the Other Side by Emery Lee (e/em) – 4 Stars
Overall, I think that this is a pretty great collection. I think there is going to be a story in here that speaks to most fantasy readers. Many of them are lighter fantasy, but a few are darker. I generally prefer the dark stories in terms of tone, but I think the whole collection is pretty successful.
Origin Story by Saundra Mitchell (she/they) – 5 Stars
Halloween Love by Sonora Reyes (they/them) – 4 Stars
Verity by Renée Reynolds (they/them) – 4 Stars
Dragons Name Themselves by A. R. Capetta (they/them) and Cory McCarthy (he/they) – 5 Stars
High Tide by Francesca Tacchi (xe/xir) – 4 Stars
In a Name by Ayida Shonibar (she/they) – 3 Stars
Bite the Hand by Nik Traxler (they/them) and Pinar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloys (they/them + he/him)- 1 Star
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power by G. Haron-Davis (they/them) – 3 Stars
The Hallow King by Jonathan Lenore Kastin (he/they) – 5 Stars
Genderella by Mason Deaver (they/them) – 4 Stars
Seagulls and Other Birds of Prey by Ash Nouveau (they/them) – 3 Stars
Bend the Truth, Break It Too by Cam Montgomery (non-binary she/they) – 3 Stars
Espejismos by Dove Salvatierra (they/them) – 1.2 Million Stars
The Door to the Other Side by Emery Lee (e/em) – 4 Stars
Overall, I think that this is a pretty great collection. I think there is going to be a story in here that speaks to most fantasy readers. Many of them are lighter fantasy, but a few are darker. I generally prefer the dark stories in terms of tone, but I think the whole collection is pretty successful.
June 3, 2023
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Transmogrify! is an anthology of 14 stories by trans authors about trans magic.
As it often happens with anthology not all the stories were as good as the next but I really liked some of them. Some really were a hit for me, some were more forgettable even as I finished them. Overall though, a good book. I enjoyed it a lot overall and I would love to put this book in as many hands as possible. If you like anthologies, you really should check out this one. While you do that, I will go check out some of these authors!
Transmogrify! is an anthology of 14 stories by trans authors about trans magic.
As it often happens with anthology not all the stories were as good as the next but I really liked some of them. Some really were a hit for me, some were more forgettable even as I finished them. Overall though, a good book. I enjoyed it a lot overall and I would love to put this book in as many hands as possible. If you like anthologies, you really should check out this one. While you do that, I will go check out some of these authors!
May 3, 2024
i dont wanna sound ignorant but i feel like for a book about trans people there is not a lot of diversity in this … like there is A LOT of non binary rep, which is great… but it just feels a lil weird that 2 out of 14 stories has a trans boy/girl as the MC. i feel like if ur gonna write an anthology about the trans experience, it should represent a much broader spectrum, like thats a no-brainer…. right?!!?!?!?
---
anyway here are my thoughts on the short stories:
Origin story - 3 stars
by Saundra Mitchell
- aro-ace rep!!!
- this was really well written but the plot lost me unfortunately
Halloween Love - 3.5 stars
by Sonora Reyes
- very cute
- halloween def is the supreme holiday!!
- the LI is a trans man!!
Verity - 2 stars
by Renée Reynolds
- this was baaadd, sorryyy
Dragons name themselves - 3.5 stars
by R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy
- this was fun, kinda cringed at the ending tho…
- pumpkin <3
- was kinda giving harry potter vibes
High Tide - 4.5 stars
by Francesca Tacchi
- stooooop this was soooo goood!!! i would have loved this to be a novella or ideally a full length novel
- this was so well-written omg im obsessed!!
- the setting of italy was absolutely magical i felt as if i was right there by the sea, def gave me major luca vibes!
- loved the horror elements of this as well!!!
- the siren scene was soo good
- such a great message “i may not have won, but i planted a seed for change”
In a Name - 3 stars
by Ayida Shonibar
- yesss spirituality!!
- kinda confusing
- “the gates arent for keeping monsters out” chiiilllssss
- reminded me a lot of wolfwalkers ngl
Bite the Hand - 4 stars
by Nik Traxler
- FUCCKKK MEEE, this writing… im gonna cum, im sorry that was vulgar but MY GOD!! oh to write like this!!!
- just wow!!! the symbolism of this is just *chefs kiss*
- this is my gender identity!!
If i cant have love, i want power - 2.5 stars
by g. haron-davis
- very uninterested in this one, that first sentence was the most interesting thing about this. wait that’s a lie, denmark was mentioned which was cool!!
- i’m sorry but this is giving “If I could change the world. I'd make it Halloween. Every single day. And also have world peace” without the funny bit
The Hallow King - 4 stars
by Jonathan Lenore Kastin
- the first trans male MC!! one of the SC’s is a trans woman <3
- love the creepy halloween vibes!! this was giving the same vibes as all of my favorite halloween movies
- love a good vengeance story!
- haunted dolls!!! clowns!!
Genderella - 4 stars
by Mason Deaver
- we got a trans girly as the MC who is also a lesbian!!
- this is exactly what you expect from a modern cinderella retelling, and it does truly deliver!! very good!
- this was so cute, i was smiling like an idiot!!
Seagulls and other birds of prey - 3 stars
by Ash Nouveau
- cute, very predictable so nothing special
- i’m sorry but i can only think of quidditch
Bend the truth, break it too - dnf
by Cam Montgomery
- didn’t care for this one
- i’m not trying to be mean but the “i am the villain of this story (…) the one who does not get the girl” was pissing me off :)
Espejismos - 4.5 stars!!
by Dove Salvatierra
- this was incredibly beautiful i’m gonna cry!! i did in fact cry, A LOT!
The door to the other side - dnf
by Emery Lee
- this title sucks i’m sorry but like come oooonnnnnn can you not be a lil more creative than that…
- i don’t wanna spend my energy on reading this, sorry not sorry. there was just too much info dumping from the start, you CANNOT do this it’s too overwhelming!! this is only allowed if it was supposed to be a full-length novel but it NOT, its a short story WHAT ARE YOU DOING??
---
anyway here are my thoughts on the short stories:
Origin story - 3 stars
by Saundra Mitchell
- aro-ace rep!!!
- this was really well written but the plot lost me unfortunately
Halloween Love - 3.5 stars
by Sonora Reyes
- very cute
- halloween def is the supreme holiday!!
- the LI is a trans man!!
Verity - 2 stars
by Renée Reynolds
- this was baaadd, sorryyy
Dragons name themselves - 3.5 stars
by R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy
- this was fun, kinda cringed at the ending tho…
- pumpkin <3
- was kinda giving harry potter vibes
High Tide - 4.5 stars
by Francesca Tacchi
- stooooop this was soooo goood!!! i would have loved this to be a novella or ideally a full length novel
- this was so well-written omg im obsessed!!
- the setting of italy was absolutely magical i felt as if i was right there by the sea, def gave me major luca vibes!
- loved the horror elements of this as well!!!
- the siren scene was soo good
- such a great message “i may not have won, but i planted a seed for change”
In a Name - 3 stars
by Ayida Shonibar
- yesss spirituality!!
- kinda confusing
- “the gates arent for keeping monsters out” chiiilllssss
- reminded me a lot of wolfwalkers ngl
Bite the Hand - 4 stars
by Nik Traxler
- FUCCKKK MEEE, this writing… im gonna cum, im sorry that was vulgar but MY GOD!! oh to write like this!!!
- just wow!!! the symbolism of this is just *chefs kiss*
- this is my gender identity!!
If i cant have love, i want power - 2.5 stars
by g. haron-davis
- very uninterested in this one, that first sentence was the most interesting thing about this. wait that’s a lie, denmark was mentioned which was cool!!
- i’m sorry but this is giving “If I could change the world. I'd make it Halloween. Every single day. And also have world peace” without the funny bit
The Hallow King - 4 stars
by Jonathan Lenore Kastin
- the first trans male MC!! one of the SC’s is a trans woman <3
- love the creepy halloween vibes!! this was giving the same vibes as all of my favorite halloween movies
- love a good vengeance story!
- haunted dolls!!! clowns!!
Genderella - 4 stars
by Mason Deaver
- we got a trans girly as the MC who is also a lesbian!!
- this is exactly what you expect from a modern cinderella retelling, and it does truly deliver!! very good!
- this was so cute, i was smiling like an idiot!!
Seagulls and other birds of prey - 3 stars
by Ash Nouveau
- cute, very predictable so nothing special
- i’m sorry but i can only think of quidditch
Bend the truth, break it too - dnf
by Cam Montgomery
- didn’t care for this one
- i’m not trying to be mean but the “i am the villain of this story (…) the one who does not get the girl” was pissing me off :)
Espejismos - 4.5 stars!!
by Dove Salvatierra
- this was incredibly beautiful i’m gonna cry!! i did in fact cry, A LOT!
The door to the other side - dnf
by Emery Lee
- this title sucks i’m sorry but like come oooonnnnnn can you not be a lil more creative than that…
- i don’t wanna spend my energy on reading this, sorry not sorry. there was just too much info dumping from the start, you CANNOT do this it’s too overwhelming!! this is only allowed if it was supposed to be a full-length novel but it NOT, its a short story WHAT ARE YOU DOING??
August 8, 2023
This was everything I wanted in a book.
It was so fabulous and I loved how these stories were all queer and from Trans and Nonbinary authors!!
It made me tear up because I understood what the different characters were feeling. You want to be loved and accepted for who you are. But you have people in your life, whether that be a person in your family or friend circle or an acquaintance/stranger, who tells you unintentionally or intentionally that you can't be yourself or that your confused about how you feel. Or even misgendering you which is a reminder that we live in a society that is so heavily gendered and that queer people don't fit into the mold that society has created.
I just realized this is a book review, I got kind of carried away in my writing, hah.
. . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆. . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆
Going back to that book review, this really hit home and was amazingly written. And I just loved how it was a bunch of queer stories and had 𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠 and 𝔣𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔰ყ involved with the stories.
I liked that they added trigger warnings in here too. As someone who has depression it just is nice to know that I shouldn't read this book when I am depressed as it could be triggering to me.
Overall I loved this book and I am going to be looking for this book to buy it! ❤︎
It was so fabulous and I loved how these stories were all queer and from Trans and Nonbinary authors!!
It made me tear up because I understood what the different characters were feeling. You want to be loved and accepted for who you are. But you have people in your life, whether that be a person in your family or friend circle or an acquaintance/stranger, who tells you unintentionally or intentionally that you can't be yourself or that your confused about how you feel. Or even misgendering you which is a reminder that we live in a society that is so heavily gendered and that queer people don't fit into the mold that society has created.
I just realized this is a book review, I got kind of carried away in my writing, hah.
. . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆. . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆
Going back to that book review, this really hit home and was amazingly written. And I just loved how it was a bunch of queer stories and had 𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠 and 𝔣𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔰ყ involved with the stories.
I liked that they added trigger warnings in here too. As someone who has depression it just is nice to know that I shouldn't read this book when I am depressed as it could be triggering to me.
Overall I loved this book and I am going to be looking for this book to buy it! ❤︎
April 6, 2023
3.5 stars
5+ stars for representation and fewer stars for stories that have the potential to be more engaging (as a package - some are standouts in both directions, as often happens in an anthology).
I am here for any and all trans and nonbinary representation, especially when it exists in the wonderful world of YA, and the contributors do bring in that piece quite successfully here. Also, I'm happy to see a growing group of short story collections for this audience. This is all much needed.
This all noted, the collection overall left me wanting a bit more from the stories themselves. Admittedly, fantasy is not my favorite subgenre, and I'm confident that folks who enjoy that more than I do will find these more compelling. Still, I just wanted a bit more from this group. I'll recommend this collection to students, but likely for the representation primarily.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
5+ stars for representation and fewer stars for stories that have the potential to be more engaging (as a package - some are standouts in both directions, as often happens in an anthology).
I am here for any and all trans and nonbinary representation, especially when it exists in the wonderful world of YA, and the contributors do bring in that piece quite successfully here. Also, I'm happy to see a growing group of short story collections for this audience. This is all much needed.
This all noted, the collection overall left me wanting a bit more from the stories themselves. Admittedly, fantasy is not my favorite subgenre, and I'm confident that folks who enjoy that more than I do will find these more compelling. Still, I just wanted a bit more from this group. I'll recommend this collection to students, but likely for the representation primarily.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
December 7, 2024
4.25 stars
This anthology of magical trans stories healed something in me. As someone who grew up loving a certain wizarding series that became tainted, these stories were something I needed. I enjoyed every one of these short stories, but the couple that stood out for me were Halloween Love and Genderella. I really loved how diverse the stories were as well. This anthology encompasses so many different experiences, and I always enjoy seeing that. This is definitely worth checking out.
This anthology of magical trans stories healed something in me. As someone who grew up loving a certain wizarding series that became tainted, these stories were something I needed. I enjoyed every one of these short stories, but the couple that stood out for me were Halloween Love and Genderella. I really loved how diverse the stories were as well. This anthology encompasses so many different experiences, and I always enjoy seeing that. This is definitely worth checking out.
July 9, 2023
My favourite stories were Dragons Name Themselves, Bend the Truth Break It Too, and Seagulls and Other Birds. I find it hard to give anthologies 5 stars because some stories are inevitably more enjoyable than others, but I really liked it. 4.5 stars
April 24, 2025
It's incredible to read all the perspectives and conflict choices made by each of the different authors on transhood. A lot of really great stories on here but also a few that didn't really grab me plot wise but I'm glad I read all of them to see these fantastic varying personalities, struggles and desires.
July 7, 2023
I loved this book! As with most short story collections they are punchy and immersive. Lots of diversity in the type of magic, perspectives, and representation! Highly recommend, this was a fun read :)
August 30, 2023
Fantasy enby stories by enby authors! Yes please! Were all of them perfection? No. But I did enjoy each one enough that I didn’t skip any, so that’s always a great sign in a short story collection featuring multiple authors. We got some great characters and diverse magic systems, so all in all I am very happy.
October 12, 2023
some of the stories were really good but some of them made me want to tear my hair out with how slow (and kind of boring) they were.
January 9, 2024
Very cute stories, I've enjoyed most of them. I also really liked the diversity of the stories, from more serious ones to more light hearted ones. Some stories made me tear up a bit, some made me chuckle. Very very cute!
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