The Hatchling

by Vyria Durav

Sarric dreamed of dragons all his life; such flights of fancy captured his imagination at a young age and sustained him through the cruelty of the hunters that ruled the isolated mountain town of Rivermist. One day, a real dragon appears before him, dazzling him with her beauty and an answer to the unease that's afflicted him for as long as he remembers. He's eager to take what she offers--but the greedy hunters, driven by tales of treasure hoards, will do everything in their power to destroy her.

The Hatchling is a fantasy about a trans woman's journey of accepting her identity and her new found family.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Queer, Transgender, LGBT, Novella, Fiction

ebook

First published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book spoke to me quite a bit and resonated with some of my own experiences, though I find myself wishing to have one more like the protagonist's!

Can highly recommend to anyone who wants to read a lovely trans fantasy book, or to anyone who's always wished they could be a girl deep down.

[Elva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is 100% trans-lady-that-likes-dragons wish fulfillment... and I am there for it, hit me right in the feels.

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

sooooooo good! amazing! spectacular! show stopping!!!


I think that's sad to say, but I had never read a book with a trans woman. as a butch lesbian, I have focused on either reading about lesbians (and, unfortunately, they are always both cis) or reading specifically about transmasc/butches (which I have still only read a little), but I want to include a trans woman in my book and think it's only fair that I read trans women authors and books with trans women characters in general. I'm so glad this was my first experience because it's absolutely amazing and I couldn't have asked for something better to show me things about the trans woman experience.

I love "Sarric" and I clocked "he" was trans since like page five, but I had no idea how it would happen. I love dragons too and got so excited this story featured them. I love Onyx and Maple. I love how the trans experience is explained. I love how the dragon thing is played out. I love the magic in this book. And the line about "that's why we call girls like you eggs!" was the funniest thing. Long live Valora and may she have so many adventures with her mothers!

[Dan Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short, sweet novella has a strong allegorical side, as evidenced by the title and the cover. It's like a handbook for transfeminine eggs wrapped in a tale about a dragon hunt. The narrator is so innocent, so completely unaware of what she is about to go through, but the reader can see it all so clearly. If you come to this book looking for Tolkienesque worldbuilding and epic character arcs, you're in the wrong place. Its simplicity is its strength, and when the inevitable transformation happens, you can't help but feel the euphoria right along with her. And the affirmation from the kid at the end of the book? Absolute chef's kiss.

Having read Wyrmheart and Catnip as well, I can say this book confirms what I knew about the author's books: they are a safe space to read trans-affirming stories that will uplift you and bring you joy. While Catnip is perhaps my favorite of the three, each one offers a unique flavor of trans joy, and I recommend them all.

[Molly Bragg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember when I stumbled across this book, but I purchased it on a whim, and kind of forgot about it for a while. Then, while I was looking for something to read, I found it in my kindle library and devoured it in a single setting, and all I can say is, it's wonderful. It's not perfect, admittedly. Some of the terminology used to discuss things like gender and identity feel a bit anachronistic, but honestly, that's such a minor complaint compared to how much I enjoyed reading this. It's a short, simple story of a village priest who is tormented by the local hunters, and is forced to join them on a dragon hunt, but the priest is kidnapped by the dragon during the hunt, and begins a journey of self discovery and finds a new identity as a woman which leaves her much happier and much more fulfilled in the end. The story, despite being short, was full of meaning and joy, and I can't express how happy reading it made me.

[Teresa (blewballoon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I typically rate books by how much I personally enjoyed them, but in this case I'm unsure. I enjoyed the concept and the discussions of gender seemed really positive. I would recommend that section of the book to middle grade or young adult readers to help them understand what transgender means if it's something they're not already familiar with. Unfortunately, I thought the writing otherwise was clunky and awkward in many places. This definitely needed an experienced editor to polish up the phrasing and fix some blatant typos. I also felt like the back half of the story with the confrontation and aftermath was cartoonishly unrealistic.

Content Warnings:
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Bullying, Death, and Transphobia

[Alyssa Macpherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and charming story of trans-awakening and self-discovery, full of dragons, family, and righteous vengeance. I loved it.

It's a warm and fluffy wish-fulfilment story with comparatively low stakes and no great twists or high drama, unabashedly written for a trans female audience, and I love that about it. The world is harsh and cruel at the moment and sometimes it is nice to read a story where things are gentle and accepting and work out in the end. Especially where a trans character gets to live her life without tragedy or drama.

[Reader of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the main character and the dragon, and it was so wonderful to see them become family to each other, and to see the main character discover what she wants and find her confidence and her joy in life. This was such a great little story. There is violence and abuse in this story related to the hunters mentioned in the synopsis, though, so the story isn't as lighthearted as the start of my review would make it seem.

[K.M. Hogenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The entire value of this story comes from exploring some of the experiences of realizing oneself is trans. I think people who are struggling with their gender identity would do well to read this.

If the story did not have the aforementioned element, I would have rated one star for the excessive use of telling, the ex-machina plot factors, the flat characters, and the underwhelming world building

[Littlebookterror · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't what kind of magic Durav spun with this novella but she avoided every pitfall this story could have fallen into with such a premise.
The conversations around gender and transitioning are handled beautifully without sounding like a nonfiction guide. Our protagonists grows so much throughout the story, the world feels real and I did not even mind the convenient plot at times.

[Pierre · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable short story about accepting oneself despite the pressures the outside world sets, and how some accept - or do not - to reform their views when proven incomplete or wrong.
It delivers a shift of view that can actually transpose to a whole host of differences that societies often rejects from unjustified fear.

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally can't even explain how much this book meant to me. I was going through a really hard time when I read this, that might be why, but I developed such a connection to the characters that it got me through. Beautiful story, narrative, characters, and you can't go wrong with dragons!!

[Xenia Numinous · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, wonderful romp of a book! A breath of fresh air for trans women, especially if you just read something like Nevada. This is fell-good trans fantasy that I am sooooo happy I found and had quite a good time reading! <3

[Anne, V · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was really touching, original, well written and a great read. I wanted to read even more about these characters and this world at the end of the book. I highly recommend this story.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute & cozy

[Dream Fractal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute story about a trans girl coming out, through the metaphor made literal of hatching and coming into her own as a young dragon.

[Willow Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, now I have Dragon dysphoria

[Maddie]

DNF @ 63%

[Wyrd Witch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful fantasy coming-of-age novella about trans awakenings and dragons! It's only really held back by mixed-up pacing and some proofreading issues.

[Rachel]

It would have been better if this fantasy novella had more showing and less telling, but it's still nice to read about a trans woman becoming a dragon and getting revenge on the men who bullied her.

[Doradea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy Fantasy über eine Transfrau, die unerwartet Hilfe von einem Drachen bekommt. Wie eine große Umarmung.

[Ayvaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a great trans lesbian dragon story. Especially to the trans experiences I could relate a lot.
And as a dragon fanatic I could relate even more.


Now, where can I find myself a dragon?

[Jacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining and uplifting fantasy novella.

[Issy Waldrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and enjoyable story about a trans girl coming to accept herself, and finding the place in the world where she belongs. One aspect of the story wasn't really for me, but in the end it didn't detract from how much that I liked the story, and that I was eager to pick up a copy when it finally got a retail release.