YA LGBT Books discussion

I really enjoyed Dreadnought - an imaginative superhero story with a transgender girl MC. I've wanted to read the sequel, but somehow never got to it. I'm hoping that some members also have an interest, and maybe we can read it together.

Sovereign by April Daniels

Only nine months after her debut as the superhero Dreadnought, Danny Tozer is already a scarred veteran. Protecting a city the size of New Port is a team-sized job and she’s doing it alone. Between her newfound celebrity and her demanding cape duties, Dreadnought is stretched thin, and it’s only going to get worse.

When she crosses a newly discovered billionaire supervillain, Dreadnought comes under attack from all quarters. From her troubled family life to her disintegrating friendship with Calamity, there’s no lever too cruel for this villain to use against her.

She might be hard to kill, but there’s more than one way to destroy a hero. Before the war is over, Dreadnought will be forced to confront parts of herself she never wanted to acknowledge.

And behind it all, an old enemy waits in the wings, ready to unleash a plot that will scar the world forever.

*trigger warnings* : the first book had transphobia/bullying. I'm not seeing warning tags in people's shelves on this one, so no info.

Participants: Kaje
Iamshadow
Lucy

Start date: April 28th


Feel free to comment if you have already read the book. If you want to comment on things that are clear plot spoilers, please use tags.
To use spoiler-hiding tags: these are html codes, like for italics. Write before the spoiler <*spoiler> but with the asterisk removed. And at the end <*/spoiler> also without the star. (view spoiler)[ Like this (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to reading this one! My brand new second hand copy is waiting on my bookshelf for me to open it up and dive in. From what I've heard, April is writing the third one right now, and I'm very excited to see where Danny's story goes. :)

Cool - added you to the list. I'll be putting this in the newsletter, so we'll give it a few days to see if anyone joins us, then decide on a start.

Would love to be on the list, I've had this book for so long and I really want to read it.

Lucy wrote: "Would love to be on the list, I've had this book for so long and I really want to read it."

Great - added you. We'll give it a few days for others to potentially join.

Oh, FYI, if anyone can't find a physical copy but has a subscription to Scribd - both Dreadnought and Sovereign are available on there! It might be worth checking out.

I think the three of us will have to just decide to go ahead with it. Let me know if there's a reason to wait for either of you.

Kaje wrote: "I think the three of us will have to just decide to go ahead with it. Let me know if there's a reason to wait for either of you."

I'm fine to read whenever, so just say the word. I have a copy, and I'm a fast reader, at home all day on disability. Nothing better to do with my time besides knit for charity, and if I read it on Scribd, I can do both at once. :D

I'll see if Lucy is getting updates from here and if not I'll check in with her. I'm in the middle of a current book and could read this next.

I'm going to suggest we go ahead with this one. I did PM Lucy - we'll see if she joins us.

I'm interested in how Danny will adjust to the responsibilities heaped on her at the end of the first book, and whether her budding romance with Calamity/Sarah will go anywhere.

Hey!

Sorry wasn't tracking this thread. I'm definitely ready to start Sovereign if you guys are.

Lucy wrote: "Hey!

Sorry wasn't tracking this thread. I'm definitely ready to start Sovereign if you guys are."

Cool - looking forward to it :)

Ready or not!

Yay. I've started mine. I'm not sure that Danny's powers are really logically consistent but I'm going to not nit pick that part.

So far, about 10% in, loving the addition of an Iranian-American genderqueer cape.

Iamshadow wrote: "So far, about 10% in, loving the addition of an Iranian-American genderqueer cape."

Yes - cool to have a non-binary character. And Doc is getting interesting. There seems to be a hint more of politics in this one.

Hi! I’m new to this reading group, but I’d love to join this Buddy Reads.

I’ve read both books in the duology, and I’m ready to discuss and delve into Sovereign at the group’s pace!

I appreciate Daniel’s inclusion of Kinetiq as well and how she portrays this genderqueer character using they/them pronouns. I don’t think I’ve read another book that’s done this, YA or otherwise.

Hi Patty, welcome. There are a few other YA books with nonbinary/genderqueer characters (one of my favorites is Symptoms of Being Human) but we definitely need more, and particularly like this where being NB is not the sole focus but just an aspect of Kinetique.

I'm finding this book a bit darker and more political (and more violent) than the first one. Not in a totally bad way, but it is something for readers to be aware of - lots of physical fighting and injuries done. I still feel like Danny's superpowers are a bit ill-defined (view spoiler)[ like being able to be in space or under water without breathing, but then being in trouble if the stored air in their lungs is forced out. Oxygen isn't reusable by the body once it's bound in CO2 so if they can handle the first, the second shouldn't matter. That's kind of picking nits, but sometimes it feels a bit easy - that she can handle one thing and is damaged by another, as needed for the story. I kind of wished there was a bit less focus on physical fights - although I do like the psychological part of it and Danny's realization about her issues with anger. (hide spoiler)]

That’s an interesting point; the characters’ powers are briefly described and shown in fights, but they don’t always have a logical consistency. The weakness to lightning is also convenient for some of the villains, like in the opening.

I feel her development with her issues is important. She really doesn’t get an opportunity to cope with her feelings after her transition (more the social ramifications of it).

Well, I finished it. :) There were things I liked a lot, and a few quibbles. It got a little darker in the end than I expected. It's late, so I'm going to review tomorrow. But I'm glad I read it and I think there is some valuable realism to part of how Danny has to deal with things, within the super-hero package.

Yay! How did you feel about the (surprise?) antagonist at the end of the novel? I thought it was kind of fitting to have (view spoiler)[ Graywytch, the terf, be the ultimate villain instead of Sovereign. I felt that placed an emphasis on the feminism theme of the book and how cis (and intersex) women should support trans women, and that their hatred is more hurtful than the oppressive tendencies of some cis men. My thoughts, anyway, that I’d love to discuss others’ opinions of the topic more. (hide spoiler)]

I liked that it spread the villainy among different players and with different motivations. (view spoiler)[ I think that it is fitting to have a toxic version of feminism as one of the obstacles in this book; there are extremists in any movement, and calling them out is a good thing, particularly with the damage they do other women, especially trans women but also anyone whose vision is not identical with theirs. I wasn't as fond of the level of death and destruction that came with it. I can see how it was necessary to the ultimate plot twist about her, which I also liked. But the level of darkness in plot, that I didn't feel through Danny's POV in this book, made me keep a bit of distance from it. Might have just been me not clicking quite with the writing style. (hide spoiler)] Over all, I liked both the unexpected parts and the range of issues that arose.

About halfway in, and the consistency of Danny's powers aside (something that doesn't bother me), I think it's a very relevant story, politically. It's making commentary on current political climates, something Not Your Sidekick and its sequel do well as well. It's showing the underside of conservative politics and policies and voting trends, pointing out what you're really buying in to when you hand over your own power in exchange for platitudes. While Nemesis and Sidekick are very different universes in some ways, in others, they're very in sync.

I agree - this one definitely mirrors current political issues and is a broader story in that sense. I liked that it simplified and amplified some of the worst things about how our system works, making them clearer.

My review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I felt like I missed a bit of closeness with Danny, somehow. The amount of action and fighting and message in this one left less room for emotions. I did like that her romance progressed and we got a few quiet moments there - I like the separation of gender and orientation, and that both get play in this book. Particularly in the episode with her parents I thought emotions did hit the page well, but that fizzled by the wayside pretty quickly. Still a solid 4 star read for me, and I'll definitely read the next when it comes out.

I rated it 5 stars. I liked that it didn't pull its punches, the way fiction often does, or resort to euphemisms. (view spoiler)[It baldly talked about what a restrictive idea of womanhood means and how it's a really toxic false ideal even for cisgender women. It didn't let the bad guy lay out his whole totalitarian plan - Danny listened until she'd heard enough to be sure, and then she let him know she wasn't going to listen any more. I think the thing I liked best, the thing that cemented in this book, is that though Danny is transgender, she isn't the hyperfemme transwoman that the media and society and medicine tells us all transwomen are. From the opening scene of her painting her nails, we've got to a Danny who's secure in her own skin and identity, and that doesn't equal the clothes she wears or a demure submissiveness. She's angry, she's violent, she's not going to take anyone's evil villain monologuing with passivity. She reminds me of comic book women I've read, mostly, of Carol Danvers. Carol's not my favourite by any means, but I admired her toughness, her determination, and her assurance that in two worlds ruled by testosterone - the military, and superheroing - she belonged. The whole first book is Danny not feeling she belongs anywhere. Sovereign is about her making that space for herself, and about confronting the people who denied her that space when she was young and vulnerable - her parents, and Graywytch. (hide spoiler)]

I also rated Sovereign five stars, and I can understand the four star review. I felt closer to Danny in Dreadnought, but maybe that’s because she comes into her own person more in Sovereign. The two dedications really epitomize these ideas: for the girls in hiding vs the girls who are free.

Those points are very good about Daniel’s portayal of Danny: not the stereotypical hyperfemme transwoman, but an independent badass.

I also like how the characters break their gender roles, respectively. Danny is agressive and impulsive, Sovereign seemingly cares about his daughter, and Graywytch is cold-hearted toward everyone. I love how the main characters were all female because it really let the feminism theme shine, (view spoiler)[ especially with Graywytch at the end. (hide spoiler)]

I really appreciated (view spoiler)[ Danny and Sarah’s romance because it lightened up the book at times while further developing the main leads. I feel the portrayal of their sexualities was important for readers, specifically who may be confused over gender and sexuality, to see that they are separate yet connected. (hide spoiler)]

Kaje, I am busy at the moment, but I look forward to reading your review later in the day!

I agree that I do like seeing a fictional trans girl who doesn't embrace all the stereotypes of femininity. Although Danny doesn't at this point have the level of physical dysphoria or the issues with trying to avoid being misgendered by many strangers that maybe push some trans girls toward all the outward trappings. She was given an outwardly female body, and I wonder to what degree that frees her to not have to use the other outward markers of gender.

I did like seeing any girl in fiction who is allowed to be angry, and physical, and who breaks the "good girl" boundaries as an MC.