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theirgracegrace's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Sir Callie is the sort of book that you wish middle-schoolers got the chance to read when you were growing up. Callie, a non-binary child who wants to grow up to be a knight like their father, travels to Helston, the centre of their nation. There, they discover that their two dads and their accepting commune are very different from the rest of the world, where everyone is expected to fit into two gendered boxes (boys become knights, girls become magicians) and a bigoted chancellor rules instead of the Crown Prince. A harrowing read as you worry for Callie and the small group of friends they collect as they challenge the encroaching evil of the witch Alis and the bigotry in the city walls. Excited to read book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol
In a chapter, Callie gets period cramps and describes the dysphoria that comes with that.paladinosaur's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
God this book is so good. I don’t think I’ve ever seen myself more in a protagonist, I wish I could send this book back to my 10 year old self because I know they’d just love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
Moderate: Child death
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A lovely middle grade fantasy that's all about finding yourself, being true to yourself, and fighting for those that are different from the norm. Callie is such a great main character, and they are not afriad to jump into the fray, especially if they see an injustice happening. They fight for what's right, and have acquired some great friends along the way.
The pacing was pretty good for this one, as well as the world building. My only complaint is the details about the outside force attacking Helston seemed a little fuzzy, but since it semes like this is the first book in a series, there's time to expand on that in later books!
The pacing was pretty good for this one, as well as the world building. My only complaint is the details about the outside force attacking Helston seemed a little fuzzy, but since it semes like this is the first book in a series, there's time to expand on that in later books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, and Dysphoria
Minor: Child death, Death, and War
katebrownreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, and Dysphoria
Minor: Child death, Death, Violence, Death of parent, and War
traeumenvonbuechern's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
Moderate: Dysphoria
Minor: Child death
lastblossom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an advance copy!
tl;dr
A thoughtful and complex story featuring a likable non-binary protagonist and a great supporting cast. The amount of prejudice the MC has to face is really stressful to read.
About
Only girls do magic. Only boys can be knights. Callie has never thought of themselves as a girl or a boy, but their dream to become a knight someday is blocked by the fact that everyone else sees Callie as a girl. But Callie's determined to prove themselves, and an invitation to the royal capital might be the chance they need to do so.
Thoughts
This is a tough one to review. I typically try to highlight things I enjoyed versus parts that weren't for me, but it was hard for me to enjoy this. To be clear, this is a very good book. Callie's struggles are raw and relatable, and my heart broke for them more than once. The other kids are unique and complex and beautiful, and it was great to see genuine thoughtfulness centered on the discussion of family and abuse, self-loathing, and how messy love can be. But dang, reading this was tough. Callie is misgendered regularly, on purpose, and with hurtful intent. Gender roles in this world are so rigid and pithy that even our heroic Callie starts out with a very dim view of women. Trans readers who have been down this path in real life already might find re-treading this ground to be tiresome. That being said, I think this book would have been perfect for me when I was younger, and I think it will resonate with any young reader looking for a story about friends, family, and adventure.
tl;dr
A thoughtful and complex story featuring a likable non-binary protagonist and a great supporting cast. The amount of prejudice the MC has to face is really stressful to read.
About
Only girls do magic. Only boys can be knights. Callie has never thought of themselves as a girl or a boy, but their dream to become a knight someday is blocked by the fact that everyone else sees Callie as a girl. But Callie's determined to prove themselves, and an invitation to the royal capital might be the chance they need to do so.
Thoughts
This is a tough one to review. I typically try to highlight things I enjoyed versus parts that weren't for me, but it was hard for me to enjoy this. To be clear, this is a very good book. Callie's struggles are raw and relatable, and my heart broke for them more than once. The other kids are unique and complex and beautiful, and it was great to see genuine thoughtfulness centered on the discussion of family and abuse, self-loathing, and how messy love can be. But dang, reading this was tough. Callie is misgendered regularly, on purpose, and with hurtful intent. Gender roles in this world are so rigid and pithy that even our heroic Callie starts out with a very dim view of women. Trans readers who have been down this path in real life already might find re-treading this ground to be tiresome. That being said, I think this book would have been perfect for me when I was younger, and I think it will resonate with any young reader looking for a story about friends, family, and adventure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and War