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Reviews tagging 'Confinement'
Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith
12 reviews
joanna_banana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I listened to this with my 11 year old daughter. I enjoyed the story and the statements on gender identity and being who you truly are, fully. The writing wasn’t the best we’ve read and the story lacked some creativity in parts. Felt like they had a statement to make (an important one) and constructed a narrative around it instead of having a compelling story they wove commentary into. So I guess it felt stilted at times. 5th or 6th grade readers would enjoy it and hopefully continue a conversation about standing up for yourself, who you are, and what you believe in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
btg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A magnificent queer, found family allegory, featuring loveable characters and a fight against tyranny. This is a surprisingly heavy fantasy but absolutely realistic and addicting; I checked the sequel out of the library right away. If you're a fan of Nimona, you're going to enjoy this book. Bonus points to the author for Callie's absolutely raw, quotable lines about the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Grief
Minor: War
The whole book is a metaphor for homophobia/transphobia, at the same time as featuring actual transphobia from the horribly cisnormative environment of Helston. The main character is repeatedly misgendered/deadnamed and the gender binary is applied to all characters in a blunt, strict degree. Three primary characters are heavily emotionally and two are physically abused, the effects of (and occasionally a toned down version of the acts themselves) are noted by the viewpoint character onscreen. There is a happy ending in this regard. The main character is confined to their room for a good portion of the narrative. A major and two secondary characters both grieve two characters throughout the events of the book. It should be additionally noted that this is NOT a cozy fantasy, and there is a fair amount of violent fighting where punches about the characters' risk are not pulled. The backstory of the world features an active war against nearby (rebels? people who rightfully feel that Helston should no longer stand given how horrifically oppressive it is?). It's handled in an incredibly nuanced way, but it influences the fears of the populace and impacts the narrative.arrr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Fun fantasy world in which to challenge gender stereotypes. Supportive family modelling. Wonderful friendships.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
jessicayaun's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I wish I'd hopped on this one sooner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Confinement, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
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.jojo50's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A bit a bit of a preachy introduction to human rights. But it's a cute adventure story that includes all kinds of difficult topics in an inspiring way for kids
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Sexism, and Gaslighting
Minor: Confinement
purplepenning's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming and Transphobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Blood, and War
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
321zeggy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book was admittedly light on the fantasy plot. The reader knows there’s a “threat” from within a forest, though exactly of what scale and for what reasons is uncertain. While the book’s ending made it clear that this aspect of the plot will be centred in the sequel, I was certainly expecting a few more events of direct involvement with the threat in THIS instalment, but instead it was left to loom in the background. This made it hard to believe in the stakes associated with this part of the plot, particularly as Callie and their father go through the forest (wherein lies the threat) and emerge relatively unscathed with relatively little effort.
The above is a fairly significant criticism. However, I couldn’t rate this less than 4.5 stars which I think speaks to the HIGH quality of the rest of the book. The characters are incredibly dynamic, and I mean ALL of them, not just Callie. Every main and side character had an emotional and at times confronting arc, and every character’s development was earned (rather than just a sudden change in character). As a reader you bear witness to the conversations that progressed the characters, the events that shaped their change. It was truly incredibly done.
The found family element of this book was immaculate. I think some authors think that they’ve achieved this trope simply by having a friend group present in the story, but Symes-Smith clearly knows you have to write this dynamic super carefully to make it believable. Through their writing they convey such intimacy between the characters, both physical and emotional, and once again the reader is privy to the moments which develop and strengthen these bonds. The love that Callie, Nick, and Neil had for one another, and how they extended this to the other children unconditionally, made me feel so warm and happy.
This story is written in a way that is allegorical, so that modern middle-graders (and other readers) will be able to recognise our own binary, oppressive world in that of Callie’s, and so be encouraged by Callie and their friends to enact change. I also think it’s incredibly important for MGs to see healthy and happy family and friend relationships modelled as they are in this book. I really wish I had had this book growing up, as it puts into words the difficulty of being different in your identity, and strongly asserts how exactly how well you should be treated by those around you. It’s safe to say this made me cry multiple times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Transphobia
Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Death, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: menstruation, capital punishment