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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
a really interesting and original concept, and easy to read. it has some themes that I wish received more attention and it does kind of have a pacing problem imo, but also the covers are so striking?
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
AAAAAAAAAAA
Don’t read any reviews, don’t get any spoilers, don’t even look at the blurb or premise that hard. Please, just read it. The characters, the writing, just ALL OF IT is so good. I absolutely devoured this book and it devoured me, devastating and eyeopening and adorable and hilarious in equal measure. Thank you Alyson Greaves.
Don’t read any reviews, don’t get any spoilers, don’t even look at the blurb or premise that hard. Please, just read it. The characters, the writing, just ALL OF IT is so good. I absolutely devoured this book and it devoured me, devastating and eyeopening and adorable and hilarious in equal measure. Thank you Alyson Greaves.
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this book made me want to get kidnapped and locked in a concrete basement.
Trigger warning: kidnapping, forced imprisonment, mentions of torture (physical, mental, and emotional), transphobia, forced feminization, mention of rape, mention of sexual assault
This book was provided for review by The Write Reads and Neem Tree Press. Thank you!
There are times when writing a review for a book I have read is incredibly difficult. Not because the book is bad, far from it in fact. It's usually because I simply do not know what to say. How do I convey my thoughts and/or feelings for a book in a manner that is easy to digest? Especially when said book has brought up so many different and conflicting emotions?
Welcome to Dorley Hall is one of those books that was difficult to read and even more difficult to review. The general subject matter is troubling at best and disturbing at worst. Several times when reading the book I had to put it down and walk away. It took me much longer than usual to read this book because of it.
Welcome to Dorley Hall starts out normally enough. Stefan Riley is a seemingly regular young man. When he was a boy, his neighbor Mark Vogel disappeared. Stefan looked up to Mark and considered him an older brother. Mark's disappearance was devastating - not just to Mark's family, but to Stefan as well. When Mark was declared dead, Stefan refused to believe and investigated on his own. He learned that Mark disappeared from Dorley Hall, a residential hall that is part of the Royal College of Saint Almsworth. Every year a handful of young men disappear in that area, the disappearances going back years. Stefan decides to investigate Dorley Hall but finds himself in over his head when he wakes up in a cell beneath the hall. He is also not alone.
Things take a bizarre and disturbing turn when Stefan realizes what the women of Dorley Hall have planned for him and the other men imprisoned there. They are all given testosterone blockers, followed shortly thereafter by estrogen injections. Soon there will be surgeries and the young men will be turned into young women. Whether they like it or not.
And here, my dear reader is where I began to have real trouble with this book. Because almost everyone in this book is treated terribly. The young men imprisoned beneath Dorley Hall have no idea why they are there. They have no idea what future awaits them. The young women who have "graduated" aren't allowed much more freedom either. They are expected to fit in a pre-determined box. To embrace the femininity that was forced on them and reject the masculinity they had no choice but to leave behind.
Women are good and men are bad. They are all horrible, some more than others. This program shows them the error of their ways. This is the message repeated in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways throughout the book. And more than one woman from Dorley Hall has, for want of a better phrase, drank the Kool-Aid. They believe fully in what they are doing and that it is for the betterment of humankind.
The way the book is written is a bit jumbled. While a good deal of the focus is on Stefan, there is also some focus on Christine - a fairly recent graduate of the program herself. Not enough time is spent with either character to really develop any kind of attachment to them. It's difficult to know how to feel about these characters as well. Should we the readers feel horrified but what they are being or were put through? Should we feel disgusted at their methodology? Should we feel relieved when they embrace their truth, whatever it is? Should we cheer for Stefan? For Christine? For Aunt Bea?
It's so hard to tell because I will be honest - there are no "good guys" here.
Welcome to Dorley Hall is a difficult novel to read and an even more difficult novel to write a review for. It is definitely not for everyone, I know for a fact the subject matter will be triggering to some. I can't easily recommend this book to my readers but neither can I tell them to stay away. All I can say is tread lightly. This is a dark and disturbing book and not for everyone. Read the trigger/content warnings, take them seriously, and take care.
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Realllly hard to put down, had me hooked like no other book I've picked up in years. Got me to reflect on my own transition and femininity in some super interesting and overall very positive ways. HIGHLY recommend.
fast-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was spectacular! Extremely relatable, both in the dark humor around the lived trans experience, as well as tear jerking from having felt like the girls that are still struggling with their internalized issues. The characters are all extremely enjoyable, even that little shit Aaron.