Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

7 reviews

pearlc's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense 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? Yes

4.0

This is the first time I've read Alanna since I was a kid and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it holds up. It is still a solid fantasy adventure YA.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Transphobia

Brief scene when Alanna gets her first period of her being told that she was born a girl and it's insulting to the gods to wish for something different and she can't change the fact that she's a girl.

sylan's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

4.5

The first few chapters almost feels like a Mulan man up sequence. It starts off rough but immediately picks up once they get into the page story arc. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror and Transphobia

Alan aka Alanna is a girl that wants to be a boy to the point that she hates her body, has tried to magically alter it to be more like a boy, bound her chest with cloth, and often has fantasies of becoming a real boy and being happy.

When Alanna gets her period, George's mother basically tells her that she can never be a man, and she needs to accept God's divine plan that he assigned to her when she was born. This makes her feel like an imposter, like she's not a man, since she has spent her entire time at school proving to others she is just like the other boys

cicadaknight's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing

Moderate: Dysphoria, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Transphobia

Final scenes include the most unnecessary use of magical clothing removal to out a child.

samanyana's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia

inferiorwit's review against another edition

funny inspiring lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Violence, Sexism, Outing, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Dysphoria

Minor: Dysphoria and Transphobia

podanotherjessi's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was simple but definitely cute! Not much to say. Definitely some small moments that didn't age particularly well, but from my understanding, the author has since commented on it and how she would have handled it today.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Transphobia

iviarelle's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

With a caveat that this book has one scene that might be quite harmful/triggering to trans folks, I still really adore this book. If Pierce had handled Alanna's feelings about getting her period another way, it would be perfect for what it is. Unfortunately, instead of asking Alanna if she REALLY wants to be a boy, or if she just thinks it would be more convenient to becoming a knight even though she really does feel like a girl, the book just states that there is no way to change the body the gods gave you, so no matter how you really feel in it, you're trapped... I wish there could be a new edition to change that, I really do, because I'd love to recommend the whole of Tortall to basically everyone I know. It's not about Alanna really wanting to be a boy, it's a messy way of confirming that she really is a girl, and one that is, however unintentionally, harmful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Alcoholism