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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
This simply has to be adapted into a screenplay and star Hunter Schafer
This book is everything i want in horror. I picked it up because i immediately fell in love with the cover, but the story itself drew me in so quickly. There is such a vast difference in Max & Erin's experiences with being trans, & yet when Max runs away, Erin is the only one he wants to bring with him. It's also such a great deconstruction of horror movie tropes. Why does the girl have to be the one that gets sacrificed? Why does this horrifying, unexplainable monster care about gender? And what kind of person lives in this town, that they're so prepared to do violence against the women they love?
The descriptions were perfect & this story feels so refreshing & rare in a way that makes me absolutely here for whatever this author does next
The descriptions were perfect & this story feels so refreshing & rare in a way that makes me absolutely here for whatever this author does next
Oh my god. This writing was so clunky. I could go on and on about it. It was SO heavy handed, hitting every single stereotypical trans coming of age story trope. And I’m a trans man, so I’m not coming in here as a hater. I’m here as someone who was excited by the corny gimmick and excited for something spooky and campy. I left wondering: who was this for? Why did we need such a basic, boring trans 101? Why wasn’t there an ounce of horror before 30% of the book had passed?
Reads like a fan fiction. Actually, would be much better as a fan fiction.
Deeply disappointed. Might come back and edit this review later to add more nuance. For now, I’m simply too frustrated by the lost opportunities here. Curse whoever edited this book. It could have been great.
Reads like a fan fiction. Actually, would be much better as a fan fiction.
Deeply disappointed. Might come back and edit this review later to add more nuance. For now, I’m simply too frustrated by the lost opportunities here. Curse whoever edited this book. It could have been great.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
Smart and interesting premise that got bogged down a bit in the telling.
Given the blurb and cover art, this was much lighter on the paranormal horror aspect than I expected — our resident cryptid is hardly a presence at all, to the point that it feels almost unnecessary when the humans in the story are (fittingly enough) the true horror. The symbolism is there, but it never quite has the bite it could have; I think in part my dissatisfaction comes from the complete handwaving-away of any sort of explanation or internal logic for the beast, the woods, the town. The characters acknowledge that none of it makes sense and... that's it? For a book that, at times, likes to spell things out a little too directly, it felt strange to be so underdeveloped in this regard.
There's also a startling lack of any sense of urgency despite the constant threat of our MCs being hunted down and killed. Once we reach the woods with Max and Erin, the story begins to spin its wheels, sending our characters circling back over the same ground literally and figuratively for a long while. The heroes and villains alike love to stand around and talk/argue instead of following through on what they're talking about, and then make a lot of decisions that I have a hard time understanding. So many things should be terrifying but don't fully translate in the delivery. Again, the concepts and themes Kisner is playing with are on-point, but the story itself doesn't quite hang together the way I wanted it to.
Given the blurb and cover art, this was much lighter on the paranormal horror aspect than I expected — our resident cryptid is hardly a presence at all, to the point that it feels almost unnecessary when the humans in the story are (fittingly enough) the true horror. The symbolism is there, but it never quite has the bite it could have; I think in part my dissatisfaction comes from the complete handwaving-away of any sort of explanation or internal logic for the beast, the woods, the town. The characters acknowledge that none of it makes sense and... that's it? For a book that, at times, likes to spell things out a little too directly, it felt strange to be so underdeveloped in this regard.
There's also a startling lack of any sense of urgency despite the constant threat of our MCs being hunted down and killed. Once we reach the woods with Max and Erin, the story begins to spin its wheels, sending our characters circling back over the same ground literally and figuratively for a long while. The heroes and villains alike love to stand around and talk/argue instead of following through on what they're talking about, and then make a lot of decisions that I have a hard time understanding. So many things should be terrifying but don't fully translate in the delivery. Again, the concepts and themes Kisner is playing with are on-point, but the story itself doesn't quite hang together the way I wanted it to.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
More of a 3.75/5 stars.
Erin and Max are two trans teens who live in Ohio, and tonight they're finally running. Erin, a trans girl, started transiting when she was young and is now mostly passing. She's been accepted by her mother and sister for a long time, but now she feels conflicted running away with Max, who broke up with her two years ago. Max, a trans boy, cannot live in his home anymore. His strict and transphobic mother and step-father make his life a living Hell for him; it doesn't help that he lives in Ohio. Running away is his idea. Together, they will drive across the country to Berkeley, California where Max can finally begin transitioning and and they can live among a more supportive community. If only it were that simple. While in Kentucky, their car wrecks and the two teens find themselves under the watchful, threatening eyes of the local.
And of a monster.
A monster that has been around for decades, constantly devouring the girls that town offers to it. Erin and Max are not certain what the monster thinks of trans boys and trans girls, but what they are certain is that the town is not safe. And they are constantly being hunted.
Old Wounds is a decent debut from Logan-Ashley Kisner and a great start off to the Halloween season. Although there is a monster, this is one of the books where the human threats are far more dangerous. The book is abound in the physical, mental, and political threats that trans people face in America and how trans people, especially teens, can internalize the hatred and violence against them. Our main characters are messy--like, really messy in some cases--, terrified, and uncertain of their fates, but most of all they are survivors.
Erin and Max are some the strongest YA leads I have read in a long time. They both go through individual character arcs that change them for the better and there is a lot of discussion on what trans teen can go through interwoven into it all. In particular, how a trans teen who comes from a loving and supporting family can have a different outlook and emotions than of one from an unsupportive home. Erin was probably my favorite between the two, but Max's journey is still just as important and I've got some things to talk about how Erin is written. As I said before, Erin mostly passes for a cis girl and her mother and sister support her; though it is mentioned that when she first came out her mother initially wrestled with it. However, despite some of the acceptance Erin received, she is still on guard about being clocked and from threats of transphobia. Because the acceptance she received, in the beginning she is initially a bit more level-headed than Max. Max is very much a broken and angry boy in the beginning, and we'll come back to him, but Erin, even in the face of danger, tries to think as rationally as she can and act accordingly. For example, when Erin is taken to the house where another character Charlie and two of the other local guys convene for their plans, she is immediately on guard. Charlie acted nice to her when they first met, the reasons for this very obvious, but one she gets to the house she knows something isn't right. What she finds upstairs only confirms her fears, but she uses what she discovers for something later. When she is chased by both the men and the beast, she uses practical skills and a clear head even when she is in the face of danger or after she's been attacked.
Erin is one tough fucking gal. She pretty much saves Max and does most of the fighting. In fact, she's the one who discovers something about the beast that makes you realize what lies, control, and fearmongering the town has been leading itself under to satiate said beast's hunger. However, there is one part of Old Wounds with Erin that made me concerned. Now, to clarify, I am not trans myself and I do not speak for any trans women or transfeminine individuals, but reading a few things from transfem authors does make you alert and concern to certain things. I am not accusing Kisner of anything here nor am I saying he's "problematic," this is just something that makes me a bit concerned.
When Erin is about to be taken to the beast to be sacrificed for the town's safety, she tells them she's a trans girl, making them question if the beast will devour her. Earlier, her and Max wonder what the beast thinks of gender and that early scene, along with the later revelation, does give one pause to think as to what primal forces in nature are actually concerned with gender and who uses gender essentialism as a construct of control. Anyway, Erin gets away from the men and hears the beast coming for her. Mentally, she tells herself that she's not a girl. This is what gives me pause.
Erin never denies her own transness or wishes to detransition or anything like that. I understand she is terrified at what's going on and people will think a variety of paranoid thoughts when their lives are threatened. However, would a trans girl or trans woman in the situation think such a thing? Would they think such a thing in that situation?
I'm not a trans woman, so I don't know. I think I know what Kisner was getting at, but I'm not sure how to feel about that.
Nonetheless, Erin is a great character. At the end of everything, she realizes, despite the trials and tribulation her and Max's relationship has gone through, that she has to live her own life for a while.
Max's journey was probably the most stressful one to get through, and I think that's intentional. Max has been through so much shit and the main conflict of the book makes him more stressed-out and frightened over it. I will not lie; for a while, I thought Max was going to say something about how trans girls have it better than trans boys. That kind of discourse has been going on social media, especially twitter, for a while now. If you saw the online kerfuffle about Julia Serano's [b:Whipping Girl|182761626|Whipping Girl|Julia Serano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699308721l/182761626._SX50_.jpg|592211] and MitchFest awhile back, you know what I'm talking about. Thankfully, however, Max never says this. However, throughout the earlier parts of the book, Max clearly displays jealousy towards Erin's family life. Eventually, he does break down to her and reveals that because of all the support she got, and all the abuse, bullying, and self-harm he received, he did come to hate her. He says it wasn't right, but he just internalized all his pain and projected it onto her. Like I said in the beginning, these trans teens are messy. Max probably more than Erin. Kisner does not condone what Max does, but nonetheless shows the raw feelings of a trans teen disallowed what he wants and needs.
Max's journey is another great one. He learns that even though he is running off to a better future, he cannot run from the girl he once cared about. He learns that none of it is her fault. Again, it's Erin who does most of the fighting here, but Max gest tougher in his own ways and expresses his anger in other ways.
Now, you probably notice that I haven't mentioned the beast all that much and, well, that's one of my major criticisms of Old Wounds. We see hints of the beast when Erin and Max get to the small Kentucky town, but it's full appearance isn't until much later. This is probably because, as I said before, the human threats are the biggest threats; trans people will always be in far more danger at the hands of cis people than other creatures or beings. However, when the book, especially the synopsis on the book flap and on the damn cover itself, promotes itself on a monster, you expect to see it! I wanted more of the monster! Not only that, but the climax of the book is a little disappointing. It's still an awesome moment for Erin, as always, but it's kind of over with in the blink of an eye. I should note here that the monster's origins are never outright explained, only suggested at. That is perfectly fine. A lot of horror stuff weakens itself by explaining the threat's origins when it doesn't need to; Kisner avoids that pitfall.
Other than that, Old Wounds is a solid novel. The pacing is great and the prose is just right for a contemporary YA horror. There's maybe a few cringy moments, but they're nothing overly harmful nor overstay their welcome. Th epilogue is very good too, winding the tension down and seeing Max and Erin off to their futures. Not going to lie, this would make for an excellent film. Maybe someday!
Erin and Max are two trans teens who live in Ohio, and tonight they're finally running. Erin, a trans girl, started transiting when she was young and is now mostly passing. She's been accepted by her mother and sister for a long time, but now she feels conflicted running away with Max, who broke up with her two years ago. Max, a trans boy, cannot live in his home anymore. His strict and transphobic mother and step-father make his life a living Hell for him; it doesn't help that he lives in Ohio. Running away is his idea. Together, they will drive across the country to Berkeley, California where Max can finally begin transitioning and and they can live among a more supportive community. If only it were that simple. While in Kentucky, their car wrecks and the two teens find themselves under the watchful, threatening eyes of the local.
And of a monster.
A monster that has been around for decades, constantly devouring the girls that town offers to it. Erin and Max are not certain what the monster thinks of trans boys and trans girls, but what they are certain is that the town is not safe. And they are constantly being hunted.
Old Wounds is a decent debut from Logan-Ashley Kisner and a great start off to the Halloween season. Although there is a monster, this is one of the books where the human threats are far more dangerous. The book is abound in the physical, mental, and political threats that trans people face in America and how trans people, especially teens, can internalize the hatred and violence against them. Our main characters are messy--like, really messy in some cases--, terrified, and uncertain of their fates, but most of all they are survivors.
Erin and Max are some the strongest YA leads I have read in a long time. They both go through individual character arcs that change them for the better and there is a lot of discussion on what trans teen can go through interwoven into it all. In particular, how a trans teen who comes from a loving and supporting family can have a different outlook and emotions than of one from an unsupportive home. Erin was probably my favorite between the two, but Max's journey is still just as important and I've got some things to talk about how Erin is written. As I said before, Erin mostly passes for a cis girl and her mother and sister support her; though it is mentioned that when she first came out her mother initially wrestled with it. However, despite some of the acceptance Erin received, she is still on guard about being clocked and from threats of transphobia. Because the acceptance she received, in the beginning she is initially a bit more level-headed than Max. Max is very much a broken and angry boy in the beginning, and we'll come back to him, but Erin, even in the face of danger, tries to think as rationally as she can and act accordingly. For example, when Erin is taken to the house where another character Charlie and two of the other local guys convene for their plans, she is immediately on guard. Charlie acted nice to her when they first met, the reasons for this very obvious, but one she gets to the house she knows something isn't right. What she finds upstairs only confirms her fears, but she uses what she discovers for something later. When she is chased by both the men and the beast, she uses practical skills and a clear head even when she is in the face of danger or after she's been attacked.
Erin is one tough fucking gal. She pretty much saves Max and does most of the fighting. In fact, she's the one who discovers something about the beast that makes you realize what lies, control, and fearmongering the town has been leading itself under to satiate said beast's hunger. However, there is one part of Old Wounds with Erin that made me concerned. Now, to clarify, I am not trans myself and I do not speak for any trans women or transfeminine individuals, but reading a few things from transfem authors does make you alert and concern to certain things. I am not accusing Kisner of anything here nor am I saying he's "problematic," this is just something that makes me a bit concerned.
When Erin is about to be taken to the beast to be sacrificed for the town's safety, she tells them she's a trans girl, making them question if the beast will devour her. Earlier, her and Max wonder what the beast thinks of gender and that early scene, along with the later revelation, does give one pause to think as to what primal forces in nature are actually concerned with gender and who uses gender essentialism as a construct of control. Anyway, Erin gets away from the men and hears the beast coming for her. Mentally, she tells herself that she's not a girl. This is what gives me pause.
Erin never denies her own transness or wishes to detransition or anything like that. I understand she is terrified at what's going on and people will think a variety of paranoid thoughts when their lives are threatened. However, would a trans girl or trans woman in the situation think such a thing? Would they think such a thing in that situation?
I'm not a trans woman, so I don't know. I think I know what Kisner was getting at, but I'm not sure how to feel about that.
Nonetheless, Erin is a great character. At the end of everything, she realizes, despite the trials and tribulation her and Max's relationship has gone through, that she has to live her own life for a while.
Max's journey was probably the most stressful one to get through, and I think that's intentional. Max has been through so much shit and the main conflict of the book makes him more stressed-out and frightened over it. I will not lie; for a while, I thought Max was going to say something about how trans girls have it better than trans boys. That kind of discourse has been going on social media, especially twitter, for a while now. If you saw the online kerfuffle about Julia Serano's [b:Whipping Girl|182761626|Whipping Girl|Julia Serano|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1699308721l/182761626._SX50_.jpg|592211] and MitchFest awhile back, you know what I'm talking about. Thankfully, however, Max never says this. However, throughout the earlier parts of the book, Max clearly displays jealousy towards Erin's family life. Eventually, he does break down to her and reveals that because of all the support she got, and all the abuse, bullying, and self-harm he received, he did come to hate her. He says it wasn't right, but he just internalized all his pain and projected it onto her. Like I said in the beginning, these trans teens are messy. Max probably more than Erin. Kisner does not condone what Max does, but nonetheless shows the raw feelings of a trans teen disallowed what he wants and needs.
Max's journey is another great one. He learns that even though he is running off to a better future, he cannot run from the girl he once cared about. He learns that none of it is her fault. Again, it's Erin who does most of the fighting here, but Max gest tougher in his own ways and expresses his anger in other ways.
Now, you probably notice that I haven't mentioned the beast all that much and, well, that's one of my major criticisms of Old Wounds. We see hints of the beast when Erin and Max get to the small Kentucky town, but it's full appearance isn't until much later. This is probably because, as I said before, the human threats are the biggest threats; trans people will always be in far more danger at the hands of cis people than other creatures or beings. However, when the book, especially the synopsis on the book flap and on the damn cover itself, promotes itself on a monster, you expect to see it! I wanted more of the monster! Not only that, but the climax of the book is a little disappointing. It's still an awesome moment for Erin, as always, but it's kind of over with in the blink of an eye. I should note here that the monster's origins are never outright explained, only suggested at. That is perfectly fine. A lot of horror stuff weakens itself by explaining the threat's origins when it doesn't need to; Kisner avoids that pitfall.
Other than that, Old Wounds is a solid novel. The pacing is great and the prose is just right for a contemporary YA horror. There's maybe a few cringy moments, but they're nothing overly harmful nor overstay their welcome. Th epilogue is very good too, winding the tension down and seeing Max and Erin off to their futures. Not going to lie, this would make for an excellent film. Maybe someday!