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breadwitchery's review
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexism, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Infidelity
enchantressreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.25
When Women Were Dragons takes place in the 1950s, where women's things were not talked about. They were forbidden. When hundreds of thousands of women turn into dragons, everyone tries to sweep it under the rug. It is a tragedy that they refer to as The Day of Missing Mothers, but they refuse to acknowledge what happened to cause this Mass Dragoning. Anyone who dares to discuss, or even study, dragons and dragoning, are quickly silenced, or even shunned from the community. It is just not what we talk about.
We soon learn that the Mass Dragoning of 1956 was not the first time any woman transformed into a dragon. There are stories dotting history, if you look in the right places, dating all the way back to ancient times. These transformations were passed down through history as folklore, but as soon as it became a common occurrence, those stories were no longer appropriate. Even drawing a dragon could get you sent to the principal's office for possible expulsion.
This book is a lot more than simply women turning into dragons, but I prefer to leave that up to the reader to discover. It was beautifully written, and contained so much more between the lines. I really recommend this to any woman, any femme, any marginalized person.
To those worried about possible TERF terminology, I assure you it is not a TERF piece. Trans women and non-binary folks are mentioned with care.
We soon learn that the Mass Dragoning of 1956 was not the first time any woman transformed into a dragon. There are stories dotting history, if you look in the right places, dating all the way back to ancient times. These transformations were passed down through history as folklore, but as soon as it became a common occurrence, those stories were no longer appropriate. Even drawing a dragon could get you sent to the principal's office for possible expulsion.
This book is a lot more than simply women turning into dragons, but I prefer to leave that up to the reader to discover. It was beautifully written, and contained so much more between the lines. I really recommend this to any woman, any femme, any marginalized person.
To those worried about possible TERF terminology, I assure you it is not a TERF piece. Trans women and non-binary folks are mentioned with care.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Cancer
Minor: Animal death and Sexual harassment
beforeviolets's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Doubleday for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
DISCLAIMER: I'm still very much processing my thoughts on this book and will likely come back to this review to add/edit my thoughts.
All I need to know to pick up a book is "sapphics and dragons" and that's exactly what gravitated me towards this work, which I would describe as a false historical memoir about women transforming into dragons.
This book is nothing but rage against the patriarchy, and I was here for it. With all feminist literature, I worry about TERF rhetoric or about a lack of intersectionality, and fortunately this book passed the test. Coast is all clear of TERF behavior and trans women are even mentioned to be included among the study of women who turn into dragons. I wouldn't say its centered around intersectionality, but it wasn't lacking to a point of ignorance.
The way that dragons were utilized as an allegory for women freeing themselves of the confines of a misogynistic society was incredibly clear and well done. From how dragoning was treated as "dirty" along with conversations about menstruation, to how scientific facts are silenced for the sake of an oppressive status quo, it all felt very relevant. There was even a pro-dragon protestor at one point holding a sign that said "My Body, My Choice." Though historical, the rage of these women breaks through time and space, asserting this book's importance even in modern day.
I do enjoy the way it read as a coming-of-age memoir, and appreciated having a character to ground us in the reality of women's hardships, but I do wish that the book had leaned into the potential of its fantasy elements a bit more. Especially towards the end, I felt as though it wrapped up rather swiftly, leaving me feeling a little empty-handed. The book spends so much time mentioning how freeing it is for women to become dragons, and we even hear some dialogue from characters as they turn into dragons, but I wish we as an audience had been granted a sliver of a dragon POV.To be honest, I wish we could have seen Alex transform at the very end. Even if we didn't see beyond transformation, just to get a glimpse into that process. I also just felt like the book was leading to that, and when it didn't, it felt quite anti-climactic.
Overall, if you're looking for a unique piece of speculative fiction about feminism and the importance of scientific discovery and discussion, I would recommend this. Especially if you love sapphics and dragons.
CW: misogyny, homophobia, parental death (father, offscreen/mother from cancer, onscreen), parental abandonment, child abuse (emotional, physical), panic attack, alcoholism, fire (mention), death, animal cruelty/death
DISCLAIMER: I'm still very much processing my thoughts on this book and will likely come back to this review to add/edit my thoughts.
All I need to know to pick up a book is "sapphics and dragons" and that's exactly what gravitated me towards this work, which I would describe as a false historical memoir about women transforming into dragons.
This book is nothing but rage against the patriarchy, and I was here for it. With all feminist literature, I worry about TERF rhetoric or about a lack of intersectionality, and fortunately this book passed the test. Coast is all clear of TERF behavior and trans women are even mentioned to be included among the study of women who turn into dragons. I wouldn't say its centered around intersectionality, but it wasn't lacking to a point of ignorance.
The way that dragons were utilized as an allegory for women freeing themselves of the confines of a misogynistic society was incredibly clear and well done. From how dragoning was treated as "dirty" along with conversations about menstruation, to how scientific facts are silenced for the sake of an oppressive status quo, it all felt very relevant. There was even a pro-dragon protestor at one point holding a sign that said "My Body, My Choice." Though historical, the rage of these women breaks through time and space, asserting this book's importance even in modern day.
I do enjoy the way it read as a coming-of-age memoir, and appreciated having a character to ground us in the reality of women's hardships, but I do wish that the book had leaned into the potential of its fantasy elements a bit more. Especially towards the end, I felt as though it wrapped up rather swiftly, leaving me feeling a little empty-handed. The book spends so much time mentioning how freeing it is for women to become dragons, and we even hear some dialogue from characters as they turn into dragons, but I wish we as an audience had been granted a sliver of a dragon POV.
Overall, if you're looking for a unique piece of speculative fiction about feminism and the importance of scientific discovery and discussion, I would recommend this. Especially if you love sapphics and dragons.
CW: misogyny, homophobia, parental death (father, offscreen/mother from cancer, onscreen), parental abandonment, child abuse (emotional, physical), panic attack, alcoholism, fire (mention), death, animal cruelty/death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, Cancer, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcoholism
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