Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

9 reviews

tamara_joy's review

challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Transphobia, and Homophobia

Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, and Alcoholism

Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Cancer, and Fire/Fire injury

arood's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Alcoholism, Grief, Dysphoria, Xenophobia, and Death of parent

arwinadrea's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Misogyny

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, and Cancer

Minor: Lesbophobia, Dysphoria, and Outing

Cold War, Women's Lib, Toxic Patriarchy, and Traumatic Childhood meets hopeful coming of age magical realism!

cryfest's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Death of parent, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, and Homophobia

ka_ke's review

emotional inspiring reflective 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? No

4.5

Calling all feminists, this book is a must read. A carefully balance mix of fantasy and memories, When Women Were Dragons shares the stories and the struggles of those who fought for the rights we have (for now at least) so that we may preserve their memories and work towards a better future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Sexism, Misogyny, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Classism, Dysphoria, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

katiecentabar's review

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.25

I enjoyed where this book ended up but I didn't always love the journey to get there. There were times that felt very gender essentialist and there were  moments that alluded to the ongoing Civil Rights movement. I think there's a very specific reason it was set in the 50s and I wish that had been explored more fully ie. in a way other than "patriarchy is bad". 

I would have preferred split narratives to get different perspectives on dragoning because the most compelling parts of this story were not the main character. I really enjoyed the last third of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Misogyny, Dysphoria, Grief, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual harassment and Panic attacks/disorders

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Cancer, Grief, Misogyny, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Sexism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Physical abuse, War, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, and Dysphoria

Further warning for descriptions of menstruation.

kelseyr713's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-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? Yes

5.0

"He looked at the window, toward the sky. In a brief, wild moment, I imagined it filled with dragons. Burning houses. Burning buildings. Swallowing men whole. I imagined the entire Mass Dragoning happening again, but bigger this time—every city, every town, every block, dark wings and sharp jaws and bright scales crowding the sky. I imagined myself unleashed, unhooked, unraveled, an explosion of heat and rage and frustration. My bones felt hot. My skin felt tight. The air in my lungs seemed to sizzle."

This alternate history fiction is a love letter to women, libraries, and science. Under the surface, it’s also challenging notions of what should be considered "normal" and encouraging not ignorance and fear, but love and acceptance. I loved and devoured it.

Content warnings: homophobia, parental emotional abuse, death of parents, cancer, body horror (although I personally found the dragoning described beautifully, this may not be true for all readers).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Cancer, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Grief, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Body horror, and Dysphoria

Minor: Murder, Physical abuse, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

kari_f's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing 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

4.0

I’ve read most of Kelly Barnhill’s books, and this one was unlike anything I’ve read of hers. In fact, it was very unique and different from *anything* I’ve ever read before.

Focusing primarily on government sanctions on scientific freedoms to fit a desired social narrative, as well as gender stereotypes and stigmas, this book is a perfect example of art imitating life…but with dragons added in. I’d place it somewhere between magical realism and fantasy, with relevant themes and topics that need to be discussed in our very real world.

The book goes back and forth between historical accounts of the phenomenon known as dragoning, scientific explanations and research on the topic, and a narrative perspective from a young woman growing up in a family greatly impacted by dragoning. 

This is the first non-middle grade book I’ve read from Barnhill, and while the audience is different from what she usually writes, the whimsical nature of her books remains! I was hopeful this would be the case, as I’ve loved that aspect of her books written for younger audiences. I’ll admit there were a few times near the beginning that I felt the book was dragging a bit, but it makes sense since those parts were non-narrative sections or world-building scenes. Once I really got into it, I was truly excited about each point of view and section!

The premise was unique and fascinating, the stories leading up to many of the dragonings were infuriating and heartbreakingly relatable to real-world’s-not-so-distant-history, the theme of acceptance was heartwarming and lovely,  and the main characters were fascinatingly brave in their own ways. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and continue to be excited about the author’s future literary works!

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this arc!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Cancer, Dysphoria, and Death of parent