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A review by gussurireads
The Hatchling by Vyria Durav
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Read as part of another trans bookclub’s reading challenge.
Some might feel more compelled to give this a higher rating as it seems like such a piece of genuine, heartfelt, personal writing. Being self published, it clearly didn’t benefit from professional editing, which is fine and to be expected. However, the writing is probably my biggest gripe with The Hatchling. To be honest, I dislike first person narration but on top of that, the writing was uninspired and the dialogue irked me, with modernisms in what is meant to be a more traditional fantasy setting.
Other than that, this reads as a bit of a power fantasy about becoming a dragon as a metaphor for transitioning and while I wish that was real and we could all do that, I just couldn’t connect with this story or its characters. Especially Valora, who reads as much younger than she actually is.
Others might find still find this worth a read if you’re willing to read uncritically and just want a bit of transfem escapism.
Some might feel more compelled to give this a higher rating as it seems like such a piece of genuine, heartfelt, personal writing. Being self published, it clearly didn’t benefit from professional editing, which is fine and to be expected. However, the writing is probably my biggest gripe with The Hatchling. To be honest, I dislike first person narration but on top of that, the writing was uninspired and the dialogue irked me, with modernisms in what is meant to be a more traditional fantasy setting.
Other than that, this reads as a bit of a power fantasy about becoming a dragon as a metaphor for transitioning and while I wish that was real and we could all do that, I just couldn’t connect with this story or its characters. Especially Valora, who reads as much younger than she actually is.
Others might find still find this worth a read if you’re willing to read uncritically and just want a bit of transfem escapism.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, and Transphobia