A review by epaulettes
The Disastrous Début of Agatha Tremain by Stephanie Burgis

5.0

Despite being a very short story, this felt complete. The setup had a familiar, Diana-Wynne-Jones-y feel—a magical child is held back by neglectful/outright abusive guardians, but begins to reach their potential when they take their destiny into their own hands. What made this "the kids are alright" moral fresh was the queerness of our heroine. The guardians have bought into harmful traditions, and are ready to drag Agatha down with them. But with love and self-belief on her side, Agatha rejects what's done & changes the game for herself and for "the next generation." It's a very, very satisfying read.