A review by breq
Sistersong by Lucy Holland

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

My main complaint is that I was in it for the murder ballad and that doesn't actually hit until about 75-80% of the way in.  It felt like there was a lot of setup and the book didn't need to start that early.  But some of this may be because I'm already familiar with that setting and didn't feel like I needed much exposition.  I really liked how the

trans character was handled, with what felt like an accurate mix of acceptance and prejudice, without getting too "being trans is constant trauma" or too "magically accepting".  It's a balance a lot of writers miss, and I really prefer narratives that strike that middle area.  My immediate thought, at least, is that it was done well.  My opinion may change as I think about it.  I know some people prefer that trans characters are always gendered correctly in the narrative and never deadnamed, but I feel like there are times when that's necessary and as long as it's handled respectfully, it works.  I think it was handled well here.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Violence, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

The trans character is misgendered and deadnamed both by characters and by the narrative. However, some of this is due to him not being out yet to certain characters, and him not choosing a new name until the end of the book. (In fact, at the start of the book, it is not immediately clear that he is a trans man because he is still coming to terms with it, at least in my interpretation.) A number of characters come around and gender him correctly as the book progresses. Some characters do not, which makes sense with the setting. Overall, I felt it was mostly well-handled, although I am not specifically a trans man myself.