A review by flightyreads
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

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

4.75

At times while reading this book, I felt as though I understood what each girl-becoming-dragon thought: the world is too small. I felt the familiar sisterhood of feminine rage and feminine joy throughout the book. Obviously fiction, yet every “event” mentioned in the book could easily be real if the dragons were replaced with just women acting on emotions (both positively and negatively). I felt at peace when I finished this book, and distinctly one with the feminine part of my soul.
My only complaint was that I felt too many of the documents/out-of-story events were detailed at the very beginning which made the story hard to get into at first. I felt the pacing after the first 75 pages or so was much better. I rated this book 4.75/5 stars as a result.