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nice_to_spiders 's review for:
Old Wounds
by Logan-Ashley Kisner
Max and Erin are two trans teens who are leaving Ohio so Max can transition and escape his family. Erin is his ex and the only other trans person he knows, but she's having second thoughts on this journey--as much as she wants Max to get away, she's leaving a loving an understanding family, and the only home she's ever known. With their break up and Max's subsequent ghosting of her for two years still fresh on their minds, they find themselves trapped in rural Kentucky where the locals sacrifice women to a monster that lives in the woods. With reality-warping powers that make the night endless, day won't break until the Beast gets their sacrifice, and Erin and Max won't go down without a fight.
I picked this title up because I liked the cover and thought 'huh, I wonder if this is supposed to be the trans colors'--which, obviously, yeah. A beautiful cover, and a great, harrowing story about two trans people who you desperately want to succeed. The characterization of both Erin and Max are great: Erin is cheerful and polite, with her introduction being a sweet moment between her and her younger sister--the sister that she's planning on leaving forever to help out her ex-boyfriend. Max, on the other hand, is a ball of anger and anxiety--someone who screws up so much but is aware of it, and is desperately searching for a place where he doesn't have to be 'claws out' all the time. The two frequently butt heads, but the biggest point of contention is how Erin's family embraced her transition while Max's sees it as a mental illness, with his stepfather getting violent with him whenever he discovered his binders.
"Old Wounds" is a rough read to anyone who might be sensitive to transphobia, but what appears in the pages is never without reason. Max is obviously struggling with it in his home life, and he uses laws being passed in Ohio to convince Erin to make this trip with him. While I personally liked that it didn't shy away from how ugly things get, I can see this being a turn off for someone who is in a place similar to Max right now. On the other hand, his 'not going down without a fight' attitude could be an inspiration!
Overall, a great book, and certainly one of my favorites of the year. I hope I'll see more titles by Logan-Ashley Kisner in the future!
I picked this title up because I liked the cover and thought 'huh, I wonder if this is supposed to be the trans colors'--which, obviously, yeah. A beautiful cover, and a great, harrowing story about two trans people who you desperately want to succeed. The characterization of both Erin and Max are great: Erin is cheerful and polite, with her introduction being a sweet moment between her and her younger sister--the sister that she's planning on leaving forever to help out her ex-boyfriend. Max, on the other hand, is a ball of anger and anxiety--someone who screws up so much but is aware of it, and is desperately searching for a place where he doesn't have to be 'claws out' all the time. The two frequently butt heads, but the biggest point of contention is how Erin's family embraced her transition while Max's sees it as a mental illness, with his stepfather getting violent with him whenever he discovered his binders.
"Old Wounds" is a rough read to anyone who might be sensitive to transphobia, but what appears in the pages is never without reason. Max is obviously struggling with it in his home life, and he uses laws being passed in Ohio to convince Erin to make this trip with him. While I personally liked that it didn't shy away from how ugly things get, I can see this being a turn off for someone who is in a place similar to Max right now. On the other hand, his 'not going down without a fight' attitude could be an inspiration!
Overall, a great book, and certainly one of my favorites of the year. I hope I'll see more titles by Logan-Ashley Kisner in the future!