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throwback682 's review for:

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
4.25
adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I almost DNF’d this book but I think I’m glad I didn’t. 

The first 30% felt painfully slow to me. The rest of the book moved slow but not miserably so. Also in the first third the allegory felt incredibly heavy handed. I feel like later in the book there was a bit more nuance and I was able to enjoy it more and apply more of my own experience to the metaphor. 

Things I liked:

- queer love stories
- affirmation that yes, trans women can dragon
- at least one vignette highlighting Black women’s particular struggles
- acknowledgment of sexual violence without triggering descriptions

I’m not sure what else to say; other people’s reviews will probably be more helpful. 



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