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Dreadnought

(Nemesis #1)

April Daniels (Goodreads Author)

4.15 · Rating details · 4,162 ratings · 998 reviews

Danny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero.

Until Dreadnought fell out of the sky and died right in front of her, Danny was trying to keep people from finding out she’s transgender. But before he expired, Dreadnought passed his mantle to her, and those secondhand superpowers transformed Danny’s body into what she’s ...more

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Paperback, 280 pages

Published January 24th 2017 by Diversion Publishing

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Jan 23, 2017 Emily May rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, young-adult, 2017, fantasy

"Genetics aren't destiny."

In a world where the skies are filled with superheroes and supervillains, 15-year-old Danny's dreams come true when the famous Dreadnought perishes in her arms and passes his powers on to her - powers that include super-strength, flight, and an outer body that matches the girl Danny's always been inside.

And, well... I loved it! Danny is going to steal the hearts of so many readers. This is such a beautiful ownvoices work and it shows from the very first chapter when we mee ...more

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Feb 19, 2018 Rick Riordan rated it it was amazing

April Daniels’ superhero story really packs a wallop! Fifteen-year-old Danny Tozer has always known that she is a girl, even though she was designated male at birth. Then one day, by being in the wrong place at the right time, she inherits the powers of the world’s greatest superhero: Dreadnought. At the same time, she gets her greatest wish: a female body that matches her identity. But which challenge will be tougher: taking on the job of superhero, or finding acceptance from her friends and fa
April Daniels’ superhero story really packs a wallop! Fifteen-year-old Danny Tozer has always known that she is a girl, even though she was designated male at birth. Then one day, by being in the wrong place at the right time, she inherits the powers of the world’s greatest superhero: Dreadnought. At the same time, she gets her greatest wish: a female body that matches her identity. But which challenge will be tougher: taking on the job of superhero, or finding acceptance from her friends and family who are suddenly confronted with her true, female self?

In Danny’s home of New Port (an alternate Seattle) metahumans are everywhere, dividing themselves into white capes, gray capes, and black capes, but that doesn’t always mean you can tell the heroes from the villains. Does Danny step into the shoes of the great Dreadnought and become a white cape, or does her destiny lie elsewhere?

As she tries to master her powers and explain to her friends and her parents how and why she has suddenly become the female she always knew she was inside, Danny gets pulled in many different directions by those who wish to influence her decisions. The white capes in their gleaming downtown tower offer unlimited resources and government support, but some seem reluctant to accept a transgender Dreadnought.

The gray cape Calamity tries to teach Danny that crime-solving isn’t always a matter of black and white, but are her methods too violent and gray for Danny? And lurking in the background is the shadowy figure of a new super-villain, a black cape that somehow managed to kill the last Dreadnought, leading Danny to inherit his powers. Danny has to find this villain and discover how she managed to kill the supposedly invincible Dreadnought, so Danny won’t be next on the hitlist.

This is a page-turning adventure that also explores identity and acceptance in a poignant, lovely way. Danny’s struggles ring true on every level, and any teen will relate. Fortunately, Dreadnought is the first of a series. I’m dying to read the rest!

I found this book thanks to the website Queer Books for Teens: http://queerbooksforteens.com/ ...more

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Jan 27, 2017 Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd) rated it really liked it

Shelves: anticipated-of-2017, e-arcs, read-in-2017, science-fiction, female-protag, my-books, lgbtqia

I loved so much about this story, so I'll try to be both brief and coherent. No promises, though. And just before we get started I want to emphasize that this is an ownvoices book - which is something that I think comes through in Danny's character. Just want to make sure as many people know that as possible. Ok, onto the review!

Danny is such a fresh and fantastic voice. Trans, lesbian, and a superhero, and I think every one of those identifiers is handled equally, while it is also c I loved so much about this story, so I'll try to be both brief and coherent. No promises, though. And just before we get started I want to emphasize that this is an ownvoices book - which is something that I think comes through in Danny's character. Just want to make sure as many people know that as possible. Ok, onto the review!

Danny is such a fresh and fantastic voice. Trans, lesbian, and a superhero, and I think every one of those identifiers is handled equally, while it is also clear that these are not her only attributes. She is powerful and weak, brave and utterly terrified. And I loved her for it all.

This book also did such an excellent job of balancing the types of people that Danny encounters after she gets the body she wants - not to mention an incredible set of superpowers. She has people who are fiercely in her corner and are utterly accepting of her. These characters intentionally reach out in any way they can to help Danny to feel comfortable. They make sure she has the clothes she wants, or offer her support when she can't find it elsewhere. But Danny also has a fair amount of more terrible people to deal with. And when I say terrible people, I'm not talking about the full-on supervillain.

Danny is (sadly) not free from transphobia once she transitions. She has spent a lot of her life being hyper-masculinized by her emotionally abusive father, and I want to make sure I offer the warning that he throws a lot of slurs Danny's way throughout the book. Not only that, but she also has to deal with frequent misgendering by a trans-exclusionary feminist. To me, she came across as occasionally more villainous than the villain of the book does. She was vile. Feminism that doesn't include trans women is pointless and deeply horrifying, and the TERF character in this story disgusted me. Which is exactly what she was supposed to do.

And!!! The side characters are also super diverse. There are multiple side characters of color, one of whom is latinx and who I adore. There are also multiple side queer characters. I'm hoping for possibly more side queer characters going into the next book that have a more central role in Danny's life, but ultimately I loved the collection of characters we got in this book so I am still super pleased.

The worldbuilding was fantastic. I loved the chapters we get when characters talk about superhero tech, as that is one of my favorite elements of superhero stories. There was also (and this is such a small scene I feel silly for mentioning it except that it was hysterical) this fantastic section that was CLEARLY calling out Batman and his completely ridiculous eccentricities. This scene happens at the beginning of the book and I think it sets the tone for how a lot of the superhero stuff is handled. This story isn't silly, but it does embrace some of the ridiculousness that comes inherently with people who have super powers and wear costumes to fight crime.

Overall, I loved so much about this book. It was fast-paced, well-balanced, and Danny was a force of nature as a main character. I cannot wait to see how she develops moving forward into the next book in the series, and how the world around her shifts as well.

Remember when I said I would be brief? Oops.

Ok so tl;dr... this book was fantastic and I highly encourage you to pick it up. Plus keep a lookout for the sequel because it comes out in just six months and I will 100% be getting my hands on it as soon as I can. ...more

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Jul 11, 2017 ✨ jamieson ✨ rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, 2017-reads, diverse-lit, series-to-complete, young-adult, lgbtqiap, series

“I see a world that is terrified of me. Terrified of someone who would reject manhood. Terrified of a girl who knows who she is and what she’s capable of. They are small, and they are weak, and they will not hurt me ever again. My name is Danielle Tozer. I am a girl. No one is strong enough to take that from me anymore.”

I cannot and will not shut up about how great this book is y'all!

trigger warnings for: transphobia, homophobia and trans/homophobic slurs

Dreadnought is a superhero story following Danielle Tozer, a transgirl who is given superpy'all!
trigger ...more

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Feb 04, 2017 Justine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017-read

So, so good! This book is, in one sense, wish fulfillment of the highest order - when Danny inherits Dreadnought's superpowers, it allows her to physically transition into the girl she has always kept hidden on the inside. But Danielle very quickly learns that transition, even when accompanied by superpowers, does not magically heal the damage to her self esteem resulting from the years of emotional and physical abuse she has suffered. And guess what? There is prejudice and misunderstanding even ...more

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Mar 25, 2017 Maggie Gordon rated it it was ok

Shelves: super-hero, young-adult, queer

Writing this review hurts me. I was extremely excited about Dreadnought as North American literature desperately needs more diversity and trans superhero narratives are quite rare. Unfortunately, it’s just not a very good book. Do I think that people should buy and read Dreadnought anyways? There are so few books with trans protagonists that I can’t in good faith say to avoid the book entirely. On the other hand, given the sheer number of positive reviews out there, I do think that it’s important to address some of t ...more

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Jan 12, 2017 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it liked it

Shelves: review-copy, science-fiction, superheroes-and-superpowers, young-adult, arcs-and-galleys

3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/01/23/...

This year, if you’re involved in one or more of the many diversity reading challenges out there or simply encouraging yourself to check out more diverse reads, I hope you’ll consider Dreadnought. Books like this one have a relevant place in our world today for their role in celebrating LGBT voices and spreading awareness, and I think what excited me most was the depth of our protagonist and the way her story was told.

Fifteen Danny Tozer ha 3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/01/23/...

This year, if you’re involved in one or more of the many diversity reading challenges out there or simply encouraging yourself to check out more diverse reads, I hope you’ll consider Dreadnought. Books like this one have a relevant place in our world today for their role in celebrating LGBT voices and spreading awareness, and I think what excited me most was the depth of our protagonist and the way her story was told.

Fifteen Danny Tozer has always known in her mind and in her heart that she is a girl, even if her body says otherwise. The crushing anxiety of trying to keep people from finding out she’s transgender has been building lately, which is why at the start of this book, she finds herself hiding behind the mall secretly painting her toenails—holding onto this one thing she can control. That’s when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, the world’s greatest superhero known as Dreadnought literally falls out of the sky and lands right in front of her. Gravely injured by a supervillain named Utopia, Dreadnought knows his time is near, so with his dying breath he passes his powers on to Danny.

In that moment, Danny is changed. Becoming the new Dreadnought has not only granted the amazing superpowers that come with the role, but it has also transformed her body into what she’s always thought it should be, the girl she has always been inside. For Danny, this is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to her, though that happiness is quickly dampened when faced with the hostile reactions of her overbearing father who refuses to accept her new identity. At school, her best friend David is also suddenly treating her differently, saying and doing these awful things. Furthermore, Danny has realized that the mantle of Dreadnought comes with certain responsibilities—like saving the world. Sure enough, it’s not long before the superhero team Legion comes knocking at her door trying to recruit her, and the offer has Danny feeling torn. She knows she wants to help people, but she’s just not sure she wants to be the kind of hero the Legion wants her to be.

At its heart, Dreadnought is a superhero novel—it’s fun, fast-paced, and action-packed. But as you can see, there’s also a lot more to the story, and the conflicts here are complex and multi-faceted. I liked how this book incorporated the superhero elements while at the same time using Danny’s super-powered transformation and the accompanying acquisition of Dreadnought’s abilities as an allegory for a person coming out as transgender. April Daniels has done a fantastic job exploring Danny’s story, especially in detailing her internal struggles, her hopes and joys, fears and doubts. I can’t even pretend to understand how it feels for teens in that situation, but reading about Danny was definitely an emotional journey. Her character is well-written, deeply developed and very real.

Plot-wise, Dreadnought is an entertaining read. Momentum took some time to build, but when Danny meets the Legion, I think that was when the story really hit its stride. I loved Doc Impossible, and the banter between her and Danny during their first major scene together quickly made her one of my favorite side characters. Another thing I loved about this book was the female friendship. While Danny considers Legion’s offer to join up, she meets up with another “greycape” hero named Calamity (and I have a serious weakness for cowgirl-themed heroes) and the two of them take it upon themselves to help those who slip through the cracks of the Legion’s watch. They have a great dynamic together, and the excitement ramps up as the duo decide they have what it takes to take down Utopia themselves.

But for all its strengths, the story also has its weaknesses. There were parts of it that felt a little too clichéd or unconvincing. For example, other than Danny and maybe a couple other characters, no one else was all that fleshed out, and they were treated more like props than real people. Take the Legion—we hear about all their great deeds and how they’re the most powerful superhero team in the world, but of course at the moment of truth they are rendered useless so that our protagonist can conveniently step up to save the day. Portrayal of characters like David, Graywytch, or Danny’s parents are also extreme to the point where they sometimes felt like caricatures of caricatures. While people like that certainly exist, the way they were written in this book felt scripted and done for the sake of pushing the story along. The author also did more telling than showing, with rocky prose in places and pages of info-dumping being a frequent issue early on in the novel. Finally, world-building felt sparse and glossed over, and throughout the book I couldn’t help but experience this disconnect to the wider world beyond.

All told though, I enjoyed Dreadnought a lot. It’s an eye-opening book featuring a wonderfully developed and genuine protagonist. This is the origin story about how she became the eponymous superhero, and it is an unforgettable journey of action and emotion. What a promising start, with much potential for the rest of the Nemesis series! ...more

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Jun 05, 2017 Romie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: rainbow-community, young-adult, fantasy-scifi, representation-matters, 2017-releases

It's definitely a really important book.

When you're a kid, who do you look up to ? A superhero. You need to find yourself in a superhero, you need to think 'That could be me.' Kids need a transgender superhero.

Danny is a transgender girl, she's fifteen, and one day she sees the Superhero Dreadnought being killed. Following this death, she receives the mantle, making her the new Dreadnought and giving her her ideal body. And her ideal body matches her real gender : she's n It's definitely a really important book.

When you're a kid, who do you look up to ? A superhero. You need to find yourself in a superhero, you need to think 'That could be me.' Kids need a transgender superhero.

Danny is a transgender girl, she's fifteen, and one day she sees the Superhero Dreadnought being killed. Following this death, she receives the mantle, making her the new Dreadnought and giving her her ideal body. And her ideal body matches her real gender : she's not a boy, she's never been one, she's a girl.
The first problem she has to deal with is her parents ... her dad is abusive, he makes her feel like she's worthless, like she'll never be good enough, he keeps calling her 'son', 'young man', 'freak', 'faggot', and saying she's a liar, that he's ashamed of her ... and that's the thing when you're dealing with an abusive paternal figure : your start believing what he's saying. So Danny believes she's pathetic, the worst person ever to walk this earth ... but she's not. Her mom, for one second, made her feel like maybe she was ready to accept the fact that she never really had a son, until she called Danny 'selfish' because she wanted to stay the way she is now. And that's fucked up. Transitioning is YOUR choice. It's always your choice.

Then she has to deal with the Legion, this superhero organization. They want her to be Dreadnought, they don't want her to go live a normal life, some even say that if she's not working with them, then she has to give the mantle back, which also means having back a man body, and that's not happening any time soon. Some of them welcome her, some want to use her, and some are transphobic homophobic assholes - I'm looking at you Graywytch you bitch.

That's when she meets Calamity - well technically she met her when she got the mantle, but I'm going to talk about the moment they started hanging out. Calamity is a greycape, she's not good, she's not bad, she just does what she believes is right without caring about the Law. And if there is one thing she wants, it's to capture Utopia, the super villain who killed the former Dreadnought. And she needs Dany's help. I loved their friendship - and maybe more in the next book, please - because Calamity accepts Danny just the way she is, but she makes her see nothing is totally black or white.

I also really liked Doc Impossible, because she gave Danny great advices, like when Danny told her she didn't feel like a real woman because she would never be able to be pregnant, or because her chromosomes aren't XX. Things like that don't make a woman.
“You think it’s a uterus that makes a woman? Bullshit. You feel like you’re a girl, you live it, it’s part of you? Then you’re a girl. That’s the end of it, no quibbling. You’re as real a girl as anyone.”

In this book Danny realizes that she has to rethink the way she sees the world : what makes a woman? why some men think they can do absolutely anything? what does it mean to be brave?

I'm really excited to read the next book, because I truly think Danny can impress me.

“I'm transgender, and a lesbian, and I'm not ashamed of that.”

3.75 ...more

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Apr 19, 2017 Elise (TheBookishActress) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, that-lgbtq-rep-tho, i-love-these-authors, ze-read-in-2017, books-released-2017, that-feminist-classic-energy, genre-scifi-dystopias, narrative-sapphic-books-shelf

Dreadnought is a ton of fun. This book follows Danny, a trans girl who gets the body she’s always wanted after famous superhero Dreadnought passes his powers on to her.

There’s a good balance here between a fairly dark coming-of-age story and a fun, heartwarming superhero story. This is a superhero novel for those who don’t get to be a part of superhero novels.

I seriously loved the characters here. Danny is just amazing. She’s so angry that if written with less skill, she would come off whiny, but here h ...more

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Oct 10, 2018 Allison Hurd rated it really liked it

Shelves: scifi, fem-author, lgbtqia-mc

This was sweet. I think there were a lot of great elements--the author feels like she must be a comics fan. I felt a lot of love and empathy for Danny, too, which was nice. I always like it when I see new faces that look like the faces I love.

CONTENT WARNING: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics) (view spoiler)

Things to love:

-Danny! What a precious little lamb of a baby gir/>-/>Things/>CONTENT ...more

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Feb 06, 2017 Lindsay rated it it was amazing

A YA superhero story with a transgender heroine that has a lot of depth.

Danny Tozer is a transgender 15-year old who is living life as a boy because her family is anything but supportive of her. Then she suddenly inherits the mantle of Dreadnought which remakes her physical form into her ideal body, that of a girl. But she's still Danny, still has an abusive family and has to deal with the whole spectrum of reactions to transgender people. She also has to come to terms with having su ...more

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Apr 05, 2017 Ashley rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, heroes-and-villains, addictive, class-gender-race, lgbtqia, speculative, read-harder-challenge-2017

Danny Tozer has always known she should have been born a girl, and we know this on the first page. The first scene of this book features her hiding in an alley, dressed otherwise like a male, and painting her toenails; this is the only outlet she has as a closeted trans fifteen year old in an emotionally abusive household (her dad is a colossal asshole). But everything changes when her toenail painting session is interrupted by a superhero/supervillain fight. Dreadnought, one of the most powerfu Danny Tozer has always known she should have been born a girl, and we know this on the first page. The first scene of this book features her hiding in an alley, dressed otherwise like a male, and painting her toenails; this is the only outlet she has as a closeted trans fifteen year old in an emotionally abusive household (her dad is a colossal asshole). But everything changes when her toenail painting session is interrupted by a superhero/supervillain fight. Dreadnought, one of the most powerful superheroes, is shot and killed in front of her by the villainous Utopia, but he before he dies, he passes his mantle to Danny. And along with an array of numerous cool superpowers (super strength, flight, nearly impervious skin, super healing, etc.), the mantle also comes with a nifty side bonus: it grants its bearer with their ideal form. And for Danny, that means it turns her biologically female. This comes, understandably, as a surprise, but not an unpleasant one. In fact, Danny is ecstatic. The problem is how everyone else is going to react. Not only does she now have to deal with the consequences of her transition, but also with her new burden as a powerful superhero.

This book worked for me, overall. The craft of it wasn’t perfect (in fact, in places it was pretty awkward because: first book), the villains were also a tad too villainous, and Danny’s sidekick (or rather, Danny is her sidekick) Calamity annoyed me while she was in her superhero persona. That may just be my personal hang-up, though. I loathe fake old western accents and verbiage. I much preferred her as Sarah, Danny’s first friend after her transition. But for the most part, this book tackles the shades of grey and nuance of Danny’s situation admirably. The Dreadnought concept is well thought out, as is the superhero worldbuilding of her universe (it’s very detailed, and several things felt unique to this story). The book focuses as much on how becoming a biological female has affected her life as much as becoming a superhero, and how one informs the other. The superhero concept works as a nice metaphor on the heightened experiences real trans people go through.

I mentioned the villains, and I’m actually including her dad in that, although this could be a me-issue as well (this is an own voices novel, written by trans woman). He seemed a little too on the bad side, although I say this as someone who did not experience that kind of abuse growing up. I can only speak as to the way he was presented in the story, and to me, he seemed a tad over the top and inhuman. I also say that alongside the contradictory statement that I loved Danny’s inner conflict in responding to him and the terrible environment she was raised in. I don’t know, I guess I wish he was just a bit less inhuman acting. Maybe just a couple of small moments showing him as a person, to contrast with those moments when he loses it, or Danny remembering some sort of good moment with him in her past. Even something as small as that would have helped. It’s not that I think those moments were necessarily unbelievable, just that they were all we saw, and thus he was more of one-dimensional character than anything.

Aside from Danny’s father, I thought Daniels did a great job with the reactions of the other characters to Danny’s transition (both gender and superhero), from her best friend turning out to be a Nice Guy Creep, to her classmates, her teachers, her mother (who waffles back and forth), and even some members of the superhero team she gets an invite to, having inherited Dreadnought’s powers. Daniels really does a nice job contrasting Danny’s inner and outer power with the reactions of those around her, who keep insisting on defining her for themselves. The heightened reality of Danny literally becoming female worked to highlight the underlying assumptions and social structures surrounding Danny that work against her and the identity she is trying to discover for herself.

There is a sequel to this book due out later this summer, and I will definitely be checking it out, although I’m a bit nervous. My least favorite bits of this were actually the superhero plot things, and the most was the newness of her transition, which will necessarily fade. So I’m not sure how interesting I will find the sequel, if the gender issues aren’t equally present.

Read Harder Challenge 2017: A YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+. ...more

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Jul 21, 2017 l. rated it did not like it

Shelves: novel-novella, lgbt, unbearable, sff, american-lit, fedora-intensifies, 2017

I should preface this by saying dysphoria is real, and however a person chooses to handle it - whether transitioning or not - is a deeply personal choice that no one else has any right to be involved in. And I believe this to be true too re: children as long as they have the capacity to make medical decisions.

However, I was deeply uncomfortable with this book. The plot is thin, the characters are flat, but those aren't my major concerns. It's the way that gender, sex & transition is h I should preface this by saying dysphoria is real, and however a person chooses to handle it - whether transitioning or not - is a deeply personal choice that no one else has any right to be involved in. And I believe this to be true too re: children as long as they have the capacity to make medical decisions.

However, I was deeply uncomfortable with this book. The plot is thin, the characters are flat, but those aren't my major concerns. It's the way that gender, sex & transition is handled.

1. "Maybe for people who really are boys, [male socialization] works. Maybe it fits for them." (7) I find that the easiest way to deal with claims about what male socialization is and isn't is to reverse the situation because we know so much about female socialization and we can assess those statements/claims: 'Maybe for people who really are girls, female socialization works. Maybe it fits for them.' We can see that this is nonsense. Being resistant to male/female socialization i.e. being gender nonconforming does not make you not a man or not a woman; it just means that you're human. That you are more than a list of stereotypes. That gender is harmful. You might find your dysphoria means you want to transition, and you might not.

2. That she transitions into the body of an underwear model reads as fetishistic. An attempt to address that was made but no, it's still fetishistic. Also: "Some grew a little taller, one grew back some lost toes, that sort of thing" (51) - so no one else became a perfect specimen of masculinity/femininity, only the trans character? No one else took in media images? Only her? Hm.

3. "They were all cis - that is to say, they weren't trans - so their bodies didn't change to match their gender identities because they were already matching." (51) Ah... if you only knew if my teen self who would do anything to have an 'unmarked' body, no hips, no breasts etc. Doesn't make me trans, doesn't make any of the people who suffer from dysphoria necessarily trans. The reduction of dysphoria to something only trans people feel speaks to the fundamental misunderstanding of what gender is/does from point 1. It also is such a gloss of the realities encountered by female people... the prevalence of EDs/body hatred among us and the social causes of that.

4. The assumption that someone essentially female bodied would want to get pregnant, lol. And her hissy fit at not having a uterus therefore not being a real woman.... I've encountered some of this discourse - the uterus privilege discourse - and it's hysterical and so far removed from the realities encountered by female people.

5. "Oh yeah. I'm gay now." (57) lol what a way to treat the complexity that is sexual orientation post transition. I think about how difficult it was for me to admit that I was gay and for other women as well, and 'oh yeah, I'm gay now' lmao....

6. lmaoooooooooooo @ the terf character. Let's ignore the real issues re: male socialization/privilege and the nuances therein (she acknowledges that she had male privilege in the text later! when they're talking about her creepy ex-best friend) and just have a psychotic feminist character (funny how this trope re-emerges from 'progressives') harassing a teenaged trans girl who has just been through a life changing experience & telling her she isn't a woman because she doesn't know about tampons. Why not have her hold a party where they bake cookies out of their own menstrual blood and don't invite her next. And I'm so amused @ the MichFest shoutout. Those Evil Lesbians Having Their Own Festival. How Dare They. How Dare They Acknowledge Being Female is a Specific Experience That Over Half the Population Have, and How Dare They Celebrate It Using Their Own Time and Resources. Terrible. Those Mean Lesbians Are At It Again!

7. "Watching the other girls, the ones they let be girls, head in the other direction." (68) ..... again, no understanding of female socialization...

8. Estrogen makes her more in touch with her emotions.......................... I'm so tired of this.

9. The 'signs' were she asked if she could be a princess and she never had a cooties phase....................... ...more

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Jan 03, 2017 Inge rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: pretty-fly-for-a-sci-fi, fantasy, lgbtqiap, young-adult

You know when you’re reading a book and you’re trying to formulate some form of coherent thought so you can figure out what to write in your review? And you realise you’ve got ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?

Dreadnought is not that kind of book.

Dreadnought is the kind of book I would love to talk more about. It’s by no means a perfect book, but it’s an important one, especially in our time of day. The main character is transgender and queer, who just happens to stumble upon a crazy set of superpowers, and it’s/>/> You know when you’re reading a book and you’re trying to formulate some form of coherent thought so you can figure out what to write in your review? And you realise you’ve got ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?

Dreadnought is not that kind of book.

Dreadnought is the kind of book I would love to talk more about. It’s by no means a perfect book, but it’s an important one, especially in our time of day. The main character is transgender and queer, who just happens to stumble upon a crazy set of superpowers, and it’s the coolest thing in the world. Except for when she turns into a physical girl, the girl she always wanted to be – the girl she’s always been in her mind – and then that is the coolest thing in the world. I’m not quite sure which is cooler, but thankfully both things happened in the book so I don’t have to choose.

Danny being transgender isn’t the main part of the plot – the main plot is superheroes. But between all the Spandex and things that go boom, it still finds one of the most important transgender notions at heart: that genetics don’t equal destiny. Here’s Danny suddenly being able to deadlift trucks in her spare time, but she also has to deal with ignorant parents and losing her best friend. There were a lot of things that, I think, trans girls could really relate to and find comfort in.

The superheroes are just icing on the cake, really. It's reminiscent of Marvel and The Incredibles.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading it. Danny was a really likeable main character (she’s also very responsible – even when given superpowers, she still finds time to go to school); the writing was easy to read (even when my tired mind goes droop and doesn’t register anything); and there was plenty of action. I mean, the story starts with the biggest superhero of all time dying right in front of Danny, so, you know, that’s the kind of world we’re living in.

The reason I’m not giving it a higher rating is because it felt lacking in other aspects. The thing about action-packed books is they tend to dull my mind after a while and leave me gasping for some more story. I also would have liked to see more of the other superheroes. They stayed kind of two-dimensional (with a few exceptions, like Calamity and Doctor Impossible) and didn’t do anything for the story. Even in the final fight, Danny remained a one-man show, and I like to see protagonists needing help from friends and such. I like seeing that even all-powerful characters can’t do everything alone.

Thank you NetGalley / Diversion Books for providing me with a copy ...more

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Oct 17, 2016 Silvana [The Book Voyagers] rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, 2017, arcs-galleys, lgbtq, month-oct-16, superhero

Dreadnought is an #ownvoices superhero YA book. The MC is a lesbian trans girl and she suddenly gets powers when Dreadnought dies in front of her. She immerses into this superhero world where she finds allies and enemies. It reminded me of Boku no Hero Academia for obvious reasons though also the superhero names + One Punch Man with some type of heroes and how they looked.

I'm giving it 3 stars mainly because a character I just couldn't swallow + phrases + some things that happened at the end. But overall, ...more

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Jun 28, 2018 Sara➽ Ink Is My Sword marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I can't finish this book right now, I am not enjoying it. Not because is bad, but because I am not in a sci-fi/ fantasy mood at all.

💭Pre-reading thoughts:

Trans Superheroine... I AM IN.⚡ ...more

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May 15, 2017 Kaje Harper rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, ya, favorites, lgbtq, trans-genderqueer, f-f

maybe 4.5 stars. This book begins in a challenging way - 15-year old Danny is a trans girl, hiding behind a mall to put on toenail polish, the only revelation of her true self that she dares try, with her volatile father and school situation. When suddenly, a superhero/supervillain battle erupts overhead. A minute later, the dying superhero Dreadnought falls at her feet, and passes her his powers in his last moments. And along with them, the transformation of her body to her personal ideal. Whic maybe 4.5 stars. This book begins in a challenging way - 15-year old Danny is a trans girl, hiding behind a mall to put on toenail polish, the only revelation of her true self that she dares try, with her volatile father and school situation. When suddenly, a superhero/supervillain battle erupts overhead. A minute later, the dying superhero Dreadnought falls at her feet, and passes her his powers in his last moments. And along with them, the transformation of her body to her personal ideal. Which in this case means beautifully female, at least on the outside.

That might've been badly bungled, in some hands. Because the idea of handing a trans kid a painless, lovely, exterior-transformation wish-fulfillment might seem like betrayal of many issues trans folk face. In this case, Danny's transphobic father, wimpy mother, douchy best friend, sudden shift, and the medical probing she undergoes, provide obstacles and limits, that keep this from being too easy for her. I thought the balance was pretty good, removing some issues while then highlighting others. Because it took the focus off the physical body dysphoria, it allowed the focus to shift to Danny discovering who she is and how much personal strength and integrity she can muster.

I liked that Danny is a lesbian superhero, and that her interest is caught by a strong, independent girl with skills of her own. We need more YA with lesbian characters. These two have a nicely tentative relationship that begins as friends, and is barely starting to be more at the end of this installment. Some big personal issues will make their futures rough, and I hope to see them negotiating rocky shores in the next installment.

The story moves along at a good clip, with a fun balance between superheroes and reality. Again, it's always a choice where to put that blending point, in urban fantasy. I've read superhero stories where the only damage happens to buildings and bystanders always survive - a comic book level that results in a lighter story. (The excellent adult M/M Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero is like that.) Or you can do really dark, where the superhero powers are a light layer on painful reality (like some Batman stories.) This book takes a middle ground. Superheroes are powerful, but not invincible. Gray-capes live and act in the space between the black and white. Government politics play a role in what the Legion takes on. It mostly works.

There are a few gaps in the world-building, perhaps inevitably when sewing these components together. But for the most part, I could go along for the ride without too much skepticism holding me back. I did like that, despite inheriting superpowers, Danny is still just a 15 year old girl. She might still crumple under teasing or bullying or her father's transphobic anger. She might act out irresponsibly. She's not transformed all the way through, and we get to see some painful realities through her eyes. But she is, at heart, the kind of girl who should be entrusted with superpowers and I fell for her POV.

I'm a cis woman, so my take on the trans elements are my own, from the outside. We're reading this as a Book of the Month in the Transgender Fiction group, and I look forward to seeing what members there think of the blend. This book is fine for younger readers, with a warning for some quite strong transphobic language and events, from antagonists including the father. Recommended reading, as a unique, fun, occasionally painful, story with some real things to say about gender, responsibility, family, and growing up. ...more

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Feb 03, 2017 K. rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: difficult-topics, audience-young-adult, own-it-kindle, diverse-author, sci-fi, setting-usa, 2017, lgbtqia-narrator, omg-that-cover, own-voices

So here's the thing: I desperately wanted to love this book. I mean, a world with superheroes where a trans-teen is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up a) becoming a superhero and b) as a result of a), getting the body that she's always wanted? AMAZING. Seriously. Amazing.

Especially when you add in the fact that it's Own Voices.

However. There was SO much transphobia and so much abusive language towards transpeople in the course of this book. Danny's father has been verbally abusiv So here's the thing: I desperately wanted to love this book. I mean, a world with superheroes where a trans-teen is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up a) becoming a superhero and b) as a result of a), getting the body that she's always wanted? AMAZING. Seriously. Amazing.

Especially when you add in the fact that it's Own Voices.

However. There was SO much transphobia and so much abusive language towards transpeople in the course of this book. Danny's father has been verbally abusive throughout the course of Danny's life, but once she takes on the mantle of Dreadnought and presents as female, the abuse only gets worse. Danny's best friend is initially thrilled but only because Danny is now a new girl for him to hit on. When Danny's all "Um. No?", said best friend starts throwing slurs and abuse around left and right.

Add in mixed reactions from this world's equivalent of The Avengers (some are all "You're trans? Cool. So about your uniform..." while other are like "THIS IS UNNATURAL AND MUST BE STOPPED"), and...yeah.

Graywytch was BY FAR the most godawful character in the entire book for me. She repeatedly misgenders Danny and uses her deadname. She implies that Danny can't possibly be female because she doesn't have periods. She LITERALLY DOXXES DANNY, telling her parents about Danny's secret identity.

And then she tells Danny that "I don't blame you any more than I would blame an ebola victim. Society has fed your generation so many toxic ideas about gender, it's only natural some of you would crack. But that doesn't mean you aren't dangerous. It doesn't mean you shouldn't be expunged. You reify the holocaust of gender, you invade my sex, and you poison my sisters by your simple presence. You cannot possibly understand what it means to be a woman, and you rape us all when you try."

And then she casts a spell on Danny so that Danny can't reveal any of this to anyone.

So yeah. I loved the concept of this. I really loved Danny mastering her superhero powers and making friends with Calamity and fighting evil. I even liked how conflicted Danny's mother was - how she loves suddenly having a daughter but mourns for the son she's lost. And I did like all of that stuff a HELL of a lot. (Plus, that cover is GORGEOUS.)

But the transphobia just made me incredibly uncomfortable, Graywytch made me nauseated, and I'm honestly not sure I would recommend this to a trans teen, because it's reinforcing so many negative and dated ideas. Yes, plenty of people have those ideas in reality. Yes, trans teens have to deal with transphobia in reality. But surely that's all the more reason to spare them this much anti-trans sentiment in what they read for pleasure??

IDK IDK.

In short: There was a lot to love in this book. But there was also a lot that upset me. So. ...more

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Feb 07, 2017 Veronique rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017, favourites-5and4-5

4.5

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it.

Danny’s life is turned upside down when he inherits Dreadnought’s mantel, which turns him into the girl he always was inside. All is not however as easy as it looks and superpowers do not resolve everything, especially prejudice and abuse.

Daniels doesn’t just give us a transgender/superhero coming-of-age story with an amazing main character that is only too easy to like, but a whole cast of very strong females - my favo ...more

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Feb 06, 2017 Ben Babcock rated it it was amazing

Shelves: feminism, science-fiction, own, netgalley, young-adult, 2017-read, superheroes, ownvoices

Is there a name for the situation where you keep thinking you like a certain genre, but you’re almost unfailingly critical of every book in that genre you read? That’s me and the superhero novel. I want to like superhero novels, desperately. Superheroes fascinate me. But most superhero novels I’ve read don’t quite capture whatever ineffable quality of superheroics that I’m looking for. (To be fair, I also don’t read superhero comics or watch much superhero television/movies, Supergirl aside, so maybe I’m jus ...more

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Feb 26, 2017 Emma rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, ya

3.5 stars. This was an important book with a serious theme: society's attitudes to being transgender. Although in some ways this is a wish fulfilment story, even in this context, and maybe because of it, the phobic and bigoted attitudes (and abusive in the father's case) seem even worse. I can't imagine what it must be like to feel you are in the wrong body and have to fight for the right to become who you really are when there isn't a superhero to help the process along.
The superhero stor ...more

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Aug 30, 2018 kory. rated it did not like it

Shelves: series, nope-nope-nope, 1-star, fantasy, 2018, young-adult, queer, lesbian, transgender, science-fiction

Trigger warnings: transmisia, TERF rhetoric, multiple transmisic slurs, anti-queer/gay slurs, internalized transmisia (trans character calling herself a transmisic slur) deadnaming, misgendering, suicidal ideation, ableist slurs/language (the r slur, jokingly suggesting someone has ADD, and attributing evilness to mental illnesses), physically and emotionally abusive parents, sexism and misogyny, rape threat (sort of; character wishes rape upon someone)

Rep: Danielle is a trans lesbian. Sarah is a q/> ...more

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Feb 19, 2017 Jenna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: female-protagonist, superheroes, lesbian-fiction, high-school, first-person, trans-lead

What a wonderful way to spend a day! Danny was such a lovingly-drawn character that I found it impossible not to fall in love with her myself. While the book was a bit bleak in places, and Danny certainly needed her super-strength to carry some of the burdens she was handed, this was still an empowering story that ended on a high note.

I recently read Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee, and in some ways this book reminded me of that one. Both took place in worlds populated by superheroes, both wer What a wonderful way to spend a day! Danny was such a lovingly-drawn character that I found it impossible not to fall in love with her myself. While the book was a bit bleak in places, and Danny certainly needed her super-strength to carry some of the burdens she was handed, this was still an empowering story that ended on a high note.

I recently read Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee, and in some ways this book reminded me of that one. Both took place in worlds populated by superheroes, both were about teens whose voices we don't often hear in YA fiction, and both featured excellent characterizations. While Not Your Sidekick was a little stronger with its world-building, I felt as though Dreadnought did a better job with its plot and pacing; it managed to surprise me on several occasions, there was an abundance of emotion, the tension peaked at just the right time, and the conclusion was very satisfying.

I also loved that Dreadnought was just loaded with strong women: heroes, villains, police officers-- they were absolutely everywhere. There was even a strong hero who was such a horror show that I felt she was worse than the supervillain (who, incidentally, was plotting to murder the entire human race!) Graywytch, you are the worst! The worst. The. Worst. (theworst.)

But speaking of strong women, Danny herself was an incredible lead. Written in first-person, we really get to spend a lot of time in her head, and the range of emotions that ran through her as she handled her life--dealing with an unsupportive family, getting used to a new body, figuring out her superpowers, handling sudden expectations and responsibilities--created a real bond for me with the character. If this story had just been about Danny, with no mention of superpowers at all, I think I'd still be just as excited about the sequel.

As far as romance goes, while Danny does identify as a lesbian in the story, there was no real romance to speak of in the first book. There were a few scenes that hinted at a possible future relationship with her friend and partner Calamity, but more than anything, this was a superhero's origin story. And a very good one, at that.

I really enjoyed this book.

4.5 stars, rounded up. And please, for the love of all that is good and holy, let something terrible happen to Graywytch in book 2. ...more

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Apr 28, 2017 Kaitlin rated it really liked it

I picked this book up after my friend recommended it to me (and after seeing the gorgeous cover too). I knew as soon as I heard it had superheroes, trans main characters, and lesbians that this was a YA SFF book I needed to pick up, and I am so glad I did becuase it was so fun, and the representation seemed pretty good to me (although I'm by no means an expert).

I loved the concept of this book. A young character called Danny believes totally that she's female, however, she has been born male an ...more

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Jan 23, 2017 Iris rated it it was amazing

I feel as if this book is perfectly tailored for me. Trans gay girl superhero... is there anything in that description that isn't up my alley... anyway full review to come

Edit: Here is a mini review: https://youtu.be/WzRWFCQRNp8

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Nov 26, 2016 c, rated it liked it

Shelves: f-lgbt, lgbt, let-s-talk-diversity, lgbtq-authors, 2-point-5, superheroes, review-copies, dystopia-sci-fi, ya-lit, other-lgbt

Galley provided by publisher

Rep: lesbian trans woman mc

Before I actually review this book, I gotta say I did actually like it, despite what my review may say. The characters were great, if kind of black and white in their good/badness despite the greycapes who were clearly an attempt at having some morally ambiguous characters thrown in there (spoiler alert: they aren't all that morally ambiguous). The world was interesting, even though the world building was poor to non-existent. Overall,/> ...more

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Jun 06, 2017 Aleksandra rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-releases

A superhero novel we deserve!

Dreadnought is wonderful YA superhero novel about a 15 year old transgender girl Danny who gets super powers after an accident and the adventures begin.

I enjoyed reading the book! Danny is such a likable character. She's round and complex, she's brave and truly heroic. A great role model for kids and teens, in my opinion.

I feel like the plot was mostly revolved around Danny, her insecurities, struggles as s transgender girl and a lesbian, fin ...more

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Oct 28, 2018 Mike rated it really liked it

Shelves: series-in-progress, src18tum

A proper review of this is going to take me a lot of time and mental energy and emotional energy -- I think I owe my church friends who may eventually read my words, an explanation of why I like this transgender character and story so much. And I think I owe my liberal friends and family the opposite explanation, of why I won't yet take everything LGBTQIA+ as my own agenda.

But don't abandon me yet, Gentle Reader! In the meantime, I refer you to my GR friend Allison Hurd's amazing review, wh ...more

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Jul 11, 2018 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbtqia, scifi

Real rating: 3.5!

Lesbian trans girl heroine? ✓
Dynamic characters? ✓
Unsuspecting plot twists? ✓

I thought this book was a lot of fun! I absolutely LOVED the fact that the m/c is trans, and this book definitely does not shy away from all the trans-phobic remarks that unfortunately are incredibly prevalent even in 20-fucking-18. The fun dynamic between Danny and Sarah were so cute! Their friendship was definitely the highlight of Dreadnought.

I also primarily read this for the characters, the whole sup/> ...more

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Apr 10, 2017 Parkmanreal rated it liked it

This book its a little bit irregular for me. The superhero setting its just used as a vehicle to show how a transgender person feels and evolves while eventually accepting herself. There is a lot of angst during the first part of the book and some characters are parodies of some stereotypes coming from the comic world. The whole Legion (some kind of justice league) is a collection of generic secondary characters with only one exception and the sidekick (who at times feels like the real heroine o ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
SciFi and Fantasy...: "Dreadnought" by April Daniels (BR)	79	67	Jan 07, 2019 08:12PM
YA LGBT Books: * May 2017 BotM - Dreadnought - (poss. spoilers)	14	133	Sep 27, 2018 09:44AM
its either you loved it or you hated it	1	32	Feb 14, 2017 02:23AM