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Dreadnought

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Dreadnought

By: April Daniels
Narrated by: Natasha Soudek
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Summary

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 always thought it should be. Now there's no hiding that she's a girl.

It should be the happiest time of her life, but Danny's first weeks finally living in a body that fits her are more difficult and complicated than she could have imagined. Between her father's dangerous obsession with "curing" her girlhood, her best friend suddenly acting like he's entitled to date her, and her fellow superheroes arguing over her place in their ranks, Danny feels like she's in over her head.

She doesn't have time to adjust. Dreadnought's murderer - a cyborg named Utopia - still haunts the streets of New Port City, threatening destruction. If Danny can't sort through the confusion of coming out, master her powers, and stop Utopia in time, humanity faces extinction.

Original cover art copyright Diversion Publishing Corp.

©2017 April Daniels (P)2017 Audible, Inc. Fantasy LGBTQ+ Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Fiction Superhero Tear-jerking Feel-Good Utopian Teen Fiction
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Sovereign By: April Daniels
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I love superheroes and have also been looking for a Jk Rowling terf pallet cleanser. This was great a really interesting concept, great descriptions, and very emotional at points

Great transgender story and just a great superhero

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Loved this book. I eagerly await volume two. Great story and brilliant trans heroine written well

Brilliant

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I was genuinely surprised with the quality of the story. At its core, it's fairly simple and never really tries to be more. But instead of hiding behind clutter of lore or characters, it completely focuses on pulling of its simplicity perfectly and it does so with flying colours.

I was worried it would be condescending or patronizing about the gender identity of the main character but instead it showed the hardships and struggles also the positives and joy of being authentically yourself.

I'm very curious to see where the story will take us further and will start the sequel right away.

Really well written superhero story with a twist

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this was absolutely beautiful and wonderful and amazing. I needed this story so damn much and I hope it helps others

I needed this so so much

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While I wouldn't call this a masterpiece, I did enjoy reading this. This is coming from a cis white male, so anything I say on this topic should be taken with a grain of salt, but I enjoyed the main character being trans. It explores her dealing with not just her changing body, but also the reactions of people around her. This book is a straight allegory for going through hormone therapy and surgery, down to a tee (apart from the superhero stuff involved). The author is trans herself so I wouldn't be surprised if much of this book comes from personal experience. Content warning for transphobia (quite a bit of it as well) if that makes you uncomfortable.

Now, alot of this book is about being trans, so if you're not into that, then I wouldn't recommend this book. I liked the writing though, Dani comes off as insecure, timid but good-natured, and she has alot of great scenes that's up there with my favourite superheroes.

Speaking of the superhero stuff, I liked the world building here. Some of it is quite simple but still interesting. Powers and super-tech can basically be boiled down to "it just works, don't think too hard about it." Also, as a history nerd, I love the backstory behind the Dreadnought name. The writing gets pretty creative with describing Dreadnought's powers, and I love reading whenever they come up. It isn't just super-speed and strength, but manipulating reality around themself, I'd say that's more badass than what Superman can do.

My biggest gripe is the ending. On the one hand, the last few fights are great, easily the peak of this story. One the other hand, I feel nothing towards some of the last few reveals and conflict with the main antagonist Utopia. The twists do make sense in hindsight, but I didn't feel any emotion. There are other characters who would have made a better villain, but I get the suspicion they're being saved for their own book.

The narrator does good work, she's clear and nice to listen to and each character has a recognisable voice. My only criticism is that Sarah's ex is given a slurry and irritable voice.

I appreciated the pacing throughout, there was never any dull moments, every scene got it's room that it needed. All the characters got a chance to shine and let us know what they're all about without bloat.

Overall, I'd give this a 7/10. I liked reading through this, and there are moments that will stick with me. Despite my criticisms, I am going to pick up April Daniels' sequels. Which I suppose is the biggest compliment an author could get.

A good superhero story with good trans rep

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