And it was so completely the opposite in Dreadnought. There are so many traps that cis writers fall into when writing trans characters, and there’s always that feeling that you get when you read them where you’re just like: this is so obviously a cis writer writing about being trans. Not everyone would be able to cope with the shit that is piled on Danny in Dreadnought.Īnd, of course, I mean this in the best way possible. I had such pride and admiration for her because of that. She goes through a lot in this book, and even though at times she feels helpless she never gives up. And even though she gains superhuman strength and thus becomes incredibly strong physically, I think her standout quality was her emotional strength. I hope that that person comes along at some point in the series.ĭanny starts off the book as a normal human, who is then endowed with superpowers from the superhero Dreadnought. Danny does make a friend in Calamity, but I also wanted someone else for her, someone who was soft and loving. And that made me want to dive in and be the person that she needed – the one that supported her no matter what, and loved her for everything that she is. Which Danny was for the most part in this book. My mother hen most definitely reared its clucky head because I cannot help but want to protect people who are being treated like shit. I wanted to protect Danny throughout this entire book. If Danny can’t sort through the confusion of coming out, master her powers, and stop Utopia in time, humanity faces extinction.īefore I delve into my thoughts on Dreadnought I want to scream from the rooftops that this book is about a trans superhero. Dreadnought’s murderer-a cyborg named Utopia-still haunts the streets of New Port City, threatening destruction. 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. 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.

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. 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.

How: A copy of this novel was provided by Diversion Books for review via Net Galley.ĭanny Tozer has a problem: she just inherited the powers of Dreadnought, the world’s greatest superhero. What: Dreadnought (Nemesis #1) by April Daniels

April daniels nemesis book 3