Dreadnought (Nemesis)

Imagine being a lonely 15 year old kid being verbally and emotionally abused. And then one day, you're granted the powers of a world famous superhero - which in turn, makes you into your hearts desire.That's the setting for this book, a very interesting and touching take on the superhero genre. Danielle finds herself having to both learn the adage of "with great power comes great responsibility", and that one of the biggest responsibilities is "to yourself be true".Don't let the "young adult" heading fool you, or make you think things are sugar coated. Danielle has to learn to deal with her father's abuse, her mothers silence, her new found powers, and a body that matches the one she's always yearned for. And fights against supervillians, parents unwilling to acknowledge who she really is, and flat out bigotry along the way.For anyone who grew up feeling different, or who longed to see their true self in the mirror, Danielle is very relatable, and very tough. Those in their eggs may find questions about themselves while reading - and those who have long left those eggs behind will understand the main character quite well.

Right from the beginning there are relatable aspects to Danny, and what she's going through. Her struggles with her family. Of wanting to be herself. Even when she inherits the powers of Dreadnought and gets to be herself, things don't necessarily get any easier. This is a superhero story, but this is also a trans story, of all of the struggles and pain that can come from both side. The feelings, the impact, are strong.Make no mistake, this story can get really dark in places. Like really dark. Some characters, and not just the villians, are downright evil, their views and actions toxic and destructive. And the events that transpire - ouch.It is, though, also a well told and engrossing story. It pulls you in, makes you want to turn the page, see what happens next. It is the tale of Danny growing into her power, of grasping her future, but with all of the costs that come along with it. It is filled with as much action as angst and struggle.It is a story that portrays much needed rep, a story that needs to be read. But just like what life can be at times, it isn't always easy. That doesn't make it any less good, and I'm looking forward to reading book 2.

Dreadnought is the story of Danielle Trozer, a girl who was unfortunately born Daniel. When the most powerful hero in the world - the titular Dreadnought - dies in front of her, his powers pass to her, transforming her body into her ideal self-image. For previous bearers of this power, the transformation was minor. They grew a bit taller, had a nicer jawline. But for Danielle, her entire body changed from a male to a female one, fulfilling the ultimate wish of many transgendered people: an instant, permanent, and complete transition. The book follows Danielle's life as she grapples with both her newfound superpowers and desire to avenge the previous Dreadnought, and her personal life as she deals with people both supportive of her transition and not.I dont normally find myself a fan of power fantasy stories. This book certainly is: Danielle goes from a kid in an abusive home who spent her formative years having her true self repressed and running from bullies to becoming the most powerful person in the world in an instant, but the nature of the story is one that makes it more than fitting. So often in media are transgendered characters relegated to being side characters at best and far more commonly the butt of a joke. Danielle is neither of those. She feels like a very real person whose new powers may keep her safe from most physical harm, but still carries wounds from years of mental trauma. This book, while overall being very positive with an incredibly strong trans protagonist, is filled with its fair share of transphobic characters. For those who have experienced or are otherwise bothered by transphobia, this will likely be a very difficult book to read. Multiple characters refuse to acknowledge Danielle's identity in various ways, and April Daniels pulled no punches in writing their characters. They say and do truly awful things to Danielle, and I found her dealings with these people more painful and difficult to get through than any physical danger she went through as a superhero.Danielle's transition happening at the same time she became a superhero is a stroke of genius from a writing perspective, because the whole book does a great job of creating parallells between her trying to fit into her new life as a girl and her trying to find her place in the world of superheroes, a world all of its own, complete with a Jistice League like organization that judges her as a hero similarly to how her family and friends judge her as a woman. While Danielle has known that she is a girl for half her life, she spends a long time debating whether or not she can actually become a superhero. It is very easy to view the process of becoming a hero as a metaphor for questioning one's own gender, as she struggles over her own feelings on top of people both persuading and dissuading her to become the next Dreadnought.This book isnt without flaws, however. The pacing felt a bit all over the place. The first few chapters whizzed by before suddenly slamming on the brakes, sitting for a hot minute, and then flooring it to the finish line. The prose, while good at capturing the voice of a fifteen year old transgirl with superpowers, felt a bit weak at times, and it often felt like exposition was delivered just a little bot late.These shortcomings do little to hold Dreadnought back though. This is an incredible book to read. With an incredibly strong and real trans protagonist, excellent themes and subtext, especially for those who may be questioning their own identity, and gripping and exciting action, this book is well worth the read.

This book not only depicts all the ups and downs, all the raw emotions of being transgender with a level of accuracy only a trans person could, but it does so with expert writing. April Daniels does an amazing job at telling this tale. I've never read a book that hit so close to home, especially in such a painfully captivating way. The superhero story is woven into the overall story perfectly to keep things flowing and keep the pages turning.

An amazing book that will move you to tears as it shows the struggles of a young transwoman.

I’m a trans girl who grew up with superheroes, so I guess I’m kind of the perfect target for Danielle’s story. But damn, it hits center and does it hard. I wept like I’d never wept on a book before, I laughed and cheered and bit my nails out of anxiety for what would happen to characters that have digged their special place in my heart.Even my English makes little sense as I write this, cause I’m just overwhelmed: I’ll never forget this story. Ever.

I couldn’t put this book down. I read 90% of it in one sitting before my body forced me to go to sleep at 6AM in the morning. This book shows the agony that trans people are put through, and the ecstasy of finally living their truth. It shows how the ones you love the most can turn on you out of bigotry, and how painful that is. And it shows that despite their scorn, you can find your own place in the world. You don’t need their approval to be who you really are.It’s also filled with exciting action, awesome superpowers, well written characters, heroes who you love to love and villains that you just love to hate.The only flaw I could possibly think of is that in the beginning it’s a little exposition heavy. Danny explains how the super hero world works and the history of it all. There are probably better ways to do exposition, but it’s certainly not enough to put any serious blemish on the book. It’s fantastic, and you should read it.9.5/10

When I read stories these days as an extremely woke, intersectional, queer feminist I'm used to being irritated by some sexist, racist, or otherwise problematic tropes that seemingly just will not die in popular culture, or in fact only get more prevalent over time. Dreadnought gave me no such troubles and for that alone I absolutely love it.That's not all it's got going for it though. The characters are great and diverse. The villains are hateable with no reservations, the heroes are for the most part good people who sometimes make mistakes and struggle with their flaws and the protagonist is the single most relateable character I have ever encountered in fiction (Is this what reading is like for cis-people? Lucky them.).The story is interesting enough and works well with Danny's character development.The only sore spots for me are that the action scenes lose me at times and that the first book doesn't really wrap up enough subplots to feel like a proper ending, which is why I think they should have been published together as one story, not two separate ones.