I’ve been reading some trans books and I have thoughts.
Dreadnought/sovereign by April Daniels
Every individual moment is fun, but the work as a whole is lacking. The first book has interesting things to say about letting family determine your identity, the second book has nothing to say. I think the fact the character got an instant magical transition into a super model kind of kills the relatability as a trans story. Despite that it still tries to pretend that someone in that situation would face the same issues. The second book has a tendency to introduce plot threads which are just solved next time you see the character. I also really didn’t care for the fact that the big final act gotcha was that the terf character was intersex actually and didn’t know it.
Catnip by Vyria Durav
When it’s not focused on the main character the writing is genuinely amazing. The author tends to indulge in the joy of being trans a lot and it can be a bit headache inducing. I understand that is to some people’s taste but I do not like it. There is also a feeling that the author wants to include every bit of political leanings and feminist teachings in plain text for some reason. I cannot forgive that the ending involved everyone who knows the girl revealing that they were aware the whole time but didn’t want to break the egg prime directive and it was treated as a funny joke. That shit is genuinely evil.
The hatchling by Vyria Durav
This one has slightly less good writing than the best of the previous one but it doesn’t fall into indulgences which makes it more fun to read. I thought it was a nice little romp. It did have the same issues of just regurgitating feminist theory plain text. I thought it was nice that the protagonist is never made to forgive the people who were cruel to her. I also really thought it was going to be a romance and was surprised how heavily it was leaning into the motherhood themes. It turned out to be found family.
The harem protagonist was turned into a girl and doesn’t want to change back by becdok
Terrible. Not good at all. No plot. No conflict. All wish fulfillment. Every single thing is solved with a kiss. Transphobic French girl, kissed better. Invading army, kissed better. No point to even read this at all.
Ranked competitive breast growth by tpwrtrmnky
Genuinely amazing. One of the best trans woman stories I’ve ever read. Accurately captures what it’s like a lot of the time to use the 4chan lgbt board. I love this book a lot. The failures to communicate really lend to the narrative instead of detracting from it. It feels a lot like trans girl death note. I often find myself pissed at Kyle and Jeff but I think I’m supposed to? I really don’t like Kyle or Tahini as the Indian trans girl rep. Katherine felt really relatable and I kept getting people telling me I behave like her. I like her a lot. Nichole is great and I love how she interplays with Catherine. I especially love the Laura and Emmy dynamic. I think this work truly understands transmisogyny in a way a lot of others don’t. It’s truly about being a trans woman rather than just being wish fulfillment. I read the bonus content too, the shield maiden stuff was kind of boring overall. I really liked the alt endings where they actually communicate. The political au was also incredibly hot. I think overall I would recommend reading this if you want a story about what life as a trans woman is like. It is incredibly frustrating though, you just want to tell them to fucking talk to each other.