Author: April Daniels
Publisher: Diversion Books
Publication Date: 24 January 2017
Pages: 265
Format: EBook - EPUB
Genre: LGBT/Fantasy
Source: ARC via NetGalley
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. (Goodreads Synopsis)
Dreadnought is both a delightful and thought-provoking story. It has plenty of action and fun, but it also has a more serious side, looking at the hatred and discrimination Danny faces as a transwoman.
In essence it's a superhero narrative and a coming-out story rolled into one. I thought the pacing was fine, but I would have liked to have seen a little less info dumping, with more of the world building worked into the action. That's a minor complaint though as, on the whole, the story captivated me and kept me turning the pages. I guess now we'll have to wait and see what the world has in store for Danny in book two.
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