#g haron davis

[astralbooks]

Transmogrify! edited by g. haron davis

Read: 22/04/2023 - 27/04/2023

Rating: 3/5

Rep: trans protagonists (mainly non-binary)

CW: transphobia, misgendering, fantasy violence, body horror, discussion of suicide, deaths of family members

Review:

This is an anthology of fourteen short stories by transgender authors about transgender characters that involve magic in some way!

As is the case with pretty much any anthology you come across, some of the stories in here were better than others. My personal favourites were Mason Deaver’s Genderella, a mostly contemporary retelling of Cinderella featuring a trans girl teenager as the protagonist, Cam Montgomery’s Bend The Truth, Break It Too, featuring a cursed non-binary shopkeeper who cannot leave their shop and is constantly having to fight off possession, and Dove Salvatierra’s Espejismos, about a Latinx person in what seems to be a post-apocalyptic world who’s struggling to both survive in his family home and to reckon with his late father’s expectations of him.

A lot of these stories felt samey, though. You’d think with the freedom to write anything so long as the main characters are trans and there’s magic involved there’d be a little more variety, but no. A lot of these stories are set in a world where women do magic type A and men do magic type B and our brave non-binary protagonist has to argue their case to be allowed to do magic A/B/A+B/C (delete as applicable) and it got a bit tiring after a while. One story with this plot would’ve been enough. The point of an anthology is to have lots of different stories along a similar theme (in this case, transness and magic as a whole) but this started to feel like the same story again and again with different set dressings, and as a non-binary reader frankly it got depressing very quickly. I was hoping for a little more trans magic and not as much transphobia.

If a story wasn’t about a non-binary kid having to fight to be allowed to participate in things, then it was probably about a magic school in some capacity. I do understand why contributors wanted to write about magic schools. A story involving a magic school that centres transgender characters is something of a targeted screw you at a certain once beloved children’s author. But, again, there were a lot of stories involving a magic school, and the only one that seemed to have anything interesting to say was the one told from the perspective of the school itself, which, I’ve now double checked, is the one written by A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, and their ability to do something actually interesting is likely unsurprising.

There were very few transfem characters throughout this anthology. Out of fourteen stories, a grand total of only one features a trans girl main character. There’s another with a trans girl love interest, but she’s not the protagonist. Unless I’ve missed something major, that’s it. The overwhelming majority of protagonists in this anthology are non-binary, there are a couple of trans boys, and there is a single trans girl. This is an issue! I’m non-binary. I recognise that non-binary characters are underrepresented. But trans women are also underrepresented, if not more so, and them being so noticeably absent from this anthology is not a great look. This anthology is claiming to depict a wide range of trans experiences. If that’s really the case, you’d expect there to be more trans girls than there are.

This anthology has come under fire recently for not having any trans women or transfem contributors. It’s true that demanding people be entirely open about any queer identities they may align with isn’t a good thing to be doing. Nobody should be forced out of the closet and in many cases it can be genuinely unsafe for people to come out. However, every single contributing author is already openly transgender in some way, making this something of a flimsy defence in this case. To put it charitably, not making sure to include at least one openly transfem contributor to this trans anthology was a mistake, and it’s one that I hope won’t be made again.

In all, this anthology was fine. I liked some stories more than I liked others, which is typical for anthologies! But its claim to include a diverse range of trans experiences when it very plainly does not sours my feelings on it by a lot. In isolation, I wouldn’t even mind the majority of the stories being about non-binary characters provided there were also multiple stories about other varieties of transness, but there aren’t. The lack of stories about trans girls, and the last of transfem contributors, are glaring omissions that are probably indicative of wider issues in the publishing industry as a whole.

Thank you to HarperTeen for sending me an arc in return for an honest review.

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Transmogrify! edited by g. haron davis

goodreads

Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.

Warning for rant ahead!

Mod opinon: One of the biggest disappointments to me in recent trans anthologies that I haven't personally read (but my girlfriend did, which is the reason I took it off my tbr), especially since it includes authors whose work I enjoy and would have been interested in checking out. I dislike it mostly due to its exclusion of trans women's voices (while claiming that Magic is for everyone...) and particularly the editors horribly transmisogynistic twitter meltdown when someone criticised this oversight (at least they apologized afaik, but jeez, still leaves a bad taste in my mouth). I do have an ongoing beef with quite a few trans fiction anthologies for claiming to be a trans anthology for the general trans population and yet, somehow, only including transmasculine voices and characters (or at most one trans woman in a sea of trans man and transmasc authors), so this is in that regard unfortunately just another disappointment, but this was exceptionally badly handled for sure (and since running this blog I've definitely noticed that many trans non-fiction anthologies feature the issue in the other direction, which is equally as annoying). At least have the guts to admit it when you accidentally create an own voices anthology that excludes one type of trans authors, like the creators of the Changelings anthology did or make an anthology with a specific focus on a group of trans people like Resilience or Queeird did.

[godzilla-reads]

Happy First Day of Pride 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

To kickstart this month, I went to the local bookstore and bought this beauty, which I’m very excited to read.

🏳️‍⚧️ Transmogrify! : 14 Fantastic Tales of Trans Magic edited by G. Haron Davis

[transbookoftheday]

Transmogrify! by g. haron davis

Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.

Featuring stories from:

AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy

g. haron davis

Mason Deaver

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

Emery Lee

Saundra Mitchell

Cam Montgomery

Ash Nouveau

Sonora Reyes

Renee Reynolds

Dove Salvatierra

Ayida Shonibar

Francesca Tacchi

Nik Traxler

[qualitymoonsuit]

Last night, I finished reading The Grimoire of Grave Fates, by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen. Now I'm reading the 8th book I got for my 33rd birthday. It is called Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic, by G. Haron Davis.

[the-final-sentence]

I smile.

g. haron-davis, from “If I can’t have love, I want power.”

[oracleofmadness]

A ya fantasy book of trans magic stories!! I really enjoyed this. I love a book of short stories, so this was perfect.

Some of the stories gave a bit more attention to the trans MC rather than the magic, but all of them were very enjoyable. I loved the creativity of these authors, and I can tell that a lot of thought was put into each individual story.

I'd say that this is more fantasy oriented overall with less attention to solving many of the issues approached. However, I will never be unhappy about a book bringing positive attention to this great community of beautiful and wonderful individuals.

Out May 16, 2023!

[blogthefiresidechats]

Latest haul....

So, I went to the bookstore again yesterday. Yes, I know I have book addiction…..I’ll admit it. I think reading from my own personal library and buying books to add to my library are two different hobbies. I enjoy both in equal measure. Use to, when I was a kid and didn’t have much money, I had to rely on the library to supply my reading addiction. Now that I have a job, I can spend my own money…

[paragraphs-and-pages]

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic by g. haron davis

Continue reading Untitled

[margaretthotcher]

Queer Book Recommendations

It's pride season in Wellington, New Zealand and my local library has published its second "Teen Staff Picks" zine! In that spirit, I bring you, a collection of lesser-known queer books featured in the two that have been released so far! I've narrowed the lists down to books that have 1000 or fewer reviews on Goodreads as of posting (though I actually use Storygraph personally). I haven't read most of these, they're new to me as well but looking forward to getting into them.

Sapphic

Trouble Girls - Julia Lynn Rubin

Planning Perfect - Haley Neil

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches - Kate Scelsa

The Meadows - Stephanie Oakes

Never Trust a Gemini - Freja Nicole Woolf

This Is All Your Fault - Aminah Mae Safi

The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet - Jake Maia Arlow

Youngblood - Sasha Laurens

In the Role of Brie Hutchens - Nicole Melleby

Achillean

We Are Totally Normal - Rahul Kanakia

Two Can Play That Game - Leanne Yong

Blaine for the Win - Robbie Couch

I Like Me Better - Robby Weber

The Language of Seabirds - Will Taylor

The Feeling of Falling in Love - Mason Deaver

Charming Young Man - Eliot Schrefer

Emmett - L. C. Rosen

Pages I Never Wrote - Marco Donati

Trans Characters

Across a Field of Starlight - Blue Delliquanti

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure - Lewis Hancox

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club - Page Powars

If I Can Give You That - Michael Gray Bulla

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic - G. Haron Davis

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity - Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Magical Boy - The Kao

Kisses For Jet: A Coming-of-Gender Story - Joris Bas Backer

Between Perfect and Real - Ray Stoeve

Featuring Queer People of Colour

Ander & Santi Were Here - Jonny Garza Villa

The Loophole - Naz Kutub

Spell Bound - F. T. Lukens

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues - H. S. Valley

Rise to the Sun - Leah Johnson

Never Kiss Your Roommate - Philline Harms

Rainbow! - Bloom & Sunny

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales - Melanie Gillman

Anne of Greenville - Mariko Tamaki

[richincolor]

New Releases

This week's an exciting one for new YA books! Quite a few of these books coming out tomorrow are at the very top of my must-read pile, like Transmogrify! and Venom & Vow. What's on your TBR?

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic edited by g. haron davis Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.

Featuring stories from: AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy g. haron davis Mason Deaver Jonathan Lenore Kastin Emery Lee Saundra Mitchell Cam Montgomery Ash Nouveau Sonora Reyes Renee Reynolds Dove Salvatierra Ayida Shonibar Francesca Tacchi Nik Traxler

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.

Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.

In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend . . . but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems. Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both?

Hurt You by Marie Myung-Ok Lee

Moving beyond the quasi-fraternal bond of the unforgettable George and Lenny from Of Mice and Men, Hurt You explores the actual sibling bond of Georgia and Leonardo da Vinci Daewoo Kim, who has an unnamed neurological disability that resembles autism. The themes of race, disability, and class spin themselves out in a suburban high school where the Kim family has moved in order to access better services for Leonardo. Suddenly unmoored from the familiar, including the support of her Aunt Clara, Georgia struggles to find her place in an Asian-majority school where whites still dominate culturally, and she finds herself feeling not Korean “enough.” Her one pole star is her commitment to her brother, a loyalty that finds itself at odds with her immigrant parents’ dreams for her, and an ableist, racist society that may bring violence to Leonardo despite her efforts to keep him safe.

Hurt You is a deep exploration of family, society, and the bond between siblings and reflects the reality that people with intellectual disabilities are far more likely to be the victim of a violent crime, not the perpetrator.

Last Canto for the Dead (Outlaw Saints #2) by Daniel José Older

Two gods-turned-teenagers wage simultaneous battles in the Caribbean and Brooklyn in this sequel to Ballad & Dagger.

Healer. Destroyer. Creator. Mateo Matisse and Chela Hidalgo are not just two teenagers in love–they’re powerful gods in human form. Powerful enough to have saved their Brooklyn diaspora community from the wrath of an ancient enemy and to have raised their once-sunken native island of San Madrigal from the sea. But soon they discover that their problems are far from over. On the shores of San Madrigal, two creature armies are battling for survival. And on the streets of Brooklyn, a once tight-knit community is divided, with two sides at each other’s throats. But worst of all, a heartbreaking prophecy rips these two young lovers apart, sending Mateo back to the city, where cops are now patrolling the streets, and keeping Chela tethered to the island, where chaos and death lurk around every corner.

Healer. Destroyer. Creator. As gods, their powers know no limits. But as teenagers–separated, desperate, grieving–what will become of them? And what will become of their people? Join their battle and witness their love in this thrilling conclusion to the epic saga that began with BALLAD & DAGGER.

Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliott McLemore Keep your enemy closer. Cade McKenna is a transgender prince who’s doubling for his brother. Valencia Palafox is a young dama attending the future queen of Eliana. Gael Palma is the infamous boy assassin Cade has vowed to protect. Patrick McKenna is the reluctant heir to a kingdom, and the prince Gael has vowed to destroy.

Cade doesn’t know that Gael and Valencia are the same person. Valencia doesn’t know that every time she thinks she’s fighting Patrick, she’s fighting Cade. And when Cade and Valencia blame each other for a devastating enchantment that takes both their families, neither of them realizes that they have far more dangerous enemies.

Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.

*Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University. *Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer. But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.

*Step 3: Never break the ban on baking. Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them.

But some recipes are begging to be tampered with… When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out–even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.

As Long As We’re Together by Brianna Peppins A heartstring-tugging, uplifting, modern spin on Party of Five — a love letter to family, hope, and finding strength in unexpected places.

Even though she has six siblings, sixteen-year-old Novah still knows what it’s like to feel lonely. Her friends never remember to invite her anywhere because they assume Novah will be too busy overseeing dinner, baths, and homework — tasks that fall to her when her parents are at work. She wouldn’t mind it so much if her “perfect” older sister, Ariana, wasn’t always excused from helping out. She’s the star of the volleyball team, and their parents don’t want anything to jeopardize the scholarships she’ll need to become the first member of their family to attend college.

Needless to say, Novah feels like she’s been given a raw deal, especially when she’s forced to cancel a maybe-date with her crush, Hailee. Then one terrible night, their parents don’t make it back home. A car accident takes their lives and leaves seven heartbroken kids on their own. The Wilkinson siblings have no grandparents, no aunts or uncles. Since Ariana has just turned eighteen, she manages to convince the judge to give her temporary custody. If she can keep her family running smoothly, they’ll get to stay in their home. If not, they’ll be placed into foster care.

Novah will do whatever it takes to keep her family together but finds herself in a constant power struggle when Ariana refuses to take her advice, even once it becomes clear that they are all in way over their heads. Will Novah find her voice and summon the strength to do the impossible? Or will she be forced to say the hardest goodbyes of all?

[tracichee]

ICYMI: I'm part of another anthology! 🏠 A few weeks ago, Page Street YA revealed the cover of THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES, edited by Alex Brown, and look how gorgeous it is! I love writing short stories, and I think this is one of the best (and most tragic 💔) I've ever written, so I can't wait for you to read it!

Here's the official description:

🏠THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES ANTHOLOGY (originally titled: This House is Haunted) edited by Alex Brown:

✨New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors weave interconnected haunted house stories to build a unique collection of chilling tales, with stories from Alex Brown, Nova Ren Suma, Gina Chen, Traci Chee, Linsey Miller, Rosiee Thor, Courtney Gould, Kay Costales, Liz Hull, Shelly Page, Justine Pucella Winans, Sandra Proudman, C.L. McCollum, Nora Elghazzawi, Tori Bovalino, G. Haron Davis✨

🏠A dance to the death. A girl who’s just as monstrous as H.H. Holmes. A hallway that’s constantly changing—and hungry. All of these stories exist in the same place—within the frame of a particular house that isn’t bound by the laws of time and space.

🏠Following in the footsteps of dark/horror-filled YA anthologies like His Hideous Heart and Slasher Girls and Monster Boys, and Netflix’s ground-breaking adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, this YA speculative fiction anthology explores how the permanence of a home can become a space of transition and change for both the inhabitants and the creatures who haunt them.

🏠Each story in the anthology will focus on a different room in the house and feature unique takes on monsters from a wide array of cultural traditions. Whether it’s a demonic Trickster, a water-loving Rusalka, or a horrifying, baby-imitating Tiyanak, there’s bound to be something sinister lurking in the shadows.

THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES releases August 6, 2024, but pre-orders are available now via Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, or check with your favorite local retailer to see about pre-ordering!

Cover credits: Laura Benton & Rachel Jablonski

[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

I actually read a whole entire book for the first time in a little while and I feel really good, I've been missing books! So I am very grateful to G. Haron Davis and all the other authors who contributed their stories to Transmogrify: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic!!!!! I enjoyed basically every single one, had a fantastic time, and gobbled up the whole thing in like, two days like I used to. Also, my public library is super freakin cool because that's where I got this book to begin with.

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

Tash Hearts Tolstoy, Kathryn Ormsbee, ace

Transmogrify! 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic, edited by g haron davis, trans and many other things

The Secret History, Donna Tart, mlm

Black Water Sister, Zen Cho, lesbian

Spell Bound F T Lukens, nb/m romance

In Deeper Waters, F T Lukens, mlm

So This is Ever After, F T Lukens, mlm

Hench, Natalie Zina Walschots, bi main character

Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree, wlw

She Drives Me Crazy, Kelly Quindlen, wlw

The Atlas Six, Olivie Blake, idk everyone's bi

These Violent Delights, Micah Nemerever, mlm

The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry, C M Waggoner, wlw

The Girls I've Been, Tess Sharpe, wlw

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses, Kristen O'Neal, bi main character

Between Perfect and Real, Ray Stoeve, trans main character

Kemosha of the Caribbean, Alex Wheatle, wlw

Tarnished are the Stars, Rosiee Thor, aro and wlw rep

Golden Boys, Phil Stamper, mlm

Vespertine, Margaret Rogerson, aroace

Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid, lesbian part-main-character (one of four)

The Henna Wars, Adiba Jaigirdar, wlw

I'm Afraid of Men, Vivek Shraya, trans author (autobiographical)

The Gilded Wolves trilogy, Roshani Chokshi, mlm and poly rep

That Inevitable Victorian Thing, E K Johnston, wlw and intersex rep

Girls of Paper and Fire, Natasha Ngan, wlw

Daja's Book, Tamora Pierce, wlw

If We Were Villains, M L Rio, mlm

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, wlw

Ramona Blue, Julie Murphy, sapphic but questioning main character

The Fascinators, Andrew Eliopulos, mlm

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, Hank Green, bi main character

On a Sunbeam, Tillie Walden, wlw

Wilder Girls, Rory Power, wlw

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, Jaye Robin Brown, wlw

We Are Totally Normal, Naomi Kanakia, mlm and some unaddressed trans undertones

Like a Love Story, Abdi Nazemian, mlm

Pet, Akwaeke Emezi

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass, Adan Jerreat-Poole, nb gay queer rep

Finding Home series, Hari Conner, mlm

The Sea in You, Jessi Sheron, wlw

Love Letters, Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, wlw

The Summer of Jordie Perez, Amy Spalding, wlw

I Was Born for This, Alice Oseman, trans, mlm, and unlabelled main characters

Radio Silence, Alice Oseman, demisexual and bi main characters

Ash, Malinda Lo, lesbians

Our Wives Under the Sea, Julia Armfield, trans and wlw main characters

Confessions of Frannie Langton, Sara Collins, wlw

A Taste of Gold and Iron, Alexandra Rowland, mlm

Even Though I Knew the End, C L Polk, wlw

Huntress, Malinda Lo, wlw

Hope that's better, sorry I missed the submissions form! I checked everything against your list so these are all new.

These are finally all queued! Thanks for your patience :)

[rosieethor]

Yay! New Story alert!

So excited to share I have a story in THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED, an anthology edited by Alex Brown coming from Page Street YA in 2024! My story is about a phantom cursed to haunt her former dance teacher's ballroom for eternity who meets a girl who finally makes her want to leave. It's a dissection of toxic perfectionism in dance culture and full of sapphic yearning. I hope you'll like it!

"Lauren Knowles at Page Street YA has acquired This House Is Haunted, an anthology of 16 stories edited by Alex Brown, which highlights monsters, ghosts, and folklore from various cultural backgrounds with each story exploring a different room in a sprawling haunted house. The contributors are Nova Ren Suma, Gina Chen, Traci Chee, Courtney Gould, Linsey Miller, Rosiee Thor, Shelly Page, Nora Elghazzawi, Kay Costales, Liz Hull, Justine Pucella Winans, Sandra Proudman, C.L. McCollum, Tori Bovalino, and G. Haron Davis. Publication is set for spring 2024. Renee Nyen at KT Literary negotiated the deal for world rights; Brown is now represented by Amy Elizabeth Bishop at Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret."

[qualitymoonsuit]

I just finished reading Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic, by G. Haron Davis.