Alex is making dinner in the apartment she shares with her cousin Bea. They’ve lived alone since Alex’s mom passed away and Bea’s mom disappeared, but this isn’t an easy life. Alex’s dad set them up in this apartment, but he expected Alex to raise Bea while attending high school. Between her own schoolwork and trying to figure out college, Alex has to feed and clothe Bea, and keep her out of trouble. Trouble seems to be around every corner. Women keep disappearing, houses and buildings are going up in flames, and dragons are seen swooping through the skies. It’s not long before Alex puts it together and realizes those women aren’t missing…they dragoned and found the freedom Alex wants so terribly herself.
When Women Were Dragons is Kelly Barnhill’s first adventure into the adult fantasy world. After much success in the children’s literature world, this work won her nominations for several literary awards after it’s 2022 release. Utilizing her experience writing for children, Barhill delivers this fantasy work from the perspective of a child. This is a story about a society rife with gaslighting that attempts to oppress women, and the consequences when women are tired of being limited and told how to act.
I give When Women Were Dragons 4 out of 5 stars. This is a timely release given the political climate and Me Too movement. I did find this as a slow start and it was tough for me to stay engaged with. This could have been improved with additional development of several main characters. I do like the plot of this story, especially in the later chapters of the book. With that said, this is not a book I would typically recommend or discuss unless someone else brings it up.
Given discussions of female oppression, gaslighting, and death from illnesses, this book may not be suitable for all readers. I would direct this to more mature audiences over 13. This is a fantasy book and may be an appropriate way to address topics like gaslighting with the young adult audience.
I chose When Women Were Dragons for the RWL Reading Challenge prompt “with a dragon”. There are so many great books and series that feature dragons in one way or another – you can find a good list on the Sunday agenda post. We are reading books with dragons this week in preparation for Lunar New Year next week – 2024 is the year of the dragon! Speculative fiction and fantasy aren’t genres I’ve ventured into very often in the past but have been on my reading list more and more the past few months. What’s your favorite book with a dragon?
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