Spellbook Saturday: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

After last week’s slightly disappointing #spellbooksaturday feature, I was thoroughly engrossed by…

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of. Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden. In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the tyranny of forced limitations. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small—their lives and their prospects—and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve.
[source: bookshop.org]

I was so pleasantly surprised by Barnhill’s first foray into adult literature, for though her narrator is a child / young adult throughout the story, there is a clarity and maturity in the writing that I appreciated. Exploring the ways in which we may inherit both the prejudices and the promise of previous generations, Barnhill crafts a thoroughly enjoyable, engaging fable for the modern age.

Have you read When Women Were Dragons? What were your thoughts? Share in the comments!

Black and white illustration of a decorative leafy branch with elongated leaves.

I have a Bookshop.org list of #spellbooksaturday features for folks to peruse, but in the spirit of transparency, as a Bookshop.org affiliate, I receive a small percentage of book sales purchased through my links. If you find that off-putting, feel free to shop directly through bookshop.org or your own local bookseller! My only goal here is to resist Amazon and the mega-rich.