Book Review: A Daughter of Trolls (Releasing April 21st)

[ID: A flat lay of a reddish purple book with a woven heart, sparrows, and the outline of a girl in a wheelchair on the cover next to yellow and orange flowers and three art prints. One art print depicts a sparrow in the center of a yellow circle. The one below depicts a Black man with elf ears. The one to the right depicts a white girl with short brown hair. There are two flower rings resting on the book cover and it all lays on a gray wooden floor.]

Thank you so much to the publisher Whimsical Illustration for an advanced copy of A DAUGHTER OF TROLLS in exchange for an honest review! As soon as I heard “YA fantasy about a girl in a wheelchair BY a wheelchair user” I knew I had to get my hands on this book, releasing April 21st.

[ID: A reddish purple book cover with a woven heart in the center and the silhouettes of sparrows on either side. The title is written in white “A Daughter of Trolls, A Numina Parable”. Below, there is a figure of a girl on in a wheelchair reading a book.]

A Daughter of Trolls by McKenzie Catron, releasing April 21st, 2022

Summary: Eighteen year old Sparrow, who uses a wheelchair due to heart problems, was raised in a magical glade alongside trolls, imps, gnomes, and faeries. When her home is threatened, she must undergo a journey to defeat a bloodthirsty witch. In a monster-filled world that’s decidedly NOT built for her or her wheelchair, can Sparrow save her family before it’s too late?⁣

⁣I have been waiting my whole life to find this kind of fantasy and it was a dream come true to see a disabled, chronically heroine in a classic fairy tale. Disabled folks deserve the magical cottegecore aesthetic on display in this book!⁣

I enjoyed Sparrow and her story but I did feel like there were a few rough edges. Sometimes the characters’ decisions didn’t make sense to me and overall it could’ve been more polished. (I will say that I was also personally uncomfortable with the liberal use of “wheelchair bound” as many people view that phrase as a slur but it seems the way the author personally identifies.)⁣

Content warnings: horror level violence and gore, mutilation, graphic injuries, death, internalized ableism, use of “wheelchair bound”, poisoning, and hallucinations.

⁣However, I really appreciated that Sparrow’s growth stayed at the heart of the story and there was no miracle cure. The romance was sweet and the characters were intriguing. I’m excited to see what the author publishes next and how she matures as a writer in the future.⁣

I hope this book is the first step in a new wave of disability rep in fantasy. I look forward to the day when we can have a multitude of disability reads so one portrayal isn’t the be all and end all for representation. We can only go up from here.⁣

A DAUGHTER OF TROLLS is available for preorder on Whimsical Illustration with a bunch of preorder goodies including the gorgeous pieces of fanart in this photo and a signed bookplate. (The sparrow is illustrated by McKenzie herself.) Check it out here. The ebook is on sale for only 99 cents on Amazon until release day! [These links are not affiliated with Chronically Iconic Book Club.]