Firstborn: A Novel

Description

Before reading Firstborn, I was expecting some type of quasi-dystopian, Mulan-type situation book filled with action and adventure with an emotional twist. All I got was the emotional twist. Tiadone, Tia, was raised as a boy as her parents only had two options, let her die, or raise her as someone she obviously is not. Not an easy task for any girl coming into womanhood. When faced with the challenge of showing her father she is a worthy male, staying true to her faith, and completing her rites, she finds her body, both mentally and physically, reacting to her best friend, which places an undue burden upon her. What is a girl to do who wasn’t even raised a girl?

Her plight and struggles are valid, but at some point I was waiting for her to either “man up” and take on the society who suppresses her, or he to kiss her father and leave. Both would have led to potentially good sequels. But, that never happened. This book fell short of what I was expecting, and I think with some improvising, it could be made into a really great book. I recommend this is a library check-out read.