Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore

Abstract

Reviewed by: Venom & Vow by Anna-Marie McLemore Fiona Hartley-Kroeger McLemore, Anna-Marie Venom & Vow; written by Anna-Marie McLemore and Elliott McLemore. Feiwel, 2023 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250822239 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250822222 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 7-12 Valencia, lady-in-waiting to La Princesa, is a master of disguise, hidden knives, and combat with the cane she uses to support her mobility; comfortable dressed as a boy, she's also Gael, but fears that her beloved father—trapped behind an enchanted barrier along with a hostile neighboring kingdom's rulers—will never have the chance to know both sides of his child. Cade McKenna, the transgender prince of said hostile kingdom, doubles for his elder brother on the battlefield despite a disabling injury, until his unexpected capture of Gael prompts a mission of reconciliation between the two kingdoms. There follows a delightful fantasy of errors as Valencia/Gael and sometimes-in-disguise Cade dance around each other, trying to encourage a tentative peace while simultaneously convinced that the other is the one who cast the barrier and can therefore dismantle it. All misunderstandings eventually fade, love sweetly blossoms, and even as political necessity threatens to separate the protagonists, a revelation about Cade's identity sets Valencia on a path to better understanding Gael. The authors gorgeously depict two very different kingdoms, with living architecture, helpful luminous foxes, and magical animals stepping from tapestries and rising from rivers; a monastery of trans monks provides aspirational space for self-discovery. Heart-pounding combat scenes center the protagonists' physicality, giving realistic weight to their respective disabilities and chronic pain while showing their bodies as capable and their mobility aids as integrated parts of their lives. The worldbuilding is reminiscent of Isabel Ibañez, and readers hoping for more of McLemore's signature sensitive treatment of trans and genderfluid characters will definitely want to pick this up. [End Page 297] Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois