This book was so cute! I loved the relationship between the two main characters. It was a fun western heist. I do wish it was longer, though. I would read any sequels.

A white woman is running away from compulsory enlistment as she is really a he. She is going by the name Grace and is hoping to be an actress in San Francisco. During her stagecoach ride, she is kidnapped by Ghost Hawk — a woman who is rumored to be half hawk and half demon bandit. She is known for robbing stagecoaches. When the stagecoach doesn’t have much money she takes Grace against her will thinking she can get ransom money for her. Ghost Hawk is actually a small brown lady whose real name is Flor. She does have a Hawk who answers her call. She dreams of owning land and having goats as soon as she gets a large enough amount of money to do so. What will Flor do when she finds out who Grace is? Grace and Flor decide to act as genteel ladies of the south who go uninvited to a party that is also a facade for a secret Confederate meeting as Flor and Grace are planning to steal what information they have to give to the Union soldiers. Will they be successful?

The story tells how two woman from two different cultures become friends. A romance develops through flirtations. This is an adventure that held my attention. I liked seeing this example of queer history (fiction but based on author’s research of the west’s queer life). I am so glad I got to read this. I hope more will be written on this subject.

stage dreams pulls you in from the very beginning, and does not let you go until you get to the last page. and when you get to that last page, you really wish it was longer. not because it feels like something was missing, but because you don’t want to leave grace and flor just yet. it is an adventurous and fast paced graphic novel, all about living your truth no matter what others might think. i was a bit worried going in that while i would like it, it might be a bit of a downer. i thought there would be lots of - challenged, but still - racism, transphobia, and sexism strewn in because of the time period. i was so wrong. it is fun and light hearted and it made my heart flutter.

flor and grace are so sweet together. they are two very different people - flor is hot headed and up to fight at any time, grace is more calm and held back, but still ready to do what it takes. their sexualities aren’t specified, but both of them are queer. i’d definitely say that flor is a chaotic queer, but i can’t really decide between lawful or neutral for grace.

probably the detail i appreciate the most about stage dreams is that there is literally zero shitty comments, misgendering, or dead naming aimed at grace because of her assigned sex at birth. none at all. at one point someone who knows her father mentions that he has a kid who deserted, and that’s the word that’s used. kid, not son. i think that’s really important to point out and highlight, because so many people write harmful tropes and language into books, tv, comics, you name it, in the name of being “historically accurate”. this is how easy it is to keep away from that, and therefore keep any readers who would be affected safe.

I'm a little bit emotional over this one. I saw one of my favorite booktubers reading this in a reading vlog and was so intrigued by the premise and the actual graphic novel did not disappoint - this was such a soft, queer and wonderful story.
This is a LGBTQ+ western story - and gosh, how I hope this is only the first of many to grace us with its presence on the book market in the following years.

“To our queer and trans ancestors. Far too many of your stories were lost, but we remember you.”

This western is so heartwarming!

Having heard Booktubers talking about this graphic novel I was keen to read.

Set in 1861 in The New Mexico Territory we meet Grace a trans character who has left her Georgia home due to her conscription into the Confederate Army. On her coach ride Ghost Hawk and grabs Grace, adventure ensues.

The things I enjoyed were representation and the pacing. Grace is trans and from the moment Ghost Hawk meets her and we see Graces’ face for the first time she asks her name. I loved that. The build of f/f romance is so subtle and moving, I found myself wanting to read more about these characters. I loved the goat scene a lot too! This is so unique in many ways, I don’t think I’ve read a graphic novel western before. Im so happy this was my first. I feel the quote I shared is so important.

I think the graphics were an aesthetic for the story and worked well. Not personally something I gravitate towards but I enjoyed nevertheless.


Arc provides by NetGalley for an honest review.

I enjoyed this western adventure with queer characters. The story was engaging and amusing with good artwork. Flor and Grace, a Latinx outlaw and a trans runaway, work together to discover confederate plans which they then hope to use to their own advantage.

There is also a little bit of magic in the story which gives it a frisson of the mystical. This is an enjoyable story which is both innovative and creative, and it also comes with some notes at the back which explains how some trans people fought in the US Civil War.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

New Mexico Territory, 1961. The Ghost Hawk is robbing stage coaches up and down the territory. Half-woman, half-hawk, pure terror. Runaway Grace is escaping conscription into the Confederate Army by fleeing to California when she's kidnapped by the Ghost Hawk. But the two put their heads together and come up with a plan to steal information from the Confederates to help the Union Army and earn enough cash to buy their dream futures.

This was a delightful and super queer graphic novel!

Grace is a trans woman and Flor is a queer Latinx woman, and both are trying to make their way as best they can. I loved the inclusion of Luis as well, and the illustrations, which reminded me of a children's picture book (again I need to have better recall on this).

Regardless, it's super cute and very short. Despite the length, a lot is packed in—fashion, goat ranching, railroads, war, conscription, slavery, a party, riding into the sunset and much more!

Here's hoping we get a sequel, because I want to know if Flor gets her goats and if Grace gets her chance on the big stage.

If you're looking for a queer Western, this is the one.

BONUS: historical tidbits on trans history!

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was so amazing!! The story was spectacular and so was the art. I loved the part with Grace's dad, it was so important. This whole story was so important and amazing. Grace is never dead named or misgendered. Those who know she's trans are so supportive. Once Flor knows, she doesn't even hesitate to use the right pronouns and call her pretty. Grace and Flor are so cute together and I wish we could have seen them more as a couple! My only complaint was that it wasn't longer! I highly recommend this and can't wait to buy it!

I loved this graphic novel!
This story is full of adventure, and love. I have loved Grace and Flor all the time, they are wonderful characters.
I enjoyed the story, I need more Grace and Flor adventures!
The illustrations accompanied with pastel tones have been very cute.
I also loved the research data that the author added at the end, I found very interesting.
I highly recommend this novel

I want to thank NetGalley, Melanie Gillman, and Graphic Universe for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This Graphic Novel was lovely, though I wish it were longer. The art style isn’t what I would usually go for, but I liked it nonetheless. I loved reading a historical with a trans character and reading about some trans Americans in the research notes.

This graphic novel had a fun western feel. The information the author added at the end really showed they did their research on the LGBT+ community during the civil war era. The story was entertaining, but still very important. It has some amazing diversity with the sapphic romance and one of the main characters being a transwomen. Its not the type of artstyle I usually gravitate towards but the queer representation made me want to pick it up and I actually ended up enjoying the art and how it added to the story as a whole. I loved both main characters and their dynamic. I feel like I got to know them pretty well for the short amount of time I had with them. Im hoping we get a second volume because I really enjoyed this one and I think its doing important work.

Links coming soon

2.5 stars

I would love to thank Melanie Gillman, Graphic Universe ™ and NetGalley for this book in exchange of an honest review.

I think this is the first queer book I've ever read and it wasn't bad at all! But the story wasn't exactly my taste. I really liked Flor a.k.a. Ghost Hawk and how she befriended Grace. The characters are really cute, but the story was confusing most of the times.
I'm not really into western books but I love graphic novels so I thought givng this a chance will make me change my mind about westerns, but it didn't.

But if you love westerns, I totally recommend this book! It talks a little about history and again, the characters are really sweet and determined! You would definitely enjoy it!

Content Warnings: Violence, including blood, a fight, and scratches.

Stage Dreams is a western f/f graphic novel about a trans southern belle running from conscription and a Latinx outlaw wanting to have enough gold to retire with some goats. I was absolutely pumped when I read the premise because a trans main character! A f/f romance! In a graphic novel!

The art style was beautiful. It’s all made by one artist with color pencil and they also did amazing backgrounds. The last few pages in the book were footnotes that talked a little about the history and why the artist chose to add a phrase or building in the book. It was really interesting and I loved reading the little facts.

What I really enjoyed about this graphic novel was that Gillman did not shy about including a small but diverse cast. A Black side character pointed out that allocishet was not universal and that some families just want their children to be happy if they don’t fit that norm. It was refreshing to see how Grace’s father doesn’t hate her because she’s trans and just wants her safe.

I loved the dialogue as well. Grace and Flor have good chemistry and the flirting was swoon-worthy. Gillman really knows how we queers flirt. I have to admit that I expected Grace to not be as useful as she was, but she can really hold her own. She’s smart and isn’t afraid to haggle with Flor when they first meet or use her acting skills to play as a rich woman.

Overall, this was a very short 100-page read. The artwork is amazing, but the story did seem a little rushed but that’s to be expected with something so short. I loved the cast and will be looking forward to Gillman’s next works.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Lerner Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

This was an adorable and delightful graphic novel! I've never read a historical Western featuring a trans main character before, so this was definitely fun!

The graphic novel is set in the American West around the time of the Civil War. It follows a Southern trans woman who was about to be conscripted into the Confederate Army, who escapes and falls in with a Native American woman who is a highway thief. It's a very sweet book about these two women trying to perform and heist and falling in love along the way. Highly recommend!

What a wonderfully written story with absolutely beautiful art! Strong female leads, a trans/non-binary character that isn’t used as a punchline, and some history thrown in to boot!

*Received via NetGalley for review*

A light and cute Western romp, featuring a female outlaw and a trans runaway.

The Ghost Hawk, AKA Flor, goes around robbing stagecoaches and kidnapping fine young ladies for ransom, relying on the fact that she's a women to disguise her identity (no self-respecting man in this time period would admit to being robbed by a woman!). But when she takes Grace for ransom, she realties that Grace is a young trans woman (born a man) who is escaping conscription into the Confederate army. She manages to convince Flor to let her accompany her on one "final" heist: eavesdropping on some Southern rail barons so they can sell the railroad plans.

It's nice to see Flor's immediate and unquestioning acceptance of Grace, given the time period and Grace's clear fear about being revealed. It was also nice that Gillman clearly did her research and added some notes and pictures at the end of the story about trans people in the era of the revolutionary war.

A good book to see in shelves and in libraries, but unfortunately not hefty enough and lacking a little bit of plot for me to heartily recommend it.

This book was a really fun read. The illustrations were gorgeous, the history was fascinating, and the characters were extremely fun and likable. If I had to pick one thing I disliked about the book, it was that I felt the author could have explained the history and situations a little bit better. But that is no reason for someone to dislike this book. In fact, I would happily say it is the perfect graphic novel to read especially if you enjoy history and books featuring diverse characters. This graphic novel is a pretty short read, but it is a real page turner & very sweet.

Based on the cover and the description, I was pretty confident I was going to enjoy this book. Stage Dreams managed to surpass my high expectations.

I loved everything about this book. The soft and dreamy pastel colours in the art, the character design, the outfits, the places, everything about the illustrations fit the style and content of the story to perfection. The story itself is everything I hoped for. The Civil War setting, the brilliant heists, the queerness of the characters.... This is exactly what I hoped for and wanted. I deeply appreciated the annotations filled with historical information at the end. The story is perfect as is, but I would be just as delighted if it had been twice as long or had an impending sequel.

Stage Dreams is easily one of those comics I will be recommending to everyone I know, and no list of 2019 queer comics will be complete without it. I hope to read more from Melanie Gillman in the future.

I wish this book had never ended! I loved the two main characters, Flo (a Latinx outlaw) and Grace (a transgender Army deserter), and their adventure to attend a Confederate gala to steal some secret Confederate plans. The artwork is very eye catching and was done very beautifully. The color palette was fantastic as well. It was all dusty roses, lovely oranges, gorgeous reds, and amazing landscapes. If you want to read a fun, gay heist book set in the wild, wild west then this one is one hundred percent for you! I will definitely be adding this to my personal collection when it is released. I only wish that it had been about three times as long. I wanted more of Grace and Flo's super cute relationship! I really hope that there is more to this story at some point.

A western about a bandit that happens to be a queer woman of colour, and a trans woman on the run from conscription, who decide to team up and also have a romance? Sign me up!

Unfortunately I don't know the most about this period of American history, but luckily Gillman never made things too complicated that I couldn't grasp a basic understanding of what was happening. The notes at the back were also very helpful in giving me further understanding.
The art style was fairly simple, but I really liked the colouring - and I thought it was nicely in-keeping with the story and time period. Also, some of the landscape panels were gorgeous!

I'm just amazed, and pleased, that in a historical novel about lgbt women, they didn't face any bigotry? They accept each other, and are accepted by a few other kind people on their journey. And I thought it was a nice final touch to have Grace face her father at the end of the story, and against all her expectations have him only be worried for her safety and wellbeing. As Luis says to her earlier on, 'You might be surprised, It's more common than you'd think-- Parents who only want to see their children happy.'