I’m gonna go with 3.5/5 rounded up.

Transmuted is a body horror tale about this streamer Isa who has to resort to sketchy facial feminisation surgery after having to donate the money she had raised for proper surgery to her dying dad’s experimental medical treatment.

I think the premise is really good, and there’s quite a lot going on below the surface when it explores the whole financial and medical side of things and how those things play together for a trans woman. I would have loved it if the focus had remained there more prominently, even with a healthy dose of freaky body horror thrown in. The way the author described Isa’s interaction with fans on Twitter, for example, showed a great degree of observation of a very specific subculture, and the way Isa navigates family relationships was interesting too. I actually liked the body horror early on too, but I really wasn’t sold on where the story goes in the second half. It was just a bit too much for me, and I think it kinda cheapened a very strong start. But to be honest I don’t read a lot of stuff in the genre, so maybe I’m being unfair.

The writing was pretty agile and engaging, even if it did state the obvious a few times in a way that I really wasn’t a big fan of. Still, a very enjoyable book that felt quite fresh to me. It’s pretty short and different, so I would recommend it even if I’m not sold on the way the story develops.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I really like the cover!

Isa is a twitch streamer, who has been streaming for donations in order to undergo facial feminization surgery. But just as she has enough money, her father needs it for yet another experimental treatment for his life threatening disease.

She thinks this is the end of the road, and she will never get the features she has hoped for. That is until she finds a mysterious doctor who promises a free, yet experimental gender affirming surgery. After the first treatment everything seems to go according to plan, the only problem is her body won’t stop changing.

I truly enjoyed the first part of this book. It was entertaining, funny and you can’t help but love Isa’s character. She has the same sarcastic humor as myself, and I sympathized with the struggle she went through. I was completely engrossed in the story.

Yet, after a while it all felt a bit rushed. Stuff was happening too fast, and I have to say maybe a bit too bizarre. Now, don’t get me wrong I really liked the weirdness and grotesque imagery, but at some point it kind of went way out there.

Still, a really entertaining queer body horror tale and if this sounds interesting to you, I would definitely give it a read!

Thanks to the publisher for the free copy!