In a sparkling new middle-grade graphic novel, two twins must hide with a group of magical women after a coup threatens their noble house. For one, dressing as a woman to blend in with the group is a disguise; for the other, it is the first step towards living as her real gender.
The Deep & Dark Blue
Despite being twins, the two siblings are distinct in their characters. Hawke is active, bold, and sometimes brash. At the same time, he’s hesitant about his sibling’s plan to hide among the Communion. “I have no idea how to be a girl,” he says. He fakes it, but he’s clearly faking it. We see his awkwardness, even as he trains with the guardians, the women in the Communion who protect the sisterhood through weaponless martial arts. The aspects of the Communion’s work that require meditation and patience don’t resonate with him at all. His sibling, in contrast, is more thoughtful and appreciates the Communion’s contemplative side, showing strength of character in a determination to become a spinner of the sacred blue thread.
“Everything about the Communion is centered on fiber arts—spinning thread, weaving, things dismissed as ‘women’s work’ in so many cultures, but it’s the source of their powers,” Smith explained to The Beat. “Spindles and weaving were an enormous part of early folklore and religion all over the world, like the Greek myths of the Three Fates, or Sleeping Beauty. I really wanted to develop that into a system of magic—textiles, spinning and weaving, all powered by a mysterious, deep blue dye.”
Hawke is excited when he and Grayce, with the aid of another trainee, Celia, discover a way they might be able to overturn their evil cousin. Not only is this a path to justice, but it would mean he could go back to living as a boy, which clearly fits him better. Grayce, however, hesitates. Unlike her twin, she has found herself in the Communion, in both gender and profession. She tells Hawke and Celia, “This isn’t a disguise.”
Celia had pretty much figured that out already and is unfazed. Hawke looks puzzled for a moment, but is then more embarrassed by his own lack of perception than anything else, and apologizes. Grayce next insists they go save their family. Hawke says he’ll handle the final parts of the plan so that Grayce can return to the sisterhood. Despite their commitment, however, the way forward will not be easy, for the conspiracy against them is deeper than they think.
Smith’s art reflects the magic she has created. Most of the world is in rich shades of pink, purple, and brown; blue stands out as the color of the Communion and things imbued with magic. Hawke and Grayce are light skinned, but Celia and her family are darker, as is the head of the Communion, who also has splendid locs. Other people of the realm are racially diverse as well. Each page is full of movement, from full-out action sequences to the smaller gestures of everyday life.
Smith has found the trick of making Grayce’s gender identity part of the story without it becoming the story. Grayce and Hawke both have coming-of-age arcs, and while Grayce’s path is unique for being hers, it somewhat parallels Hawke’s own growing sense of self and maturity—in other words, growing into a transgender identity is just as valid a journey as any other. Smith emphasizes this, too, by having the head of the all-female Communion unconditionally accept Grayce’s membership, even after her previous identity is known. There’s also an amazing moment at the end that I won’t spoil, but which reinforces that even the magic of the Blue recognizes and honors Grayce for who she is.
Readers of all genders should enjoy this story for its captivating world building, engaging characters, lush images, and theme of justice triumphing over evil. Transgender readers may especially appreciate having a story about a transgender character that both supports their identity and is just a gosh-darn fun fantasy adventure tale. (I am cisgender myself, so I don’t want to assume too much here—but I’ve certainly felt the same reading stories about lesbian characters.)
I’ll also note the quality of the physical book. The inks are deep and saturated; the pages are thick. The hardback edition that I received has heft and shine. Such qualities are separate from the quality of the tale—but when a book has both, it reinforces the message that these are tales worth telling.
The book is aimed at middle-grade readers but the story is substantial enough that readers well into their teens should enjoy it—and it will likely also find fans among adults who like graphic novels and/or fantasy stories, especially with queer characters. (Count me among them.) We can only hope that like so many fantasy books before it, it becomes part of a series. I want to visit this world again.
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