Jenna Glass

In a thrilling feminist fantasy epic, a revolutionary spell gives women the ability to control their own fertility--with consequences that rock their patriarchal society to its core. When a nobleman's first duty is to produce a male heir, women have always been treated like possessions and bargaining chips. But now, as the aftereffects of this world-altering spell ripple out, women at last have a bargaining chip of their own. Alys is the widowed mother of two teenage children, and the disinherited daughter of a king. Her existence has been carefully proscribed, but now she discovers a fierce talent not only for politics, but also for magic. Meanwhile, in a neighboring kingdom, young Ellin finds herself unexpectedly on the throne after the sudden death of everyone who stood before her in the line of succession. Conventional wisdom holds that she will marry quickly, then surrender the throne to her new husband...only Ellin has other ideas. The tensions tearing at both kingdoms become abruptly worse when a caravan of exiled women and their escort of disgraced soldiers stumble upon a new source of magic in what was once uninhabitable desert. This new and revolutionary magic--which only women can wield--threatens to tear down what is left of the patriarchy. And the men who currently hold power would do anything to destroy it.

Queen of the Unwanted

Katheryn

I loved this book. The palace and political intrigue makes the fantasy world so much more real and the character struggles are so heartbreaking and inspiring. The ending was terribly sad and I can't wait to read the next book.

~Anna~

★ ★ ★ ★ ✫ 

4 ½ stars from me- with 2 BIG caveats

Major troupes of this story include:

✔️ Kick ass magic 


✔️ Grizzly bear mom power


✔️ A male ally so laughably idealized that if you cut to the bone, he's probably be made out of something perfect like diamonds. 

✔️ Handmaid's Tale-like abbey nuns... but with less religious context.

✔️ A Prince Charmless who you'll want to kill by the end of the book (imo).

This is a political drama, through and through. 

And I love me a well-thought out political drama, though this one was a bit simple as a starter. Which is probably good, as we needed to learn a lot more about other things. Mainly because of the magic, an idea of energy spheres that come from magic wells, but certain people have better 'magic vision' and can see more motes of magic than others, and that magic is gendered. In this world, there have named all magics that can be seen by the (majority) of women female, the ones mainly seen by men male, and seen by both are neutral. (I think that's right, anyway.) So we have to learn how they mix motes like scientists mess with elements to make certain compounds- but their results are put upon already existing materials (when it comes to what women are allowed to do) or people (in what men are allowed to do).

But anyways- this book was fun, the magic system was engaging, the people were interesting enough. But my favorite thing was the pacing.

Which is weird of me to say- but there's a reason for that. In my opinion, this political drama wouldn't have gotten away with nearly as much credit as it does without the pretty consistent character changes, spread throughout two kingdoms (and technically a third for a blip on the map). It really reinforced the idea that these were different places and that time was marching forwards, whether the main characters wanted it to or not. And I could nitpick all day about characterization of certain people, but in the end: it didn't seriously effect my enjoyment of the story as a whole. But there were things that did do that.

Now, onto the two caveats. 

First Caveat: No representation, or even lip service, to anything non-heterosexual. I have to admit I read this from other reviews to get more opinions because I don't think I fit in the LGBTQIA (other than demisexuality, which I personally can't say because I still have never been in any lasting romantic relationships) and this book sucks at seeing anything more than the eye candy and goodness of men or the evil inside men. Which... not cool.

Caveat 2: Narrative stakes.
I think the stakes in this book were... minimal at best. Of course, royals have different stakes from the rest of the world that we don't get to see, but the cases where we did get them were few and far between until the end. And the two major ladies always made what felt like the 'correct' political maneuver for what they knew at the time, either with or without other people helping them get perspective. I know this was to show that women can understand soft power dynamics of politics... but I guess since I felt like I already understood that concept, I wanted to have more. Ellin bungles this once, it's mentioned... and then from then on a lot of time passes and we're just supposed to think none of those decisions made in the council room don't matter?
And there definitely are consequences in this book, it just feels strange that both major characters made a lot of decisions that didn't make them slip up earlier- especially when both were at the start of gaining political control, which happens in different parts of the book. 


That's just what I think. Overall, it was such an enjoyable read and a strong political drama that I will try and pick up book 2 at some point.

Sahi K

When I first read the premise of this book, I was blown away and I was so sure I was gonna fall in love with it. And when I actually got approved for the ARC, my joy had no bounds. However, I’m quite unsure about how the experience turned out to be. So, let me share my thoughts. 

I definitely went into this book expecting a very fiery feminist fantasy world where the women are finally ready to take down the patriarchy, but I got was a very understated version of it - which is not necessarily a bad thing. This is a highly misogynistic world where women have very few rights and there are levels of apathy towards women based on the kingdom where they live. So, when women finally gain the power of conception/fertility due to a devastating spell, it’s not a dramatic shift of power. The men are nowhere near ready to give up everything they’ve grown accustomed to and most of the women still need to outgrow everything that they’ve been taught since their birth. What we see happening is a group of women who slowly realize the other magical powers they can access now, and how to navigate this new world. This is a very slow process and they rely a lot on other men in their lives to get what they want. While it was wonderful to see a couple of men in this sexist world truly support the women in their quest for power, I think it would have been more effective as a story if the women were more independent thinking - they certainly are very capable. The pacing is also consistently slow throughout, there is more of the day to day lives of the characters and lots of political intrigue, but hardly any action at all. There is also no diversity at all in the book (or the author deliberately leaves the descriptions very vague) and despite many women going through deep trauma due to rape and assault, we never get to explore how they are affected or their stories of survival. While all the characters were quite good, Ellin is the one I felt most fascinated by and I think she has some of the best and important scenes in the book. Jinnel is also such a thoughtful and selfless young woman and I would have liked to see so much more of her. 

While this book was not what I really expected, it has a well realized world and magic system that I really liked. I would still recommend this book if you don’t mind a slow paced book with more intrigue and no action and which felt more like a setup for the sequel. I enjoyed it enough that I might be interested to know what happens next.

In a feminist fantasy epic, a revolutionary spell gives women the ability to control their own fertility--with consequences that rock their patriarchal society to its core. "A compulsive read, riveting characters, life-or-death stakes . . . a smashing book!"--Tamora Pierce When a nobleman's first duty is to produce a male heir, women are treated like possessions and bargaining chips. But as the aftereffects of a world-altering spell ripple out physically and culturally, women at last have a bargaining chip of their own. And two women in particular find themselves at the liberating crossroads of change. Alys is the widowed mother of two adolescent children, and the disinherited daughter of a king. Her existence has been carefully regulated, but now she discovers a fierce talent not only for politics but also for magic--once deemed solely the domain of men. Meanwhile, in a neighboring kingdom, young Ellin finds herself unexpectedly on the throne after the sudden death of her grandfather the king and everyone else who stood ahead of her in the line of succession. Conventional wisdom holds that she will marry quickly, then quietly surrender the throne to her new husband. Only, Ellin has other ideas. The tensions building in the two kingdoms grow abruptly worse when a caravan of exiled women and their escort of disgraced soldiers stumble upon a new source of magic in what was once uninhabitable desert. This new and revolutionary magic--which only women can wield--might well tear down what is left of the patriarchy. The men who currently hold power will do anything to retain it. But what force in the world can stand against the courage and resolution of generations of women who have tasted freedom for the very first time? Praise for The Women's War "The Women's War is an epic feminist fantasy for the #MeToo era. . . . The Women's War does what so many classic adult fantasy books do not: It gives us a nuanced portrayal of grown women dealing with a wretchedly unfair society. It is rare to read a fantasy novel with a middle-aged mother as a main character. And it is refreshing to see women becoming heroes in a world that wishes to keep them muzzled."--Sabaa Tahir, The New York Times Book Review "A blend of the traditional Western European epic fantasy and the birth control revolution of the 1960s, The Women's War takes the reader on a journey toward revolution. . . A fascinating and entertaining read, and a welcome addition to the world of epic fantasy."--New York Journal of Books

The Women's War

Nickie Mohler

The Women's War is set in a time when a woman's only importance is to produce an heir. Men are the magic users. Men have all the power.

Three women decide to change that. Even if means their deaths.

I loved this book. I went back and forth between 4 and 5 stars, but even if I'm in the minority, I felt it deserved the 5. A fantasy where the women rise up and take a stand? I'm in! I love political intrigue in fantasy, and this book has plenty. I thought the magic system was unique and interesting. And I loved the characters! Quite a few trigger warnings, but it makes their fight even more important.

I am excited to read more in this series.

I received a copy from Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Liz Griffin

DNF at 66% percent. Too many cringe-worthy POV sections. Sure, it was clear he was a bad guy, but I didn’t want to be inside his head any more. I’m not invested enough in the main characters to care any more if they get happy endings.

In the riveting sequel to the feminist fantasy epic The Women's War, the ability to do magic has given women control over their own bodies. But as the patriarchy starts to fall, they must now learn to rule as women, not men. Alys may be the acknowledged queen of Women’s Well—the fledgling colony where women hold equal status with men—but she cares little for politics in the wake of an appalling personal tragedy. It is grief that drives her now. But the world continues to turn. In a distant realm unused to female rulers, Ellin struggles to maintain control. Meanwhile, the king of the island nation of Khalpar recruits an abbess who he thinks holds the key to reversing the spell that Alys’s mother gave her life to create. And back in Women’s Well, Alys’s own half brother is determined to bring her to heel. Unless these women can come together and embrace the true nature of female power, everything they have struggled to achieve may be at risk.

Elizabeth Jones

Emily

Laura

Shay Henrion

In the riveting sequel to the feminist fantasy epic The Women's War, the ability to do magic has given women control over their own bodies. But as the patriarchy starts to fall, they must now learn to rule as women, not men. Alys may be the acknowledged queen of Women's Well--the fledgling colony where women hold equal status with men--but she cares little for politics in the wake of an appalling personal tragedy. It is grief that drives her now. But the world continues to turn. In a distant realm unused to female rulers, Ellin struggles to maintain control. Meanwhile, the king of the island nation of Khalpar recruits an abbess who he thinks holds the key to reversing the spell that Alys's mother gave her life to create. And back in Women's Well, Alys's own half brother is determined to bring her to heel. Unless these women can come together and embrace the true nature of female power, everything they have struggled to achieve may be at risk.

Queen of the Unwanted

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