The Women’s War is one hell of a story. Based on a society where women are considered second-class citizens, if they are lucky, this is the story of revolution led by two extraordinary women.

Alysoon Rai-Brynna is a widowed mother of two and daughter of a king. When her father divorced her mother in favor of a more politically advantageous marriage, Alys and her brother were declared illegitimate. And her mother became an Unwanted, sentenced to life at the Abbey.

Princess Ellinsoltah of Rhozinolm will become queen when the two most likely male candidates to the throne would most like cause a war. The plan: after her year of mourning, Ellin will take a husband who will then become king. Or so her council thinks.

These two women will become the pivotal characters who react and overcome so many obstacles thrown at them in the aftermath of the world-altering spell.

The story is complex and so many characters lives are intertwined it is impossible to represent all of that here in a review. So I will pick and choose a few characters…

Crown Prince Delnamel (half-brother to Alys and Tynthanal) is the villain to boo at every time he turns up. Occasionally, he seems to have a teeny tiny bit of heart, but don’t let that fool you. There is one horrible scene where Delnamel arrests three senior abigails and then allows his men to rape the women of the Abbey. My heart ached at the scene, but it a critical event that changes the raped women in such a way that those men will have cause to regret.

Tynthanal, brother of Alys and lieutenant commander at the Citadel, escorts the women of the Abbey to the wasteland to their new home. It is because of him that the women discover the new Well of magical elements. Thus Women’s Well was founded. Tynthanal is one of the few male feminists in the book.

Semsulin, is the lord chancellor and head of the royal council of Rhozinolm. He is the man who talked Ellin into taking the crown. His motives are not entirely clear, though as the book goes on, he seems to support Ellin more and more. I think he only wants what is best for the kingdom and that is a difficult thing to determine.

In a society where only men are allowed to use magic, it will come as quite a shock when those men learn that women are not only able to use magic in many ways, but they are also quite good at. If they don’t make room for women as equals, they will loose. Take as much of that as you wish as a commentary on any aspect of women’s history in our own world.

The cover by Elizabeth A.D. Eno, is beautiful and inciteful and truly represents the story. Ms. Eno must have read the book before she crafted her cover.

The Women’s War is 560 pages long according to the published page counts. You would think 560 would be enough to tell a story. It isn’t. Be prepared for a huge cliffhanger. The only characters whose stories are resolved are the ones that died. The description on NetGalley gave no indication that this was the first book of a series. The Women’s War gets 4 stars from me, losing one star due to the gigantic cliffhanger. (I may have thrown a fit when I finished the book. I don’t remember. It is all kind of fuzzy.) But if I was the type of reader who didn’t mind cliffhangers, I would give it all 5 stars.

Heartbreaking, hopeful, magical and emotional. The Women’s War truly is an amazing story.

Here is a quote from the book. It was said by Alys’s mother, right before the world upended:

Something is going to happen tonight. Something … momentous. Something that will change the world in ways I can’t entirely foresee.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

The description defined this a "high fantasy feminist epic," and that is dead-on. This is a secondary world setting where women are marginalized, abused, and maligned, and they finally start to fight back. That also means this is a difficult read at times, as it doesn't shy away from incidents of rape and abuse. That said, this IS a book from a mostly feminist perspective, and it doesn't let those horrors become the defining moment for those characters.

The book follows a largely female cast in various parts of "the Wells." This is a world where people can focus on their Mind's Eye and see elemental orbs that can then be combined to different magical effects. I found this very easy to picture because it seemed video game-like to me, and I loved that. Women, of course, are almost entirely forbidden from tapping this power. The very sight of a women using magic, her eyes going to all-white, is regarded as obscene. The only place where women are permitted to use limited magic is if they are exiled to abbeys--rather like government-run bordellos, where unclean women are forced to give out sexual favors or otherwise peddle wares in lowly ways.

A matrimonial line decided, in ages past, to break the very way magic functions in the world in order to give women a way to fight back. They essentially bred themselves to cultivate this ability. They carry this out near the beginning of the book, to immediate physical and magical results. I am keeping the particulars vague to avoid spoilers, but I will say this: the consequences are myriad and truly make you think about women and the power they carry over their own bodies. I enjoyed seeing this analyzed through the lens of magic.

A few criticisms. I was surprised that there wasn't more queer representation, especially within the confines of abbeys. I also wish the villain had more nuance, because yeesh, is he a nasty villain. He's almost too easy to hate. I felt like bathing in bleach after scenes in his perspective.

This is the first book in a series and it ends on something of a cliffhanger. The one peril of getting an early reviewer edition of the book is that I have an even longer wait until I find out what happens next!

4.5 stars

This is an amazing and well thought out story with engrossing political intrigue, calling into question how hostile the world is to women and how little some men will do about it even when they have their own consequences.
Though this takes place in a medieval-esque setting, it’s still so relevant to what goes on today.

The only reason this didn’t get 5 stars from me is because there were a few instances of fat-shaming, plus a few times in which something is built up to be such a bad thing taking place that turned out to be merely anticlimactic.

However, this is my favorite read of the year so far.

Thank you first to Netgalley and the publishers who sent me an ARC to review, and thank you to Jenna Glass for writing this epic novel!

As the first in what will likely be a widely discussed piece of feminist, epic fantasy, the novel begins with an expected heroine. None of that 'unaware of her hotness and great at literally all the things whilst wearing a corset and a sword' silliness, Alysoon is a widow and mother, and much more as the story unfolds. While the narrative does slide between other, equally as compelling characters, it is Alysoon's tale and her voice that guides the reader into this world of rampant inequality and injustice towards women in particular.

I loved the sort of mix of the gentle voices of these women with the violence going on around them. It never felt naive or frivolous. The book reminded me of more serious fantasy novels, especially Dune. The whole concept of the Abbeys filled with 'unwanted women' who change the world sort of felt like if the Bene Gesserits of Herbert's classic had had actual women in mind with their manipulations.

There was a line in the book that fully expressed everything the book was for me, "The fate of the world rested on these small acts of feminine defiance." - and it truly did! They begin in gentler, more minute ways but by the end, I was gasping with shock at the forces these women had become.

This was truly the best book I've read all year and I am breathlessly awaiting the future novels.

This book has complicated, nuanced and conflicted characters; complex enough to make them that much more realistic, which is what makes this story engaging. They aren't split into paragons of virtue and soulless villains. We see where, how, and why our heros stumble and how they attempt to make amends. We are shown what the villains justifications are, we're shown their humanizing qualities, without it becoming an excuse for their poor, selfish, and/or downright evil choices.
It's also the story of a power shift in a deeply patriarchal society where women suddenly get a say in their own lives and destinies and how threatened the men become when faced with women who are equally or more powerful, or could become so.
This is not a book for everyone; there is quite a bit of violence: physical, sexual and emotional. I still reccomend it for appropriate ages and only if you feel you are in the right head space for it; like I said, it's got some very dark themes such as rape, suicide, and torture, so seriously, content warning!

I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Women's War by Jenna Glass 3.5 stars

This book was well written but the subject matter was very difficult to read. This is essentially a feminist fantasy. In this world women are treated like property. If you are disobedient or willful you can be discarded and disgraced. Women who are not wanted are sent to an abbey where they must be prostitutes in order to earn income for the government. If they are too old to work in a government sanctioned brothel, they must earn their keep by making medicine. The head of an abbey was once a queen,; discarded by the King she is sent to serve in the Abbey. A major plot point is that she manages to create a spell to control fertility. It takes the deaths of three women - crone, mother and maiden to seal the spell. The story takes place in two different lands and the reflects the behavior of both royal courts. After reading this book I am sure there will be a sequel. But I'm not sure I will read it. The only reason to read it would be to see the main villain get his comeuppance and die horribly. I admire the pacing and writing, but I dragged my feet to finish this because I didn't like the subject matter. This book could have been written for the #metoo movement.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House / Ballantine for this ARC.

Um okay, wow. This was amazing. Political intrigue, magic, feminism. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I will warn you, dear reader, that there are quite a few mentions/depictions of rape, as well as a painful triple suicide. So be prepared for that.
This is a world filled with magical elements called motes, but only men are permitted to see them. Women in The Women’s War have almost no power concerning themselves. They marry who they are told. For a woman to use magic, it is an ostracizable offense. And you don’t want to be a pariah in this world. Women who are divorced or found to be unchaste are sent to the Abbey of the Unwanted. This is a place where women make potions and use magic (and all their profits go to the king). Also, this is a brothel. A brothel made of cast-aside noblewomen.
After a spell cast by Alysoon’s mother (who became the Abbess of the Unwanted after she was cast aside by the King of Aaltah), the balances of power changes. Now, women can’t get pregnant unless they want to. Because of this, they have bargaining power in choosing their marriages. In retribution, the King of Aaltah sends the women of the Abbey to the Wastelands, where they discover a new source of magic and all chaos ensues. The book has a lot more plot and side plot, but to go deeper into that would be to spoil something, so I’ll just leave you with this teaser.
It focuses on two main characters: Alys and Ellin. Alys is the disinherited daughter of the king of Aaltah. Ellin is the granddaughter of the king of Rhozinolm. They are both faced with their own challenges regarding their kingdoms and their own power as women in this patriarchal society.
I like Alys. She’s a divorced mother of two with royal ties, so she’s not a protagonist my twenty year old self can identify with, but she’s has a way of making you like her. Her world (literally) changes overnight, so you’ll forgive her for her many moments of indecisiveness.
Ellin is my main girl. She’s a twenty-one year old princess who suddenly finds herself Queen in a country where there has only ever (with one short exception) been Kings. She gets into a couple ‘who can I trust’ situations, but really she’s just trying to keep her crown in a room of people who want to see her married to the person who will become King of Rhozinolm.
Something weird I could just not is the way men just dispose of their wives and their children. Take Alys’ father for example. He married her mother and they had Alys and her brother. But then he needed an alliance with another kingdom, so he divorced her mother, dumper the mom in the Abbey (to be a prostitute), and disinherited his own children so his new wife’s kid would be the heir to the throne (and he’s a real piece of work too). It seems like there is no legal (certainly no religious) barriers to stop him from doing this. Another character in Nandel (another country) has had many wives in order to get a son. But to no avail. Imagine this world as one where Henry the VIII could do whatever he wanted in order to get an heir. It’s this world.
But men themselves are so complicated in this book. It is NOT a book about hating men. Even the bad men we see are given attributes that makes us pity them. They are not portrayed as straight-up bad men. They have regret and feelings. AND they are still evil guys. It’s rare that I find an antagonist (an evil one) written with enough emotion that makes be doubt their evilness. Does that make sense? Yes, they are bad men. But Glass shows us their regret and their soft sides. And then she shows us them sticking to their bad ways. It frankly startled me. I’m really used to deciding on a character and then being set on who they are. But for a few chapters, I doubted whether they were really as bad as I thought they were.
The magic system in this book is a little confusing and perhaps it’s meant to be that way. So, the world is filled with magical elements called motes. Like our elements, they are many different kinds that are found in different places and some are rarer than others. Everyone has a gift called Mindseye, where they can see these elements. Its not socially acceptable for women to use Mindseye. Some motes are feminine and some are masculine. Not everyone can see the same motes, as some people’s Mindseye is less skilled. To use these motes, they must be combined (like science) in order to perform a spell. We don’t get much more explanation than this.
One of my main problems with this book is that all the interesting bits we learn and seem to be plot-important in the first part of the book are cast aside in the later parts. So, no more magic learning. No more (plot related spoilers). It changes focus really quickly. For such a fast-paced book though, it never really seems to have a climax. Or rather, all of the book was on the climatic edge. It made it a really good read up until the very end of the book, when it just ends. And leaves me desperate for the sequel (is it 2020 yet?).

Bookworms around the world have been gifted this day! The Women's War is the first book in a new fantasy series that packs one hell of girl power punch!

"To all the feminists-past and present-who have fought for women's rights. You are my heroes."

It felt highly fitting to use the author's initial dedication to highlight the overall theme of this book rather than a quote from the story, because GIRL POWER DUH. Seriously, this is feminist inspired fantasy full of court intrigue, the bonds of family (both blood and chosen), and fighting for what is right and good in this world. We've encountered SO many YA fantasies featured in made up worlds recently that it felt nice to come across something a little more realistic and grounded. Yes, it's still fantasy, but it had a strong historical component to it, while also bringing in themes that people still experience worldwide in other countries, like women not being allowed to really do anything except for reproduce.

You'll think you've read this story before, but once you get to the second "thing" happening, the plot takes a turn into unique territory and I couldn't flip through the ebook quick enough. While the plot was fantastic and the setting was delectable, I found that the characterization is what really made this debut stand out among a sea of fantasy wannabes. You think you know them and their stereotypical casting in the beginning, but after a few instances shift them out of their comfort zone, we see immediate growth that carries throughout the book.

I'm going to stop here, as to not spoil anything for future readers, but this is a fantasy that is timely, relevant, and necessary for the world we live in. As scary as it sounds, this "fantasy" isn't too far removed from some females' reality, and it's a healthy wake up call for young men and women alike to take hold of their future, not only for themselves, but for their legacy they choose to leave behind as well. Highly recommended for those looking for a feminist infused tale that will hold your attention, and your heart, captive until the final page is turned.

Loved the premise of this novel, and the idea that in a man’s brutal world the women finally start to have a say. I just wish it hadn’t taken so long for things to pick up. Arguably there is action from the beginning, but still somehow the amount of time it took to get to where we all know the story is headed was slightly annoying.
The magic system is different and interesting, especially the concept that there are different men’s and women’s magics. It was a tad confusing to pick up on and I’m sure I still don’t understand a majority of it, but it might have been tedious to explain the fundamental breakdown of every magic mote the character’s work with. The end surprised me, and I was glad for at least one “hell yes” moment for Queen Ellin.
I imagine I will enjoy the second book in this series as it will, hopefully, be focused right in the middle of the plot.

The Women’s War is a brilliantly executed feminist fantasy novel featuring complex storylines and a progression of deeply imagined characters. This is a world of terrors for women, where sexual violence and societal domination by foolhardy men reigns supreme. One spell changes the entire world, giving women the right to choose and slowly unleashing untold magic powers for those forced into subservience. It’s a long epic to be sure, but it never feels overly burdened with unnecessary details or developments. The puzzle comes together slowly and at the end, we’re met with a magic that is powerful beyond the world’s wildest dreams and a new provincial force run by the most powerful woman of them all. This is sure to be an epic series and I look forward to following along.

Full review at: https://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/02/19/the-womens-war-book-review

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Women's War has a large cast of characters, all of whom add interesting perspectives to the story and raise many questions as how the spell affects people. There is just so much political intrigue among all the characters that I feel like I need to introduce you to them a little further, and so you, too, can get a better understanding of why you'd like to read this book.

We have Alys, who is the daughter of the nun who cast the spell. As the disinherited king's daughter, how will her standing in society change? Will her father, the king, still be willing to support her, or will she be cast out of the royal family completely? And as the king's eldest offspring, will her half-brother, Delnamal, the heir to the throne, feel threatened by women gaining more power?

Delnamal and his wife, Shelvon, are expecting their first child. They were married to secure a trade alliance between two kingdoms, and unfortunately, their marriage is loveless. Will Shelvon be able to carry their child to term with this new spell in affect? She doesn't particularly like her husband and doesn't truly want to bear his children. But at the same time, the threat of Delnamal divorcing her, and thus shunning her from society, creates the need to produce an heir. 

Alys has an 18 year-old daughter, Jinnell, which is a marriageable age. Due to her royal blood, she can help secure an alliance, but how can she be sure she will want to have children with any of her potential matches?

In another kingdom, there is Ellin, a twenty year-old who finds herself on the throne after a tragic event kills her grandfather, the king, and all her family in line ahead of her. In the past, her kingdom has allowed queens to rule for a brief period of time, but when the queen marries, she succumbs the throne to her husband. Ellin isn't too sure she wants to do that. How can she negotiate with her royal council to convince them to let her rule? And what of her marriage? Will she be able to have any say?

Lastly, we have the nuns, or abigails, at the abbey that conducted the spell. Needless to say, the kingdom where this abbey is located is very displeased with what the abbey has caused. The abbey is a place where divorced wives and disowned daughters are sent to live out the rest of their days. Since they are unwanted women of society, no one minds if they practice magic or sell sexual favors. Thus, the younger abigails typically sell their bodies while the older and magically-gifted create potions used for healing, beauty, and other desirable charms. Now that this spell has been cast, the abbey is turned to for an explanation. They have the best knowledge of women's magic. What will they find out about women's powers?

As you can see, all of the people followed in this novel have very interesting yet all different agendas. The politics across all the characters is what drives this novel. There is not a lot of action; it is much more about what is motivating the characters and what they are trying to achieve. Many women are learning to adjust to their newfound power and what they are able to do with it. As such, it took me some time to read as it's not a page turner, but I still very much wanted to learn how these characters lives where going to pan out. I think in the sequel, we will see more action and more of the war promised in the title.

I highly recommend if you like court politics and stories with women learning to navigate in a male-dominated world.

4.5☆

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All of my opinions are my own, and are in no way affected by the exchange.

Wow. This was incredible. Like honestly, completely in-fucking-credible.

TW: rape, assault, blood, gory death, self harm, infertility, miscarriage, spousal abuse, death of family member. I think I that's it?? Its VERY female assault heavy so maybe steer clear if that is a trigger.

This is a book about women taking autonomy back from the men in their lives and their patriarchal society. Its about women learning to trust themselves and reject the unfairness of their lives. It's about family, friendship, love, magic and being fed up.

I loved every single female character in this story which is wild. I loved the scope of the novel and all of the difficult choices each of the women had to face. I dont want to get too in depth lest I spoil something but my God, read this.

The ending left off on a crazy cliffhanger and I NEED the second book immediately.

The Women’s War by Jenna Glass is the first book in the epic fantasy Women’s War series. This is another book in which women have been treated as if they are property instead of equals along the lines of things like The Handmaid’s Tale or Vox.

In here though we start off meeting Alys who is the daughter of a King but her mother was exiled years before when the King decided he was finished with her so Alys has been disinherited. While visiting her mother in the awful place she had been living since her divorce Alys’ mother hints to something big coming for women and later that night she does cast a spell that releases the women of the land.

From that point of the spell taking place the book begins to switch the point of view between differing areas of the two kingdoms involved. Alys finds herself looking for answers to help her daughter, Ellis finds herself in line for the throne of her kingdom without a husband and then there’s the place in which Aly’s mother had been with those woman finding are not what they would seem.

I’m not sure I would even need to say to those that know me well that over five hundred pages of book I did find some places that really seemed to slow down and be in danger of losing my attention. I did like the idea overall of the world the author tried to create here and to be rather vague this was due to following the different classes and getting a point of view from all angles. Some of the content could be a brutal and might bother some but it wasn’t as bad as one could expect either, if that makes sense? So while I wasn’t completely wowed at the end I did enjoy this one and would give it 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thank you for the early copy.

I wished for this based on the cover. It was well done Fantasy and I will be checking more Jenna Glass.

In a world where women are so little valued that a queen can be sold into sexual slavery, a powerful spell prepared by generations of abused women suddenly and irrevocably puts a woman's fertility in her own hands. Royal lineages, trade agreements, the whole social order is utterly upended when women can decide not to bear children. Told through alternating viewpoints of royal women suddenly holding more power and facing greater danger than they ever thought possible. Handles the inescapable high fantasy infodumping and gargantuan cast pretty well. Quite heavy on scheming, politicking, brutality, and rape.

In Jenna Glass's amazing new book, it is considered unladylike for women to use magic, unless it is for healing or vanity spells. That all changes when three generations of women make a sacrifice that will change the world forever, shifting the power balance between men and women.

For fans of Game of Thrones and The Handmaid's Tale.

Settle down for a long read that is well worth it. It is a slow build as the author gives each character full attention. Believable characters, an easy to comprehend magic system, and a pending rebellion powered by women of all ages makes for a fascinating read.

This book is one that some will love, like or hate. The various pieces that make up this story are so wonderfully written and beautiful that I could not say I disliked this book. I will caution others that find feminism to be a put off. Overall, this book was a wonderful mix of fantasy and feminism that is spawn from a master wordsmith.

I really wanted to love this book. I did. I wish it didn't have a reference to the #metoo movement in its blurb, as the whole book is quite insulting to the movement. There was not only a distinct lack of queer characters in this book, but there was an almost apologetic tone to the rape and suffering the abigails suffered on a daily basis and having a couple of woke dudes didn't redeem it. I'm rounding up from a 2.5 to a 3 because I'm feeling generous, but I really struggled with this book.

I'm just glad I'm done, all the hand-wringing and clutching of pearls was exhausting and went on far too long.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Empowering medieval fantasy novel about women gaining control of their bodies and their destinies. Loved it!