Queen of the Unwanted is the second book in the epic fantasy Women's War. Events pick up closely after the end of The Women's War, but with several new characters and POV's from across the world. As with any good epic fantasy, the plot is complex with political intrigue and war time strategies.

What I enjoyed about this book was the progression of the plot from the first novel and the character development of some of my favorite characters. The plot line in this series is so complex and different from anything I've read. The progression of the magic system is also very unique and gives the world a lot of potential for new and life changing spells. The magic system is not hard to understand yet is very powerful and the main magical event from book one is still in effect in this book.

As a second book goes, this was on the medium level of having second book syndrome. Some parts dragged and didn't seem entirely relevant to the book, but there was also a good amount of political maneuvering and scheming across all the countries and main characters. So, it has a touch of second book syndrome but without being among the worst offenders.

One thing I had to ding Queen of the Unwanted on was the way some of the character's arcs have progressed. I do not agree with several of the character's decisions and it feels like the wrong choice for them. I can only hope that some of the bad decisions and questionable behavior is continued to be addressed in future books and swings back around to the more positive end of life.

Women have cast off the yoke of the oppressor after the Women's War, a fight waged against the men who treated them as little better than the house cat. Only the house cat had it better, because if the house cat displeased the man of the house, it wasn't sent off to become a sex slave. Faced with the liberation of their newfound freedom, but also the accompanying societal and political turmoil, the women who fought the war must now figure out how to make the new world work for them, which won't be easy. While yes, women now have more power than they did before, magical power, many men still believe that women are lesser beings. In Women's Well, the new female stronghold of power, Queen Alys fights her own inner turmoil for the best path forward, while Queen Ellin fights the men around her for respect and allegiance to guide her people. Worse still, there is a woman working to undo the outcome of the Women's War, to break the strength and abilities of this new world's women, and return them to subjugation. Will women keep their liberty and retain governance of their fate, or will they tear each other asunder, leaving men to step on their neck once more?⁣⁣⁣
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Queen of the Unwanted is a captivating novel that kept me turning the pages as these powerful women grappled with their enemies and their own inner voices. I felt that it was fairly realistic to see that you can't just win a war, snap your fingers, and suddenly the old enmities, customs, and power dynamics shift. It turns out that creating lasting change within society takes hard work, struggle, and some luck. Even then, if you're not careful, those who appreciated the old ways might scheme to tear apart everything that was fought for. If you're looking for the answer to the question of, "What happens when women decimate the patriarchy with ferocity?" then take a stroll with the Queen of the Unwanted.

Title: Queen of the Unwanted
Author: Jenna Glass
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5

In this world, women have no rights. If their husband or father decide they’ve disgraced their family—for anything from not having a child quickly enough to a sideways look—they are sent away, usually to one of the Abbeys, where they are forced to pleasure any man who desires. They have no rights. They have no futures. They have no magic. At least, they didn’t…

Alys is queen of Women’s Well, a new colony where women have equal rights after the Women’s War. But Alys can’t bring herself to care about anything besides the loss of her daughter—and her own desire for vengeance. Her mother gave her life for the spell that gave women magic, but Alys finds it hard to see past her personal tragedy.

Faced with opposition from men who still believe women have no rights, Ellin struggles to rule her land—and to change the status quo for men unused to women with power.

An abbess thinks she can reverse the spell that changed the world—but all she really wants is to keep the power she has gained through cunning and treachery.

Unless these women can find a way to work together, they will lose everything they have gained.

I haven’t read The Women’s War—yet—but I still had no trouble following what was going on in Queen of the Unwanted. (I would recommend reading the first book, though, as I’m sure this novel would be much richer with that introduction.) Excellent writing and worldbuilding, and a great mix of characters: some I liked, some I disliked, some I actively hated. I recommend reading this—and I can’t wait to go back and read the first novel.
Jenna Glass has been writing books since the fifth grade. Queen of the Unwanted is her newest novel, the second book in The Women’s War series.

(Galley courtesy of Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.)

You know that feeling of, when you come into a conversation in the middle, you kind of know what the others are talking about, but not really? That's how I felt while reading this entire book. It makes sense, though, because I did not read the first book. It's my own fault, really, as I wished for it on Netgalley and was approved for it months ago and probably assumed I'd read the first book before the second one published. Oops. That never happened. Still, I did manage to enjoy this book, it just feels harder to review.

The Characters: Men vs. Women or Women vs. Men

Considered a feminist fantasy, this trilogy pits women against men. Or is that men against women? Anyways, it's centered around the kings, queens, and sovereign princes and princesses who rule the various kingdoms that make up the Seven Wells, though there are a number of non-royal characters, like a scheming abbess and a charming young lady who happens to be able to only see magical elements.

I think there are some characters who were meant to be hated and others the reader is supposed to sympathize with. At least, that's how it felt to me. So many characters were distasteful, especially in their treatment of each other whether or not the other person was male or female, while others seemed to be counterpoints with how sweet and morally good they appeared to be.

The one thing I found interesting was that men had clearly been the dominant sex, but that didn't keep them from being manipulated and used too differently than a woman usually was. As a female reader, I felt myself identifying more with the female characters, but it didn't stop me from disliking those who were just as cruel as the men. And the men! Most of that lot seemed downright loathsome. In a society where women are subservient to men and considered property, I found it strange that more people didn't run away to the newly created Women's Well kingdom where women were viewed more as equals.

I'd like to name particular characters, but none of them and all of them feel highlighted in my mind. None of them were paragons of virtue and some of the women were just as bad as the men. There were plenty of awful characters. Still, they were painted as being human with their own morals and beliefs, and watching all of that be stirred together created a fascinating story.

The Setting: Absolutely Fascinating

I have to admit I'm not too clear on this world because, as I mentioned, I haven't read the first book. I did gather that this is a world where there are seven wells (hence the name Seven Wells for the entire region) that spew out magical elements that are male, female, or neutral and each kingdom is based around one of these wells. The newest, eighth well is Women's Well, which is ruled by Sovereign Princess Alysoon, who also happens to be the half-sister of the King of neighboring Aaltah, who definitely doesn't want his sister on any kind of throne.

Most of the kingdoms are ruled by men, of course, except for Women's Well and nearby Rhozinolm, where a young queen reigns because, I suppose it happened in the first book, every other heir before her perished. Much of this world came into focus for me through the various trade agreements these kingdoms had with each other. Considering there are two women in power, the court politics and the economics of this world painted a world that's, overall, quite bleak for women as unwanted women are thrown into an abbey where they are little more than prostitutes, and women are only considered useful if they can marry well and bear and heir. Anyways, the negotiations the male and female rulers found themselves in helped to really highlight this battle of the sexes. The women were demeaned and the men felt like they had all the power, but the women still had some power over other things.

Overall, I found this world to be intriguing, not so much in terms of landscape, but just in how the society had been built and how it was actively evolving, albeit slowly. The magic was also fascinating. Magical elements are spewed from the wells and people can see a different number of them. There are feminine, masculine, and neutral elements that seem to fall along the gender lines, so men can't really see feminine elements. They are used to activate spells and I think they're also used to create potions and spells, but I'm not too sure. However, it sounds fascinating and quite different from most other fantasy I've read. I like how the magic is just floating around in the air, waiting to be used, instead of needing to be drawn from the individual.

The Plot: The Story of an Abbess

This book is a continuation from the first book. I have no idea what happened in the first book, but, from what I gathered, it didn't seem to be any less manipulative than this second book, but perhaps it was a bit more deadly. After all, several people that were mentioned were no longer living, so I am surmising they perished in the first book.

This second book felt more like Mairahsol's story than anyone else's. A Sister in an Abbey of the Unwanted, she's power hungry and vengeful, but her character showed a surprising amount of growth that really helped drive this book forward. It was about her rise and fall and how her actions will lead to whatever happens in the third book.

This book also followed several other characters, notably the many rulers of the Seven Wells and those close to them. There was a great deal of court intrigue and politics. Some of it was hard to keep up with because I missed out on the first book, but a lot of it was easy to figure out. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling of walking into a conversation halfway through. I spent most of this book confused, but still enjoying the characters, world, and story. It was a strange feeling.

As hard as it sometimes felt to follow the story, it did move along. Sometimes it felt unrelenting because I was trying so hard to figure out what was going on, but, once I decided to just stop and enjoy the story, it was a lot of fun to read. I became torn between whether I liked or disliked the characters and found myself screaming in my head for one thing or another to happen. There were times when I thought something would happen, only for it to not, which was always a pleasant surprise because sometimes what I thought would happened turned out to be quite sexist!

Overall: Enjoyable, but Read the First Book First

Overall, this was an enjoyable read despite the lingering confusion. I found myself enjoying and hating the various characters and enjoyed being swept up in the court politics. There were so many underhanded things going on and so many machinations. It was so hard sometimes to figure out who to trust, but the characters seemed to have been crafted from certain molds that held true, so it was mostly easy to figure out whether they were trustworthy or not. I loved that they each had their own motives and that they felt like real people. While the characters were fun, this felt more like a plot-driven book, but the characters and world worked so well with it that I didn't even notice most of the time. All three elements worked in perfect harmony, making this a pleasure to read even though I didn't understand pieces of it.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for a free e-ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
Link to post: https://thelilycafe.com/book-review-queen-of-the-unwanted-by-jenna-glass/

I loved Jenna Glass' first book The Women's War and was excited to read the second book in the series, Queen of the Unwanted. Hoping for a book 3. Love it!

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Based on how the first book ended, with Alysoon declaring herself Sovereign Princess of the Women's Well and heir to the throne of Aalwell (and that death), I assumed that the second book would continue that. Since the events of the first book kept building and building until the end, I thought it would crash over and start Queen of the Unwanted off with a bang and continue like that for the rest of the book. I was wrong.

Truthfully, Queen of the Unwanted is not a bad book, I quite enjoyed it. It is, however, almost completely filler without any real plot. For the most part, excluding the end of the book for one character, they all start and end the book in the same place (physical and mental) that they were at in The Women's War. Ellin struggles with her council and tries to find a husband and a trade deal with Nandel THE ENTIRE BOOK. At least in The Women's War Ellin had other things to worry about and to fight with her council about. In this one, her sole focus is the trade agreement with Nandel. That's it. Alys remains Princess of the Women's Well (and really does nothing outside of that. For the major character in book one, she fades to the background in book two). Shelvon, perhaps the third main character from book one, is almost entirely missing from book two, aside from taking fighting lessons (which really could be cut).

Luckily, we meet some new characters in a new place. In Abbey of Khalpar, a scheming woman named Mairahsol becomes the new Abbess after agreeing to find a cure for the "Curse." She causes some major problems, and while I didn't like her character, I loved what she did for the plot. She was really the only moving character in this book.

There is also a charming new character named Kailee. Though I can't say much about her that isn't a spoiler, she really is one of the best parts of this book.

As for some nasty characters from book one, I can confirm that they get what was coming for them, though in a way you will never expect.

4.25 stars. I love Jenna Glass's writing. She can write 500 pages of filler and apparently I will read every word of it.. But more plot next time. The book ends in an exciting place, which will hopefully force some characters out of their comfort zone in book two. One can only hope.

The year since three abused women wrought the Blessing (or Curse, depending on your theology) with their sacrifice has brought great changes to the lands of Seven Wells. Their spell to give women reproductive freedom had a number of unexpected side effects: two kingdoms are ruled by women, rapists live in mortal terror, and every trade agreement lies in shambles. While Princess Alys and Queen Ellin juggle personal troubles and political instability, Sister Mairah sees an opportunity to rise above her station and has no problem dooming every other woman to do so. Juggles a million characters pretty well. Definitely less traumatic than book one.

I loved Jenna Glass's first book in this series and was really looking forward to this one. I did struggle a bit more to get into the book despite that...it was a little bit of a slog through the politics., That said, I love the characters and could rally behind their struggle to own their bodies and not be beholden to men.. I was left wondering if there was another book coming or not...which I hope is the case!

Another feminist fantasy novel? Yes, please!
There were many interesting plot twists in the book that I just did not see coming. The characters are amazing, even though some really angered me at some points but I understood it all at the same time.
I can't wait to read more by Jenna Glass

It was nice but it was weird how there was no diversity in appearance in appearance or sexuality. No bisexuals or lesbians in 2020?

Okay, first of all, I really hope that there’s going to be a third book because I still have questions and a certain someone still needs to get what he deserves. I really enjoyed this one and have to say that I actually loved some of the new characters.

The ending was a little on the confusing side, but to be honest I think that’s sort of the angle the author was aiming for. Or at least I hope she was.

Some of the points I especially thought were well done was the depiction of Alys’ grief, the entire character of Kailee, and Zarsha - seriously, every time he was in a scene I think I fell in love with him a little more.

But by far the best character arc in the whole book was Mairahsol’s. It’s not often that I read a character that I spend the vast majority of the book absolutely loathing, but yet can’t wait to read more of her.

The book has a bit of a slow start and honestly I had a hard time getting into it at first. Thankfully, I held in there because the ending was extremely satisfying.

This is the second book in this series. I picked up the first because the concept intrigued me. I was unable to finish the book. Even as a fantasy book it should be realistic. I requested the second because the reviews from other readers were positive. However, after two and a half chapters I remember why I lost interest in it.

The characters are intolerably unrealistic. There are characters so one-dimensional they only feel on emotion at a time. The men are ridiculously pompous. And the antagonists are insufferable. They want so badly to change "the curse" that gave women the power to control their fertility, but never question why a woman would want to cast such a powerful spell to do so. I get the treatment of women in this novel is the basis of the plot, but in the real world someone would be logical enough to think "What was the problem that led to this?"

On a positive note, the world building and magic system is incredible. I love learning about the magical elements, what they are used for, and how they are used to make spells. The politics, resources, and subtle hints about how this world works for mankind made this book realistic. I just wish the people acted real as well.

First off, I want to thank Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review this book before it is released. Queen of the Unwanted is the sequel to The Women's War, and will not released until May 12th 2020. My review will be on the NetGalley website, Goodreads, Pinterest, and here.

This book follows the main characters from the first book through out their journey and their adaption to the world with new magical elements. I am of the opinion that the female characters are becoming much stronger in their roles. Which is kind of the point with "feminist" type storylines.

I will admit that these types of books are not my favorite, but I enjoyed this book more than the first. I like a strong female character that has a bit of growing and overcomes a lot of different things in her life. As a mother, I have a hard time with tragedy that involves the loss of children. It does add an extra layer to the character and when they realize that they have strength, because of what they have been through, that moment is a good moment. It makes reading the painful moments worth it.

I like that this author has the ability to make me the feel the emotions of her characters. Her writing style is fantastic. I am used to a bit more world building, and I like to stroll through the world inside the book. But that being said, you hardly notice because there is so much going on in the different kingdoms.

Each kingdom and character seems to have a plot. They each have their own things happening outside the main plot. I will also say that the bouncing around between the characters and kingdoms was tiresome at certain points. I will have just settled into a character and whats currently happening and then it switches to someone else, sometimes right in the middle of the chapter, sometimes starting a new chapter.

Spoiler Alert

Delnamal is by far my most unliked character. Every book has one or two, and he is it for me. Jenna Glass did a great job with his character. He is a murdering pig, a coward. The things he does in the name of his kingdom, and he doesn't even really like his kingdom or himself it seems. He is a great villain. The hatred that he feels for his half-sister and half-brother is so tangible.

Alysoon is the main character that strikes out on her own. She lost her daughter at the hands of her half-brother Delnamal, her son went to the citadel, she lost her husband and her father. She went from being someones, to being her own. She went from being property to being her own person. I believe that her character has grown the most and has great deal more growing to do.

I really enjoyed the fast pace of the book, especially with the amount if detail and information that is thrown at the reader. I can see where some will think its too much information but I feel like the author did a good job by making the book fast paced. If everything went by a slow pace then it would too much. So, in a way, by bouncing around so much between the characters, its making the amount of information seem smaller.

Ellin is queen, because her family is dead. She inherited her kingdom and has a council full of men who don't think she is fit to rule. But I see a strong willed woman who learns fast. She will make mistakes and then she will learn from them. She strikes me as the type that will admit when she is wrong and will learn from her mistakes. She makes hard choices, to the benefit of her kingdom, knowing full well that other people might not agree or my get emotionally upset. But her first duty is her kingdom and her people. I can see the conflict within her though. She wants things on an emotional level, but knows she can not have them in that capacity. I enjoy her character.

So about half way through the book I felt it really got interesting. I couldn't put it down. I liked that it was even more fast paced. There were things that happened that I didn't see coming. I was pleasantly surprised. It was good through out the whole book, but REALLY good about half way through.

I was a little disappointed with how Delnamal's character ended, but then it didn't. There's a little twist there and I am not sure where his character is headed. I think I see where its headed, but I am not going to speculate here. Readers should draw their own conclusions. I never base my reading a book off the reviews I read.

Please give these book a chance. I highly recommend reading the first book first obviously. Its called The Women's War, as I mentioned above. That way you know whats going on and what leads up to this second book.

If you like fast paced books, or books with lots of information and a healthy plot. Then these books are for you. But I can not express enough how much I liked these books, nor how pleased I am that I read them.

I want to thank Random House Publishers again, through NetGalley, for granting me permission to review this book.

If you want to know more about the author, Jenna Glass, please click here.

Thank you for reading and please read these books.



https://booksreadingauthors.wordpress.com/2020/02/19/queen-of-the-unwanted-by-jenna-glass/

I really love this series! The idea of a class of women magically forcing liberation and the shockwaves, literal, political, and social, that it caused in the world is fantastic. The magic system is really interesting. I love the continued development of the characters as well as the introduction/redemption of some of the old characters. She excels as making sympathetic anti-heroes. The political maneuverings are fresh and interesting. As the second book in the series, I think it went a little slower. There was a lot of set-up happening for the rest (the conclusion?) of the series. I'm really glad I got to read it early and I'm definitely keeping an eye out for the next one!

I was so happy to get an ARC of this series! The first installment was amazing. Then, the sequel...omg....LOVED IT! The prose....dialogue....the world....all of it was amazing!

I really enjoyed reading this book! The plot twist left me baffled, I was so shocked and excited and I could not put this book down! It was thrilling and full of excitement and towards the middle to the end very fast paced. I read it in one sitting. The characters were interesting and I loved the empowerment of the female characters. The world building was intriguing and the setting kept me interested. It’s definitely worth the read and does not disappoint. I give this book 4 stars.

Jenna Glass's second Women's War novel is just as amazing as the first. Set in a Game of Thrones-esq fantasy world where women are used as breeding and securing contracts, everything upends when a new source of magic is forced through a terrible betrayal - thus Women's Well and book two are born. The principality of Women's Well is trying to secure their roots, safety, and legacy through alliances with other like-minded kingdoms, including one with a Queen refusing to bow to pressure to marry and pass the crown to "her king".

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Queen of the unwanted is the amazing and thrilling sequel of The Women's war and it's a book full of intrigue, plot twists and interesting characters. I found this book very intriguing and, even though starts slow then the plot gains movement and I really liked it. It shows what happened after the ending of The Women's war and how the characters act and move in this new reality. I liked how the idea of this new world was written and how the author talked about the female power and their strength.
I liked a lot the first book, because it was so feminist and this sequel didn't disappoint.

I actually think this book was better than the first book in many ways, but it also made the first book's flaws even more strikingly obvious. Every single person in this book is heterosexual. Every single person is cisgender. The only fat person is disgustingly evil, and is shamed almost as much for being fat as for being evil. There are still no confirmed characters of color, but the extremely pale characters are sort of discriminated against? I don't think this book is trying to pull a reverse-racism plot but it's... getting awkwardly close to doing that.

There was one single attempt at intersectional feminism in the form of a blind character who does not wish for or take a magical cure. It surprised me that Jenna Glass resisted the temptation to do what every single fantasy book seems to need to do to disabled characters, but so far she has resisted it. Good for her in that one specific area, and in no other area.

I don't know what else to say about the complete lack of diversity in this book. It's just appalling. How can you set out to write a feminist fantasy series in 2020 without ever remembering or considering or hinting at the fact that being marginalized in ways besides being cis female affects your experience and needs and activism? Does Jenna Glass know that gay people exist? This is an honest question that I am concerned about.

Every way in which this book did political intrigue and plot twists well are overshadowed by how painfully underdeveloped the world is. It lacks even the most basic nod to the idea that cis, straight, white women are not the only women, much less that more marginalized women have even harder circumstances.