Marilia, the Warlord

We open with a bang. Marilia is a grown woman with a dead husband, and she is about to face death by a charging army.

Then from the prologue we cut to chapter one, and Marilia is a child, pampered and observant and too clever for her own good. We watch as she tackles loss, as she runs with her brother from everything she’s ever known, as she adjusts to life in a foreign land, then learns to find her place in a society that doesn’t fit. (And I do appreciate the use of a game as both a plot piece and a metaphor. It was a clever and fun way to get Marilia to find herself)

I love stories like this. Stories about girls who are clever but awkward in appearance; girls who are too bold for the men around them; girls who are too daring for their oppressive society. And I loved Marilia: her temper, her resolve, her wit, and her quiet strength.

The writing was melodic and flowing, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. The culture and characters were introduced quickly and intelligently. There was never a point where it felt as is if the author was overexplaining or talking down, things (places, languages, etc) just existed, and we as readers were existing in the story with them.

The sapphic aspect of this novel was a complete surprise. Marilia’s attraction to women was simple, true, and beautifully woven throughout the narrative in a way that felt honest, rather than performative.

Her relationship with her brother was interesting, definitely. I didn’t grow as fond of him as I did Marilia, but I did like their almost antagonistic bond... he is handed acclaim that she would have earned tenfold, if she were a man. Her bitterness and jealousy is understandable. Seeing her face down this issue and rise above it was super damn satisfying.

Now I’ve never read a book published on Amazon Kindle, so this is a first. A very positive first. I enjoyed this so much that I read it in the span of a few hours, never mind the headache raging in my temples! A million recommendations. My eyes will definitely be peeled for the sequel novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the author for the arc!

I loved the battle scenes in this book!! That's when the narrative really picked up for me -- the pace changed, and I got caught up in Marilia's emotions and experience. The entire second half was rich with complex relationships coming to a head, surprises, and fantastic storytelling. Though I didn't get as much out of the first part of the book, I appreciated how it allowed Cole to plant the seeds for details and throwbacks in the second half in a really nice way

I do love a strong female protagonist in my fantasy novels and this novel definitely delivered on that front! Although fantasy novels are one of my preferred genres, I do have a bit of a complicated relationship with fantasy novels (which will have to be the subject of another post!). So, whilst I was drawn in by the description of this novel, I was also a little apprehensive. However, I quickly realised my worries were unfounded. 

Marilia, The Warlord centres around the life of Marilia who is raised with her brother Annuweth in a ‘pillow house’, which is where they think they will spend the rest of their lives... Until their world is turned upside down. Now, in a foreign place with their newfound family, the siblings have to find their new places in this world. However, Marilia soon discovers that the place she sees for herself is not the same as what everyone else thinks is best for her. 

Straight away I just loved Marilia. She was a brilliant protagonist and it was great seeing her grow up throughout the novel. The fact that she has a brother too allows you to see how they both develop and how unique their personalities are, which was a really nice touch with the book. I found myself getting angry on Marilia’s behalf when she was told that she couldn’t do certain things because she is a girl, regardless of whether she was better at something than her brother. However, despite Marilia being excellent with strategy and very sharp I enjoyed that you also saw her struggle with things. You’re reminded that she isn’t perfect and she is still young. In addition to Marilia, I think the rest of the characters were also well developed. I particularly liked Ben Espeleos and his family. Although, sometimes a character will disappear or not mentioned for a while which made them sometimes feel like an afterthought. However, this is the first in a trilogy so it is likely that they will come back in the other installments. 

For the most part I think the pacing was really well done in the novel and you see the characters in each new setting long enough for them to really make an impression on you. I also liked how the novel didn’t just stick to one or two places as it gave a better idea of how big this world is, especially as this is the first novel set here. By having the novel in three parts the story felt very focused, not only did you have a clear idea on what was going on but you were shown the key parts of their lives that shaped Marilia and Annuweth. I thought the battle sequences were also well written and easy to follow, which is something I sometimes struggle the most with when it comes to fantasy novels! 

As you can see, I really enjoyed this novel! Whilst this novel does work well as a stand-alone, I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series as I really want to spend some more time with these characters! This book is currently free on kindle, so you have no excuse not to give this novel a read!

I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the world-building that was heavily present in this read. I felt like I could picture the events unfolding and could really see the scenery. I think Morgan Cole did a great job with this being her first book.
I really enjoyed how the book focused on a female who wanted to be a warrior and fight against gender norms. I valued having Marilia figure out her place in the world and to finally be able to follow her dreams and not care that she was a woman. I also enjoyed how sexuality was discussed in this book because it recognized sex and did not shy away from acknowledging it. There were hints on women and women romances, but the most that happened with that was kisses. Maybe there will be more of a continuation of any of these romances in the next book.
The siblings bond was entertaining and I liked how realistic it felt. The siblings were attached at the hip while they were impoverished, but then grew apart when they were given better circumstances. Having a brother and sister also helped the author to showcase the gender norms of the cultures in the book, which helped the author then deconstruct and break the mold. I did feel like the relationship was strange toward the end of the book, the siblings had a couple of fights and with a snap of a finger, they stopped holding their grudges which were weird. I feel like the grudges would have been held longer and it was strange how defensive Marilia was of her brother at the end where she made sure that he had a share of her glory. Like Marilia wanted to make herself independent from her brother and show how much better she is, but then she changes her mind and wants them to be equals. Maybe this was a way to set up the sequel, so we could see more of their relationship.
This book a 4 out of 5 stars because of the choices that characters made that went against the characteristics the author emphasized. I feel like the author wrote these characters with strong morals and then all of a sudden they go against that without a second thought. I also felt like the world-building overtook the character development because I could picture all of the backgrounds and scenery but I found it difficult to picture characters. I do think that this book would make a great movie and I wonder if it would ever be picked up for adaptation.

Great start to a trilogy! I love books with mythology and fantasy so this was my dream book! Absolutely loved the badass characters and incredible world!

Okay, this is a tough one for me to review because I felt like there are a lot of pros and cons to the story here. The majority of my struggles with fully loving this are centered around all the world and character build up in the first half of the book and a general annoyance with almost every character at some point during the story.

What is Marilia, the Warlord about:

Marilia and her twin bother, Annuweth, are living with their mother at a brothel in the country of Tyrace. This is the start of a story which takes place over several years (and countries) and is told from the perspective of the very clever, Marilia. From the twins time in Tyrace, to their journey with their adopted father to Svartennos, to marriage and war in Navessea, and beyond. Marilia becomes the cunning and clever warlord her country needs.

What I liked:

In a general sense, I did like a lot of the main characters. Yes, their communication styles with one another and general personal drama was both extremely frustrating and annoying at times, but I can chop some of that up to their young ages, all the difficult situations they find themselves in, and the general historical/cultural limitations placed on them. These flaws did make the characters feel a little more real in the long run. We also got to know Marilia and Annuweth pretty well in this story considering the in-depth time the author spent building up their past. I have some cons with the twin's development, as well, but I can't say that the build up didn't give me a pretty solid idea of why they are the way they are.

Beyond the characters, I got super into the story around the halfway point. The story from there became much more interesting to me and more on par with my expectations of what the book would be. It was faster and just had more actual things happening which was a nice change of pace. It was just really fun to me from that point on.

What I didn't like so much:

To be honest, the first half was just so freaking slow and repetitive. I understand the need to build the characters up and give readers an understanding of both Marilia and Annuweth. I didn't completely hate all of that build up or think that it shouldn't have been there, but it could have been done a little better. A good chunk of the first 45% could have been condensed and still given a great idea of who the twins are.

Summary of my feelings:

Overall, I thought the book was really solid. I enjoyed the ultimate direction the story went and the world Morgan Cole has built. The characters are flawed, realistic, and well-developed. The first half of the book was definitely slow going, but there was a lot of character and world building smooshed in there. I'm excited to see what the sequel, Empire of Jackals, has in store!

I like the book "Marilia The Warlord" written by morgan cole. It's tell about a girl who named marilia, a bastard daughter of a painted lady. She has one brother, Annuweth. They lived in the oba'als pillow house to serve drinks to the buyers. After the death of her mother, marilia and Annuweth leave from the pillow house. Karthtag-kal a navessean horselord he also popular the name of 'Perfect' there, he take care of them. So on......
Karthtag-kal one of the character I like the most. I felt very excited when read this book.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I felt like this was a great start to a series.

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is a clever descriptive imaginative book, atmospheric engaging well written, and I as I often find of this genre character driven. To some extent it is a coming of age tale, as Marilia and her twin come to terms with vast changes in their young lives. Entertaining from the start the story builds with some terrific action scenes, particularly the duel which had me totally gripped to the point where I could not read it quick enough, and so tense I almost forgot to breathe.
Just one slight complaint not solely about this book but about this genre in general, there are always so many characters and often they are oddly named, a challenge of memory for a sixth two year old reader, but then I suspect I am not exactly the target audience.
Completely recommended.

Marilia, the Warlord is an amazing novel with a complex heroine who isn't prone to being the nicest person or the most humble. Readers of fantasy who are used to the chosen one trope with a likeable character who is nearly infallible might be turned off by Marilia. She's smart and has a keen strategic mind but harbors feelings of jealousy toward her twin brother and may often act rashly; she is flawed and more human than touched by the gods. Of course, passing over Marilia the Warlord for these reasons would then be a rash decision on the reader's part because this would mean missing out on a well-written novel about the rise of a woman who changed the fate society kept pushing onto her. Morgan Cole created a world that is richly detailed with complex characters. I couldn't stop turning the pages once I started.

What a fantastic start to a new series! I loved our main character- she was awkward, spunky and I was rooting for her throughout! The story took a great direction, with thee writing flowing and so lyrical! Loved it.

I had fun reading this book. I love a book with strong female characters who break out from convention and do amazing things.
A very entertaining book.