The Women's War

A Novel

By: Jenna Glass

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Length: 20 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

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, New York Times best-selling author)

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)

©2019 Jenna Glass (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“The Women’s War is more than a story. It is a roar. And it’s magnificent! The wonderful fierceness of its women will steal your breath and your heart.” (Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Deepest Blue)

“Gloriously paced, plotted, and constructed with such elegance that it ceases to feel like a story and begins to feel like the truth.” (Seanan McGuire, author of Discount Armageddon)

“A thrilling and heartwrenching tale that explores the issue of body autonomy, with a middle-aged mom as the heroine . . . I couldn’t put it down.” (Kevin Hearne, author of A Plague of Giants) 

Feminism without Inclusion is not Feminism

This book has a great concept but falls short in its execution.
The main characters are all white noble women, struggling to fight male oppression but with no WOC, queer women, or poor women in sight.
The magical elements are intriguing but there's so much unnecessary violence towards women.
That all being said, I'm used to magical fantasies being all white, so I'll probably finish the series.

Better than I expected

Overall, this book was a better story than I expected, based on the synopsis, and there were definitely some twists I had not anticipated. My biggest complaint was the fat phobia- you could literally predict how evil/ruthless a character would be by how fat they were. King described as chubby and robust is ruthless, King who wears stays to control his corpulence and is the brunt of weight based insults is evil, Prince initially described as evil turns out to be slim and hawkish...and an ok guy after all. Seriously, Jenna Glass, this isn’t a prejudice you should be promoting in an book specifically promoted as feminist and upsetting biases.

A prequel if I ever read one...

I picked this out of the Audible line up after reading the NYT review. Maybe it's the reviewer's fault, but I truly thought this was to be a stand-alone opus, not the birth of a new RR Martin saga. Everything was teed up in 20 hours for another 200 hrs of follow-up stories with spin off generations and friends of friend. Sigh. Sometimes I get tired of captipal "S" Sagas. Dude...just tell me a story.

Tear out my ears with a spoon.

Narration was just fine.
The writing was just fine.
But the scenes that drive the story forward? Listening to the waffling inner thoughts of each character on the endless merry go round of indecision x 1,000 made me want to reach for a spoon to see if I could scrape out my eardrums.

Engaging, but frustrating.

Across a large cast of sympathetic women, all seem to come from wealthy backgrounds, most/all are white (it's ambiguous), and even including all the barely mentioned characters, I don't think there was a single queer person. Not all feminist fiction necessarily needs to reflect modern feminism, but in a novel where the feminism is so overt, the fact these groups were no where to be seen feels pretty glaring.

Disappointing

This could have been so much better but the path the author chose was not a good one. The spells were boring. The nemesis was fairytale like in his evil except for his foul mouth. And the leads were useless and helpless. I could barely finish it. It was disappointing.

great read,

this book was an amazing blend of politics and character growth. i llved it. narrator was very good at giving each character a fitting voice.

Slow to Start, but Finishes Powerfully

Holy crap, this book! It starts off slowly, but throughout the book it rises into a rushing crescendo. you find yourself rooting for the protagonists at every turn and hating the world that's been built around them. A remarkable book and I can't wait for more!

I’ll never read this author again

Terrible ending. Kills off her best character. No subtlety in villains. Depressing. Needlessly drags repeating the mantra of fretful worries of characters without advancing the plot. Memorable in a bad way.

Great hook and concept, ending falls short.

great hook! however, after first few chapters it slumps. it takes a long time to get where it's going and the plot lines are fairly predictable. I liked the characters and found them believable but felt quite cheated by the ending. The ending tied nothing up and didnt leave me wanting more because I was didnt like the place the author chose to end. Would I read book two.....yes but I'm not anxiously awaiting it.