I could tell that this book was setting up for something that might be interesting in the long run, but I just was not able to become emotionally invested in the characters and ended up DNFing this one. Part of this might be due to my tendency to gravitate towards character-driven novels, so I'm not writing this one off entirely.

Unfortunately I am DNFing this novel at 15%. The premise of the book has GREAT potential, but the execution, receptiveness and just lack of passions from any characters leave it flat.

This book took me a while to get through. It's over 500 pages and while I really enjoyed it, it was rather slow pace. Now, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't attempt this book because you really should. It just sets this up for an epic sequel that I can't wait to get my hands on.

This was such a unique take on fantasy magic and the typical patriarchy of the Victorian/Renaissance Era. I developed such a great respect for some of the characters and enjoyed how powerful they can be (or will become!)

There were some very realistic features that make you not like some characters but also fall in love with others. This book was not a romantic fantasy. This book set very much emphasis on the political and magical takes that created this novel. Women are taking a stand and not putting up with the crap anymore and that's what I love. It's dangerous thing to do but with magic on their side they are fearless! Okay, I shouldn't say fearless because there is always something or someone you fear for but those relations make them stronger and fight harder for the right things in their life.

Women are finally having a choice in their own destiny and what makes this more epic is that it is set farther back in the past where women had ultimately no choice or say in anything. The Women's War truly can empower women. It was provocative, invigorating, inspirational, and daunting. Each character is so well developed they practically jump off the page.

I can't wait for the next book. I feel like the slow pace of this really sets it up for an epic sequel. I mean the ending of this one had me at the edge of my seat.
Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey books for allowing me this amazing adventure to review!
Until Next Time,
DauntlessReading

The only thing about this book that I did not like is that it is clearly a first book in a series. If the next book does not come out, I will be quite upset -- it's that good! It's a fascinating premise, but right now, only one full of promise. I look forward to seeing the promise fulfilled.

This book has a very strong point of view, and that point of view is not necessarily one that I disagree with. At the beginning of the book, it felt a little bit preachy. Alysoon is a character who is very sure of herself and thinks she knows best, which kind of influenced that initial feeling. However as the book went on the argument very much expanded. The additional points of view very much helped with that.

Alsyoon, the 'bastard' daughter of a king, Ellin the woman who ended up taking over as ruler once her entire family was killed, and Shevlon the wife of Alysoon's half-brother. These three women all deal with the curse that allows women to only conceive if they want to, and allows women a magic that can be use for murder, all react in very different ways. Yet every single one of them manages to grab some level of power that they had always wished for but had never been able to have.

The political machinations in this book were absolutely fascinating. These three women covered an entire continents and the relationships between them were complicated and beautiful. I enjoyed the way that various decisions did span across the world of the novel.

2.5 stars.

This book contains a richly drawn world, believable characters, a complex but neat system of magic and enough political machinations to keep you on your toes the whole way through. What it isn't is fast paced or exciting, and this took me over a month to get through.

While I really, really appreciated the concept of this book—that the world changes because women gain the power to control whether or not they become pregnant—the execution left much to be desired. This was not the angry feminist fantasy I wanted. In fact, none of the characters seem all that angry, despite living in a terribly misogynistic world. They aren't itching for change. They accept the things that happen to them and it was...frankly disheartening to see all this women just...not be angry. Like Shelvon! I'm sorry but as an historian of the Middle Ages, I can say that in no time period were women ever that docile.

My largest complaint with this book is the utter absence of gay characters. You cannot in the year 2018 write a feminist fantasy and not include queer women. An abbey full of scorned noble women?? Sorry but at least a few of them would be having sex with each other. Instead, these women all just accept the fact that they will never have enjoyable sex because like, apparently 0 of them are gay. It made no sense. Queer women have always been at the forefront of feminism and to not include them in a feminist story like this one is upsetting, unacceptable, and insulting. Seriously there are 0 gay characters, 0 mention of homosexuality existing in this society, and 0 hint that any of the women who ALL LIVE TOGETHER might have romantic feelings for one another.

I really enjoyed aspects of this, don't get me wrong. But it's such an ambitious book that fails in many ways, and I can't overlook the ways it fails when it has to do with the very aims the book sets out for itself. Your feminist fantasy should be queer. It should have queer characters. It should have angry women. And it should have women who seek power for themselves without having to have a man tell them to do it. Seriously our two queens here are put in power because men give them the idea. It's ridiculous. I get that maybe these women have lived with misogyny and no power for so long that they wouldn't think to take power but history has shown us that women always find a way to think outside of misogyny and rebel.

The things I legitimately liked here was the ending with Ellin and Tamzin, Ellin's arc in general, Jinnell's character (she's gay you can't convince me she isn't), and the magic itself.

I'm so disappointed by the lack of queer women in a story that so desperately needs them. I'm disappointed by the lack of anger.

And most importantly I'm disappointed by how this story handles rape. The author chooses to have all these women raped in one brutal scene, the result of which is that they start producing a specific type of killing magic. Great. Except none of these women is given a survivor's arc, their trauma is never explored, and we are actually fed a line about how they experience so much trauma on a daily basis that the rape basically doesn't matter. AS AN HISTORIAN OF RAPE IN THE 14TH CENTURY I CAN TELL YOU WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Rape causes trauma. How can you include rape victims in a feminist fantasy and then not give at least one of them an arc about survival, healing, and dealing with trauma? I was shocked, hurt, and frankly amazed.

This book has some great elements. Ultimately, though, it fails in the ways that matter by setting itself up as a feminist fantasy and then...not being very feminist. This was intriguing enough that I might read book 2 and will at least check out the final product. But I can't say I'm very pleased.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2597300839

In a world where men rule and women are treated no better than cattle, three women cast a spell that changes everything. Suddenly, women can control conception. Not good for a king who wants an heir but can't be bothered to treat his wife with dignity.

Alysoon is an illegitimate-after-the-fact princess. Her father, the king, had declared her and her brother illegitimate when he sent their mother to the Abbey so he could marry a new wife. The Abbey is little more than a brothel where the young women are sold to men for an evening's entertainment and the older women make small spells to be sold. All money they make goes to the crown.

One of the three women who cast the spell that changed their world is Alysoon's mother. This does not make Aly's life better in any way. Aly's half brother, the official heir to the king, hates Alysoon and her brother. He uses her mother's spell as an excuse to cause them both more problems.

As Aly's mother was head of the Abbey he takes out his anger on the rest of the women there, They end up being beaten, raped and forced to move to the edge of the desert.

I could go on but spoilers. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the very shocking and abrupt ending. I never enjoy feeling like I HAVE to buy the next book in a series. That dropped my 4 star review to a 3 star.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

3.5 stars - 'The Women's War' contains a detailed and intricate cast of characters, magic system, and political sphere, coming in at over 500 pages, there is a lot to explain and set up. The intriguing concept pulled me in, but this was just not my cup of tea. Readers seeking a rich fantasy world and robust cast of characters will love this book.

The Women's War by Jenna Glass is a fabulous fantasy novel that tells the story of several prominent women. The story is a beautiful blend of a renaissance period with women as compliant servants to their husbands and a fantasy world where earth and magical elements far surpass any place we can imagine. The nature of magic in these kingdoms is breathtaking. My favorite were the chevels. The story centers of Alys (Alysoon) after her mother, an abandoned divorcee, casts a generational spell on the kingdoms. Alys is a mean and mild character but as her concern for the safety of her children intensifies, so does her character in the story. My favorite story of all characters was Ellin.. Her romance and life with Graeson was intense and gripping. In her story, and in many of them, the endings were not what you expected and I found that to be the biggest strength of these stories of all. Packed with beheadings, rape, and betrothals; not a story for the faint. This is a must read for those who enjoy fantasy, sci-fi, and feminism.

Game of Thrones meets The Handmaids Tale! In this world with magic, women have few rights and little respect. Men rule the countries as Kings, and women are married off for political gain. Women who are "unwanted" are sent off to an "abbey" where the young and good looking women are auctioned off to the highest bidder for an evening's pleasure. The older women have to make healing potions with all the profits going off to the crown. The old queen, sent to the abbey because the king divorced her, wants to change this. Her spell will change the world, will it be better?
Suitable for High school students and up.
Violence and sex make this unsuitable for a less mature reader.

Hands down, this is one of the most unique, elegant and powerful books of feminist fantasy I've had the pleasure to read in years! The complexity of the plot is easily absorbed by the mind, as the world building intrigues the heart. This book works on every level, and that's said as someone who doesn't ordinarily delve into this sort of fantasy epic. I'm hooked!.

This is a very three star book, and that's in no way a bad thing. It's an amazingly detailed epic with a feminist bent. It's heavy on political maneuvering on all sides. It doesn't pull its punches in any way. The magic, the worldbuilding, the characters, are all extremely well drawn. It's a dense book, and a smart book, and it's not something that can just be torn through. I enjoyed it. Some people will like it a lot more than I did, some will hate it, but I would be very surprised if anyone claimed it was poorly written, boring, or a misfire. Jenna Glass has written a masterpiece for both the feminist and fantasy genres, and it will no doubt find an audience who has been desperate for it.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.