In a feminist fantasy epic, a revolutionary spell gives women the ability to control their own fertilityтАФwith consequences that rock their patriarchal society to its core.
тАЬA compulsive read, riveting characters, life-or-death stakes . . . a smashing book!тАЭтАФTamora Pierce
When a noblemanтАЩs 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 magicтАФonce 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 magicтАФwhich only women can wieldтАФmight 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┬аThe WomenтАЩs War
тАЬThe WomenтАЩs War┬аis an epic feminist fantasy for the #MeToo era. . . . The WomenтАЩs War does what so many classic adult fantasy books do not:┬аIt 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┬аrefreshing┬аto see women becoming heroes in a world that wishes to keep them muzzled.тАЭтАФSabaa Tahir,┬аThe New York Times Book Review
тАЬA blend of the traditional Western European epic fantasy and the birth control revolution of the 1960s,┬аThe WomenтАЩs War┬аtakes the reader on a journey toward revolution. . . A fascinating and entertaining read, and a welcome addition to the world of epic fantasy.тАЭтАФNew York Journal of Books