Review: The Women's War by Jenna Glass

The Women's War by Jenna Glass (March 5, 2019 / Del Rey)
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

ARC summary:

When a nobleman’s first duty is to produce a male heir, women have always been treated like possessions and bargaining chips. But now, as the aftereffects of a world-altering spell ripple out, women at last have a bargaining chip of their own. Alys is the widowed mother of two teenage children, and the disinherited daughter of a king. Her existence has been carefully proscribed, but now she discovers a fierce talent not only for politics but also for magic. Meanwhile, in a neighboring kingdom, young Ellin finds herself unexpectedly on the throne after the sudden death of everyone who stood before her in the line of succession. Conventional wisdom holds that she will marry quickly, then surrender the throne to her new husband...only Ellin has other ideas. The tensions tearing at both kingdoms become 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—threatens to tear down what is left of the patriarchy. And the men who currently hold power would do anything to destroy it.

My Review:

I am trying to read outside my comfort zone and this high fantasy feminist epic totally rocked! This novel is all about female power,  not just with unprecedented royal ascension but with a unique spell which allows women the ability to control their own fertility and wield a unique product of revenge if they are sexually assaulted. At 546 pages it did take me a while to get through it but it was not because I lacked interest in the story at any point. This is also the first in a series and like any great series, there is a twist ending that gave me the chills! I definitely recommend this one to lovers of epic fantasy novels or to someone (like me) who is looking for something a little different from mainstream fiction but features fabulous female storylines.