by Jenna Glass
Del Rey, 2019. 549 pgs. Fantasy
When women’s only value is in producing a male heir, they are treated like the possessions and bargaining chips of their husbands and male relatives. Then a world-altering spell gives women control of their fertility and they finally have a bargaining chip of their own. However men in power are outraged at this loss of control, and will do anything they can to maintain the status quo.
Although marketed as feminist fantasy, to me this read like any richly complex fantasy novel but with women as main characters. The plot is driven by the societal oppression and abuse of women, although a wide variety of relationships are portrayed. The world-building was good and I thought the magic system was unique and interesting. While a lot of trauma is described (forced prostitution, rape, etc.), I felt like portrayal of the after-effects of trauma like that was mostly missing. Overall I found this book to be engaging and would recommend it to adult audiences who enjoy high fantasy.
ER
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