Queen of the Unwanted
-
-
4.8 • 11 Ratings
-
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
In the riveting sequel to the feminist fantasy epic The Women's War, the ability to do magic has given women control over their own bodies. But as the patriarchy starts to fall, they must now learn to rule as women, not men.
Alys may be the acknowledged queen of Women’s Well—the fledgling colony where women hold equal status with men—but she cares little for politics in the wake of an appalling personal tragedy. It is grief that drives her now. But the world continues to turn.
In a distant realm unused to female rulers, Ellin struggles to maintain control. Meanwhile, the king of the island nation of Khalpar recruits an abbess who he thinks holds the key to reversing the spell that Alys’s mother gave her life to create. And back in Women’s Well, Alys’s own half brother is determined to bring her to heel. Unless these women can come together and embrace the true nature of female power, everything they have struggled to achieve may be at risk.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The door-stopper second installment of Glass's feminist dystopian trilogy (after The Women's War) offers an incisive, if sometimes slogging, exploration of the aftermath of abrupt social change. When the Abbess of Aaltah's spell swept through all of Seven Wells, women gained the power to control their fertility and avenge rapes by rendering men impotent. Three powerful women rulers navigate this new world order: Princess Alysoon of Women's Well, the egalitarian rebel community that springs up around the new well of magic; Queen Ellinsoltah of Rhozinolm, whose authority is challenged by patriarchy at home and abroad; and the notorious and ambitious Mother Mairahsol, newly appointed Abbess of Khalpar, whose ascent is tethered to her promise that she will reverse the "Curse" and restore men to power. Glass's universe is impeccably detailed, but the focus on trade, politics, and marriage may dull the interest of readers hungry for action. This feels more like a stepping stone to the final book than a satisfying story in its own right.
