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embuhlee's review against another edition
5.0
Dare I say this is a new favorite of all time? Book three will tell.
dejahentendu's review against another edition
4.0
Complex, intricately woven tapestry of a story. It has two of my favorite things: a study of societal changes in a period of upheaval and well-written characters into whose psyches we get a window. And by upheaval, I don't mean boring old war stories. I mean really turning the basis of the society on its head.
This is the 2nd installation in a fantasy epic for the #MeToo era. (Haha! I totally stole that from the NYT review and didn't realize it.) I only hope the next book stands up to the first two.
This is the 2nd installation in a fantasy epic for the #MeToo era. (Haha! I totally stole that from the NYT review and didn't realize it.) I only hope the next book stands up to the first two.
curtissimo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is one of those times that the sequel is better than the first novel in the series.
johnboscoreads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Queen of the Unwanted is the second book in the Women's War by Jenna Glass. Released 12th May 2020 by Penguin Random House on their Del Rey imprint, it's 592 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a fantasy trilogy which I fear will likely be stamped with a strong feminist label and miss a significant portion of its potential audience. It's a very well written epic saga with strong characters (both male and female) and an overarching slowly developing plot. It's the second in the series (though there's also a prequel), and does *not* work well as a standalone. In fact, my review was delayed because I wasn't able to give the book a good analysis without the background from the first book, so I had to go read that one before revisiting Queen of the Unwanted.
I found the world building somewhat lacking, which is surprising and disappointing in a massive epic doorstop brick of a book (the kind with maps on the inside cover). Women have been brutalized and kept as chattel for centuries, and they've had just about enough, thank you very much. There are three central female characters, one a queen, one a crown princess, and one a Machiavellian abbess of a religious order (whose remit includes religious prostitution).
I probably read more speculative fiction and fantasy than any other genre and I found this one a slog to finish. The plotting borders on glacial tempo. The characters struck me as self absorbed, tragic, or downright unlikable. That the author is quite adept at her craft is evident on every page. There wasn't any clunky or cringe-worthy writing; it's quite readable - I just found it a chore to pick up and finish.
This one struck me as a lot more in the vein of Joe Abercrombie or Brian Sanderson than Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, or Sheri Tepper. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it *is* a thing.
Three and a half stars, rounded up for the undeniably competent prose.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Queen of the Unwanted is the second book in the Women's War by Jenna Glass. Released 12th May 2020 by Penguin Random House on their Del Rey imprint, it's 592 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a fantasy trilogy which I fear will likely be stamped with a strong feminist label and miss a significant portion of its potential audience. It's a very well written epic saga with strong characters (both male and female) and an overarching slowly developing plot. It's the second in the series (though there's also a prequel), and does *not* work well as a standalone. In fact, my review was delayed because I wasn't able to give the book a good analysis without the background from the first book, so I had to go read that one before revisiting Queen of the Unwanted.
I found the world building somewhat lacking, which is surprising and disappointing in a massive epic doorstop brick of a book (the kind with maps on the inside cover). Women have been brutalized and kept as chattel for centuries, and they've had just about enough, thank you very much. There are three central female characters, one a queen, one a crown princess, and one a Machiavellian abbess of a religious order (whose remit includes religious prostitution).
I probably read more speculative fiction and fantasy than any other genre and I found this one a slog to finish. The plotting borders on glacial tempo. The characters struck me as self absorbed, tragic, or downright unlikable. That the author is quite adept at her craft is evident on every page. There wasn't any clunky or cringe-worthy writing; it's quite readable - I just found it a chore to pick up and finish.
This one struck me as a lot more in the vein of Joe Abercrombie or Brian Sanderson than Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, or Sheri Tepper. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it *is* a thing.
Three and a half stars, rounded up for the undeniably competent prose.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
maiborn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
jmckendry's review
3.0
"Queen of the Unwanted" is the sequel to "The Women's War" and I have to say it holds up to the first. This book introduces a few new characters who are interesting, flawed, and eventually lovable, which I think is fantastic. The world the story is set in is also very interesting.
I will say, most of the negative comments I made about the first book also apply to this one (no LGBT+ characters in a society where it would absolutely make sense, the only described overweight person is a horrible human being, etc...) and that was a bit disappointing.
However, the story itself was interesting and I enjoyed reading it. I think I will also read the 3rd book in the series.
I will say, most of the negative comments I made about the first book also apply to this one (no LGBT+ characters in a society where it would absolutely make sense, the only described overweight person is a horrible human being, etc...) and that was a bit disappointing.
However, the story itself was interesting and I enjoyed reading it. I think I will also read the 3rd book in the series.
jdalton's review
4.0
I don’t feel that this one was as strong as the first novel. It felt like a lot of politics for most of it. But it really set up and went for it at the end so I’m really excited to see what happens next!
newwaystodream's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
criticalmiss's review
5.0
I enjoyed book two even more than the first book. Planning on reading the novella and can’t wait for book three this year