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A review by winterscape
The Witches of Wenshar by Barbara Hambly
4.0
The quality of Barbara Hambly’s writing is exquisite.
Though the pacing was sometimes too slow for my liking, the depth of description (especially of complex emotion and the movement of light) and the page-turning intrigue of the climax launched The Witches of Wenshar solidly into a 4-star rating.
The strong, already established relationship between the two main characters was refreshing in its lack of childish drama (befitting people in their 40s), as were the ways in which women were shown to be privy to information that men didn’t have to be due to their privilege in society (such as measuring a man by how he treats other men rather than women, social etiquettes, etc.). Starhawk is a great example of a warrior woman who isn’t defined by her appearance and doesn’t put down other women to be “one of the guys.”
As a bit of warning, this book does feature horrific rituals that you would associate with the horror genre’s use of the word “witch.” It was upsetting, but I realised that my emotional response meant that the author did a good job, and it fit the setting and characters.
I would read the first and third books in Sun Wolf and Starhawk’s series if I came across them.
Though the pacing was sometimes too slow for my liking, the depth of description (especially of complex emotion and the movement of light) and the page-turning intrigue of the climax launched The Witches of Wenshar solidly into a 4-star rating.
The strong, already established relationship between the two main characters was refreshing in its lack of childish drama (befitting people in their 40s), as were the ways in which women were shown to be privy to information that men didn’t have to be due to their privilege in society (such as measuring a man by how he treats other men rather than women, social etiquettes, etc.). Starhawk is a great example of a warrior woman who isn’t defined by her appearance and doesn’t put down other women to be “one of the guys.”
As a bit of warning, this book does feature horrific rituals that you would associate with the horror genre’s use of the word “witch.” It was upsetting, but I realised that my emotional response meant that the author did a good job, and it fit the setting and characters.
I would read the first and third books in Sun Wolf and Starhawk’s series if I came across them.