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A review by jmckendry
The Women's War by Jenna Glass
4.0
First off, let me just start by saying that I really enjoyed reading this book a lot more than I thought I would. It gave me Game of Thrones vibes (the TV show, not the books, I haven't gotten around to reading those yet so idk how they compare).
That being said, there was a lot of opportunity for the author to explore other facets of the world and of interpersonal relationships that she simply did not go into. For starters, this is a novel with a LOT of characters, and not a single one of them is LGBT+. While I don't think novels NEED to include LGBT+ characters to be good, it was kind of ruined my "suspension of disbelief" when you find out that hundreds of women who are "unwanted" by society are all forced to live in this building together, and not a single one of them has any homosexual feelings or urges, or even a deep spiritual love or connection to the other women who suffered with them. In a society where men treat women so terribly (for the most part) not a single woman thought to be with another woman instead of a man?
As a white, cisgender, pansexual woman, I wasn't really BOTHERED by this, but it did make the world a lot less believable to me and I wish the author had explored those parts of the world a bit more.
I also thought it was weird that the only overweight person in the book is a really awful guy. Like...it's a bit strange. All of the good men in the novel are like perfectly toned and in shape, which I really don't think is fair.
HOWEVER. The world she created was vivid and the way magic works in this world is REALLY COOL. The writing itself was easy to understand and evocative. I could feel what the characters felt, even the bad ones. I am definitely excited to read the next book in the series, the author did a fantastic job with bringing her characters to life, even if the world she built is lacking in some aspects.
That being said, there was a lot of opportunity for the author to explore other facets of the world and of interpersonal relationships that she simply did not go into. For starters, this is a novel with a LOT of characters, and not a single one of them is LGBT+. While I don't think novels NEED to include LGBT+ characters to be good, it was kind of ruined my "suspension of disbelief" when you find out that hundreds of women who are "unwanted" by society are all forced to live in this building together, and not a single one of them has any homosexual feelings or urges, or even a deep spiritual love or connection to the other women who suffered with them. In a society where men treat women so terribly (for the most part) not a single woman thought to be with another woman instead of a man?
As a white, cisgender, pansexual woman, I wasn't really BOTHERED by this, but it did make the world a lot less believable to me and I wish the author had explored those parts of the world a bit more.
I also thought it was weird that the only overweight person in the book is a really awful guy. Like...it's a bit strange. All of the good men in the novel are like perfectly toned and in shape, which I really don't think is fair.
HOWEVER. The world she created was vivid and the way magic works in this world is REALLY COOL. The writing itself was easy to understand and evocative. I could feel what the characters felt, even the bad ones. I am definitely excited to read the next book in the series, the author did a fantastic job with bringing her characters to life, even if the world she built is lacking in some aspects.