Bookish Thoughts

If you read Wheel of Time  and wanted a series that just focused on the inner politics of the Aes Sedai, then Warrior  and Witch  are the books for you. After Miryo and Mirage through thousands of years of tradition into question in the first book, the witches have to deal with the fallout. Predictably, some are on board with the new information while others are desperate to squash it and keep the old ways alive. There's a huge rift among the leaders of the witches, ultimately threatening a civil war that will draw in the rest of the world, as the various factions use their power and influence to lend strength to their various positions. What's really refreshing about these books is the sheer number of female characters. They're brave and scared and strong and cruel and thoughtful and rash and hypocritical and because there are so many of them you get this wonderful varied cast of women behaving in all manner of different ways as they work towards whatever goal they'v...

This was an unexpected delight. Much like with A Star Shall Fall , I went into this expecting a pleasant fantasy novel. But I was blown away but how much I ended up loving the story. Brennan is great at finding a new take on classic tropes, and now I'm more committed to actually tracking down and reading her Memoirs of Lady Trent  series. But back to Warrior . The book follows two women: a Witch named Miryo and a Hunter named Mirage. The former was raised in a sort of Witch academy, and when she goes to take the initiation test she discovers that she has a doppelganger. As long as the doppelganger lives, she won't be able to control her magic. So Miryo sets out to kill her, strong in her belief that this is just a soulless shell, not a person at all. Unfortunately for Miryo, Mirage is very much a person, and might just be the best Hunter in her generation to boot. Trained as an assassin, a spy, a bodyguard, and a tracker, there's no way Mirage is losing in a fair fight....