Earlier this week, I read The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai (fantasy, 368 pages).

“As a waterweaver, Nehal can move and shape any water to her will, but she’s limited by her lack of formal education. She desires nothing more than to attend the newly opened Weaving Academy, take complete control of her powers, and pursue a glorious future on the battlefield with the first all-female military regiment. But her family cannot afford to let her go – crushed under her father’s gambling debt, Nehal is forcibly married into a wealthy merchant family. Her new spouse, Nico, is indifferent and distant and in love with another woman, a bookseller named Giorgina. Giorgina has her own secret, however: she is an earthweaver with dangerously uncontrollable powers. She has no money and no prospects. her only solace comes from her activities with the Daughters of Izdihar, a radical women’s rights group at the forefront of a movement with a simple goal: for women to have a say in their own lives. They live very different lives and come from very different means, yet Nehal and Giorgina have more in common than they think. The cause – and Nico – brings them into each other’s orbit, drawn in by the group’s enigmatic leader, Malak Mamdouh, and the urge to do what is right. But their problems may seem small in the broader context of their world, as tensions are rising with a neighboring nation that desires an end to weaving and weavers. As Nehal and Giorgiana fight for their rights, the threat of war looms in the background, and the two women find themselves struggling to earn – and keep – a lasting freedom.”

This books was absolutely fantastic and I enjoyed it thoroughly! This book was recommended to me by my local librarian, who knows I particularly enjoy books with women protagonists without the mandatory cishet romance plot. While there is a male/female relationship in the story, none of the relationships follow traditional western narratives.

I’ve actually discussed this book at length with several of my friends as I recommended it to them. I think one of the most interesting parts of this story is the difference from modern western-style fantasy stories. The main cultures here are strongly based on middle eastern societies and there’s so many cultural differences between my own life and the world-building in this story that I was extremely tempted to do more research, especially in regards to women’s rights. There certainly are a number of cultures in our modern society where women are still seen as only wives, mothers, and caretakers and aren’t allowed their own individual freedom. While this is a fantasy story, I feel as though women’s rights around the world are still mostly seen as an afterthought, even here in the United States.

The main point of discussion for me with this story was how this book clearly shows how difficult living under societally enforced gender standards is for everyone involved. In world of The Daughters of Izdihar, women aren’t allowed to do anything without the permission of their husbands, or if they’re not yet married, their parents. Women are seen as inferior to men and not able to hold their own finances, vote, or have any say in their own lives. Only the approval of the man in your life can grant you the ability to work and women are expected to be slaves to the whims of men.

But one of the most heart-wrenching parts of this book for me was when you have a woman, Giorgina, who has worked so hard to maintain the best reputation and to do all the things she’s supposed to and it still doesn’t protect her from being prodded by a stranger. There were so many other instances of women’s lack of agency but to show how even when you do everything “right”, you can still suffer was a pretty powerful point. I think it’s a little more poignant because there are so many people all over the world who either still view women only as breeders and homemakers and many more in western society who want to return to a world where women have no rights of their own. It’s a dangerous time to be a woman, both in this book and in the real world.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book. I’m happy I read it, I will definitely read it again, and I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out.