Mother of All
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jenna Glass
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Summary
An evil new magic threatens to undo all the progress women have made in the third and final book in Jenna Glass's riveting feminist fantasy， following The Women's War and Queen of the Unwanted。
In the once male-dominated world of Seven Wells， women now control their own reproduction， but the battle for equality is far from over。 Even with two thrones held by women， there are still those who cling to the old ways and are determined to return the world to the way it was。
Now into this struggle comes a darker power。 Delnamal， the former King of Aalwell， may have lost his battle to undo the spell that gave women reproductive control， but he has gained a terrible and deadly magic， and he uses these new abilities to raise an army the likes of which the world has never seen。 Delnamal and his allies seem like an unstoppable force， destined to crush the fragile new balance between men and women。
Yet sometimes it is possible for determined individuals to stem the tide， and it comes down to a unique triad of women--maiden， mother， and crone--to risk everything。。。not only to preserve the advances they have won but to change the world one final time。
In the once male-dominated world of Seven Wells， women now control their own reproduction， but the battle for equality is far from over。 Even with two thrones held by women， there are still those who cling to the old ways and are determined to return the world to the way it was。
Now into this struggle comes a darker power。 Delnamal， the former King of Aalwell， may have lost his battle to undo the spell that gave women reproductive control， but he has gained a terrible and deadly magic， and he uses these new abilities to raise an army the likes of which the world has never seen。 Delnamal and his allies seem like an unstoppable force， destined to crush the fragile new balance between men and women。
Yet sometimes it is possible for determined individuals to stem the tide， and it comes down to a unique triad of women--maiden， mother， and crone--to risk everything。。。not only to preserve the advances they have won but to change the world one final time。
Reviews
Marlene
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Originally published at Reading RealityThree “things”， three truths， lie underneath the entire Women’s War trilogy。 One is the old saying about power corrupting and absolute power corrupting absolutely。 This is a world where men have absolute power over women， a power so absolute that it has corrupted the entire society。 A power that is used so callously and so heinously that it takes three generations of planning and sacrifice for a trio of desperate women to make the ultimate sacrifice in orde Originally published at Reading RealityThree “things”， three truths， lie underneath the entire Women’s War trilogy。 One is the old saying about power corrupting and absolute power corrupting absolutely。 This is a world where men have absolute power over women， a power so absolute that it has corrupted the entire society。 A power that is used so callously and so heinously that it takes three generations of planning and sacrifice for a trio of desperate women to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to even make a dent in the absolute supremacy of male power。The second truth is a much more recent saying， the one about man making “God” in his own image。 The entire myth of the “Creator”， his “Mother” and the “Destroyer” that squats at the heart of the religion of Seven Wells is certainly a deity made in the image of men。 Not humankind， just men。 They use their state-entwined religion to explain and excuse the systemic abuse of women at every turn。It is， however， equally true that if man makes his god in his own image， so does woman。 Which is where the title of this entry in the series derives its meaning。And last， but not least， something that is not so succinctly phrased as the above two concepts， but feels like a truth for this series， is that when a society yokes political power and religious authority， all they are really doing is greasing the skids down the road to hell。The story of Women’s War is a single story spread over three not insubstantial parts， meaning that it begins in the first book， The Women’s War， continues in Queen of the Unwanted， and concludes here in Mother of All。 This is very much NOT three books that each stands alone， but one long and complex story that must be begun at the beginning in order for the ending to have the weight and heft and gravitas that it deserves。Because it most definitely does deserve all those things。 And I say all of the above in spite of the fact that， as much as I enjoyed both the first book， The Women’s War， and this one， that middle book drove me right straight up the wall。 But what happened there is necessary in order to understand how all the characters and this world reach the events of this final book in the trilogy。As this final chapter opens， the chess pieces are all on the board， but not necessarily in the places we expect。 Sovereign Princess Alysoon of Women’s Well begins the story believing that the situation in Seven Wells might get better， albeit as slowly as the reactionaries in most other countries can arrange。 Her friend， Sovereign Queen Ellinsoltah， is on the throne of neighboring Rhozinolm， and Ellin’s Prince Consort Zarsha is one of the very few men in this story who is not an absolute ass。 Not that he’s perfect， because he’s far from that， but he is on the side of change and is eager to help both Ellin and Alys effect that change。That he is also Ellin’s spymaster makes him an extremely useful player on their side。Aaltah， Alys’ birthplace， is now in the hands of her brother Tynthanal as Prince Regent。 Their hated half brother Delnamal， the previous king， is believed to be dead as the result of an accident or incident or catastrophe or all of the above at the site of Aaltah’s Well， the source of the kingdom’s magical power。 Whatever happened to the former king， a catastrophe certainly happened both at and to the Well， a catastrophe that Tynthanal is expected to fix。A catastrophe that has impacted Aaltah’s magic， its ability to create the magical items that fuel its import/export trade agreements and therefore its economy。 A catastrophe that appears to have had even more dire consequences that are just beginning to make themselves known。 And unfortunately for pretty much everyone， reports of Delnamal’s death turn out to be， not exactly greatly exaggerated， but terrifyingly incorrect in those all-important pesky details where the devil， or in this case the Destroyer， is considered to reside。But the situation in Seven Wells is much more precarious than first appears。 It must be or there wouldn’t be an entire book yet to come。 This world， and the gains that women have made in it， are not yet safe。 It will require another trio of women to make another potentially grave sacrifice in order for this place to have a future。 Not just a future where everyone can thrive， but any future at all。Escape Rating A: Short summary of the series – loved the first book， wasn’t all that thrilled with the second but it was necessary， loved the third book。 This book。 Mother of All brought this epic trilogy to an appropriately epic conclusion， and it made wading through all the setup and political positioning and maneuvering in the second book worth the wade。 Also worth the wait of anticipating this conclusion。Seriously， I planned to listen to this one， but switched to the much faster ebook at barely the halfway point because I was so caught up in this and needed to find out how they collectively got out of the many， many catastrophes that were heading in their direction with all the speed of a juggernaut careening down the side of a mountain。One of the things that is true throughout this series， that the reader is kind of bludgeoned with at the very beginning， is that this world is seriously messed up， totally FUBAR’d beyond not just recognition but beyond all reason， and that the overall arc of the series is the one-step-forward and sometimes ten-steps-back need to， well， unfuck the whole thing。 Especially as it seems as if 90% of the men would rather life went back to the way things were when they could rape and murder women at will without repercussions of any kind。 （There are fantasy worlds I might be interested in living in， like Pern and Celta。 I wouldn’t touch Seven Wells with someone else’s severed hand。）It’s not just that women have not just few but absolutely ZERO rights and are not just considered property but are legally chattel to either their fathers or their husbands is just the tip of the rotten iceberg。 It’s honestly much worse than that。 But， and a huge but， as much as some readers may want to see that as a situation for epic fantasy without application to the real world， I believe that there are and were plenty of patriarchal societies， past and present， in the real world that may not have been quite as awful for women but only missed this level of horror by a hair’s breadth。All of the above makes this series not exactly a comfort or even a comfortable read， no matter how much one might love epic fantasy。 Rather it makes for a searing and emotional read， as the reader is taken on an emotional roller coaster ride with characters who seem all too real in their hopes， their challenges， and the danger they face just for being women in a society that believes they are barely human and punishes them harshly if they attempt to assert even a minimal level of control over their own lives。And that’s what makes this story， in spite of its frequent walks through very dark places， such a compelling read。 It’s the characters。 It’s walking by their sides and hoping with them against all hope that they might have made just enough of a difference in their world that their daughters will have a better future than their mothers。Reviewer’s Note: If you’ve ever played Dragon Age Inquisition， Delnamal is kind of a dead ringer for Corypheus， all puns intended， although Delnamal manages to come to a much better end。 。。。more
Natalie Corbett
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Slight spoilers， maybeTwo criticisms I have of this book and the series as a whole。 One is the series is incredibly hetero。 I think they mentioned gay men briefly in the first book just in passing but that's it。 I get it， not every book needs to be hella gay but I definitely enjoy books with queers better。 Two， the ending was way too neat and clean。 While on the one hand I was happy for the characters I've grown attached to over three books had happy endings， it was a bit much that they all did。 Slight spoilers， maybeTwo criticisms I have of this book and the series as a whole。 One is the series is incredibly hetero。 I think they mentioned gay men briefly in the first book just in passing but that's it。 I get it， not every book needs to be hella gay but I definitely enjoy books with queers better。 Two， the ending was way too neat and clean。 While on the one hand I was happy for the characters I've grown attached to over three books had happy endings， it was a bit much that they all did。 I like a little sorrow mixed in with my happy。 。。。more
Amanda
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You can also read my review here: https://devouringbooks2017。wordpress。。。。Review: 5 StarsI have been stalking the release of this book ever since I finished Queen of the Unwanted。 When I got a review copy I dropped what I was reading and picked up Mother of All right away。 I really loved the first two books in this trilogy， so I had really high hopes for this concluding book of the series。 I am really pleased to say that once again Jenna Glass delivered and I was blown away by Mother of All。 I a You can also read my review here: https://devouringbooks2017。wordpress。。。。Review: 5 StarsI have been stalking the release of this book ever since I finished Queen of the Unwanted。 When I got a review copy I dropped what I was reading and picked up Mother of All right away。 I really loved the first two books in this trilogy， so I had really high hopes for this concluding book of the series。 I am really pleased to say that once again Jenna Glass delivered and I was blown away by Mother of All。 I am sad that this is the end of the series， but so glad that I gave this series a chance。Mother of All is a character driven political fantasy， and the characters are really done well。 While there are many characters in this series this book focused on Kailee， Alys and Leethan。 It was interesting to see Leethan play a bigger role because in previous books she was a minor character and I really grew to love her in this installment。 I also loved Kailee’s role in this book， she has really become one of my favorite characters of the series。 I really love that this series focused on a variety of different women all who had strength in their own way。 While Alys’s point of view is in every book of the series， each installment had different main characters。Once again it was Alys who I love the most。 In this book she really struggles with grief and depression， but still finds strength to fight against injustice。 I found her easy to relate to and I really empathized with her as she struggled with her grief。 I really think that The Women’s War trilogy did a great job showing grief over the loss of a loved one。 So often in fantasy novels characters die， but most of the time it doesn’t feel so impactful because the characters don’t suffer with grief。 Jenna Glass did a fantastic job developing here characters so that you could really empathize with their feelings， whether they we joy， heartbreak， anger or grief， I was really able to feel what each of the characters were going through。While this is a character driven novel it also has an outstanding plot。 The book follows four main points of view: Delnemal， Leethan， Kailee and Alys， and while I had an idea of how the characters might come together it was executed really well。 The climax of this book blew me away and I was up really late because I couldn’t walk away from the action。 All of the plot lines had twists and turns， keeping me on the edge of my seat， until they all came together for an epic ending。 I was really pleased with the way the series concluded。 While it’s always hard to finish a series and leave beloved characters behind， I felt like the ending did the series justice。 I was glad there was an epilogue so I could see how everything turned out for the characters that I loved。Mother of All was an epic conclusion to this feminist fantasy series。 If you were like me and you are on the fence about whether this series is worth a shot or not， I urge you to give it a chance。 This series has made my favorites list and I look forward to seeing more from Jenna Glass。 。。。more
Samantha
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There were parts of the book that made me not want to put it down， but overall it felt rushed， which made it hard to connect to the characters。 The style of writing， which skipped between all the characters for the important moments in the plot， distanced me from the characters in a way that the previous 2 in the series did not。 By skipping around so much I felt like I was getting a high-level overview of the plot instead of feeling it through the character's mind and emotions。 Overall， it was g There were parts of the book that made me not want to put it down， but overall it felt rushed， which made it hard to connect to the characters。 The style of writing， which skipped between all the characters for the important moments in the plot， distanced me from the characters in a way that the previous 2 in the series did not。 By skipping around so much I felt like I was getting a high-level overview of the plot instead of feeling it through the character's mind and emotions。 Overall， it was good。 I just wish for more time spent on the little things in character development。 。。。more
WycEd Reader
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Check out our full post for MOTHER OF ALL on Wicked Reads。Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review TeamShelby – ☆☆☆☆3。75 starsMOTHER OF ALL is the third and final book in the Women's War series。 I've loved this series from the first book and couldn't contain my excitement for the conclusion！I may have had too high expectations because I wasn't all that excited while reading it。 The characters were all here， the Blessing/Curse was still present， and the men are still angry。The story took a long time Check out our full post for MOTHER OF ALL on Wicked Reads。Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review TeamShelby – ☆☆☆☆3。75 starsMOTHER OF ALL is the third and final book in the Women's War series。 I've loved this series from the first book and couldn't contain my excitement for the conclusion！I may have had too high expectations because I wasn't all that excited while reading it。 The characters were all here， the Blessing/Curse was still present， and the men are still angry。The story took a long time to develop， it was a lot of conversations between characters without any action。I love this world that the author， Jenna Glass， created。 I love the characters and the magic system， I hate the villains， and dislike even more when I empathize with them。Overall， this was a solid conclusion to a great series。 I was just hoping for more。 I feel like some ends were tied too neatly to really fit this story。Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads。 。。。more
Anne - Books of My Heart
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This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。4。5 heartsThe Women's War series has the usual historical fantasy world where women have almost no choices。 Their primary worth is to bear an heir for men in the patriarchal society。 Men control the magic。 Men can also choose to send women to a whorehouse for the "unwanted。" This includes wives who can't have children， or if the This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。4。5 heartsThe Women's War series has the usual historical fantasy world where women have almost no choices。 Their primary worth is to bear an heir for men in the patriarchal society。 Men control the magic。 Men can also choose to send women to a whorehouse for the "unwanted。" This includes wives who can't have children， or if the man wants someone else， or even daughters。 There， the unwanted are bought for sex or toil in creating spells， where the earnings go to the kingdom。 （So women can do magic if it is as a slave in production mode）In the first book， Women's War， there were considerable battles and the primary characters were women。 They were women of royal families。 Their magic bloodlines were powerful and one created a spell to give women power over their own fertility。 Men were not happy。 One women leaves her kingdom and finds a new magic well and forms a new kingdom。 Another woman becomes queen when her grandfather and parents are both dead。 So now two kingdoms are ruled by women。Queen of the Unwanted is more of a character study with much less action and battle。 I kept expecting a big fight。 Men were not happy and kept trying to undermine the women。 Unfortunately for them， the woman were fairly successful in their politics and magic。In the final book in the trilogy， Mother of All ， we find out what happened after the stunning events at the end of the last book。 I worried all year about Delnamel being out on the loose。 Of course， he couldn't die。 He had to gain new powers which are very hard to counteract。 Because his mother is from Khalpar ， he is sheltered by her in this holy patriarchy kingdom。 They are the only support he has to get out and regain his kingdom and get vengeance。Tynthanal is in a tough situation in Aaltah。 Most people aren't happy with him as ruler， but think he might have a better chance of fixing their well because of his connection with magic。 He also is adjusting to his new marriage to Kailee， while his love Chanlix is still in Women's Well。 He is working with seers to try to figure out what happened to the well to fix it， as well as reading what they have of Mairahsol's notes。 " Mother of All" is a religious term women use for the original deity， mother of the Creator， particularly seers。Ellin in Rhozinolm is working hard to handle her kingdom。 She needs to take a husband to solidify trade agreements， and stop the efforts to marry her off for various political advantages。 The negotiations were rough， but she is able to choose her husband。 He will be a prince consort and not take over rule。 She is happy with her new husband， but the deal meant his old Prince， Waldmir got to take all his holdings there。 He is worried， with good reasons， about the servants and people he left there。Waldmir has his own problem with only having daughters and no sons in a country where only men rule and women are seen as property。 He keeps killing off wives to take new ones to try for a son。 He is ambivalent about his youngest daughter because her mother escaped。 So he sends the 5 year old Elwynne to the Abbey。 The Abbey is run by his original wife， Leethan， who is a seer， and tells him she has now seen he will not ever have a son。 Leithan sets on a path to try to save Elwynne。Alys is still in mourning for her daughter， and continues ruling Women's Well。 Her son， Corlin， who has had severe temper outbreaks， is in the citadel to train for war。 Alys is getting marriage proposals but does not feel ready to stop mourning or to deal with a new husband。 With the war beginning in Aalwell， and her son in the fighting force， she feels she needs to be there， at the well， to reduce any damage Delnamel might try to cause。Such is the world， where Delnamel sets out to get his revenge。 All these storylines keep things fascinating， as things build to Delnamel going back to Aaltah to fix the well and enact revenge。 But Delnamel has a different plan than his Khalpar army which just wants to shove women back into their place and reverse the initial spell which gave women the right to choose whether they would have children or not。I fretted terribly about all the strong women and their fates。 They worked so hard to get just a little freedom and safety。 Delnamel's power seemed nearly unstoppable but the women figured out options to save the well and Aaltah。 I was satisfied with the exciting battle to conclude this trilogy。 。。。more
Tamara
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Title: Mother of AllAuthor: Jenna GlassGenre: FantasyRating: 4 out of 5I did not read the first book in this trilogy---not something that I recommend---but I was able to jump into book two without much problem。 And， I very much enjoyed this book， the last in the trilogy。 The magic system is unique as are the cultures and societies。 Very strong female characters and some of the men are excellent characters as well—although some of them are total jerks。 This is a solid fantasy read that I do recom Title: Mother of AllAuthor: Jenna GlassGenre: FantasyRating: 4 out of 5I did not read the first book in this trilogy---not something that I recommend---but I was able to jump into book two without much problem。 And， I very much enjoyed this book， the last in the trilogy。 The magic system is unique as are the cultures and societies。 Very strong female characters and some of the men are excellent characters as well—although some of them are total jerks。 This is a solid fantasy read that I do recommend！（Galley courtesy of Random House/Del Rey in exchange for an honest review。） 。。。more
Jessica
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Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for a review copy of this book。 The final book in the women’s war series， Jenna Glass does a great job at concluding this in depth series of what happens when the women in the kingdom are able to take charge of their own destiny。 I was wondering how it would all come together but I can say I’m satisfied with the end and encourage people to give this series a try。
Bookgrrl
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3。5 starsThis is the final installment in the Women’s War trilogy。 We follow quite a few characters’ perspectives in these books （with a few new characters introduced in this book）， so I would strongly recommend reading the entire series in one go just so that you can keep everyone straight。 I have to say that I think the pacing for the majority of the book is rather slow， and frankly I think the book is too long for the story that it told。 But the last quarter of the book really picked up and d 3。5 starsThis is the final installment in the Women’s War trilogy。 We follow quite a few characters’ perspectives in these books （with a few new characters introduced in this book）， so I would strongly recommend reading the entire series in one go just so that you can keep everyone straight。 I have to say that I think the pacing for the majority of the book is rather slow， and frankly I think the book is too long for the story that it told。 But the last quarter of the book really picked up and delivered a satisfying ending to the series。 One thing specifically that I would like to complement the author on: you can tell while reading this book that the author really planned and mapped out the entire series from the beginning so that it would all make sense and all flow together well。 I can’t tell you how many series finale’s I have read that rush things or have endings that make no sense， but not with this book。Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this advanced reader copy。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
Shelby
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*I received a free copy to read and review for Wicked Reads *3。75 starsMother of All is the 3rd， and final， book in the Women's War series。 I've loved this series from the first book， and couldn't contain my excitement for the conclusion！I may have had too high expectations because I wasn't all that excited while reading it。 The characters were all here， the Blessing/Curse was still present， and the men are still angry。The story took a long time to develop， it was a lot of conversations between *I received a free copy to read and review for Wicked Reads *3。75 starsMother of All is the 3rd， and final， book in the Women's War series。 I've loved this series from the first book， and couldn't contain my excitement for the conclusion！I may have had too high expectations because I wasn't all that excited while reading it。 The characters were all here， the Blessing/Curse was still present， and the men are still angry。The story took a long time to develop， it was a lot of conversations between characters without any action。 I love this world that the author， Jenna Glass， created。 I love the characters， and the magic system， I hate the villains， and dislike even more when I empathize with them。Overall， this was a solid conclusion to a great series。 I was just hoping for more。 I feel like some ends were tied too neatly to really fit this story。 。。。more
Alexis （The Book Democracy）
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3。5/5 Stars ** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review， Thank you！** I good ending to a trilogy。 I will admit that there were a few things that irked me regarding the characters。 I would've liked a little more drama involved。 The magic system was intriguing， and I would've love to see more than what we already know。 I'll admit the writing wasn't my favorite， I think with more time we would've been able to flesh out the characters more and get 3。5/5 Stars ** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review， Thank you！** I good ending to a trilogy。 I will admit that there were a few things that irked me regarding the characters。 I would've liked a little more drama involved。 The magic system was intriguing， and I would've love to see more than what we already know。 I'll admit the writing wasn't my favorite， I think with more time we would've been able to flesh out the characters more and get other perspectives in this world。 Overall it was an interesting read。 。。。more
Sarah
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Princess Alys' much-abused mother set in motion a powerful magic spell that upended gender relations across the land。 Her despicable half-brother Delnamal tried to restore the patriarchy， but ended up turning himself into a monstrosity。 Other women across the realm， from queens to harlots， join the struggle to keep the modicum of equality they so recently gained。 It might be a sprawling high fantasy epic， but the characterization does not disappoint: even the flattest villains from previous volu Princess Alys' much-abused mother set in motion a powerful magic spell that upended gender relations across the land。 Her despicable half-brother Delnamal tried to restore the patriarchy， but ended up turning himself into a monstrosity。 Other women across the realm， from queens to harlots， join the struggle to keep the modicum of equality they so recently gained。 It might be a sprawling high fantasy epic， but the characterization does not disappoint: even the flattest villains from previous volumes are finally fleshed out。 On the other hand， Glass invented a singular world and magical system and then only looked at them through the narrowest of lenses。 Thanks， Netgalley。 。。。more
Tessa （Talks Books）
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Mother of All by Jenna Glass is the exciting conclusion to a women empowerment fantasy trilogy that simply left me awe over the world-building。 The last few chapters ultimately won my heart。 They fueled my desire to reread the trilogy， so I could marvel once again at the heroes’ journeys， the bits of wisdom bestowed， and the overall wonder of this magnificently built world。What I LovedI found the magic system to be completely unique and thoroughly intriguing。 In this world， everyone can see thes Mother of All by Jenna Glass is the exciting conclusion to a women empowerment fantasy trilogy that simply left me awe over the world-building。 The last few chapters ultimately won my heart。 They fueled my desire to reread the trilogy， so I could marvel once again at the heroes’ journeys， the bits of wisdom bestowed， and the overall wonder of this magnificently built world。What I LovedI found the magic system to be completely unique and thoroughly intriguing。 In this world， everyone can see these tiny motes。 Some are feminine and can only be seen by women， some are masculine and can only be seen by men， while still others are neutral and can be seen by all。 These motes fuel spells and magical gadgets， like talkies which is a 3-D virtual communication tool。 But， ultimately and unfortunately， they also helped create this misogynistic world。I loved the surprise heroes that came out in an abundance of twists towards the end。 Characters that I had only given a modest amount of attention to throughout the series are now among my favorites along with the expected ones， and maybe even more so because their heroic actions are totally unexpected。 I cannot even tell you about my favorite character for fear that I will give away a spoiler。Women empowerment stories are always among my favorite tales， and that is the central theme of this trilogy， not just a by-product。 In this world， women are property and only property to be used and thrown out as the male that fathered or married them sees fit。 Until one day， a multi-generational spell that required sacrificial motes was cast， and suddenly women had a say in what happened to them and their bodies。 The beginnings of equality emerged。 And， through the entirety of the trilogy， women had to fight to maintain that power and hopefully change the world to a place where women and men are equal in spell crafting， in marriage， in childbearing， and in politics。To Read or Not to ReadSuppose you are looking for a fantasy story with a well-honed magical system， a complex and detailed world， and characters you enjoy rooting for。 In that case， this is a story you will not want to miss。 。。。more
Beth Cato
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I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley。It's always hard to review the third book in a trilogy without giving away massive spoilers for it or the previous two volumes， so I will speak largely in generalities。 The Women's War series is feminist epic fantasy。 Its central theme is women shrugging off their subservient role in society， and claiming equality and power。 In the first book， a world-shattering sacrifice was made by three women， the result being that all women have gained th I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley。It's always hard to review the third book in a trilogy without giving away massive spoilers for it or the previous two volumes， so I will speak largely in generalities。 The Women's War series is feminist epic fantasy。 Its central theme is women shrugging off their subservient role in society， and claiming equality and power。 In the first book， a world-shattering sacrifice was made by three women， the result being that all women have gained the ability to control their reproduction abilities， and more。 The books follow many points of view across various kingdoms--good guys and bad guys--as political， social， and personal repercussions play out in dramatic form。This is a very epic， epic fantasy。 Glass has created an intricate， complicated world， and the way she pieces everything together to a satisfying end is incredible。 It has been a long time since I read the previous books， and I was afraid I'd be lost as I started this one， but I had no problems whatsoever。 Her writing is that good。 The magic and the worldbuilding here will never cease to fascinate me with its originality and complexity。 However， the characters are really the stars。 The characterizations are deep， and the antagonists are not one-note villains at all， but people you come to respect in some regards even as you hate them。As is fitting for the final book， everything and everyone comes together in a big battle that I read with breathless anxiety。 The ending nails it。 It packs in surprises and rightness all at once。 Such a great ending for a great trilogy。 。。。more
Alysa H。
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** I received a Review Copy of this book via NetGalley **
Wendy
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Three powerful women sacrificed themselves to cast a spell that changed a world。 Women now have control of their reproductive ability。 One damaged angry woman has tried to undo the spell and inadvertently created a monster。 A monster who wants to destroy whoever and whatever he can get his hands on。 Once again， three powerful women must fix things。 A maiden， a mother and a crone will have to face their fears and set aside their desires in order to save their world。Mother of All is a great ending Three powerful women sacrificed themselves to cast a spell that changed a world。 Women now have control of their reproductive ability。 One damaged angry woman has tried to undo the spell and inadvertently created a monster。 A monster who wants to destroy whoever and whatever he can get his hands on。 Once again， three powerful women must fix things。 A maiden， a mother and a crone will have to face their fears and set aside their desires in order to save their world。Mother of All is a great ending to a wonderful， feminist series。 I was sad that the story came to an end。 。。。more
Annemarie Williams
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I love a strong woman， a fighter。 And this book has all the strong， independent world changing women that you could ever want and need！ 💪I loved the first two books and wasn't disappointed with the last。 In a world of men and magic， three women do what they need to do in order to save lives and change the world。And while I like different magical worlds， elements and ways in which you cast spells-I thought that the author could have maybe expanded on the how a little bit。 Sometimes I felt like it I love a strong woman， a fighter。 And this book has all the strong， independent world changing women that you could ever want and need！ 💪I loved the first two books and wasn't disappointed with the last。 In a world of men and magic， three women do what they need to do in order to save lives and change the world。And while I like different magical worlds， elements and ways in which you cast spells-I thought that the author could have maybe expanded on the how a little bit。 Sometimes I felt like it was just always-they worked on spells or cast a spell。 But as this was the only thing I could find fault， I feel like I am nit picking a little。 🤔🤷♀️And I got my satisfying butt kicking ending！ So really what more could I ask for in a great #fantasyreads ？ 。。。more
Jessica Jernigan
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People who have enjoyed the first two books in this series are likely to enjoy this one。 Speaking for myself， I found the first one boring—perversely so， given the intriguing premise。 I was curious to see if the second one might be better， and it was。 This third installment， though， is a grim ordeal if you prefer a story that actually goes somewhere。 There is absolutely no good reason for this book to be more than 600 pages long。 My main issue with this series is how narrow and claustrophobic it People who have enjoyed the first two books in this series are likely to enjoy this one。 Speaking for myself， I found the first one boring—perversely so， given the intriguing premise。 I was curious to see if the second one might be better， and it was。 This third installment， though， is a grim ordeal if you prefer a story that actually goes somewhere。 There is absolutely no good reason for this book to be more than 600 pages long。 My main issue with this series is how narrow and claustrophobic it feels。 The World of Seven Wells is supposed to be experiencing cataclysmic change， but there's almost no sense of drama or action because pretty much the entire novel is composed of repetitive dialogue between the pairs of characters talking in cloistered rooms。 Imagine if the entirety of the Lord of the Rings was Sam and Frodo talking about taking the One Ring to Mordor while sitting in front of Frodo's fireplace while Aragorn and Gandalf have a similar conversation in a back room at the Prancing Pony。 Meanwhile， Merry and Pippin are chatting about something entirely unrelated to the One Ring while enjoying second breakfast and Legolas and Gimli were fretting over a trade deal between elves and dwarves in a comfy study in Rivendell—because there's just a lot of fretting over trade deals in these books。 One way in which Glass is actually like Tolkien is that her invented universe is dryly sexless。 This feels weird in a story in which a magic spell cast over the land means that women only get pregnant and bear children if the want to。 The amount of sex women are not having in these new circumstances is kind of amazing。 Also worth pointing out is that the little sex that does happen is straight。 Authors are under no obligation to have queer characters， but this is a fictional universe in which unwanted women are sent away to abbeys where they're forced to do sex work for men。 The fact that not one single character in this circumstance is shown to even wonder if sex with another woman might be nice is striking。 Also， I found the magical system Glass invents to be overly fussy and， honestly， unmagical。 Watching people work magic in this world is like watching someone mess with a chemistry set or play an overly complicated game with a lot of pieces。 I generally found myself skimming whenever magic was the subject。 。。。more
Constance Marie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m sad that it’s over， but I absolutely LOVED this series and really enjoyed this final book in the Women’s War Trilogy！ I definitely recommend！This third and final volume was a perfect end to the series in my opinion。 I have followed and become so invested in these characters from the first book that it’s hard to see it’s over， but fantastic nonetheless。 Glass has done an amazing job building this world and making these characters worth caring for。 I have to say I love the magic system of this I’m sad that it’s over， but I absolutely LOVED this series and really enjoyed this final book in the Women’s War Trilogy！ I definitely recommend！This third and final volume was a perfect end to the series in my opinion。 I have followed and become so invested in these characters from the first book that it’s hard to see it’s over， but fantastic nonetheless。 Glass has done an amazing job building this world and making these characters worth caring for。 I have to say I love the magic system of this series a lot and even when they don’t think they’re capable of making anything anymore powerful they do。I cried twice， but damn near sobbed at the final ‘oh shit’ moment of this book。 These characters have grown so much and come so far and that final moment between Alys and Del just crushed me。 Del may have been the ‘villain’ in the series， but he was still a character I weirdly liked and his moment at the end really tore me up。 I seriously could not recommend this book / series enough。 It got me out of a reading slump with the first book and I’ve been hooked ever since。 IMO Glass does a great job building the world we’re in and her characters are great。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mother of All
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mother of All&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mother of All&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0