The Daughters of Izdihar

4.5 stars, rounding down to 4 for now.* Let me start with, did I enjoy it? When a book so masterfully shows: 1) the oppression of one group, justified by those in power for reasons of fear and ignorance; 2) the reinforcement of that oppression by the people you love; 3) the internal struggle of the oppressed person to just survive, to be able to work, feed their family, not be killed or harmed, have shelter, with the aching desire to just have choice and live freely - that makes it a very hard and tense read for me. But did I like it? It is a phenomenal and fast-paced work that kept me at the edge of my seat and it had a great mix of politics, power-dynamics, romance, and characters I now deeply care about. So, yes! Well, what's it about? It's a dual POV story set in Alamaxa, where elemental magic is wielded by “weavers,” a woman's life is dictated by her husband or father, and a women's suffrage movement is underway. Not only is weaving debated and feared, especially when the weaver is a woman, by the elected officials, but also by their war-mongering border neighbors. I think folks who are a fan of “Babel,”not for the pacing or writing style, but for the themes and plot, should check out this one.