A Brother's Price, by Wen Spencer

[keilexandra]

A Brother's Price
by Wen Spencer (wen_spencer)
310 pages (paperback)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Romance

What an amazing book! I wouldn't have stumbled upon it at all if Wen Spencer had not been an Alpha guest author this year. I started reading the first page in the car coming home from the library, and I didn't put it down until the last page at 9PM.

The story is set in a plausibly matriarchal society, a world dominated by women where the rare boy is treasured--and also valued property, to be sold for a brother's price or swapped for his sisters' new husband. Polygamy is necessarily highlighted, and everything clicks together. And this novel is strikingly similar to my own WIP. I admit that I skimmed the descriptions in my hurry to continue reading the plot, but that's just a personal bad habit. The worldbuilding is beyond excellent, and although I caught the foreshadowing early on and guessed the two most important plot twists, I was still desperate to keep reading. When everything resolves, I cheer because Jerin has earned the ending.

I also love the Whistler family, though I wish their neighbors the Brindles were more developed. Just the world premise--matriarchal society, successful polygamy--would have led me to read this novel; compelling characters, intriguing plot, and realistic worldbuilding is like whipped cream on top of a mango tart. (Make that whipped cream and freshly picked peaches.)

A Brother's Price is going on my favorites and buy list--the latter is extremely selective. Needless to say, recommended to everyone and their brother (bad pun intended) with special emphasis for aspiring fantasy writers and anyone interested in feminism. When I meet Ms. Spencer next month, I'll (hopefully work up the courage to) ask her two things: one, her signature on my copy of the book; two, could she possibly consider writing a sequel about Eldie, or anything else set in the same world? Pretty please?

ETA: People seem to either love or hate this book. Or somewhere in between. For perspective:
- nonspoilery review on whileaway
- spoilery review by the same person as above
- inkylj's review
- lpsmith's review

Comments

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

There's a post on this book up on [Bad username or site: whileaway</i @ livejournal.com], if you're interested. (Not very positive, though.)

[keilexandra]

Interesting point of view, which I do agree with in part. I commented over at the entry.

[inkylj.livejournal.com]

If you're looking for more reviews of this to read, lpsmith and I both wrote reviews a while back (here and here). I think we were both more in your camp wrt the book than in the whileaway one.