Title: Hands of the Morri
Author: Heather K. O'Malley
Publication Date: October 10, 2023
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Female
Hands of the Morri is a truly wondrous book. It's a rollicking fantasy novel, a strong tale of feminism and feminine friendship, a sweet romance, and a very different coming-of-age story. There's magic and mythology, sweeping action scenes, and a clever narration trick that I'll say more about in a moment. Heather K. O'Malley drops us deep into her world, holding back some answers or insights until we're a few chapters in, and while that unsettled me a bit and had me wondering what I was reading, I quickly came to appreciate her narrative approach.
What drew me to the story was the promise of a young man abused because of his gender, who joins up with an all-female group of warriors, and who comes to be recognized as a Lost Sister. Female-fronted epic fantasy with a transgender protagonist? Sign me up! That said, I was initially disappointed in how the story approached the transgender angle, almost feeling as if it were glossed over, disregarding the experience of struggling with your gender, until we got the acknowledgment I was looking for:
This change and the time spent becoming her new self had broken free long forgotten memories as a little, running about the village, trying on a friend's dress and declaring that she was a girl...But she was found now, in the skin she should have always worn, more whole by the day.
Not only does O'Malley address the gender issue, but she makes it significant without falling into the trap of making this a story about gender. I loved the idea of Lost Sisters, the aspect of being touched by the Goddess, and loved even more that women like Asche were wholly accepted and embraced by the Hands. That simplicity speaks volumes.
The other thing that unsettled me a bit at first was the clever narration trick I mentioned, making a raven named Nibs a POV character. It made for some awkward reading initially, but the more we settled into the story, and the more of a character Nibs became, the more I loved it. His bond with Asche is integral to the story, and watching them learn and grow together is a delight. He's used for comic relief at times, no doubt, but never at his expense - he's a companion, a friend, and a hero, and the Hands embrace him as easily and enthusiastically as they do Lost Sisters.
As for this being a feminist story, it is indeed feminist to its very core, but never in an overbearing or preachy way. This is a story about women in a man's world, following a Goddess in a world of Gods, who follow a traditionally feminine purpose in protecting the weak and wounded, but who do so in the traditionally masculine role of warriors. It's not so much that the story subverts or challenges gender roles and gender norms as it simply disregards them. Oh, sure, it acknowledges the sexist arrogance of men who underestimate women, thinking of them in terms of objects, but the women aren't looking to prove men wrong, they're simply living life as they choose.
A pleasant surprise that grew on me more and more with each chapter, Hands of the Morri is a fantastic read that I hope is only the first of many in this world. I need more Asche and Nibs in my life!
Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀
My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review
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