As a reader who is highly intimidated with anything that is not YA fantasy, I am highly impressed at how the mere genre that I am running away from is trying to catch up to me (and hey, I'm not complaining, and I ain't running anymore). I totally found them intricate, insightful, and even only with subtle romance (which I'm a real sucker for), HIGHLY interesting. I am HIGHLY, highly impressed.
Title: The Wolf of Oren-Yaro (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen#1)
Author: K.S. Villoso
Release Date: 18th February 2020 (Originally Published 5th April 2018)
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Synopsis from Goodreads:
A queen of a divided land must unite her people, even if they hate her, even if it means stopping a ruin that she helped create. A debut epic fantasy from an exciting new voice.
"I murdered a man and made my husband leave the night before they crowned me."
Born under the crumbling towers of Oren-yaro, Queen Talyien was the shining jewel and legacy of the bloody War of the Wolves that nearly tore her nation apart. Her upcoming marriage to the son of her father's rival heralds peaceful days to come.
But his sudden departure before their reign begins fractures the kingdom beyond repair.
Years later, Talyien receives a message, urging her to attend a meeting across the sea. It's meant to be an effort at reconciliation, but an assassination attempt leaves the queen stranded and desperate to survive in a dangerous land. With no idea who she can trust, she's on her own as she struggles to fight her way home.
*I received an e-copy of this book along with the e-arc of the 2nd book in preparation for the #DethroneTheDragonlordPH book tour hosted by Caffeine Book Tours.
PLOT & WORLD BUILDING
Honestly, I got lost in all of the names of the city and up until now I am still confused about the countries or cities or empire. Although, in my defense, the world-building is not the strong aspect of this book as compared with character building, and hopefully, development, so I just took note of where they were and can't really remember what country that city was in. It was all so fuzzy.
World building was not the strongest pursuit for me, but one of the many things I love about this book is the way the story is told. It's not difficult, as how I found other high fantasies to be, and it is not boxed in a single story line. There was a distinct goal but the way to get there is forked and snakes through a never-ending winding road. The non-linear story telling of The Wolf of Oren-yaro is something that I admired the most when I look back on it.
For real, I don't know how anyone can NOT ENJOY this book and not ask for more. Personally, this book attacks close to home, with all the struggles that the characters have to go through and what they represent considering their gender and status in the society.
We have a female protagonist struggling to hold everything together. Her land is being torn apart and people judge her for not being able to carry the weight of her duties. Her family's broken, nobody in the court trusts (and vice versa) or even listens to her and nobody in her land acknowledges her as a queen.
Imagine reversing the roles. Imagine a man sitting on that throne with no wife beside him while ruling his land? Would the sneering faces of judgemental people be present? Oh lord no, because everything a man does is worshipped and acknowledged as he do what he did because it has to be done, and that sucks!
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro shows you the struggles of a woman in a patriarchal society, and so much more. It shows you a real bad ass female that also have weaknesses and internal struggles, and that's what we're here for. It shows you a man who will never be judged for his actions. It will show you a person with HUUUUGE potential but a victim of circumstance and can never get out of the bottomless pit of poverty. Now what more can you ask for, really?
*I didn't immediately pick up the next book because it is mentally taxing for me to read the struggles that Talyien went through and will continue to go through in the next book. I don't know if I'll ever be ready but I gotta get back to Khine!*
CHARACTERS
The book is character-centric and the exploration of all characters is enough but not yet enough so you would come seeking for the next book for more, because there's still so much more to cover.
QUEEN TALYIEN
For the whole duration of the book, we were in Queen Talyien's POV. We saw her struggles, we saw the conflict inside her head, and we saw how she sees the world and the people around her. Through her journey of "saving" her husband, she was faced with conspiracies; her enemies are everywhere and she felt that she could trust no one, thus feeling alone in all that she does.
Talyien grew up with people with plastered smiles on their faces and people bowing their heads unable to meet her eyes. There was no in between (Well, except for Agos), so when stuck with the unfamiliar, she got to discover the world outside of her not so glamorous life, and as much as this first book gave me enough, there's still more for Queen Talyien and I'm craving for it!
RAYYEL
Rayyel is the true portrayal of Taylor Swift's "The Man". Everything he does can easily be swept under the rug and he'd still be worshipped. I don't know, I really hate Rayyel in this book, but I feel like book 1 did not really go in depth of who he is so I am smelling a character redemption on the next book? I have no idea. I am excited for that, but as of now... Rayyel can go fork himself.
KHINE
At first I was really skeptical about a con-artist trying to help out a stranger, let alone a woman, and not think of getting something in return. Well, okay, Talyien helped Khine in conning an old man for huge amount of money, so I guess that would mean they have bonded over a con operation?
Yes, like Talyien, I found it really hard to trust Khine and I had to keep on questioning his motives but then again, as the story progressed, I had to see him beyond the different masks that he presents to the world. Khine wasn't really a bad guy. Circumstances have led him to his current state, and it's a common thing that happens in society - to the eldest of the family in particular. It is a responsibility that falls on their shoulders whether they want to or not, because it is carved out in the society that the burden should never be carried by their siblings. Although what is really different in Khine's circumstance was, he had an opportunity but not all roads are well paved for everyone. Some have to through hell and back to get to their own success.
I would love to see more of Khine on the next book. I want to see him succeed, and maybe I also just want him to be with Talyien hehe. I just think that he deserves to achieve his dreams.... my baby Khine :(
AGOS
Agos was a mystery for the most part of this book and I kind of hurt for him, except when he looks down on my baby Khine *arggh don't touch my babe!*. Well, I understand where he's coming from so I really can't hate him that much and apart from that, I am sooo curious about what happened between Talyien and her. OMG.
Okay, I have nothing more to say about Agos because that's all he is to me... a history that I need to unfold. *Agh! harsh!*
Now go, what the hell's still keeping you from picking this book up?
ABOUT THE AUTHORK.S. Villoso was born in a dank hospital on an afternoon in Albay, Philippines, and things have generally been okay since then. After spending most of her childhood in a slum area in Taguig (where she dodged death-defying traffic, ate questionable food, and fell into open-pit sewers more often than one ought to), she and her family immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, where they spent the better part of two decades trying to chase the North American Dream. She is now living amidst the forest and mountains with her family, children, and dogs in Anmore, BC.
