Author: K.S. Villoso
Publisher: Orbit Books
Release Date: 4 May 2021
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Diversity Tag: own voices, authors of color (Filipino author), poc rep (Filipino characters)
Cover artist: Simon Goinard
Content/Trigger Warnings: Ableistic language (not direct, relayed from Yeshin), Death, Cutting of Limbs, Violence Against Children, Threatening Child, Described Blood, Animal Cruelty, Misogyny, Rape (off screen), Emotional Abuse, Lifechanging Injury, Execution, Torture, Mutilation of Corpses, Gore, Probably decapitation (it’s Tali after all)
Synopsis:
The stunning finale to the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen trilogy where the queen of a divided land must unite her people against the enemies who threaten to tear her country apart. K. S. Villoso is a “powerful new voice in fantasy.” (Kameron Hurley)
Queen Talyien is finally home, but dangers she never imagined await her in the shadowed halls of her father’s castle.
War is on the horizon. Her son has been stolen from her, her warlords despise her, and across the sea, a cursed prince threatens her nation with invasion in order to win her hand.
Worse yet, her father’s ancient secrets are dangerous enough to bring Jin Sayeng to ruin. Dark magic tears rifts in the sky, preparing to rain down madness, chaos, and the possibility of setting her nation aflame.
Bearing the brunt of the past and uncertain about her future, Talyien will need to decide between fleeing her shadows or embracing them before the whole world becomes an inferno.
BOOK LINKS: Amazon | B&N | FULLYBOOKED
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Where one problem ended, another one begins.
Have I told you that Queen Talyien’s life is colorful? Yeah, now she’s ready to paint the town red with the heightened tension of revelations and emotions that is The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng. Now we’re back to her own land, finally thank you very much, and if you thought that everything’s going to be just fine now that she’s with her people....WHY?? Why would you think that?? Oren-yaro is teeming with Yeshin’s shadow and crawling with secrets that threatens to undo everything that Talyien thought to be true.
This is not an easy read (although easier in comparison to Ikessar Falcon hahah sorry, I do have that stressful gripe with Ikessar Falcon even though I liked it hahahaaha), but I can promise you that everything that goes into every scene is well thought of and essential to the story. Villoso never puts filler scenes just because she feels like it.
Apart from that, you would really feel that everything that K.S. Villoso writes on paper has meaning and draws from the real world. It would grip you and hook you because it’s a mirror of the world we live in today – not just politically but also, and especially with the toxic familial expectations that have long-term repercussions on the world that they would leave behind for their daughters – especially when the shadow of a man he was still eclipses the person shaping her daughter today. AND DAMN!! The best plot twist to ever happen in Yeshin’s genius mind was his own daughter UGHHHH!!!! Send help, I’m hyperventilating again!!! SOO GOOD.
You know what, there are so many nuances that I would like to tell you... there are so many points but I just finished this literally lalast night and I'm a mess 😠So with that, if you also wanted to have further and more intelligent discussion on this masterpiece, you could go to this review because omg, everything is ON POINT (my reviews are based on emotions, I'm not sorry 😂) and watch our favorite bookclub discuss on this channel, thank you.
My heart is a constricted mess the whole time I was reading The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng but I'm okay. Thankfully I came out of this conclusion satisfied and whole 🥺
One of the things I was afraid of diving into the third and final book of The Bitch Chronicles is that I would not be satisfied (Afraid I may be, but hesitation to pick this up was not in the cards for me bitches. I'm ALL IN). The world is bigger in Ikessar Falcon and I was wondering how the hell would this crazy mess wrap itself up in the most satisfying and best ending possible? Well, in my head there's none but bitch, in K.S. Villoso's brilliant mind, there fucking was!
I ended the second book, The Ikessar Falcon, more frustrated than I was starting it and my initial expectation going into this final book was I would be more tired and frustrated but damn people, my EMOTIONS were all over the place!!! I'm-
Momma Talyien, I'm--
(Just a side note: This book is the perfect mother's day book. Not the first one and not even the second, but THIS. Momma Tali, ever the Filipino representation of a mom, would take all chances if it meant having her son back safe and sound, her safety be damned. Talyien is a mother first, queen second.)
This is the best conclusion to ever grace the face of my kindle. The character arcs and the lack thereof, the character redemptions and the fucking lack thereof, the plot, the theme, the hunger for power, the corruption, the evil of the world, the conclusion, my baby (Khine🥺), the fucking audacity of men, and just EVERYTHING is worth going through Ikessar Falcon for just to get to this ending. I guess you could say I love The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng and this is my favorite among the three now, couldn't you? Yes, I agree.
Now everything below is my emotions typing, okay? There would be minimal spoilers(promise super minimal lang), so if you haven't read the trilogy, continue at your own risk.
CHARACTERS
QUEEN TALYIEN
You know how Talyien grew up with a monster parent yet she never forced anything on her son? Yes, that's the answer! hahahha. lol, what am I saying?? She didn't become the parent her father was and I am crying because of this. I was actually crying at every scenes of Tali as a mother. She literally went through hell and back for her kid (I cried a lot during Tali's labor and then my hear never stopped feeling like it was breaking for the whole duration of the book)
Despite everything that falls on her shoulders as a royal, as a ruler, as a queen, she never once turned her back on her son as other mothers would do just to save her own ass. Queen Talyien is the true definition of what a mother should be ❤️
RAYYEL
The ACIDITY, you asshole.
How dare you made Talyien go through Books 1 and 2 as if you wore condoms while hshusdjxnnd-ing your mistress!!! AS IF YOU'RE A SAINT, MYGOD, RAYYEL!!
Okay, emotions aside, you know I never really liked Rayyel ever, I'm a Khine baby from start to finish. Rayyel's like a walking handsome fuckboy who's not dumb btw (he's actually intelligent, can you believe that??), but in reality, is just a stupid stupid boy?
I'm so angry at you Rayyel piece of trash!
YESHIN
For what it's worth, Yeshin is the true genius here.
I love that this book tackled that there is a wrong way of loving people, that even parents who are expected to give unconditional love have that capacity to love in a toxic and abusive way we thought wasn't possible.
ARRO
Arro was never a big character and there was a time when I questioned if he's real to Tali or not but damn, aside from my baby Khine, Arro is the truest of all the truths to Talyien🥺 Please, I'm crying again just remembering Arro as the true father to Talyien.....
KHINE BABY
Khine, the love of my life. You deserve the world. ❤️
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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