The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

I was very neutral towards most of this book. Liked some parts, disliked some parts. I wasn't a fan of the main character. She's just so very incompetent for being known as “The Bitch Queen”. None of her guards or allies respects her whatsoever, and to be honest she does nothing to command any respect. Khine is a good character but waaaaay too forgiving for the shit she put him through. Rayyel had no redeeming qualities whatsoever in the flashbacks and it makes no sense that she was so head over heels for him (and to be fair, yes, love is blind, but nothing in the characterization for both convinced me on why she felt that strongly about him).

It's technically touted as being character-driven but ehhhhh. There's a lot of focus on character stuff but the events set in motion don't always make sense from their character's point of view, which makes it more plot driven than anything. (The Yuebek plan, I mean.. what?) I really thought I would like this because I found the first chapter very promising. It felt introspective and a bit Hobb-inspired to me, but it went downhill after that.

I first rated this book 4 stars, because Talyien was such a frustrating character to follow, but after letting it sit for a night, I was able to think about the book in its entirety more and not just about how I felt about Talyien.

This Southeast/East Asian-inspired story was such a comforting read for me, despite the harrowing details of Zorheng City and other scarring events in the book. Seeing the Filipino culture woven into the woldbuilding and the characters really made this an enjoyable read to relate to.

The characters are all wonderful in that they are all so human. I think that's one of the reasons why I was so frustrated with Talyien. I expected her to be this perfect, unapologetic, and fearless leader with zero mistakes. In reality, she's unapologetic but she definitely made a bunch of mistakes in the book and I really had to put myself in her shoes and think, “I mean I probably would've made that mistake too.” She has such a huge heart and we get to see her journey develop into something so much more than just being the bitch queen.

is this the right time to say: men aint shit

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro's main protagonist - Talyien - was not what I was expecting, especially due to the book's summary and series title (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen). I figured she would be this badass woman capable of fighting and at least slightly heartless or headstrong or a fist iron ruler. That's not what I got, albeit I did like that she was indeed capable of fighting, but not unrealistically so. 
Yes, Talyien can defeat people, but it depends on the number of people against her, her and her opponents' weapons, etc. 
As for personality-wise, I was expecting more. I saw little of her being a “bitch”. I also wished she was stronger in that department. Because she is not, she makes questionable decisions (although understandable but at times frustrating) and holds her tongue and sword (lol) for some people that should just drop dead (in my opinion of course hehe). 
What ended up “bothering” me was that the entire plot revolved around her husband's leave 5 years ago the night before their coronation and her almost inability to cope with it. First of all, Rayyel (the husband) was the biggest ass; second of all, in the end, we find out the reason why he made that decision and let me just tell you... it is dumb. Seriously, I could no even wrap my head around it.
All that being said, I did enjoy this book, albeit not as much as I wanted. Despite the length, the book was a quick read, entertaining, and introduces us to some interesting characters that will hopefully appear in the next installment and be further fleshed out. There's also a lot of food descriptions which I highly enjoyed. I plan on reading the second book.

I had a certain curiosity about this one - a lot of people have been talking it up online. I was also intrigued regarding the author being Filipino - my significant other is half Filipino but I have not read much (if any) literature. There is definitely an Asian flavour to the writing, which creates a nice fresh feel to the fantasy world that is being built here.

The series title ‘Chronicle of the Bitch Queen' is both very clever and slightly misleading. The story here is very much about a female leader trying to live in a mans world. How often do we here women in positions of power get referred to as ‘bitch'? It is way to often. This series title definitely takes that and uses it. Honestly, there is nothing especially bitchy about the main character. She is a woman trying to get heard and do what is best for her country and her son. As is so often sadly true in real life she ends up being labelled by men that she is a bitch. This title lets her own it though. It almost becomes something of an empowerment.

Ultimately I was very impressed by this debut. It was well written, original and clever. I can see why it got the hype. I need to try more Filipino fantasy!

I tried reading this. About 20 pages in, it's ridiculous. A million names and places and just... imaginary words, really, they mean nothing, it's info-dumpy and impossible to remember who is who and which nation does what. Very bad writing, I can't read this. I absolutely hate it when authors think creating a world with depth is just making up a gazillion names the reader won't remember anyway because it makes no sense and means nothing.

Bitch, Queen, whore, warrior, wife, and mother: In The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso, Talyien aren dar Orenar is all of these and so much more.

K.S Villoso's debut novel and the first novel of the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series introduces us to the protagonist and all-around badass Talyien. Talyien is the Queen. Her longtime betrothed, Rayyel, the Ikessar heir, whom she married to unite the warring clans of her homeland, has left her and disappeared. Now she bears the burden of monarchy solely. Alone and facing warlords who would love to see her fail and take her throne from her, Tali must survive and hold her country together.

Five years have passed since Rae left; Talyien has struggled and fought to hold her homeland together. It is a battle every day to keep the predators of rival clan warlords away from her and her young son. Taylien receives a letter from Rayyel out of nowhere. He asks if they can meet. Taylien is hoping for reconciliation for the sake of the ruling throne. She quietly sets out for this clandestine meeting, leaving her young son behind in the care of family members.

“Even after I became Queen, the rumors continued. I was powerless to stop them. I should have been more, they said. More feminine. Subtle, the sort of woman who could hide my jibes behind a well-timed titter. I could have taken the womanly arts, learned to write poetry or brew a decent cup of tea or embroider something that didn't have my blood on it, and found ways to better please my man. Instead, Rayyel Ikessar would rather throw away the title of Dragonlord, king of Jin-Sayeng, than stay married to me.”

What transpires on this journey to this meeting and afterward is exciting and chaotic. Assassination attempts, kidnapping, fights, and great characters, Tali is in a foreign land with foreign adversaries pulling strings behind the scenes. She doesn't understand much of the language or customs, and after the assassination attempt, Tali is alone.

She has to survive on her wits and wiles.

One of Villoso's strengths is her ability to set a scene. The lighting, the sky, the food: she covers it all and paints with the world with a colorful brush. You can practically feel what her characters are wandering through. Especially the food, I happen to think that food is one of the driving forces behind understanding a culture. It is central to gathering and feasting, it is the most important thing and can denote great fortune. Adding in descriptions of the sumptuousness of one lands cuisine versus the bland nature of another can help a reader understand the cultures better.

“They called me “bitch,” the she-wolf because I murdered a man and made my husband leave the night before they crowned me.”

Coupled with the worldbuilding, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro is a tremendous character-driven narrative. At no point in the story did I not know who Talyien aren dar Orenar was a person. Same for the characters around her. I might not have known all their motives and trickery, but I got a good sense of who they were as people. For instance, Talyien is a character that is weary of her duties, but she is duty-bound and honorable down to the core of her soul. She is hard on the outside. That is necessary and fitting for her survival as Queen, but inside she is somewhat naive. Rayyel, her would-be king, is charming and scholarly. We see the descriptions of who Rayyel is through the eyes of Talyien, as the story progresses and changes, her perceptions of him change and mature.

The pacing of this story does not stop. We are moving moment to moment, fight scene to fight scene constantly. It does not get overwhelming, but this is an intense story. There are moments of introspection, moments to take our breath, but they are so brief that it is almost as if they didn't happen. I think that is a tool that Villoso is utilizing to show how quickly this story is evolving. There isn't much introspection because there is no time for meditation. We have murdering and spying to do.

“Perhaps, when you love less, it is easier not to let the emptiness become a cavern from which you could no longer see the sun.”

One of the excellent character dynamics of the story is between Tali and Khine. Khine is a swindler con-artist that assists Tali at the beginning of the book when she got separated from her group. Nothing is free, and Tali had to help Khine with the swindling of a mark. She does so, and a great friendship is born. Their scenes, even though most often took place while fighting or running, added a light levity and banter to the story.

A few times, I was even chanting Team Khine and screw Rae.

Overall, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro has been one hell of a fun ride. It is emotional, full of danger, loyalty, betrayal. It had plot twists, twists on twists, and for once, a kick-ass female character that was also a mom. All of this combined with an energetic and emotional group of characters that you become invested in rather early, and you have one thrill-ride of a novel. I highly recommend it, and I can't wait for the next one.

What this novel does get right, though, is the characterisation. Talyien is an absolutely fascinating character to read about ??? her stubbornness is a trait I find both admirable and exasperating at turns, and it???s clear that she has had to be that stubborn because of what has happened in her life and how she was raised. To be sure, she is not as good a person as some readers might want her to be, but that is why I like her: she does not pretend to be anything but human. She gets jealous, she can be petty, and she can be more than a little oblivious to those around her. She gets herself into trouble because she makes remarkably stupid decisions, and she does things before thinking them through (the main reason why I face-palmed a lot while reading this book). But at the core of it all, she wants to be a good mother to her son, a good ruler to her people, and if she is given the chance, a good wife to her husband. She does what she does because she wants to be worthy of what she has been given, because she wants to do her duty as best as she can. If she is shortsighted and makes terrible decisions, well??? What person has not ever been shortsighted or made terrible decisions?

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-Fa

The author was kind enough to provide me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

K.S. Villoso's greatest strengths are her characters and her worldbuilding. The Wolf of Oren-yaro is reminiscent of the works of authors such as Robin Hobb and Kate Elliot. If you like fast-paced books full of action and intrigue, this is for you.

Talyien aren dar Orenar was betrothed to the Ikessar heir, Rayyel, from birth. Their marriage was meant to heal the nation that was nearly torn apart by Talyien's father's war. However, on the eve of their coronation, Rayyel suddenly left without a word.

Five years later, tensions are rising among the warlords of Jin-Sayeng. Talyien receives a message from Rayyel urging her to travel across the sea to meet him in a foreign land. An assassination attempt interrupts Talyien's chance at reconciliation with Rayyel, forcing her to survive in a hostile land.

Talyien must enlist the help of a con-artist to help her save her husband—assuming he wasn't responsible for the assassination attempt in the first place. The story is full of intrigue, and minor scenes end up playing an important role later on.

A good portion of the book takes place in Jin-Sayeng, a nation once ruled by mighty dragon-riding warlords. The dragons have now mostly left, but the warlords remain. They're kept in check by the rule of Queen Talyien of the Oren-yaro, daughter of the great warlord who nearly tore Jin-Sayeng apart.

The bulk of the story takes place in the Empire of Ziri-nar-Orxiaro, which lies across the sea from Jin-Sayeng. Relations between Jin-Sayeng and the empire are rocky at best, especially since the empire practices the agan, a forbidden form of magic.

One of the most interesting aspects of this setting is how the author blends her own Filipino culture into the world, setting this story apart from the many books inspired by Western European culture.

Villoso juggles a cast of morally gray characters without straying into the realm of grimdark. Each character is complex and flawed, feeling like a real person with their own hopes and desires.

The book is written in first person, with easily-digestible prose. That's not to say that the prose is simplistic, but Villoso manages to work in the richly imaginative history of her world without putting the story on hold.

The pacing makes the book hard to put down. There are no filler scenes; every scene serves to advance the plot or reveal critical information about important characters.

The book does take a little while to get into, especially if you've never read a Villoso book before. The author doesn't ease you into the world, dropping you into a fully-formed fantasy culture and expecting you to figure things out.

Overall, The Wolf of Oren-yaro was a highly enjoyable read, and I'm expecting it to mark the launch of a fantastic new trilogy.

Review from The Coffee Archives