K. S. Villoso

DNF @57 pages.
I’m sorry, but where is the bad bitch Queen who murdered a dude before her wedding??

All I read about was a weak Queen who tolerates utter disrespect, and makes stupid political and personal decisions because she is simping after her piece of shit ex.
The scene where she gets lost in a village and is asking randoms for help who insult her and then goes and drinks from a dirty fountain and gets robbed was so painful - did she even really kill that guy? I doubt it.

You can’t show more just say “she’s a badass and ruthless” and then show her acting like a kicked puppy. show less

There was really nothing I enjoyed about this book. Character - the protagonist is unlikable and unsympathetic, she's a trainwreck of bad decisions, impetuousness and cluelessness. There's only one likable side character, and he sticks around for unclear reasons (I would think honour had been exhausted when he put his family at risk for the protagonist). There aren't any juicy villains - in fact, the villian is deeply unclear for nearly the whole book. Speaking of which, the plot/writing - show more Villoso seems to think that obscuring motivations and what's actually happening behind vague statements for basically the entire book is a brilliant piece of craft, and I'm afraid I just can't agree with that decision. I was basically wondering why I should care for ... the entire book. And when all was revealed at the end, I was horrified at just how tawdry it all was, feeling betrayed that I gave away hours of my life for something so cheap. Finally, worldbuilding - the writing made the world feel like you were seeing something real through a foggy window. I felt it was substantive, but I could never see it clearly (except for exquisite descriptions of the food, which does not an entire world make). I regret finishing this book. show less

This review and others are found on my website https://jethplain.com

None of it mattered. My duties were far from over. A wolf of Oren-yaro fights to make it right, down to the last breath. A wolf of Oren-yaro does not beg. A wolf of Oren-yaro suffers in silence.

I received an Advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I got interested in the book when I read one of my Goodreads friend’s review about it. The story had qualities that I like; Fantasy, A strong female lead, and show more touches of Asian culture. I was also hoping that it wouldn’t fall into my usual bane for strong female protagonists. The type whose strength falls sort of empty, like they were created just for the sake of simply having a female lead. But Tali or Queen Talyien for us commoners lest we risk losing our heads, is thankfully not that, she strong without overdoing it. She’s trained to fight and rule but it won’t make her defeat 5 armed men and solve the nation’s mess that she inherited in just a week or month, it’s realistic. She’s beset and outsmarted by enemies and falls into one trap to another. A smart, sarcastic, resourceful character who despite all this, is quite gullible and she may not admit it but is driven in the hopes of reconciling with her absentee husband who walked out on her the very day of their coronation.

Like many, I was curious as to why? I had many theories myself, but the author made the reading experience enjoyable. There was no dull moment. You could tell that nothing was going to be easy for the Queen and there were plot twists and a number of really interesting characters that I would find myself flipping the next page hoping I’d learn more about them. Told in the first person by Talyien herself as if you’re sitting on a mat right next to a warm fire as she recollects her experiences. I initially thought that it might be a fantasy-ya book but I was wrong, the plot is mature with adult complications. The world building is set as the story progresses with Jin-Sayeng reminding me of feudal Japan with warlords and their armies and states. There’s a touch of magic too! Crazed dragons and crumbling dragon towers used by the past powerful Dragonlords rulers of Jin-Sayeng to control them, the Agan a fabric that separates their world from the underworld and Mages who uses their affinity to create infrastructures in the Ziri-nar-Oxiaro Empire across the sea ,whose ways are ahead of Jin-Sayeng and where our lead journeys to meet her husband only to fall on various unfortunate events.

I was left wanting to learn more and looking forward to the next book. I can’t wait to see Queen Talyien rising from her ashes. If you’re someone who enjoys a book with several interesting characters and plot line set in a world with a feudal Asian feel, then this is for you. show less

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro is my latest buddy read with my friend Kat =]! It has been so interesting to have an older female main character who has a child and is still every bit of a badass as you’d want from a fantasy protagonist. But, she also has her weaknesses, such as letting love blind her and not seeing things which should have been plain until it was too late because of it. Queen Talyien (Tali) would do anything for the sake of her kingdom and her son, and when conspiracies come show more together to keep her away from both, she fights with all she has to get back. She may be more alone than she ever has been and in an enemy land, but this turn of events only serves to strengthen her determination and reveal those who are truly loyal.

One of my favorite parts about this book is Tali’s character development. At the beginning of the book she has only ruled for 5 years and those years have mostly been trying to stave off the warlords from starting another war. And she has had to do it all on her own, as her father and brothers have died and her husband left right before being coronated. On top of this, she has a young son and there are challenges to her right to rule from left and right. As she gets thrown into the desperate circumstances later in the book though, she is finally able to look more closely within and figure out what her duties are, what she wants, and how those two things intertwine.

I also love books with good plot twists! And without giving anything away, I’m just going to say that this one has some good twists!

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro: 4/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ show less