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mandkips's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Torture
Moderate: Sexual violence, Racism, and Xenophobia
madarauchiha's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡 ❤️
I'll suspend a lit of belief but this is just not making much sense. So the lady kills a dude and her fiance ditches her before the wedding. But they're still somehow married legally despite his absence at the ceremony. Then five years layer he asks to meet with her and she agrees. Butshes legally the queen so why is she going to him? Hes not even emperor or king. Also people refuse to house her on her travels. Is she not the queen? Also she says shes learn to be queen for five years and a princess for twenty years. Why is she going to restaurants and ordering things? She has servants for that. And why, despite her claiming to be feared and despised, she isn't. Not really. She gets flustered and repelled by seeing public torture as punishment of crimes even though her own kingdom supposedly does that?? I am running out of leeway. Also why the fuck does she care about her would be husband? He ditched her five years ago, get over it already. How are there three books of this.
Oh also while traveling to the restaurant she got separated from her guards and had a diversion playing bartering games with a shopkeeper. What the fuck was the point of that scene.
This is stupid as fuck. I want to slap the author for how godawful this plot is. How are you going to declare the mc is a cunty mean evil bitch and not have her be any of that. And according to reviews she simply doesn't become any of that in the second book. And I'm sure as fuck not reading the third book.
The plot is basically survive being near this man, then this man, then another man. Etc etc. I genuinely wonder if someone is buying five star reviews. Like... Who enjoyed this....
▪ the women spoke to me behind fans, coyly suggesting how lucky I was that I could at least look forward to my wedding night. A jibe at my father, I think…I didn’t need someone else reminding me that my mother was forced to marry an ailing man five times her age while I “only” got rayyel, who was young and handsome.
Ok george r r martin, calm it down. Between the whorephobic sex slavery trafficking house scene and the repeat pedophilia I forgot why I started writing that note in my moonreader app but I'll let it stand as is.
▪ that marked the last conversation of our first night together. He entered me, finding no barrier. He wasn’t surprised. I had ridden horses all my life.
I.... A hymen isn't a brick wall.... Wha... Even the sex scenes are boring! Lord help me. Minaread on youtube was right to be let down by this book. I should've listened to her. I stopped reading at chaptr 8 and skipped to chapter 22. I didn't miss anything, frankly.
content warnings, incomplete:
minor gambling, rape, pregnancy, pedophilia, child brides, murder, gore,
medium unsanitary,
major torture, murder, gore, death, violence, marital infidelity
I'll suspend a lit of belief but this is just not making much sense. So the lady kills a dude and her fiance ditches her before the wedding. But they're still somehow married legally despite his absence at the ceremony. Then five years layer he asks to meet with her and she agrees. But
Oh also while traveling
This is stupid as fuck. I want to slap the author for how godawful this plot is. How are you going to declare the mc is a cunty mean evil bitch and not have her be any of that. And according to reviews she simply doesn't become any of that in the second book. And I'm sure as fuck not reading the third book.
The plot is basically survive being
Ok george r r martin, calm it down. Between the whorephobic
I.... A hymen isn't a brick wall.... Wha... Even the sex scenes are boring! Lord help me. Minaread on youtube was right to be let down by this book. I should've listened to her. I stopped reading at chaptr 8 and skipped to chapter 22. I didn't miss anything, frankly.
content warnings, incomplete:
minor gambling, rape, pregnancy, pedophilia, child brides, murder, gore,
medium unsanitary,
major torture, murder, gore, death, violence, marital infidelity
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking
genny's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I went into this thinking it was set in precolonial Philippines, but this is more like a fantasy world with Filipino flavor; if I wasn't consciously looking for them, I might not have picked up on some of the references. While fantasy settings are just that - fantasy - I admit that I still wanted a bit more depth from the world. Perhaps it's because the majority of the story doesn't take place in Oren-Yaro, and so I felt as Talyien did - a foreigner in a strange land, never truly welcome. Plenty of readers gush about the worldbuilding, though, so maybe that's just me.
That aside, I actually like Talyien, and I could understand her desperate bid to reunite with Rayyel. She basically spends the entire book running around and escaping from shitty men; for a long time it felt like there was no solid plot, just her trying to survive. It all came together at the end, but the reveals felt rushed. I really want to fall in love with a Filipino-inspired fantasy so I will continue with the series. I've heard that the sequels are better, so I'm optimistic!
That aside, I actually like Talyien, and I could understand her desperate bid to reunite with Rayyel. She basically spends the entire book running around and escaping from shitty men; for a long time it felt like there was no solid plot, just her trying to survive. It all came together at the end, but the reveals felt rushed. I really want to fall in love with a Filipino-inspired fantasy so I will continue with the series. I've heard that the sequels are better, so I'm optimistic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Murder, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
marioncromb's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Medical content, and Sexual assault
willowy's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Wolf of Oren-yaro by K.S. Villoso
Length: 496 Pages
Genres: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
"They called me the Bitch Queen, the she-wolf, because I murdered a man and exiled my king the night before they crowned me."
Guys, I'm seriously thwacking myself over the head for not picking this up sooner. Ever since I first spied that powerful cover and saw that this series was called The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, I've been meaning to get around to it, but like with many (many) things in my life, I got side-tracked. Enter the Asian Readathon, which gave me the perfect incentive for trying out this book!
Queen Talyien is so stranger to hardship. Born during a civil war which nearly tore her country apart, her betrothal to her enemy's heir, Lord Rayyel, is the way to fabled peace her people have wanted for so long. However, two years into their marriage, Rayyel walks away, without a word, without a Crown, and without their son, Prince Thanh. Talyien rules as the one and only Queen of Jin-Sayeng, and she does it with an iron fist. When word comes that her husband, now gone for five years, wishes to meet with her in the bustling and dangerous city of Anzhao, she jumps at the opportunity to unite her Kingdom, and to make amends with man she has always loved.
Unfortunately for her, there are more nefarious minds at work, and an assassination attempt leaves her separated from her guards, her most trusted advisor dead, and her husband missing. Thrust into the underbelly of a seedy and thankless city, Talyien makes few friends and many enemies, and lets a few heads roll along the way.
I absolutely adored Queen Talyien, who was both tough and intelligent, yet incredibly naïve, with a girl's heart still hidden beneath her tough exterior. To me, first person POV is the hardest to get right, and Villoso does it with such ease, with such sincerity, that I really believed I was talking to Bitch Queen herself throughout the book. I also loved seeing a fantasy world not inspired by Western culture. K.S. Villoso is Filipina herself, and the world of The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen is based on The Philippines pre-Colonization. If you love fantasy, with a healthy does of blood, political intrigue, and a badass heroine, run -- don't walk -- to your nearest bookstore to buy The Wolf of Oren-yaro!
For more reviews visit my blog!
Length: 496 Pages
Genres: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
"They called me the Bitch Queen, the she-wolf, because I murdered a man and exiled my king the night before they crowned me."
Guys, I'm seriously thwacking myself over the head for not picking this up sooner. Ever since I first spied that powerful cover and saw that this series was called The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, I've been meaning to get around to it, but like with many (many) things in my life, I got side-tracked. Enter the Asian Readathon, which gave me the perfect incentive for trying out this book!
Queen Talyien is so stranger to hardship. Born during a civil war which nearly tore her country apart, her betrothal to her enemy's heir, Lord Rayyel, is the way to fabled peace her people have wanted for so long. However, two years into their marriage, Rayyel walks away, without a word, without a Crown, and without their son, Prince Thanh. Talyien rules as the one and only Queen of Jin-Sayeng, and she does it with an iron fist. When word comes that her husband, now gone for five years, wishes to meet with her in the bustling and dangerous city of Anzhao, she jumps at the opportunity to unite her Kingdom, and to make amends with man she has always loved.
Unfortunately for her, there are more nefarious minds at work, and an assassination attempt leaves her separated from her guards, her most trusted advisor dead, and her husband missing. Thrust into the underbelly of a seedy and thankless city, Talyien makes few friends and many enemies, and lets a few heads roll along the way.
I absolutely adored Queen Talyien, who was both tough and intelligent, yet incredibly naïve, with a girl's heart still hidden beneath her tough exterior. To me, first person POV is the hardest to get right, and Villoso does it with such ease, with such sincerity, that I really believed I was talking to Bitch Queen herself throughout the book. I also loved seeing a fantasy world not inspired by Western culture. K.S. Villoso is Filipina herself, and the world of The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen is based on The Philippines pre-Colonization. If you love fantasy, with a healthy does of blood, political intrigue, and a badass heroine, run -- don't walk -- to your nearest bookstore to buy The Wolf of Oren-yaro!
For more reviews visit my blog!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor Threats of Rapebooksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
THE WOLF OF OREN-YARO begins with a queen journeying to meet her estranged husband, then abruptly transforms into a flight from assassins and a struggle just to survive in a strange land where her name means nothing.
The world-building is excellent, with just the right combination of novelty and repetition to introduce and then reinforce ideas and details throughout the story without any one section feeling like infodumping. The convoluted machinations involved appeared at first to be simple, then were gradually questioned and complicated until the final reveal makes things suddenly make sense in a really cool way. While the politics matter, the heart of the story is how Talyien interacts with the ordinary people that she's around for the first time in her life, and what choices she makes under each new and trying circumstance. My favorite individual scenes were the scams, because I love heists, and my favorite secondary character is Khine. I love the way that he and Talyien build this friendship without feeling like the narrative is pushing them together romantically. He has his own baggage, she's literally trying to track down and possibly reconcile with her husband, and they just work really well as characters whenever they're in scenes together. It's either genuinely a platonic friendship or the slowest of slow burn romances, and either way it bodes well for the rest of the trilogy. As for Talyien herself, she's a fantastic narrator. While I was firmly on team "Rayyel isn't worth it" from the start of the book, I understand why she makes the choices she does even if they're definitely not the ones I would make.
I'm definitely interested in seeing where the rest of this series goes. It was a stressful read in places due to imminent danger to characters I like, and very good overall.
The world-building is excellent, with just the right combination of novelty and repetition to introduce and then reinforce ideas and details throughout the story without any one section feeling like infodumping. The convoluted machinations involved appeared at first to be simple, then were gradually questioned and complicated until the final reveal makes things suddenly make sense in a really cool way. While the politics matter, the heart of the story is how Talyien interacts with the ordinary people that she's around for the first time in her life, and what choices she makes under each new and trying circumstance. My favorite individual scenes were the scams, because I love heists, and my favorite secondary character is Khine. I love the way that he and Talyien build this friendship without feeling like the narrative is pushing them together romantically. He has his own baggage, she's literally trying to track down and possibly reconcile with her husband, and they just work really well as characters whenever they're in scenes together. It's either genuinely a platonic friendship or the slowest of slow burn romances, and either way it bodes well for the rest of the trilogy. As for Talyien herself, she's a fantastic narrator. While I was firmly on team "Rayyel isn't worth it" from the start of the book, I understand why she makes the choices she does even if they're definitely not the ones I would make.
I'm definitely interested in seeing where the rest of this series goes. It was a stressful read in places due to imminent danger to characters I like, and very good overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, and Xenophobia
Minor: Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Rape
CW for sexism (graphic), misogyny (graphic), racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, grief, confinement (graphic), blood (graphic), attempted rape/sexual violence, violence (graphic), torture, murder, animal death, parental death (backstory), suicide, major character death, death.jackbifrost's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
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