Bookish Brews Snapshot
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso
From “a powerful new voice in fantasy” (Kameron Hurley) comes the tale of a queen who must unite her divided land, even if she’s hated by the very people she’s trying to protect.
🗺️ Adventure 💪 Feminist 📚 First in Series 🥀 Flawed Characters
- Genre: Fantasy, Speculative Fiction
Book Review
Stunning, immersive, character driven, full-of-twists, page turner
I’ve had The Wolf of Oren-Yaro on my to read list for quite some time, but I was not ready for the richness of characters that were portrayed in it. This book is beautiful. I was in absolute awe the entire time at the character depth. Not just of Talyien, but every character she interacts with.
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro follows the queen of a fractured nation. Her arranged marriage brought peace to the land, but right before coronation, he disappears. The story opens five years later, when Queen Talyien receives a mysterious letter to from her husband to meet. Talyien travels across the sea, to a nation she doesn’t know, to meet with Reyyel, her husband and the father of her child, to find out what happened.
What I found the most impressive about this book was the characters that Kay Villoso was able to create. This story is told from the first person perspective of Talyien, but somehow she still managed to create depth from each character, despite having only the single viewpoint. It was absolutely stunning. I could see first hand the downfalls of Talyien’s perspective, but at the same time, even though her eyes, I could see things that she missed. Which is an incredible balance that I don’t think most authors are able to master!
Queen Talyien is an incredible character. I don’t say this lightly! She is absolutely one of the best main characters that I have ever read. She has so much depth, and each of her decisions is weighed between the multiple lenses that make her so human. She is a mother, a wife, a queen and a warrior. Each decision she makes is weighed between all pieces of who she is, and each decision makes sense for who she is. She is incredibly clever, but she also has flaws. She is blinded by love, but manages to get out of tough situations with her wit.
This book draws heavily on Filipino characters and influences, and it is done so beautifully. The food is Filipino, the atmosphere is Filipino, and the setting is rich with Filipino influences. It is absolutely incredible to read a book with so much Asian influence, I felt right at home. Though I’m not Filipino, I was so happy to see all of these influences. I absolutely recommend reading reviews on this book by Filipino reviewers.
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro is an incredible, character driven fantasy, that will have you on your toes with the twists and turns. Kay Villoso has written such relatable and human characters, you will be immersed into the story immediately.
Book Aesthetic
