The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

I have fallen back into my own trap. After making some headway into my 2021 TBR, I have fallen behind again. However, this is more of a reflection on how busy (and lazy) I have been and not on this monster from KS Villoso – one of my favourite reads of recent years. In fact, I enjoyed this so much that I powered through (by my standards) the whole series. One more thing, this book has a ton of stuff going on, despite being told in the first person, and I am not going to cover everything here. Let us begin.

Talyien, our hero, is the queen of Oren-Yaro, a nation that almost fell apart when she murdered her father. When her impending marriage also collapsed, she struggles to maintain her hold over Oren-Yaro, as warring lords seek to take her place, concerned a mere woman cannot keep the country great. When she goes in search of her husband only to fall foul of an assassination attempt, everything Talyien believed is thrown into chaos. Yes, you may have heard this story before, but not told like this.

I dare you not to root for Talyien. Sure she makes some boneheaded mistakes, but her courage, her inner strength and her sheer will to do what it takes is outshone only by her love for her son. There is no easy way here. Talyien takes a thorough beating throughout, both physically and mentally, yet somehow always seems to come out on top. Let’s be honest, it would be a short book if she didn’t. After the assassination attempt, she finds herself alone in a foreign city – imagine living in a palace all of your life and then finding yourself stuck on the streets of (insert big city here). Along the way, she meets both friend and foe, but their motivations aren’t really revealed until the last book, so keep guessing through this one. It’s a compelling read from start to finish and there are umpteen twists and turns to keep you off track. 

The world-building is fantastic. The settings have an Asian feel. The names and the descriptions of cities and other lands all add authenticity. Oh, and there are dragons. While magic is forbidden in Oren-Yaro, it is rife outside its boundaries and plays a big part throughout the series. The characters are terrific, definitely the high point of the book, and while there are de facto bad guys, none are panto villain bad and many are actually likeable. Of course, in this book, they might not even be villains by the end. While this would be considered epic fantasy, it is definitely dark and gritty too, which may impact some readers’ enjoyment (and enhance others). 

To sum it up, a great first book in a great series. I consider it a must-read for fans of gritty epic fantasy.