Blog Tour Review – The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso

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Hello bookish friends and welcome to my Blog Tour Stop for The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso hosted by Shealea @ CAFFEINE BOOK TOURS. Be sure the follow the rest of the tour and check out the other amazing tour hosts!

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Header (The Wolf of Oren-yaro)

A queen of a divided land must unite her people, even if they hate her, even if it means stopping a ruin that she helped create. A debut epic fantasy from an exciting new voice.

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The Wolf of Oren-yaro (2020)

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Publisher: Orbit Books

Publication date: 18 February 2020

Genres: Adult, Fantasy

Format: Paperback 494 pages

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AMAZON – BOOK DEPOSITORY

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“I murdered a man and made my husband leave the night before they crowned me.”

Born under the crumbling towers of Oren-yaro, Queen Talyien was the shining jewel and legacy of the bloody War of the Wolves that nearly tore her nation apart. Her upcoming marriage to the son of her father’s rival heralds peaceful days to come.

But his sudden departure before their reign begins fractures the kingdom beyond repair.

Years later, Talyien receives a message, urging her to attend a meeting across the sea. It’s meant to be an effort at reconciliation, but an assassination attempt leaves the queen stranded and desperate to survive in a dangerous land. With no idea who she can trust, she’s on her own as she struggles to fight her way home.

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A Gripping and Thrilling Fantasy Tale

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The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso is a lush, intricate, and gripping fantasy tale that kept me engrossed until the very end.

I really enjoyed exploring this fascinating fantasy world Villoso has created and found myself quite mesmerized at times. The different settings, the world-building, the history of the clans and different cultures, and all the wonderful details made me feel like I was right there with Queen Talyien. The pacing is good and the plot (even though it took me a few chapters to really get into it) is actually pretty amazing. It has action, adventure, mystery, suspense a little humor, some romance and heartbreak (but not too much) and plenty of twists and turns that will keep readers engaged and glued to the pages. I also really like the flashbacks and learning what happened in the past. By the halfway mark, I was definitely more excited and incredibly eager to see where the story would go and how it would all end.

I really liked the characters and thought they’re all quite interesting and likable in their own ways. I enjoyed following Talyien on her journey and seeing her determination and strength was quite inspiring. It was exciting to see her rise and overcome so many obstacles as she tries to save her kingdom. She’s complex, flawed, fierce, smart, and just the type of heroine who you’ll root for even though she’s made mistakes. I don’t know much about King Rayyel to decide whether I like him or not, but by the end, I can say that I don’t despise him at all. There is so much more to his story and character development so hopefully the next book will be in his POV or at least some parts of it. Now, if there is one character that is just so charming and fun, that would be Khine. I absolutely adored him with all my heart and can say that he’s my favorite character. I really loved getting to know him and I enjoyed all the scenes with him so I really hope he gets his own POV too.

All in all, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso is an interesting and thrilling fantasy story with plenty of intrigue, action, mystery, betrayals, twists and turns. And with that ending, I’ll definitely be back for the sequel!

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the author and publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review and for participating in the blog tour hosted by CAFFEINE BOOK TOURS. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Author photo (K.S. Villoso)

K.S. Villoso was born in a dank hospital on an afternoon in Albay, Philippines, and things have generally been okay since then. After spending most of her childhood in a slum area in Taguig (where she dodged death-defying traffic, ate questionable food, and fell into open-pit sewers more often than one ought to), she and her family immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, where they spent the better part of two decades trying to chase the North American Dream. She is now living amidst the forest and mountains with her family, children, and dogs in Anmore, BC.

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