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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AMAZONBOOK 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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abouttheauthor

 

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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Author Website —https://www.ksvilloso.com/

Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11740784.K_S_Villoso

Instagram — http://instagram.com/kayvilloso

Twitter — http://twitter.com/k_villoso 

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INTL Schedule (The Wolf of Oren-yaro)

 

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Thanks for stopping by lovelies and don’t forget to add this book on your TBR!

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Book Review – Ember Burning (Trinity Forest Series) by Jennifer Alsever

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Hello lovelies! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Today, I’ll be sharing my review for Ember Burning, the first book in the TRINITY FOREST SERIES by JENNIFER ALSEVER. I’ll also be sharing some of my favorite quotes from the book and there’ll be a giveaway later on this week!

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aboutbook

Published: My 6, 2017 by Sawatch Press

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Paperback Format: 348 Pages

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AMAZONBARNES & NOBLEINDIEBOUNDBOOK DEPOSITORY

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Senior year was supposed to be great–that’s what Ember’s friend Maddie promised at the beginning of the year. Instead, Ember TrouvE spends the year drifting in and out of life like a ghost, haunted by her parents’ recent, tragic death.

At home, she pores over her secret obsession: pictures of missing kids– from newspaper articles, from grocery store flyers– that she’s glued inside a spiral notebook. Like her, the people are lost. Like her, she discovers, they had been looking for a way to numb their pain when they disappeared.

When Ember finds herself in Trinity Forest one day, a place locals stay away from at all costs, she befriends a group of teenagers who are out camping. Hanging out with them in the forest tainted with urban legends of witchcraft and strange disappearances, she has more fun than she can remember having. But something isn’t right.

The candy-covered wickedness she finds in Trinity proves to be a great escape, until she discovers she can never go home. Will Ember confront the truth behind her parents’ death, or stay blissfully numb and lose herself to the forest forever?

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 A Wickedly Mesmerizing, Utterly Thrilling, and Deliciously Twisted Tale  

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A hauntingly dark, but beautifully affecting read, Ember Burning by Jennifer Alsever  had me holding my breath until the end.

This book completely consumed me and I finished it in less than 10 hours!!! It was intense, thrilling, twisted, mysterious, and quite disturbing. Actually, some parts were terrifying and/or painful to read, but the storyline was also so incredibly fascinating that I could not put the book down. The plot was well-written, fast-paced, and suspenseful. I love that I never really knew what was going on and couldn’t predict what would happen next. I went through the story as if I was Ember experiencing whatever she felt as she struggled with her own guilt and tried to figure out what was really happening to her. There’s definitely something intoxicating about Trinity Forest and with a cliffhanger like that, I absolutely can’t wait to see what happens in the next two installments.

Alsever’s spellbindingly gorgeous writing style lured me in and never let go. It was wickedly mesmerizing, utterly thrilling and deliciously twisted and I was wonderfully entertained. I enjoyed the unique world-building, the mystery behind Trinity Forest, the supernatural elements, the intriguing characters, and the romance. This book without a doubt exceeded my expectations and I cannot recommend it enough.

If you’re looking for a beautifully written and relatable story about death, pain, guilt, self-discovery, and love with a paranormal twist, then I highly suggest you add this amazing book to your TBR.

Note: There are some trigger scenes in this book, so just be aware that you could read something you may not be comfortable with.

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book which I voluntarily agreed to review. All thoughts, opinions, and feelings are my own.

 

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favoritequotes

A glimmer of sunshine pours through my personal Ember armor and into my heart. Something is happening here, and it’s like I’m waking up from a deep, deep sleep.

 

We’re all broken in some way, beat down, ready to give up. We want a second chance, and Trinity gives that to us.

The kiss sends me spinning, cartwheeling into another world. This is like an out-of-body experience. To open your heart and let someone crawl inside, write their name and take a piece of you. You carry them inside you, you take them with you, you breathe with them. This is what people talk about when they talk about love.

You can’t get so ruled by emotion that you do something you regret.

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GOLD MEDALIST

2018 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS  

Best Young Adult Fiction E-Book

GOLD MEDALIST

2018 MOONBEAM BOOK AWARDS

Best Young Adult Horror/Mystery

QUARTER-FINALIST FOR PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 2017 BOOKLIFE PRIZE

“Excellently plotted, flows well and beautifully written.”
–Publishers Weekly

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abouttheauthor

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A teenager still lives inside author Jennifer Alsever. She spent two decades as a professional journalist, contributing to such publications as Fortune Magazine, the New York Times, Inc Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, before letting her imagination run wild in 2016. The result is Ember’s story told in the three-book Trinity Forest Series, her first published fiction work.

When not absorbed in writing, Alsever enjoys a good hike, doing some yoga, hanging with her boys, some moguls on skis, a rigorous mountain bike ride or indulging in the simple pleasures of life. Her favorites: untouched snow, frozen chocolate chips, savasina on a yoga mat and yes, bowls of pan fried brussels sprouts. Jennifer is working on her upcoming novel to be released in 2019.’

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Thanks for stopping by loves! I hope you enjoyed reading my review for this book and be brave enough to travel into Trinity Forest. sincerelykjologo