THE WOLF OF OREN-YARO by K.S. Villoso is such a strong start to a fantasy trilogy. It’s full of political intrigue and non-stop action. It’s fast-paced and kept me engaged. There’s lots of twists and turns that kept me actively questioning what I knew, and it was almost like a mystery trying to decipher who is trustworthy in this book and who is not. Queen Taylien is hilarious, complex, and admirable, and seeing her thinking as both a queen and a mother was fascinating.

This book deals with themes of loneliness and loyalty. It also touches upon the treacherous balance of motherhood, marriage, and duty to your people, as well as the double-standards of women in positions of power in comparison to their male counterparts. I’ve already started the second book, The Ikessar Falcon, which is THICC, and I’m excited to see where Queen Taylien’s journey is heading.