The Ikessar Falcon
Length: 640 Pages
Genres: High Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Gore, Death and Threats of Rape (That of a Child)
"I knew I was doomed to pay for them for the rest of time. For if Yeshin's sons had not been killed and he had not been made to march to civil war, I wouldn't have been raised the way I was -- the bearer of everything, his in every way, both sword arm and womb. I would never have been betrothed to Rayyel, never been born. I could deny my shackles, but they would always be a part of who I am. If I had known from the beginning, I would've let them smother me."
The first book in this trilogy by K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-yaro, was one of my favorite fantasy books of 2021, and so I was really excited to sink my teeth into the sequel!
Queen Talyien of Jin-Sayeng can't catch a break. Trapped across the sea in the empire of Ziri-nar-Orxiaro, where enemies lurk around every corner and are only just too happy to see her suffer, she longs to return home to her son, Thanh. Not even her own people seem to want her back -- not one guard has been sent to retrieve their missing queen, and now, there is an embargo on any ships trying to head back home. Luckily (sometimes), she has her disgraced ex-captain (and one-night stand years ago), Agos, and her current captain, Nor, on her side, along with the conman with a heart of gold, Khine Lamang. Together, they get into unimaginable trouble trying to get back to Jin-Sayeng. It is a journey filled with loss and blood, the sting of love, and...dragons, lots and lots of dragons.
The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series has one of the most in-depth and amazing fantasy worlds out there. Based heavily on the author's Filipino culture, it is a breath of fresh air, far away from the standard white European and medieval stand-in we're so used to. The first book in the series was more of an adventure tale, full of fighting and near-escapes, and while this one has that too, it is also a story of politics, of royals who don't know much beyond the breath of their castle, and of two Dragonlords, once lovers and now just man and wife in name, who are only too human. It is also very dark, and I can imagine it would be a series that those waiting on the next Game of Thrones installment would enjoy! Queen Talyien ranks, for me, as one of the best and most complex characters in fantasy today, if not all of current literature.
Long may the Bitch Queen reign!
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