bayneful's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship, Suicide, War, Torture, Abortion, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
danzibooks's review against another edition
5.0
Wowowowow this book DESTROYED me.
Shoutout to Jess and Mich for putting up with my reactions!
Shoutout to Jess and Mich for putting up with my reactions!
aerith's review
2.0
I liked the first book in this series quite a bit, but this one was really frustrating for a couple of main reasons:
Reason One: oh boy, did this book need a harsh editor. You could easily cut it down by about 200 pages and still have the same story, but less of the same repetitive references to her father, how people don't like her, how she has a duty to fulfill, etc. This, plus the fact that this book is 80% wandering around in different areas while she tries to get back home, made the story really drag on for me.
Reason Two: I hate Agos with a fiery passion and he is in this book so. much. I find him unbearable. He sucks, but the biggest problem is that he doesn't even suck in an interesting way, he's just there constantly. Every scene that he is in becomes immediately worse.
Although I would kind of like to know what happens in the third book, I don't really want to read another 600 pages if it's anything like this one, so I guess I'll just have to find a summary to read before I commit.
Reason One: oh boy, did this book need a harsh editor. You could easily cut it down by about 200 pages and still have the same story, but less of the same repetitive references to her father, how people don't like her, how she has a duty to fulfill, etc. This, plus the fact that this book is 80% wandering around in different areas while she tries to get back home, made the story really drag on for me.
Reason Two: I hate Agos with a fiery passion and he is in this book so. much. I find him unbearable. He sucks, but the biggest problem is that he doesn't even suck in an interesting way, he's just there constantly. Every scene that he is in becomes immediately worse.
Although I would kind of like to know what happens in the third book, I don't really want to read another 600 pages if it's anything like this one, so I guess I'll just have to find a summary to read before I commit.
thepaperreels's review against another edition
5.0
Reviewing K.S. Villoso's Chronicles of the Bitch Queen is both hard and easy. Easy because even though I finished the book few days ago and sitting now, writing this and looking at the cover, I can still easily l feel the atmosphere of the whole book and all of the emotions that it brought to me. But on the other hand, hard, because I'm having trouble typing down those emotions to let you all know what this book really made me feel. I guess this whole paragraph already say something. I will have to say right away that I'm not a huge fantasy reader, reading this, I have a very limited knowledge of what books should I compare it to if I was a fantasy junkie. The thing is, I'm happy that I am not at all that because starting now, The Bitch Chronicles will be my standard and any epic fantasy book after this need to be either twice as good or at least close to its amazingness.
I read The Wolf of Oren-Yaro for a week and was so grateful that I had the sequel right away. The Ikessar Falcon has a recap or a dedicated chapter that summarizes the first book so even though your case will be different from mine, it will not be difficult to catch up. At the first book, we went with Tali as she finds her husband as she thought this act will bring peace to her nation, and at the second book we find if that alone will be enough.
First thing of the many things I want to praise from this novel is how lyrical, readable and gripping KS Villoso's writing is. A whole chapter of talking about Queen Talyiens thoughts is already enough to know how much of a talented author K.S. Villoso is. She will make you think and also help you process the prose she wrote. The writing alone IS ENOUGH for you to pick up this book.
Chronicles of the Bitch Queen is also one of the most character centric series I've ever read. I really have no words how astonishing Talyien's character development was. The main character is self aware of how flawed she is and the readers will not forget that as well as this is what Talyien is known for. A bitch queen. Going back to praising K.S. Villoso's writing, it really was amazing that we get to see how the bitch queen acts AND why. We get to understand that her actions was done in a certain why and that every words uttered by her has a reasoning behind it and the author gave us every bit of the logical explanation needed. A powerful queen with an intellectual and yet learning mind, what is not to like?
Although Talyien is my favorite character, I can't possibly miss out commending how fleshed out every secondary characters were as well, especially Khine and Talyiens own father, Warlord Yeshin. They all have interesting backstories, useful roles and all of them leaves a mark. One of the best thing that will ever happen to you in reading a book is probably when you end up loving and caring and engrossed with each and every character. Even the villain who is written for us to hate leaves me breathless. The maniac is written is such a compelling way you can't help but shake your head slowly while trying to think ahead of this character.
The plot of Chronicles of the Bitch Queen is not really simple. But hang in there because that doesn’t mean it will keep you from enjoying the book. It’s actually the opposite. See, Chronicles of the Bitch Queen has clans, rich history, a scary and wonderful world, and never ending wars and The Ikessar Falcon is like a crack that you will inhale because of those reasons. The politics in Talyien's world is breathtaking. Its rotten and its gripping and as a Filipino reader, it made me swell with pride that there are tons of parallelism with Asian politics and that the whole book is written in an Asian culture backdrop. With a genre like Epic Fantasy it's so easy to just drop the book and say, ‘been there, read that‘ so as a reader, a book has to have something that sinks into the reader that makes it hard to let go. And as weird as this sounds, TALYIEN's world IS hard let go. Its a terrible world and its enthralling.
The romance was slow burn… scorching… to die for. It was full of intrigue, desire and mistrust. Its the kind of romance that will break your heart but still, leaves it with hope and FEELS. You can say that it can be complicated but the thing about the romance in Talyien's world, as little as it is, is that even just the slightest scene with the main character and love interest you're rooting for is profound and unforgettable.
I cannot recommend this book enough and I can't wait for its conclusion. Waiting is almost painful. I have so many things to say, so many words to write because my heart is just bursting with love for this book. But I will just tell you this: this is the epic fantasy you're looking for! K.S. VIllosos’ writing was always visual, so close at hand it is searing! The Ikessar Falcon is a sequel that will captivate you with its furious and excellent pacing, it will not let you go. If somebody wants a stay-up-all-night kind of book that will leave them breathless? Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series will always be at the tip of my tounge!
I read The Wolf of Oren-Yaro for a week and was so grateful that I had the sequel right away. The Ikessar Falcon has a recap or a dedicated chapter that summarizes the first book so even though your case will be different from mine, it will not be difficult to catch up. At the first book, we went with Tali as she finds her husband as she thought this act will bring peace to her nation, and at the second book we find if that alone will be enough.
First thing of the many things I want to praise from this novel is how lyrical, readable and gripping KS Villoso's writing is. A whole chapter of talking about Queen Talyiens thoughts is already enough to know how much of a talented author K.S. Villoso is. She will make you think and also help you process the prose she wrote. The writing alone IS ENOUGH for you to pick up this book.
Chronicles of the Bitch Queen is also one of the most character centric series I've ever read. I really have no words how astonishing Talyien's character development was. The main character is self aware of how flawed she is and the readers will not forget that as well as this is what Talyien is known for. A bitch queen. Going back to praising K.S. Villoso's writing, it really was amazing that we get to see how the bitch queen acts AND why. We get to understand that her actions was done in a certain why and that every words uttered by her has a reasoning behind it and the author gave us every bit of the logical explanation needed. A powerful queen with an intellectual and yet learning mind, what is not to like?
Although Talyien is my favorite character, I can't possibly miss out commending how fleshed out every secondary characters were as well, especially Khine and Talyiens own father, Warlord Yeshin. They all have interesting backstories, useful roles and all of them leaves a mark. One of the best thing that will ever happen to you in reading a book is probably when you end up loving and caring and engrossed with each and every character. Even the villain who is written for us to hate leaves me breathless. The maniac is written is such a compelling way you can't help but shake your head slowly while trying to think ahead of this character.
The plot of Chronicles of the Bitch Queen is not really simple. But hang in there because that doesn’t mean it will keep you from enjoying the book. It’s actually the opposite. See, Chronicles of the Bitch Queen has clans, rich history, a scary and wonderful world, and never ending wars and The Ikessar Falcon is like a crack that you will inhale because of those reasons. The politics in Talyien's world is breathtaking. Its rotten and its gripping and as a Filipino reader, it made me swell with pride that there are tons of parallelism with Asian politics and that the whole book is written in an Asian culture backdrop. With a genre like Epic Fantasy it's so easy to just drop the book and say, ‘been there, read that‘ so as a reader, a book has to have something that sinks into the reader that makes it hard to let go. And as weird as this sounds, TALYIEN's world IS hard let go. Its a terrible world and its enthralling.
The romance was slow burn… scorching… to die for. It was full of intrigue, desire and mistrust. Its the kind of romance that will break your heart but still, leaves it with hope and FEELS. You can say that it can be complicated but the thing about the romance in Talyien's world, as little as it is, is that even just the slightest scene with the main character and love interest you're rooting for is profound and unforgettable.
I cannot recommend this book enough and I can't wait for its conclusion. Waiting is almost painful. I have so many things to say, so many words to write because my heart is just bursting with love for this book. But I will just tell you this: this is the epic fantasy you're looking for! K.S. VIllosos’ writing was always visual, so close at hand it is searing! The Ikessar Falcon is a sequel that will captivate you with its furious and excellent pacing, it will not let you go. If somebody wants a stay-up-all-night kind of book that will leave them breathless? Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series will always be at the tip of my tounge!
yukigom's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.0
writingwwolves's review
5.0
How does one write a short review about a book that you love as much as I love this series??? Well apparently you leave it for days & then still don’t have any idea what to write!
I slipped back into Chronicles of The Bitch Queen instantly & it was like I’d never been away from Tali; the opening recap made it even easier to fall into a sequel I’ve been super excited about & as I kept reading I just became more & more hooked. Villoso does something incredible by creating books that are plot-led & character-led, by things/people that don’t even feature on the page very often. Villoso’s books drag you in & refuse to let go, & it’s impossible to predict what’s coming next. Tali is one of my favourite ever protags & the events of this series are entirely their own. I’m obsessed with this series & can’t wait for book three (seriously, that ending was fucking wild)!
⚠️ This book contains lots of bloody/gory violence, sex, murder, corpses/‘zombies’, threats to children (violent, murder & rape), exploitation, poverty, death of a parent, mass drowning, attempted sexual assault & light surgery scenes ⚠️
Extended Review to follow.
I slipped back into Chronicles of The Bitch Queen instantly & it was like I’d never been away from Tali; the opening recap made it even easier to fall into a sequel I’ve been super excited about & as I kept reading I just became more & more hooked. Villoso does something incredible by creating books that are plot-led & character-led, by things/people that don’t even feature on the page very often. Villoso’s books drag you in & refuse to let go, & it’s impossible to predict what’s coming next. Tali is one of my favourite ever protags & the events of this series are entirely their own. I’m obsessed with this series & can’t wait for book three (seriously, that ending was fucking wild)!
⚠️ This book contains lots of bloody/gory violence, sex, murder, corpses/‘zombies’, threats to children (violent, murder & rape), exploitation, poverty, death of a parent, mass drowning, attempted sexual assault & light surgery scenes ⚠️
Extended Review to follow.
birte's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
stormlyte's review
4.0
While The Ikessar Falcon is not perfect or consistent, it is undeniably one of the best fantasy books that explores human nature.
The characters, especially Talyien, are incredibly flawed and the decisions she makes are not always rational. She is not terribly smart or cunning. Her choices leads to so much complications, she hurts so many people and she doesn't pretend to fight for the greater good. No, at it's core, The Ikkessar Falcon is about a mother fighting to save her son while her choices and their consequences batter her life apart.
Because Talyien is not just a mother, she's a queen stranded in a foreign kingdom, without allies or help from her own broken land. She must survive, fight and save her son and her land while dealing with men who seek to use her as a figurehead, as a chess piece in their own machinations.
Not a traditional piece of writing but incredible on its own right. Looking forward to seeing how things wrap up in The Dragon Of Jin Sayeng!
The characters, especially Talyien, are incredibly flawed and the decisions she makes are not always rational. She is not terribly smart or cunning. Her choices leads to so much complications, she hurts so many people and she doesn't pretend to fight for the greater good. No, at it's core, The Ikkessar Falcon is about a mother fighting to save her son while her choices and their consequences batter her life apart.
Because Talyien is not just a mother, she's a queen stranded in a foreign kingdom, without allies or help from her own broken land. She must survive, fight and save her son and her land while dealing with men who seek to use her as a figurehead, as a chess piece in their own machinations.
Not a traditional piece of writing but incredible on its own right. Looking forward to seeing how things wrap up in The Dragon Of Jin Sayeng!
midnarose's review
the character really pissed me off , and the plot was getting out of hand
maybe ill eventually try and finish the last 100-150 pg but as i haven't pick the book back up for 9 months it is time to move on
maybe ill eventually try and finish the last 100-150 pg but as i haven't pick the book back up for 9 months it is time to move on
shelovestoread's review
Finally slayed this BEAST! it took me forever. But I finally did it!