Last Updated on December 20, 2022 by ThoughtsStained
It has been such an honor to participate in the blog tour for The Ikessar Falcon by K.S. Villoso, the sequel to The Wolf of Oren-Yaro, hosted by Caffeine Book Tours!
While I enjoyed the first book in the series, this book absolutely blew me away. The hype is real. This is a series you should be supporting, if you’re a fan of epic fantasy.
An ARC copy was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Book Info
Publisher: Orbit Books | Release Date: September 2020 | Pages: 640
Age Range: Adult | Genre: Fantasy | Format: Paperback | Source: ARC
The Bitch Queen returns in The Ikessar Falcon, the action-packed sequel to K. S. Villoso’s acclaimed fantasy debut, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro.
Abandoned by her people, Queen Talyien’s quest takes a turn for the worse as she stumbles upon a plot deeper and more sinister than she could have ever imagined, one that will displace her king and see her son dead. The road home beckons, strewn with a tangled web of deceit and unimaginable horrors – creatures from the dark, mad dragons and men with hearts hungry for power.
To save her land, Talyien must confront the myth others have built around her: Warlord Yeshin’s daughter, symbol of peace, warrior and queen and everything she could never be.
The price for failure is steep. Her friends are few. And a nation carved by a murderer can only be destined for war.
On the Page
Referenced
Minor
Content warnings are written up by me, unless specified. Subject to being an incomplete list, though guided by referencing this list and trying to highlight as many as I can identify.
Review
Likes
- TENSION. I thought the first book did an amazing job of increasing the tension and constantly making you more worried about what is going to happen next. After reading this, it almost feels like child’s play, for The Ikessar Falcon pulls back on no punches. In fact, it’s almost as if you’re expecting a punch and instead, you get a sword rammed through your core. It’s shocking, it’s painful and yet, just when you think it can’t get any worse? Hello pain, my old friend. Masterclass in tension, honestly.
- The shock value. I’m not the best at predicting what is going to happen next, even during the obvious moments. But, even if I had such a talent, I don’t think I would have felt that way in terms of the plot of this story.
- The intricacy. I love not only how intensely the plot develops, but how even the most minute and seemingly innocent details and hints actually have importance to the main narrative. It’s that kind of intricacy that takes this novel to the next level.
- The character development. With how well-written the characters were from the first book, it isn’t surprising that I formed distinct opinions on each of them. And yet, as the characters grew and we spent more time with them, I found some of those opinions shifting, while others solidified.
- My respect for Tali grew, as well as Nor.
- Khine will forever have my heart–and continue to break it.
- Lo Bahn surprised me, in good ways.
- Rai…remains complicated (which is surprising, given the level of hatred I had for him at the end of Oren-Yaro).
- A character-who-cannot-be-named disgusts me as much as I have to be impressed by their schemes.
- Oh, and I dislike Agos. Quite a bit. I don’t think I’m meant to, necessarily, so…oops?
Dislikes
- Nothing. I honestly cannot think of a single thing. This book takes off with a bang and doesn’t slow down. The writing itself is fantastic, the characters fleshed out and put in the worst situations, the plot is shocking and intense, I mean…what more can you want from a novel?
Rating
So, no surprise that I rated this 5 out of 5 stars. Some authors worry about suffering from second-book syndrome. K.S. Villoso has no reason to. I loved The Ikessar Falcon even more than I did the first.
Thank you so much again to Caffeine Tours for the opportunity to join on the blog tour! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the tour and to purchase yourself a copy of this book, when it comes out on the 22nd!
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I’m so unprepared for when this lands in my audiobook library
Jo, I am DYING to hear your thoughts.
omgosh the character development element was such an amazing component of the story! i struggled a bit to feel really connected to tali with the first book but the second book just fleshed out her character so much for me it played a huge role in how invested i was in the story!
YES, Riv, you nailed that! I felt the exact same way in the first book, but I was really floored at the character development in this sequel, for multiple characters, but especially Tali!
Let me just say, that ending was completely uncalled for *bawled* this book was glorious but so painful! I’m way too excited for book three! I love your blog design btw!
What is it about these amazing books (coughK.S.VillosoandR.F.Kuangcough) having to be so painful?! I am stoked for the third book, though! Aw, thank you so much! I am in love with it! It was designed by Kat @ Novels and Waffles!