Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng by K.S. Villoso, The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He, & We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

 

May is packed with releases, which means we are once again going to be featuring three books each week for Can't-Wait Wednesday because one or two are simply not enough. :)

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng (Chronicles of the Bitch Quuen #3) by K.S. Villoso
Publication: May 4th, 2021

Orbit

Paperback. 448 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"The stunning finale to the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen trilogy where the queen of a divided land must unite her people against the enemies who threaten to tear her country apart. K. S. Villoso is a "powerful new voice in fantasy." (Kameron Hurley)

 

Queen Talyien is finally home, but dangers she never imagined await her in the shadowed halls of her father's castle.

 

War is on the horizon. Her son has been stolen from her, her warlords despise her, and across the sea, a cursed prince threatens her nation with invasion in order to win her hand.

 

Worse yet, her father's ancient secrets are dangerous enough to bring Jin Sayeng to ruin. Dark magic tears rifts in the sky, preparing to rain down madness, chaos, and the possibility of setting her nation aflame.

 

Bearing the brunt of the past and uncertain about her future, Talyien will need to decide between fleeing her shadows or embracing them before the whole world becomes an inferno."

I'm not sure what to say about this other than: I'm so excited to find out how Villoso is going to wrap up this incredible and unpredictable trilogy! I've really been enjoying this series and I'm glad I'll get a chance to pick up the finale soon. :)

and...

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

Publication: May 4th, 2021

Roaring Brook Press

Hardcover. 384 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay. Determined to find her, Cee devotes her days to building a boat from junk parts scavenged inland, doing everything in her power to survive until the day she gets off the island and reunites with her sister.

 

In a world apart, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara is also living a life of isolation. The eco-city she calls home is one of eight levitating around the world, built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. With natural disasters on the rise due to climate change, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter. Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey, an introvert and loner, doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her sister Celia hated it. Popular and lovable, Celia much preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return.

 

Now it’s been three months since Celia’s disappearance, and Kasey has given up hope. Logic says that her sister must be dead. But as the public decries her stance, she starts to second guess herself and decides to retrace Celia’s last steps. Where they’ll lead her, she does not know. Her sister was full of secrets. But Kasey has a secret of her own."

I'm not usually a big fan of people on covers, but since the moment I saw this cover I was absolutely enraptured by it and it's pretty much what made me have to know what it was about--and I think it sounds like an amazing story, also!

and...

We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker

Publication: May 11th, 2021

Berkley Books

Paperback. 368 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Everybody's getting one. 

Val and Julie just want what's best for their kids, David and Sophie. So when teenage son David comes home one day asking for a Pilot, a new brain implant to help with school, they reluctantly agree. This is the future, after all. 

Soon, Julie feels mounting pressure at work to get a Pilot to keep pace with her colleagues, leaving Val and Sophie part of the shrinking minority of people without the device. 

Before long, the implications are clear, for the family and society: get a Pilot or get left behind. With government subsidies and no downside, why would anyone refuse? And how do you stop a technology once it's everywhere? Those are the questions Sophie and her anti-Pilot movement rise up to answer, even if it puts them up against the Pilot's powerful manufacturer and pits Sophie against the people she loves most."

I'm honestly ever-so-slightly hesitant about this one simply because this feels very similar in premise to other books I've read, but I did  enjoy Pinsker's A Song for a New Day and I have high hopes that she can do something cool with this one! It's definitely a premise I'm drawn to and I can't wait to have a chance to check it out!

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Review: The Ikessar Falcon (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen #2) by K.S. Villoso

The Ikessar Falcon (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen #2) by K.S. Villoso 

Orbit

Publication Date: September 22nd, 2020

Paperback. 640 pages

About The Ikessar Falcon:

"The stunning sequel to The Wolf of Oren-yaro where the queen of a divided land struggles to unite her people. Even if they despise her. K. S. Villoso is a "powerful new voice in fantasy." (Kameron Hurley) 

The spiral to madness begins with a single push. Abandoned by her people, Queen Talyien's quest takes a turn for the worst 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 impossible horrors that unearth the nation's true troubles - 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 of failure is steep. Her friends are few. And a nation carved by a murderer can only be destined for war."

If you haven't read book one, you can find my review here. I read book one back in 2019, so I was concerned about forgetting things--never fear, Villoso has a recap at the beginning of the book! I love that more and more authors are beginning to do this, but I also still wish more would start including these recaps because they are invaluable.

I enjoyed The Wolf of Oren-Yaro back when I read it, but I definitely had some reservations by the end and knew that the sequel would be the make or break for continuing the series. Fortunately, The Ikessar Falcon completely swayed me and won me over because it was a stunning sequel (and I think it may have even made me like The Wolf of Oren-Yaro more, also)! This is also one of those series where I feel like any form of detail has the potential to be a spoiler in one form or another, so I'm going to try to keep my review from mentioning any specific plot points or character beats.

The Ikessar Falcon picks up not long after the intense ending from the first book and we are thrown right back into the midst of the lies, political upheaval, distrust, and essential chaos from the first book. The general goal of book two is to get Queen Talyien back to her people and, most importantly, her son in Jin-Sayeng. Of course, this is not nearly as easy as it may appear, and there are a number of obstacles that get into Tali's way as she attempts to hold onto her power and protect those she cares about.

Tali has definitely becomes a more compelling and interesting character for me with this second installment, and I think it's in this book where she really gains a backbone and comes into her own as a leader. Her development from the first book until now as well as over the course of this book are so carefully and brilliantly done. You can really see watch how Tali, as a rather brash and rather unlikable character, begins to think and consider more about herself, her rule, her people and kingdom, and those around her. I mentioned in my review for the first book that one of my favorite things was the strong narrative voice of Tali, and that remains just as strong and important in this book as in the first--and remains a compelling storytelling component.

And as much as I enjoyed following Tali through The Ikessar Falcon, I also immensely appreciated getting to know and revisit many of the secondary characters as well, especially Khine and Argos. Tali's husband, of course, continues to absolutely drive me to crazy, which I think is intended. I want to like him for some reason and appreciate his own strategic ideas, but there are just too many things that irritate me and at this point to allow any inkling of caring about that man.

This is very much a character-focused fantasy series thus far, which Villoso executes beautifully. There is also endless scheming, plots, and twists, so I can promise that you won't get bored with this book because of the plot. Despite the character focus, the plot has also really expanded in scope and meaning overall, which I think is also what made this such a strong sequel. It's not as though Villoso is just continuing the storyline from the first book, but rather that she is adding to every aspect in the perfect increments to keep interest piqued. Some authors try to add to sequels and miss the mark, but Villoso executes this near-flawlessly. And although we got to explore a lot of world-building in the first book, I feel the sequel has just opened everything up so much more. Not only do we get more of Tali, but we get to see more of this world and better understand all of the turning machinations that make it a messy moving reality. 

 I realize this review has been a bit vague, but trust me when I say that this is an incredible follow-up to a unique fantasy that I think brings a lot to the fantasy book community.  There's something about this series that feel fresh and unlike much of the other fantasy that I usually read, which is always a nice addition. Overall, it's 4.25 stars from me! I can't wait for the third and final book in the trilogy, The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng, out May 4th!

 *I received a copy of The Ikessar Falcon courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*   

Buy the book: Amazon | IndieBound

Review: The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro (Chronicles of a Bitch Queen, #1) by K.S. Villoso
Orbit

Publication Date: February 18th, 2020

Paperback.  496 pages

About The Wolf of Oren-Yaro:

"'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."

This book was so different from other fantasy books and I've been really struggling to figure out how to capture it in a review. It's harsh and cruel and unforgiving and also weirdly captivating--much like our protagonist! I read this book back in September (which is also when I wrote the bulk of this review--don't want to forget things!) so I've had some time to sit and think about this book, and I still feel completely unsure how to rate it. Part of me was frustrated by the characters and plots, but another part of me was completely impressed by Villoso's unexpected world and decision to put such an unlikable person as her protagonist in a way that completely paid off.

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro follows main character Queen Talyien, or, as she's more affectionately and accurately dubbed, the Bitch Queen. When a series is titled "Chronicles of a Bitch-Queen," I expect a pretty hard-ass, intense character, and that's true of Talyien's personality for the most part. However, I also expected to like her a bit more than I did, because as it is I had a really hard time getting behind her many confusing decisions and nearly impossible to understand personality, which made it hard for me to enjoy this book as much as I know I could have. The confusing part for me, however, is that I was still weirdly hooked on her story and interested in knowing how it would turn, which to me is credit to Villoso's talent for writing a compelling story that knows just how to capture the reader's attention while also creating some very unique and strong-willed characters.

The world-building in The World of Oren-Yaro is impressive and took me by surprise. It's a very full world, and by that I mean it felt as though all the necessary corners and backgrounds in any setting were given adequate explanation that really let me feel as though I could imagine each scene in a vivid manner. I also appreciated how much many of these settings reflected the actions and characters of the novels, such as with some more bleak and/or violent settings that fit with some of the current situations and plot. The plot itself is sort of on the slower side and I felt this book was a little more focused on characters than action-heavy plot--which is fine with me--but it did leave me constantly wondering where this story was going to go, which I'm not sure I fully enjoyed.

I think one of the biggest strengths of this book is easily Villoso's strong narrative voice. If this book had been written in any other style or any way with even a little less personality and strength, I do not think I would've enjoyed or finished this book. Because of Villoso's voice, I was able to find myself becoming very engaged with the story and even the characters, despite my feelings about them, and I was constantly curious to keep turning the pages and see what new, unpredictable direction this story would take us in--and it definitely took us in some unexpected places! The ending was easily one of the most redeeming qualities of this book and has left me curious to see what the rest of this series will bring.

Overall, I think it's 3.5 stars from me. I'm almost at 3.75, but I have to acknowledge the struggles I had with some of the plot and characters and how much those did make it difficult to get into this book, so that's why I've ended up where I am. If you like to try new things and appreciate some unlikable characters, then I encourage you to give The Wolf of Oren-Yaro a try!

*I received a copy of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro courtesy of Orbit books in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating of the novel.*

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