The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng

Chronicles of the Bitch Queen #3

by K.S. Villoso

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.

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Adult, High Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Dragons, Romance

693 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2021

About the author

I write character-driven epic fantasy with huge doses of horror, angst, and frustratingly tangled character relationships. You can read more about my work at my website:

http://www.ksvilloso.com

__

K.S. Villoso was born in a dank hospital on an afternoon in Albay, Philippines, and things have generally been okay since then. After spending most of her childhood in a slum area in Taguig (where she dodged death-defying traffic, ate questionable food, and fell into open-pit sewers more often than one ought to), she and her family immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, where they spent the better part of two decades trying to chase the North American Dream. She is now living amidst the forest and mountains with her family, children, and dogs in Anmore, BC.

Reviews

[Shealea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just kidding. This last installment completely destroyed me. I can’t wait for it to ruin other readers’ lives.

Actual rating (5 stars obviously) and review to follow.

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

6/14/21

A FULL 5 STARS. And a very late review. Oops!

Back in 2019, I joined Caffeine Tours for their The Wolf of Oren-Yaro blog tour, and I was so, so excited to join them a second time for the series finale! Thank you so much to Shealea of Caffeine Tours and Orbit Books for providing me with a free copy of this ARC as part of my participation for this tour. All thoughts here are my own.

[Click here to see the whole article on my blog]

The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng has cemented The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen as one of my favorite Adult fantasy series of all time.

I don’t even know where to begin. If you want to see my live (spoiler-free) reactions, you check my Instagram (@theseviciousdelights). But an actual review?

We need a moment.

More than anything, I am astounded by the complexity that Villoso has weaved into this book. I came in wanting answers to my plot questions (will my fave characters be okay? Will they survive? How will they defeat the villain?) but I came away with so much more. This finale was an endless parade of heartbreak, philosophy, and gut-punching revelations.

Everything reaches a tipping point in this novel. The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng is about facing the mistakes of history and forcing change, no matter how it makes you bleed, so you can march onto a brighter future. It says that we have had enough of complicity, enough of greed and mediocrity, enough of running away from our problems. Am I being strangely philosophical? Well, that’s the point. Villoso no longer hides how her story is both entertainment and an apt metaphor for our world, or perhaps more accurately, the Philippines.

But even without all of that, it’s still an amazing fantasy finale.

First, the plot. This one combines the usual action-packed war and dragons with court fantasy politics and endless scheming. If you want to be shocked by plot twists, then you won’t be disappointed. I legitimately did not know what would happen next… and I loved it. All I knew was that my heart hurt for Tali, and I wanted her to finally succeed. Or more aptly, find some happiness.

The character development is also off the charts. I don’t understand how I came from hating Rayyel with the intensity of thinking “I will cut his d*ck off” in Book 1 and now… being fond of him. Tali is further humanized in this one, because you finally understand how helpless she is despite her position as queen. You see how much she cares. She loves her country, her people, her father, her family. She loves Rayyel and Khine and every other ally with her. But what does a woman with so much love in her heart do when the world does not love her back?

Queen Tali is definitely one of the most iconic female protagonists to come out of Adult fantasy.

If you came in looking for more romance, you won’t be disappointed either. Villoso knows how to FEED HER FANS!! And while Tali has bigger problems than who she falls for, she manages to find brief respite and hope in the midst of everything. I really appreciate the romance in this one; it adds to the weight of the situation, and makes you hurt for both of them. Everyone needs love, even the Bitch Queen.

Especially the Bitch Queen.

Because I swear, reading this book will make you want to reach into the pages and give Tali a warm hug. And a break. She goes through a lot in this book, but it never seems to be sadism for the sake of it. Rather, it’s because she’s one player in a much larger game, and there are never any easy answers.

If you prefer your characters’ morality on the dark gray or gray side, then this is the series for you. But as usual, Villoso subverts it all by making you understand why people act the way they do. Nobody is ever truly black or white, and you can love or hate someone in equal measure.

Well, with the exception of one character, but Villoso explained them so well I can’t even fault her:

Monsters [...] aren’t born. They’re made.

Made. Enabled. Encouraged.

Everyone’s actions have consequences. I was shocked at how deep the chain reaction went… as some of the plans that come to a head in this finale actually took years to plan and execute. You can’t trust anyone, as loyalties shift back and forth to reveal double or even triple agents. I was so stressed while reading this book, I swear.

But you know what? It was all worth it. This is one of the best books I have read so far this 2021.

I can’t wait for you to pick it up too.

--

4/24/2021

Haha. The book absolutely destroyed me and I was indeed not ready.

Full review to come. Thank you to Caffeine Tours and Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC. Watch out for my stop on The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng blog tour this May!

--

12/8/2020

This book is going to DESTROY me and I am not ready.

[hafsah]

dnf at 31% — warning: rant review

i really tried with this one but i just can't do it anymore. i haven't had such an awful experience with a book in a LONG time. this series is so mid: contradictory and bland characters, tedious and predictable politics (and this is coming from someone who lives for political intrigue), and the author somehow manages to make dragons boring??

i really wanted to push through and finish this one as it is the last book and i've already devoted so much time to this trilogy, but i just can't anymore. it got to the point where reading this book felt painful lmao. so much random and unecessary shit was happening solely because it's the final book and i'm guessing the author realised she didn't have enough content to write a weighty finale. i mentioned this in a review for 'the ikessar falcon', but k s villoso is very clearly an author who doesn't plan her work out in detail, and you can tell. the plot develops in a way where it feels like the author thought of it on the spot, and i'm just not a fan of that. i prefer my fantasy novels to feel thoroughly thought through and carefully considered.

i hated my experience with this series, i'm sorry lmao

[Veronica 🇵🇭🥥 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling. Bewitching. Marvelous. Astounding. Those are just a few words that I can use to describe K.S. Villoso’s The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng, which concludes the epic trilogy known as Chronicles of the Bitch Queen. I cannot believe that this book blessed my eyes. Just when I thought that K.S. Villoso’s writing couldn’t get better; she proves me wrong by knocking my socks off with this phenomenal book.

Thank you so much to Angela Man and Orbit for sending me a free copy. My views are my own.

For more of my thoughts, head on over to my blog, moon & coffee.

[Paula M · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG PLS I NEED MONTHS TO PROCESS THIS

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I do think part of why I liked this book the least of the 3 is that it was in this book I truly realized the author and I had different priorities, but also this book was just messy. The draw of the first two was Tali’s unrelenting bad decisions and the constant fun of her suitors. By twisting the plot all around magic and demonic possession and bloody peasants it just wasn’t what I was here for, and it felt very convoluted.

There were bits I loved - I loved Tali’s flippant power hungry bitchy mom (and I was pissed that she went back to being a pliant addled soul), I loved every time Tali and Rai were on page together bc their chemistry truly rules, and I loved the two brothers sharing one human body and one dragon body, that was sick as fuck.

However I just couldn’t get past all the Yuebek stuff and the stuff with her dad, and I thought the ending was cowardly. After all her big talk about what she owed her country and her people, she just gives it all up and retreats with Khine so she can have the love a good man and a good son and some dogs by the seaside? Like, sure I guess. If we must. But it’s boring to me.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng is the final book in the bitch queen chronicles, and is probably my favourite installment. It has all the elements I loved from previous books (tali being an absolute milf, khine !!!!!!!! , dragon antics, lots of poltics and betrayal) and makes it even more epic and heart-wrenching.

We start the book with Tali in custody in her own castle, facing trial. Events quickly escalate and we end up on magical quests, in emeny camps, finding out about the history of Jin-Sayeng and the dragons and the threat of the agan, Warlord Yeshins secret plans that continue to haunt Tali and much more!!! I don't want to talk too much about the plot because I feel it's best just to let the book take you for a ride!!

Taliyen has always been a great character and this book is no exepction. In this installment we see her desperately trying to live up to her fathers legacy and intentions for her, while also wanting a simple life for herself and Thanh. We also see her more vunerable side, she has always been a very human character, who is incredibly resilisent and refuses to let the world break her.

Khine is another character who is an all time favourite of mine and I loved all his scenes in this book!! I esepcially loved seeing him working as a surgeon (since I love medicine lol) and also the progression of his relationship with Tali ~looks respectfully~

I really liked the themes of sacrifice, especially the sacrifices parents will make for their children. There was one scene in paticular where a group of characters stand round and agree that the conflict will end with them and not pass the burden onto future generations - this was a very powerful scene and showed Tali and Rai's character growth beautifully with them finally taking responsibilty for leadership. Also seeing Tali and Thanh's interactions was so heartwarming and you can really feel the love she has for her son.

I liked getting to know some more of the side characters in this book, we learn more about Tali's mother Liosa, whose storyline was incredibly interesting, as well as General Ozo (side note I really need a Ozo and Taraji spin off prequel PLEASE!!), Thanh who we haven't seen much of in previous books, just heard about Tali's love for him however in ths book we really get to see his little personality and hoenstly he was one of my favourites. I also loved getting to know more of Rayyel, in previous books he has been more of a villain but in this book we see him in a more sympathetic light and he begins to earn Tali's forgiveness - I actually really liked his character in this book. Some other characters I love are the brothers Huan and Eikaro, I really liked them in Ikessar falcon so I liked seeing more of them here and the way they tied into the dragon's stroylines. I also (no surprise if you know me at all lol) really liked Rayyels mother Ryia, I would have loved to know more about her character - it seems like she probably had a bit of a tragic backstory, and her struggles as a woman with power before this was socially acceptable.

I thought the conclusion was very fitting, and left me feeling satisfied, there are a lot of plot threads to keep track of but everything is woven together beautifully in the end and really shows both the devastating consequences of war and the very personal sacrifices people make for the hope of the future. I think the book does end in quite a hopeful way, and this is my favourite kind of ending!! In conclusion this was a incredible epic finale to an already great series!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Show of hands. Who here who has read The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng would like to bring Warlord Yeshin back to life just so they can kill him themselves?

Despite being dead, Yeshin’s presence in this book is practically palpable. (The fucker.) Not only is it because of Talyien’s attempts to shake off her father’s legacy and expectations, but also because the OG wolf of Oren-Yaro was a wily jerk whose plans and influence were far-reaching. Cersei Lannister? Don’t know her. I only know Yeshin Orenar.

Yeshin’s stranglehold over Talyien is a small example of what appears to be a universal truth in Jin-Sayeng. Children are viewed pawns and playthings. They are to be strategically used or disposed of as needed.

Talyien never falls into that trap. Her entire journey has been all about breaking free from the conditions Yeshin’s love are predicated on. When all is said and done, the one thing she cannot sacrifice to the altar of Yeshin’s ambition is her son.

It’s also interesting how only non-royal or non-noble parents mirror Talyien’s unconditional love for a child. The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng shows us how Sayu’s love for her sons enables her and Tali to find peace with each other. And the previous book also shows us how the desire to protect their children are what drives Mei Lamang and even Captain Nor. For no other reason than they are their children.

In contrast, every other child in this series was created to fulfill a specific purpose. They are legacies, rather than individuals. Created to serve as game pieces on a massive Hanza board for their parents. This is an interesting exploration of the Filipino cultural norm of children being extensions of their parents, and an excellent subversion and critique.

Read my full review here.

Find more at my blog Your Tita Kate.

[rain]

a hauntingly brilliant conclusion to a masterful trilogy. reading this series may or may have not stolen precious years from my life but it was all worth it. you are NOT READY for this book. steel your heart.

[Adah Udechukwu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great end to the series.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng is a perfectly satisfying conclusion to a true trailblazer of a series.

Queen Talyien has come full circle with her return to Oren-Yaro, yet in so many ways nothing is what is once was. This installment turns things completely on its head in the best way possible. Separate plotlines are woven together to form an overarching scheme that has been present throughout the series all along, and it unravels in such a clever way that suddenly all the previous hints become clear. Things that Tali has always believed to be senseless are revealed to have been done by design, while things that she has always believed were done by design have become senseless as she realizes that not all is what it seemed.

We first rejoin Talyien’s plight just as things seem to be at their worst. Her son has been kidnapped and taken hostage, but she is a prisoner on her own home and unable to do a thing about it. Her impending trial over her son’s parentage – and therefore her right to the throne – seems all but destined to result in a guilty verdict if her ruthless mother-in-law has her way. Then there’s the cruel Prince Yuebek, who hovers over them all merely biding his time before he tries to trap Tali into the marriage he believes he is promised.

On top of it all, she needs to find a way solve the greatest natural threat to all of Jin-Sayeng and is frustrated by the challenge she knows it will be to gather the support to face it. The same old grudges and grievances that have always plagued Jin-Sayeng politics still surround her, after all, and many of the major players are too prideful to set aside the past or their own agendas. Not to mention that Yeshin’s influence still permeates throughout Jin-Sayeng with ringing force – much to Tali’s detriment.

There are also shocking new discoveries Tali uncovers that force her to reckon more than ever with the themes that have always haunted her: How does she escape being defined by her father’s actions and decisions? How does she honor her duty when it stems from and leads to injustices? How does she juggle being a good queen, a good daughter and a good mother when trying to be any of those things directly conflicts with the others? There is one question Tali poses that seems most apt overall: “How do you fight when you are fated to fail?”

And every one of these questions are addressed in a thoughtful way. Tali is still very much a morally grey character who evaluates all she considers through her own experiences, but it’s fascinating to view her growth and how the way she views the world has changed since the beginning of the series. Her understanding of things such as heroes and villains, royals and commoners, or consequences versus intent – have all been completely reshaped throughout her tumultuous travels. The weight of Yeshin’s legacy still has its grip on her heart, but her forever-changed worldview now forcefully strains against the expectations of the man she once dutifully obeyed.

These troubles and realizations unfold with the same introspective narrative that was found during the previous books. The story could be quite slow-paced and a bit of work to get through at times, but the steady emotional build up towards many of the pivotal scenes does make it worth it. There are still a few instances where I did feel like some plot and character musings become a little repetitive, but this could have been the intention in order to hammer certain messages home.

Tali’s journey is also again accompanied by the return of many memorable characters who are as rich and nuanced as ever. Side characters such as Ozo, Ryia, Namra, Anya, Lo Bahn and the Anyus truly feel like fully fleshed out characters no matter how brief their appearances, while hard hitting characters such as Rayyel and Khine still have deeply memorable roles throughout the final book. (Khine is ever my favourite, but Rayyel’s character arc is possibly the most well done after Tali’s.)

As for the ending? Truly the only way that it could have ended. I honestly think it was the perfect finale for Tali’s story and I applaud all the work that it took her to get there. It was an honor to have seen this world and tale unfold through her eyes. There really isn’t anything else like it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Orbit for providing the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Johnny Gibbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow...

I thought TIF was an ordeal to read through, but The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng was the hardest book to finish of the three, and that’s because my naive ass thought things would get better for Agos after he died. They did not. Both the author and Talyien decided that since he liked to snort so much in Book 2, they’d beat him like a dead horse in Book 3.

Again, not being surprised that the Queen can’t muster anything for her dead dog/puppet, she has to be let out of her prison by Khine to see Agos put to rest on a pyre. But after she gets spotted and eats a 5-piece combo from Agos’s widow, she’s not even a mile down the road in the other direction before she’s sucking face with everybody’s favorite con-man. I have to at least give her points for handling grief in the most consistently absurd fashions imaginable.

Cheated on by the man she loves → Revenge cheating with the man she doesn't love
Romanticaly frustrated by the man she loves → Cuckold him by having soulless sex with the man she doesn’t love
The man she doesn't love dies because she didn’t like his solid plan of abdicating the throne → Kiss all over the man she does love immediately after the former’s funeral before ultimately following the same plan to escape, but it’s better now because it came from her heartthrob and not her chew toy

Agos may have burned to ashes, but that doesn’t stop Talyien from outright burying him.

I mean, I really wanted to enjoy the revelation that Talyien’s father was the mastermind behind the entire shitshow that was her life, but I couldn’t get past the messiness this book (as well as the other two) actually thrives on. The fact that this woman, Tali, could walk into another woman’s house, Sayu’s, and disrespect her without batting an eye is just infuriating and doesn’t make for good reading.

“I f***d your husband twice, both times to get back at two separate men that I was actually thinking about during both instances, then aborted his child the second time because blah, blah, blah, kingdom and royalty stuff. Oh, and I never loved him. Almost forgot to mention that. He was a means to an end, nothing more. Hey, is it okay if I crash here for a while? I think I could take up writing my memoirs here. I believe I’ll call them the ‘Chronicles of the Bitch Queen.’ My, how positively scandalous. *^__-*”

Absolute MESS of a book. But the cherry on top of this shit sundae is when Talyien, stuck in her own mind towards the end of the book, conjures a phantom of Agos and has him absolve her of any and all sins/guilt pertaining to their warped relationship and his death.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m fine. Better than fine. We all die. It’s what we leave behind that matters.” -- A sociopath’s approximation of a supposedly dear friend’s response to her getting them killed

I’m tired. I’m so very, very tired...

Honestly, it’s not even worth mentioning the rest of it (yes, the rest of the entire book!), because outside what’s already been covered, none of it even comes close to one particularly problematic scene with three people coming to terms with what can only be described as the single dumbest idea in the world. I won’t spoil it any further than that, but I will sum it up in one quote of my own:

“Lie back and think of Jin-Sayeng.”

These three books were not fantasy novels. Not in the sense that most fantasy readers understand. What could’ve been an interesting Asian period piece take on medieval warring nations was marred by romantic entanglements and character interactions that were based on 80s daytime soaps, 90s-00s shock value talk shows, and modern day Reality TV.

“The Real Houswife of Oren-Yaro”
“The Ikessar Cuckold”
“The Homewrecker of Jin-Sayeng”

-2 Stars-

I need a Tor or Forgotten Realms chaser after this.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finishing this series felt like self-harm.

I will say this - the final installment was better than the second book, but that's hardly saying anything. This book is SO long. It wouldn't have to be so long if book 2 was better written. The second book was really such an abomination, as in season 8 of Game of Thrones bad. But then the author did fix a lot of issues I had and so I'll give her that. The dialogue is no longer treated like an info dump, the writing is miles better though there is some flowery prose (that she keeps calling poetry!!!?) that is bordelaise cringe and extremely repetitive. We also weren't in Tali's mind the entire time; I was extremely grateful for the changes in POV, even if they were kind of boring. We'll take what we can.

Once I accepted this trilogy is just an obnoxious romance novel set in a generic fantasy world of dragons and mildly interesting political intrigue it became a little more tolerable.

Tali still remains insufferable. The men in the book only love her because it moves the plot along, not because she has any sort of redeeming qualities. She's really the worst female character I have *ever* encountered in fiction. One could argue that Yeshin, Yuebek and Rai were all worse than her but if that's the case then the bar is really below hell.

Agos deserved so much better. I was relieved when he died in the last installment because finally he wouldn't have to waste his time chasing after Tali but she continues to bother him even in death. Her going to crash at his wife's place was just a wicked choice.


Khine will never be what he was in the first book but he's better than he was in the second. It's no longer giving Lamang ex machina, but now he's basically Jacob from Twilight. His "betrayal" was obviously a ruse, I don't know how we were expected to believe that he had been working against her the whole time.

Her father being behind everything was super interesting. Why couldn't the book have been about him instead?

100 pages to the end of the book she FINALLY admits that she is exactly like her father. When we as readers could have told you that in the first book.

The ending was... whatever. I'm just happy I'm done. I don't know why I came back to finish it but in this case curiosity killed the cat. I've learned my lesson.

[Justine from Novels and Panda · Rating 5 out of 5]

totally not okay, send help

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not prepared.

It’s a lie we always tell ourselves when we’re approaching the end of a series, particularly one like this that touches on so many deep and far-reaching emotional notes. That we are prepared for what is coming, trick ourselves into thinking that we’ve shored up our hearts in preparation for the ending, only to be proven wrong and oh dragons, this book destroyed me in all the best ways possible. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that cover! I have loved all the covers for this series, but the one for The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng has to be my favourite, and I could look at it all day.

This series has gone from strength to strength, and The Wolf of Oren-Yaro set the bar high from the very beginning, but this book really took everything to the next level – from the writing to the stakes and the choices that are facing the characters as everything moves towards the conclusion.

I have loved Talyien from the moment we met her in the first book. She’s not always been the easiest character to follow, but that is what makes her so interesting. She is messy and human and real, and it has been an absolute delight to follow her through her journey and to watch her develop between the hardships she’s experienced, the weight of the expectations resting on her from herself and from far too many directions and caught in the web woven around her by her father, by her husband and so many others. The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng is a testament to her character and how far she has come, and it was wonderful to see a softer side in her interactions with her son, with her changing relationships, even as she stands to sacrifice everything.

‘Strange how we leave these ghosts of ourselves in our children.’

This was a book of revelations. The many threads that have unfolded over the course of the previous two books, came to fruition here, and Villoso does a fantastic job of bringing all those different aspects together in this final volume while bringing more twists and turns, and surprises. It was also a book of sacrifice, and looking to the future, both on the personal level of parents to children – and there were some secrets revealed that took my breath away here – but also on the large scale of looking to future generations, and it was a beautiful mirror to the influence of the past that has permeated so much of this story.

We got to see more of Khine who is probably only second to Talyien in terms of my favourites, and also enjoyed the fact that we got to see more of the side characters. Rayyel was another one that I enjoyed seeing in this book, as it showed a different side to him than we had seen before, as some of the layers were stripped away and some of his scenes with Tali were incredibly powerful.
The revelations and character development leaned into the world as well. There was a deep questioning in this book, about the state the world was in and how it had been shaped by the past. About how much of the conflict and politics, and human messiness was the legacy of those who had come before, and how much stemmed from a world that was not equal.
Villoso’s writing has always been one of my favourite aspects of this series, and this book was no different, and there were so many parts that resonated that I could have quoted all of it. There’s a richness to the storytelling, a depth that goes beyond the immediate situation – memory and history and emotion underneath each word, even as the characters move forwards and try to look ahead. It’s a book about life, about family – past and present and future. Dragons, magic and fantastical settings don’t take away from that, instead, they enhance it – this is a book about people, and the whole messiness that comes with humanity and their politics, relationships and choices.

The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng confronts you and forces you to think and feel, treading a delicate balance between action and conflict, and reflection – internal and external – and doing so in a way that leaves a lasting impression. It is not necessarily an easy read, and there are some truly dark moments in this book, but it is a powerful, consuming read.

This is how you bring a series like this to an end. The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng was everything I could have wanted and more, and I’m already itching to pick it up again, because there is so much depth and meaning in its pages that I feel like it will take me more than one reading to truly absorb it all. This was a book that when I reached the end, I just sat there and felt it. It’s bittersweet, because I have loved this series from start to finish, and while it is a delight to see it brought to such a satisfying conclusion, it is also an ending, and I would quite happily return to this world and characters as many times as possible. The Chronicles of a Bitch Queen is a series that you need to read and reread again and again, and I honestly cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOOKS 1 and 2

4.5/5 stars

It feels like just yesterday that I had finished The Ikessar Falcon and yet here I am (8 months later) fawning over book three. Just take a moment to admire that cover! Definitely the most gorgeous of the three, and I’ve adored them all.

Now back to the book. WOW! Amazing! Stunning! Magnificent! Brilliant! The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng, and Tali’s story, end with a bang and I don’t think I’ve ever been so satisfied with the ending of a series. Just a phenomenal story!

I admit, I was a little concerned with how Villoso was going to end this series. Ikessar Falcon ended with what seemed like a whole new world, the warlord and political factions of Jin-Sayeng just introduced. External threats in Yuebek lay on the horizon, and even Tali’s own family secrets had barely been explored. And to my awe, my heartbreak, and my amazement, Villoso manages to pull all those threads together into one magnificent conclusion. Everything just…falls into place. It all fits. Nothing felt like a stretch, there were no major plot holes, and all those little details from books one and two get brought back to play. Villoso seriously knows how to bring a story together and it really shows here.

The pacing of book 3 is similar to its predecessors. That is to say, pretty slow. The Bitch Queen trilogy is still first and foremost, the story of Queen Talyien. And with it, all her internal musings, worries, and daddy issues. Which she has a lot of. Through this series, I think I’ve finally decided that being in Tali’s head is one of the more discomforting things I’ve read, largely due to how relatable I find many of her internal monologues. Through Tali, Villoso directly addresses themes of racism, colonialism, and sexism through the lenses of one who ought of have power, but often finds herself powerless within her own realm. The antagonisms Tali faces are ones that mirror antagonisms faced by marginalized groups today (though perhaps sans the dragons and hot sidekicks), and I really enjoyed how Villoso uses such a blunt character like Tali to directly challenge those themes.

As always, I must give a quick shoutout to my personal favorite of this series, Rayyel Ikessar. Even if you are even more of a two-faced bastard than I initially thought, and even an entire Discord chat gives me strange looks every time I bring up his name, the nerdy scholarly types hold a special place in my heart. Especially in book three, Rayyel’s calm, thoughtful demeanor serves as both foil to Tali’s brasher, stab-first-ask-later behavior, and somehow also as the deadpan comic relief. Rayyel fans will be very happy with where Rayyel ends up at the end of book 3.

Perhaps my biggest fear going in was how this series was going to end. We begin this journey with Tali as a bull-headed queen to a relatively backwater country, on a journey to hunt down her estranged husband. Tali herself suggests that she may not have been the best queen and the second half of Ikessar really solidified to me that ‘dear lord Tali should not be allowed on that throne’. But with forced political marriages looming, a good look at the less-than-desirable alternatives, and Tali’s own pull of filial piety to honor her father’s desire to see her unite Jin-Sayeng, I really couldn’t see a way out. Without giving spoilers, I will simply say I’m immensely happy with the ending of this series and Tali’s own fate.

Overall, I rate this book a 4.5/5. A stunning conclusion to the Bitch Queen trilogy that that so cleanly wraps up every plot thread and gives us an extremely satisfying conclusion. I’ve loved reading Tali’s growth as a character through this two-year journey and I’m certain fans of this series will absolutely adore this installment!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This and more reviews at superstardrifter.com!~

So, this is it. The End.

I’m obviously not going to spoil the end for you, so I’ll make this fairly brief: Talyien has gone through hell and back to try and save her nation from chaos, and the chaos has caught up with her and her companions. Now it’s time to use every shenanigan possible to avert disaster.

This book, like its predecessors was fantastically written, and left me with so many highlighted quotes that I had a very hard time choosing just the one for this review. Talyien has many thoughts about life in general, life as a queen, life as the daughter of a vicious warlord, and others. As we see this from her POV in the first person, we get a real good look into her mind. The POV does change once in this one, and the way (and time) it happens was a brilliant use of tense, in my opinion. We’ve seen the whole thing from Tali’s POV and suddenly it is not, for reasons (no, I’m not telling you the reasons but it’s probably not what you’re thinking).

This book broke my feels. But, not in any way that I didn’t ask for. I don’t cry for a lot of books, or media in general, but there were actual physical tears here. More than once, even. There were gasps, there were a couple out-loud exclamations that may, or may not have been in the middle of the night and may or may not have disturbed either a spouse or a dog. It was an intense read, but nonetheless a fantastic one that I will never forget.

All I’ve got to say about this book that won’t spoil any of the numerous twists, turns, ups, downs, and crazy revelations for you is: READ THE BOOK. THIS IS A BOOK AND YOU SHOULD READ IT – but, and this is very, very important: read the two before it first. 6/5 stars!~

Thanks to the author, as well as Orbit for the review copy.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐
This was a great and satisfying ending to a really good fantasy series, and I'm gonna miss these characters so so much.

Like the first two books, The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng was action-packed, with a character driven story, morally grey characters that were so well developed, higher stakes to unite and save a kingdom, and also dragons (!!!).

Overall it was really entertaining and I had a blast reading this trilogy. Would highly recommend it (might write a longer review later!).

[USOM · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng was always going to be a five star read for me. We all knew this. I have so thoroughly enjoyed the Bitch Queen series and this finale is the perfect ending. This series is devoted to examining difficult choices, wondering what kind of ruler we would be, and to Tali's journey to figure out who she wants to be. Where does the line between daughter, queen, mother, woman fall? I immediately fell back in love with The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng.

In these long cons, these movements and power plays begun before our first steps, do we inherit this legacy? The mistakes, the sins, the bargains of our parents? Just exactly when do we stop being the sum of the expectations of our parents? Could it be possible we can never escape? The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng balances action and introspection. The ways women are held up to unfair standards. Seen as pawns and what alliances they can broker. So how can Tali fight for a future that does not discard her, mention her in footnotes, and in relation to others?

[Holly (The GrimDragon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The sea, at least, was soothing. She settled on a rock, both hands on top of her cane, and took a deep breath, salt air seeping into her senses. In moments like these, she could almost convince herself she could pass off as normal. That she wouldn't see things lurking in every corner or spend hours after waking up in the middle of the night, staring at the ceiling, breathless in fear of something she couldn't even name. That she could be strong again the way they said she once was--that sure-footed fighter, the warrior-queen. Almost."

Coincidentally, I began the year reading The Ikessar Falcon & here I am (almost) ending it with The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng!

I don't know why it's taken me so damn long to get to the final book of this incredible trilogy (she lolsobs in pandemic) but I recently finished this & FUUUCK.

Massive thanks to my soulmates over at Orbit Books for sending a copy! YOU'RE TOO GOOD TO ME!

Magic, war, politics, romance, parenthood & legacy. The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng is the final installment in the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series.

Tali's character growth throughout the trilogy is just.. this word gets thrown around a lot, I'm guilty of it too, but it's masterful. FUCKING MASTERFUL! She's one of my absolute favorite characters ever & I could not love her more!

And her relationship with Khine? SWOON!

Intricate worldbuilding, complex characterizations & the brilliant storytelling of Villoso who has executed a stunning finale in The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng.

This series deserves ALL THE BLOOD-SOAKED STARS!!

[Michelle (Epically.Bookish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you review a book that stole a piece of your heart?

It’s taken some time for me to process The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series, and I am here to tell you that the final book, The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng is such a satisfying conclusion to one of the best series I’ve ever read.

Spoiler Warning if you haven’t read the first two books:

In the last book, Queen Talyien is once again a prisoner and one of the only people fighting for the good of her country. She’s also one of the few people who know the real threat that will destroy her home, magic. Specifically a tear in the barrier between the magical world and her homeland. The last book follows Tali as she tirelessly tries to find a solution, all the while unraveling the plot her father has put into motion before she was even born. When I say her dad is a next level egomaniac supervillain, I am NOT exaggerating. Tali eventually runs out of time and options and is left with a terrible choice to try and save her country (and also the world).

This series had me on the edge of my seat from book 1 to book 3 and it did not let up! The theme of this entire series is that Queen Talyien cannot catch a damn break and that she was literally put in a position to purposefully fail. Despite all of that, Tali fights, and refuses to become her father. Tali is the queen of my heart and is someone you’ll be constantly rooting for, even as she makes some questionable decisions. But her decisions are deeply human and vulnerable. They come from trying to be both a good wife and daughter and then realizing that she can’t be either if she wants to make the world better. That journey of unlearning and dismantling her society’s and father’s expectations was one of my favorite things about this book. Tali was incredibly strong and badass, but underneath the mantle of queen was just a woman who was dealt an impossible hand in a patriarchal society that didn’t want her to win. I really appreciated the fact that K.S. Villoso gave us such a beautifully complex character who was both strong and vulnerable. I feel like too often we are given supposedly strong female characters who are just toxic masculinity in heels.

This book has dragons, magic, romance, complicated relationships, drama and evil mages. It is Filipino inspired adult fantasy and this series should be a must read for every fantasy lover. It’s a wild ride, but the end of the series is so damn satisfying that you’ll never want to leave. Please do yourself a favor and go buy this series!! You can thank me later =).

Thank you to @orbitbook_us for sending me a gifted finished copy of The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng

[Geena · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

Words cannot even begin to express how this final book made me mentally unwell. Villoso is truly consistent in her wanting to torture the hell out of her readers and Tali.

The final book in the Bitch Queen Chronicles starts off with Tali beating the false baby daddy allegations, and attempting to reign in her power. But right off the bat we got all the forces in Jin-Sayeng trying to keep Tali under their thumb.

This novel starts off like all others a little bit of silly hijinks, a funeral here, a little bit of murder there… We’re well into the Rayyel redemption?explanation? arc which has Rai clinging to his and Tali’s relationship. It was interesting to read the change from the first book where he’s like “I loved you” to now where it’s obvious he still has feelings for Tali but that train has long left the station. Over the course of the series it’s also become apparent that Rai is very much neurodivergent, which can explain a lot of his decisions and mannerisms but also doesn’t excuse him abandoning the kingdom and his family.

We finally get the daughter-in-law/mother-in-law beef between Tali and Rai’s mom when his mom comes down from her seclusion to sentence Tali to death for her supposed affairs. The whole arc of Thanh’s parentage was so insane, Villoso really said “Tali’s very short hoe phase is the catalyst for all these events.” Despite Tali’s “innocence” being proven Rai’s mom still wants her head on a platter because the Ikessar beef and so on. All Tali wants to do is save Thanh from the rebels in Sougen, where Dai has kidnapped him to betroth him to his own daughter to cement his position and give him power.

But!! They receive an invitation to greet Prince Yuebek in the home of some other Warlord they all begrudgingly set off to meet him because political reason. But of course we get an attack/attempted assassination, and also have Tali and Co. get stuck at her old romantic rival’s home.. Chiha… there Tali comes to the realization that damn maybe she was the other woman the whole time. Tali was coming to a lot of realizations in this book and literally none of them were good for her soul, one realization was that she might have been the one accused of having an illegitimate child but those around her had tons of their own!! I won’t say who though but it’s sauuur funny when the reveal happens.

I think Villoso writes Tali’s colourful relationships with every single character so well, from Lo Bahn to Chiha. Like they’re very much antagonistic relationships but it’s so... complex? With Lo Bahn a past ally but now Yuebek lackey who knows Tali’s little tricks, and Chiha a woman Tali hated so strongly but they somehow end up on the same side? Even Agos’ widow!!! Like Tali is the reason this woman’s husband left her but she still looks out for her, protects TALI of all people, and provides her a place to stay when she’s truly shattered.

Tali learns some harsh truths about her father and every single person around her, how every single decision she ever made was specifically orchestrated by Yeshin to help close the rift in the agan over the Sougen which can only be possible if Tali marries Yuebek. When Tali learns that even her best friend was a pawn in these plans she leaves everything behind, deciding finally that she doesn’t give a shit about anything other than getting Thanh and getting out. She’s been betrayed by everyone at this rate, except for Thanh and Khine… but this whole time she’s slipping out of Khine’s grasp, she has come to a realization that anyone she loves is in danger of being used against her or killed so she abandons him AGAIN!! But does he give up? No!! He’s a cockroach (affectionate).

Speaking of Khine, since his mother's death in the previous book I truly do think him dedicating himself to Tali was partly a form of self-harm. He knows that she's married and she has all these obligations being the queen of a nation, and how they may never get to be together the way they want to. But regardless, he follows her to the ends of the earth, from fighting a dragon for her, to saving her son. But he never makes it Tali's problem, he does it because he wants to and doesn't expect Tali to respond in kind but jeezus dude.... His biggest flaw has to be devotion but that's also his strength....

We also get another meeting between Tali and Thanh and I must say Villoso owes me compensation for the emotional damage her writing has done. The gravity with which she writes Thanh and Tali’s relationship is so mental illness inducing... Despite us learning about their relationship through Tali’s scattered memories the weight of their relationship is never forgotten, the pages dedicated to them are few in between but regardless I think Thanh/Tali’s relationship is THE deepest and most impactful one of the series. The raw emotion that Tali displays whenever Thanh is involved, and when they finally meet after months apart it’s so…. Truly no relationship as deep as the one between a mother and her child. Chiha in fact also is an example of this with her own son

Following that is Tali’s relationship with Khine, the slowburn of the century!! Pictured below, Villoso giving the hoes a Tali/Khine in a quiet cabin arc before Tali leaves him (again!!!) to get married to [REDACTED].



Everything goes to shit, all the murder and depravity that comes forward when Tali marries [redacted] is insane. We get an unfortunate scene where Yuebek violates one of the maids that Tali sent to get birth control herbs, we thankfully do not have to read that scene but the implications are there and Villoso has Tali focus on the history and the life of the maid before that moment. But also I personally thought that Yuebek's vileness was well known like we didn't need that scene to show how filthy of a human being he is but I digress.

We also get the wildest sacrifice by Chiha, truly an unlikely ally, but it seems like everyone involved would fuck a monster if it meant saving Jin-Sayeng from foreign/mystical invasion. Everything comes to a head in the final third, where Tali is seemingly betrayed by the last man she put her trust in, Khine…. and Yuebek figures out everything… Literally had me sitting there with heart palpitations, on the edge of my seat, about to die. I really don’t want to say more else I’ll end up spoiling it but I implore everyone to read this series, truly a ground-breaking high fantasy that’s so well written. It makes you scream out of frustration but it’s still so good like I will never recover from this. The action scenes are well written, the reveals catch you blind-sided unless you have your third eye open (which I didn't), there's romance and comedy and everything in between!!!

The ending is something everyone's been wanting since the series started and I absolutely love happy-ish endings and this is exactly what it was. Each character got the ending they deserved like I was so content when I closed the book, and that's how I know a book is well written when I don't have beef with how the author ended things for each character

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

As those who have read the first two Chronicles of the Bitch Queen books will no doubt expect, this is not a happy book where bad things do not happen to good people and all conflicts are resolved with a group hug and a nice chat over tea. It’s bloody and it’s rough.

There’s one moment (which I can describe without spoiling) that encapsulates the feel of the entire trilogy, for me. Something horrible is about to happen to someone who doesn’t deserve it. I’ve got a sick feeling in my stomach. I’m bracing myself to power through. And then Kay hits me with this:

> And so those who grow mad with power learn they can do these things because no matter how we say we abhor them, a part of us will allow them to happen if it means holding on to those little comforts that make *our* lives worth living. Monsters know what they are. I am not much different. My desire to tell the truth comes at a price: the disregard of the ones who suffered the most while I spend pages upon pages immortalizing creatures like Yuebek and Yeshin. Such is the way of the world.

> So let me tell you what I later learned about [REDACTED] instead.

And then, rather than tell us about the horrible things that were done to this person at the end of their life, Tali tells us about their life. So we, the readers, know them as more than a person that helped Tali and died horribly because of it. We don’t know the details of how they died, and that’s OK. It’s not disrespectful to skip over the tortures they went through. They get to be remembered for the good and the bad that *they* did, not the things that a villain did *to* them.

This is what makes K.S. Villoso one of the best grimdark authors, for me. Many people would argue against her getting that label, I expect, but I think it fits. The world of Jin-Sayeng is a grim and dark one, and Kay does a fantastic job of describing it *without* using the kind of graphic shocking violence that many less talented authors use in a cheap attempt to bolster their grimdark bonafides.

The ending of the story, unsurprisingly, isn’t happy for everyone involved. But it’s not awful for everyone involved either. It felt like the *right* ending. This is a powerful series, and I look forward to whatever Kay has coming next.

[victória · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gente do céu, quanto sofrimento. Amei.

[Trish Isiderio · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

Wow. I didn’t sleep a wink to finish this book. Had to go to the bathroom to cry so I wouldn’t wake my bf up. A very good morning to Kay Villoso.
My life is now separated into pre-Dragon of Jin-Sayeng and post-Dragon of Jin-Sayeng.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book.

"We could own nothing and still have everything"
K.S. Villoso blew my mind with this series. It's one of those series that you read and that is so good you can't believe more people don't know about it. I won't preamble. If you see this review read this series. That is all this review is going to foster, I will string together whatever pretty words and beautiful epithets are needed to make you read this series.

While unfortunate that I didn't/couldn't leave this review for the first book *Because I didn't know how the series would end, and did not I have the information needed* I am glad I'm writing this now. In my first review I stated that I could tell the conception of the story started in the early 2000s. This is because the book is so absurdly detailed, with so many moving pieces, and machinations and plots that as a reader I was trembling just thinking about what it took to write a series like this. The setting was so well-written you could vividly picture it. It's one of those books that remind you why you like reading; travelling to somewhere far away and all other things us readers crave.

Not only that but every character in the story was so well developed that I found it rather hard to villainize any of them. We follow Talyien who is obviously a very strong character. She is not the hero of the story, that much is clear very early on. Despite the fact she doesn't have enough qualms when it comes to hurting people and death she is novel. Very few characters are as human as the characters Villoso crafted, Khine especially is one of my favourite characters. The snarky, funny con-artist who has a masters in sarcasm, isn't prone to jealousy... Yeah, when it comes to love interests Khine understood the assignment. Inzali, Huan, Eikaro, Lahei, Agos, Rai [I really really really love Rayyel too ;)] all deserve paragraphs about how compelling they are, and how they truly add to the story whether through humour, intellect, or love-we the people stan them.

This book also had a very beautiful examples of love in all it's forms.

"If he could pluck each and every one of the stars from the sky for you, he would."

The romance in this series is an attest to realism. It isn't some fairy tale romance in which once united they live happily ever after. No, these characters find each other, some lose each other, others fall out of love, and some never have each other but the rare few fight and keep fighting to keep the love they have. Despite the fact it's a struggle everyday they never give up, they falter but move on ahead. But, please keep in mind this is not a story in which love is the focal point (Political intrigue, strategy and war are the focal points of this one), nor are the characters helpless dimwits in the face of it;

"We don't need love to breathe."


For readers who like to be on the edge of their seat, yeah this is for you. I did not expect a single thing coming. But, this is because K.S. Villoso was crafting things we did not even know were on the table. As reader you grapple to understand the new threat/problem but in the best way possible. While reading I noticed K.S. Villoso writes and readers discover as things go on, a tribe won't be mentioned until Talyien and her lovely entourage encounter them etc. It is not a negative critique I just hadn't really encountered this style before. I am very used to info dumps at the beginning of the story so that by the third book, you pretty much know everything about the world. In this series, I was still meeting and finding out secrets up until the very very very end. So a round of applause for the author.

Finally as I've said the writing is majestic. It's almost philosophical in it's depth, but not preachy, or annoying. It's subtle and human. I haven't thought more about my feelings on social dynamics than while reading this book. I loved it. I leave you with one of my favourite quotes from this book:

"We start believing we are chosen, but that isn't right at all. We choose ourselves."

My one complaint is I think this book set the bar so high it might be hard to read other less developed series, and I know they will be less developed because K.S. Villoso crafted histories for her side characters. WHO DOES THAT?!! (I obviously love it but like DAMN.)

Anyways a hard earned 5 stars. Definitely a new favourite series for me. :)

[Rach A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from the publisher and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in their tour. This has not affected my review. This review will contain spoilers for the first two books in the series, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro and The Ikessar Falcon.

Where do I even start with this epic of a book? I am raw after reading the final installment of the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, that feeling you only ever get after reading the very best of books. My heart feels hollowed out and empty, my eyes stinging with tears at this ending, this ending that has ruined me. The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng was always going to be a difficult read, wrapping up the stories of characters we love and those we hate, and K.S. Villoso absolutely nailed it. This is one of the best finales I’ve ever read, and it will be for a very long time.

The last installment in this series is a book about monsters, about the impact our actions have even if we don’t intend it, about the harm inevitable when you have power over others, and about the people willing to suffer themselves so that others can live. We start immediately where we left off, in Jin-Sayeng where Tali awaits trial to prove whether her son’s father is the Crown Prince, Rayyel, or Agos, her lover and former guard. But with Yuebek now on their doorstep with an army in toe, a gash in the fabric of reality letting monsters through in the Sougen, and her son kidnapped, it’s safe to say Tali has far more important problems. We are taken on a huge journey as all of the plotlines begin to come together and huge machinations are revealed that bind everything together. There is something so so satisfying about the mysteries and puzzles of a mammoth fantasy series all coming together and making sense in the last book, and Villoso managed this absolutely perfectly and in a way that left me guessing all the way to the very last pages. I started this book with no idea how Tali was going to get out of this mess, and I felt that all the way to the very last pages. Villoso expertly managed to tie up what I wanted to see tied up, but left the ending open in such an honest way that I think really speaks to the messiness and trauma of living and trying to rebuild after a war.

This book is one about monsters, Tali even says so herself. It’s about the way society creates monsters, how people can be twisted to become a monster but also how those in power cannot be anything other. Throughout this trilogy I think we’ve seen this play out in front of us, seen how a person can be driven to monstrosity, both in Tali’s journey and in Khine’s, both who are driven to awful actions in this last book. Tali really confronts her own monstrosity in this book, and I found such a brilliant duality in the way we see her have to take terrible, terrible actions (I’d argue by far the worst we’ve seen across the trilogy) that affect the poorest and most marginalised the most, in her bid to save the country, but with her first person POV we get to see the other side of the coin as well. We see so closely into how much Tali suffers for Jin-Sayeng, we see how much she bleeds, we see those in power around her continue to ask for more and more and in spite of the cost, Tali suffers and bears the anger and guilt and horror of what is needed to unite a nation and destroy the monsters on their shore. Tali is a monster who was made: by her father, by those around her, by the very power she has as royalty, her monstrosity is inevitable and horrific and despite this, it is still necessary for the survival of Jin-Sayeng. I adored how Villoso explored this, the idea that impact is more important that intent. It doesn’t matter that Tali does not intend to hurt those around her, doesn’t mean to hurt the poorest in her community, but her role in this requires her to sacrifice for the greater good—what else could she have done? Tali is a true morally grey character and I think this book explores this aspect of her best out of the whole trilogy. I started the book completely convinced that Tali’s actions were justified, knowing what she trying to do, believing her intent was what mattered and it wasn’t her fault that some were hurt in the process. But The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng really makes you, as well as Tali, confront and examine that idea in such a deep and impactful way. What else could Tali have done? Should she have suffered to save her country, offered herself and her loved ones up as a lamb for slaughter to Yuebek? Would that even have saved her country, or merely delayed the inevitable? Should she have fought the past, fought those begging her to destroy herself for them, instead sacrificing the people around her, her country, the poorest and most vulnerable in society, for the chance she could save both her country and herself? There are no right answers, no easy answers to this question, and I loved how much this book made me think in trying to find answers for myself.

In fact, I adored how much my opinions of some characters changed throughout this book. In addition to my thoughts on Tali, I found my feelings for Rayyel took a complete U-turn! I started the book hating him, as I have for the first two, because he is a hypocritical arse. And then you find out something early on which makes you even more disgusted in him. But after the latter half of the book, how can you ever hate him? When you see what he goes through for Tali, for Jin-Sayeng, for his son? There are so many layers to every single one of these characters, with each subsequent book in the series my opinions have changed and developed as more and more is revealed. And it takes such skill to do this so expertly, to slowly reveal the many facets of these characters as if peeling back more and more of them every time.

One of my favourite things about Villoso’s writing is how sensuous it is – by which I mean Villoso is an author that makes use of the senses so much when writing. In such a close POV, we are pulled into this world by Villoso’s use of description. We see, hear, taste and smell everything Tali does and it makes for such an intimate story. From the very height of action in the midst of battles to the quiet moments between when Tali travels, Villoso uses the senses to envelop us in this world so we feel everything Tali does, from her fear to her peace. These moments of peace were really perfect as well. In such a confronting and traumatic story, these moments of peace and calm were so necessary to break between the terror and horror. And of course, Khine was at the centre of so many of these, his presence like a ray of sunshine through the darkness of this story. His hope and love just shines on the page and he remains my favourite character.

There is so much to wrap up in this book, so many different plots and threads to bring together, none more important than Tali’s son, who was kidnapped by Dai Kaggawa for leverage at the end of book 2. This is what makes The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen so fresh and unique for me: this entire series has been driven by the love Tali has for her son, and I really can’t think of a single other fantasy which does this. So often fantasy focuses on orphans, on absent parents or parents who weren’t there, and I find it so brilliantly wholesome and fresh to read a fantasy where the defining relationship, the one that drives the main character’s actions the whole way through, is the love a mother has for her son. Because of this, there is an inevitability to this book that stuns you. You can see what has to happen, for Tali to save her son, there is no question of whether she will do it, because it her son and she loves him beyond anything else. He is her weakness, she knows it, and she does not care. And so you can only read on in stunned silence as everything you feared has to come true, because Tali will do whatever it takes to save her son. It was so lovely to see her finally get some time on page with him, to see her joy at seeing him, it makes my soul hurt and eyes tear up just thinking about it again.

I feel like this getting to be an essay so I better try wrap this review up… I am in awe of what K.S Villoso has created with this series. It’s a story about monsters, power and the love a mother has for her son. It has one of the best characters in any fantasy in Queen Talyien, a morally grey character who must confront and accept her own monstrosity as the cost in order to save her son and country from even worse monsters. It is a journey of such epic proportions I will never be able to sum it all up in just one review, but suffice to say, I think it’s one of the best fantasy series I’ve ever read.


-------

Where to even start with my feelings for this book? I am destroyed. Full review to come!

[Kayla Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is WOW. Absolutely phenomenal. Book 3 did not disappoint at all but my heart is hurting from everything I just went through in the last two hundred pages of this book. I'm #TeamTali to the end & this book will sit with me for a good loooong while. If you haven't read Chronicles of the Bitch Queen yet, you really should! It has so much action, really engaging characters, wonderful world building and is quite funny- Villoso had me cackling throughout the whole series.

[Marta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know, man. This series was sort of miserable. I'm not a fan of narration with characters monologuing in their own heads, and Tali did that every other page for like 4 paragraphs, and it was always to be depressing. It was hard to read! I get wanting to make a character that is well rounded, that can show weakness and be human and still be badass. But the 4 or 5 moments through the ENTIRE series that Tali felt badass are overshadowed by the hundreds of pages of her feeling sorry for herself.

If it wasn't for Khine, I would've put this series away ages ago.

[Brigid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find this review and more at The Alliterates.

You’ve heard about the Skywalkers? Those space royals got nothing on the Orenars.

In the previous escapades of Talyien Orenar, in Villoso’s brilliant Chronicles of the Bitch Queen, Yeshin Orenar’s plans for his daughter roll out from the grave in The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng, solidifying this all down to one final and brutal ending. Talyien attempts to save her people, her son, and herself from cruel politics and an arranged marriage from hell, even though everything, from the very beginning, seems to be against her. The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng is a fistfight with Game of Thrones and all those rotting Fantasy tropes of yore.

Right from the start of the novel, action meets revelation after revelation, and Villoso keeps everything turning, twisting into an intricate and fastly paced read, making me feel like to survive this book, the only thing I could do is to keep reading deep into the night. To curb the stress, I made off with a survival kit full of soda and copious amounts of sugar.

Talyien, imprisoned and awaiting the trial against her, and luckily for us, not without her own charismatic thief climbing through the window, that boy that yearns for his disaster queen, even if it makes him seem completely mad. Chess pieces are all laid out before us, one leading to another. From Dai Kaggawa, who keeps her son in his clutches as their people fight, to her father’s political machinations, which have been set to go off in a stream of events that Talyien is determined to resist. But along with her father’s plot to marry her to Yuebek (a very sadistic mashup of a zombie and a prince), she’s up against the magic’s destruction on Jin-Sayeng, which terrorizes and destroys the lives of innocent people. With the enemy she knows, her favorite thief/simp boy, and her irritating ex (a lady that hates her guts, a boy with nothing to his name but a heart, and the boy that lost her heart), she tries to do right by her people.

What makes this series stand out is its brilliance in making readers question the tropes they love and know. Who is the villain, the hero, and what does all of that look like when the chosen one is a Filipino-coded woman making terrible decisions? How does the narrative, and the reader’s sympathies, change when she tells it? What happens when real people are hurt and drowning in their past? In Fantasy, royalty is historically rewarded to the hero. People want to imagine that privilege is only given to those that are selfless heroes, not those that are made to be so powerful that it goes unchecked. The one that’s known for ignoring their people’s plight, the corruption in their home, and the rumors surrounding their marriage all typically remain villains. The stories told about Talyien Orenar are all those things, but through other’s tongues, her story becomes a rumor by wagging tongues and chroniclers determined to tell the story based on their own personal politics. To them, she’s the bitch, the whore, the villain. A powerful queen, privileged, and given everything without working for it. But unlike many fantasy characters, such as a particular blonde Dragonrider placing herself as a victim rather than a perpetrator, Talyien grows into something richer than wealth, and the dragons providing them such a power-filled status, can provide.

Villoso asks us to listen to the story, to see Talyien as something other than through rumor. Dismissing her people’s opinions no longer becomes something in Talyien’s heart, but rather, Talyien listens to their cries in this cruel world that the Ikessars and Orenars created (there’s a truly heartrending scene where her people line up, and she listens to their pain). She is not full of fire without a care to who it hurts, demanding people be for the queen or its Dracarys for you. She’s not a mother asking her children to set fire to things because they pissed her off. Even so, reading her perspective can be quite disturbing as we follow her development. A morally grey character does not always come down to pure white rage when things don’t turn out as they want. The motherhood of Talyien Orenar transcends not just to her relationship with her son, but to her relationship with her father, with this political environment he’s forced her into. The way this whole series is about the love of a mother never quite diminishes. The intimacy of Talyien Orenar, the love she has for her son, and her home hit the heart just right, making everything painfully sweet. That part of her identity takes hold of who she is as a person. Her tendency to rush and smash things is curbed by those she loves. One of the first scenes in this book is a distinctly memorable flashback of Talyien carrying her newborn son in one arm and her sword in the other. Armored to the teeth, but this one is a softie at heart.


While the plot is brilliant, what truly makes the politics of this world interesting is the intimacy the characters have with the world and how those politics impact them. I’m drawn into the characters’ relationships, their hurt caused by this world, and each other. Villoso makes Jin-Sayeng and its politics feel like a person instead of a map. It is flawed and complicated, like her characters, who never seem to align in the ways we want them to because, like us, they’re just people. Each chapter is perfectly paced, with each new revelation, intimate moment, and well-kept secret like a finely written mini-series featuring some real spicy magical family drama.

In this last book, I’m happy to say that so much of the moments I’ve been waiting for have satisfied me on a level that I don’t think I can explain in a single review. Many scenes had me screaming and grinning like someone has just handed me an extra-large bag of candy (I always love some excellent sweets to rot my mouth further). I’m just as enraptured as Talyien, watching Khine slicing onions for breakfast, with the layers of memory, politics, and family that have finally shown us the story. Most of all, Villoso has a gift for making me feel for those characters that inflict pain on Talyien. There’s nothing brilliant about a writer that makes the flawed character without complexity, with their layers, which makes them most human. Characters like Yeshin and Chiha are those characters for me. I found myself hurt for them. But more than anything, I felt the pain that Taylien had for her father, a relationship that reminds me so well of my own. That grief for a man that is your family, wanting to do anything to earn for that love, even at the expense of yourself. That’s the most raw and gut-wrenching part of this series. A father’s relationship with his daughter cuts like nothing else.

It was what drew him to her from the beginning-all that love, given without ever a care or thought on what it did to her. She loved, even when it ruined her.

Told through first-person perspective, Chronicles of the Bitch Queen makes it seem like something that Talyien wrote down in an effort to show her story, with all her faults, not her heroics, but how the political events in her life unfolded. It is clear how much work Villoso put into a world where the decisions made in the text, details that would only become clear later in this story, where backstory and the written word goes up against how history and rumor play into remembering a person’s life…asking the question of who is the villain and who is the hero. Throughout this entire story, from The Wolf of Oren-Yaro to The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng, history and how truth is told is important. It mirrors the real way in which governments and society choose to tell people what’s real and which person’s narrative is the correct one. As I’m writing this, I’m watching Palestinians fighting for their truth and liberation against Israel and western nations using language and images to command the narrative of defense against a people that Israel has oppressed since its fruition. Narratives, perspectives, and truth become critical in how we see political events. Given how much the politics in this series is inspired by the political climate in the Philippines, it makes sense how much it becomes an intimate part of the story K.S. Villoso wanted to tell.

War is so much a part of this book, and these politics are things that Talyien most grapples with herself. How does she do the right thing for her people, a Queen born in Yeshin the Butcher’s image? Dealing with the turmoil of romantic relationships, the stakes rise higher and higher as the lies around her crack at the seams. She’s constantly at war with herself in this book, even though she’s aware that her past does not come before her people’s. This book is where it all comes to a point, and we understand how and why Talyien’s memory becomes key to the series.

In the end, I’m left with brutalized heart but one that I’m sure will heal. I’ve been given everything I need and wanted to know in this beautifully told series. With family drama that even the Skywalkers couldn’t handle, politics that cut straight to the heart, a wonderful thief mad for love, this gastronomic fire-filled cake of a fantasy book is just the correct amount of flavor to fill me years to come.