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 having an incredibly difficult time writing book reviews lately. Sometimes just the thought of starting one causes me to shut down completely & I’ve had more than a few moments over the last few months where I’ve considered putting the blog on hold for awhile.
But K. S. Villoso’s THE CHRONICLES OF THE BITCH QUEEN is an incredibly special trilogy, and I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to give some final impressions on it.
Because goddamn. It’s hard to imagine another trilogy that somehow manages to feel so epic in scope, while also feeling deeply personal and tightly focused on the main character. I’d have to really scour my shelves, but I can’t think of a trilogy I’ve read that was told in the first person, and (almost) entirely from one POV.
Tali is one of the of the most memorable protagonists I’ve encountered. She’s funny, fierce, badass, messy…above all else, she is relentless in her search to find her son. I think that’s what will stay with me most from this trilogy, just that sense that Tali could & will move heaven and earth to bring him back safely, with increasingly little regard for her own well being.
THE DRAGON OF JIN-SAYENG really brings into focus just how much of Tali’s life was influenced by her father. So even though Warlord Yeshin is long dead, he continues to haunt Tali, especially in this final book.
The character development in this trilogy is just astounding. And while Tali & Khine are the two characters that I naturally gravitated towards in these books, I think what Villoso does with Rayyel is particularly special. It’s like this slow process of peeling back layers & layers, getting to the heart of this guy. He turned into a really compelling character for me, and I don’t think I would have guessed that at the beginning of the trilogy.
Yeah, fucking hell. This trilogy is kind of a masterpiece. A raw, bloody, political, and frequently grueling story…K. S. Villoso is a massively gifted author & I’m incredibly eager to find out what’s next from her! THE CHRONICLES OF THE BITCH QUEEN is for sure a new favorite trilogy of mine!
Grimdark Dad 
Ahhh this makes me want to finish the series like right now. And reread book 1! Also I think you should read The Bone Witch, you’d probably find Tea just as interesting as Tali!
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