Taking ARC Requests for The Wolf of Oren-yaro

It’s July.

I promised people the ARC of my new novel, The Wolf of Oren-yaro, will be out this month. And it’s getting there. I’m just about ready to start applying final edits and formatting the paperback edition. Yes, what you’re looking at is the ARC cover, which is going to grace the copies that I’ll be sending out to a few unlucky people. The actual book will have a different, better, more professional cover.

I have a limited number I’m going to be giving out in exchange for a review. If you want one, just send me a message through social media (leave a comment below or find me on Goodreads, or Twitter @k_villoso) within the next couple of months. I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible. If I run out of physical copies, I might still be able to give you an electronic copy.

What is The Wolf of Oren-yaro and why would you want to read it? Like with all of my work, The Wolf of Oren-yaro is a character-driven epic fantasy novel–the first of a trilogy, all of which I’m planning to release by next year. The Annals of the Bitch Queen is told from a first person point of view following the adventures and inner conflicts of the daughter of a mass murderer. It is not a direct sequel to my last series, The Agartes Epilogues, but does follow the aftermath of an event hinted at the end of it.

You may be interested in this series if you like:

• Strong character development, with an emphasis on Talyien’s thoughts, relationships, and personal growth.
• Large casts with very developed backstories and personalities for each supporting character.
• A tale that begins as a rollicking adventure and slowly grows in scale and scope with each book.
• A good balance between actions and feelings. “I love you!” *stab*, that kind of thing.
• Did I mention feelings?
• Strong themes involving self-worth, duty, love, and loyalty.
• Vivid worldbuilding in an Asian setting.
• Monsters, monsters everywhere, with lots of mysteries and intrigue to uncover.
• Mulan meets Game of Thrones with heavy doses of K-drama.

You will not like this series if you prefer:

• A more straightforward plot (from Point A to B) with very little focus on introspection and second-guessing.
• Lots of action.
• Lots of explanation. While this series will not be as sparse as The Agartes Epilogues, nor will it involve time skips or POV switching (common reader complaints with my last series), the reader’s experience will be limited by Talyien’s, and if she doesn’t know something, the reader won’t, either. The narrative also assume that Talyien will not have to explain something she deems “normal.”
• Likable characters. This entire series features flawed characters, including an unreliable narrator to boot.
• No feelings. Absolutely none.

The Wolf of Oren-yaro is set to be released on January 29, 2018.

Here’s a sample of the blurb (which I’ve been graciously told I don’t need to have with a title like “Bitch Queen”, but still):

“I murdered a man and made my husband leave the night before they crowned me.” 

Born under the crumbling towers of Oren-yaro, Talyien aren dar Orenar’s life unfolded like a storybook. The shining jewel and legacy of the War of the Wolves that nearly tore her nation apart, her marriage to the Ikessar heir, Rayyel, spoke of peaceful days to come.

But all storybooks must end. Rayyel suddenly left the night before they were to be crowned, leaving the land as divided as before.

Years later, in the midst of the warlords’ rising tensions, Talyien receives a message from Rayyel, urging her to meet with him in the Empire of Ziri-nar-Orxiaro. An assassination attempt interrupts Talyien’s quest for reconciliation, sending the queen struggling in a strange and dangerous land. With betrayals in every twist and turn, she is forced to enlist the help of a con-artist to survive and save her husband from the clutches of those who would seek to use him for their gain…if he would let her.