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The Wolf of Oren-Yaro
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso is $2.99! Ellen wrote a great review of this one, giving it a B-:
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso presents a strong entry in the annals of badass fantasy heroines in the form of Queen Talyien of Jin-Sayeng.
A queen of a divided land must unite her people, even if they hate her, even if it means stopping a ruin that she helped create. A debut epic fantasy from an exciting new voice.
“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.
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The Queen of Blood
RECOMMENDED: The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst is $1.99! It earned an A grade from Carrie:
It’s a beautiful and at times harrowing book that is overwhelmingly about the lives of women and their relationships to each other. Best of all, it preserves the beauty and terror of fantasy while avoiding many of fantasy’s clichés.
An idealistic young student and a banished warrior become allies in a battle to save their realm in this first book of a mesmerizing epic fantasy series, filled with political intrigue, violent magic, malevolent spirits, and thrilling adventure
Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .
But the spirits that reside within this land want to rid it of all humans. One woman stands between these malevolent spirits and the end of humankind: the queen. She alone has the magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. But queens are still just human, and no matter how strong or good, the threat of danger always looms.
With the position so precarious, young women are chosen to train as heirs. Daleina, a seemingly quiet academy student, is under no illusions as to her claim to the throne, but simply wants to right the wrongs that have befallen the land. Ven, a disgraced champion, has spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks. Joining forces, these daring partners embark on a treacherous quest to find the source of the spirits’ restlessness—a journey that will test their courage and trust, and force them to stand against both enemies and friends to save their land . . . before it’s bathed in blood.
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Kill the Queen
RECOMMENDED: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep is still $1.99! Elyse read this one and gave it a B+:
Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep is the first book in a fantasy series that features a badass female gladiator on a quest to reclaim the throne from her murderous cousin. It’s tremendous fun, although it wraps up quickly.
Gladiator meets Game of Thrones: a royal woman becomes a skilled warrior to destroy her murderous cousin, avenge her family, and save her kingdom in this first entry in a dazzling fantasy epic from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental Assassin series—an enthralling tale that combines magic, murder, intrigue, adventure, and a hint of romance.
In a realm where one’s magical power determines one’s worth, Lady Everleigh’s lack of obvious ability relegates her to the shadows of the royal court of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. Seventeenth in line for the throne, Evie is nothing more than a ceremonial fixture, overlooked and mostly forgotten.
But dark forces are at work inside the palace. When her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her mother the queen and takes the throne by force, Evie is also attacked, along with the rest of the royal family. Luckily for Evie, her secret immunity to magic helps her escape the massacre.
Forced into hiding to survive, she falls in with a gladiator troupe. Though they use their talents to entertain and amuse the masses, the gladiators are actually highly trained warriors skilled in the art of war, especially Lucas Sullivan, a powerful magier with secrets of his own. Uncertain of her future—or if she even has one—Evie begins training with the troupe until she can decide her next move.
But as the bloodthirsty Vasilia exerts her power, pushing Bellona to the brink of war, Evie’s fate becomes clear: she must become a fearsome gladiator herself . . . and kill the queen.
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The Silver Stag
The Silver Stag by Yasmine Galenorn is 99c! This is the first book in The Wild Hunt urban fantasy series. Some reviews noted this one needed more editing, while others loved the heroine. I’m also a sucker for anything having to do with fae.
Life isn’t easy when you bear the mark of the Silver Stag.
Caught between the worlds of Light and Dark Fae, Ember Kearney was born with the mark of the Silver Stag. Rejected by both her bloodlines, she’s turned her back on her people to become a freelance investigator, hiring herself to take care of common problems like hen-stealing goblins.
When Ember’s best friend asks for her help, it leads them both into a glittering world of conspiracy and danger. Angel’s little brother has vanished, and Ember must race against time to save his life. But when Ember discovers what’s happened to DJ, both she and Angel find themselves recruited into Herne’s elite squad of bounty hunters. Now, Ember must not only face her heritage, but she’s bound to preserve the balance between the Fae Courts, for if order isn’t maintained, war and chaos will spill out into the mortal realm.
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I really enjoyed Kill the Queen!
I loved “The Queen of Blood”! It’s my favorite of the four books she’s written in this world, though they were all Bad Decisions Book Club reads for me.
Anyone have insight into how strongly Queen of Blood is invested in binary gender? Story sounds great but I’m tired of worlds where girls do X and boys do Y (and girl/boy are the only two options).
@meg I also have this question. It’s one thing if the world itself has binary gender roles but the book/characters question or challenge that idea (i.e. our current reality) but I’ve been super frustrated recently by fantasy books with “feminist” worldbuilding or plotlines and no place for trans/nb people, as if it never occurred to the author to even think about the idea that gender isn’t biology.
@meg & @Annie Kate: It’s been a while since I read Queen of Blood, but I can’t remember any divergence from the binary and didn’t tag it as inclusive in that regard (although I admit I’m not consistently on top of my tag use).
@Ren Benton: Thank you so much. This is something that I used to be able to gloss over, but ouch I’m sensitive now.
@Annie Kate: “as if it never occurred to the author to even think about the idea that gender isn’t biology” is my biggest pet peeve lately. I’m building out my list of authors where I’m happy to live in their world, but by volume I still end up reading too much cis fantasy/romance where the author does not have a clue. Or they actually believe that gender=biology, not least because they probably don’t understand biology! Great options. Ugh.
Ok gonna go find a genderqueer favorite to re-read instead.