The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

I first rated this book 4 stars, because Talyien was such a frustrating character to follow, but after letting it sit for a night, I was able to think about the book in its entirety more and not just about how I felt about Talyien.

This Southeast/East Asian-inspired story was such a comforting read for me, despite the harrowing details of Zorheng City and other scarring events in the book. Seeing the Filipino culture woven into the woldbuilding and the characters really made this an enjoyable read to relate to.

The characters are all wonderful in that they are all so human. I think that's one of the reasons why I was so frustrated with Talyien. I expected her to be this perfect, unapologetic, and fearless leader with zero mistakes. In reality, she's unapologetic but she definitely made a bunch of mistakes in the book and I really had to put myself in her shoes and think, “I mean I probably would've made that mistake too.” She has such a huge heart and we get to see her journey develop into something so much more than just being the bitch queen.