A+ | Thrilling, intricate, phenomenal. I genuinely don’t think I will ever be able to describe how much I adore The Ikessar Falcon by K.S. Villoso. Every single detail is ornate and elaborate. This book is a grand cathedral wherein every single element — from the stone to the artwork to the chandeliers to the pews — were carefully selected and lovingly crafted to bring this world and these characters to life. Like its predecessor, this adult fantasy succeeds in being so full of life and being so unapologetically Filipino by reflecting those good and bad aspects of Filipino society.
Warning: I am assuming that you have read The Wolf of Oren-Yaro before reading this review. Please click below at your own discretion.
Trigger warnings for this book include the following: sex, violence, threats of sexual violence made against children.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in their #DethroneTheDragonlord tour. Thank you Shealea from Caffeine Book Tours and to Orbit Books for providing me with this copy in exchange for this honest review.
Title: The Ikessar Falcon (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen #2)
Author: K.S. Villoso
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: 22 September 2020
Synopsis: The Bitch Queen returns in The Ikessar Falcon, the action-packed sequel to K. S. Villoso’s acclaimed fantasy debut, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro.
Abandoned by her people, Queen Talyien’s quest takes a turn for the worse as she stumbles upon a plot deeper and more sinister than she could have ever imagined, one that will displace her king and see her son dead. The road home beckons, strewn with a tangled web of deceit and unimaginable horrors – creatures from the dark, mad dragons and men with hearts hungry for power.
To save her land, Talyien must confront the myth others have built around her: Warlord Yeshin’s daughter, symbol of peace, warrior and queen and everything she could never be.
The price for failure is steep. Her friends are few. And a nation carved by a murderer can only be destined for war.
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Review for The Wolf of Oren-Yaro which I highly suggest you read before reading this review for The Ikessar Falcon.
Table of Contents
— REVIEW:
Let’s get this out of the way right now. I love The Ikessar Falcon more than the first one. There, I said it. Quite an accomplishment, right? Middle book syndrome is nowhere to be found here. I’m still reeling over this book. It took me several days to complete it (despite the fact I was only reading this book) because I savored every moment. Also, because I was annotating this time around. My ARC is covered in sticky flags and underlying (in pencil).
The Plot was on point.
The first book didn’t allow us to breathe. But this book? Villoso would give you hope, let you breathe, and then manage to make you scream. I can’t tell you the number of times my heart stopped and jumped. No lie? I wrote expletives multiple times throughout my ARC copy. I couldn’t help it! Hell, there were some nights I ended up drinking a glass of wine while I was reading. Other nights, I had to force myself to do other things or sleep early because all I wanted to do was read.
It is that good.
There were those moments when I felt like things were moving a little too slowly.
The Worldbuilding shines bright once again.
It is vivid and alive. Once more, the worldbuilding is natural and seamless. It is easy to picture as every aspect of the world: from the environment to the food. How? Everything is provided for you on a silver platter. Do you know how many times I ended up hungry after a reading session?
Too many damn times!
I adored that Villoso once again explores real-world issues in this novel. She continues with that trend of showing us the inequalities between gender, social status, and ethnicity. There is an attempt to discuss (critique) social classes and how the current system only benefits some — not all. She also dives in-depth to show us how Jin-Sayeng’s government and social ladder functions.
And you know what?
Jin-Sayeng’s government parallels the Philippine government.
Now, I am Filipino, but I grew up here in the US, so my views are that of an outsider in this case. If you are a Filipino back home and there is a mistake here (or you disagree), please feel free to let me know.
Part of the reason I saw this parallel is because of the fact that clans quarrel with each other for power while ignoring their country’s numerous and glaring problems. Cosmetic fixes are done, which are nothing more than bandages on a festering wound. Reports that are meant to inform the nation’s leader of the happenings within regions are falsified. Then there’s also the fact that some areas are basically ignored. These regions are left to their own devices to deal with whatever problems happening there.
In a way, Talyein unfortunately, plays a role in this continuous cycle. She is willfully ignorant. She acknowledges that there are issues, and corruption is rampant in her kingdom. However, she doesn’t act on them to make some sort of difference. She feeds into the status quo.
To make matters worse, she knows little about the true ongoings within her kingdom. She doesn’t bother to look into things herself. She was far too busy chasing ghosts and an absentee husband to make an impact that matters.
Harsh, yes. But it is the truth.
And the Pièce de Résistance? The Characters.
Villoso’s character work is absolutely phenomenal. The characters are all incredibly intricate and intriguing figures. She isn’t afraid to explore the ugly side of humanity to bring these people to life.
Talyien continues to shine. I have already discussed my thoughts on the similarities between her and real-life Filipino women, so I won’t rehash that here.
But God, I love Talyien. I absolutely worship the ground Villoso walks on because she has crafted one of my favorite characters. She is so intricate, so flawed, so human. There were those moments where I could absolutely understand where she was coming from, but then there were those other times when I could not.
Had it not been for risking spoilers? I would be rambling on and on about her.
Look, Talyien loves with her entire heart and soul. You can never question her love for country and family. But between this love? There is that never-ending question of legacy.
To quote the musical Hamilton: Legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.
As Yeshin’s only living child, Talyien is forced to carry on his legacy. Throughout the series, much of her actions have had her question, “What would Yeshin’s daughter do?”
Not Talyien. Not Tali. Yeshin’s daughter.
She spent her entire life wondering, “What would my father say?” She’s not thinking for herself. This line of thinking has hampered her ability to function as a queen, wife, and mother. As I said above, she spent too much time chasing ghosts and allowing this toxic mentality to rule over her life.
Do I think it’s fair that Talyien must carry this burden of her father’s legacy while also dealing with this misogynistic society that expects perfection right off the bat? No, of course not. It’s complete bullish!t.
Had Talyien been a man, do I think that the warlords (& thus the people) would be quicker to forgive her? That they would have given her a second or a third or a tenth chance at being a good ruler? Absolutely.
This brings me to my next point.
Men can make as many mistakes as they want, but they will still command more respect than Talyien (and real-life Filipino women).
As I mentioned before, I saw many similarities between Talyien and real-life Filipino women. But for this book, I could not help but notice the similarities between Rayyel, Agos, and real-life Filipino men. They’re all cut from the same cloth. Ok, before you try to feed me to a dragon, hear me out.
Rayyel prefers to keep his head buried in books and prefers cold hard logic over anything else. He keeps his heart and emotions locked away. I have multiple entries throughout my ARC copy, where I question whether Rayyel can feel emotions at all. Then you have Agos who is all about violence and using force, even when it’s obviously incredibly stupid. He wears his heart on his sleeves and makes no attempt to hide his feelings.
But while they have these differences, they sit on opposite sides of the same coin.
It doesn’t matter that one is royal, and the other is not. Much like many Filipino men, hypocrisy is embedded in both of their DNA. And unfortunately, like Filipino men, they can get away with so much because society lets them. While Talyien is crucified by everyone for her actions, these men can do the exact same thing and get away with it.
They dare to scold Talyien for her actions even though they are doing the exact same thing. It is outrageous, so utterly infuriating, and quite frankly? Upsetting.
It goes back to the point I made in my review of the first book. Talyien parallels Filipino women who bear the brunt of society’s expectations. She is expected to exceed people’s expectations of her while staying within the lines of her gender’s “responsibilities” and “roles.” She can never make a mistake because she must be as perfect in every role she is placed into: daughter, wife, mother, lover, princess, queen. It doesn’t matter if others make mistakes. It becomes her duty to fix it because it is somehow her fault.
Rayyel and Agos, on the other hand?
They are free to make as many mistakes as possible.
Consequences? What consequences? They are not the ones who will bear the burden of their mistakes and actions.
Take a look at Rayyel. Although he was the one who made the conscious decision to abandon his family and his duties, Talyien is the one who carried the burden of his decision all these years. Talyien made attempts to keep their marriage alive even before it began. Rayyel, on the other hand, was the one whose head as buried elsewhere. And yet according to society, whose fault is it that this marriage collapsed?
And let’s not forget Agos. Have you have followed my live tweets or my GR updates? Well, if you did, then you know by now I absolutely found Agos abhorrent so forgive me as I try to contain my rage when writing about him.
Agos is the biggest hypocrite of them all.
He is no different from Rayyel. The only difference between them is where Rayyel attempts to use cold hard logic to deal with his problems, Agos uses violence. You can reason with Rayyel. Give him the facts and present it with considerable evidence, and he will see the light.
Agos, on the other hand? His loyalty is to Talyien and Talyien alone. The combination of his deep devotion to Talyien and his excessive use of violence makes him far more terrifying, in my opinion. On the surface, Agos seems like this wonderful, albeit troubled, man who adores Talyien and is on her side. But I could not support or stand him due to his machismo, hypocrisy, and actions throughout this book.
I may be writing a post where I discuss this in further detail. Since this is an ARC review, I want to give people a chance to read this book for themselves without me spoiling essential details about specific people.
However, I want you to take a close look at the things he tells people. I want you to pay close attention to the things he does and the things he scolds other characters, including Talyien, for doing or saying.
Do I recommend The Ikessar Falcon?
Holy moly cannoli, HECK YES!!!! Pick up this book immediately. Or pick up The Wolf of Oren-Yaro first if you haven’t read that and then read The Ikessar Falcon immediately after. You are truly missing out on some masterful storytelling set in a Southeast Asian inspired world if you don’t pick this series up ASAP.
Join the Conversation
If you’d like to discuss either The Wolf of Oren-Yaro or The Ikessar Falcon, head on over to Twitter! Or if you’d like to see other reviews, make sure to check out the #DethroneTheDragonlord tag on Twitter and Instagram!
Caffeine Book Tour’s internation blog tour for The Ikessar Falcon will be ongoing from September 14-19 and the Philippine blog tour from September 21-26. Make sure to check out the schedule here on the Caffeine Book Tours website and head on over to my fellow bloggers’ pages to read their reviews!
Thank you once again to Shealea for allowing me to take part and to Orbit Books for sending me my ARC copy.
About the Author
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.
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Creative Photos
This is a great revie Veronica! I absolutely feel that Tali is a mixed bag. She’s badass and intelligent one moment and bullheaded the next. I love how she reminds me so well of real people.
Thanks for replying! Yeah Tali is definitely so utterly human and as annoyed as I was with her, it felt so good to read a character who reminded me of people I know IRL. What made things great was that sure we get to know her, but she still managed to be unpredictable. But you can never once say, “oh that’s so out of character/so out of left field,” because the hints are there about her beliefs and where she stands. It’s just a matter of us looking back and going, “oh! Ok!!”
I was trying very hard not to get attached to the characters! One of the things I loved about this book was that the author was not afraid to show Tali’s shortcomings as queen. It was so absurd how everyone who met her always referred to her as Yeshin’s daughter or the bitch queen, never her true name. It really showed how the people only ever saw her as a pawn or Yeshin re-incarnate.
I love how detailed your review is. Clearly a lot of thought (and maybe note-taking) went into this. I look forward to reading more from you.
Thank you! I actually went into the book going, “I’m just gonna read and maybe write notes occasionally.” But the moment I opened chapter 1? I knew I had to grab my sticky flags and a pencil. And I totally agree with you on your point. It’s one of those instances where Villoso forces us to confront how we handle legacy and how for many, they will never be able to escape their parents’ shadows because of not only the fact that other people won’t let them forget who their family is and won’t let them have an identity of their own, but also because of what mess their parents/families leave behind. “Planting seeds in a garden we never get to see,” is such a perfect line for this because Yeshin planted so many seeds that are not bursting out of the ground for Tali to have to deal with all the while dealing with her own messes.
i really need to pick up this series! making it a goal to read it before the end of 2020. i did not know that it’s a trilogy until recently, so i skimmed this review since i still haven’t read the first book! the covers are so amazing, so this one is definitely going on my to-buy list.
I agree with every bit of your review. Superb! It’s nice to read an in-depth one of The Ikessar Falcon (while mine is a short lol). The political dynasty at its finest is what I’ve been thinking with TIFs and PHs. *Sigh* I hope it will be handled on the third book tho (I doubt with PH lol).