Tales from the Circle

  Outlaw Mage by K. S. Villoso follows the adventures of Rosha, a young woman with the ability to do magic living in an empire where she's an outsider. This book is full of what I love most about Villoso's work: those raw, deep observations about what it feels like to be an outsider trying to find or make a place for yourself in a society that doesn't have a place for you except on the sidelines. There's a fast-paced, action-packed story full of magic and secrets and even empire politics, but those few, scattered thoughts where Rosha is trying to come to terms with the way others see her, the way the empire treats her and her family, those are what raise this book above others of its kind and convince me that K. S. Villoso will one day be considered one of the greatest writers of this generation.  "The Empire of Dageis, mighty conqueror, the bastion of civilizations, envy of the world. And yet its people cannot grasp how a mere Gorenten child could make a pebble fl...

  The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng is the third and final installment in the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen Series. Read my reviews of book 1: The Wolf of Oren-Yaro and Book 2: The Ikessar Falcon . Just like other two books it's a wild ride. A first person POV following Queen Taliyen as she struggles to save her son and her kingdom from so many threats that she couldn't even have imagined at the start of this series! It's fast-paced and action-packed, full of battles, political intrigue, and truly desperate/hopeless situations that Tali has to navigate. It's also full of amazingly well-crafted characters that feel real in all their imperfections. There's a lot more magic in this one and we get to learn so much more about Tali's kingdom Jin-Sayeng and its history and secrets. I binge-read over the past 3 days - I couldn't put it down and didn't want to do anything else!  This third installment brings together many different pieces that click together so perfectly...