{"id":7170,"date":"2026-08-31T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T10:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=7170"},"modified":"2026-08-31T10:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T10:00:05","slug":"the-foreign-wife-by-june-yang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=7170","title":{"rendered":"The Foreign Wife by June Yang"},"content":{"rendered":"

A twisted (and twisty!) traumantasy about the power of love under a tyrannical king\u2019s violent, sex-centric rule<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Foreign Wife<\/em> is a story about finding unexpectedly sweet, life-saving love that gives you hope and courage to defy a brutal regime. Author June Yang infuses this novel with breathtaking emotional reveals about the horrors in Typress, where a kingdom-wide culture of violence against women permeates every aspect of life, frequently shocking readers with its brutality. Multiple waves of trauma rip through the intimacy its characters build (in romance, brotherhood, rebellion, alliances, and friendship) when we least expect it, making readers breathlessly turn pages from its very first to very last word.<\/p>\n

The story starts with a horrifying scene: LeeAnn drowsily exits the club where she was drugged, losing consciousness as she climbs into a cab with a driver who looks strangely familiar. We follow her kidnapper\u2019s perspective as he carries \u201clifeless women\u201d<\/em><\/strong> and lays them into steel boxes that transport them (alongside army weapons and modern medical birthing technology) into the kingdom through a magic portal at a secret location. \u201cThe women were carried into their rooms, and while still unconscious were fussed over by maidservants\u201d<\/em><\/strong> who will \u201cmake presentable these brand new Foreign Wives of Typress.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Foreign Wives \u201cearn their freedom\u201d by giving birth to a male heir, after which the king will \u201csend you back across the portal so you may resume your old life.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> As if it\u2019s not horrifying enough, the kingdom informs LeeAnn that they know she and her fianc\u00e9, Ted, have been struggling to conceive (\u201cThe fertility issue here is not with you, my lady. Here at Typress, you will finally be able to embrace motherhood.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>)<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

All of Typress\u2019s princes were conceived and born under this system, including LeeAnn\u2019s assigned husband, Prince Jochlan, who learns about her arrival when he returns from successfully conquering another village. Despite being a brilliant soldier who has been integral to their army\u2019s success, his heart\u2019s just not in it. He\u2019s not into having a Foreign Wife either; LeeAnn is his first in the past five years: \u201cYou know how I feel about this,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Jochlan replies flatly when the king informs him.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018I demand your enthusiasm for our way of life, Jochlan.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018I am grateful,\u2019 Jochlan lied dutifully. \u2018I cannot wait to meet my companion.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s not much to LeeAnn\u2019s character outside of her role as a woman from outside Typress kingdom. We don\u2019t know how she\u2019s different from Foreign Wives before her (other than that Jochlan \u201chad never in his life felt pulled towards anyone like this and he was not sure what to do\u201d<\/em><\/strong>), but the story works because Jochlan is life-or-death desperate for change when LeeAnn arrives.<\/p>\n

Jochlan\u2019s feelings for LeeAnn inspire him to finally defy the kingdom\u2019s norms, and his actions inspire others to do the same. Their intimacy is transformative for Jochlan:<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore LeeAnn had entered his life, he was convinced that intimacy and duty were inseparable, and had survived by closing up his heart whenever he was physically close to someone else.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

LeeAnn is terrified, but so is everyone else in Typress\u2014castle staff and princes alike. They live in a state of constant terror, stuck in survival-mode dissociation from a lifetime of trauma and an ever-present sense of impending doom. The soldiers self-harm, child brides attempt suicide; everyone is in \u201ca feverish state of anxiety\u201d<\/em><\/strong> where they must constantly prove their allegiance to the king. Brutal punishment awaits anyone who questions their way of life. \u201cDo you simply do as you\u2019re told?\u201d<\/em><\/strong> LeeAnn asked. \u201cAye, if one wishes to survive in Typress.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jochlan is a consent-focused sexual partner who is passionate about LeeAnn\u2019s pleasure and knows the violence he represents. They have frequent, sizzling hot sex, but it\u2019s not the only sex LeeAnn has in the castle. Despite being assigned to Jochlan, LeeAnn is expected to sexually entertain and engage with any royal men who want her.<\/p>\n

LeeAnn is assaulted by Jochlan\u2019s cousin, who (in accordance with the king\u2019s rules) feels entitled to every woman in the kingdom. She strikes a deal with the king himself: sex in exchange for freedom to roam the castle (\u201cShe was allowed outdoors for a daily walk in the garden, though she was barred from socializing with anyone she might accidentally meet\u201d<\/em><\/strong>) which allows her to help a fellow Foreign Wife, who is secretly searching for a map back to the magic portal. And then there\u2019s her performance for the king\u2019s troops\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe theatre was standing room only, and was filled with people on all three floors held back by railings. The spectators were all men and they were cheering her on, whistling and leering.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Just when it feels like LeeAnn and Jochlan\u2019s blossoming romance may defy their circumstances to find some kind of happiness, we learn about another horrifying kingdom ritual: Every month, \u201ca prince and [a different prince\u2019s] Foreign Wife would be selected at random to perform [sexual acts] for the troops.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> The podium is a site of trauma for both Jochlan and LeeAnn\u2019s assigned performance partner, Jovan; it\u2019s another duty they perform in fear.<\/p>\n

Jovan offers what kindness he can to help LeeAnn, promising that their performance \u201cwill be over in mere minutes.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> He recommends that LeeAnn close her eyes and imagine she\u2019s with someone she trusts. \u201cShe felt his lips on hers and she pretended that it was Ted, and it was the night after he had proposed to her.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Jovan thought of someone else, too: \u201cSam was a Typress guard who patrolled the landing outside Jovan\u2019s bedchamber. He had beautiful eyes and a wonderful smile,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> and years ago, he was sentenced to \u201can execution by gunfire\u201d<\/em><\/strong> after reporting Jovan\u2019s romantic interest in him, which Jovan was commanded to watch.<\/p>\n

In Typress, even the king\u2019s most prized heirs risk being publicly whipped for disobedience. But when LeeAnn is sent to the dungeon\u2014shackled and starved, abandoned to scream for help in the darkness\u2014Jochlan can\u2019t find his way back to being the dutiful, dissociating prince he was before he met her. \u201cLeeAnn had awakened parts of him that were asleep before. Her imprisonment broke something in him.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yang\u2019s stunning worldbuilding offers readers opportunity for (and the expectation of) refreshing, progressive commentary on imperial rule, colonial expansion, and gender roles within the castle\u2014especially with a never-ending cycle of independent, modern women who are trafficked in and out of the kingdom. We meet extraordinary Typress women who rebel as best they can, with kindness, knowledge sharing, and love for the children they raise: \u201cI see beyond the limits of these walls. These are intelligent and spirited girls who will grow up to impact Xasia in ways I cannot imagine.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Although, I did expect to see more of them after such a poignant introduction.<\/p>\n

This novel could be a difficult read for anyone who is trying to conceive a child, has lost a child, been separated from their kids, or experienced an at-risk pregnancy or life-threatening birth experience. Typress\u2019s royal children are raised in complete isolation, separated by gender and refused any parent-child relationship, hiding their father\u2019s identity and banishing their mothers after giving birth.<\/p>\n

Readers are frequently sucker-punched with devastatingly brief offhand remarks about the kingdom doctor\u2019s work to prevent another baby\u2019s death, with abandoned children and painful pregnancies happening in the background of Jochlan and LeeAnn\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

Fans of Outlander<\/em> and its spinoff Blood of my Blood<\/em> will enjoy this highly engaging page-turner, the first book in a planned trilogy. The Foreign Wife<\/em> is filled with complicated emotions and shocking traditions. After this action-packed nail biter of an ending, readers will be ravenous for more of June Yang\u2019s dramatic reveals, endearingly vulnerable Prince, and twisted kingdom culture in book two. I certainly am.<\/p>\n

The post The Foreign Wife by June Yang<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A twisted (and twisty!) traumantasy about the power of love under a tyrannical king\u2019s violent, sex-centric rule The Foreign Wife is a story about finding unexpectedly sweet, life-saving love that gives you hope and courage to defy a brutal regime. Author June Yang infuses this novel with breathtaking emotional reveals about the horrors in Typress, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7170"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}