Scan barcode
emmascc's review against another edition
5.0
Kate Elliott is queen of fantasy
mai and the black wolves and their real agenda
Spoiler
i miss atani so much and also what was that ending hell yeah im so excited for kellas,mai and the black wolves and their real agenda
katie_effing_kloss's review against another edition
3.0
(before anything else, I want to warn that there's a fairly graphic rape midway through that some people may want to skip over (and can without missing anything)).
I marathoned the last 300 pages after waffling over it for a week or two, and really tried harder to like it more than I did. It felt like more of a stage for the sequel than a book by itself, although there was a lot to it. The sheer amount of political maneuvering was hard to track at times, and some parts dragged because of it. Despite the back cover and description here, Kellas was my least favorite of the main characters; he seemed pretty one dimensional until the very end, and very much the image of the "legendary elite soldier" type. I did enjoy his flashbacks, however, which were much more substantive to me than the present.
Now for the good parts: the eagle-reeve relationships were definitely my favorite, and I enjoyed the scenes where the eagles' connections to their reeves were made almost tangible. Dannarah definitely made up for Kellas's lack of substance, and it was interesting to have the perspective of someone who saw the entirety of her family's rise and fall, and is constantly in conflict with younger, more ignorant characters (mostly reeves and marshals).
I do wish that the demons' subplot had been explored a little more, instead of being explained indirectly and in passing. I particularly would have liked to have the scene with mean essentially anything to the rest of the book, but again, more of a setup for the next book.
Overall I enjoyed it, and will probably read the next, but definitely not for Kellas.
I marathoned the last 300 pages after waffling over it for a week or two, and really tried harder to like it more than I did. It felt like more of a stage for the sequel than a book by itself, although there was a lot to it. The sheer amount of political maneuvering was hard to track at times, and some parts dragged because of it. Despite the back cover and description here, Kellas was my least favorite of the main characters; he seemed pretty one dimensional until the very end, and very much the image of the "legendary elite soldier" type. I did enjoy his flashbacks, however, which were much more substantive to me than the present.
Now for the good parts: the eagle-reeve relationships were definitely my favorite, and I enjoyed the scenes where the eagles' connections to their reeves were made almost tangible. Dannarah definitely made up for Kellas's lack of substance, and it was interesting to have the perspective of someone who saw the entirety of her family's rise and fall, and is constantly in conflict with younger, more ignorant characters (mostly reeves and marshals).
I do wish that the demons' subplot had been explored a little more, instead of being explained indirectly and in passing. I particularly would have liked to have the scene with
Spoiler
Sarai exploring the demon coil in the Assizes TowerOverall I enjoyed it, and will probably read the next, but definitely not for Kellas.
sequentialrun's review
I just hated most of these characters and I don't think I was supposed to.
hrjones's review against another edition
4.0
It’s been a while since I got into a dense, multi-volume fantasy epic. I ventured this one on the promise of lots of prominent, varied female characters, and it delivered on that as promised. Black Wolves follows the intersecting lives of a handful of people entwined in a multi-generation period of intense political and social change for a region known as The Hundred, with repercussions on neighboring regions and cultures. There is a slight look-and-feel of Asia to this secondary world, but not in a direct fashion, and the multilayered differences between the many cultures that are portrayed evoke something that is clearly itself and nothing else.
The scope of this epic becomes clear when “Part Two”, starting at chapter seven, lets us know that we are 44 years after the era of the opening chapters. A character who was a willful girl in the beginning is now a grizzled warrior, characters glimpsed at first have long since died, leaving us to deal with their grandchildren. I confess I had a bit of a “Wait...what?” moment. But it works, because the most dominant theme of the story is change. The sort of change that may be experienced over one lifetime, if the life is positioned just right, but that would be invisible on a year-to-year basis.
A story with this scope can’t really be summed up in a short review. We have cultures in clash with pre-modern (no gunpowder) weapons and the threat, but only rarely the reality, of magical interventions. We have kings and emperors and dynastic manoevering. We see the slow but relentless hegemony of an invading religion, when that religion is intent on dominance and understands the importance of infiltrating all layers of society. We see how multiple people of good will and honor can end up supporting entirely differnt visions of what is best for the land and the future, and struggling with the conflict of personal and political bonds. And the women. Oh my, the women. As pure water after a long harsh desert of male-dominated epic fantasies. We even have a solid sprinkling of women romantically involved with each other, where those bonds are just one more complication in their eventual goals.
If I had any minor disappointment in this book, it was that none of the characters utterly grabbed my heart and held it tightly. I liked them all, and want to see how they come to their eventual goals (or don’t). But the multi-focal nature of the cast made it a little hard to slip entirely inside any one head. You think you’re getting to know someone and then whoops you’re over there. It’s a function of the way the book is designed, so it isn’t exactly a flaw. But I’d like to have fallen head over heels in love with at least one of them.
At any rate, if you want a new vision of what epic fantasy can be, Black Wolves is the start of something great. And it would make a truly awesome multi-season tv series. Just saying.
The scope of this epic becomes clear when “Part Two”, starting at chapter seven, lets us know that we are 44 years after the era of the opening chapters. A character who was a willful girl in the beginning is now a grizzled warrior, characters glimpsed at first have long since died, leaving us to deal with their grandchildren. I confess I had a bit of a “Wait...what?” moment. But it works, because the most dominant theme of the story is change. The sort of change that may be experienced over one lifetime, if the life is positioned just right, but that would be invisible on a year-to-year basis.
A story with this scope can’t really be summed up in a short review. We have cultures in clash with pre-modern (no gunpowder) weapons and the threat, but only rarely the reality, of magical interventions. We have kings and emperors and dynastic manoevering. We see the slow but relentless hegemony of an invading religion, when that religion is intent on dominance and understands the importance of infiltrating all layers of society. We see how multiple people of good will and honor can end up supporting entirely differnt visions of what is best for the land and the future, and struggling with the conflict of personal and political bonds. And the women. Oh my, the women. As pure water after a long harsh desert of male-dominated epic fantasies. We even have a solid sprinkling of women romantically involved with each other, where those bonds are just one more complication in their eventual goals.
If I had any minor disappointment in this book, it was that none of the characters utterly grabbed my heart and held it tightly. I liked them all, and want to see how they come to their eventual goals (or don’t). But the multi-focal nature of the cast made it a little hard to slip entirely inside any one head. You think you’re getting to know someone and then whoops you’re over there. It’s a function of the way the book is designed, so it isn’t exactly a flaw. But I’d like to have fallen head over heels in love with at least one of them.
At any rate, if you want a new vision of what epic fantasy can be, Black Wolves is the start of something great. And it would make a truly awesome multi-season tv series. Just saying.
crtsjffrsn's review against another edition
4.0
Black Wolves. Where to start? Several friends recommended this book to me, so I figured it was about time I picked it up and gave it a read. This is the first Kate Elliott novel I've read, and I promise I'm not exaggerating when I say I've realized I am missing out. It may seem daunting--coming in at 780 pages--but it reads smoothly and quickly. It's so engaging and well-paced on every single page.
The book starts with a story that sets up the plot. We're introduced to several of the major players--especially Captain Kellas and the princess, Dannarah--and then advance to 44 years later. Dannarah's nephew is king and the whole situation of the kingdom has changed. Part of me wants to describe all of the various players and subplots that are going on a this point, but I really, really don't want to spoil anything. The story is so wonderfully written, and the reveals of the various twists and turns are so magnificent, I don't want to steal their thunder.
I'll suffice it to say that if you're a fan of epic fantasy, I think you'll enjoy this one. There's also a bit of mystery, intrigue, betrayal, and all the other trappings that make any story about nobility transcend setting. And some incredibly complex and strong characters. Pick this one up and check it out!
The book starts with a story that sets up the plot. We're introduced to several of the major players--especially Captain Kellas and the princess, Dannarah--and then advance to 44 years later. Dannarah's nephew is king and the whole situation of the kingdom has changed. Part of me wants to describe all of the various players and subplots that are going on a this point, but I really, really don't want to spoil anything. The story is so wonderfully written, and the reveals of the various twists and turns are so magnificent, I don't want to steal their thunder.
I'll suffice it to say that if you're a fan of epic fantasy, I think you'll enjoy this one. There's also a bit of mystery, intrigue, betrayal, and all the other trappings that make any story about nobility transcend setting. And some incredibly complex and strong characters. Pick this one up and check it out!
felinity's review against another edition
3.0
Normally I love Kate Elliott. The worldbuilding is incredible, the characters tend to be shades of grey rather than all good/all bad, and she always has strong, independent female characters with minds of their own.
And all of that is here too, along with a variety of characters spanning decades, a key plot point unfolding from multiple viewpoints - each of which seems to be the truth and perfectly reasonable - and showing the long-term effects of a conquered land, along with inhabitants, cultures and religious beliefs. All wonderful.
And there was a lot of crude language, far more than I thought necessary. I know this must have been a deliberate choice on Kate Elliott's part, as she managed just fine without this crudity before (indeed, she's managed whole series with about an average of 2 actual swear words per book) but it being intentional doesn't mean I have to like it.
And all of that is here too, along with a variety of characters spanning decades, a key plot point unfolding from multiple viewpoints - each of which seems to be the truth and perfectly reasonable - and showing the long-term effects of a conquered land, along with inhabitants, cultures and religious beliefs. All wonderful.
And there was a lot of crude language, far more than I thought necessary. I know this must have been a deliberate choice on Kate Elliott's part, as she managed just fine without this crudity before (indeed, she's managed whole series with about an average of 2 actual swear words per book) but it being intentional doesn't mean I have to like it.
nimeneth's review against another edition
Dnf'd early. The spark of interest just wasnt there for me, and the constant repetition of facts was getting old.
b303tilly's review against another edition
5.0
Fuck me...she's still writing the next one? ugh. So good.
musty_dothat's review against another edition
2.0
The world of Black Wolves is rich and imaginative; the prose and characters are great, but the novel is overly convoluted and long. The introductory section is the length of a novel in itself, despite contributing little to the overall plot, and the multiple threads in the novel are left half-finished and confused. It feels like the book is trying to set up a world for a whole series, but in trying to present all the threads of plot, I feel it fails to do any of them justice. It is a shame, as the world has a lot of promise, but I feel it would have worked better as multiple novels in a shared universe: a prequel in the time of Anjihosh, and then the individual tales of Dannarah, Kellas, and Sarai.
lanko's review against another edition
3.0
Black Wolves does something pretty bold in the beginning.
In the first ~90 pages we get Atani, Dannarah, Anjihosh and Kellas as our main characters. They're well-fleshed, dynamic, interesting and compelling. Other secondary characters appear and provoke intrigues, revelations and other actions that promise a lot of tension and conflict later.
Atani and Dannarah are great siblings, complementing each other very well. Kellas is also great, the spy/assassin member/secret leader of the deadly Black Wolves. Anjihosh is pretty grey when you look closely. Then comes queen Zayrah, the king's mother and politics, demons get involved, Mai, Arisit. The initial buildup is very good.
Then after getting attached to these characters and a really difficult choice is presented... Fourty-four years later...
Yes, that's right. It's a time skip of almost half a century.
And you learn that Atani, a great character, simply died twenty-two years ago, murdered by his own general. Dannarah is more than 60 years old. Kellas is more than 70. The Black Wolves were disbanded. The whole world is different, customs changed and there's a whole new cast of characters for you to start again.
Atani was intriguing. Dannarah was a 17 year old betrothed to a prince of another country. She didn't want to go, she wanted to do so many other things. Atani also didn't want her to go. Now we learn she actually escaped that fate by becoming a reeve. A reeve are riders of giant eagles. They are scouts and aerial warriors of the kingdom. Kellas is retired and threatened back to service.
I struggled through the next ~100 pages. I don't think it was only the massive changes, but also the way things were portrayed. There is a lot of exposition explaining things. And not much well-disguised infodumps, including characters speaking like encyclopedias during various tea meetings.
Then things started to move pretty nicely. Mostly Dannarah and Kellas carried until Sarai/Gil warmed up to a really nice plotline. Lifka started interesting but quickly faded into the background. The other interesting thing is the very rare flashbacks of Atani, whose murder and mystery were probably far more intriguing than the main plot.
There are lots of other secondary characters. And this causes a lot of exposition, because there really isn't page time for all of them. Tavahosh and Jehosh are more present and discernible, followed a little behind by Queen Chorranah.
There a lot of others (specially more sons, daughters, kin and etc) but they either simply end up fading or being introduced too late. The only thing you can make about them is what other characters explicitly tell you about their traits and behavior, which means you're always being told how to see/feel them.
There's a lot of factions and lots of people with secret agendas. Maybe a little too many of those. Jehosh, Tavahosh, Farihosh, Chorranah, Dia, the daughter of the neighboring Empire later, their agents' plots and the main characters.
This book already clocks around 800 pages and I think that for such large scope it wasn't nearly enough to properly shown it all.
Even Dannarah and Kellas start to fade a little near the end.
It felt like the book tried to do too much at once, even for 800 pages. And then that means for it to be more engaging, it would have to be even longer.
This means that even for a 800-page book, the story is overpopulated.
I think this affected the prose and the writing as well, as I highlighted very few passages (maybe 5) throughout 800 pages.
I think that the first ~90 pages were so gripping because they were showing me Kellas, Ajinhoshi, Dannarah and Atani extremelly well, but after the time skip and so much plot going on in an already long book, it had to switch for pure necessity to much more telling.
When characters were arguing it was still really nice and fluid to read, but when this wasn't happening and the narrative and descriptions settled in, it started to really suffer with pacing.
Also, the initial theme and intrigue of demons also disappears after the beginning to only return at the end of the book.
On the other hand it accomplishes other things really well. One thing a lot of people search for is for female empowerment and Black Wolves delivers on that.
Both queens (the king can have multiple wives) are the major players in the plots of the realm, much more than the king.
Dannarah continues to be a reeve and is also a Marshal who tricks princes and gets her way most of the time.
Sarai is the most curious one in this regard. While a lot of the other women usually fight against the traditional condition, Sarai fights to actually keep it, in a way. For example, Dannarah in the beginning doesn't want to marry politically. In the end, it works her way. Sarai, on the other hand, is sent to Gil (who also didn't want to marry anyone). Turns out they work together fairly well and come to like each other genuinely. Then he gets disgraced and everyone plots to divorce Sarai and even cause a miscarriage on her. Sarai passes the entire book fighting to actually keep her status as married to Gil. She's one who found freedom, in both body and mind, in marriage, and decides to stay in it out of her own choice instead of a pawn in others' plots.
There's very little violence in this book. I think there's only one mention of a battle (in a flashback near the end). There are no duels, gruesome assassinations or wars, sadly not even with the reeves and their mighty eagles. There's one or other dark moment, but considering the length, too few.
I think it's also a theme of the book. The cases of injustice, abuse and violence are all based on abuse of power. People getting arrested for very minor things, taxation, customs, racism, hierarchies. It's all about the power.
If you need battles and the like, you'll be a little disappointed. But if you want intrigue and power plays, you'll enjoy it if the other things I mentioned don't get in your way.
Finally, I have to say that Atani and his storyline (and how he died and why) is what made me really curious to keep going. It's very short, but definitely surprised me and probably won't disappoint you as well.
That's kinda of saying something about Atani. He only appears in the "prologue" and is dead for 90% of the book, only appearing through three of four rare and short flashbacks. For a comparison, he's a much better Rhaegar Targaryen.
While that says he's pretty great, maybe it also says something about the main plot and characters.
Which all comes down to the 44 year time skip.
I think I would've enjoyed Black Wolves much more if the initial story was the one told.
I wanted to see Atani grow (he also manages to get his two wives to be friendly to each other, another interesting plotline that is only mentioned briefly) and his death would've been much more shocking.
I wanted to see Dannarah's frustration at her fate and then becoming a reeve and working her way up to be one of the best. And her love/infatuation case with Kellas.
In the same line, I wanted to see more of Kellas' jobs and relationship with Dannarah and Mai. There's a part where Ajinhoshi discovers something about Kellas and Atani has to intervene. I wanted to see that scene, but it's only summarized.
And of course, the facets of good father to abusive/uncaring spouse of Ajinhoshi.
I think this plotline would've covered the book very well, and I would have been shown them instead of told. Or maybe it was the time skip that was too long.
Anyway, at that point the characters were really gripping, the story was flowing well and being pretty tight and surrounded with nuanced and explicit conflict and tension, present and future.
At the very least this story really left me wanting for much more. And it's probable it will be explored in later installments, but again, most likely through flashbacks.
It has some noticeable flaws, but overall it was an enjoyable ride, specially if you don't have trouble adjusting to the massive time skip.
In the first ~90 pages we get Atani, Dannarah, Anjihosh and Kellas as our main characters. They're well-fleshed, dynamic, interesting and compelling. Other secondary characters appear and provoke intrigues, revelations and other actions that promise a lot of tension and conflict later.
Atani and Dannarah are great siblings, complementing each other very well. Kellas is also great, the spy/assassin member/secret leader of the deadly Black Wolves. Anjihosh is pretty grey when you look closely. Then comes queen Zayrah, the king's mother and politics, demons get involved, Mai, Arisit. The initial buildup is very good.
Then after getting attached to these characters and a really difficult choice is presented... Fourty-four years later...
Yes, that's right. It's a time skip of almost half a century.
And you learn that Atani, a great character, simply died twenty-two years ago, murdered by his own general. Dannarah is more than 60 years old. Kellas is more than 70. The Black Wolves were disbanded. The whole world is different, customs changed and there's a whole new cast of characters for you to start again.
Atani was intriguing. Dannarah was a 17 year old betrothed to a prince of another country. She didn't want to go, she wanted to do so many other things. Atani also didn't want her to go. Now we learn she actually escaped that fate by becoming a reeve. A reeve are riders of giant eagles. They are scouts and aerial warriors of the kingdom. Kellas is retired and threatened back to service.
I struggled through the next ~100 pages. I don't think it was only the massive changes, but also the way things were portrayed. There is a lot of exposition explaining things. And not much well-disguised infodumps, including characters speaking like encyclopedias during various tea meetings.
Then things started to move pretty nicely. Mostly Dannarah and Kellas carried until Sarai/Gil warmed up to a really nice plotline. Lifka started interesting but quickly faded into the background. The other interesting thing is the very rare flashbacks of Atani, whose murder and mystery were probably far more intriguing than the main plot.
There are lots of other secondary characters. And this causes a lot of exposition, because there really isn't page time for all of them. Tavahosh and Jehosh are more present and discernible, followed a little behind by Queen Chorranah.
There a lot of others (specially more sons, daughters, kin and etc) but they either simply end up fading or being introduced too late. The only thing you can make about them is what other characters explicitly tell you about their traits and behavior, which means you're always being told how to see/feel them.
There's a lot of factions and lots of people with secret agendas. Maybe a little too many of those. Jehosh, Tavahosh, Farihosh, Chorranah, Dia, the daughter of the neighboring Empire later, their agents' plots and the main characters.
This book already clocks around 800 pages and I think that for such large scope it wasn't nearly enough to properly shown it all.
Even Dannarah and Kellas start to fade a little near the end.
It felt like the book tried to do too much at once, even for 800 pages. And then that means for it to be more engaging, it would have to be even longer.
This means that even for a 800-page book, the story is overpopulated.
I think this affected the prose and the writing as well, as I highlighted very few passages (maybe 5) throughout 800 pages.
I think that the first ~90 pages were so gripping because they were showing me Kellas, Ajinhoshi, Dannarah and Atani extremelly well, but after the time skip and so much plot going on in an already long book, it had to switch for pure necessity to much more telling.
When characters were arguing it was still really nice and fluid to read, but when this wasn't happening and the narrative and descriptions settled in, it started to really suffer with pacing.
Also, the initial theme and intrigue of demons also disappears after the beginning to only return at the end of the book.
On the other hand it accomplishes other things really well. One thing a lot of people search for is for female empowerment and Black Wolves delivers on that.
Both queens (the king can have multiple wives) are the major players in the plots of the realm, much more than the king.
Dannarah continues to be a reeve and is also a Marshal who tricks princes and gets her way most of the time.
Sarai is the most curious one in this regard. While a lot of the other women usually fight against the traditional condition, Sarai fights to actually keep it, in a way. For example, Dannarah in the beginning doesn't want to marry politically. In the end, it works her way. Sarai, on the other hand, is sent to Gil (who also didn't want to marry anyone). Turns out they work together fairly well and come to like each other genuinely. Then he gets disgraced and everyone plots to divorce Sarai and even cause a miscarriage on her. Sarai passes the entire book fighting to actually keep her status as married to Gil. She's one who found freedom, in both body and mind, in marriage, and decides to stay in it out of her own choice instead of a pawn in others' plots.
There's very little violence in this book. I think there's only one mention of a battle (in a flashback near the end). There are no duels, gruesome assassinations or wars, sadly not even with the reeves and their mighty eagles. There's one or other dark moment, but considering the length, too few.
I think it's also a theme of the book. The cases of injustice, abuse and violence are all based on abuse of power. People getting arrested for very minor things, taxation, customs, racism, hierarchies. It's all about the power.
If you need battles and the like, you'll be a little disappointed. But if you want intrigue and power plays, you'll enjoy it if the other things I mentioned don't get in your way.
Finally, I have to say that Atani and his storyline (and how he died and why) is what made me really curious to keep going. It's very short, but definitely surprised me and probably won't disappoint you as well.
That's kinda of saying something about Atani. He only appears in the "prologue" and is dead for 90% of the book, only appearing through three of four rare and short flashbacks. For a comparison, he's a much better Rhaegar Targaryen.
While that says he's pretty great, maybe it also says something about the main plot and characters.
Which all comes down to the 44 year time skip.
I think I would've enjoyed Black Wolves much more if the initial story was the one told.
I wanted to see Atani grow (he also manages to get his two wives to be friendly to each other, another interesting plotline that is only mentioned briefly) and his death would've been much more shocking.
I wanted to see Dannarah's frustration at her fate and then becoming a reeve and working her way up to be one of the best. And her love/infatuation case with Kellas.
In the same line, I wanted to see more of Kellas' jobs and relationship with Dannarah and Mai. There's a part where Ajinhoshi discovers something about Kellas and Atani has to intervene. I wanted to see that scene, but it's only summarized.
And of course, the facets of good father to abusive/uncaring spouse of Ajinhoshi.
I think this plotline would've covered the book very well, and I would have been shown them instead of told. Or maybe it was the time skip that was too long.
Anyway, at that point the characters were really gripping, the story was flowing well and being pretty tight and surrounded with nuanced and explicit conflict and tension, present and future.
At the very least this story really left me wanting for much more. And it's probable it will be explored in later installments, but again, most likely through flashbacks.
It has some noticeable flaws, but overall it was an enjoyable ride, specially if you don't have trouble adjusting to the massive time skip.