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A review by amibunk
Diplomacy of Wolves by Holly Lisle
3.0
3.5 stars
Fantasy books rely heavily on their world building. If the world is confusing or overly complicated (or worse, flat out boring) it’s hard to enjoy the book.
This series’ world of magic, skin shifting, and spirits is a little fussy and dense but relies also on predictable plot points to make the entire combination easier to experience.
This is a decently written fantasy novel that does seem to have lots of talk of violence and rape that all happens “off stage.” (To make it less hardcore for the author’s targeted audience? Or did she lack the skills to adequately convey the atrocities of her villains? I don’t know.)
The characters are a little flat and static- the bad guys are completely bad, the heroes are completely good. But the ideas about magic are truly interesting and the action is fast paced and engaging.
Overall, it’s a good read.
Fantasy books rely heavily on their world building. If the world is confusing or overly complicated (or worse, flat out boring) it’s hard to enjoy the book.
This series’ world of magic, skin shifting, and spirits is a little fussy and dense but relies also on predictable plot points to make the entire combination easier to experience.
This is a decently written fantasy novel that does seem to have lots of talk of violence and rape that all happens “off stage.” (To make it less hardcore for the author’s targeted audience? Or did she lack the skills to adequately convey the atrocities of her villains? I don’t know.)
The characters are a little flat and static- the bad guys are completely bad, the heroes are completely good. But the ideas about magic are truly interesting and the action is fast paced and engaging.
Overall, it’s a good read.