druv's review
4.0
I didn't read this book for a few years, because I was real upset at some characters at the end of the Crossroads trilogy. Now I really regret it! This is one of the best fantasy books I've read that deals with the intersection of cultures and countries, and how conquest looks very different for different classes. A big, epic war might end, but the country, the people, carry on.
This book also has enjoyable protagonists, and a deep magical mystery I hope we'll get some more information on.
This book also has enjoyable protagonists, and a deep magical mystery I hope we'll get some more information on.
lady_mel's review
3.0
I thought this book was rather confusing. There are so many different plot points, and, unless I missed something, none of them had anything to do with the ending.
That said, my two favorite characters are Kellas and Dannarrah. Being of a certain age myself, I found myself nodding in sympathy at every creaking joint, achy hip, and sleepless night.
That said, my two favorite characters are Kellas and Dannarrah. Being of a certain age myself, I found myself nodding in sympathy at every creaking joint, achy hip, and sleepless night.
birte's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emeraldreverie's review
4.0
Definitely a world and system and characters I'd love to explore more. Womp.
emmascc's review
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
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 against another edition
I just hated most of these characters and I don't think I was supposed to.
hrjones's review
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
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
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.