Diplomacy of Wolves by Holly Lisle

Diplomacy of Wolves is a fascinating novel filled with political intrigue, betrayal, mystery, and is a solid start to what will hopefully be a satisfying series. The novel is written with each chapter taken in a certain character’s point of view. The next chapter will have a different character’s view and so on throughout the novel switching from different variations of the third person. Some chapters seem more personal and inside the mind of the character while others seem more omnipresent. This works well and gives the reader more of a variety. However, there were characters that I preferred more than others. Some chapters I’d plod through in hopeful anticipation that the next would be from my personal character’s point of view. There were two characters in particular that I found more “fun” than the others. The first is the female protagonist Kait, and the other (her counterpart in the story) Ry Sabir. The other characters will have their fans, but didn’t appeal to me personally. The story does have a magical edge in the idea of the “Karnee.” These are being who appear human, but have the ability to adopt a lupine form. In other words, they’re werewolves. Typically, they are feared and if found out, are killed on the spot. Karnee are not controlled by the pull of the moon, but must release their inner beast lest they lose control of themselves. The plot is intriguing and held my interest. One aspect that I also noticed was that even small characters were fleshed out nicely without having to sacrifice too much time away from the main characters. It’s a nice touch that adds a fair amount more of personality and flair than if it would’ve focused completely on the title characters. It does take a few chapters to really get the feel of the writing however, as the reader is introduced to multiple characters quite quickly. Nevertheless, I recommend it full heartedly and award Diplomacy of Wolves four stars. ****

Review by Alisa Heskin