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! ( )

(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 Sarai exploring the demon coil in the Assizes Tower 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. ( )

Let the rating read 4.5

This book came as a surprise. The scope and complexity of the plot were an order of magnitude greater than what I had imagined either from the blurb (which is totally inaccurate) as well as the initial chapters.

Kate Elliott has gotten quite a few things right in this book. She has constructed a very interesting and varied cast of characters, she has built a complex, layered and interesting world, she tells her fascinating story through an intricate and detailed plot - but what surpasses all of these is the way she has presented all of these things to the reader.

There are no clumsy infodumps. On the contrary there is along drawn out, gradual, delicate seeping of information about the characters, history and world - through flashbacks, memories, passing statements, hints - the charm of this process is that the more you read the larger and more complex everything seems and earlier assumptions about the book are called into question. As a diehard fan of Malazan which exemplifies the non-infodump approach, I cannot but admire the delicate intricacy through which Elliott has constructed her narrative.

There are things in there which I should have or came close to disliking. The story is about how a more or less egalitarian society in terms of gender and religion is regressing into an authoritarian and unequal one. Its very sad to read, and sometimes I did wonder if all the political machinations were really necessary where some bladework and blood might have simplified things. Also I am a bit allergic to "woman uses intelligence and non-conventional resources to steer her way in an unequal setting" trope as I believe gender equality gives the characters and their actions greater scope, but the compelling unfolding narrative kept me hooked throughout.

This book is highly recommended. ( )

I ended up marathoning through the last half of this, until at 5 AM I had to admit I didn't know what those little black marks were anymore, because I was certain, CERTAIN, that I could see terrible things about to happen just around the corner. OK around the next corner. Well around this next one for sure.... Oh. That's not what I was expecting.

A great book in all its death flag defiance (until not) (maybe) and old people kicking butt and then just catching their breath for a minute it's fine. I vaguely remembered points from the Crossroads books, and want to read them again now, but I think it'd be fine to come cold into this one. ( )

Skimmed through some parts, it's a long-winded story.

It was a typical palace's politic drama, no likable characters. ( )