So, this is a well-written book. I really liked the characters. These are high fantasy versions of paranormal tropes like werewolves and zombies with some forbidden romance thrown in. I was really invested in this fated mates thing they have going for the plot, but then it took a left turn that put me off as someone who reads a lot of romance because this is really not a romance. It also becomes very clear that these characters are doing their best, but are being misled. ( )

���A phenomenal high fantasy novel; Holly Lisle blew me away. DIPLOMACY OF WOLVES is gritty, rough, realistic, violent, dark, sexual, romantic, intense, emotional, complex and thoroughly engaging. Just when I thought I had a firm handle on where she was taking me, the plot veered slightly, introducing a new dimension I hadn't expected. A brilliant start to what promises to be a wonderful trilogy. (A ) ( )

That I picked up this novel has more to do with my book group than anything else as, back in the day, I probably wouldn't have given this work a try and, otherwise, such is the press of new works that I find it hard to make time for older "routine" adventures. However, I will say that I was initially intrigued by this work, with its depiction of a female character trying to rise above the routine treatment of women in her world. The problem is that this soon descended into a mostly by-the-numbers quest where I wished that I was reading something else. To be fair to Lisle, I suspect that, prior to George R.R. Martin hitting the sub-genre like a ton of bricks, this story would have felt much more impressive. ( )

This is the first book in, I assume, a trilogy. Although I enjoyed it, I've not found myself driven to dive into the second. The world created and it's history are quite complex, and I would like it to be just a bit clearer considering how far I am into the story. I think I know who the good guys and the bad guys are among the characters, although a few remain ambiguous. I'm less clear about the players in the larger historical good/evil conflict. I'm looking for a romance involving the central character, Kait, but there are three men currently who might figure in that. There's still plenty of story left, and it's perfectly okay for a writer to surprise me, but I think I would feel more committed to this story if I knew who I was rooting for as I put down book one.
The writing is strong, often quite evocative, and the characters well-differentiated. The amount of detail in the descriptions varies and sometimes I would prefer there to be either less or more of it - perhaps more consistency. The magic is pretty impressive and does seem to have a cost, if not a clear limit. The narration is "omniscient" in that Lisle takes the point of view of more than a single character. I've concluded that Kait is the central character because Lisle begins with her and takes her point of view most frequently. It took me a while to be as sure as I am about this and it's conceivable that I'm wrong. This ambiguity concerning where my loyalties ought to lie has detracted from my enjoyment somewhat and is another reason why I haven't rated this book more highly. ( )

Randomly picked this book off the library shelf. Kait is a diplomat with a secret. But when things go to hell in a handbasket and attacks slaughter entire clans, she has to learn diplomacy to find an artifact to save the world.

Or something like that. So yeah, I couldn't even finish this book, I was too bored. I thought the world wasn't particularly interesting, the plot was way too cliche without a hook, and the characters just not powerful enough to keep me reading.

I read about 100 pages, flipped ahead a bit as a last ditch effort to keep reading, and just could not.

Not recommended.
One star. ( )