Through Wolf’s Eyes (Firekeeper Saga, book 1) by Jane Lindskold
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Edition Reviewed: Paperback
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: Through Wolf's Eyes (1)
Firekeeper only vaguely remembers a time when she didn't live with her "family," a pack of "royal wolves"-bigger, stronger, and smarter than normal wolves. Now her pack leaders are sending her back to live among the humans, as they promised her mother years ago.
Some of the humans think she may be the lost heir to their throne. This could be good-and it could be very, very dangerous. In the months to come, learning to behave like a human will turn out to be more complicated than she'd ever imagined.
But though human ways might be stranger than anything found in the forest, the infighting in the human's pack is nothing Firekeeper hasn't seen before. That, she understands just fine. She's not your standard-issue princess-and this is not your standard-issue fairy tale.
Review:
Epic Fantasy has become a pretty strong hit or miss genre for me. There once was a time I would OD on them, reading anywhere from 5-10 books a month—if not more. Authors were constantly coming out with new series. That’s when things started going sour for me; the genre was just getting beaten into the ground with a stick. Soon the books became faceless comfort food, and anyone who eats too much of their favorite comfort food can soon become stale. The plots, worlds, characters, and stories all felt like they were being pulled out of the indispensable magic hat of epic fantasy writing. Soon I stopped anticipating reading anything by new authors and only went with re-reads and authors I knew were good.
When I picked up Through Wolf’s Eyes I was going on a huge leap (more like head first plummet) of faith. It didn’t sound like anything new. A young girl pulled into high society and forced to try and make a bid as the next heir to the throne. So what’s new? That young girl has lived with wolves all her life. Raised by wolves. When the humans come seeking her out to try and find the lost Prince’s daughter she’s never seen another human. She’s a wolf in heart and mind—only lacking the body. Lindskold doesn’t lose sight of anything as Firekeeper—the wolf girl—joins the humans and tries to learn their ways. She balances high political intrigue with human and wolf nature. Each line is a beautiful example of the type of lyrical words that I love from the Epic Fantasy genre, especially when it’s tempered by Lindskold’s fantastic sense of humor.
The biggest thing about Through Wolf’s Eyes are its characters. Most EFs forget that they actually have to realize the characters, not just barrow from the stereotype pool. Each one of Lindskold’s characters found their way into my head, and sometimes straight to my heart. Not only was I reading for the plot and intrigue I wanted to know what was happening with each character. Many felt like a dear friend. The third person POV would change periodically spending time with a number of them. Their interactions with each other felt real and their thoughts felt genuine. Watching them grow before my eyes was beyond AWE-some. Even the current villain(s) of this book enchanted me with the depth of development Lindskold put in them. Many times I found myself smiling ridiculously or getting angry—my emotions were being played.
This book reminds me why I always come crawling back to the Epic Fantasy genre. It proves that new authors can still come up with great stories—maybe even beating out some of the “legends” of the genre. The court politics are sublime! The battles are fought with words as well as swords, a heady mix of intrigue and action. All of the characters will become like dear friends, and none of them are just stereotypes of the EF genre. It gives me hopes that good EF still gets published. We shouldn’t give up on the genre.
(Sadly it looks like the paperback issues are no longer in print, it’s still available in eBook format.)
Sexual Content: Firekeeper doesn’t know some of the basic bits of human modesty so that leads to some funny moments. Topics of sex both politically and personally, and some not overly detailed sex scenes.
5/5- Fabulous, a beautiful obsession!
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
| Reviewed on BW: | Amazon: | Goodreads: |
| Through Wolf’s Eyes (1) Wolf’s Head, Wolf’s Heart (2) The Dragon of Despair (3) Wolf Captured (4) Wolf Hunting (5) Wolf’s Blood (6) | Through Wolf’s Eyes (1) Wolf’s Head, Wolf’s Heart (2) The Dragon of Despair (3) Wolf Captured (4) Wolf Hunting (5) Wolf’s Blood (6) | Through Wolf’s Eyes (1) Wolf’s Head, Wolf’s Heart (2) The Dragon of Despair (3) Wolf Captured (4) Wolf Hunting (5) Wolf’s Blood (6) |
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