October 31, 2016
Wolf’s epic fantasy debut, the first of a trilogy, is a well-crafted, intricate blend of the politics and magic of multiple cultures. Hafsa Azeina, dreamshifter of the Zeerani desert tribes, can kill her foes as they sleep. She has spent years protecting her daughter, Sulema, from the assassins hunting them, and Sulema has had the chance to come of age as a Zeerani warrior. But Sulema’s father, who may have sent the assassins, has found them. He is the dragon king of the nearby country of Atualon, and his magic prevents the dragon that sleeps under the world from waking and cracking the planet like an egg. Sulema and Hafsa must navigate shifting alliances, ongoing assassination attempts, and manipulation by both friend and foe to try to settle the balance of power and succession—even when it looks as though the dragon may wake. Wolf’s opulent visual imagination and sly humor thoroughly overcome a slow start and some other pacing issues.
February 1, 2017
Characters spread across three continents prepare for war and cataclysm in Wolf's debut novel, the first part of a trilogy.East and west, north and south are set to collide as the inhabitants of a magically ravaged world compete for dwindling resources. In the east, the Forbidden City's emperor breeds a half-human army for conquest, and in the west, the Dragon King, the world's most powerful sorcerer, rules from an obsidian castle. But in the harsh, predator-infested deserts of the Middle East--sorry, the Zeera--the fierce and nomadic Zeeranim struggle to maintain their way of life independent of the outside world's politics. As they happen to be sheltering the Dragon King's former queen and long-lost heir, that's a tall order. Hafsa Azeina fled the Dragon King years ago with her daughter, Sulema, and found succor with the Zeeranim, becoming a dangerous sorceress while Sulema--in the best tradition of redheaded magical princesses--became the most formidable warrior of her adopted people. The cast hardly stops there (the appendix of characters runs for six pages), but it is the arrival of Sulema's half brother, searching for her, which triggers a chain reaction of intrigue and betrayal...resulting in Sulema's return to the Dragon King and infighting among the Zeeranim. Will Sulema ultimately accept the world-saving responsibilities of her birth? Will her mother survive the Dragon King's vengeance? Excellent questions, which aren't answered here: remember, it's just Book 1. Wolf's debut is ambitious but staggers under the weight of its own epic pageantry. There are intriguing worldbuilding and poignant moments to be found here--but they're half-buried beneath invented fantasy terms and constant reiterations of how scary the magicians are. Wolf writes for a big screen: the smaller, human moments struggle for room to breathe.
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February 15, 2017
The people of the Zeera, surrounded by fierce predators, with sparse resources and the few children born to them, are proud of their resilience; they train young women like Sulema to be Ja'Akari--warrior protectors of their desert home. Sulema's celebration of her elevation to Ja'Akari is interrupted by visitors from the Dragon King in Atualon. The king's men have been looking for her and her mother for years, as Sulema is the king's daughter and she is needed. This debut packs a lot of worldbuilding into a series opener, introducing Sulema and the people of the Zeera as well as the court of the Dragon King, a rival empire in neighboring Sindan. VERDICT Many elements typical of epic fantasy appear--hidden heirs, sleeping dragons, spider cults--but Wolf does a good job of laying out her game board of rival powers and setting the tone for what is sure to be an interesting new series.--MM
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 15, 2017
Wolf's fantasy debut is a coming-of-age story that follows Sulema, a warrior princess; Jain, a daeborn meeting his fate in the Forbidden City; the orphan Daru, the dreamshifter's apprentice; and Ismai, a boy who wishes to be a warrior. Wolf weaves an intricate story, blending the points-of-view of those youthful characters in transition and their elders who impart knowledge, if not always wisdom, providing the reader with a more detailed view of this world. The desert setting is refreshing in a fantasy novel, including glimpses of new types of magic and terrible creatures that are revealed to the reader usually as the characters encounter them. Despite being a serious world-changing story about a reawakening dragon and impending war, it has moments of humor: one character, almost certain of death (having stumbled upon one of those aforementioned terrible creatures), defiantly screams insults at his opponent. This book will leave readers with intense curiosity about its different cultures and anxiously awaiting a sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)