Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs

Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs ISBN-13: 9780441019540 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Ace Released: November 2, 2010

Source: Bought through Half.com

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Aralorn, a shapeshifter and mercenary spy, returns home because her noble father, the Lyon of Lambshold, has died. But when Aralorn and her companion Wolf arrive, they discover that he's not dead. Black magic has been used to hold her father in a death-like state, and he will die if he's not released within two weeks. To break the spell, they need to know who set it and how. But no mage is likely to admit to knowing how to work the forbidden black magic even if this wasn't a trap apparently designed to kill Wolf. And, because it's strong black magic, someone's going to die...


My Review:
Wolfsbane is a fantasy novel. It's the sequel to Masques. You don't need to read the previous novel to understand this one, but the ending of Masques is spoiled if you read this novel first.

The story was written more like a cozy mystery than an action fantasy. After a fairly active beginning, the characters basically alternated between talking over what they knew and gathering more information. For the "cozy" aspect, Aralorn had two fight scenes and told one story that did nothing to move the story forward. Even the beginning was slowed a bit by all the back story we're given (some of it unnecessary), so don't expect a fast-paced book.

I was pleased that Aralorn was back to being the original, cheerful character I love from the original version of Masques. I was surprised by how quickly previous enemies from Masques and from the beginning of this book turned into close working companions. This was so different from Masques, were Aralorn's friends kept turning into enemies at the most inopportune moments.

There was a very minor amount of explicit bad language. There was a lot of implied sex. The fantasy magic of the previous book had some new elements, including printed out words to one spell and training in "centering and grounding." To me, this felt like a story that just happened to use some names (and some humor) similar to the previous book rather than an actual continuation of Aralorn's and Wolf's story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.