There's a lot to like in Diplomacy of Wolves. To start with, Lisle's world is one that is carefully crafted and well thought out. As the story progresses, you gain an understanding of how her world works. She has a rational explanation for why magic is uncommon and seldom used. Also, the magic employed by the Karnee has frightening consequences. Negative energy is generated by every spell cast -- equal in amount to the spellcasting. The greater the spell, the more powerful the backlash, and someone must absorb it; either the spellcaster, or a hapless victim. Absorbing this energy causes horrible, disfiguring scarring, and eventually turns the Wolves into misshapen monsters that can no longer show themselves in public, where the use of magic or being a Wolf is a sentence of death.

The other type of magic, utilized by a group of individuals called the Falcons, requires the caster to give part of him or herself, most often a bit of blood. The greater the spell, the greater the self-sacrifice needed. Self-limiting to say the least.

The best parts of the book, and, of course, the most important parts, are the characters and the plot. The main character is an intelligent, capable young woman, with some extraordinary gifts who gets caught up in a web of intrigue, magic, and conspiracy while trying to prevent others from finding out who and what she is. But, above all, she has a sworn duty to her family and will stop at nothing to restore her Family to power. She is aided at first by her Uncle Dùghall, a powerful man both politically and, unbeknownst to the rest of the Family, magically. Early in story Dùghall instructs her,

"You serve the Family; that is duty. You do so without endangering the lives of your family; that is both obligation and love. But the needs of the Family must come first, Kait-cha. I have lived by this dictum, as you must: ‘You are born to greatness, but greatness must be re-earned in every generation. Your life -- '"

Kait cut him off."‘ -- is an extension of the lives of my ancestors, and a bridge to the future, and as such my life can never be wholly my own, for my every action reaps yesterday's fruit and sows tomorrow's seeds.'" She quoted Habath solemnly. "I know my duty."

The writing itself is wonderful and is filled with quotations from the Secret Texts, the Book of the Falcons, and other ancient texts. This kind of detail tells you that the author has put a lot of thought into their world, and attempted to give it a sense of history. It gives the stories a richness that makes them more enjoyable. I think if you pick up Diplomacy of Wolves, you won't be disappointed.