The Wolf’s Eye

Smith’s undeniable gift for description saves the day in her immersive if uneven second Order of Seven Stars fantasy (after The Witch’s Lens), which follows the insubordinate skulduggery of four magical irregulars during WWI: witch Petra, sorcerer Yanis, “moon-mad” Victor, and formerly human Josef. Fresh off the war’s front lines, they’re seeking an elixir that will reverse, or at least mitigate, the werewolf-style curse that Josef fell victim to in book one. This quest is complicated by a call from their military higher-ups to execute all such victims, and by Petra and Josef’s growing romantic attraction, spiced as it is with the risk that Josef might go berserk any moment. So far, so good: it’s a lively premise bolstered by vivid worldbuilding. The unstructured plot dampens the experience, however, as does Smith’s tendency to slide from storytelling into exposition. Cause and effect are not entirely absent—the group’s reliance on clandestine assistance creates situations ripe for blackmail and betrayal, which arrive in due course—but the amount of time and weight given to any particular event feels almost random, with some inconsequential moments expanded on at length while others are glossed over. Still, it’s easy to sink into Smith’s world. Fans of book one will want to check this out. Agent: Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary. (May)