BDSM Reviews

Friday, November 10, 2006

Wulf: Tales of the Chosen


Reviewed by Elise Logan
Title: Wulf: Tales of the Chosen
Author: Kayelle Allen
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
ISBN: 1-59578-282-6
Genre: BDSM erotic fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, M/m, e-book
Publication Date: 2006

Rating: 4 of 5

This is Luc’s story. Okay, truthfully, the story is primarily Wulf’s story, but the story exists because of Luc’s position in the Chosen series. Let us be clear, then, that this is a part of a larger series. This story can be read alone, but it takes some time to get up to speed on the slang, the characters, and the world the author has built.

That said, I thought the world-building for this story (and, by extension, the world for the series) is very well-developed. The author’s web site offers maps and some other goodies to round things out, if the reader is so inclined. The characters of Luc and Wulf are well drawn, and the supporting characters are interesting in their own right. I was particularly intrigued by Luc’s android servant McDoth and by Wulf’s friend Feeyona. There are a number of interesting little ideas thrown into the world Ms. Allen has created, each of which contributes to the overall fullness of the world in which she sets these tales.

The story is a well-written romance, but has a few rough spots. This romantic tale is sweet with a dominant edge. There is practically no pain play – the only thing approaching it is a single spanking scene – and the Dom element is somewhat erratic. Luc, the Dom, exhibits ruthlessness in many areas, and the character is generally portrayed as dominant in all areas of his life. However, there are several instances in which Luc’s Dom persona struck me as more façade than reality. The other real issue I ran into with this story was a lack of resolution of some elements. Truthfully, I don’t know if these are elements that have been addressed in other books in the series, but they crop up in this story and are left without resolution, which is a bit jarring. Especially in romances, the reader expects resolution of all of the major relationship problems – and this story leaves at least one hurdle (a secret held by one of the characters) completely unresolved.
Even so, the story had very strong points, and is definitely worth reading. The plot produced unexpected twists which kept the pace lively, the characters were exceptionally well done, and the setting was different and interesting. The relationships among the characters are very human – sweet, sad, angry, romantic, and, most of all, true. That is the heart of this story, and it is why I enjoyed reading it.

Posted by Elise Logan :: 12:32 PM :: 1 Comments:

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