The Wolf’s Eye by Luanne G. Smith, Book Review

This review of The Wolf’s Eye previously appeared in the May 2024 issue of Historical Novels Review.

Saving the cursed in the second book

Set during WWI on the Eastern Front, The Wolf’s Eye makes a strong followup as the second book in Smith’s Order of the Seven Stars historical fantasy series. The magical main character, Petra Kurková, and her found family of fellow witches are assigned the hateful task of tracking down and killing soldiers cursed to transform each full moon into a kind of werewolf called vlkodlak. The central challenge for them is that one of their crew was bitten by a vlkodlak early in the war and fights the curse only with the help of an elixir that he no longer has. That they may need to kill him is especially hard for Petra, who has fallen in love with Josef. With the full moon less than a month away, the magical group is running out of time to find a cure. They return to the hometown city and begin to uncover a way to save Josef, using secrets from Petra’s past.

Friendship, loyalty, and “scientific” magic in The Wolf’s Eye

As with the first book in this series, Smith engagingly develops the themes of friendship, loyalty, and the value of the family you choose for yourself. The bashful and gradual romance between Josef and Petra gives sweetness to this fairly dark book. For those who enjoy the revelation of the “scientific” mechanics of magic, The Wolf’s Eye will be highly satisfying. Despite occasional slowdowns in the plot’s momentum, Smith builds characters the reader actively roots for and throws them into exciting danger that only their loyalty to each other can overcome. An entertaining, intelligent historical fantasy.

Further Reading

You may enjoy my review of the first book in this engaging series, The Witch’s Lens.

To learn about another series by Luanne G. Smith, you may check out my reviews of these novels: The Raven Spell, The Raven Song.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of The Wolf’s Eye, here’s the Amazon link (affiliate link).

Or here’s the Bookshop.org link if you’d prefer that online Indie store.