Wolf Star

Claidi Journals #2

by Tanith Lee

The day before Claidi's wedding, she is kidnapped and taken to a mountaintop palace in the shadow of an unearthly star. Wolf Star Rise is the stuff of nightmares, with rooms that change and move for no apparent reason. The only human there is Prince Venn. Neither Claidi nor Venn knows why they are at the Rise. Can the two escape from the maze of taboo, repression, and mystery surrounding both of their long-lost families?

The Claidi Journals are "a diverting escapade for fans of Karen Cushman's Catherine, Called Birdy and Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted."(Kirkus Reviews)

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult Fantasy, Science Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2000

About the author

Tanith Lee was a British writer of science fiction, horror, and fantasy. She was the author of 77 novels, 14 collections, and almost 300 short stories. She also wrote four radio plays broadcast by the BBC and two scripts for the UK, science fiction, cult television series "Blake's 7."
Before becoming a full time writer, Lee worked as a file clerk, an assistant librarian, a shop assistant, and a waitress.

Her first short story, "Eustace," was published in 1968, and her first novel (for children) The Dragon Hoard was published in 1971.

Her career took off in 1975 with the acceptance by Daw Books USA of her adult fantasy epic The Birthgrave for publication as a mass-market paperback, and Lee has since maintained a prolific output in popular genre writing.

Lee twice won the World Fantasy Award: once in 1983 for best short fiction for “The Gorgon” and again in 1984 for best short fiction for “Elle Est Trois (La Mort).” She has been a Guest of Honour at numerous science fiction and fantasy conventions including the Boskone XVIII in Boston, USA in 1981, the 1984 World Fantasy Convention in Ottawa, Canada, and Orbital 2008 the British National Science Fiction convention (Eastercon) held in London, England in March 2008. In 2009 she was awarded the prestigious title of Grand Master of Horror.

Lee was the daughter of two ballroom dancers, Bernard and Hylda Lee. Despite a persistent rumour, she was not the daughter of the actor Bernard Lee who played "M" in the James Bond series of films of the 1960s.

Tanith Lee married author and artist John Kaiine in 1992.

Reviews

[Buddy the Dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Staple of my childhood. I read this before the first book but it wasn't hard to catch up. There are some books that leave an indelible mark in your fur, and this one is an example of that.

Claidi, the main character, was a refreshing protagonist imo. I think Tanith Lee did a fantastic job crafting her voice to be just the right combination of likability, relatability, quirkiness, and hilarity. It's really the voice, not the plot, that drives this book (and in fact, the rest of the books in the series as well).

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I have read the first book and this book of this series. I had no memory of the first book. This one, my memory was as follows:

"Girl who writes in a diary is abducted by people in a hot air balloon. She is taken to a palace in a cliff that has a big waterfall"

I wasn't too far off.

It was kind of boring.

Sorry Tanith, you know I love you.

[Kat Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second or third time I've read this book in the last 10 years and I still love it every time! Tanith Lee outdoes herself in the second book of the Claidi Journals. Her imaginative descriptions populate her world with a wide variety of interesting creatures and places to behold. As the reader you are her friend and dearest confidante. I think the author really got into the swerve of writing in the journal style in this book. It's less awkward and choppy in its transitions in comparison to the first book. I wish we could have seen a little stronger character development from Venn, but I do understand there is only so much you can do in a novel this short in length.

[Morgan W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was planning on rating this book one star, as I was confused through most of it, and I really don't like the main character. I think she's whiny, mean, and spoiled. But I decided on two because of Venn. I really grew to love him, and I felt my emotions being tugged on due to him. This earned the book a higher rating for me.

[Emma Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will always be my most favorite of this series. The Rise is probably the coolest place I have ever read about in a book - I would visit it in a heart-beat and happily get lost exploring its moving rooms!

[Megan Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow this is a weird book! The first Claidi book followed pretty standard YA fantasy quest lines, and this one went a little crazy. Claidi gets kidnapped and ends up at a CRAZY STEAMPUNK CASTLE IN A JUNGLE. I did not… see that coming? The bulk of Wolf star's adventure takes place The Rise, a clockwork palace that constantly shifts and rearranges itself. After such a straightforward riding-horses-traveling-to-towns-etc. structure in the first book, this was a nice change of pace.

Anyway, to the nitty-gritty. These books are not GOOD? But they are fun! (Such eloquence! Sometimes people PAY for my reviews, can you imagine?) The plot oftentimes makes big jumps, and things come out of nowhere. A lot of the times the answers to some "mystery" Claidi is trying to solve are so obvious that I want to shake her. Her narration can be annoying--repetitive and overly self-effacing. I HAVE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS. But I also read this book in pretty much two extended sessions. And I kind of love how batshit things become. SPOILER: the resolution is she finds a SPACESHIP in the JUNGLE? Deus ex machine: go big or go home!

So if you are a literary snob, steer clear. But if you like ridiculous plots, teenage heroines, pulpy YA books (and you can DEFINITELY suspend, like, ALL of your disbelief) this book is a wild ride.

[Rosamund Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claidi is kidnapped on her wedding day, and taken on a long journey to a strange fortress across the sea. Deep in the jungle, the fortress is home to Venn, and his collection of half-robot servants. It is a beautiful and enormous house, that moves of its own accord, and is fully of dangerous half-wild creatures. Much of the book is given over to Claidi's explorations of this strange house, and her relationship with the elusive and difficult Venn. Overall, it's an enjoyable book, held together by Claidi's narrative voice, but this was always my least favourite of the Claidi novels, and I think that remains true: it lacks drive, and the relationship with Venn isn't very compelling. Still, I enjoyed revisiting it.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

You wouldn't guess from how long it took me to read, but I actually liked this one better than the first. Maybe because there's no Nemian. There were several interesting connections between characters and strange but intriguing technology. Still not 5 star good, but I did really enjoy it.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series for the first time when I was 16 and loved it. This book is my favorite installment in the series.

[Toviel · Rating 4 out of 5]

After saving the day at the end of WOLF TOWER, it looked like Claidi was all set for a happily ever after. However, her peaceful life is shattered when she’s kidnapped and held hostage in a clockwork castle. It’s up to Claidi to rescue herself and escape—assuming, of course, that the handsome prince of the castle doesn’t annoy her to death first.

WOLF STAR is the best written book in the Claidi Journals series. The story is more complex than “follow the hot guy” this time around, and Claidi spends most of the book in one location. As such, there’s more devotion to her character arc and world-building instead of describing constant scenery changes. Claidi’s forced to develop actual social skills this time, as her problem solving methods in WOLF TOWER amounted to “be snarky” and “sulk somewhere else”. The irony between her situation with Prince Venn and her treatment of spoiled nobility in WOLF TOWER is particularly delicious, with the added bonus of him being one of the most complex characters in the entire series and certainly the best love interest.

On the other hand, WOLF STAR just doesn’t have the charm of the original. Claidi’s wit comes from her naïve reactions towards new things, but this time around she’s limited to the various moving rooms in the castle. The novelty wears off fast, leaving little to distract from the fact that Claidi is kind of a brat.

Furthermore, the flaws of the second half of the series stem directly from the plot twists from WOLF STAR. It marks the shift from a vaguely dystopian landscape into an overtly steampunk/futuristic scifi setting, which isn’t bad in of itself, but technological rewards begin replacing emotional payoffs in consequence. It’s also responsible for introducing Ustareth, the worst character of the CLAIDI JOURNALS. Explaining why would be a major spoiler, but rest assured that she is reasonable for the stupidest elements of the entire series. All of them.

At the end of the day, it's a not terrible book. Tanith Lee was an excellent writer and she shines here. Sadly, sequels only get worse from here on out.

[Sam Wescott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even when I first read this series as a kid, I always thought this book was the weakest in the series. It puts forth what is supposed to be a stressful story arc about Claidi getting kidnapped, thinking she'll never see Argul again, falling in love with a Prince and feeling guilty, and then POOF it's ok because she only liked him because he reminded her of Argul because the Prince is secretly his brother, so that explains that obvs. It's completely ridiculous.

First of all, though Claidi frets in her journal about maybe having feelings for Venn, that is never evidenced in their interactions at all??? Like, Venn is an absolute pill and they largely hate each other. And if you're kidnapped on your wedding day, surely you don't immediately develop a crush on your jailer because he kinda looks like your almost-husband. And we're supposed to believe Venn suddenly develops feelings for her and is whiny because she chooses her fiance over him? It's so damn weird. These books are short, but even by the standards of the first book, there just isn't enough character interaction or development to warrant these plot points.

Also, while I think Ustareth is a really interesting character (a bitter witchy scientist who has crummy maternal instincts? Yes, please. I will take twelve.), she's not even present in this story and she's more compelling than any of the actual characters.

I really loved this series as a kid, but this book basically boiled down to the one big reveal towards the end and the rest was always my least favorite portion of the series. I'm glad to move on to the next book.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I previously gave this book five stars, but after a re-read, I'm unfortunately having to lower it to three stars. It is a lovely fantasy book, but it doesn't come close to matching it's predecessor, Wolf Tower.

The book is mostly description of surroundings and characters, with little actually happening during the story. The last fourth of the book is very engaging and compelling, but it is a bit of a slog through all the descriptions. While much of it isn't uncalled for, there's clearly very little trust in the reader to imagine the world Claidi inhabits or the people she encounters in this book.

I still think it's worth a read, but it is a little disappointing, especially if you read it directly after Wolf Tower.

[Linnae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Claidi's (mis)adventures continue, as the very day before her wedding she is kidnapped and taken deep into the jungle, to a very strange place. It's a home and a castle and a fortress, of sorts. All the rooms move around at random intervals. Her only companions are Prince Venn and a bunch of clockwork servants--some more real-seeming than others.

Claidi and Prince Venn have a few things to work out: namely, why they are both in the castle in the first place, who was Prince Venn's mother...really, and most importantly, how to escape.

Action was a bit slow in this one. Nice little twist at the end, as Claidi and Prince Venn discover not just who his mother was, but to some extent what she was.

[Jesi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been years since I've last read the Claidi Journals which is a strange thought. I used to read them up to 2 times a year back when I first bough the series. This might be because at the time I didn't have a lot of books- my family didn't have the money to be buying new books every few days and the library, at the time, was not so heavy on fantasy books as it is these days. And I loved fantasy. This one I basically want to put as part dystopian, though, before dystopian novels became such a blown up genre- the wasteland world, the crazy technology, and societies that place such strange rules on their members, but at the same time (like the Giver) it doesn't. It's a blend of different genres and the characters are such fun that I loved delving into this world over and over again.

[Anne Osterlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claidi is kidnapped. On the day of her wedding, no less. She is swept across the sky in a balloon and then sent far, far away to THERE. A jungle island with giant rabbit-tigers, a handful of lifelike dolls, and one young man who absolutely seems to despise her.

She’s not certain why. If the stupid house would stop switching all its rooms around and just stay STILL, she might be able to figure it out.

Wolf Star is the second installment of Tanith Lee’s fantasy series about the heroine. I liked Venn—the young man on the island. And I enjoyed learning all about his sad, magical, mysterious past.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

As usual I love her writing. Nothing happens though. This was my least favorite in the set of four. I mean Claidi is acted upon. She doesn't do anything worthwhile. All that time to reach a library and they look at one book and a diary. They don't learn much. It's really about exploring the moving rooms of the palace that aren't exciting in regards to information. She doesn't plan the escape. It just so happens to all fall into her lap. Everyone is on her side. People are conveniently there to save her. She doesn't have to fight for or against anything. No major conflicts at all. Everything is just lovey dovey great and vegetarian.

[Anna Shiverdecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a kid (not knowing it was the second book in the series).I remembered certain settings and names but not much besides that. It was fun returning to this after having read the first one and seeing it through my childhood memory. However, it isn't a great book. First off, Argul isn't in it at all. Second, there is way too much traveling. Still, the world and story are interesting, but not sure I'll ever seek out the rest of the books. Maybe I'll seek spoiler reviews or pick them up some day in the fire when I see them at a second hand place for cheap. It's fun, but the journal format really doesn't do it any favors.

[christine ✩ · Rating 3 out of 5]

chat what the FRICK FRACK SNICKETY SNACK EVEN ARE THESE BOOKS MY WORD
this is insane and I really don’t know how much I truly Like it gosh wow what is happening. Well then!!!
Sucks to SUCK that Venn is the most interesting character here and yet the complication to everything like. Yeesh what even. Claidi can we Not thank you… I saw all of that coming unfortunately (literally all of it including the U plot beats).
this is like scifi fantasy if it didn’t make any sense at all because uh wow what (I’m so eloquent I’m half asleep rn). I am SO confused by this world and everything happening. Claidi is driving me a little insane.

[Mackenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike the other books, it didn't have as much adventure, and it just lost my intrest.
Claidi, has finally found happiness. While on her way to her wedding , she is kidnapped by some people who she seams to remember leaving at Wolf Tower while it was burning.When they bring her to a far away across the see to a palace with moving rooms, and halls, she meats Ven Who strangely looks like Agual. Claidi must find a way out,along the way she finds some pieces to the puzzle that could never been expected.

[Cheyenne · Rating 2 out of 5]

No where near as good as the first one. The first book was full of exciting new places and in this book Claidi pretty much just roams around this castle. Also the guy who I thought could be a possible love interest turns out to be nothing. In fact their parting is quite dull. The anti-climatic storyline almost discourages me from continuing to read the series. I think the only thing that makes me want to finish reading the series is the hope that the magic of the first novel will return.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2022/1...

The second book in this series doesn’t actually get interesting till the second half—the book starts with the heroine being kidnapped and taken on a long journey and eventually imprisoned in a weird and isolated palace where the rooms move and the servants are the products of strange experimentations. I am curious about where her story goes next but this was kind of blah. B/B+.

[Kaylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are so vivid and lovely! I don't find Claidi very annoying, actually, taking the books with a grain of YA salt. I am enjoying them much more as an adult than I did as a child, I think because they are such quick reads now that the slower plot isn't a problem. There are beautiful wonders in this series and I'm really enjoying the re-read.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice sequel to the first book. I enjoyed the mystery at the beginning and subsequent unraveling throughout the rest. Though for a while this felt like a lot of filler. Incredibly fast and easy read, though. And a definite need to read for those that enjoyed the first.
I really don't wanna give away much but the story of the Prince is quite sad.

[Rinn B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was sad. I was just really sad throughout the whole thing. I think Venn is so sweet but he really needs a girl friend. Claidi is ok but she needs to be with Argul more. I want to read the third one but I have definitely read better series. The writing isn't that catching I have to admit and that makes a should be exciting story seem really boring.

[Lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second book in the series... entertaining... definitely in the middle of a series (not stand-alone). One of those off-somewhere-else interludes, where you get info for the series, but you're not back in the familiar story till the next book.

[Coral · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was bored with this one, but being a sequel to the first I kept thinking it would get some action at some point. It never did. The entire book could have been a single chapter. If I had read this one first I never would have read another by this author. It was too slow.

[joy *the clean-reader extraordinaire* · Rating 1 out of 5]

i kept thinking that at some point
this series was going to (a) get better, (b) make sense, (c) come together in a coherent way

perhaps if the heroine had a CLUE what was going on?? it's just one place and one peril after another.

in case this is unclear, don't bother.

[Jules · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I just like the human element a little too much for this book. It finally had me gripped near the end when Venn's past starts to come to light. Hopefully the third installment finishes this series well. Book one was riveting.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a weird book. It kinda didn't have a plot on its own. If it was not part of a series is would have been horrible. I only hope that the remaining books explain why this little side quest to the rise was even necessary.

[Xavy · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF
Made it to page 90 but I felt like I was in a weird dream bc everything was changing and I couldn’t identify a discernible storyline.I guess fantasy isn’t my cup of tea after all…