Cast in Shadow (Chronicles of Elantra, #1)

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Cast in Shadow (Chronicles of Elantra #1)

by Michelle Sagara, Michelle Sagara West

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 6,189 ratings · 442 reviews

Seven years ago Kaylin fled the crime-riddled streets of Nightshade, knowing that something was after her. Children were being murdered -- and all had the same odd markings that mysteriously appeared on her own skin...

Since then, she's learned to read, she's learned to fight and she's become one of the vaunted Hawks who patrol and police the City of Elantra. Alongside the...more

Paperback, 507 pages

Published July 1st 2005 by Luna

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Jan 21, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, 2009, not-worth-it

Elianne was an orphaned child of the fiefs, scraping out a living in the fiefdom of Nightshade with an older boy, Severn, and two other little girls. Then one day strange markings appeared on her arms and legs, and the killings began. Thirty-eight children are found murdered with markings like hers carved into their skin - and she knew all of them - until they suddenly stopped the same day she ran away from the fiefs, from Severn, from the horror of what she'd seen.

Now, seven years later, her na...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If I rate a book five stars, its usually because I love the book so much that I reread the book at least once a year. This is one of those books, that you could pick up at a grocery store (exactly what I did) and are so shocked that you've found a favorite author. I've read all of the novels in this series and reccomend them to anyone.

Michelle Sagara takes you to another world full of magic and darkness. There are two types of people that live here: immortals and mortals. Immortals are races suc...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Jennifer Jensen (Literally Jen) marked it as dnf

98 pages in, I was wondering how I had convinced myself to read as far as I did. At least 3 times during the course of reading this, I checked to make sure that this was the first book in the series. Something just felt really incomplete about it, as if I were starting the story in the middle and didn't have all the information I needed for everything to make sense.

If I were an editor, I would have required the author to have a prologue which shows us what happened to Kaylin 7 years ago and giv...more

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Apr 13, 2009 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-uns

And today we have the first in yet another series I had heard much good about but avoided picking up for a variety of no good reasons. I think my reluctance stemmed somewhat from an uncertainty as to just what kind of series Michelle Sagara's Cast series was. I think at first I had the impression it was a paranormal romance, possibly an urban fantasy (the covers influenced me this way). A few chapters in I was surprised to find CAST IN SHADOW much more a mix of dark and high fantasy, peopled wit...more And today we have the first in yet another series I had heard much good about but avoided picking up for a variety of no good reasons. I think my reluctance stemmed somewhat from an uncertainty as to just what kind of series Michelle Sagara's Cast series was. I think at first I had the impression it was a paranormal romance, possibly an urban fantasy (the covers influenced me this way). A few chapters in I was surprised to find CAST IN SHADOW much more a mix of dark and high fantasy, peopled with a smattering of solid gold, humorous, and truly sinister characters living in a fully developed, layered, and fascinating world.

Kaylin Neya is a Hawk. The youngest of that number, in fact. In the city of Elantra, the Hawks are charged with policing the streets and guarding the citizens. They share that responsibility with their sibling organizations the Wolves and the Swords. Together the three forces are headquartered in the Halls of Law. Elantra's citizens are made up of a mix of humans like Kaylin, winged Aerians, furred Leontines, and the immortal Barrani. Seven years ago Kaylin left a life of squalor on the streets of the fief of Nightshade, gave herself a new name, and made her way to Elantra in search of a fresh start. Now her past has caught up with her as a series of murders takes place in Nightshade. Disturbing in their own right, they also bear an eerie resemblance to events in Kaylin's past she thought for sure she'd left behind.

CAST IN SHADOW starts at a good clip and doesn't slow down once. The writing is uncluttered and engaging and Kaylin is an extremely likeable heroine. She runs from a past so dark she has avoided revealing it to her closest friends. She has a gift for healing and will drop everything at a moment's notice to deliver a baby or rescue an orphan in trouble. It was actually kind of refreshing to read about a kick-a** heroine with a soft spot for children. So often they have an allergy to kids or have issues with some of the "softer" emotions and I loved Kaylin because she was both fierce and compassionate. I cheered her on when she was fighting and I wanted to help guard her secrets. Of which she has many. She has friends, enemies, comrades, and those who would use her for her unusual abilities, yet Kaylin remains a little aloof from them all, determined to make her own way. She's my kind of girl. Only a handful of pages into the book and I was completely invested from that point on. I loved this story and can't wait to move on to the next installment--Cast in Courtlight.(less)

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Aug 23, 2008 Janice (Janicu) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book in this series by Michelle Sagara (aka Michelle West or Michelle Sagara West). Kaylin is a Hawk - one of the arms of the law in her world. She has an unusual ability for healing and also unusual tattoos on her arms which suddenly appeared on her when she was a child. No one can explain them. She is an orphan from the outer city (a very poor and dangerous area). When she was young she escaped this place by petitioning to be a Hawk. There is a reason she left, a really distu...more

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Nov 29, 2008 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, romance

The story was interesting enough but was often confusing. I didn't like that several times something would happen and, at the end of the scene, you wonder why the author just wasted your time with that. Much, much later you realize what she was trying to establish with the scene, but I really would have liked it if the author had made the point of the scene clearer at the time it occurred.

Also, the author attempts to create a mystery (as if there wasn't enough) by withholding from the reader in...more The story was interesting enough but was often confusing. I didn't like that several times something would happen and, at the end of the scene, you wonder why the author just wasted your time with that. Much, much later you realize what she was trying to establish with the scene, but I really would have liked it if the author had made the point of the scene clearer at the time it occurred.

Also, the author attempts to create a mystery (as if there wasn't enough) by withholding from the reader information that the view point character knows. Kaylin knows what happened in her childhood that makes her attack Severn several times during the book, but the author deliberately keeps what happened very vague, even when Kaylin is directly thinking about it. It remains a mystery until the middle of the book, but hiding it doesn't add anything and only makes Kaylin's motives more confusing. Whenever an author hides something about the main character like this, it has the side-affect of keeping the reader at a remove from her. It is harder for the reader to really care about or bond with the character.

Also, I liked Kaylin well enough, but it's more firmly established that she's annoying and exasperating to everyone around her than it is that people are fiercely loyal to her (rather than simply affectionate) so that they would risk the fate of mankind by leaving her alive.

The heroine's poor grammar made the story a bit confusing at times and got downright distracting if I was tired while reading. I was also a bit annoyed that the author felt she needed to repeat minor points than had no direct bearing on the story (for example, she makes the point several times that Aerians use stools because a chair with a back doesn't work for them). Another annoyance was her repeatedly saying that a lifted chin was a universal sign of submission only to later have Kaylin wonder if the Dragon race also used this Leontine sign of submission. That's not exactly 'universal' then, is it?

On the other hand, I appreciated that Severn steadily shows Kaylin his love throughout the story, even though he knows she doesn't understand and isn't ready to accept it. That's a better romance than having two strangers jump in bed together, in my opinion. (less)

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Jun 18, 2013 Eric Lamarche rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those new to the fantasy genre

Shelves: fantasy

Michelle Sagara is an interesting author in the fantasy genre - in her book, I noticed many things that I was unfamiliar with in other authors of fantasy: realism. She brings a realistic approach to the world of fantasy, and I know that this is sort of an oxymoron in itself for how can fantasy be realistic, right? But her technique in writing style is simple and adaptable to real-world scenarios. For example, when Kaylin the protagonist is investigating a crime that happened in Elantra (the city...more

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Jun 17, 2013 Schuyler Greene rated it 2 of 5 stars

It was a pleasant read after a long break. Wouldn't call it great literature or praise the author's prowess of the English language but it was enjoyable.

The main character is an idiot and her immaturity, stupidity and lack of self control, given her background and training, is ridiculous and tends to grate on the nerves. So does the author's perpetual and unnecessary use of the phrase "as you so quaintly put it", in one mild variation or the other. I also can't get why every character of conseq...more

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Jun 07, 2013 Brittneigh rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: stupid, young-adult

I feel like I would have LOVED this book when I was 13.

As a fair warning, not a lot (ie nothing) is explained or described. The author expects you to implicitly understand the layouts of buildings and magic dealings without any explanation.

The main character is imperfect, and that is likable, but that is pretty much the only likable aspect of her personality. She is rude, impatient, whiny, and ignorant of everything around her. Every other character treats her with kindness and respect (OK, ma...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Estara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: lovers of urban fantasy in secondary fantastic worlds

Recommended to Estara by: auto-buy comfort read author

Shelves: ebook, favorites, re-read, read-in-2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 16, 2013 Rosa Aquafire rated it 3 of 5 stars

"I liked it."

This one was another vacation read and once again it's not super on my mind, but I actually had a lot to say about it so I'm going to try and get all of that across. I borrowed it off a friend's shelf and read it while I was there because it's something I've wanted to check out for a while.

I've read and adored Michelle Sagara West's books before, but always under her Michelle West name as opposed to the Michelle Sagara name she's publishing under here, and the difference is actually...more "I liked it."

This one was another vacation read and once again it's not super on my mind, but I actually had a lot to say about it so I'm going to try and get all of that across. I borrowed it off a friend's shelf and read it while I was there because it's something I've wanted to check out for a while.

I've read and adored Michelle Sagara West's books before, but always under her Michelle West name as opposed to the Michelle Sagara name she's publishing under here, and the difference is actually pretty marked. I liked this book, but I feel like a book I could have absolutely positively loved is buried in here somewhere, an easy five star, and if she hadn't published it with Luna under the Michelle Sagara name, I would have liked it a lot more.

I recognize the Michelle West I love in here, definitely, but it feels like there's another, worse author being layered on top of her. While Michelle West writes the gruesome and traumatic history of this broken, fascinating character, Michelle Sagara loads her up with YA fiction style character traits like "haha she's always late for things." It's hard to explain exactly the problem here, but I felt like the book this wanted to be was being constrained tightly in a publisher's demand for what the target audience is perceived to want, and the book it wanted to be was so desperate to get free it was actually spilling over the edges. Instead of feeling like a talented author dumbing herself down a bit, it felt like two entirely separate novels written for two entirely separate audiences.

The dark, adult, disturbing, complex, multi-layered book going on here, the book with the symbols, the sacrifices, the main character's backstory, the magic system, Nightshade the fief and Nightshade the man, the desperately lonely and desperate for an identity sides of the main characters, these were all things that I loved. The dark urban fantasy tone, all of it, I loved it. BUT the coy refernces to swearing in different languages, the "cute" "flaws" the main character has -- oh she's always late, oh she was bad in school -- the was the different races relate to each other, the "humourous" banter back and forth, they all feel like a totally different and way worse book, and I have to admit very, very little of that stuff did it for me at ALL.

So.

I'll be reading the next ones and will probably KEEP reading this series until the book I didn't like finally manages to overbalance the book I did like, but I really am sad this book wasn't published with DAW under Michelle West because I can definitely see a greatness in it that I feel is being held back in this version.(less)

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Feb 26, 2013 Becky rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed West's Into the Darklands series so when I read the blurb for this series I thought I'd give it a whirl. I was so not impressed. It was strange, for one, that she basically left out everything that a reader would need to know what's going on with the plot. What were the different races? Could we have gotten a better description of how their society functioned? I wasn't really even sure if the Hawks were like some sort of detectives or if they were just random guards? What were t...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Willa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to give this book a four star rating, but a couple things bothered me too much to.

First, which, I admit is minor, when a character, with their supernatural powers, moved faster than a normal person the author choose to italicized "moved." Incredibly annoying after seeing the same italicized word over and over and over.

Second, the prevailing element of mystery. I like a little bit of mystery in some books, especially those that have unexplainable supernatural forces, but in this...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Robin Hall rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a good fantasy book which features a strong female character called Kaylin. She's relatively young, probably late teens or early twenties when it starts. Her "gift" if you'd call it that, is that she was born with these runes embedded into her skin. She doesn't know anything about them but they hold secret power within them.

She grew up in the fief of Nightshade, an immortal being who rules the area. She grew up basically in the slums where children who had the same marks as her were bein...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Kathy Davie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban

First in the Chronicles of Elantra fantasy series. It's thirteen years since events in "Cast in Moonlight", and Kaylin has been a Hawk for a few years in the city of Elantra.

My Take
This really is good. I'd love it even more if Sagara would be a bit more clear as to who is doing what to whom for what purpose. It is at least a tiny bit more clear than the prequel, "Cast in Moonlight", and does leave us with more of a sense of ending this particular adventure. Although, Sagara is wicked with leavin...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Agnieszka rated it 1 of 5 stars

the building of the world was awsome, the plot interesting, characters deep. why only 1*? for 300 pages you absolutely, frustratingly know nothing and not because of a lack of trying to get some answers by the heroine. Every time she asks ANY damn question - and she asks a lot - people just stare at her. they say nothing. they don't answer. they look. and turn away. or she turns away. whatever. she's not even that frustrated that they don't answer any question related to her own and only freakin...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Dorian rated it 3 of 5 stars

This started out looking like a fairly standard "ex-street-urchin makes good, then her past comes back to bite her" sort of set-up, complete with "mysterious bloke that she loves and hates". It's actually a lot better than that, though.

I really liked the world-building. There are several different humanoid races, which get on together more or less well. The city is the fairly standard "divided into lawful and lawless halves" type, but is redeemed by the interesting (and plot-important) fact that...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2005, 6, fantasy, 2007, 8

ORIGINAL READ: 6/10 (5 December 2005 - 9 December 2005)

I liked this book, despite the low rating I've given in. The main character is solidly developed and likeable, the secondary characters and varied and different (although I found Severn, the lead human male character, to be less well created and kind of boring) the story is interesting and the world and its inhabitants fascinating. I read it steadily and wanted to know what was going to happen next. I'm also still interested in reading the n...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Kelsey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm really enjoying this series! Sagara has created a complicated, interesting world, and a fierce, flawed, and likable character in Kaylin. This was an impressive debut, though if I had one criticism, it is this: Sagara's writing style is sometimes a little confusing. I find myself losing track over whose dialogue is whose, and I often find myself missing information that is supposed to be apparent during scenes. At first I thought I was reading too fast (bc don't get me wrong, this series is g...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Caterina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: someone less picky, more patient

I must be picky or something, because while I thought the ideas behind this were worth exploring, the execution left me wondering whether an editor had got within a mile of the manuscript. There is something distinctly fannish in nature about the words on the page, something that says "I learned how to write solely through my friends on the Internet," and while that's not wrong (I learned a fair bit that way myself), that needs tempering with a healthy dose of "This is how we do it for pay."

The...more I must be picky or something, because while I thought the ideas behind this were worth exploring, the execution left me wondering whether an editor had got within a mile of the manuscript. There is something distinctly fannish in nature about the words on the page, something that says "I learned how to write solely through my friends on the Internet," and while that's not wrong (I learned a fair bit that way myself), that needs tempering with a healthy dose of "This is how we do it for pay."

The first star is because I didn't throw it across the room. The second star is because I like it enough to see what the second book holds, if my library has it (no way I'm paying a hold fee). Also because at least there's space for the story to grow, since I know there are sequels. I was surprised at the lack of romance; I've grown so used to woman-authored SF/F having to have that element that when it's not there, I'm... pleasantly astounded, I think. But waiting for it to show up later. Almost dreading it. In a way, I wish this had been a single, self-contained mystery. I see a lot of possible plotlines, none of which I've enjoyed in the past, so I'll go forward hoping for the best but not expecting too much. Again, it's less the writer than the genre and my cynicism. Had this been marketed more as mystery than urbanesque fantasy, I might be singing a different tune.

But only about the plot. The editing is still dire, and that's why this can't go any higher than two stars. I caught mistakes that my teachers wouldn't have let slide, and that I don't, either, whether I'm editing or beta-reading. This is not a first novel by an unknown quantity at a tiny press. Sagara should've been given better treatment, someone to work with her, who would catch the mistakes and polish the draft into a printable novel. Whoever is responsible, it's a sad way to create a distraction from an otherwise decent book.

[eta: I did go ahead and spoil myself, because I have a long TBR list. Yeah, probably not going to get invested in this series. Sorry, but since I can't bring myself to give a crap about (view spoiler), continuing would be pointless.](less)

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Dec 27, 2011 Arren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-read

Seven years ago Kaylin Neya left Nightshade, the home of criminals, prostitutes and the poor, when children with strange patterns on their were being murdered. The same patterns that had appeared on her skin.

Seven years has passed, and Kaylin is now a Hawk in Elantra; she can read, write, and fight, and as a Hawk, polices her new home. But when children start dying again, with the same strange patterns on their skin, she is ordered back to Nightshade to investigate the murders and face her past....more Seven years ago Kaylin Neya left Nightshade, the home of criminals, prostitutes and the poor, when children with strange patterns on their were being murdered. The same patterns that had appeared on her skin.

Seven years has passed, and Kaylin is now a Hawk in Elantra; she can read, write, and fight, and as a Hawk, polices her new home. But when children start dying again, with the same strange patterns on their skin, she is ordered back to Nightshade to investigate the murders and face her past. Accompanied by someone she'd rather not see alive, a Dragon lord, and a device to control her mysterious powers no-one understands, she goes to find and stop the killer. But no task is ever easy.

I had some problems with this book. It sounds exciting, and the premise is pretty good, but for some reason, it just didn't hook me. Reading is something I enjoy, and look forward to doing, but with this book, there was always something better on TV, as bad as that sounds.

Don't get me wrong; the book isn't boring, it isn't exactly slow, and it's full of suspence, but there was something missing I can't quite put my finger on. I wasn't hooked, I didn't need to know what happened right away - even when the action was taking place. It just didn't grab me.

Saying that, I loved the characters. Kaylin was a good mix of strength, determination, and fear. Tiamaris, the Dragon lord, was an enigma that kept you wondering. Severn, a blast from the past for Kaylin, was kind of hot with his "we do what is right" attitude. Lord Nightshade was strange, and oozed what I can only describe as evil, but he was still appealing. Even Lord Grammayre and Marcus were pretty cool in their strict, bossy way. The book was written really well, and there were a few giggles coming from me while reading.

There were somethings about this book that really annoyed me though. Severn and Kaylin knew each other before, that is made obvious from the moment we meet Severn, but it takes pretty much half the book before we find out what the hell happened way back then. It's hinted at all the way through, but there's no explanation until over halfway, and you're left guessing the whole time. I wouldn't mind, but this book is 506 pages long, and when you're not hooked, it takes a while to get there, and gets infuriating!

Also, when conversations are being had, and Kaylin realises she is thinking the same thing as whoever she is speaking to, the conversation stops - even though the readers are in the dark, and have no idea what they're thinking. At least I didn't.

There's also the issue with the strange patterns on the skin, and all it involves. It's explained, but either it's not explained well enough, or I'm just stupid, because I couldn't tell you what that was all about. Not really. I just didn't get it, and it was so confusing.

If anyone has read this book, and gets what was happening, please let me know! I might like the book better.

The book wasn't bad though. As I said, the characters were great, it was well written, and the premise is pretty awesome. It just seems I'm a little slow. If it hooked me, and things were explained in nice simple terms I think I'd probably love it, because even now, thinking over some of the twists and turns, it was a good story.(less)

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Sep 21, 2011 Jenn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I wonder how many "I can't tell you that" I'd find if I began to count. I gave up reading so close to the end but it was an "I can't tell you that" moment that made me roll my eyes. Seriously. Every time I read that it felt like the author didn't know what the secrets were so she said "I can't tell you that" to us. That's not how you add a little mystery to a story. No one really explained the markings on her arm other than saying "I can't tell you that."

I didn't like Kaylin. She seemed like a w...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Roxanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.5 Stars

I feel kinda bad for giving this book a bad rating. It wasn't a bad book, the characters were very likable and it was a very fascinating story the author had created.

But...I spent most of the book being confused. The reason for this is basically an information overload. WAY too much history was mentioned, and not just with one race we get told about it's ALL the races. There's humans, Barrani, Leontine and dragons. THEN there is levels of rank and a whole bunch of political information...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Young Kaylin left her home to find protection in the ranks of the Hawks, a type of peacekeeping, almost police-like force in Elantra. Sadly, she finds that she's not very good at magic, generally fails classes and is cursed with a strange gift that ties her to the past she tried to run away from. When the Elantran authorities investigate Kaylin further, her past returns and Kaylin is forced to unravel the mystery behind her strange past.

Cast in Shadow sounds like a typical high fantasy novel wit...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I'm really torn here. I wanted to love this book, and there is so much about it that is interesting, but I feel so underwhelmed after finishing it. I loved the different races and types of creatures and their mannerisms, but I felt that they were not really explained very well. From the opening pages certain people are labeled as a specific race, yet we don't know much about the races. Sure the Leonites resemble lions, but that's all I got. I felt from very early on that I was missing something....more I'm really torn here. I wanted to love this book, and there is so much about it that is interesting, but I feel so underwhelmed after finishing it. I loved the different races and types of creatures and their mannerisms, but I felt that they were not really explained very well. From the opening pages certain people are labeled as a specific race, yet we don't know much about the races. Sure the Leonites resemble lions, but that's all I got. I felt from very early on that I was missing something. I didn't skip a sentence or detail yet I felt completely lost the entire time. Just like the main character. Everyone knows what is going on except for her. It makes her come off as childish, immature, and stupid, but she is not. She can't be because I understand just as little as she does. Other characters continuously call her little, child, clumsy, and assume she isn't capable of understanding anything. I must be incapable of understanding as well because I finished the novel and I'm still lost. It seems the book is about solving the mystery of the children dying with marked skin. There isn't much detective work going on, and everyone seems to already know who is behind it. It's like they are putting the main character through the motions just so they can laugh at her when she comes out more confused at the end. As a mystery I don't think this novel works. As a straight fantasy book and an entrance into an interesting world it succeeds. I wanted to know more about everything. What do the mysterious markings say, what is up with the creepy nightshade guy, what isn't everyone telling us? Sometimes I am happy when an author leaves some details behind and leaves some questions unanswered, but in this novel I was more confused than anything else. The world presented is very interesting and there is definitely room for improvement. I get a feel for society as a whole, but I want more information. I see the word caste come up often but I don't really see the system in place. If I could sum this book up in one word I would call it confusing. I will continue the series in hopes that things will make more sense the more I read. A decent novel overall, but could have been much better if presented more clearly. I also hope the main character grows and people trust her with more details in the future. (less)

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Nov 12, 2010 Anita rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-traditional, five-star-favorites

This book has me re-examining my prejudices against traditional fantasy writing. I'm an urban/contemporary fantasy fan through and through. I found reading the Hobbit painful and won't touch the Lord of the Rings, even for bribes. I generally dislike hero-quest stories with character names that are unpronounceable and a lack of modern dialect. Anything that hints at historical fiction annoys me. And I've generally attributed all of these traits to traditional fantasy writing. This book turned my...more

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May 09, 2010 Whitney rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've read most everything Michelle Sagara West has written. I read the first five of her Elantran Chronicles in a week. Her writing is excellent, her characterization the same. She brings to life the intimate tangle of human relationships with convincing ease. She drops hints and develops political intrigue with the finesse of a master.

The Elantran Chronicles, "Cast in Shadow" is the first installment in the series, is an example of urban fantasy. WAIT. Before you roll your eyes and try to claw...more

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Apr 22, 2010 Mei-Lu rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is ... so much more than I was expecting. I think I thought it was going to be something light and forgettable. A good yarn. An episode of a TV show I like, but don't need to watch. I was wrong.

You know the adage, "don't judge a book by its cover". Well, that so completely and utterly applies here. Books with covers like these are very much like TV shows and Rodney Dangerfield - they don't get much respect (there's a reason why HBO's slogan is "it's not TV, it's HBO"). The good ones ar...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Danielle Parker rated it 3 of 5 stars

Book Review: ‘Cast in Shadow’ by Michelle Sagara
Luna, 2005
ISBN: 0-373-8-254-4
507 pages

It’s usually easiest to review the first in a series of books. So let me tell readers first off that ‘Cast in Shadow’ is the first a series which already has, so far as I know, at least three books (‘Cast in Courtlight’ being the next). They’re all fat books. You’ll get your $6.99 worth of reading in these books.
Kaylin is a member of the paramilitary police force Hawks who serve the Hawkmaster, one of the Lords...more Book Review: ‘Cast in Shadow’ by Michelle Sagara
Luna, 2005
ISBN: 0-373-8-254-4
507 pages

It’s usually easiest to review the first in a series of books. So let me tell readers first off that ‘Cast in Shadow’ is the first a series which already has, so far as I know, at least three books (‘Cast in Courtlight’ being the next). They’re all fat books. You’ll get your $6.99 worth of reading in these books.
Kaylin is a member of the paramilitary police force Hawks who serve the Hawkmaster, one of the Lords of Law. The Hawkmaster, Lord Grammayre, is one of the five races of this fantasy world, and as you might guess, he’s human, with wings (rather angelic, especially as he is prone to dispensing hugs to teary young Kaylin). There are lion-men, the Leontine; dragon-men (which includes the Emperor himself); the elf-like and wizardly Barrani; the tentacle-topped Tha’lani, who are mind-readers, and ordinary garden variety humans.
All serve the Emperor, but various lords hold semi-autonomous fiefdoms (cities). This includes the slum city where Kaylin grew up. The Barrani lord Nightshade holds this dubious prize and seems to belong to the good guys, though he does little to clean up his backyard or share the wealth. But there’s more than the usual crime going on in Slumtown this time. Children marked with strange tattoos─just like Kaylin─are found murdered. While Lord Nightshade seems to turn a blind eye to his neighborhood crime for the most part, this crime may have connections with the mysterious Old Ones.
Kaylin, with her childhood companion Severn, is called into the slums to check out the mystery. But the mystery gets darker. Why do Kaylin’s tattoos change with each killing? Why did Severn commit such a heinous deed in the past, one that Kaylin can’t forgive or understand? What is the real nature and purpose of Tiamaris, the dragon man assigned as the third on their investigative team? And what does the Barrani lord of Nightshade want from young Kaylin?
This is a fast-paced and inventive book with a new set of races to liven up the fantasy. It has only one problem, which is, unfortunately, enough of a doozy I won’t be picking up the rest of the series myself.
The book’s… twee is I suppose the best word to describe it. I prefer my character relationships more realistic. Kaylin’s less a policewoman than a pet or mascot. Her boss dispenses hugs and fatherly forgiveness. The gruff lion-man sergeant bares his teeth but doesn’t mean it when confronted with yet another example of Kaylin’s chronic tardiness, uniforms worn inside out, and habit of ruffling her colleagues’ feathers (literally, in this case). She even gets away with attempting to kill a colleague right in front of her boss.
By the end of the book, this coyness had me gritting my teeth. Ah, for a boss of such indulgent paternalism in real life! I guess I’m just not cute enough to be a pet.
But if twee doesn’t inspire you to gnashing of the teeth, the rest of the book will keep your attention. Ms. Sagara is a good fantasy world-builder. Too bad the characters are often too much fantasy to swallow.
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Sep 21, 2009 Clarice rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: at-the-library, 2009

Ok. So... I took this out of the library once because I wanted something cheesetacular and then promptly failed to actually read it. This time I took it out of the library and actually read it! Woo! I think part of my problem with this book was the cover. WHY do female urban fantasy authors have the cheapest looking covers? I mean, I guess this is ok, but it screams Romance genre to me. And that is not what this book is! I guess I'm just a cover snob.

Aaaanyway, this was not bad! I kinda liked it...more

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About Michelle Sagara

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Michelle Sagara West
Michelle West

Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.

She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.

Reading is one of her...more

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Books by Michelle Sagara

Cast In Courtlight (Chronicles of Elantra, #2)

Cast In Secret (Chronicles of Elantra, #3)

Cast in Fury (Chronicles of Elantra, #4)

Cast in Silence (Chronicles of Elantra, #5)

Cast in Chaos (Chronicles of Elantra, #6)

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Quotes from Cast in Shadow

“I'm missing something, aren't I?"
"Brains", he snapped. "And survival instinct. The Hawklord's been waiting for you for three hours."
"Tell him I'm dead.” — 44 people liked it

“The gods where like the weather; sometimes good, sometimes bad, and either way, always beyond her.” — 25 people liked it

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Cast in Shadow (Chronicles of Elantra #1)

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