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Chronicles of Elantra #11
Cast in Honor
In the aftermath of a vicious battle between darkness and light, the city of Elantra has emerged victorious. But Shadows continue to haunt every corner of its streets…
Elantra stands strong, but countless numbers of Hawks, the city's staunchest protectors, were lost in the brutal attack. Humans, Barrani, Aerians, Leontines—none of the races emerged unscathed from the defense of the city. Homes were lost, families were scattered…and the outcast Barrani Lord Nightshade is missing from his castle in the fiefs.
Yet as the chaos surrounding the battle begins to wane, Private Kaylin Neya's duties must resume, despite her grief. Called in to investigate a triple murder in a quiet part of town, Kaylin and her companions are soon embroiled in a case that is anything but routine. Evidence of the deadly Shadows that still threaten the city leads to hints of ancient, forgotten magics…and everything can be traced directly to Ravellon, the heart of the Shadows and the darkness they contain.
But it is there that Lord Nightshade will be found—if he still survives.
Elantra stands strong, but countless numbers of Hawks, the city's staunchest protectors, were lost in the brutal attack. Humans, Barrani, Aerians, Leontines—none of the races emerged unscathed from the defense of the city. Homes were lost, families were scattered…and the outcast Barrani Lord Nightshade is missing from his castle in the fiefs.
Yet as the chaos surrounding the battle begins to wane, Private Kaylin Neya's duties must resume, despite her grief. Called in to investigate a triple murder in a quiet part of town, Kaylin and her companions are soon embroiled in a case that is anything but routine. Evidence of the deadly Shadows that still threaten the city leads to hints of ancient, forgotten magics…and everything can be traced directly to Ravellon, the heart of the Shadows and the darkness they contain.
But it is there that Lord Nightshade will be found—if he still survives.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2015
254 people are currently reading
2788 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Sagara
54 books1,805 followersSee also:
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 life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
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 life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 256 reviews
December 17, 2015
We're 11 books into this series and I keep hoping for more character development. Every book has the same plot...
1. Kaylin will complain about how she doesn't understand her marks and what it means to be Chosen. (So why doesn't she spend some time with the Arkon and his hoard of a library and do some research? Stop whining)
2. Kaylin will magically save the day with mysterious words. There will be pages and pages about how her marks burn and she doesn't know how to use her magic to help, but she'll just "wing it"
3. There will be lots of pages spent on the Elementals and weird Barrani stuff.
What we never get:
1. Some sort of development with Kaylin and Severn, or Kayling and Nightshade. In this book we get 1 sentence of Severn discussing how he feels about Kaylin. 1 sentence.
2. Any explanation of Nightshade's feelings for Kaylin, and what Nightshade's mark on her cheek means. In this book we get a bunch of "he burned your cheek!" and no explanation of why he did that. Kaylin didn't demand an explanation from Nightshade either.
I really hope future books have some sort of DIFFERENT PLOT.
1. Kaylin will complain about how she doesn't understand her marks and what it means to be Chosen. (So why doesn't she spend some time with the Arkon and his hoard of a library and do some research? Stop whining)
2. Kaylin will magically save the day with mysterious words. There will be pages and pages about how her marks burn and she doesn't know how to use her magic to help, but she'll just "wing it"
3. There will be lots of pages spent on the Elementals and weird Barrani stuff.
What we never get:
1. Some sort of development with Kaylin and Severn, or Kayling and Nightshade. In this book we get 1 sentence of Severn discussing how he feels about Kaylin. 1 sentence.
2. Any explanation of Nightshade's feelings for Kaylin, and what Nightshade's mark on her cheek means. In this book we get a bunch of "he burned your cheek!" and no explanation of why he did that. Kaylin didn't demand an explanation from Nightshade either.
I really hope future books have some sort of DIFFERENT PLOT.
May 28, 2017
Eyes everywhere!
I cried and I laughed, it was a rollercoaster.
I love absolutely everything in the book and, after the cliffhanger from the last one, I couldn't wait to read it. We get new characters that are just incredible, I'm sure gonna miss them.
What I got extra in this book though were the creepy stuff!
Sometimes I'm sorry when I find a book that I absolutely love because sooner or later I finish it and I won't get to read it for the first time again (although I do have a pretty short memory, so scratch that...)
I cried and I laughed, it was a rollercoaster.
I love absolutely everything in the book and, after the cliffhanger from the last one, I couldn't wait to read it. We get new characters that are just incredible, I'm sure gonna miss them.
What I got extra in this book though were the creepy stuff!
Sometimes I'm sorry when I find a book that I absolutely love because sooner or later I finish it and I won't get to read it for the first time again (although I do have a pretty short memory, so scratch that...)
January 28, 2016
3 stars: 5 for gorgeous world- and character-building, minus 2 for a few excruciatingly awful scenes.
I LOVED 90% of "Cast in Honor," from the crusty dragon personalities to Small and Squawky's earlobe nips. Sagara has an lush imagination and her characters are deep and vivid. That said... she’s driving me crazy with the excruciatingly dull but critical scenes where Kaylin manipulates "True Words" or "True Names" to resolve magical crises. Sagara’s vision for these scenes just isn’t translating to the page--which she seems to realize, because they go on and on while she keeps trying to explain “how it works.” Those scenes just wear me out.
True Words or True Names are magically potent Words, originally used as life-creating building blocks by Ancients (think interdimensional literary atoms). They are the foundation of magical beings ranging from winged aerians to crotchety Leontines to sentient building that conform to the needs of inhabitants. Evidently the Ancients knew these creations would need occasional upkeep, so periodically a human or immortal is magically “Chosen” to handle issues pertaining to the Words. As a teenager, Kaylin is transformed from normal human to magical human--tattooed runes appearing all over her body. She comes to understand that her runes are True Words that she can use to heal human injury, repair magical creations, fend off magical mayhem, and even complete the transformation process of magical creatures who have more than one stage of being.
As always in this type of fantasy, Kaylin is a feisty-but-clueless magical heroine who frequently finds herself at the end of the rope, when suddenly her power manifests and she can fix the problem... but later has no idea how she did it. Frankly, neither do I. I slog through each lengthy scene describiing Kaylin crossing dimensional barriers and using her magical "Fill in the Blank with a True Word" skills, and I realize I either didn’t understand the scene or ceased caring how she did it somewhere in the middle. At first I thought the scenes were over my head. Maybe I was being obtuse. But I'm normally a pretty savvy reader, so, after Book 11, I decided the confusion really might be in the writing of these scenes. And "Cast in Honor" has more of those scenes than any other book in the series except "Cast in Sorrow." Ack.
Bottom line: I love it the books, but the series would benefit from an editorial chopping-block session to help Sagara clarify and cut down the True Word/True Name scenes, smooth out awkward transitions, fix odd word usage, and clarify identification during character dialog. I’m giving “COH” 3 stars.
I LOVED 90% of "Cast in Honor," from the crusty dragon personalities to Small and Squawky's earlobe nips. Sagara has an lush imagination and her characters are deep and vivid. That said... she’s driving me crazy with the excruciatingly dull but critical scenes where Kaylin manipulates "True Words" or "True Names" to resolve magical crises. Sagara’s vision for these scenes just isn’t translating to the page--which she seems to realize, because they go on and on while she keeps trying to explain “how it works.” Those scenes just wear me out.
True Words or True Names are magically potent Words, originally used as life-creating building blocks by Ancients (think interdimensional literary atoms). They are the foundation of magical beings ranging from winged aerians to crotchety Leontines to sentient building that conform to the needs of inhabitants. Evidently the Ancients knew these creations would need occasional upkeep, so periodically a human or immortal is magically “Chosen” to handle issues pertaining to the Words. As a teenager, Kaylin is transformed from normal human to magical human--tattooed runes appearing all over her body. She comes to understand that her runes are True Words that she can use to heal human injury, repair magical creations, fend off magical mayhem, and even complete the transformation process of magical creatures who have more than one stage of being.
As always in this type of fantasy, Kaylin is a feisty-but-clueless magical heroine who frequently finds herself at the end of the rope, when suddenly her power manifests and she can fix the problem... but later has no idea how she did it. Frankly, neither do I. I slog through each lengthy scene describiing Kaylin crossing dimensional barriers and using her magical "Fill in the Blank with a True Word" skills, and I realize I either didn’t understand the scene or ceased caring how she did it somewhere in the middle. At first I thought the scenes were over my head. Maybe I was being obtuse. But I'm normally a pretty savvy reader, so, after Book 11, I decided the confusion really might be in the writing of these scenes. And "Cast in Honor" has more of those scenes than any other book in the series except "Cast in Sorrow." Ack.
Bottom line: I love it the books, but the series would benefit from an editorial chopping-block session to help Sagara clarify and cut down the True Word/True Name scenes, smooth out awkward transitions, fix odd word usage, and clarify identification during character dialog. I’m giving “COH” 3 stars.
November 13, 2017
Eleven books in and now I can safely say that I'm in love with Elantra and it's citizens. And there's always something new to grab your interest in each book. In this particular instalment it was a young girl from - basically here to do what Kaylin has always wanted to do. She comes along with the most unlikely, from what we've known so far, ally. And thanks to that ally we learned more about the Ancients and what the hell they were thinking creating the shadows. Well this was a bit of an overstatement cause we get a tiny little glimpse into what the shadows were to the Ancients. But it was enough to make me want to learn more. So when are we going to get a trip to Ravelon? I really, really want one. Though the Emperor should probably tag along as well if Kaylin is to have a chance at surviving.
Talking about the Emperor the poor guy has zero clue what to do with females. I get why Bellesdao is always angry with him (sorry about the spelling of names, I listened to the audio so I have no idea how to spell them). I'd be angry too if I was treated as a fragile breeding mare. Yet, I understand his position as well. Even if I want to smack him over the head because he is essentially responsible for that situation. I hope they do resolve their differences soon because I want baby dragons.
And while we're on the topic of babies, who else wants to see a tiny Kaylin/Severn baby? Cause it'll be absolutely hilarious to watch everyone at the Halls of Law go nuts with worry! Besides Severn is a good choice for Kaylin- strong, reliable and capable of handling finances, something Kayling desperately needs! I keep my fingers crossed for development on that front. But even without it the next book promises to be quite interesting as we're finally to take a look at the last of Elantra's races - the Aerians.
Talking about the Emperor the poor guy has zero clue what to do with females. I get why Bellesdao is always angry with him (sorry about the spelling of names, I listened to the audio so I have no idea how to spell them). I'd be angry too if I was treated as a fragile breeding mare. Yet, I understand his position as well. Even if I want to smack him over the head because he is essentially responsible for that situation. I hope they do resolve their differences soon because I want baby dragons.
And while we're on the topic of babies, who else wants to see a tiny Kaylin/Severn baby? Cause it'll be absolutely hilarious to watch everyone at the Halls of Law go nuts with worry! Besides Severn is a good choice for Kaylin- strong, reliable and capable of handling finances, something Kayling desperately needs! I keep my fingers crossed for development on that front. But even without it the next book promises to be quite interesting as we're finally to take a look at the last of Elantra's races - the Aerians.
November 28, 2015
Done with this series
11 books in and a big fat 0 for character growth. Massive amounts of useless inner dialogue. Did not move the story arch along at all, because time resets itself. I do not believe that Mrs. Sagara knows how to write an adult character, or a real adult love scene. This character puts no effort into learning how to actually do anything she is supposed to and now just whines and complains that she had no choice....11 books in and she is just regressing rather than growing. Storyline is stagnant, Kaylin is still acting like a child, everyone around her is stagnant as well. Done with paying this author.
11 books in and a big fat 0 for character growth. Massive amounts of useless inner dialogue. Did not move the story arch along at all, because time resets itself. I do not believe that Mrs. Sagara knows how to write an adult character, or a real adult love scene. This character puts no effort into learning how to actually do anything she is supposed to and now just whines and complains that she had no choice....11 books in and she is just regressing rather than growing. Storyline is stagnant, Kaylin is still acting like a child, everyone around her is stagnant as well. Done with paying this author.
December 1, 2015
I must not be a true fan of fantasy. As with many of the previous books in this series, I found the parts about magic were the least interesting portions of the story. And those parts comprised most of the 500 pages, described in voluminous detail. It took me for-freakin'-ever to wade through it all.
The parts dealing with the characters themselves--their interactions, relationships--are what have kept me interested in the series. Unfortunately, some of those characters and relationships have remained static over the course of the past several books. Although the entire series so far has taken place over a relatively short period of time (a year?), so much has happened that I would have hoped for a little more character and relationship growth. Kaylin remains impulsive, overwhelmed by her abilities but unwilling to work to learn more about them, and a bit frustrated by but mostly content to be viewed as everyone's pet Hawk. I don't require romance in the SFF I read, but her relationship with Severn (who through most of the stories is kind of a cipher or mostly silent foil for Kaylin) is uncomfortable and unsatisfying. Frankly, one of the best parts of this book was the epilogue in which that relationship and several others were at least addressed to some small degree.
I do enjoy the world of Elantra and the characters populating it, enough that I've been willing to read through the far less compelling descriptions of magic to follow what is happening to them. The epilogue in this book was just enough of a teaser after a long slog through the rest of the story to keep my interest up in the next book. I only hope the balance of that one will be a little less elaborate description of the magic and more character interaction and growth.
The parts dealing with the characters themselves--their interactions, relationships--are what have kept me interested in the series. Unfortunately, some of those characters and relationships have remained static over the course of the past several books. Although the entire series so far has taken place over a relatively short period of time (a year?), so much has happened that I would have hoped for a little more character and relationship growth. Kaylin remains impulsive, overwhelmed by her abilities but unwilling to work to learn more about them, and a bit frustrated by but mostly content to be viewed as everyone's pet Hawk. I don't require romance in the SFF I read, but her relationship with Severn (who through most of the stories is kind of a cipher or mostly silent foil for Kaylin) is uncomfortable and unsatisfying. Frankly, one of the best parts of this book was the epilogue in which that relationship and several others were at least addressed to some small degree.
I do enjoy the world of Elantra and the characters populating it, enough that I've been willing to read through the far less compelling descriptions of magic to follow what is happening to them. The epilogue in this book was just enough of a teaser after a long slog through the rest of the story to keep my interest up in the next book. I only hope the balance of that one will be a little less elaborate description of the magic and more character interaction and growth.
December 3, 2015
It truly pains me to write this because I adored this series in the beginning, I sat and read the first three over one weekend because I could. Not. Stop. But the last few books have felt stalled. There's very little obvious progression with the over-arching plot, very little character progression. I had AT LEAST hoped we might get an interesting look at Kaylin actually doing her job and investigating but for all this book supposedly revolved around some weird murders it turned out the story spent very little time on that at all. The plot was so convoluted it took my sister pointing out to me that the supposed villain, the one who started this whole mess? You never learn his name, his motivation, or frankly, even what the hell he DID to cause the mess in the first place
This book felt like a bait and switch. Nightshade is mission in Ravellon? Yes! I was excited at the prospect that Kaylin might actually GO THERE and find him and they would have to escape together. But instead it's all about resetting the timeline so it never happens? Time travel stories are the worst. The worst. When Kaylin went back in time in Cast in Silence I accepted it because it gave us a lot of interesting information about the world, the characters, and in the end, things changed.
TV shows can have these lulls, it's okay to have an episode or four where it's case-of-the-week shenanigans but when you're waiting a year between 600 page books they really can't dither around this much.
This book felt like a bait and switch. Nightshade is mission in Ravellon? Yes! I was excited at the prospect that Kaylin might actually GO THERE and find him and they would have to escape together. But instead it's all about resetting the timeline so it never happens? Time travel stories are the worst. The worst. When Kaylin went back in time in Cast in Silence I accepted it because it gave us a lot of interesting information about the world, the characters, and in the end, things changed.
TV shows can have these lulls, it's okay to have an episode or four where it's case-of-the-week shenanigans but when you're waiting a year between 600 page books they really can't dither around this much.
October 27, 2015
Each installment of the Elantra series leaves me breathless as I wade through the complexities of Kaylin's life while she juggles her job in the Hawks, her friendships, her loyalties and her need to understand what's going on despite warnings to stay clear.
This isn't light bedtime or beach reading... but if you've been following the series you know that by now. You struggle through the pages along with Kaylin, following her through the confusion, grasping for meaning and truth. Kaylin's stubborn nature, along with her innate loyalty to family, are what keep her moving no matter how frustrating everything is, and ultimately everything rests upon her shoulders.
Ultimately it culminates in something far beyond the characters' ken, stretching Kaylin more than ever and expanding the borders of reality far beyond anything known or even suspected; she must rely on intuition, despite the commands of the Emperor, the knowledge of the Arkon, the wishes of sentient buildings or her small and squawky familiar.
She has to understand why, and to do that she must understand herself too.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This isn't light bedtime or beach reading... but if you've been following the series you know that by now. You struggle through the pages along with Kaylin, following her through the confusion, grasping for meaning and truth. Kaylin's stubborn nature, along with her innate loyalty to family, are what keep her moving no matter how frustrating everything is, and ultimately everything rests upon her shoulders.
Ultimately it culminates in something far beyond the characters' ken, stretching Kaylin more than ever and expanding the borders of reality far beyond anything known or even suspected; she must rely on intuition, despite the commands of the Emperor, the knowledge of the Arkon, the wishes of sentient buildings or her small and squawky familiar.
She has to understand why, and to do that she must understand herself too.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 5, 2016
Ahhhhh it was so good!!! I stayed up all night... luckily I don't go back to work for a couple more days! XD And homework definitely exists... in various forms and necessities... I love Kaylin!!! And everybody!! I just barely finished this one and I'm dying for the next one already... XD Really want to go back to the beginning and read the whole series again!! Gah I love the characters so much!! Go buuuuuy eeeeeeeet!!
November 13, 2020
This twelfth adventure begins immediately after the events of the eleventh. Elantra is still picking up the pieces after the battle. Kaylin Neya is recovered enough from her injuries to go back on duty with the Hawks. Her first case is to investigate the murder of three people in a normally quiet part of town. Bellusdeo, the only known female dragon and Kaylin's friend, decides to tag along. Kaylin is chosen for the investigation because she can see magic. When she nears the scene, she is drawn to the house across the street where she meets a young girl named Kattea and her guardian Gilbert who is apparently one of the shadow creatures that the city fought against. That only begins the strangeness.
When they get to the crime scene, Kaylin can't even see the bodies unless she looks through the wings of the small dragon who has adopted her. That is only one of the problems that Kaylin has. Lord Nightshade is missing from his fief and his brother who returned very much changed from his time in the Green is both worried about him and angry with him. He is also a danger to all unless he can learn to control the powers that he brought back home with him. Luckily, Kaylin, Bellusdeo, both Nightshade's brother and a companion who came back with him are living in a house that is self-aware and who can control his out of control powers.
Kaylin wants to add one more to their household. Moran, who is a sergeant in command of the Hawk's infirmary, is an Aerin who badly damaged her wings in the recent battle. She won't allow Kaylin to heal her and doesn't want to take advantage of Kaylin's hospitality. Moran is determined to live in the infirmary until she is healed. Kaylin does everything she can to make Moran change her mind.
Between a sentient house, a shadow in human form, the Keeper losing control of his garden, mirrors spreading chaos, and spells cast for unknown reasons that are destroying the city, Kaylin has a very busy time of it. I tended to skim over much of the explanation of what Gilbert could do and the nature of reality and time that form the big problem in this book because I found it very confusing. But, still, the theme of loneliness woven into this book was compelling. Everyone was trying for a connection with others. Even Gilbert who isn't human in any sense of the world suffered from an intense loneliness. I felt most sorry for Kattea who found herself in a past that wasn't her past and ached to meet her parents despite the fact that they would not know her. Her strong connection with Gilbert was the key to him finding a way to do his job without wiping out all the lives in Elantra.
This is a very entertaining series for fans of epic fantasy. Kaylin is a human character in a world that has immortals, dragons, Leontines, and Thalanni but, as the chosen one, she is the one that events seem to pivot around. Even though she doesn't know what being the chosen one means, she has to act and make choices using her best instincts.
I can't wait to read the next adventure.
When they get to the crime scene, Kaylin can't even see the bodies unless she looks through the wings of the small dragon who has adopted her. That is only one of the problems that Kaylin has. Lord Nightshade is missing from his fief and his brother who returned very much changed from his time in the Green is both worried about him and angry with him. He is also a danger to all unless he can learn to control the powers that he brought back home with him. Luckily, Kaylin, Bellusdeo, both Nightshade's brother and a companion who came back with him are living in a house that is self-aware and who can control his out of control powers.
Kaylin wants to add one more to their household. Moran, who is a sergeant in command of the Hawk's infirmary, is an Aerin who badly damaged her wings in the recent battle. She won't allow Kaylin to heal her and doesn't want to take advantage of Kaylin's hospitality. Moran is determined to live in the infirmary until she is healed. Kaylin does everything she can to make Moran change her mind.
Between a sentient house, a shadow in human form, the Keeper losing control of his garden, mirrors spreading chaos, and spells cast for unknown reasons that are destroying the city, Kaylin has a very busy time of it. I tended to skim over much of the explanation of what Gilbert could do and the nature of reality and time that form the big problem in this book because I found it very confusing. But, still, the theme of loneliness woven into this book was compelling. Everyone was trying for a connection with others. Even Gilbert who isn't human in any sense of the world suffered from an intense loneliness. I felt most sorry for Kattea who found herself in a past that wasn't her past and ached to meet her parents despite the fact that they would not know her. Her strong connection with Gilbert was the key to him finding a way to do his job without wiping out all the lives in Elantra.
This is a very entertaining series for fans of epic fantasy. Kaylin is a human character in a world that has immortals, dragons, Leontines, and Thalanni but, as the chosen one, she is the one that events seem to pivot around. Even though she doesn't know what being the chosen one means, she has to act and make choices using her best instincts.
I can't wait to read the next adventure.
November 29, 2015
The very first book in the Elantra series, which introduced the world and characters, also introduced the big bad overshadowing the status quo, which would most likely show up again. It took it's time (and I'm grateful for that, it allowed the exploring and deepening of other cultures and characters that are part of the group supporting Kaylin) and we don't really get to Ravellon this time, but Kaylin gets confronted with both consequences of her choices in the last two books as well as a character who calls Ravellon his home.
MSW has a gift for making... hmm... OTHER concepts of being graspable for her usually human-based main characters (much like C.J. Cherryh does in SF - the Foreigner series springs to mind) and letting you get an empathy for that through their eyes. She is also upping the ante with the use of Kaylin's Chosen powers: it is expected of her (by the words themselves, it seems) to be more aware in a conscious choice of what she uses where and for what reason.
I thought when she confronted the Devourer the weird had a high quotient, this time tops that.
MSW has a gift for making... hmm... OTHER concepts of being graspable for her usually human-based main characters (much like C.J. Cherryh does in SF - the Foreigner series springs to mind) and letting you get an empathy for that through their eyes. She is also upping the ante with the use of Kaylin's Chosen powers: it is expected of her (by the words themselves, it seems) to be more aware in a conscious choice of what she uses where and for what reason.
I thought when she confronted the Devourer the weird had a high quotient, this time tops that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2015
THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. I am literally weeping, but in a good way.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
April 4, 2022
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Epic Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Cast in Honor is the Eleventh installment in author Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra series. This series follows the adventures of Private Kaylin Neya, a young woman who serves the Hawks in the towering Halls of Law. She’s Elantra’s version of a police officer, a mortal in a city ruled by Dragons. Cast in Honor story picks up three weeks after the narrow defeat of the Ancestors in Cast of Flame. Elantra stands strong, but countless numbers of Hawks, the city's staunchest protectors, were lost in the brutal attack. Humans, Barrani, Aerians, Leontines—none of the races emerged unscathed from the defense of the city.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Epic Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Cast in Honor is the Eleventh installment in author Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra series. This series follows the adventures of Private Kaylin Neya, a young woman who serves the Hawks in the towering Halls of Law. She’s Elantra’s version of a police officer, a mortal in a city ruled by Dragons. Cast in Honor story picks up three weeks after the narrow defeat of the Ancestors in Cast of Flame. Elantra stands strong, but countless numbers of Hawks, the city's staunchest protectors, were lost in the brutal attack. Humans, Barrani, Aerians, Leontines—none of the races emerged unscathed from the defense of the city.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
February 20, 2016
I forgot I was reading it. That about sums it up. I very much enjoyed this series in the beginning, when the books were about crimes to be solved involving the different species of a strange world. The series changed along the way, and now reads like someone wrote it while sleeping. People just wander around in incomprehensible landscapes doing unknown things for an interminable length of pages. It's very frustrating, as the characters are really good! They just have nothing to do. I literally was reading this for a bit, set it down; and only remembered it when I got a notice from the library to return it a few weeks later. I just skipped to read the end, and couldn't tell that I'd missed anything.
December 23, 2015
Eleventh in the Chronicles of Elantra fantasy series and revolving around Kaylin, the Chosen with no clue but with a heart of gold.
I did find myself wishing I had gone back and re-read Cast in Flame , 10, before continuing with Cast in Honor. It took awhile before I got caught up in what had gone before.
My Take
Each previous story has been one of Kaylin's exposure to the different races within Elantra, and all that trust that Kaylin has been building throughout the series comes to aid her and her friends.
On the whole I absolutely adore Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra, incorporating a magic that is both familiar and completely new, enough that I'm slowly buying them up. She does frustrate me though with the philosophical conflicts that she throws in. I keep wading through them, hoping that one day it'll make sense. It sits in the back of my mind, wanting to come together, and I think I have the gist of it, but I'd never be able to explain it. Combine this with the whole time travel thing and…I'm still shaking my head, trying to clear out the confusion. It has to have been a bugger to write, having to track how it all worked.
What I love is her cast of characters; the world she's created in all its complexities, species, cultures, and conflicts; and, the interactions they all have with the Dragon Court, especially Kaylin due to her relationship with Bellusdeo, and the arrogance of dealing with the Barrani. And it all revolves around Kaylin, an orphan girl from "the wrong side of the tracks". I do adore Kaylin's honesty and brashness and her desire to do the right thing mingled with her past.
I so enjoy the asides that give these characters depth with Kaylin well known for her betting, the betting that does go on around the Hawks (especially when it involves Kaylin, lol), the challenge of balancing Bellusdeo's insistence on experiencing life versus the Emperor's insistence on her continuing life, Kaylin's inability to be diplomatic, and the list goes on. Moran's situation allows Sagara to bring out the politics of the Aerians — a great way to avoid an info dump while providing background information.
Gilbert's existence is one long question as Sagara strings us along, dropping hints that you don't want to believe.
It's a terrifying story that provides you with very little to work with, and Sagara makes you work for that, as she explains time. It's also a look at loneliness and how it can affect anyone at all.
The Story
It's fraught as both Mandoran and Annarion struggle to contain themselves, but Annarion especially labors, for his being out in the world attracts the Shadows. An attraction that led to a "vicious battle between darkness and light from which Elantra emerged victorious but at great cost". And still the "Shadows continue to haunt every corner of its streets."
Now the outcast Barrani Lord Nightshade is missing from his castle in the fiefs.
It's the strange nature of a triple murder that embroils Kaylin "in a case that is anything but routine. Evidence of the deadly Shadows that "points directly to Ravellon — the heart of the Shadows and the darkness they contain".
The Characters
Private Lord Kaylin Neya, a Hawk, has a new home — not in the Imperial Palace — with Helen, a sentient building, a gardia, much like Tara. Kaylin is the Chosen and no one has any real idea what it means. Hope is her familiar, the little dragon, who first appeared in Cast in Peril , 8.
Corporal Lord Severn Handred grew up with Kaylin in the fiefs until the incident. He went into the Wolves and was then seconded to the Hawks to partner up with Kaylin; he provides the diplomatic side of their partnership.
The Hawks are…
…part of the Halls of Law and the policemen who investigate crimes in Elantra. Their commander is the Hawklord, Lord Grammayre. Hanson is his attaché. Corporals Teela Korrin (one of Kaylin's best friends) and Tain Danelle are partners and Barrani who grew bored and joined the Hawks. Clint (Aerian) and Tanner (human) are frequently on door duty. And more friends of Kaylin's. Sergeant Moran dar Carafel, an Aerian, runs the infirmary. First Corporal Kirby had to take over the infirmary after Moran was almost killed, and he was quite happy to utilize Kaylin's healing abilities. Caitlin is the office mother, er, I mean, manager. Other Hawks include Master Corporal Gavin Karannis who prit' near hates Kaylin and is a stickler for details, Private Lianne is his partner, Joey, and Mellian. Red is their medical examiner. Draalzyn, a Tha'lani, works Missing Persons. Perenne works in the office.
Sergeant Marcus "Ironjaw" Kassan, a Leontine lion shifter, is in charge of the day-to-day of the Hawks. Kayala is his first wife; he and all his wives see Kaylin as one of their kitlings.
The other two parts of the Halls of Law are the Swords, the riot police, the national guard for Elantra, who are ruled by the Swordlord and the Wolves who function as black ops and are ruled by the Wolflord. Jared manages the offices for the Swords.
The fiefs were…
…created to protect the city from the Shadows. They are seven mini-kingdoms, neighborhood havens for criminal elements, the disenfranchised, the poor, who are ruled by fieflords and outside the law. One of the fiefs is ruled by the outcaste — and lost — Lord Nightshade, his True Name is Calarnenne, who rules from Castle Nightshade. Lord Andellen is part of its guard. Tara is the Avatar of Tiamaris' Tower in that Dragon's fief. Both are friends of Kaylin's.
The Barrani are…
…arrogant immortal beings who plot and backstab like we eat breakfast. Mandoran of Casarre and Annarion of Solanace (he's Nightshade's longlost brother and both were freed in Cast in Sorrow , 9) are in Kaylin's parole and living with her, with Helen to keep an eye on them, as they struggle to acclimate to all they've missed, to today's realities, for they are Barrani no longer, but something more. Kaylin calls upon the trust she has built with Lord Ynpharion who hates that Kaylin has his True Name; Lirienne, Lord of the West March; Hallionne Alsanis, one of the hearts of the green which act as way stations ( Cast in Peril , 8); and, the High Lord, the castelord of the Barrani who owes Kaylin a huge debt.
No Barrani can rule or be called Lord unless they undergo the test of the High Halls.
The Dragons are…
…the immortal ones in charge. Lord Bellusdeo is the female Dragon Kaylin rescued in Cast in Ruin , 7, who lives with Kaylin and has permission to accompany Kaylin on her patrols. I should mention that Bellusdeo is the only female Dragon. Maggaron, a Norannir, one of the lost whom Kaylin saved in Cast in Chaos , is Bellusdeo's bodyguard. Lord Diamart is a very condescending Dragon who must teach Kaylin etiquette. Lord Sanabalis is an ancient Dragon who has been teaching Kaylin how to use her magic. The Arkon, Lannagaros, is one of the oldest Dragons and their Archivist; the library and the archives are his hoard. Lord Emmerian is another Dragon.
The Keeper's Garden is…
…in the Elani district, the heart of the Emperor's hoard, where Evanton rules and maintains a balance between Air, Earth, Water, and Fire, keeping the world real. Grethan is his disabled Tha'alani apprentice ( Cast in Secret , 3).
The Tha'alani are…
…a native race of telepaths used by the emperor to question suspects and victims. Ybelline is their castelord. Scoros is one of the council; I think Eladara is his wife.
Gilbert Rayelle is a Shadow born in Ravellon, the doomed fief in Cast in Ruin , 7,, who has taken a young girl, Kattea, into his protection. Her father, Corporal Krevel, was a Sword who fled with the people he was keeping safe across the Bridge into the fiefs as his world fell apart.
Hazielle who inspired Helen to become more a part of the world. The midwives and the Foundling Hall, overseen by Marrin, in Elantra, frequently call upon Kaylin for help, as she has healing powers. Arcanists of the Arcanum are mages who work independently of the Dragon Emperor and each other. Ferals are massive wolf-like shapes that come out of the Shadows and kill.
Elantra seems to be both city and state. The Winding Path is a neighborhood in Elantra where the murders took place. Mirrors are a type of Skype communication that uses a magical lattice underlying the city. The bracer is a magical gauntlet that protects Kaylin's arm; Severn is its keeper. The Shadows we've encountered so far are evil, killing, destroying, corrupting. They were Barrani and are similar to the Ferals, but bigger and more lethal. Part of the Hallionnes' purpose is to protect against these Shadows. The Towers were built to control them. The Caste Courts are like a court of appeal by the other races in Elantra who are not Dragons. The Norannir are a race of giants (see Cast in Chaos , 6). The Ancients created everything and everybody. The Aerians are birdmen with wings who can fly, but they are not shifters.
The Cover and Title
The cover is serene with its foggy background of an Imperial city skyline in its suggestion of Chinese rooflines. There is a grassy field before it with a tattooed Kaylin wearing her bracer and black leather pants, her beautiful broadsword held upright before her with the tip resting on the ground, as she stares thoughtfully at the ground before her, her long brown hair tugged by a breeze. The author's name, title, and series information are all in varying sizes of white.
The title is about Gilbert, for he is Cast in Honor.
I did find myself wishing I had gone back and re-read Cast in Flame , 10, before continuing with Cast in Honor. It took awhile before I got caught up in what had gone before.
Remember, too, that myths are stories.
My Take
Each previous story has been one of Kaylin's exposure to the different races within Elantra, and all that trust that Kaylin has been building throughout the series comes to aid her and her friends.
On the whole I absolutely adore Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra, incorporating a magic that is both familiar and completely new, enough that I'm slowly buying them up. She does frustrate me though with the philosophical conflicts that she throws in. I keep wading through them, hoping that one day it'll make sense. It sits in the back of my mind, wanting to come together, and I think I have the gist of it, but I'd never be able to explain it. Combine this with the whole time travel thing and…I'm still shaking my head, trying to clear out the confusion. It has to have been a bugger to write, having to track how it all worked.
What I love is her cast of characters; the world she's created in all its complexities, species, cultures, and conflicts; and, the interactions they all have with the Dragon Court, especially Kaylin due to her relationship with Bellusdeo, and the arrogance of dealing with the Barrani. And it all revolves around Kaylin, an orphan girl from "the wrong side of the tracks". I do adore Kaylin's honesty and brashness and her desire to do the right thing mingled with her past.
"I wanted to be part of something bigger than me, in the end. I like the sense that we're working on something together. That if justice and the law isn't perfect, it's better than the alternative. …if the law can sometimes be used to protect those who don't have that power, it's better than nothing."An encounter between Kaylin and the Emperor made me laugh. Who knew he'd be taking dating advice from a chit of a girl. Turns out he also has a dry sense of humor. Kaylin's interactions with Moran are a bitter type of sweet with Kaylin so anxious to pay back the aid given her while Moran is both suspicious and worried about the repercussions that could fall on Kaylin.
I so enjoy the asides that give these characters depth with Kaylin well known for her betting, the betting that does go on around the Hawks (especially when it involves Kaylin, lol), the challenge of balancing Bellusdeo's insistence on experiencing life versus the Emperor's insistence on her continuing life, Kaylin's inability to be diplomatic, and the list goes on. Moran's situation allows Sagara to bring out the politics of the Aerians — a great way to avoid an info dump while providing background information.
Gilbert's existence is one long question as Sagara strings us along, dropping hints that you don't want to believe.
"The past, of course, is a different country; it is occupied, frequently, by regret, and it is ruled by tyrants. They cannot be moved."There's an emphasis on stereotyping, on not judging people based on what others have done, and it certainly opens up Kaylin's eyes.
It's a terrifying story that provides you with very little to work with, and Sagara makes you work for that, as she explains time. It's also a look at loneliness and how it can affect anyone at all.
In the end, "the way you view and interact with the important parts of your world" can be affected by your doing something you despise. … "If you have no self-respect, your ability to respect anything or anyone else is in peril."
The Story
It's fraught as both Mandoran and Annarion struggle to contain themselves, but Annarion especially labors, for his being out in the world attracts the Shadows. An attraction that led to a "vicious battle between darkness and light from which Elantra emerged victorious but at great cost". And still the "Shadows continue to haunt every corner of its streets."
Now the outcast Barrani Lord Nightshade is missing from his castle in the fiefs.
It's the strange nature of a triple murder that embroils Kaylin "in a case that is anything but routine. Evidence of the deadly Shadows that "points directly to Ravellon — the heart of the Shadows and the darkness they contain".
The Characters
Private Lord Kaylin Neya, a Hawk, has a new home — not in the Imperial Palace — with Helen, a sentient building, a gardia, much like Tara. Kaylin is the Chosen and no one has any real idea what it means. Hope is her familiar, the little dragon, who first appeared in Cast in Peril , 8.
Corporal Lord Severn Handred grew up with Kaylin in the fiefs until the incident. He went into the Wolves and was then seconded to the Hawks to partner up with Kaylin; he provides the diplomatic side of their partnership.
The Hawks are…
…part of the Halls of Law and the policemen who investigate crimes in Elantra. Their commander is the Hawklord, Lord Grammayre. Hanson is his attaché. Corporals Teela Korrin (one of Kaylin's best friends) and Tain Danelle are partners and Barrani who grew bored and joined the Hawks. Clint (Aerian) and Tanner (human) are frequently on door duty. And more friends of Kaylin's. Sergeant Moran dar Carafel, an Aerian, runs the infirmary. First Corporal Kirby had to take over the infirmary after Moran was almost killed, and he was quite happy to utilize Kaylin's healing abilities. Caitlin is the office mother, er, I mean, manager. Other Hawks include Master Corporal Gavin Karannis who prit' near hates Kaylin and is a stickler for details, Private Lianne is his partner, Joey, and Mellian. Red is their medical examiner. Draalzyn, a Tha'lani, works Missing Persons. Perenne works in the office.
Sergeant Marcus "Ironjaw" Kassan, a Leontine lion shifter, is in charge of the day-to-day of the Hawks. Kayala is his first wife; he and all his wives see Kaylin as one of their kitlings.
The other two parts of the Halls of Law are the Swords, the riot police, the national guard for Elantra, who are ruled by the Swordlord and the Wolves who function as black ops and are ruled by the Wolflord. Jared manages the offices for the Swords.
The fiefs were…
…created to protect the city from the Shadows. They are seven mini-kingdoms, neighborhood havens for criminal elements, the disenfranchised, the poor, who are ruled by fieflords and outside the law. One of the fiefs is ruled by the outcaste — and lost — Lord Nightshade, his True Name is Calarnenne, who rules from Castle Nightshade. Lord Andellen is part of its guard. Tara is the Avatar of Tiamaris' Tower in that Dragon's fief. Both are friends of Kaylin's.
The Barrani are…
…arrogant immortal beings who plot and backstab like we eat breakfast. Mandoran of Casarre and Annarion of Solanace (he's Nightshade's longlost brother and both were freed in Cast in Sorrow , 9) are in Kaylin's parole and living with her, with Helen to keep an eye on them, as they struggle to acclimate to all they've missed, to today's realities, for they are Barrani no longer, but something more. Kaylin calls upon the trust she has built with Lord Ynpharion who hates that Kaylin has his True Name; Lirienne, Lord of the West March; Hallionne Alsanis, one of the hearts of the green which act as way stations ( Cast in Peril , 8); and, the High Lord, the castelord of the Barrani who owes Kaylin a huge debt.
No Barrani can rule or be called Lord unless they undergo the test of the High Halls.
The Dragons are…
…the immortal ones in charge. Lord Bellusdeo is the female Dragon Kaylin rescued in Cast in Ruin , 7, who lives with Kaylin and has permission to accompany Kaylin on her patrols. I should mention that Bellusdeo is the only female Dragon. Maggaron, a Norannir, one of the lost whom Kaylin saved in Cast in Chaos , is Bellusdeo's bodyguard. Lord Diamart is a very condescending Dragon who must teach Kaylin etiquette. Lord Sanabalis is an ancient Dragon who has been teaching Kaylin how to use her magic. The Arkon, Lannagaros, is one of the oldest Dragons and their Archivist; the library and the archives are his hoard. Lord Emmerian is another Dragon.
The Keeper's Garden is…
…in the Elani district, the heart of the Emperor's hoard, where Evanton rules and maintains a balance between Air, Earth, Water, and Fire, keeping the world real. Grethan is his disabled Tha'alani apprentice ( Cast in Secret , 3).
The Tha'alani are…
…a native race of telepaths used by the emperor to question suspects and victims. Ybelline is their castelord. Scoros is one of the council; I think Eladara is his wife.
Gilbert Rayelle is a Shadow born in Ravellon, the doomed fief in Cast in Ruin , 7,, who has taken a young girl, Kattea, into his protection. Her father, Corporal Krevel, was a Sword who fled with the people he was keeping safe across the Bridge into the fiefs as his world fell apart.
Hazielle who inspired Helen to become more a part of the world. The midwives and the Foundling Hall, overseen by Marrin, in Elantra, frequently call upon Kaylin for help, as she has healing powers. Arcanists of the Arcanum are mages who work independently of the Dragon Emperor and each other. Ferals are massive wolf-like shapes that come out of the Shadows and kill.
Elantra seems to be both city and state. The Winding Path is a neighborhood in Elantra where the murders took place. Mirrors are a type of Skype communication that uses a magical lattice underlying the city. The bracer is a magical gauntlet that protects Kaylin's arm; Severn is its keeper. The Shadows we've encountered so far are evil, killing, destroying, corrupting. They were Barrani and are similar to the Ferals, but bigger and more lethal. Part of the Hallionnes' purpose is to protect against these Shadows. The Towers were built to control them. The Caste Courts are like a court of appeal by the other races in Elantra who are not Dragons. The Norannir are a race of giants (see Cast in Chaos , 6). The Ancients created everything and everybody. The Aerians are birdmen with wings who can fly, but they are not shifters.
The Cover and Title
The cover is serene with its foggy background of an Imperial city skyline in its suggestion of Chinese rooflines. There is a grassy field before it with a tattooed Kaylin wearing her bracer and black leather pants, her beautiful broadsword held upright before her with the tip resting on the ground, as she stares thoughtfully at the ground before her, her long brown hair tugged by a breeze. The author's name, title, and series information are all in varying sizes of white.
The title is about Gilbert, for he is Cast in Honor.
June 6, 2016
I am increasingly unsure how to rate these books. Individually, I enjoy each successive addition to the series; as a whole, though, they frustratingly fail to build toward any real arc. I feel like I could reread the early books and get approximately the same satisfaction that I receive by reading each new installment.
This one has some good points; for the first time in several books I felt like I had a solid grasp on the metaphysics and actually understood what Kaylin was doing in her Mystical Word Manipulation scenes (and why it had the effect it did). And I found Gilbert and Kattea compelling, as new characters go, and was genuinely invested in their emotional arc. (As a bonus, it actually came to a satisfying conclusion over the course of one book! Also, Gilbert is really willing to answer everyone's questions, albeit often in a way that makes no sense whatsoever to the person asking, which was a welcome character trait.)
But I continue to feel like the cast has grown too large; so many characters who I grew to love early in the series, like Sanabalis and Marcus, make appearances so token they barely qualify as window dressing, while new characters are introduced left and right. And I was frustrated by how many critical moments in this book happened off-screen; not one but two major events resolve while Kaylin is unconscious, which means we hear recitations of what happened rather than actually seeing the action. Meanwhile, a central driver of the plot, happens entirely off-screen .
I also felt like this book had a serious problem with what I guess I'll call blocking; I lost count of the number of times a character said something several pages into a scene, and I had to backtrack because I had no memory of that character being in the scene--and indeed, often that was because until that moment, their presence had never been mentioned. It was disconcerting. I don't remember this being a problem in earlier series volumes. Maybe there was a change in copyeditor?
In short, despite being more than 500 pages, this book tries to cram more characters and subplots into it than it can reasonably hold. I was confused about why Peril and Sorrow were split from the original planned single West March volume; I'm confused about why this book wasn't split, or at least why some subplots weren't saved for the future. I understand that Moran's addition to the cast was a lead-in to the next book, Cast in Flight, but it felt so disconnected from the main plot that I wish it had been set inside entirely for that volume.
If you like the series, you should probably read this book. If you've never read the series, this would be a truly terrible place to start.
This one has some good points; for the first time in several books I felt like I had a solid grasp on the metaphysics and actually understood what Kaylin was doing in her Mystical Word Manipulation scenes (and why it had the effect it did). And I found Gilbert and Kattea compelling, as new characters go, and was genuinely invested in their emotional arc. (As a bonus, it actually came to a satisfying conclusion over the course of one book! Also, Gilbert is really willing to answer everyone's questions, albeit often in a way that makes no sense whatsoever to the person asking, which was a welcome character trait.)
But I continue to feel like the cast has grown too large; so many characters who I grew to love early in the series, like Sanabalis and Marcus, make appearances so token they barely qualify as window dressing, while new characters are introduced left and right. And I was frustrated by how many critical moments in this book happened off-screen; not one but two major events resolve while Kaylin is unconscious, which means we hear recitations of what happened rather than actually seeing the action. Meanwhile, a central driver of the plot, happens entirely off-screen .
I also felt like this book had a serious problem with what I guess I'll call blocking; I lost count of the number of times a character said something several pages into a scene, and I had to backtrack because I had no memory of that character being in the scene--and indeed, often that was because until that moment, their presence had never been mentioned. It was disconcerting. I don't remember this being a problem in earlier series volumes. Maybe there was a change in copyeditor?
In short, despite being more than 500 pages, this book tries to cram more characters and subplots into it than it can reasonably hold. I was confused about why Peril and Sorrow were split from the original planned single West March volume; I'm confused about why this book wasn't split, or at least why some subplots weren't saved for the future. I understand that Moran's addition to the cast was a lead-in to the next book, Cast in Flight, but it felt so disconnected from the main plot that I wish it had been set inside entirely for that volume.
If you like the series, you should probably read this book. If you've never read the series, this would be a truly terrible place to start.
November 8, 2017
Wow, such a great book! And so interesting! And things make a lot more sense, reading it a second time, though there were still some bits that were confusing, but still so great! Time was a pretty big part of this book, and yeah, absolutely loved reading this book and how it has the starting threads of the plot of Cast in Flight!
*First read September 9th 2015*
Yeah, this book? Just perfect! Loved it so much, and while reading it on the day that it was uploaded to NetGalley (like I did with Cast in Flame) might not have been the best idea, because now I have the next year long wait for the next book! And it's going to be evil! This book was just so freaking good! Loved it so, so, so much, I was so excited for it, and it totally surpassed what I hoped for!
*First read September 9th 2015*
Yeah, this book? Just perfect! Loved it so much, and while reading it on the day that it was uploaded to NetGalley (like I did with Cast in Flame) might not have been the best idea, because now I have the next year long wait for the next book! And it's going to be evil! This book was just so freaking good! Loved it so, so, so much, I was so excited for it, and it totally surpassed what I hoped for!
January 10, 2024
4.5 stars
April 26, 2025
3.5 stars
There was a lot of timey-whimey magic in this book, threatening all of Elantra. It was confusing (and long-winded) at times, but Michelle Sagara stuck the landing for me in the end, with how everything got resolved. Interesting elements in terms of the world structure and the Shadows got introduced. I really like Helen, and how the home became one to many of the cast. Also, it seems we’ll finally learn more about Aerian society soon, as Kaylin sticks her nose into Moran’s life.
So, I liked the book.
Long note about character development coming up, that’s more related to the series as a whole, but was more prominent than usual here.
Kaylin is young, and the books take place in very compressed time (the first ten, in a matter of months), so I’m not too bothered with lack of romance, or how people close to her still treat her as a young adult (‘cause she acts young much of the time).
However, Kaylin’s lack of self-respect (as she herself calls it) does bother me, especially since we spend so much time in Kaylin’s head, due to Sagara’s style and the nature of her magic. And she has so much support, so much introspection and many victories behind her. The fact that she’s still stuck in the mindset of feeling completely incapable, unworthy of care, making excuses for those who abuse her is troubling. I really hope we see development there (even if it’s winding and with stumbles), because I don’t think the type of stories being told really allow for a character frozen in time.
There was a lot of timey-whimey magic in this book, threatening all of Elantra. It was confusing (and long-winded) at times, but Michelle Sagara stuck the landing for me in the end, with how everything got resolved. Interesting elements in terms of the world structure and the Shadows got introduced. I really like Helen, and how the home became one to many of the cast. Also, it seems we’ll finally learn more about Aerian society soon, as Kaylin sticks her nose into Moran’s life.
So, I liked the book.
Long note about character development coming up, that’s more related to the series as a whole, but was more prominent than usual here.
Kaylin is young, and the books take place in very compressed time (the first ten, in a matter of months), so I’m not too bothered with lack of romance, or how people close to her still treat her as a young adult (‘cause she acts young much of the time).
However, Kaylin’s lack of self-respect (as she herself calls it) does bother me, especially since we spend so much time in Kaylin’s head, due to Sagara’s style and the nature of her magic. And she has so much support, so much introspection and many victories behind her. The fact that she’s still stuck in the mindset of feeling completely incapable, unworthy of care, making excuses for those who abuse her is troubling. I really hope we see development there (even if it’s winding and with stumbles), because I don’t think the type of stories being told really allow for a character frozen in time.
December 7, 2015
3 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
In the aftermath of a vicious battle between darkness and light, the city of Elantra has emerged victorious. But Shadows continue to haunt every corner of its streets...
Elantra stands strong, but countless numbers of Hawks, the city's staunchest protectors, were lost in the brutal attack. Humans, Barrani, Aerians, Leontines—none of the races emerged unscathed from the defense of the city. Homes were lost, families were scattered…and the outcast Barrani Lord Nightshade is missing from his castle in the fiefs.
Yet as the chaos surrounding the battle begins to wane, Private Kaylin Neya's duties must resume, despite her grief. Called in to investigate a triple murder in a quiet part of town, Kaylin and her companions are soon embroiled in a case that is anything but routine. Evidence of the deadly Shadows that still threaten the city leads to hints of ancient, forgotten magics…and everything can be traced directly to Ravellon, the heart of the Shadows and the darkness they contain.
But it is there that Lord Nightshade will be found—if he still survives.
REVIEW:
In the aftermath of battle, the city of Elantra tries to rebuild itself, but crime does not stop. Private Kaylin Neya is assigned a suspicious triple murder that involves the Shadows and magic. She is led on a merry chase through Elantra to gather clues, while struggling to keep her friends alive. If she can't uncover the mystery behind the murders, the future of Elantra will crumble and turn to dust.
Usually, I like to give a little summation of the story, but not a lot actually happens in Cast in Honor. Danger looms throughout the whole book, but nothing really develops. The characters move from one scene to the next, but they end up discussing the same issues over and over. When the action finally starts to pick up, the story slows to a near stop, buried under all the details. I love Kaylin Neya and her magic, but her lack of direction and confusion has been over explained in the last few books. I want action and adventure and the thrill of the story that I fell in love with at the beginning of the series. Michelle Sagara does get points that Severn finally admits his emotions, but the one line at the end of the book felt much too little, too late. The book could've been cut in half and read so much better. Though I've been disappointed in the last few books, I'm not sure I'm ready to call this series quits yet. If I didn't like this series so much, maybe I wouldn't be so disappointed.
Posted from my site: www.StaceyBrutger.com
DESCRIPTION:
In the aftermath of a vicious battle between darkness and light, the city of Elantra has emerged victorious. But Shadows continue to haunt every corner of its streets...
Elantra stands strong, but countless numbers of Hawks, the city's staunchest protectors, were lost in the brutal attack. Humans, Barrani, Aerians, Leontines—none of the races emerged unscathed from the defense of the city. Homes were lost, families were scattered…and the outcast Barrani Lord Nightshade is missing from his castle in the fiefs.
Yet as the chaos surrounding the battle begins to wane, Private Kaylin Neya's duties must resume, despite her grief. Called in to investigate a triple murder in a quiet part of town, Kaylin and her companions are soon embroiled in a case that is anything but routine. Evidence of the deadly Shadows that still threaten the city leads to hints of ancient, forgotten magics…and everything can be traced directly to Ravellon, the heart of the Shadows and the darkness they contain.
But it is there that Lord Nightshade will be found—if he still survives.
REVIEW:
In the aftermath of battle, the city of Elantra tries to rebuild itself, but crime does not stop. Private Kaylin Neya is assigned a suspicious triple murder that involves the Shadows and magic. She is led on a merry chase through Elantra to gather clues, while struggling to keep her friends alive. If she can't uncover the mystery behind the murders, the future of Elantra will crumble and turn to dust.
Usually, I like to give a little summation of the story, but not a lot actually happens in Cast in Honor. Danger looms throughout the whole book, but nothing really develops. The characters move from one scene to the next, but they end up discussing the same issues over and over. When the action finally starts to pick up, the story slows to a near stop, buried under all the details. I love Kaylin Neya and her magic, but her lack of direction and confusion has been over explained in the last few books. I want action and adventure and the thrill of the story that I fell in love with at the beginning of the series. Michelle Sagara does get points that Severn finally admits his emotions, but the one line at the end of the book felt much too little, too late. The book could've been cut in half and read so much better. Though I've been disappointed in the last few books, I'm not sure I'm ready to call this series quits yet. If I didn't like this series so much, maybe I wouldn't be so disappointed.
Posted from my site: www.StaceyBrutger.com
November 24, 2015
I have no idea where Ms Sagara is going with this series and I love it!!
What I liked: The characters and the different symbolisms continue to be the draw for me with the Chronicles of Elantra Series. I might not be clear on each and every plot in these 11 books but I know the characters will stay with me for a very long time.
You can never ever expect something from this series. You just have to flow with the direction Ms Sagara is taking. Each and every book takes you on a journey. What you think of the journey, what your choices would be, how you would react to the circumstances Private Kaylin Neya finds herself in are uniquie and could only be dreamed by a very special author.
While each book is a journey, it's not always action orientated. One book might be slower moving in action but but they grip you in different ways. The thinking process, the feelings between the characters, and how each individual race ties together is fascinating to me.
Cast in Honor is one of the action orientated installments. From start to finish, I felt like I was holding my breath. You, the reader, will never know what Ms Sagara has in store for her characters. While the core group of characters appear in each book, some take more of a background role in certain plots.
What I didn't like: Absolutely nothing, ha!
I would pay to see Ms Sagara's office or plot board for this series or even for one book. How she keeps the plots, the characters and worldbuilding together is unbelievable.
I received my copy of Feel the Burn from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.
Highest of Recommendations!!!!! (You have to read this series in order)
What I liked: The characters and the different symbolisms continue to be the draw for me with the Chronicles of Elantra Series. I might not be clear on each and every plot in these 11 books but I know the characters will stay with me for a very long time.
You can never ever expect something from this series. You just have to flow with the direction Ms Sagara is taking. Each and every book takes you on a journey. What you think of the journey, what your choices would be, how you would react to the circumstances Private Kaylin Neya finds herself in are uniquie and could only be dreamed by a very special author.
While each book is a journey, it's not always action orientated. One book might be slower moving in action but but they grip you in different ways. The thinking process, the feelings between the characters, and how each individual race ties together is fascinating to me.
Cast in Honor is one of the action orientated installments. From start to finish, I felt like I was holding my breath. You, the reader, will never know what Ms Sagara has in store for her characters. While the core group of characters appear in each book, some take more of a background role in certain plots.
What I didn't like: Absolutely nothing, ha!
I would pay to see Ms Sagara's office or plot board for this series or even for one book. How she keeps the plots, the characters and worldbuilding together is unbelievable.
I received my copy of Feel the Burn from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.
Highest of Recommendations!!!!! (You have to read this series in order)
January 3, 2023
I like the system of magic in this series.
That said, there were a couple parts where even I was like "oh come on" and was skimming ahead. I know other people have had that complaint in previous books in the series, but it didn't bother me until now. In this book, there was one scene in particular - the healing scene - where it just... sucked all the intensity / tension / energy out of the section. Too much ponderous narrative about how to do magic made it feel like, in real time, it was taking her daaaaaaays to do.
Actually, that was true in the climactic end battle too.
I don't know if the author has gotten more wordy, or if I have just become less patient.
It's probably the latter. I'm also less patient with other things. Her taking Severn for granted. Nightshade not getting the smackdown he deserves. The entire order of Hawks treating her like an imbecilic child.
10 books in, I expect for people around her to know her worth. She's saved them how many times? And I expect for characters who treat her poorly - always - to be held accountable.
Forward movement, please.
Weirdly, that all makes it sound like I didn't like it. Not true. I liked it very much, and I liked the twist to what used to be a scary/bad character type... and the unfolding of the mysterious danger.
I just think it could have used another round of editing, and maybe some forward movement on Kaylin's relationships with the secondary characters.
That said, there were a couple parts where even I was like "oh come on" and was skimming ahead. I know other people have had that complaint in previous books in the series, but it didn't bother me until now. In this book, there was one scene in particular - the healing scene - where it just... sucked all the intensity / tension / energy out of the section. Too much ponderous narrative about how to do magic made it feel like, in real time, it was taking her daaaaaaays to do.
Actually, that was true in the climactic end battle too.
I don't know if the author has gotten more wordy, or if I have just become less patient.
It's probably the latter. I'm also less patient with other things. Her taking Severn for granted. Nightshade not getting the smackdown he deserves. The entire order of Hawks treating her like an imbecilic child.
10 books in, I expect for people around her to know her worth. She's saved them how many times? And I expect for characters who treat her poorly - always - to be held accountable.
Forward movement, please.
Weirdly, that all makes it sound like I didn't like it. Not true. I liked it very much, and I liked the twist to what used to be a scary/bad character type... and the unfolding of the mysterious danger.
I just think it could have used another round of editing, and maybe some forward movement on Kaylin's relationships with the secondary characters.
December 29, 2024
When our story opens, Kaylin and Crew are trying to get to the point where they can go on the hunt for Nightshade, who disappeared in the last book. But an investigation changes everything; and it turns out the investigation has more than a little to do with Nightshade.
We get to see more of some old characters, like Ybelline and Moran, and we're introduced to new characters Gilbert and Kattea, both of whom are pivotal to the investigation. And in the process, we learn just a bit more about Ravellon and the Shadows that abide there. Because of these new characters, and the mystery at the heart of this story, this entry in the Chronicles of Elantra felt a little different than the previous books. It added to the world building of the series, but it felt more removed from the overall story arc than the the last few books.
The build up with Moran at the beginning of the book didn't really take off, as I expected it to. I have to assume that Moran's story will be coming up in the next book or two. As we haven't delved into the Aerian culture the way we have with other Elantran races, I'm anxiously awaiting that story line.
As always, I loved this book and I can't wait to get my hands on the next!
We get to see more of some old characters, like Ybelline and Moran, and we're introduced to new characters Gilbert and Kattea, both of whom are pivotal to the investigation. And in the process, we learn just a bit more about Ravellon and the Shadows that abide there. Because of these new characters, and the mystery at the heart of this story, this entry in the Chronicles of Elantra felt a little different than the previous books. It added to the world building of the series, but it felt more removed from the overall story arc than the the last few books.
The build up with Moran at the beginning of the book didn't really take off, as I expected it to. I have to assume that Moran's story will be coming up in the next book or two. As we haven't delved into the Aerian culture the way we have with other Elantran races, I'm anxiously awaiting that story line.
As always, I loved this book and I can't wait to get my hands on the next!
December 17, 2015
I get the audio versions of these books and I don't know why I keep getting them except to have background noise while I play video games. I'll probably get the next one because I like the narrator's voice but I don't know how anyone can read the thing on paper. The magic is neat, it stops being neat after the 15th time it's explained in excruciating detail. The mind-reading is f___ng stupid, unless she's accidentally talking out loud all the time there's no way people could know *exactly* what she's thinking at all times (seriously, what's the point of true names when nobody needs Kaylin's to read her mind?). And for f*ck sakes with the romance sub-plots - either have romance or don't, but don't spend 11 books with two super hot guys pining after a whiney little twat and only 1 kiss in the entire lot. I was literally shocked that the word sex was even in this book - don't get excited, I'm pretty sure it was an accident and it wasn't by anyone in the love triangle. I don't even like sex scenes and I'm getting annoyed with this crap.
The only way to redeem this is for Kaylin to catch Severn and Nightshade having an ilicit affair, thus encouraging her to grow up and realise that not everybody is going to hang around worshiping her while she whines.
The only way to redeem this is for Kaylin to catch Severn and Nightshade having an ilicit affair, thus encouraging her to grow up and realise that not everybody is going to hang around worshiping her while she whines.
November 25, 2015
I really did love this series. God knows I keep buying them in hopes of what I'm not exactly sure. But both in paper and E!
This was just anticlimactic in every sense of the word. Everything seemed muted and watered down (no pun intended).. and Severn is absent in every sense. Except for the last 5 pages. When an ongoing situation rears its ugly head. It wasn't about Nightshade in anyway.. and that's the feeling you're given at the end of Cast in Flame.
Dragons.. notably absent. Oh, I lie. The Arkon gets a little bit of page time. And the Emperor, a teeny tiny bit. It mainly features two characters that end up leaving at the end of the book.. so that's that. No Teela and Tain. A little bit of Mandoran/Helen/and Annarion..but mostly the focus of the 2 brand new characters.
Will I keep reading? Probably, because I feel invested in Kaylin and crew after all this time.. but it's probably my least favorite book since Cast in Fury.
This was just anticlimactic in every sense of the word. Everything seemed muted and watered down (no pun intended).. and Severn is absent in every sense. Except for the last 5 pages. When an ongoing situation rears its ugly head. It wasn't about Nightshade in anyway.. and that's the feeling you're given at the end of Cast in Flame.
Dragons.. notably absent. Oh, I lie. The Arkon gets a little bit of page time. And the Emperor, a teeny tiny bit. It mainly features two characters that end up leaving at the end of the book.. so that's that. No Teela and Tain. A little bit of Mandoran/Helen/and Annarion..but mostly the focus of the 2 brand new characters.
Will I keep reading? Probably, because I feel invested in Kaylin and crew after all this time.. but it's probably my least favorite book since Cast in Fury.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2016
2.5 stars
Not my favorite in the series, although the end was nice and feel-good.
I understand that Kaylin is slowly becoming a bridge between all the various factions of life on her world but it's taking a long time and I'm pretty tired of the "fall around until you intuit the answer" schtick. Instead of learning court etiquette and doing beat patrols for the hawks she should be spending all her time digging into figuring out what's up with her magics.
And this particular book was a stumbling attempt to discuss time and multiple dimension theory that was often onerous.
As for the shipping, this is book 11 and we're still getting a single sentence or paragraph and that's it. Why bother at all?
Not my favorite in the series, although the end was nice and feel-good.
I understand that Kaylin is slowly becoming a bridge between all the various factions of life on her world but it's taking a long time and I'm pretty tired of the "fall around until you intuit the answer" schtick. Instead of learning court etiquette and doing beat patrols for the hawks she should be spending all her time digging into figuring out what's up with her magics.
And this particular book was a stumbling attempt to discuss time and multiple dimension theory that was often onerous.
As for the shipping, this is book 11 and we're still getting a single sentence or paragraph and that's it. Why bother at all?
December 14, 2015
The Chronicles of Elantra series is one of my favourite fantasy series and with 11 books down, it doesn't appear to be slowing down, if anything, things only seem to be getting more dire. Cast in Honor was action-packed from start to finish with never a dull moment.
As much as I like this series, it does take getting used to because of Michelle Sagara's writing style. It is different in many respects, though mostly in the way she structures her sentences. The prose is also dense and therefore something you can't skim through. Surface reading will yield you no understanding. It is also why, despite Honor's fast-pace narrative, it was still slow reading. The other reason it needs to be read slowly is because of the information, there are explanations of various concepts like Time, the Different Worlds, the Elements and so on and understanding these concepts goes a long way in understanding why something is happening in the novel. However, and I felt this acutely with Honor, it also felt more dense than the previous books and the concepts more complicated. For once I completely empathised with Kaylin's sense of frustration given that I was feeling the same thing.
Also, considering that there is always some force trying to destroy the world, this series is not all gloom and doom. It is actually quite funny which keeps it from getting too depressing and dour.
The strong points of this series have always been the world-building and the characters and in that respect Honor does not disappoint. The world of Elantra keeps getting more dimensions and layers and they are so intricately woven. As strange as this world is, it is one I feel I inhabit while I am reading because of the level of detail and care with which Sagara describes this world. It is fully realised and each new installment, adds another layer or more detail making for a very rich universe.
If the world-building lets you imagine the world as it is, the characters give it heart. The characters are rich and diverse with complexities, strengths and flaws. They all have such distinct personalities that you could never confuse one character for another. And they too are not simply what you see, they have their own hidden agenda and motives which are not always immediately apparent.
As series progress, very often the main character undergoes changes, more often than not, and this is especially true for female characters, they seem to diminish in favour of the male characters. Thankfully, Kaylin Neya, has so far avoided this fate. She has a come long way from when we first saw her in Cast in Shadow. At her heart she is the same person, driven to help those around her but she has shed some of the chips she had on her shoulders and learnt that it's not weak to ask for and accept help. She is still stubborn as ever though, in Honor, her sense of self-preservation was a little more active than it has been in the previous books. She also seems to have learnt some restraint which was also welcome. However, her main strength is still the same and it has nothing to do with her powers, it is her desire to help people and protect her friends, even at the cost of her own safety.
We know that Kaylin is the Chosen but we still don't know what that means exactly. She also has a familiar who frequently likes to slap her face with his wings but will she ever be able to understand him as others do? Will she learn to control and harness her powers? Part of her charm lies in the fact that she is willing to blunder through relying solely on her instincts but there have been situations where greater understanding of her powers would have saved precious time.
Teela continues to be my favourite character in the series. I love her and her irreverent attitude. She has lived a long life and seen more of the world than Kaylin has, there are things about her past that we still don't know but what we do know is that she cares deeply for Kaylin and expects nothing in return. She also has a very dry sense of humour which I really enjoy.
Bellusdeo is another character that I really like. As the lone female Dragon in the world, she knows that there's a lot riding on her and she also doesn't care. I love that around her, even the scary Arkon behaves more like a young boy than a very old and powerful Dragon. And that she finds her lessons with Diarmat as painful as Kaylin does.
We also saw the Emperor when he visited Kaylin again, seeking her advice on how to behave with Bellusdeo, presenting a more vulnerable side of the Emperor. It is still weird that he's seeking this advice from Kaylin and the irony is not lost on Kaylin.
The others were all there as well. Severn was steadfast as ever, but we finally got a glimpse of what he feels for Kaylin and it is more than friendship. But it was at the tail-end of the book and therefore did not time to build up any further than that. Nightshade is also finally back and ambiguous as ever. He's a tough nut to crack. He doesn't love Kaylin, I don't think anyone is delusional enough to think that. He doesn't think that mortals are worth his attention. Kaylin catches that attention because of her powers but for now, that's about all there is to it. It was also nice to see the Arkon, Ybelline, Marcus, Caitlin and Moran (Kaylin's newest housemate.) Evanton was impatient as always.
Of the Lost Barrani children we met in the previous book, we see a lot more of Mandoran and Annarion in Honor and I really like both of them. They are so unlike the other Barrani that they seem almost human. Mandoran is funny and also more communicative of the two, he is also more approachable. Annarion, on the other hand, is more closed-off and more volatile. But they behave more like siblings and bicker like small children constantly which is very entertaining. Also their interactions with Teela are amazing. If there's anyone other than Kaylin who exasperates her, it is these two, chiefly Mandoran.
There were two new characters in Honor; Gilbert and Kattea. Gilbert is a Shadow who has taken on the form of a human. This shed greater light on the Shadows and Ferals are and their origins. Kattea is from the fief of Nightshade but one that is vastly different from the one Kaylin grew up in. Gilbert and Kattea are from the future, one where Elantra no longer exists. They have been brought to Kaylin's time to avert that disaster. Kaylin saw herself in Kattea, but one who hadn't yet had to make the difficult choices that Kaylin had. Kattea brought all of Kaylin's protective instincts to the fore. But Kattea was also resilient and sharp. She was a survivor and she helped Gilbert as much as he helped her.
What makes this series compelling is that though there are great forces at play and often the world is in grave peril but at the heart of the series are problems that are very human. There is grief, loneliness and isolation, something we can all relate to in some capacity or another and that is what grounds this series and makes the characters so relatable.
As much as I like this series, it does take getting used to because of Michelle Sagara's writing style. It is different in many respects, though mostly in the way she structures her sentences. The prose is also dense and therefore something you can't skim through. Surface reading will yield you no understanding. It is also why, despite Honor's fast-pace narrative, it was still slow reading. The other reason it needs to be read slowly is because of the information, there are explanations of various concepts like Time, the Different Worlds, the Elements and so on and understanding these concepts goes a long way in understanding why something is happening in the novel. However, and I felt this acutely with Honor, it also felt more dense than the previous books and the concepts more complicated. For once I completely empathised with Kaylin's sense of frustration given that I was feeling the same thing.
Also, considering that there is always some force trying to destroy the world, this series is not all gloom and doom. It is actually quite funny which keeps it from getting too depressing and dour.
The strong points of this series have always been the world-building and the characters and in that respect Honor does not disappoint. The world of Elantra keeps getting more dimensions and layers and they are so intricately woven. As strange as this world is, it is one I feel I inhabit while I am reading because of the level of detail and care with which Sagara describes this world. It is fully realised and each new installment, adds another layer or more detail making for a very rich universe.
If the world-building lets you imagine the world as it is, the characters give it heart. The characters are rich and diverse with complexities, strengths and flaws. They all have such distinct personalities that you could never confuse one character for another. And they too are not simply what you see, they have their own hidden agenda and motives which are not always immediately apparent.
As series progress, very often the main character undergoes changes, more often than not, and this is especially true for female characters, they seem to diminish in favour of the male characters. Thankfully, Kaylin Neya, has so far avoided this fate. She has a come long way from when we first saw her in Cast in Shadow. At her heart she is the same person, driven to help those around her but she has shed some of the chips she had on her shoulders and learnt that it's not weak to ask for and accept help. She is still stubborn as ever though, in Honor, her sense of self-preservation was a little more active than it has been in the previous books. She also seems to have learnt some restraint which was also welcome. However, her main strength is still the same and it has nothing to do with her powers, it is her desire to help people and protect her friends, even at the cost of her own safety.
We know that Kaylin is the Chosen but we still don't know what that means exactly. She also has a familiar who frequently likes to slap her face with his wings but will she ever be able to understand him as others do? Will she learn to control and harness her powers? Part of her charm lies in the fact that she is willing to blunder through relying solely on her instincts but there have been situations where greater understanding of her powers would have saved precious time.
Teela continues to be my favourite character in the series. I love her and her irreverent attitude. She has lived a long life and seen more of the world than Kaylin has, there are things about her past that we still don't know but what we do know is that she cares deeply for Kaylin and expects nothing in return. She also has a very dry sense of humour which I really enjoy.
Bellusdeo is another character that I really like. As the lone female Dragon in the world, she knows that there's a lot riding on her and she also doesn't care. I love that around her, even the scary Arkon behaves more like a young boy than a very old and powerful Dragon. And that she finds her lessons with Diarmat as painful as Kaylin does.
We also saw the Emperor when he visited Kaylin again, seeking her advice on how to behave with Bellusdeo, presenting a more vulnerable side of the Emperor. It is still weird that he's seeking this advice from Kaylin and the irony is not lost on Kaylin.
The others were all there as well. Severn was steadfast as ever, but we finally got a glimpse of what he feels for Kaylin and it is more than friendship. But it was at the tail-end of the book and therefore did not time to build up any further than that. Nightshade is also finally back and ambiguous as ever. He's a tough nut to crack. He doesn't love Kaylin, I don't think anyone is delusional enough to think that. He doesn't think that mortals are worth his attention. Kaylin catches that attention because of her powers but for now, that's about all there is to it. It was also nice to see the Arkon, Ybelline, Marcus, Caitlin and Moran (Kaylin's newest housemate.) Evanton was impatient as always.
Of the Lost Barrani children we met in the previous book, we see a lot more of Mandoran and Annarion in Honor and I really like both of them. They are so unlike the other Barrani that they seem almost human. Mandoran is funny and also more communicative of the two, he is also more approachable. Annarion, on the other hand, is more closed-off and more volatile. But they behave more like siblings and bicker like small children constantly which is very entertaining. Also their interactions with Teela are amazing. If there's anyone other than Kaylin who exasperates her, it is these two, chiefly Mandoran.
There were two new characters in Honor; Gilbert and Kattea. Gilbert is a Shadow who has taken on the form of a human. This shed greater light on the Shadows and Ferals are and their origins. Kattea is from the fief of Nightshade but one that is vastly different from the one Kaylin grew up in. Gilbert and Kattea are from the future, one where Elantra no longer exists. They have been brought to Kaylin's time to avert that disaster. Kaylin saw herself in Kattea, but one who hadn't yet had to make the difficult choices that Kaylin had. Kattea brought all of Kaylin's protective instincts to the fore. But Kattea was also resilient and sharp. She was a survivor and she helped Gilbert as much as he helped her.
What makes this series compelling is that though there are great forces at play and often the world is in grave peril but at the heart of the series are problems that are very human. There is grief, loneliness and isolation, something we can all relate to in some capacity or another and that is what grounds this series and makes the characters so relatable.
October 22, 2024
This book rated an enthusiastic five stars… until the last 20% or so. I was SO excited for Kaylin to get back to “reality” and the people I fell in love with when I first started the series, like Marcus, the hawklord, the dragons, etc. It didn’t actually work out that way, but we still were able to see enough that I was loving it!
But, (yep, there it is) by about the 80% mark, I was SO over how long it was taking to get ANYWHERE. Good grief! We yammered around that final scene FOREVER. It was so long, in fact, that I actually gave up on it a couple of times to find something else to do - and that rarely happens when I’m reading. Once I just yawned and went to bed! BED! Without even a longing look back… And it was the climax of the entire book!
The book did close on a lovely, if a bit bittersweet note. And once I finished and could think about the story, I realized that, even after 10 books, I still adore the characters, I love the world they inhabit and I love taking the journey with them (even when that journey is laborious). At this point, however, I am also incredibly frustrated at how the author is treating some things. Severn, to be specific. That poor, loyal, wonderful, strong man, has shown nothing but support for Kaylin, yet she still expects SO much from him without giving one single iota back - she doesn’t even try! And that is becoming super hard to continue reading about. And, even after 10 times (one for each book) that Kaylin has saved everyone and their worlds, she is still treated like an incompetent child. I just can’t wrap my head around why the author isn’t allowing ANY growth in those areas. It baffles and infuriates me.
SO… I think I need a small break before I jump into the next book. No doubt it won’t be long before I dive back in, but for now, the minutia and irritants need to level down just a bit.
But, (yep, there it is) by about the 80% mark, I was SO over how long it was taking to get ANYWHERE. Good grief! We yammered around that final scene FOREVER. It was so long, in fact, that I actually gave up on it a couple of times to find something else to do - and that rarely happens when I’m reading. Once I just yawned and went to bed! BED! Without even a longing look back… And it was the climax of the entire book!
The book did close on a lovely, if a bit bittersweet note. And once I finished and could think about the story, I realized that, even after 10 books, I still adore the characters, I love the world they inhabit and I love taking the journey with them (even when that journey is laborious). At this point, however, I am also incredibly frustrated at how the author is treating some things. Severn, to be specific. That poor, loyal, wonderful, strong man, has shown nothing but support for Kaylin, yet she still expects SO much from him without giving one single iota back - she doesn’t even try! And that is becoming super hard to continue reading about. And, even after 10 times (one for each book) that Kaylin has saved everyone and their worlds, she is still treated like an incompetent child. I just can’t wrap my head around why the author isn’t allowing ANY growth in those areas. It baffles and infuriates me.
SO… I think I need a small break before I jump into the next book. No doubt it won’t be long before I dive back in, but for now, the minutia and irritants need to level down just a bit.
December 1, 2015
Originally published at Reading Reality
Elantra is a completely immersive world. It sucks you in the moment you start the first page. Then it spits you out at the end of the book, gasping at the shock of the return to the real. You find yourself figuratively pounding on its door, begging to be let back in, only to hear a sniggering voice whisper, “come back next year”, as you scream in frustration.
I’m still sitting in that shock of return stage. I was desperate to see how it ended, and now I’m completely bummed that I finished and I’m stuck waiting until next year.
The Elantra series is an urban fantasy set in an epic or high fantasy type world. While our protagonist Kaylin is human and mortal just like us, most of the people she works with and/or cares about are either not one, not the other, or not both. Elantra is ruled by a Dragon Emperor who really is a dragon. And immortal. And believes that the city is his hoard, which he will defend to the death. Usually the challenger’s.
One of Kaylin’s best friends is also a dragon. Bellusdeo, rescued from the realms of Shadow, is the only female dragon in existence. She is the hope of her race, and she hates it. Because everyone is trying to protect this immortal warrior, when all she wants to do is be of use, including being the warrior that she is born to be.
There’s an irony in Kaylin and Bellusdeo’s friendship. Not just because both are female, but because they are both surprisingly in the same boat. People keep trying to protect them against their will, when all they both want is to protect and serve everyone else. That Bellusdeo doesn’t need protection and Kaylin is basically a squishy human doesn’t make a difference. They both often end up fighting some well-meaning soul who is attempting to keep them safely on a pedestal that neither of them has any interest in mounting in the slightest.
Many of Kaylin’s friends are Barrani, this world’s quasi-equivalent of the more political and tricksy variety of elves. One reason the Barrani like Kaylin so much is that she is a chaos and trouble magnet. Immortality often gets boring, and being around Kaylin is guaranteed to be anything but.
Her sergeant at the Courts of Law is a Leontine, and yes, he’s a lion. Some of her friends are Aerians, who do not seem to be immortal but do, as the name states, fly. Her house is sentient, and occasionally rather fierce.
But Kaylin herself is very human and very young. She is either in her late teens or at most very early 20s, and only a year or so has elapsed since the first book in the series, Cast in Shadow. Kaylin is still learning, but at her sometimes slow and often recalcitrant human pace, which frustrates the Dragons and Barrani no end.
The story is always told from Kaylin’s first person perspective. We know what she knows, we hear the explanations she is always begging for, and when she is lost, so are we. Kaylin is lost a lot, because circumstances have conspired so that she is always in the middle of big magic that she does not understand, but is often the only person who can fix it, even with her imperfect understanding and sometimes complete lack of knowledge.
The story in Cast in Honor is that something magical is swallowing the City of Elantra, and if it isn’t stopped, the world will come to an end. It’s up to Kaylin and her friends to figure out what is going wrong, and stop it, before it is too late. No matter what the cost. Or who.
Escape Rating A+: This is a series that you wallow in. The world of Elantra is incredibly complex, and is not really familiar. It has its own magic system, its own history, and definitely its own bogeymen. Even though Kaylin starts out the series not well-informed about the wider world, she certainly remembers her own history, even the parts she would rather forget. Kaylin attracts both natural and supernatural trouble, seemingly just by breathing, and a lot happens to her in each book. If the combination of urban fantasy tropes with high fantasy magic and scope appeal to you, start with Cast in Shadow or the prequel novella, Cast in Moonlight, to learn about Kaylin’s world as she does.
I wish I had the time to re-read the entire series before every annual addition. It’s that good.
This particular entry had Kaylin staving off the end of the world as she knows it, yet again. And it still seems completely logical that all this chaos happens around Kaylin. Also that she usually doesn’t figure out either what to do or what she did until sometime after the fact, but it still works.
Magic was visited upon her when she was 13, and her life hasn’t been the same since. In some ways that are good, and in some ways that are bad, but always in ways that the immortals around her find completely not boring, if occasionally extremely frustrating.
Underlying the mystery of how to save the world and why it needs saving, at least this time, is something deeper. Kaylin finds a young girl not unlike the person that she was at the same age. And Kaylin wants to prevent young Kattea from making the same mistakes that she did, even though their situations are not the same. In the end, Kaylin is able to let go of some of her regrets by letting Kattea find her own way.
But a bigger part of the story here is a meditation on loneliness, and what it means to be lonely. Kaylin is no longer lonely, and no longer alone. By chance, by design, by circumstances often beyond her control, Kaylin has created a family of choice around herself that she sometimes loves, sometimes frustrates her beyond measure, but always keeps her tied to the real world.
Through the characters in this novel, particularly the very unusual Gilbert and his unexpected relationship with Kattea, Kaylin is forced to look at what loneliness is, and how terrible it can be to be both immortal and lonely. It turns out we all need a hand to hold onto – even when we don’t have real hands.
Elantra is a completely immersive world. It sucks you in the moment you start the first page. Then it spits you out at the end of the book, gasping at the shock of the return to the real. You find yourself figuratively pounding on its door, begging to be let back in, only to hear a sniggering voice whisper, “come back next year”, as you scream in frustration.
I’m still sitting in that shock of return stage. I was desperate to see how it ended, and now I’m completely bummed that I finished and I’m stuck waiting until next year.
The Elantra series is an urban fantasy set in an epic or high fantasy type world. While our protagonist Kaylin is human and mortal just like us, most of the people she works with and/or cares about are either not one, not the other, or not both. Elantra is ruled by a Dragon Emperor who really is a dragon. And immortal. And believes that the city is his hoard, which he will defend to the death. Usually the challenger’s.
One of Kaylin’s best friends is also a dragon. Bellusdeo, rescued from the realms of Shadow, is the only female dragon in existence. She is the hope of her race, and she hates it. Because everyone is trying to protect this immortal warrior, when all she wants to do is be of use, including being the warrior that she is born to be.
There’s an irony in Kaylin and Bellusdeo’s friendship. Not just because both are female, but because they are both surprisingly in the same boat. People keep trying to protect them against their will, when all they both want is to protect and serve everyone else. That Bellusdeo doesn’t need protection and Kaylin is basically a squishy human doesn’t make a difference. They both often end up fighting some well-meaning soul who is attempting to keep them safely on a pedestal that neither of them has any interest in mounting in the slightest.
Many of Kaylin’s friends are Barrani, this world’s quasi-equivalent of the more political and tricksy variety of elves. One reason the Barrani like Kaylin so much is that she is a chaos and trouble magnet. Immortality often gets boring, and being around Kaylin is guaranteed to be anything but.
Her sergeant at the Courts of Law is a Leontine, and yes, he’s a lion. Some of her friends are Aerians, who do not seem to be immortal but do, as the name states, fly. Her house is sentient, and occasionally rather fierce.
But Kaylin herself is very human and very young. She is either in her late teens or at most very early 20s, and only a year or so has elapsed since the first book in the series, Cast in Shadow. Kaylin is still learning, but at her sometimes slow and often recalcitrant human pace, which frustrates the Dragons and Barrani no end.
The story is always told from Kaylin’s first person perspective. We know what she knows, we hear the explanations she is always begging for, and when she is lost, so are we. Kaylin is lost a lot, because circumstances have conspired so that she is always in the middle of big magic that she does not understand, but is often the only person who can fix it, even with her imperfect understanding and sometimes complete lack of knowledge.
The story in Cast in Honor is that something magical is swallowing the City of Elantra, and if it isn’t stopped, the world will come to an end. It’s up to Kaylin and her friends to figure out what is going wrong, and stop it, before it is too late. No matter what the cost. Or who.
Escape Rating A+: This is a series that you wallow in. The world of Elantra is incredibly complex, and is not really familiar. It has its own magic system, its own history, and definitely its own bogeymen. Even though Kaylin starts out the series not well-informed about the wider world, she certainly remembers her own history, even the parts she would rather forget. Kaylin attracts both natural and supernatural trouble, seemingly just by breathing, and a lot happens to her in each book. If the combination of urban fantasy tropes with high fantasy magic and scope appeal to you, start with Cast in Shadow or the prequel novella, Cast in Moonlight, to learn about Kaylin’s world as she does.
I wish I had the time to re-read the entire series before every annual addition. It’s that good.
This particular entry had Kaylin staving off the end of the world as she knows it, yet again. And it still seems completely logical that all this chaos happens around Kaylin. Also that she usually doesn’t figure out either what to do or what she did until sometime after the fact, but it still works.
Magic was visited upon her when she was 13, and her life hasn’t been the same since. In some ways that are good, and in some ways that are bad, but always in ways that the immortals around her find completely not boring, if occasionally extremely frustrating.
Underlying the mystery of how to save the world and why it needs saving, at least this time, is something deeper. Kaylin finds a young girl not unlike the person that she was at the same age. And Kaylin wants to prevent young Kattea from making the same mistakes that she did, even though their situations are not the same. In the end, Kaylin is able to let go of some of her regrets by letting Kattea find her own way.
But a bigger part of the story here is a meditation on loneliness, and what it means to be lonely. Kaylin is no longer lonely, and no longer alone. By chance, by design, by circumstances often beyond her control, Kaylin has created a family of choice around herself that she sometimes loves, sometimes frustrates her beyond measure, but always keeps her tied to the real world.
Through the characters in this novel, particularly the very unusual Gilbert and his unexpected relationship with Kattea, Kaylin is forced to look at what loneliness is, and how terrible it can be to be both immortal and lonely. It turns out we all need a hand to hold onto – even when we don’t have real hands.
February 2, 2016
I'm beginning to get a little tired of this series and feeling anxious to get it wrapped up, which is sad because for awhile I looked forward to new installments quite a bit. While Sagara has done an ok job with trying to keep things in the story fresh (either by introducing new characters) or having character growth, it's starting to feel unwieldy. She has so many characters going now that it's hard to keep track, and some of them spend whole swaths of the book doing nothing (looking at you, Severn). Scenes take place and you forget that say, the Arkon is involved, until she throws in a sentence about him just to remind the reader he's there. I settled in and was enjoying the first 150 pages or so, I was very much looking forward to the Emperor coming to dinner (alas, postponed til the next book?) and then things got weird and it devolved into seeing things and not seeing things and other people seeing things and I got a little bored and might have dozed off in my mind. Kaylin does her Chosen thing, Words, blah, blah, blah, some healing, disaster averted and oh look! It's Nightshade! On reflection I seem to be less entranced with this than I thought. If you have come this far in the series I'm sure you are committed to finishing it, as am I. However, I wish that I was doing it from excitement to see where the story is going, rather than a lingering sense of obligation and having already invested so much time in this world.
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