Title Cast in Shadow Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2005 First Printing Luna - 2005
	Title Cast in Courtlight Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2008 First Printing Luna - 2006
	Title Cast in Secret Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2008 First Printing Luna - 2007
	Title Cast in Fury Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2008 First Printing Luna - 2008
	Title Cast in Silence Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2009 First Printing Luna - 2009
	Title Cast in Chaos Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2010 First Printing Luna - 2010
	Title Cast in Moonlight Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2010 First Printing Luna - 2010
	Title Cast in Ruin Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2011 First Printing Luna - 2011
	Title Cast in Peril Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2012 First Printing Luna - 2012
	Title Cast in Sorrow Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2013 First Printing Luna - 2013
	Title Cast in Flame Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Luna - 2014 First Printing Luna - 2014
	Title Cast in Honor Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Mira - 2015 First Printing Mira - 2015
	Title Cast in Flight Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art Shane Rebenschied Publisher Mira - 2016 First Printing Mira - 2016
	Title Cast in Deception Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher Mira - 2018 First Printing Mira - 2018
	Title Cast in Oblivion Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art Shane Rebenshied Publisher Mira - 2019 First Printing Mira - 2019
	Title Cast in Wisdom Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art Shane Rebenshied Publisher Mira - 2020 First Printing Mira - 2020
	Title The Emperor's Wolves Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art Shane Rebenshied Publisher Mira - 2020 First Printing Mira - 2020
	Title Cast in Conflict Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art Shane Rebenshied Publisher Mira - 2021 First Printing Mira - 2021
	Title Cast in Eternity Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Sword and Shadow Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Shards of Glass Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Title Cast in Atonement Author Michelle Sagara Cover Art --- Publisher --- First Printing ---
	Category Fantasy Warnings None Main Characters Kaylin Neya, Severn, Nightshade, Tiamaris, Sanabalis, Arkon, Diarmat, Bellusdeo, Lord Grammarye, Marcus, Teela, Tain, Ybelline, Tara, Mandoran, Annarion, Helen, Moran, Terrano, Emmerian Main Elements Wizards, dragons Website michellesagara.com

Cast in Shadow

Cast in Courtlight

Cast in Secret

Cast in Fury

Cast in Silence

Cast in Chaos

Cast in Moonlight

Cast in Ruin

Cast in Peril

Cast in Sorrow

Cast in Flame

Cast in Honor

Cast in Flight

Cast in Deception

Cast in Oblivion

Cast in Widsom

The Emperor's Wolves

Cast in Conflict

A coworker thought I would like this book so I gave it a go. She was right, I enjoyed it a lot.

Now Luna is a trademark of Harlequinn, a fantasy/romance division of the larger romance publisher, so when I started reading it I kind of expected a lot of smooching, or at least people with grandiose names that keep making googly eyes at each other.

But it wasn't like that. It wasn't like that at all.

The book is actually quite dark, and very, very complex. But with enough moments of humour to lighten the mood. And there was nothing even resembling romance, except a couple of scenes where some male character gently brushes Kaylin's cheek with a finger, or takes her into his arms. And it was clearly noted that most of the men have big, broad, strong chests. But aside from those handful of romance throwbacks, this was pure fantasy.

Kaylin lives in a world inhabited by several different species. Like the winged Aerians, the lion-like Leontines, the immortal Barrani, the telepathic Tha'alani, the ruling Dragons, and of course Humans like Kaylin and Severn. One of the fascinating parts of the book was the interaction between all the species. Each with their unique characteristics, personalities, cultures and ulterior motives, it's a wonder they can all stand to be around each other. A complex dance not to step on anyone's toes, to unintentionally insult someone. They all speak different languages, and though they are mostly under the control of the Lords of Law, they all have their own rules.

One thing I found disconcerting was Sagara's writing style. Her grammar wasn't fluid, and sometimes I had to read some passages a couple times to figure out who was speaking when until I started paying a lot of attention to closing quote marks. Several reviews on the web have complained about this, while my coworker seemed to enjoy her writing style. I guess to each their own.

And if you're into instant gratification and can't stand not knowing what is going on, don't read this book. Kaylin is at the center of everything, but no one will tell her anything. And I mean these are things that her life depends upon knowing and her friends won't say a word. Granted, sometimes all they had were theories, but the Barani mark? Man, I would have strangled my "friends" for keeping everything a secret from me. I don't know how Kaylin could stand it. But then she grew up on the streets of a difficult world, where it was probably best if you didn't know much of what was going on around you. And no, you don't get everything all neatly wrapped up by the end of the book. There are lots of loose threads to carry over to the next. Again, other reviews have complained about this, but I think it is part of the appeal, the not know how the world works and learning as you go along. It can bore you to bits if the narrator just suddenly stops and starts rambling off on how the world works. Imagine someone walking up to you on the street and explaining why the sky is blue. It is actually a fine line authors must work to explain the context without sounding like they're doing it.

And yes, I intend to chase down those loose threads. I've been told each books centers around one of the races, and I look forward to learning more about the diverse beings of the world of Elantra.

September 2009
Alright, I've read two more of the books, and yes, each one focuses on a different race. I'm really starting to love these complex novels. I will admit I spend most of my time going, "huh?" but in a kind of way that just makes me want to understand more rather than give up and throw the book out the window. I don't doubt Sagara knows exactly what she means when she talks about the "essence" of an element, or the machinations of the Barrani. Unfortunately these concepts are not really things that can be put into words, so you end up feeling like you should understand the deeper meaning of things, yet they still elude you. Kaylin may be human, but many of those she deals with are not, and Sagara refreshingly keeps these others "alien". Meaning they aren't just humans with claws or fur, they really are a different species and view the world in ways we don't understand.

On the other hand, the more you read, the more you do understand about the other races, magic, and the world they live in. While she leaves you dangling in each book, the one that follows usually ties up something that the first had started, in the meantime spawning a few new questions to carry over. And because of this I suggest not leaving too big a gap between books when reading them, or else you'll forget those details you may need in the future.

I will say this though, three books in and STILL no one wants to tell her anything. Of course, that is partly because they know she wouldn't remember it anyway, and if she did, then she'd probably find the most inconvenient moment to give away the secret she was supposed to keep to herself. And that's not something you want to do if you don't want to be eaten by the Emperor...

And as to the writing style, either I've gotten used to it, or it's not as choppy and confusing as it was before. Or maybe I just know the characters so well now that I don't have trouble figuring out who must be saying what.

June 2011
Well, I waited and waited for the the paperback versions to come out, but looks like I'm stuck with the trade paperbacks since I couldn't wait longer to return to Elantra. It's a complex storyline and I didn't want to forget everything that came before. It starts off, well, normal for once. And I began to worry there wouldn't be any of that trademark mind-bending weirdness about truth and the nature of the world. But Sagara didn't disappoint. I was never much interested in the Leontines before, but now I find them downright fascinating. This author has a way of creating complex cultures, from the very basic homelife and family interactions right up to the top political leaders. As usual I walked away not quite sure what exactly happened, but still eager to read the next book!

January 2013
So I've since read a couple more books in the series. Cast in Silence was a fascinating trip into the Fiefs to learn the nature of the castles and towers therein. And then came Cast in Chaos. This was another great addition, though it is starting to get repetitive. Not the plot mind you, but if Kaylin mentions that it's loud when a dragon roars one more time I'm going to strangle her, I mean, I believed her the first time, she didn't need to point it out ever couple chapters! And why does everyone dealing with her suddenly have one eyebrow raising practically the moment she walks into the room? On the other hand, we get to spend a lot more time with the dragons, and at last, people are not only starting to take her seriously, they are actually starting to *tell her stuff*. That was driving me crazy at the start, even though she was clearly deeply involved no one wanted to tell her anything about what was going on. A lot of information is starting to flow now, and there is a lot to learn about the land of Elantra...

March 2014
In Cast in Ruin, we get to learn more about the dragons, I'm becoming particularly fond of Sanabalis and the Arkon, who I think are becoming quite fond of Kaylin, and that's saying a lot for a Dragon! It still suffers from the repetition I mentioned a year ago (yes, I know the dragons are loud already!!). I don't think there are any earth shattering revelations in this one (though dragon childhoods are weird to say the least) but there is one very significant new character that's been added to the mix, will be interesting to see where this goes. However I still really enjoy returning to this now familiar world and as I'm starting to fall a bit behind I'll try to fit in another installment this year.

May 2015
This installment can be best described as a to-be-continued kind of book. Not that it left on a cliff-hanger (thankfully since that's my pet peeve in a book) but because the characters don't arrive at their destination yet. But don't they say that its all about the journey anyway? This book delves deeper into the Barrani race (still waiting for a book about Aerians!!!) and we are introduced to the new concept of Hallionne's which I kind of liked. Anyway, as the series goes on I can say less and less without giving away spoilers, but I will say I'm still loving this series. The worldbuilding and the depth of the cultures that Sagara creates is unparalleled.

Oh, and I actually found someone who did some fanart for the series, most of which revolves around this book. There is one little spoiler in the images (well, more of a trick actually, its not what you think) so if you haven't gotten this far yet, you might want to catch up before taking a peek - Mathia Arkoniel DeviantArt

December 2015
See my review for Harvest Moon which contains the short story Cast in Moonlight.

June 2016
Ok, I'll admit I'll read anything related to the Chronicles of Elantra and still enjoy it, but I am also forced to admit that this one wouldn't earn full stars from me as it has a few blatant flaws. The first is, it is the second half of what is really one book. Since they were published a year apart one had to remember all the crazy world-building and events of the first, which I didn't fully, it isn't as if they are things one can understand while one is reading them. Next, instead of having Kaylin go through relatively normal events and have one big mind-bending world-explaining event at the climax of the book, there were at least 3 major mind-altering sections. Now don't get me wrong, the world building is that I love about this series, and the magic system has a complexity beyond any other fantasy series out there, but asking the reader to go through three sessions of that, plus all the political intrigue of the High Court versus the West March is a bit much, even for me. And know what, Kaylin is just about as clueless, and everyone as unwilling to explain anything to her, as in book #1 which is getting a bit tedious. There is no character growth, Kaylin is frozen in the same in-between state. The same with her relationship with Severn, and potentially Nightshade...as if Sagara is afraid to get into a full blown romance (ironic given Luna is a Harlequin division). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the fact this is not a romance, but again, we're 10 books or so in and still she hasn't figured her feelings out. Nor has she met the Emperor. Nor have we had a book that focuses on the Aerians (everyone else got one so far, even the Tha'alani). Fortunately there was less cliched eyebrow raising and loud dragon roaring. And I did enjoy getting to know the Lord of the West March, the Lord of the High Court, the Warden of the West March, the Consort, and several others. Kaylin has so many people in her head now its quite fun.

So it was still good, I still love the world and the characters, but hopefully it won't be so formulaic going forward. That something is explained, feelings resolved, people grow up.

June 2017
I've heard that Sagara doesn't really have a goal in mind for this series, she's really just exploring the world she created, hence I think the feeling of stagnation in the series. But for what it's worth I enjoyed Cast in Flame. It had the Towers, the Dragon and the Barani, though it left us with one big unresolved issue, but seems like a pattern that Sagara is starting on, having a core plot point split between two books. But if you were following the series thus far, don't stop before this one, there's a major event worth following up on.

May 2018
I enjoyed this one, in some ways it was kind of different, allowing us to learn more about Shadows and the lightly touching up on Aerian society thus far unexplored. Though oddly, the Nightshade issue is a very minor thing, thought the team would have have to out on a quest to find him rather than just...well I'll let you read it. It also has an added twist of time travel which added to what is already (as usual) a fairly complex story to follow. Though you must admit, after 11 of these books, Elantra must be one of the most unstable worlds around, having to deal with a world-ending event every couple of months chronologically (even if it's only once a year publishing-wise) which stretches the reader's ability to believe in it. But, it's still a fun ride.

May 2019
At long last, we get to learn more about the Aerians, the one major group that hadn't been covered before. This book was a little different this time around. First, it was a lot easier to follow, a lot less magic and Shadow is involved, though it's definitely still there, but rather more basic intrigue and politics. And this time the world wasn't going to end, only one life was really at stake (well, a bit more than that but you don't know that till later). We get to see Kaylin at her best, where basically she ends up solving the problems just by caring about someone she had no particular reason to care about to start with, just her strong belief that what was happening to her Segeant was wong and she had to step in and help. Although Sagara still has an issue with finding a new cool word ("side-eye" this time) and using it over and over again to the point the reader can't help noticing the repetition. I didn't notice as many raised eyebrows though!

May 2020
Back to the Barrani in this one. This installment didn't stand out much somehow, definitely not one of the better ones, and it is also one of the "two parter" ones as while it resolved well enough, the threads and mysteries started in this one weren't all resolved. Perhaps best not to say much this year and wait till I read the next one!

May 2021
To be honest, the books are starting to all meld together...and this one felt it had more info dump than it had actual plot. I was also disappointed about the ending, the big evil was in some way too easy to defeat (mind you the trip to get to the villain took effort but the villain itself, not so much). Mind you, I'm not all that interested in the Barani cohort, I like a couple of the group but most are nearly personality-less, only Mandoran is fun. And now looking at the previous year's review, I can't even say if the loose ends were resolved since I don't even remember what they were. The story has gotten so complex (and there is so much of it with 14+ books) it's hard to remember where you left off. Plus the worldbuilding / magic system is incredibly complex so whatever understanding you might have gained in one book is kinda lost by the next. To be honest I can't even say if Sagara herself is keeping it straight. Maybe one day I'll have to restart from the beginning and read them one after the other in quick succession, without year long gaps where I forget stuff.

May 2022
I enjoyed Cast in Wisdom. While investigating the border regions between the fiefs, the crew find an intelligent buiding that appears to have once been a school. But the building doesn't appear to be functioning properly so they must try to heal it. And this turns out to be very personal to the Arkon, as he was once a student here before the school disappeared when Ravellon fell. I'm also enjoying that the immortal characters are no longer treating Kaylin as an idiot but in fact rely on her special talents, working together to solve the mystery.

May 2023
And so we learn more about the Towers and what was at the core of them when they were made, and why each of them is so very different. In the previous book, a Tower lost its master, and in Kaylin's house there are Dragons and Barrani both looking for a forever home. In the great battle against the Shadow this tale is a mere footnote but you get to learn a lot more about one dragon, Emmerian, than I ever thought we would. I still get lost about half the time trying to figure out what exactly is going on, but for what its worth, that's part of the appeal.

May 2024
We jump back in time with The Emperor's Wolves and we also jump points of view. We get to see how Severn got accepted into the Wolves, how he met the Emperor, Ybelline and walked the Barrani High Halls and even met with the Oracles. Kaylin gets to do all this too, but it takes her several books worth of adventures before she gets her chance! But now you see how everyone seems to already know and accept Severn's presence. There was also a snippet where it was suggested there was more to Severn's early history than got fully disclosed in this book, though I got a bit confused as to whether he could read/write/speak Barrani at first, but then very quickly he seemed fluent even though only short time passed. Something to do with that secret history, maybe to be explained in the next prequel book.