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cgreenstein's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
There was so much potential here, it could've been an adult Tamora Pierce book (or a normal Tamora Pierce book, because although this is marketed as romance, there is 0 romance, not even a kiss, not even romantic pining, so no explicit adult rating needed... There is way more romance in Tamora Pierce books than in this book, TBH), but the incredible world-building was dragged down by the author's decision to keep her readers and her main character almost entirely in the dark about everything. I'm okay with being thrown into the deep end of a fantasy world and having to find my footing as we go along to a certain extent, but that works only if I am given info that lets me make sense of what's going on, and there was a limited amount of that here. The main character was constantly asking for explanations, and all of the big people in charge kept saying "you are too ____ to know this" or "it's too dangerous to tell you" or "you should already know this, so I'm not going to bother explaining," which was incredibly frustrating. I think like half the dialogue was along these lines. The pacing was odd and uneven, as well, and then a lot of the language was pretty but just didn't make any sense. There was a whole thing about the power of names, which, great, but explain to me how that works in this world, please? And then not only was it never explained, but it was described around in these dramatic ways that fell flat because I didn't know enough about the world to know what the stakes of having someone's name were. Really wanted to like this, the author clearly has a powerhouse imagination, but the execution did not do it for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
momo1129's review against another edition
emotional
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lavendermarch's review against another edition
3.0
3, 3.5 stars. The plot was interesting, involving a series of ritual murderers of children. We eventually found out why, and other pertinent information. This part, along with the intricacies of the Barrani, Old Ones, Leontines, etc. confused me. But I liked the characters a lot. They were great. It was just that I was thrown into the deep end of this world's swimming pool, and I really could have used a glossary on all the different species. I really hope book two clears things up more. Overall, it was a decent, if confusing, read, with endearing characters and an interesting plot line. 3.5 stars.
Oh, and for the record, there was no romance. I think by the end, Severn was a definite possibility, but there was weird stuff happening with Lord Nightshade, too. I'm lost.
Reread May 1st-2nd, 2022
I was a bit apprehensive about rereading this since I remembered really enjoying the series (having read 12 books in it) but also being confused for the first few about the world building and the way certain things were explained. I am happy to report that because I recalled a decent amount of things about the characters and the world building, this book was far less overwhelming on those fronts!
So that really propelled the world building from incredible but overwhelming/confusing to intricate and well done for me. I don't remember a lot of details, just the broad strokes, so I'm really excited to explore the world and characters (read: DRAGONS!) more deeply as the series continues.
Aside from that, I really liked Kaylin in this book. The first book in The Chronicles of Elantra is very much a coming of age book for her, as she overcomes childhood trauma and learns more about herself and her mysterious powers. That's not to say that clearcut answers are necessarily delivered - on the reread, I can say that it's only the tip of the iceberg - but it's definitely a strong start to unravelling their mystery. As with the world building, I look forward to further exploring both Kaylin's powers and her character growth in general.
I do want to say on the character growth front that I was actually fine with her actions and reactions in this book - they felt very in line with her age and the bits of her character that were revealed, so factoring all of that in, I really enjoyed her character. She was caring, protective, and had good instincts, but was also a little mouthy - my kind of MC. She wasn't great at school, and that was something that did bug me a bit - she lacked knowledge, first and foremost, and that is something I sincerely want her to remedy so that she can negotiate her place in the complex web of politics and magic that makes up Elantra.
Speaking of which, I just want to fangirl about Nightshade for a moment. He's so enigmatic and it's so much fun! That said, his relationship with Kaylin feels unbalanced right now since she doesn't have enough information about him, the Barrani, her own powers, etc. To be fair, they barely know each other at this point, so that makes sense, but I do look forward to seeing them interact on a more even keel later on.
As for Severn, I don't hate him, which is nice. If you read the book, you'll understand. But seriously, I'm grateful that I have relatively neutral feelings on him right now because
triangle aside, he's just not my fave type of character - I prefer funny guys over silent strong types.
What about the other characters? Well, I love Marrin, Marcus, Tiamarus, the Hawklord, Teela, and Tarin. I also trust most of them to a point, which is nice.
The plot of Cast in Shadow was also quite good - there was enough of a mystery to keep me guessing a bit (I'd remembered the characters but forgotten the specific plot of this book, haha), the actions scenes were strong, the descriptions were rich but not so wordy as to lose me (I have a propensity to over-focus on dialogue, oops), and the story intertwined well with the world building.
So, overall, I found this to be a very strong read in general, and particularly nicely, a fantastic reread (especially among a spate of disappointing rereads this year), with a likable, easy to root for main character, intricate world building, fantastic, immersive, flowing writing, and characters I could gush about for hours, not to mention to well-executed plot. 4.5 stars. On to book 2!
Oh, and for the record, there was no romance. I think by the end, Severn was a definite possibility, but there was weird stuff happening with Lord Nightshade, too. I'm lost.
Reread May 1st-2nd, 2022
I was a bit apprehensive about rereading this since I remembered really enjoying the series (having read 12 books in it) but also being confused for the first few about the world building and the way certain things were explained. I am happy to report that because I recalled a decent amount of things about the characters and the world building, this book was far less overwhelming on those fronts!
So that really propelled the world building from incredible but overwhelming/confusing to intricate and well done for me. I don't remember a lot of details, just the broad strokes, so I'm really excited to explore the world and characters (read: DRAGONS!) more deeply as the series continues.
Aside from that, I really liked Kaylin in this book. The first book in The Chronicles of Elantra is very much a coming of age book for her, as she overcomes childhood trauma and learns more about herself and her mysterious powers. That's not to say that clearcut answers are necessarily delivered - on the reread, I can say that it's only the tip of the iceberg - but it's definitely a strong start to unravelling their mystery. As with the world building, I look forward to further exploring both Kaylin's powers and her character growth in general.
I do want to say on the character growth front that I was actually fine with her actions and reactions in this book - they felt very in line with her age and the bits of her character that were revealed, so factoring all of that in, I really enjoyed her character. She was caring, protective, and had good instincts, but was also a little mouthy - my kind of MC. She wasn't great at school, and that was something that did bug me a bit - she lacked knowledge, first and foremost, and that is something I sincerely want her to remedy so that she can negotiate her place in the complex web of politics and magic that makes up Elantra.
Speaking of which, I just want to fangirl about Nightshade for a moment. He's so enigmatic and it's so much fun! That said, his relationship with Kaylin feels unbalanced right now since she doesn't have enough information about him, the Barrani, her own powers, etc. To be fair, they barely know each other at this point, so that makes sense, but I do look forward to seeing them interact on a more even keel later on.
As for Severn, I don't hate him, which is nice. If you read the book, you'll understand. But seriously, I'm grateful that I have relatively neutral feelings on him right now because
Spoiler
I have an inkling on who might win the love triangle eventually, although I can't say for sure. Also, lovetriangle aside, he's just not my fave type of character - I prefer funny guys over silent strong types.
What about the other characters? Well, I love Marrin, Marcus, Tiamarus, the Hawklord, Teela, and Tarin. I also trust most of them to a point, which is nice.
The plot of Cast in Shadow was also quite good - there was enough of a mystery to keep me guessing a bit (I'd remembered the characters but forgotten the specific plot of this book, haha), the actions scenes were strong, the descriptions were rich but not so wordy as to lose me (I have a propensity to over-focus on dialogue, oops), and the story intertwined well with the world building.
So, overall, I found this to be a very strong read in general, and particularly nicely, a fantastic reread (especially among a spate of disappointing rereads this year), with a likable, easy to root for main character, intricate world building, fantastic, immersive, flowing writing, and characters I could gush about for hours, not to mention to well-executed plot. 4.5 stars. On to book 2!
iffer's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
I picked up this book for book candy, since I needed something that wasn't depressing, mysteriously sinister, or non-fiction to read to de-stress, and Cast in Shadow was surprisingly not bad. I thought that it was fairly well-written for the genre except for some awkward dialog and typos that somehow escaped editors. The story was entertaining and well-paced, and the world-building was interesting. Even though I found the main character annoying, mainly because she was the typical action series main character, meaning bland, powerful, and not the sharpest tool in the shed, the story had enough emotional oomph and likeable side characters to float the novel. I couldn't help but get the feeling that the main character, Kaylin, had such a lack of knowledge as a device to keep secrets from the reader so that Sagara could have a big Perry Mason reveal at the end of the book, while also having the benefit of having a character that was silly enough that readers would have no doubts that they would perform as well if they like to imagine themselves as the heroines of fantasy adventure novels. Despite the fact that the book was published under Luna, it didn't have an excruciating amount of romance in it; rather, two potential love interests were introduced, but there wasn't any overt romance. I'm guessing that romance may play a more prominent role in sequels.
I picked up this book for book candy, since I needed something that wasn't depressing, mysteriously sinister, or non-fiction to read to de-stress, and Cast in Shadow was surprisingly not bad. I thought that it was fairly well-written for the genre except for some awkward dialog and typos that somehow escaped editors. The story was entertaining and well-paced, and the world-building was interesting. Even though I found the main character annoying, mainly because she was the typical action series main character, meaning bland, powerful, and not the sharpest tool in the shed, the story had enough emotional oomph and likeable side characters to float the novel. I couldn't help but get the feeling that the main character, Kaylin, had such a lack of knowledge as a device to keep secrets from the reader so that Sagara could have a big Perry Mason reveal at the end of the book, while also having the benefit of having a character that was silly enough that readers would have no doubts that they would perform as well if they like to imagine themselves as the heroines of fantasy adventure novels. Despite the fact that the book was published under Luna, it didn't have an excruciating amount of romance in it; rather, two potential love interests were introduced, but there wasn't any overt romance. I'm guessing that romance may play a more prominent role in sequels.
payal_reads_alot's review against another edition
1.0
That was a slow, painful, and utterly confusing ride. I didn't understand anything that was happening. While the world building was incredibly promising, the lack of any answers were so maddening that I couldn't go on. I can't even count how many of the following exchanges took place.
Kaylin: Why is this thing happening?
Dragon/Nightshade/Hawklord/Severen/Lions/Tigers/Bears/Oh My: Silly girl, have you learned nothing?
Kaylin: No! I haven't, that's why I'm asking.
Dragon/Nightshade/Hawklord/Severen/Lions/Tigers/Bears/Oh My: HAHAH, you idiot! You shan't know yet. It is beyond your capacity to understand.
As if the author has completely forgotten that this type of exchange is NORMALLY reserved to educate the READER in this completely ALIEN world/religion/myth/magic that the author has plopped us into.
I don't get it. How did this book get so many good ratings?!? I think I'd have chucked it long time ago if I wasn't aided in my understanding by a veteran of this series.
Kaylin: Why is this thing happening?
Dragon/Nightshade/Hawklord/Severen/Lions/Tigers/Bears/Oh My: Silly girl, have you learned nothing?
Kaylin: No! I haven't, that's why I'm asking.
Dragon/Nightshade/Hawklord/Severen/Lions/Tigers/Bears/Oh My: HAHAH, you idiot! You shan't know yet. It is beyond your capacity to understand.
As if the author has completely forgotten that this type of exchange is NORMALLY reserved to educate the READER in this completely ALIEN world/religion/myth/magic that the author has plopped us into.
I don't get it. How did this book get so many good ratings?!? I think I'd have chucked it long time ago if I wasn't aided in my understanding by a veteran of this series.
shai3d's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite genres just happens to be dark fantasy so I am very happy that I stumbled across this author.
The book is fast paced and peopled with characters that stay with you for a while. There is the possibility of romances that are never acted on. And narrator does a wonderful job of making each character's voice distinct.
The book is fast paced and peopled with characters that stay with you for a while. There is the possibility of romances that are never acted on. And narrator does a wonderful job of making each character's voice distinct.
lavisgate's review against another edition
Terrible writing style and i can't stand the main character