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A review by laurenjodi
Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara
3.0
Cast in Shadow
3 Stars
After fleeing the crime-ridden streets of Nightshade as a child, Kaylin Neya joined the ranks of the Hawks, the guardians who patrol and police the city of Elantra. Now, seven years later, Kaylin is drawn into an investigation that has its roots in her childhood when several children with strange markings similar to her own are found murdered. Together with a partner who has betrayed her in the past and a dragon companion who may have his own agenda, Kaylin is charged with finding a killer whose plans may just lead to her own destruction.
Unfortunately, the choppy writing, underdeveloped world building and lack of background on the various characters and races that populate Elantra undermine an otherwise excellent plot premise.
The story revolving around Kaylin’s investigation is fascinating and the complex world building has definite potential. Nevertheless, the flow of the narrative is often disrupted by the dense language and fragmented sentence structure, which makes it necessary to re-read entire passages in order to understand what has occurred or who has been speaking. Moreover, the terminology, concepts and descriptions are lacking in detail, which leaves the reader with more questions than answers.
Despite the compelling cast of primary and secondary characters, including the strong willed and intelligent Kaylin, the enigmatic fieflord of Nightshade, Kaylin’s former friend and current partner, Severn, and Tiamaris, a member of the dragon race with shapeshifting abilities reminiscent of the Kate Daniels series, none of them is sufficiently fleshed out and the lack of background impairs the overall effect of the book.
In sum, regardless of the confusing elements and problematic writing style, Kaylin and her comrades are interesting enough to continue with the series. Hopefully the problematic issues will be resolved and listening to the audiobook narrated by the incomparable Khristine Hvam will help me with the language.
3 Stars
After fleeing the crime-ridden streets of Nightshade as a child, Kaylin Neya joined the ranks of the Hawks, the guardians who patrol and police the city of Elantra. Now, seven years later, Kaylin is drawn into an investigation that has its roots in her childhood when several children with strange markings similar to her own are found murdered. Together with a partner who has betrayed her in the past and a dragon companion who may have his own agenda, Kaylin is charged with finding a killer whose plans may just lead to her own destruction.
Unfortunately, the choppy writing, underdeveloped world building and lack of background on the various characters and races that populate Elantra undermine an otherwise excellent plot premise.
The story revolving around Kaylin’s investigation is fascinating and the complex world building has definite potential. Nevertheless, the flow of the narrative is often disrupted by the dense language and fragmented sentence structure, which makes it necessary to re-read entire passages in order to understand what has occurred or who has been speaking. Moreover, the terminology, concepts and descriptions are lacking in detail, which leaves the reader with more questions than answers.
Despite the compelling cast of primary and secondary characters, including the strong willed and intelligent Kaylin, the enigmatic fieflord of Nightshade, Kaylin’s former friend and current partner, Severn, and Tiamaris, a member of the dragon race with shapeshifting abilities reminiscent of the Kate Daniels series, none of them is sufficiently fleshed out and the lack of background impairs the overall effect of the book.
In sum, regardless of the confusing elements and problematic writing style, Kaylin and her comrades are interesting enough to continue with the series. Hopefully the problematic issues will be resolved and listening to the audiobook narrated by the incomparable Khristine Hvam will help me with the language.