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A review by lindca
Cast in Honor by Michelle Sagara West, Michelle Sagara
3.0
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.