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A review by katyanaish
Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara
5.0
I didn't review this originally, other than the rating. Probably because I just plowed straight into the second book. So I'll give it a little bit of a review now, having just finished a re-read.
I came into this after reading the 2 books of Severn's prequel - it made me want to keep going again from the beginning. They don't segue together super well, mostly because Severn is such an asshole in the beginning. But now, with his prequel books under my belt, as well as all 17 books in the series, I recognize it as the defensive wall it really is. What a horrible road he has walked. What horrible choices he's been forced to make ... as a CHILD! No good options, only horror in every direction.
I love this series, it is a firm favorite. But as I said in my review of the latest book, it isn't for everyone. There's a real stream-of-consciousness flow to the narrative that I love - I don't pause and analyze it, I flow with it like I'm floating in a river. It is a unique style, at least in my experience, and I love it... but I also get that other will find it offputting. The primary downside to it is that it can feel like it slows the action down. Like, you're in Kaylin's head as she's thinking / intuiting her way through the battle, and it can be pages of narrative ... literally mid-battle. But again, it works for me (most of the time) because in those high-adrenaline situations, with your blood pumping and your brain over-firing, seconds can stretch into what feels like hours. I know, I've been there. And so these pages of Kaylin's inner narrative are happening in a fraction of a second, but it is like we're there with her, flowing down the path of her intuition as she makes rapid decisions in the battle.
YMMV, but I love it, and I can't believe it has taken me this long to re-read.
I came into this after reading the 2 books of Severn's prequel - it made me want to keep going again from the beginning. They don't segue together super well, mostly because Severn is such an asshole in the beginning. But now, with his prequel books under my belt, as well as all 17 books in the series, I recognize it as the defensive wall it really is. What a horrible road he has walked. What horrible choices he's been forced to make ... as a CHILD! No good options, only horror in every direction.
I love this series, it is a firm favorite. But as I said in my review of the latest book, it isn't for everyone. There's a real stream-of-consciousness flow to the narrative that I love - I don't pause and analyze it, I flow with it like I'm floating in a river. It is a unique style, at least in my experience, and I love it... but I also get that other will find it offputting. The primary downside to it is that it can feel like it slows the action down. Like, you're in Kaylin's head as she's thinking / intuiting her way through the battle, and it can be pages of narrative ... literally mid-battle. But again, it works for me (most of the time) because in those high-adrenaline situations, with your blood pumping and your brain over-firing, seconds can stretch into what feels like hours. I know, I've been there. And so these pages of Kaylin's inner narrative are happening in a fraction of a second, but it is like we're there with her, flowing down the path of her intuition as she makes rapid decisions in the battle.
YMMV, but I love it, and I can't believe it has taken me this long to re-read.