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A review by lassarina
Cast in Secret by Michelle Sagara
4.0
I continue to love Kaylin, and also to love the complexities of her relationship with Severin. Where Cast in Courtlight delved into (some of) the mysteries of the Barrani, this book focuses on the Tha'alani, whom Kaylin fears and loathes in a way she reserves for very few things. Of course, a simple theft investigation turns out to be much more.
I do appreciate the way each entry in this series has dire consequences and dire stakes, but they're all at equivalent power levels, requiring simply different skills to handle. It's not like the JRPG leveling sequence of
1. fight dire rat
2. fight dire lion
3. fight the knight commander of the evil empire
4. fight evil emperor
5. FIGHT GOD FUCK YOU
Instead, it's pretty consistently somewhere between 3 and 4, but each challenge is different and stretches new skills for Kaylin, and I love that. I love the slow and subtle growth she has. I love her relationships with everyone around her.
One thing I particularly like is how this book explores what makes Kaylin hate the Tha'alani and why they are the way they are; those tensions have a very real cause, and a very understandable one, and I love the way that Kaylin's strength (her resolute defense of anyone weaker than she and her absolute unflinching loyalty to the rule of law) is used to show her some of her weaknesses in a way she can understand and address. She's still forever late, hotheaded, impatient, and terrible at book learning - but she's loving, and when it counts she will give it her all, and I just love her.
I do appreciate the way each entry in this series has dire consequences and dire stakes, but they're all at equivalent power levels, requiring simply different skills to handle. It's not like the JRPG leveling sequence of
1. fight dire rat
2. fight dire lion
3. fight the knight commander of the evil empire
4. fight evil emperor
5. FIGHT GOD FUCK YOU
Instead, it's pretty consistently somewhere between 3 and 4, but each challenge is different and stretches new skills for Kaylin, and I love that. I love the slow and subtle growth she has. I love her relationships with everyone around her.
One thing I particularly like is how this book explores what makes Kaylin hate the Tha'alani and why they are the way they are; those tensions have a very real cause, and a very understandable one, and I love the way that Kaylin's strength (her resolute defense of anyone weaker than she and her absolute unflinching loyalty to the rule of law) is used to show her some of her weaknesses in a way she can understand and address. She's still forever late, hotheaded, impatient, and terrible at book learning - but she's loving, and when it counts she will give it her all, and I just love her.