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breezy610's review against another edition
4.0
I really love kaylin for be-freind a building in human form. It really talk about her character and how she will to change for the better. and i love that we finally get a look into her past.
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First read 2 March 2013.
Fifth in the Chronicles of Elantra fantasy series revolving around Kaylin Neya, a private in the Hawks law enforcement agency.
My Take
Whoa...lotsa action in this one, but not a current day investigation of any particular peoples, although we do learn what happened to Kaylin in the six months she was missing and why she ended up with the Hawks. Oh, boy. Didn't see that one coming. Instead, Kaylin, Severn, and Tiamaris fall back in time in this particular adventure and explore the realities of the fiefs and a history in which Dragons have not won and the fiefs are clean and friendly. A time which also explores Kaylin's history. It was the things Barren made her do. The people he ordered killed, the reasons for it, that helped Kaylin make up her mind to join the Hawks.
The office atmosphere is back to normal: Marcus is slashing desks, but not yet shattering the bloody window that Mallory had re-magicked to be oh-so-polite---Kaylin's already lost her guess in the betting pool---and, yup, the betting is back in full play. Yes, Rennick's play was also a success (see Cast in Fury, 4).
Oopsie, Arkon is quite displeased with Sanabalis' lack of progress with Kaylin. She has not yet learned how to light that damned candle. A fact which rather cracks me up in light of Kaylin's other accomplishments, LOL.
The more I read this series, the more fascinated I become, and the more I appreciate the extremely complex world that Sagara has built. It's not just the small things of everyday life, but the big philosophies that change from culture to culture. Very impressive. It's still incredibly complex, and I suspect I will need to read this over and over again before I grasp it all.
Kaylin is learning wisdom:
There's only one comment I can recall Tiamaris making that makes sense of his actions at the end. It will definitely be interesting to learn what happens in the next installment, Cast in Chaos, 6.
It's terrifying what envy and jealousy have wrought. Kaylin will use the power of words which she learned in Cast in Fury, 4, to rewrite the Tower, to teach her about duty, responsibility, pride, guilt, grief, regret, accepting past mistakes, the need to be needed, and most important, a sense of real love and understanding.
The words that turn Kaylin's world upside down:
Okay, another bit of the puzzle...the High Lord says that "Elantra exists...because the fiefs exist".
The Story
One of the fiefs is losing its power, its magic, and the Shadows are creeping through. If they break all the way through, they will break into Nightshade and Candallar and then into the City itself.
It's a demand Barren is making of Kaylin. One she cannot refuse.
Or all will die.
The Characters
Private Lord Kaylin Neya of the Hawks has managed, so far, to avoid meeting the Dragon Emperor. But the days are counting down, for Kaylin has achieved too much. Corporal Lord Severn Handred grew up with Kaylin, and now they are partners in the Hawks. Lord Tiamaris, a Dragon, has partnered up with them in previous stories and will do so again.
Lord Sanabalis is one of four Dragon lords at the Imperial Court and is the mage trying to teach Kaylin to understand her powers. There are also Lords Diarmat and Emmerian. The Arkon is the oldest Dragon at court, and he serves as the palace librarian. Evanton is the Keeper of an elemental garden. One that is in wild disarray and trying to relay a message.
The Hawks include:
Sergeant Marcus Kassan, a.k.a., Ironjaw, a Leontine, is back and in charge. And everyone is breathing easier. Caitlin is his unofficial second-in-command and a human. Teela and Tain are Barrani, and, yes, they chose to work for the Hawks rather than "participate" in politics in the High Halls. Both are friends of Kaylin's.
Ybelline Rabon'alani is the Emperor's Tha'alani, the castelord of her people with the most experience of how humans think, and has a great ability to survive delving into the minds of others.
Barren acts as fieflord in Barren. Morse is the woman who took Elianne/Kaylin in and taught her further how to survive. She's also Barren's second-in-command.
The High Lord, the castelord of the Barrani, the former Lord of the Green, and his Consort, the Lady, welcome Lord Kaylin.
Turns out that Lord Nightshade, an outcaste Barrani fieflord, sought out the fief for strategic reasons. Ohhh, I betcha I know why…! And you'll hafta read Cast in Fury, 4 if you want to find out… Lord Andellen is the Barrani guard who has shared some of Kaylin's adventures, and he is being summoned for High Court.
The Hawks are one of three peacekeeping forces in Elantra, and Lord Grammayre is the Hawklord. The Aerians are birdmen, but not shifters. Barrani are the upper class in this society, although not the uppermost. Kaylin believes they have the art of lying down to a fine and engrained art. The Leontine are lion shifters. Arcanists are mages who work independently of the Dragon Emperor.
Fieflords are independent conquerors of the seven large criminal neighborhoods outside the city proper: Liatt is ruled and held by a human woman from the Tower of Liatt; Barren is ruled by a human, Barren (its former Barrani lord, Illien, was considered a dreamer who was uncomfortable in a city ruled by Dragons; wanting power, his existence is a mystery); Nightshade is held by Lord Nightshade, an outcaste Barrani who rules from Castle Nightshade; Candallar is held by a Barrani and is on the other side of Nightshade; and, Ravellon is the heart of the fiefs, one that none dare enter. Tara is the Tower, a child affected by another woman's dreams and hopes. A child of the Old Ones.
The Cover
I can't decide if Kaylin is being thoughtful or making a run for it on this cover. It's a close-up with Kaylin wearing a sleeveless top and a deep v-neck---exactly what she would never wear—that exposes her tattoos, her left arm up and wearing the bracer that dampens her magic with a beautiful night sky in the background, the moonlight gleaming on the waters. Above is a skyline view of Elantra.
I suspect the title could go two ways: the lack in the fief of Barren or what Lord Nightshade learns too early. Cast in Silence will ensure that history plays out as it should.
Fifth in the Chronicles of Elantra fantasy series revolving around Kaylin Neya, a private in the Hawks law enforcement agency.
My Take
Whoa...lotsa action in this one, but not a current day investigation of any particular peoples, although we do learn what happened to Kaylin in the six months she was missing and why she ended up with the Hawks. Oh, boy. Didn't see that one coming. Instead, Kaylin, Severn, and Tiamaris fall back in time in this particular adventure and explore the realities of the fiefs and a history in which Dragons have not won and the fiefs are clean and friendly. A time which also explores Kaylin's history. It was the things Barren made her do. The people he ordered killed, the reasons for it, that helped Kaylin make up her mind to join the Hawks.
"Meaning is often decided by your intended audience."
The office atmosphere is back to normal: Marcus is slashing desks, but not yet shattering the bloody window that Mallory had re-magicked to be oh-so-polite---Kaylin's already lost her guess in the betting pool---and, yup, the betting is back in full play. Yes, Rennick's play was also a success (see Cast in Fury, 4).
Oopsie, Arkon is quite displeased with Sanabalis' lack of progress with Kaylin. She has not yet learned how to light that damned candle. A fact which rather cracks me up in light of Kaylin's other accomplishments, LOL.
The more I read this series, the more fascinated I become, and the more I appreciate the extremely complex world that Sagara has built. It's not just the small things of everyday life, but the big philosophies that change from culture to culture. Very impressive. It's still incredibly complex, and I suspect I will need to read this over and over again before I grasp it all.
Kaylin is learning wisdom:
"I always paid attention to anything that seemed practical and important. I didn't realize just how practical some of the theoretical classes would end up becoming."
There's only one comment I can recall Tiamaris making that makes sense of his actions at the end. It will definitely be interesting to learn what happens in the next installment, Cast in Chaos, 6.
It's terrifying what envy and jealousy have wrought. Kaylin will use the power of words which she learned in Cast in Fury, 4, to rewrite the Tower, to teach her about duty, responsibility, pride, guilt, grief, regret, accepting past mistakes, the need to be needed, and most important, a sense of real love and understanding.
The words that turn Kaylin's world upside down:
"'We do not always succeed in our attempts to find---or uphold---justice. But if we fail to try at all, what is left? The only justice that exists is the justice we attempt to make. The only fairness, the same.'
--Lord Grammayre"
Okay, another bit of the puzzle...the High Lord says that "Elantra exists...because the fiefs exist".
The Story
One of the fiefs is losing its power, its magic, and the Shadows are creeping through. If they break all the way through, they will break into Nightshade and Candallar and then into the City itself.
It's a demand Barren is making of Kaylin. One she cannot refuse.
Or all will die.
The Characters
Private Lord Kaylin Neya of the Hawks has managed, so far, to avoid meeting the Dragon Emperor. But the days are counting down, for Kaylin has achieved too much. Corporal Lord Severn Handred grew up with Kaylin, and now they are partners in the Hawks. Lord Tiamaris, a Dragon, has partnered up with them in previous stories and will do so again.
Lord Sanabalis is one of four Dragon lords at the Imperial Court and is the mage trying to teach Kaylin to understand her powers. There are also Lords Diarmat and Emmerian. The Arkon is the oldest Dragon at court, and he serves as the palace librarian. Evanton is the Keeper of an elemental garden. One that is in wild disarray and trying to relay a message.
The Hawks include:
Sergeant Marcus Kassan, a.k.a., Ironjaw, a Leontine, is back and in charge. And everyone is breathing easier. Caitlin is his unofficial second-in-command and a human. Teela and Tain are Barrani, and, yes, they chose to work for the Hawks rather than "participate" in politics in the High Halls. Both are friends of Kaylin's.
Ybelline Rabon'alani is the Emperor's Tha'alani, the castelord of her people with the most experience of how humans think, and has a great ability to survive delving into the minds of others.
Barren acts as fieflord in Barren. Morse is the woman who took Elianne/Kaylin in and taught her further how to survive. She's also Barren's second-in-command.
The High Lord, the castelord of the Barrani, the former Lord of the Green, and his Consort, the Lady, welcome Lord Kaylin.
Turns out that Lord Nightshade, an outcaste Barrani fieflord, sought out the fief for strategic reasons. Ohhh, I betcha I know why…! And you'll hafta read Cast in Fury, 4 if you want to find out… Lord Andellen is the Barrani guard who has shared some of Kaylin's adventures, and he is being summoned for High Court.
The Hawks are one of three peacekeeping forces in Elantra, and Lord Grammayre is the Hawklord. The Aerians are birdmen, but not shifters. Barrani are the upper class in this society, although not the uppermost. Kaylin believes they have the art of lying down to a fine and engrained art. The Leontine are lion shifters. Arcanists are mages who work independently of the Dragon Emperor.
Fieflords are independent conquerors of the seven large criminal neighborhoods outside the city proper: Liatt is ruled and held by a human woman from the Tower of Liatt; Barren is ruled by a human, Barren (its former Barrani lord, Illien, was considered a dreamer who was uncomfortable in a city ruled by Dragons; wanting power, his existence is a mystery); Nightshade is held by Lord Nightshade, an outcaste Barrani who rules from Castle Nightshade; Candallar is held by a Barrani and is on the other side of Nightshade; and, Ravellon is the heart of the fiefs, one that none dare enter. Tara is the Tower, a child affected by another woman's dreams and hopes. A child of the Old Ones.
The Cover
I can't decide if Kaylin is being thoughtful or making a run for it on this cover. It's a close-up with Kaylin wearing a sleeveless top and a deep v-neck---exactly what she would never wear—that exposes her tattoos, her left arm up and wearing the bracer that dampens her magic with a beautiful night sky in the background, the moonlight gleaming on the waters. Above is a skyline view of Elantra.
I suspect the title could go two ways: the lack in the fief of Barren or what Lord Nightshade learns too early. Cast in Silence will ensure that history plays out as it should.
heidi_mcj's review against another edition
3.0
Decent book. Different style than her Sun Sword Series. These are a bit more light hearted. Updated 4-13-21- This one of my favorites in this series.
katyanaish's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it. Really really loved it. It was a fantastic journey for the characters, and I'm so excited to see how this changes everything.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
4.0
This is the fifth novel in the fantasy series The Chronicles of Elantra, a series that I'm enjoying very much. For those wondering if the series might be to their taste, it has a very likable heroine (Kaylin), very likable recurring characters, strong found-family and friendship themes, intriguing magic and worldbuilding, high stakes, and some notably dark content. I note that I think the series would be best read in order, as later books build on the early ones with comparatively little recapitulation of previous events/characters.
In this fifth novel, Most enjoyable.
Four out of five towering stars.
In this fifth novel,
Spoiler
I liked the thread with Morse that expands on Kaylin's early years. I liked the role Tiamaris plays. I very much liked Tara and her part in the story. I anticipated a major development close to the end, but that anticipation didn't weaken the reading experience.Four out of five towering stars.
katelin00's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted to A Bookworm's Confessions
I am really enjoying this series. It's just so interesting because it's a whole different world with different species and I love it.
This book focuses on Kaylin's past. We know from previous books that after she ran from Severn in Nightshade, she disappeared for six months before she showed up to become a Hawk. Kaylin always dismissed those thoughts and focused on other things, leaving the readers wondering. Cast in Silence finally explores those six months.
While on patrol with Severn, Kaylin runs into an old acquaintance, Morse, from the fief of Barren, the fief she had run too after she fled Nightshade. Barren, the fieflord, has a message for Kaylin and Morse is there to deliver it. Of course this freaks Kaylin out because she had worked for seven years to forget about the six months she had been in Barren. She has been keeping a secret from everyone except the Hawklord why she left Barren and became a Hawk. I won't spoil it but it's pretty good.
There is trouble in Barren. Shadows are spreading and Barren cannot hold the borders. Something odd is going on and if these shadows breach the border of Nightshade, they will eventually make their way into Elantra, destroying everything. Tiamaris becomes a Hawk again and Kaylin's partner as she investigates what is wrong with Barren. The shadows are releasing creatures and killing humans or infecting humans. There are also shadowstorms. These storms can change Barrani and dragons because of their names.
I like Morse as a character. She's tough and she doesn't care about anything. When Morse found Kaylin, Kaylin told her that she wanted to learn how to kill a man. Morse didn't ask any questions. Morse took Kaylin under her wing and began to train her. Kaylin lived under Morse's roof for those six months, learning from Morse and eventually doing Barren's bidding. Morse told Kaylin that she too wanted to kill a man but she had to wait until the right moment.
There are some subtle hints that Barren sexually abused Kaylin but this is not elaborated upon. Barren occupies white towers but for the past ten years he has not truly held the fief. It has been in name only. A fieflord has to be connected to the fief in some magical way. We learn why at the end.
I enjoyed this book because I learned about Kaylin's past that had only been hinted upon in the previous books. I did really like the ending and it made me very happy. Tiamaris is one of my favorite characters and his what happened in this book just made me so happy. I think I gave this book four stars because I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous two books. It is written well and the character arcs are progressing. There isn't really a romance element in these books so far and I am wondering there ever will be. The detail the Sagara puts into this world makes it almost seem real. I love it though I would not want to be part of it.
Obviously I will continue on with this series and still recommend it to readers.
I am really enjoying this series. It's just so interesting because it's a whole different world with different species and I love it.
This book focuses on Kaylin's past. We know from previous books that after she ran from Severn in Nightshade, she disappeared for six months before she showed up to become a Hawk. Kaylin always dismissed those thoughts and focused on other things, leaving the readers wondering. Cast in Silence finally explores those six months.
While on patrol with Severn, Kaylin runs into an old acquaintance, Morse, from the fief of Barren, the fief she had run too after she fled Nightshade. Barren, the fieflord, has a message for Kaylin and Morse is there to deliver it. Of course this freaks Kaylin out because she had worked for seven years to forget about the six months she had been in Barren. She has been keeping a secret from everyone except the Hawklord why she left Barren and became a Hawk. I won't spoil it but it's pretty good.
There is trouble in Barren. Shadows are spreading and Barren cannot hold the borders. Something odd is going on and if these shadows breach the border of Nightshade, they will eventually make their way into Elantra, destroying everything. Tiamaris becomes a Hawk again and Kaylin's partner as she investigates what is wrong with Barren. The shadows are releasing creatures and killing humans or infecting humans. There are also shadowstorms. These storms can change Barrani and dragons because of their names.
I like Morse as a character. She's tough and she doesn't care about anything. When Morse found Kaylin, Kaylin told her that she wanted to learn how to kill a man. Morse didn't ask any questions. Morse took Kaylin under her wing and began to train her. Kaylin lived under Morse's roof for those six months, learning from Morse and eventually doing Barren's bidding. Morse told Kaylin that she too wanted to kill a man but she had to wait until the right moment.
There are some subtle hints that Barren sexually abused Kaylin but this is not elaborated upon. Barren occupies white towers but for the past ten years he has not truly held the fief. It has been in name only. A fieflord has to be connected to the fief in some magical way. We learn why at the end.
I enjoyed this book because I learned about Kaylin's past that had only been hinted upon in the previous books. I did really like the ending and it made me very happy. Tiamaris is one of my favorite characters and his what happened in this book just made me so happy. I think I gave this book four stars because I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous two books. It is written well and the character arcs are progressing. There isn't really a romance element in these books so far and I am wondering there ever will be. The detail the Sagara puts into this world makes it almost seem real. I love it though I would not want to be part of it.
Obviously I will continue on with this series and still recommend it to readers.
chawlios's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lassarina's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is one of my favorite books in the series so far. Kaylin is really starting to grow into herself, and have a better idea of what she's doing and why. She's learned a lot of things the hard way, but she is learning, and this book, in a lot of ways, ties together all the things she's learned so far. It brings in themes from other books, particularly the themes relating to names, and also Tiamaris is amazing. Both he and Nightshade loom large in this book, to the benefit of both, and the way everything wrapped up was intensely satisfying.
santonss's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book and this series. But it has been months since I read the first 4, almost a year, and it is hard for me to remember the details. I keep wanting and waiting for Kaylin to develop a romantic relationship with one of the characters or a new one, but it never would fit into the plots. As for the plot of this one, it seems more lost than the last. The everydayness of police work is not in this one but for the very beginning, for the rest of the book it seems to be flashbacks( which were insightful) and mind games( which was a little tedious). At least now we know why she changed her name when she crossed the bridge. I would love to see a map of the city. I have an idea of what it would be in my mind, then something says, "then they went north" or similar. So I'm trying to refigure it. Mostly I would need to re-read these books.
It was not my favorite, but then my favorite character is Nightshade. I can never decide if hes " evil" or " opportunist" or "good" most likley he is a bit of all in the mix. So I can not wait for the next book, Cast in Chaos.
It was not my favorite, but then my favorite character is Nightshade. I can never decide if hes " evil" or " opportunist" or "good" most likley he is a bit of all in the mix. So I can not wait for the next book, Cast in Chaos.