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A review by mary_soon_lee
Cast in Deception by Michelle Sagara
4.0
This is the thirteenth novel in the fantasy series "The Chronicles of Elantra," a series that I'm enjoying very much. The books have a very likable heroine, very likable recurring supporting characters, strong found-family and friendship themes, intriguing magic and worldbuilding, high stakes, and some notably dark content. I strongly recommend reading the series in order, because later books have comparatively little recapitulation of previous events -- and those events are necessary for emotional heft as well as clarity.
I returned to this series after a hiatus of a few months and have gobbled up four books in a row. This, the fourth, fell short of the other three. I still love Kaylin, Severn, et al. And I still enjoyed this considerably. Yet the other three books each had an emotional core that moved me more, speaking of home or loneliness, or introducing characters -- especially Gilbert in "Cast in Honor" -- that tugged at me. Although the theme of loneliness is present again, it felt flatter. The closing scenes carried emotional weight for me, but not the main part of the book.
Good but not as good. Call it three and a half out of five stars in the cohort.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
I returned to this series after a hiatus of a few months and have gobbled up four books in a row. This, the fourth, fell short of the other three. I still love Kaylin, Severn, et al. And I still enjoyed this considerably. Yet the other three books each had an emotional core that moved me more, speaking of home or loneliness, or introducing characters -- especially Gilbert in "Cast in Honor" -- that tugged at me. Although the theme of loneliness is present again, it felt flatter. The closing scenes carried emotional weight for me, but not the main part of the book.
Good but not as good. Call it three and a half out of five stars in the cohort.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).