Stars: 3.5 out of 5.

This is a good first book in the series. It does a good job setting up the world and the characters, as well as establishing the stakes and hinting at an overarching plot.

I really liked discovering the world of Elantra. This is a city build on the ruins of a much older civilization, and those ruins still contain magics that nobody can understand or harness, but which are deadly nonetheless. This is also a city where a multitude of mortal and immortal races manage to coexist in relative harmony, probably thanks to no small part to the efficient policing by the Hawks - Elantra's police force. 

I loved discovering the different races, their customs, behaviors, and reactions ingrained into who they are. I think that the author put a lot of thought into the worldbuilding, so all those races feel "real" and organically woven into the story. I love book like that. We don't have your run of the mill elves and werewolves (or were something else), but races with long histories and logic behind the way they act.

I liked the various relationships that Kaylin formed with her colleagues in the Hawks. I especially loved that she has several female friends and those friendships aren't tainted by jealousy or competition over men. Too many urban fantasy authors make their female protagonists into special snowflakes in a world of men or surrounded by horrible female characters. Glad to see that it's not the case here. Believe me, we women can coexist perfectly fine with each other without backstabbing and undermining each other. Shocker, I know.

I was less trilled about Kaylin though. I understand that she is young and had a traumatic childhood, but this girl has zero impulse control. She never stops to consider the consequences of her actions BEFORE she does anything. And while in some instance it's warranted and understandable, it gets old really fast. Hopefully, having resolved the biggest trauma from her past, she will be able to grow and mature in the next books. I am certainly willing to check out the next book to see if there is any character development.

My biggest complaint about this book is that the narrative is rather confusing at times. We pay so much attention to Kaylin's thoughts, flashbacks, feelings, etc. that it bogs down the actual story sometimes. So the action scenes stretch out into pages and loose their intensity. Also some of the subtext in the conversations isn't clear. Like I get the feeling that I should get what the hidden meaning is, but I simply don't. That makes for a rather frustrating read at times.

All in all however, I am definitely willing to give the next book in the series a try to see if Kaylin matures a little, and to learn more about the fascinating city of Elantra.

If you liked this review, check out my blog.

Kaylin is new to me and I love her. She reminds of a video game my DH played for a while. He thinks it's called dragon's age, but can't remember. I never pay attention so who knows? Anyway, Kaylin is a fun character for me because she's trying to make a life for herself. She grew up from a terrible place.

Everything about this story appeals to me. I recommend it to those who love magic, feudal systems and fantasy.

I own the paperback and the first-three-books bundle, so I'll be reviewing this reread by adding the reviews to book one and two and then do the bundle for the third one.

I've said before that MSW is one of my reliable comfort read authors and that doesn't change. This series is more accessible than the Essalieyan books because Kaylin is the focus and her "family" remains fairly constant throughout the series - so far.

This is a chunk series - we get dropped in at an important point in time and follow along in each book. This means Kaylin is allowed to mature slowly and this is what makes consecutive rereads so rewarding as I follow the story - rereading C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner series is a similar pleasure.

Kaylin here has been confronted with her past, due to certain symbols on her body - which had led to murder in the city of Elantra before (Elantra is the name of the city - there's a continuity error between this book and the next in the name of the actual empire, but it really is only mentioned twice anyway).

So we have the renewed murders and what they do to the symbols on her body, we have an old friend drop in on her life - someone she has hated for years - and we have the imperial interest in her and her role as a police detective, I'd say, which is roughly what the Hawks are.

The plot works, but it's the characters and their interaction and personal history which makes this all so intricate and fascinating.

I have no idea what the heck happened in this book. Till the end I don't know how old the MC was, I have a general idea but I'm not sure I'm right. She acted like a teenager half the time and yet I think shes suppose to be in her 20's. The whole power thing I did not understand, it felt like there was a book missing, at least a book to explain all the half information we had been given and make it make sense.

I will be reading the next book , hopefully that sheds some light on everything.

12/2/18 Re-read end.
I am zoned out again =0p
Next book...!
I don't want this series to ever end, I mean it NEVER!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I give this book 5 stars. What an amazing story. I can't tell you how much I love the world building! This is a very creative, compelling world. I can't say anything about the incredible cast of characters! I have no words. Dang! The world is populated by all sorts of fascinating species: the immortal Barrani, Dragons and Tha'alani, the mortal humans and Leontine and Aerians. Very much in my head during this book and after. 0.0
In awe! Really.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note to Self:
Spoilers:
"Kaylin Neya" (Elianne,20yo,Hawk,Private,new partner,Chosen,magic apprentice,healer/midwife volunteer, Nightshade fiefling,orphan,Erenne,ex-thief,ex-assassin, ex-mascot,pal),
Corporal Severn Handred(25yo,Hawk,partner,ex-Shadow Wolf,Nightshade fiefling,orphan, murderer,pal),
Sergeant Marcus Kassan(Leontine,Hawk,"Iron Jaw"),
Lord Grammayre(Aerian,Hawklord, Marcus' boss),
Hanson(Hawklord aide)
Caitlin(Hawk, Marcus' office assistant/secretary),
Teela(Anteela,Hawk,Barrani High Court Lord,cousin,pal) &
Tain(Hawk,Barrani,pal),
Lord Tiamaris(Dragon Court youngest member,Hawk,ex-Sanabalis' student, scholar,bronze,mage, new partner,pal)
Nightshade(Calarnenne,Outcast Barrani Lord,fieflord,crime lord),
Meliannos(Nightshades sword,2nd dragon killer weapon)
Sanabalis(Lord,Dragon Court,mage,mentor),
Clint(Hawk, Aerian, Halls of Law door guard)+Sesti(wife,Camaraan clan, Aerian)=had baby boy
Cliff(Hawk, Aerian guard),
Marrin(Leontine, foundling halls 'mother',pal),
Amos(foundling halls guard)
Catti(human,orphan,12yo,foundling halls resident)
'Dock'(Iain,orphan,foundling halls resident)
Eternal Emperor(Lord,Dragon Court),
Joey(Hawk),
Timar(Hawk)
Tanner(Hawk,human, Halls of Law door guard)
Holder(Hawk, Aerian, Halls of Law door guard)
Callantine(mage,Imperial Order of mages)
Lord Evarrim(Barrani High Court Lord, Arcanist,Teela's cousin)
Lord Diarmat(Lord,Dragon Court,mage,blue)
Lord Emmerian(Lord,Dragon Court,mage)
Ybelline(Tha'alani,telepath, seconded to the Emperor)
Moran(Aerian,Hawk,medic)

Makuron the Black(Dragon, outcast)

I just don't understand this book. World building is nonexistent and character development is lacking. I love the story but I HAVE NO IDEA WHATS GOING ON! The story starts and is written as if this is book two, like I was already knowledgeable on what's going on. The author is jumpy, talking about one thing then going to another within one sentence. And the scenes happen too fast I don't even know what happened.

The main character just does things. She's completely impulsive and I don't get to just understand. Names and titles are given, I don't know them and don't get a disruption. Characters are of different mammal types that I don't understand. Languages that bounce off that I don't get. And background stories that make no sense. If the MC knows someone, we only get to understand that "she knows them," but that's all. Oh and present actions have no understandings of them.

A good story with good writing written horribly in a sense that a book before this would have been better. Why does the author think I'd understand her train of thought if she doesn't give me something to read and understand.

Well this review has a lot of "understand." When a book lacks understanding, it isn't a book.

Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara is in essence about a tough, capable police detective who wields a sword in a fantasy world populated by lion-people, hawk-people, elves, and others. This would normally be an ideal style of story to me. There's a lot of good to this story, as well as a few issues.

First, the good. I enjoy the mix of races and characters that Sagara has created. Heroine Kaylin isn't a perfect, always-do-right heroine that you often find in stories like these. She's got flaws and issues. She's messy. She's always late. She's not good with holding her tongue. Still, you also can see where all of this came from. She grew up an orphan in the slums. She had no parents to guide her. She hides from patrols as a matter of course; it's built into her soul. The rough childhood creased her actions in ways it's hard for her to now even realize.

And, as often happens in these stories, "just as she thought she was out" ... she gets pulled back in again. Her police leader orders her to go back deep into the slums to figure out a string of murders. She has to take with her the one man she hates with all her heart - the man who had been by her side in the slums and who then betrayed her.

The world is a mix of magic and medieval, a world where dragons exist and Kaylin wields knives with great talent. It's not thought of as "odd" that females are capable warriors. In fact, in the lion race it's assumed the women are the ones with power. There are both women and men serving side by side equally on the force. I appreciate all of this greatly. It's only a few decades ago that this would have seemed "unusual". Now it seems normal and natural. I'm thrilled by that.

So there's a lot of good here that I appreciate. Now to the issues.

There should have been polishing work done by a good editing team. The writing, while generally decent, has some issues. The author is very, very fond of the phrase very, very and it gets very, very annoying in a very, very short period of time. Some sentences are unnaturally convoluted and leave the reader wondering just who is talking and who they are referring to.

The world many times seems to exist in a certain way solely for plot reasons. Few areas are fleshed out thoroughly. We know there's a city, and that it has some slums, but we never get a sense of how this relates to the rest of the planet. Is it the only city? Are there other lords in other places? There's a Dragon ruling this city - is he a dictator? Does he simply rule "forever"? There's no context for the story and that detracts from it. It's like reading a fairy tale, "once upon a time there was a city ruled by a dragon ..." But at least there you make the assumption it's on a planet like Earth with lots of other cities and people and there are other cities around it. Here we have no idea at all.

I found the premise a bit shaky. I don't want to give away spoilers, but the issue the plot revolves around seems far-fetched to be kept a secret this whole time. It would have made far more sense for it to be discussed and known about, for all sorts of reasons. I think the story would have benefited from that as well. It would have made the progression of events "make sense" rather than seeming to happen to keep the plot moving towards what the author wanted to happen.

I found the ending unsatisfying. It's as if the author knew up front she was going to write a series and this was just the introduction to the "real story". So we invest the time and energy into the plot and then at the end it doesn't feel resolved. To go with that thought, some listings have this in the "romance" category and traditional romance readers will find the book unsatisfying. It's more of a drama that has men and women in it who are sometimes interested in each other. If a reader is looking for an ending that wraps everything up and gives a sense of completion, they won't find it here.

So with that all being said, I do think this book has its audience. You have to be in it for the fun fantasy-romp, not for romance. You have to be prepared to have multiple books in the series on hand, and know things don't "wrap up" in this one. You have to be tolerant of a loose writing style that has challenges. You have to be willing to ignore greater issues of why or where or context and just go with the flow in this particular little mini-realm. If you can read from that mindset, there's fun dialogue, intriguing characters, and a female lead who can hold her own. Except of course when she's crying in a man's arms, being carried by men, being saved from herself by men, and being lectured to about her mistakes by men :). I didn't say it's perfect.

I loved the heck out of the beginning of this book. The world is awesome, the tone is great, and the heroine was awesome. Speaking of the world, I'm not sure I've come across one in fantasy that I'd more wanted to dive into. Just seeing bits of it made me ravenous to find out about the rest. That being said, some of the things I loved so much came back to bite it. Sagara doesn't spoon feed the reader. She makes you earn your knowledge. I hate saying this, but this was one time when I needed more exposition. By the end I still had very little idea of what was going on. It meant that I wasn't invested. I must have put the book down three times in the last half hour of reading. It was sad. The final grievance, but one that might not bother others, was the love triangle. I hated it with a fiery passion. One of the guys is a slumlord that brands her and the other is a guy who did something spoilery that was so awful he scared her for life. It was such a major disappointment, especially when there was a dragon around for the taking!

1.5 stars.

I wanted to like this one, but it was so poorly written. The dialogue was strange and it was hard at times to keep track of who was speaking. There was also zero chemistry between the h and any of her possible love interests. And there was no exposition at the beginning of this book, which may as well be a kiss of death for something in the high fantasy genre. If absolutely nothing is explained to me, I can't understand this interesting, but ultimately weird world. It was all nonsensical, even more so than Alice in Wonderland, and that's saying something. I felt like there were some good ideas in this book, but none of it was developed properly.

Update:
I just bought the audiobook and the narrator pronounces it differently.... my life is a river of disappointment

----------------------------
Like 75% of the reason I added this to my TBR is because the MC's name is Kaylin.

DNF @ 10%

Mostly cause I don't know what the eff is going on. I am a fish out of water. Though that would probably get remedied later but I has no patience.
Also, I have it on good account this was the best in the series and it goes down-hill and absolutely boring the further along you get.
And nobody got time for that.

I is out.

So I reread this, in preparation to trying to continue the series. I still didn't love it. I still didn't feel like I knew what was going on, or have any idea of the world, so I am just moving on to Book #2 hoping that it will go smoother. And that this will be like the First Kate Daniels book, which I still don't think is very good, even though I love the series as a whole.

Original Review:
This book took me FOREVER to read, and just as long to get into. I finally hit my stride about halfway through, where I felt like I finally had some clue about what was going on, and cared enough to find out what happened next.

I admit that I would have given up if this series wasn't so popular among some of my GR friends.