When approaching this book in a review, one shouldn't ask the question of what went wrong here but rather what was good. However, the good amounts to a sentence or two and that's boring.

So, the good: I thought the concept and the convoluted plot in theory were interesting. Unfortunately, the author did not live up to the potential. I don't, however, feel it's so much the case of good idea gone bad so much as it was really horrible writing.

I know I've complained about prose in the past but this tops them all. I know what I'm going to write here will be lost on those who haven't read the book because, taken out of context, it really doesn't seem all that bad. And, for the most part, it isn't all that bad when handled by a (much better) author.

What am I talking about? Well, when writing description, Ms. Sagara repeats herself in the same sentence or the next sentence. This is a common practice, certainly, when emphasis is needed or something similar. However, she does this with almost EVERY description or action. Honest to god, this 'novel' felt like a Nanowrimo reject. A lot of people say (when doing Nano) to repeat everything twice because it ups your word count (which is the only important about Nano) and Ms. Sagara took that to heart. I've never, ever thought of any other published book (by a traditional publishing house) as being that way. Ms. Sagara is the first. Thank you for popping that cherry, Ms. Sagara.

Here are some examples (paraphrased as I listened to the audiobook):

'His wings are strong, stronger then when he was flying on patrol.'
'His bronzed feet, his now ash covered bronzed feet, gleamed ...'
'She went forward and forward again.'
'She made a motion to her to stay quiet, as if she's talk out of turn.'
'He soared. Up into the sky!'
'He went up and continued up...'

Taken individually, these aren't a problem but this is how she writes every goddamn description in the entire fucking book. I was feeling lucky that she wasn't doing the annoying Nanowrimo trick of having people repeat the other characters in book but, damn it, about 75% into the book she starts that too. The oft cliche of:

'K, is there something you're not telling me?'
'M, is there something I'm not telling you?'

This she does multiple times in each chapter once you get past 75% (along with character 'dialog' that consists of people just saying each others names.)

The second OMG hurdle is the world building. I can't say if it sucked or if it was just the fact that the author flung everything at the reading, all at once. This is in a fantasy setting, which is enough of a problem already on its own, without throwing everything else at the reader. It was just too much and she did nothing to blunt the blow.

You know how some fantasy authors will take the hand of the reader and gently cox them into the warm waters of a story via the kiddie side, remaining beside you for that little bit it takes to learn how to float or to stand on your feet?

Yeah. That didn't happen here. It felt like I (the reader) was rushing home in the middle of winter and some strange person beat me over the head in unconsciousness. I then wake to find myself in the dark, bound and gagged, and unceremoniously kicked into a deep end of a empty pool. Then, after that moment it takes to make certain I was unhurt and could stand, having all of that ice-cold water all dump onto me along with a cow (because, WTF, right? Can't get any worse...)

This world has seven, possible eight, distinct races. And six of those have parts in this story. We have mortals and immortals.

And what's this I hear you ask? How can you live without the cliches of UF NOT being in a fantasy novel? Well, I have good news for you! She threw in vampires and zombies too. Because dragons and flying men and lions who walk on two feet aren't enough. Yay...

The social structure isn't really given much attention. There are Hawks, Wolves, and Swords, but we don't really get a clear idea of what they do. Hawks supposedly uphold the law but there really wasn't much of that happening (considering that she tried to kill someone in front of others on numerous occasions and doesn't actually listen to the law...)

It might've been more bearable if the MC wasn't so ... so ... well, words escape me. I want to call her a fucking moron but I think that's insulting fucking morons. She was rude and impatient. I felt (sort of) sorry for her in the beginning but really wanted to kick her for the rest. Oh, and she's a Mary Sue. Pretty much every man wants her from the get-go.

This book reads like it was a horrible Tamara Pierce fanfiction in its last incarnation...

First of all, I've rated this book 4 because I love the series and I'm admittedly biased. HOWEVER, it is admittedly difficult to begin. The worldbuilding is immense, the characterization true throughout and it continues to be my favorite series for the last 4-5 years I've been reading it and stalking the "coming soon" pages for the next books.

My bias exposed, I'll go on to say that this book is an ok premier into the world, but it's difficult to immerse yourself. There's just SO VERY MUCH GOING ON AND WHAT'S THAT OH YEAH IT'S A SQUIRREL WHERE WAS I that it took me over half the book to understand what was going on. The DNF and one and two star reviews absolutely make sense and I can see how it's a love it or hate it kind of book. But continuing the series, rereading, and growing up with Kaylin is a joy and I felt the need to write this whole review thing.

We meet Kaylin when she's an underdog in a police force kind of place and quickly learn shenanigans (in a bad way) are going on. Most of the main characters are introduced in the first book, as well as all of the major races, the magic system, and the major bad guy arc for the series (spoiler alert, it's shadows). I think because it's so very different than anything i'd read before it took me a while to sink in and understand the world, to see what was going on. Possibly I had to start over once (I don't really remember, but I get the impression I did).

Later books delve much deeper into the mythology and magic and everything, but it does feel like just this bit of too much. The only thing I can say is, if you don't hate it with a passion and you love world building and inventive writers, stick with it at least to book two.

This series isn't for everyone. But for those people who end up loving it, there's not much better.

Frist off, I started in the wrong reading order of this series, the 2nd, 6th and now the 1st book. I didn't seem to have any problems with what was going on in books 6th or 2nd. I read Cast in Courtlight 1st, I seemed to find out if I like a series that way, the 2nd book either fails completely or is better then the 1st (and or is good as the 1st book).

So far I love all the characters. I like that the author doesn't have all the same characters in every book (since they'd be bigger then what they are now) or if she does it's more a hi, see ya...or the character is mentioned but not shown on screen, so to speak.

Second, if you dont like Tanya Huff, then you might not like Michelle Sagara (so you guessed it I love the series so bite me). If you can't read Anne Rice because she adds to much information then you might not like this series either. Or you really don't like fantasy but you think you do...

3rd. Furk me...OMG.....for the love that all is holy.....stop using mary sue as if you know what it means, makes you look like an ignorant book snob. If you think a guy character is the same way, use the male version. Use google it helps alot.

Also, I don't find the MC whiny, so are we reading the same book? Haven't read any later books yet. So, not sure if she does get whiny at some point.

I really wanted to like this book, but this author is unable to string two sentences together. Seriously, it's a painful read, which is unfortunate since I think there is some decent world-building in there. Somewhere. I think.

This book felt like a second draft of the second book of a series. It most definitely did not feel like the first book in the series and I think that was my biggest problem with it. I thought the world-building was interesting, but there was so much about it that I never understood. There are different races, gods are mentioned, fiefs, an emperor, magic, vampires etc. Way too much stuffed into the book. I understand wanting to have everything cool in a book, but at some point you have to pick unless you're drafting a 1000 page epic fantasy. Although with 12+ books in the series, maybe that was the intent, but I never latched on to the story and characters enough to keep going. There were enough interesting moments to make it through this one, but I don't see myself adding another to my TBR pile.

This is the way to get people hooked to a series from the very beginning! Incredible and complex world + strong but relatable main character = great series. Add humour, lively banter and myriad of interesting support characters to spice up things and you get the first instalment of the Chronicle of Elantra.

This isn't your typical fantasy world. I'm not sure how to classify this: it has some elements of urban fantasy but at the same time it's too close to epic fantasy. Forget the usual suspects like werewolves, vampires and fairies. You won't meet them in Elantra. The only somewhat familiar race here (apart from the humans but we're everywhere so it doesn't count!) is the Dragon race. But even the Dragons are not your typical fire breathing giant lizards! I want to learn more about them! So few details about their culture and powers are mentioned in this book! Same goes for all the races in fact. Mainly because Kaylin, the MC, is the worst student ever and failed all the classes that deal with magic and cultures in school. Damn, how I want to get my hands on her textbooks or whatever passes for textbooks in the Empire! Kaylin is one badass chick! Even if I can't wrap my head around her total disinterest in leaning more about her fellow citizens, I find her extremely likeable. That added to her inability to be on time even if her life deepened on it should have made me hate her but she's so awesome that it didn't bother me at all! I just loved her and all that potential that is just hinted at!

But she's not alone in this strange world. By her side are some pretty awesome characters. Like the Leontine Sergeant affectionately nicknamed Iron Jaw. Or the Hawklord. They might criticise Kaylin all the time but you can feel the affection they have for her. They felt like paternal figures most of the time even when they were trying to be stern and distant. And Kaylin's new partners - Severn and Tiamaris. Even when she was acting out and doing her best to alienate them they stuck by her all the way to the big finale. But most importantly all of those characters supported her and believed in her. Especially considering how much older than her and more knowledgeable they are they still believed she'll do the right thing. That endeared them to me more than everything else put together. I just can't wait to get back on the streets of Elantra and learn more about this fascinating new world!

This review is biased, because I am super-busy and stressed out due to classes, and this book was a balm. I devoured it in four days and am already reading the second one. So, obviously, I love it.

What is it? A hybrid urban fantasy/high fantasy novel that's the first in a series but written to be a self-contained episode. It's set in the mega-city Elantra, which is ruled by the Dragon Emperor. We don't meet him in this novel, but from his rule stems the structures of law enforcement: our heroine is a Hawk, which means she's a cop. There are three branches of cop: Hawk, Wolf and Sword. Surprisingly, so far none of them are corrupt. ACAB does not apply - which is easily the weirdest thing about this setting! But let's go with it.

The author is allergic to spelling things out, and she apparently hates infodumps, so I get to explain to you more things about this book than she ever will. Which is a cool style of writing - I've enjoyed it from authors like CJ Cherryh before. Be ready to keep an eye out for details and make notes if you have to.

Elantra is home to five fantasy races: the Barrani (elves), Dragons (dragons), Leontine (lion people), Aerian (winged people), Tha'alani (squid people) and then dear ol' normal humans. They all have interesting and different cultures, and they're one of the coolest parts of the book: the detailing that goes into them. It takes a good writer to make elves interesting, and Michelle Sagara does it with style.

But okay, setting, magic races - let's talk about Kaylin, our heroine. She's twenty, she's the youngest Hawk, and she's treated like it: it was initially a little off-putting that an adult would be treated like the office youngster, but oh: this is fantasy world. The Hawks adopted her when she was a traumatized youngster, trained her, and she's family. So they're all tolerant parents towards her as she continues to learn the ropes of being a Hawk. If you're looking for gritty realism, this isn't the book for you, as it's simultaneously dark fantasy and comforting/light in ways you wouldn't expect.

Dark: Kaylin was born in the fiefs, regions of Elantra that are outside of the reach of the law, and ruled by dark lords. Her mother died, no father, she was a starving pickpocket for a lot of years, until she was branded with magic marks on her arms and thighs, and children started being murdered.

Light: She was essentially adopted by the Hawklord, chief cop himself and he's a father figure to her throughout the book. He got her accepted into the ranks of Hawks despite failing most of her classes, and puts up with her tardiness problem.

Somehow this works? I found it made all of the Hawks really endearing, as they were competent and kind, and I really got attached to all of them. Kaylin herself is a delight to read, as she's sassy and smart (but not book-smart) and she's obviously still growing up. Twenty was a rough year for me, so I can empathize.

So! She's still got magic tattoos on her body, no one understands what they are, and now, seven years after the serial murders in the fief where she grew up, the murderers are back, and with every murder her tattoos shift and change. Dun dun dunnnnn!

The Hawklord assigns her to investigate, and gives her two partners for this case: a Dragon (this is weird, Dragons never stoop to doing actual work), and Severn. Severn has a past with Kaylin, she hasn't seen him in seven years, and when he walks into the office she tries to kill him and would've succeeded if not for the Hawklord.

Oh yes, drama. This book is driven by juicy emotional drama and development, as Kaylin sorts out her emotions towards Severn, befriends the Dragon, and so on. It's absolutely great stuff and it kept me riveted through the whole thing.

This book hit me right in the feels, so to speak - it was fast and fun and the world-building is interesting and the magic is written to be appropriately spooky, and yeah, yeah. This book is for me.

A few notes before I sign off:

- Nightshade, the Barrani who rules the fief Kaylin grew up in, becomes an important figure. He's delightfully gothic and works as an enigmatic maybe-villain maybe-ally.
- There's no romance in this! She's got emotions about Severn but for now they're platonic. As far as I know, the author doesn't do romance in this series, so don't expect it.
- The author writes really fun and kinetic action sequences so whenever someone breaks out a knife I perk up. It's GOOD.

So, tl;dr, this book is perfect for me, might be for you, and I hope you enjoy it! The mixture of UF with a proper high fantasy setting is so good, I wish more books did it.

First in the Chronicles of Elantra fantasy series. It's thirteen years since events in "Cast in Moonlight", and Kaylin has been a Hawk for a few years in the city of Elantra.

My Take
This really is good. I'd love it even more if Sagara would be a bit more clear as to who is doing what to whom for what purpose. It is at least a tiny bit more clear than the prequel, "Cast in Moonlight", and does leave us with more of a sense of ending this particular adventure. Although, Sagara is wicked with leaving hints for the future. It's creepy, fascinating, intriguing, and I can't wait to get my hands on n  Cast in Courtlightn to find out what happens next!

There is so much that occurs within this story...I'm feeling breathless just thinking about it! Sagara provides us with a backstory on Kaylin as well as Severn, and she doesn't hesitate to create yet more drama and tension for future installments. Nicely done.

Arghh, Sagara is making me crazy, teasing with the bits and pieces she's dribbling out about the markings on Kaylin! She gives a little and teases more. It's going to be a long, slow road to finally learn everything I need to know!

I like Kaylin. She does her best to do right by everyone. She's willing, for the most part, to be polite, but she definitely forges her own path in some very trying circumstances.

The Story
It's a flashback to the horror of her childhood. Children being marked. Killed horrifically. Worse, Severn is back. He's a traitor. A murderer and the Hawklord is forcing her to partner up with him to investigate this fresh spate of murders that bring it all back.

The Characters
Private Kaylin Neya, the former Elianne, was adopted by the Hawks some thirteen years ago, when she was thirteen. Her abilities are still kept secret to keep her safe. That side job of hers could see her dead.

The Hawks include:
Iron Jaw, more formally known as Sergeant Marcus Kassan, a Leontine Hawk. Tanner and Clint are Aerians (Kaylin loves touching Clint's forbidden wings); Sesti is Clint's wife and they've just had a baby. Tain and Teela are Barrani. Red---never call him Reginald---is their medical examiner. Moran, an Aerian, is one of the Hawks' medics.

Corporal Severn Handred has transferred to the Hawks from the Shadow Wolves, and it's only the Hawklord's disapproval that keeps Kaylin from killing him. Steffi and Jade were part of their family.

Lord Tiamaris will be their third partner in this investigation in the fiefs. A dragonshifter with high-level magic and access. A powerful being with whom Sergeant Kassan has issues. Lords Diarmat, Emmerian, and Sanabalis are all Dragons. Maukron the Black is the only outcaste Dragon. Ybelline is Tha'alani, but one that Kaylin could be comfortable with. But she is the emperor's.

Marrin is Leontine and she runs the human orphanage in Elantra. Catti is one of her young charges and desperately ill. Dock is another. Amos is the foundling home's guard.

Callantine is one of the powerful pompous, and arrogant Imperial mages who shows up for the autopsy. Burlan Oaks runs a tavern that Severn frequents. Lord Evarrim, an Arcanist, is a Barrani lord who takes an undue and threatening interest in Kaylin.

Lord Nightshade is an outcaste Barrani fieflord who has lent his name to his fief. Where Severn and Kaylani once lived. Brecht is a drunk and a pub owner, used to catch the Hawks' attention.

There are three peacekeeping forces and three Lords of Law: the Lord of Hawks, n  Lord Grammayren, the Hawklord, heads up the Hawks which are the city's eyes and ears; the Lord of Swords and his men are the peacekeepers; and, the Lord of Wolves and his people are its hunters and killers. Think of the Aerians as birdmen, not shifters. Barrani are the upper class in this society. Vicious, cruel and seem to have the appearance of what I would consider Fey. The Leontine are lion shifters. Tha'alani, a.k.a., Truthseekers, are mind readers. Their touch is NOT delicate. Arcanists are mages who work independently of the Dragon Emperor.

Fieflords are independent rulers of large neighborhoods outside the city proper. Theft and murder is a way of life in the fiefs.

The Cover
It's a cold turquoise cover with a bricked floor under roomy arches forming a tunnel into the light, an entire city built atop it. It's a serious Kaylin all dressed in black with her tattooed arms (kind of looks like brown and turquoise plaid sleeves).

I suspect the title refers to Kaylin's past, Cast in Shadow, with her interpretation of events.

n  Disclaimer: This review contains a bunch of random comics and fanart done by me for no reason at all (apart from being a complete geek)n






Hello, dear goodreaders! Welcome to another random rant about books I love and can't seem to write reviews for because Iamsoconfusedaboutmyfeelings.



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THE HISTORY LESSON

These books are about a city called Elantra. It's a place that has finally achieved peace after centuries of war between the different races. The Big winners, aka. the Dragons (who can shift into human-like people, btw) are at the top of the hierarchy, and the only reason they haven't eaten everyone yet is that the ULTRA Big Boss, aka. The Emperor of Elantra, considers the whole place to be his hoard, in a typical dragon fashion. Nobody wants to go between a dragon and his hoard, so people just shrugged and went on with their lives.

To ensure his tiny subjects don't slaughter each other "by accident" (especially the barrani - an elf-like race that is obsessed with killing one another), he came up with laws that would discourage misbehaviour. Then he appointed people from different races to guarantee these laws are followed and that he wouldn't have to eat too many criminals.



There are 3 “police” departments :
1. The Hawks - the detectives/investigators. They patrol the streets, investigate crime scenes and solve cases.
2. The Swords - the guards. Their main role is to fight when needed, protect the local population, patrol the street along with the Hawks and guard different locations (e.g. palace, library, cast lords, etc.).
3. The Wolves - the assassins. The most secretive of the three, they are often tasked with the dirty jobs (e.g. murdering inconvenient people, spying, going undercover in dodgy places and so on).

Speaking of dodgy places, the Emperor's rule does not extend everywhere. One of those places are the ""fiefs" and let's just say that people are miserable there and the fief lords don't care.
Our main heroine is Kaylin, a Hawk who grew up in one of those fiefs and who has special markings all over her body. Markings that make her extra special and crucial for the survival of her world.


She also has quite the attitude, which prevents her from getting a much deserved promotion.



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TOP 3 THINGS I LOVED:

n  World-Buildingn

Yes, although the books' main focus is Kaylin and her super-convenient and random magical abilities with which she solves “cases”, the small glimpses we get from the world of Elantra are truly amazing. Each race has its own culture and traditions that sometimes clash with one another, even the barrani that are clearly influenced by the elves from traditional fantasy have their own unique characteristics (mainly the desire to obliterate all their enemies and competition, including family members). As you read you start asking questions such as - Why are there only a few dragons left and why are they all males, why are the aerians (aka. winged people) so secretive and living far away from anyone else, how does the magic work...ops, forget the last one. Its answer - Magic works only to further the plot when logic fails it.




Characters

I LOVE THEM!
Keep it short, Gergana, keep it short...
Not saying they're perfect (especially the MC - Kaylin), and I totally despise Severn (I'll explain later), but GOD, if there is one thing that makes me want to keep reading - it's the characters. From the Dragon Emperor (who we meet later on) who has trouble socialising and interacting normally with his citizens, to the barrani children who are so ridiculously cute and dangerous, from Kaylin's Leontine Boss who chews his desk to pieces when he's mad (or when he has to do paperwork), to the human merchants on Elani street who sell fake love potions and occasionally make true predictions of the future.



Michelle Sagara is a supreme master at creating highly compelling and colourful characters!

Everything Else

Yes, yes, I know I'm cheating, it's not like anyone would read this far. XD

-Humour - some good jokes in there that made me laugh out loud!

-Moments between characters - without a doubt, my favourite part of the series and I wish we had more of those!

-Politics – not much, but interracial politics and relationship is one of my top favourite themes! And in a world where you have a super friendly race that everyone hates because they can read your mind (and not judge you, despite you being the devil-incarnate), fiefs where criminals can hide and even work in league with the fief lords, tensions can be quite high.




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TOP 3 THINGS I HATED:

n  Repetitivenessn - From plot to sentences, you'll find a lot of super annoying repetitions, the writing style alone can make my head hurt some times. Most of the books have the same story and characters rarely change drastically with a few exceptions.

n  Conveniencen - Don't ask me what happens in the last third of each book. Something to do with Magic and Names that somehow fixes all the problems and plot holes without making any sense (to me). Even the protagonist doesn't know what she's doing after 10+ books.

n  Protagonist, aka. Kaylinn is sometimes really annoying - no, it's not because she's an ultra-powerful extra-special snowflake, and no, it's not because she can be really dumb sometimes. She just has to remind EVERYONE in almost EVERY SINGLE BOOK how horrible her childhood was! And she has to rant about it for pages and pages, no one is allowed to suffer in front of Kaylin! Kaylin will tell anyone who dares that, compared to her, they've had it easy. God, I'm so tired of hearing about her stupid sob story, it's so repetitive and condescending...

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Top 3+ Missed opportunities (according to me, personal opinion) :

-Saving the world? How about investigating? - For a hawk, Kaylin does little to no investigation (of the normal kind) and it really does feel like a missed chance to explore more of the world and its characters.

-Villains - usually revealed at the end, 2-dimensional and boring. Always want to destroy the world or parts of it.

-Severn - a creepy stalker, I mean Kaylin's partner, who is in love with her, but doesn't want to pressure her into relationship, because he has no freaking personality whatsoever. Instead he just follows her around, being completely invisible to most characters and readers. (Honestly, his name rarely gets mentioned, and when it does, you realise he's been next to Kaylin the whole time and he never contributed to anything, especially conversations). Nevertheless, he IS a bad-ass and manages to keep up with both magicians and immortals despite having no special power of his own. He might not be my favourite character, but I think it’s only because I have yet to understand his purpose.

-Magic = no sense!!! (or maybe I'm too stupid to get it.)

-The Garden Keeper - you annoy me… A LOT!

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WOW! This is like 10 times shorter than what I originally wrote. Congratulations! You're almost at the end!

AMAZING FANART!

I won’t hide it – the reason I wanted to check the series out in the first place is one of the most AWESOME FANART of all time, done by  Mathia Arkoniel Just looking at the pictures made me fall in love with the book before I even started them!


Make sure to check all her amazing Elantra fanart!

Ok, I know I’m supposed to review a book and not fangirl over other people’s art, but… LOOK AT THEM!!!

By  Permahiatus The Severn fanart is begging me to change my opinion of him…


By Arriku

Spread the love! XD

Covers
I like them! They get better with time and I love the new model they've chosen. Not how I picture Kaylin, but I like how my collection looks on my shelf - super colourful!

Audiobook
Highly recommend if you have good concentration skills (you'll need it, there are quite a few characters with very similar names and even the audiobook narrator can't do a thousand different voices). Speaking of which, Khristine Hvam does an excellent job at ...EVERYTHING! She can do many different voices, add a lot of personality and emotion into them and help you finish the books faster. Really enjoyed her work!

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Conclusion

It's difficult to recommend The Elantra Chronicles to everyone. On one hand, I consider it to be one of the most imaginative and enjoyable reads in my life, and yet, it contains ALL the reasons I should hate it. I've given up on other books for less, but somehow, there's something here that really managed to pull me in: whether it's the amazing feeling I get every time I'm transported to one of my favourite fictional worlds, or maybe it's the lovable characters that I can't get enough of, I don't know. Hopefully, this review was somewhat useful for anyone who wouldn't mind investing their time on a book such as The Elantra Chronicles.

Good luck, there are 14 books out already!

Would I read the sequels Yes, I would never stop! No matter how much I complain!
Would I buy hard copies Already have.
Would I reread Already have, and it's not one of those series that get better after each reread. You notice more of the flaws...
Would I recommend to a friend? - I suggest you try it. I don't disagree with the negative reviews, but I also can't explain why this series is one of my top favourites despite all the ranting and complaining I've done. I have a feeling women would like it better than men, though. Women can tolerate more pointless monologues XD



Happy new Year!

And for more fanart and art in general please check my Tumblr  or Instagram account :D

This is the first book in this series by Michelle Sagara (aka Michelle West or Michelle Sagara West). Kaylin is a Hawk - one of the arms of the law in her world. She has an unusual ability for healing and also unusual tattoos on her arms which suddenly appeared on her when she was a child. No one can explain them. She is an orphan from the outer city (a very poor and dangerous area). When she was young she escaped this place by petitioning to be a Hawk. There is a reason she left, a really disturbing event that Kaylin wants to forget; but while Kaylin wants to leave her past behind, it follows her : suddenly children are being killed and found with tattoos on them similar to Kaylin's, and everyone wants to know why. Because Kaylin believes in justice and enforcing the law, she must get involved in solving these murders and dredge up her past. A very engrossing police procedural mixed with fantasy and very interesting characters. Probably one of the most interesting things is the different races and cultures in Kaylin's world and how they all interact with one another.

AMAZING STORY! Definitely one to read again and i can't wait to read the next one in the series. The whole premise is terrific. This book is... just impossible for me to sum up the way I usually do. There are funny parts and scary parts and emotional parts. The characters were all fantastic. The writing is amazing! There is a good balance between description and dialogue. It is entirely clean except for a couple of minor swear words which was appreciated and interesting considering some of the scenes. I loved it. definitely at least 5 stars, and more if it were possible.

I'm really torn here. I wanted to love this book, and there is so much about it that is interesting, but I feel so underwhelmed after finishing it. I loved the different races and types of creatures and their mannerisms, but I felt that they were not really explained very well. From the opening pages certain people are labeled as a specific race, yet we don't know much about the races. Sure the Leonites resemble lions, but that's all I got. I felt from very early on that I was missing something. I didn't skip a sentence or detail yet I felt completely lost the entire time. Just like the main character. Everyone knows what is going on except for her. It makes her come off as childish, immature, and stupid, but she is not. She can't be because I understand just as little as she does. Other characters continuously call her little, child, clumsy, and assume she isn't capable of understanding anything. I must be incapable of understanding as well because I finished the novel and I'm still lost. It seems the book is about solving the mystery of the children dying with marked skin. There isn't much detective work going on, and everyone seems to already know who is behind it. It's like they are putting the main character through the motions just so they can laugh at her when she comes out more confused at the end. As a mystery I don't think this novel works. As a straight fantasy book and an entrance into an interesting world it succeeds. I wanted to know more about everything. What do the mysterious markings say, what is up with the creepy nightshade guy, what isn't everyone telling us? Sometimes I am happy when an author leaves some details behind and leaves some questions unanswered, but in this novel I was more confused than anything else. The world presented is very interesting and there is definitely room for improvement. I get a feel for society as a whole, but I want more information. I see the word caste come up often but I don't really see the system in place. If I could sum this book up in one word I would call it confusing. I will continue the series in hopes that things will make more sense the more I read. A decent novel overall, but could have been much better if presented more clearly. I also hope the main character grows and people trust her with more details in the future.