Cast in Silence (#5) by Michelle Sagara
4 stars
Previous Chronicles of Elantra Series Reviews
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.
Review on Goodreads.
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