In Elantra, a job well done is rewarded with a more dangerous task. So after defeating a dark evil, Kaylin Neya goes before the Barrani High Court, where a misspoken word brings sure death. Kaylin’s never been known for her grace or manners, but the High Lord’s heir is suspiciously ill, and Kaylin’s healing magic is the only shot at saving him—if she can dodge the traps laid for her.
As much as I enjoyed Cast in Shadow, in some ways I enjoyed Cast in Courtlight even more. The reasons for that are numerous, entirely subjective, and to keep this post as spoiler free as possible I’m not going to detail all of them. But a few? That I can do.
So, first, most of this story takes place at the Barrani High Court. Over the course of the novel, court politics and Barrani history are explored, fantastically intriguing new characters are introduced, and Kaylin takes up a quest of sorts to reconcile her past in order to prepare for her future.
One thing to note is that, where Shadow was physically charged, lots of action and movement, Courtlight is emotionally charged, and a bit more contemplative. But both novels have strong characters, and the new ones, three Barrani Lords in particular, were what I actually liked most about Courtlight. And, no, that count doesn’t include Nightshade, though I’m even more intrigued by his role in the whole thing. (There was a scene towards the very end of the book – a scene between Nightshade and Andellen, a Lord who chose to follow Nightshade and who ends up guarding Kaylin at High Court (and, yes, he numbers among the three above) – that really got me thinking. And with that scene in mind, it’s very, very hard to keep from moving on to the next and then the next in the series, just so I can find out how it plays into everything.) I also appreciated the development between Kaylin and Severn, but that’s all I’m going to say about that.
A few characters that were very present in Shadow aren’t so much in Courtlight, but considering the shift in place, their absence is understandable. And the only nit-picky comment I can think of is that the word ‘inasmuch’ was used often enough for me to really take notice of it. Otherwise, Sagara offers up a strong installment with this one.
For now I’m taking an enforced break from the series – the rest of the titles haven’t come in for me at the library yet – but I’m looking forward to heading back to Elantra as soon as possible.
Sounds neat and I really like the cover too!
I do, too, but the funny thing is, this cover is vastly different from all the rest in the series. Strange, considering, but pretty.
Nice review. The Barani books is perhaps my favourite of the series so far. I just love Sagara’s mix of cultures.
Doug – Thank you. I like the mix of cultures, as well. I’m hoping we learn a bit more about the dragons in a future book.
oh gosh, these sound good- more for my list!