After a foray into a different fantasy book series (The Queen of the Tearling) and a few non-fantasy related picks (The Girls, Melody's Key, The Fireman, The Handmaid's Tale, Bird Box), it was time to return to Elantra and Kaylin Neya.
I was both looking forward to and dreading my reading of Cast in Flame. Dreading because it's my last volume in the Chronicles of Elantra series (I've yet to get a copy of Cast in Honor and Cast in Flight) and I've gotten particularly fond of the adventures the series offers, though I sometimes still get turned around by author Michelle Sagara's writing style. Of course, I was looking forward to reading what the fates have in store next for the eternally beleaguered Kaylin, especially after the particularly strong stories featured in Cast in Peril and Cast in Sorrow.
Kaylin has finally returned to Elantra after her visit to the West March, where she has saved not only Teela, but has also somewhat restored the rest of Teela's friends back to their physical form. But there is still some mystery as to how their years living in the space between worlds has affected them, a cause for concern especially since Mandoran and Annarion chose to return to the city with them. Kaylin, on the other hand, is more focused on finding a new place to live in so she can move out of the Imperial Palace (and the incessant deafening conversations between the dragons). Unable to tell Bellusdeo, the last female dragon, that she prefers to live alone, Kaylin is faced with the daunting task of finding a place she can afford but would still meet the palace's standards to ensure Bellusdeo's security.
After the last few volumes, I realized that there has been a change in how the books of the Chronicles of Elantra series have been written. The earlier volumes, while still retaining the overarching role of Kaylin as Chosen, had more of a feel of stand-alone adventures, especially since each book covered a particular race of Elantra. The latter volumes, however, have storylines that carried on into the next installments. Cast in Peril and Cast in Sorrow felt like two parts of a single story, and some of the mystery tackled in them are now carried over into Cast in Flame.
Cast in Flame started out as a story of apartment hunting, an already complicated endeavor with her paltry pay (made even paltrier by a penchant to bet on bad odds) and Lord Emmerian tagging along to make demands on landlords to ensure Bellusdeo's security. And Bellusdeo, not wanting to antagonize Kaylin and bring her more inconvenience, but still not wanting to live in a place without her, has taken an aggressive stance against the Eternal Emperor, which causes Kaylin even more stress and possibly compromised hearing due to all the roaring when they argue in dragon-speak.
In the midst of all this real estate conundrum, Kaylin learns that the troubles that beset the West March is far from over. When Mandoran upsets the elemental water in Evanton's garden, and Annarion accidentally wakes up the avatar of Nightshade's castle while arguing with his brother, it becomes clear that they are far from being normal Barrani, however they might look that way. The two evoke reactions from the elements, sentient structures, and, worst of all, shadows, just by being in the vicinity. And before any of them can figure out what exactly is different with Mandoran and Annarion, a nightmare from the Barrani past is unleashed.
Annarion's presence in Nightshade's castle and the eventual disruption he caused would lead to the release of an even bigger horror in the form of the Ancestors, ancient Barrani that are considered near-legends even among the immortal race that they belonged to. In every volume, there is an ultimate enemy that Kaylin has to face. The outcaste dragon Makuron the Black will always be the ultimate big bad of the series, and he rightfully rears his head every now and then to remind everyone that he still intends to destroy everything. But the Ancestors, unnamed as they were, were probably the most menacing of the threats that Kaylin ever had the unfortunate luck to encounter. The two battles with the Ancestors were probably the most exciting in the series, especially with the Barrani and the Dragons banding together to attempt to quell the threat (I felt like I should have played some rousing orchestral background music during these parts). I was afraid that there would be casualties and kept muttering to myself, "Please don't let the Arkon die." (I seriously love his character... especially when he get all softy when it comes to Bellusdeo and gives proper guidance to Kaylin without the usual dragon condescension).
Cast in Flame features a pretty straightforward storytelling compared to its brethren in the series. I mean, author Michelle Sagara still takes her sweet time getting to the exciting parts and the characters tend to have overlong conversations that I sometimes lose track of what they're talking about. But the story pretty much progresses on a decent pace and, for some reason, I ended up investing a lot on Kaylin's quest to find a new apartment. So much so, that I immediately got excited when Evanton recommended a possible landlord... even if you do know that it must come with magical strings. Those magical strings turned out to be as old as the fief towers themselves and have quite the story to tell, one that immediately sets the tone for an unusual landlord-tenant negotiations between Kaylin and the building's avatar, Helen. Though getting to the end of the negotiations proved rocky when the Ancestors made an appearance with a host of ferals.
While featuring an all new adventure / mis-adventure for Kaylin, Cast in Flame features a familiar mix of story elements. One of which is the expansion of her circle of friends or family figure. I think Helen is going to be a given, since she literally embodies a home for Kaylin (and Kaylin embodies companionship for the avatar). Mandoran and Annarion, on the other hand, might come with a lot of magical baggage that's hard to understand, but I can easily see them fitting into Kaylin's life, provided they don't anger elements or sentient structures, or do whatever it is they do that stirs the shadows when they're near. Whatever they now are is a mystery to be solved in the coming volumes.
But first, Kaylin has to find Nightshade.
Let's see how long I hold out until I get a copy of Cast in Honor.
Happy reading!!Labels: Adventure, Book Series, Books, Cast in Flame, Chronicles of Elantra, Fantasy, Fiction, Michelle Sagara, Reading List
