Review: 149. Cast in Ruin by Michelle Sagara...

I love Kaylin, and I love watching her growth in Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra series.

Title: Cast in Ruin (Chronicles of Elantra #7)
Author: Michelle Sagara
ISBN-13: 9780373803309
eBook: 325 pages
Publisher: Luna, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
She started out in this series an awkward young woman, on the beat for the Halls of Law, irreverent and impetuous, and known more for being late than anything else. With each installment Kaylin Neya's grown a bit more--either in her magic, or her understanding of it. Of course, it's still in dribs and drabs, considering that there's nobody around who could tell her about her magic...

In Cast in Ruin, Kaylin's back at lessons. Etiquette lessons, which she needs if she's to survive a meeting with the Emperor, because apparently dragons don't have any sense of humor at all... And if you've followed Kaylin's journey, you know she's not very good at lessons. It's almost a miracle she's still alive, actually...

Lessons aren't the only thing Kaylin has to do in this installment, of course. She's called to Tiamaris' fief to do some investigating when bodies start appearing. Seven identical bodies, to be exact. And nobody knows who they are or where they've come from.

What follows is a tale of epic proportions, complete with backstory, a villain, a hero, and a damsel. Of sorts. And Kaylin, of course--even if she's gotten a hold of her irreverence (or at least attempts to not verbalize it) and sometimes checks her impetuousness at the door. I love the new characters introduced in Cast in Ruin, and I loved that Severn and Kaylin's relationship hasn't changed much, even with a few more things out in the open. I love the dialog and the action, too. And I love how things worked out, which isn't something I can always say about a book in a fantasy series! I'm looking forward to the next installment, Cast in Peril, even though I have no clue when it'll be out. Please make it soon!!

drey's rating: Outstanding! If you haven't read this series (yet), start with Cast in Shadow.

And if you have read it, what did you think?