Cast in Shadow

Chronicles of Elantra, Book 1

By: Michelle Sagara

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Seven years ago, Kaylin fled the crime-riddled streets of Nightshade, knowing that something was after her. Children were being murdered— and all had the same odd markings that mysteriously appeared on her own skin….

Since then, she's learned to read, she's learned to fight and she's become one of the vaunted Hawks who patrol and police the City of Elantra. Alongside the winged Aerians and the immortal Barrani, she's made a place for herself, far from the mean streets of her birth.

But children are once again dying, and a dark and familiar pattern is emerging. Kaylin is ordered back into Nightshade with a partner she knows she can't trust, a Dragon lord for a companion and a device to contain her powers—powers that no other human has. Her task is simple—find the killer, stop the murders… and survive the attentions of those who claim to be her allies!

Spellbound? Listen to more Chronicles of Elantra.

©2011 Michelle Sagara (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

entertaining

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Great story line. Entertaining characters, could not stop listening when I got started.

What other book might you compare Cast in Shadow to and why?

I compare the audiobook to the Harry Potter series in the fact you can tell one character from another

What does Khristine Hvam bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Different voices bring out the characters personalities.

This was an interesting story.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, but I had to listen to the beginning 3 times, because the discription of the characters is so thin. For instance: The flight wings on Clint, are they a part of him or does he look like a human and have wings attached? Does he have a bird face? I did get into the book and enjoyed it. I like female heroines and Kaylin had a humorous personality which didn't make the story all dark and dangerous all the time. There were good elements to Kaylin's magic such as her healing ability as well as the dark parts of the magic.

What could Michelle Sagara have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Better description of the characters, especially Avian.

Which character – as performed by Khristine Hvam – was your favorite?

Kaylin

Nice storyline and strong characters.

I enjoyed this book because the storyline was interesting. I was super lost throughout the book however. I don't feel as though the characters were explained in depth. overall and nice read though!

Brilliant Series - Excellently read and visualised

Where does Cast in Shadow rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of my favourites. The author is new to me but well worth the listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kaylin Neya the main character. She displays a bold courageous nature, often reckless but she's on a learning curve. Looking forward to further development.

Which character – as performed by Khristine Hvam – was your favorite?

Kaylin

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Magic to die for!

Any additional comments?

Really quirky storyline, you have to pay attention but it is well worth while. The characters are quite well defined although there are a few gaps. Perhaps future books will flesh this out.

Loved it!

I enjoyed the beginning of this series. It reminds me of another one but with a heroine instead of a hero.

Fun compelling story, hard to stop listening

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Excellent story, you care about the characters. Easy to get caught up in the world of Hawks, Dragons, Barani, Humuans, fun read. None of the characters are perfect, everyone has their flaws. The reading is excellently done and she brings the characters to life.

Cool setup, gets confusing

I've heard that this series takes a little while to get going. After listening to the first book on audio, I can see why. The set-up is pretty cool - Renaissance style fantasy kingdom with six races and a cool law enforcement structure. The story starts out by following Kaylin as she goes to investigate the mysterious deaths of children. And then it gets hella confusing. By the end, I just had no idea what was going on, with the crazy magic and everything. Also, I kept thinking: "If anyone says 'I'm a hawk' or 'Kaylin was a hawk' one more time, Imma lose it." And then they'd say it again.

Still giving it four stars because the premise and universe are intriguing, and Kaylin's a cool main character. I also really enjoyed Severn - he's probably the most interesting character in the book, in my opinion.

Started out interesting

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

not really

Would you recommend Cast in Shadow to your friends? Why or why not?

depends on their age - Plays to a younger croud

Could you see Cast in Shadow being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no

Any additional comments?

A little to farfetched, hard to follow.

frustrating

author is illogical and irrational. the caracters are often OOC (out of caracter) from one chapter to the next. it's hard to read on, even though the story isnt bad.

good start to series

The reader does a great job with the various types and species of these characters. The world is interesting. I do wish that there was a little more explanations about the world. Hope that gets covered in latter books. I'm rating this 4 stars because plot gets bogged down in places. Also I noticed that characters tend to have similar sounding names. In written version it's not a problem. Looking forward to next book.