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.

Addictive

What made the experience of listening to Cast in Shadow the most enjoyable?

The author creates a stunning visual picture. Quick, addictive read.

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoyed the story and visiting the picture of Elantra that Michelle Sagara painted.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could not put this book down.

AN AMAZING SERIES

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

This book ranks really highly as it has amazing content, story line, characters and complex world. The books are also long and amazingly filled with detail and 14 hrs flies by.

Have you listened to any of Khristine Hvam’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I'm really enjoying the narrator and am very excited that she is on the other books in the series. Her character voices are phenomenal and she IS the main character and every other character in the book.

Interesting twist.

Wasn't what I expected but it had some interesting twists in it. I enjoyed it and will continue the series.

I was getting bored, but....

If you could sum up Cast in Shadow in three words, what would they be?

fresh,
intelligent,
ENTERTAINING

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

Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Equally well written, narrated, and fresh

What about Khristine Hvam???s performance did you like?

Masterful rendition of character personalities shine, still conveying (i feel) what Michelle Sagara intended...filling my mind with a thoroughly fleshed out, comprehensive visual, emotional, intellectual experience. Awesome movie happening in my mind.

Any additional comments?

It was so good that I will read the rest of the series befor I move back to Lee Childs - Jack Reacher series.

I loved this book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Cast in Shadow to be better than the print version?

I've never read the print version, but loved listening to this book.

What did you like best about this story?

The mystery, thrill and the fantasy of the story.

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

She brought the characters alive and did a great job bringing the personality and persona of each character out. Very interesting indeed!

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

The Chosen One

Very good story, Great Narration.

What made the experience of listening to Cast in Shadow the most enjoyable?

The story is exciting laced with unexpected twists. Khristine Hvam is the 'perfect' narrator for the lead character.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I actually liked all the characters.

What about Khristine Hvam’s performance did you like?

I have listened to nearly a hundred books and Khristine may be the best I have ever enjoyed.

Any additional comments?

I realize I am gushing on Khristine Hvam but I am convinced many more sci-fy writers should seek her out.

Good plot but author tries too hard

The story was attention-grabbing with well-developed characters and interesting back-stories. Unfortunately, the author tries way too hard and went overboard with the thesaurus (especially when she passes off the main character as poor in her studies and ghetto-born and bred).

Given the format is an audiobook, that implies it’s probably a story you turn on and off over and over depending on your activity. I’m all for not revealing everything up front, but many of the conversations were so cryptic I couldn’t tell if the answer was yet to be revealed or I had missed something - that made it incredibly frustrating to follow. I kept having to back up to make sure I didn’t miss a story element – which was incredibly annoying.

The writer has lots of potential, but needs a better editor or someone to give targeted feedback – would love to listen more about how the characters develop in future books but don’t feel like putting myself through the frustration of trying to follow the author’s process.

Potential - but not engaging

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

I would not recommend it because I found the author put too much extraneous information in there and the characters were not interesting at all. The basic premise of the story is good but not enough to make up for everything else. It's also kinda cliche - to the point of being slightly corny.

What about Khristine Hvam’s performance did you like?

Was difficult to distinguish between characters as they all sounded pretty similar, if not the same

Not well executed

Any additional comments?

I'm really having a hard time sticking with this one. I fell for all the positive reviews without reading the negative ones, and I regret it. I did buy it on sale, so there's that.

I don't know if this is a new author, but while her premise was interesting, the execution was all over the map. Too many boring digressions and not enough action. I hope she improves in the future.

Khristine Hvam sounded like it was a chore reading this book as well, though as always, she's a pro. My one complaint was the voice of Marcus -- he sounded Jamaican, without the laid back vibe. It was a weird choice for a character who is supposed to be ubber alpha.

Entertaining but not fully compelling.

This is an entertaining start to a series, although not fully compelling for me. My rating 3.75.

Kaylin is a young woman seeking to be accepted as a Hawk warrior. The Lord of Hawks has accepted her into the Hawks for training and she is improving. Kaylin is sent on an assignment but must work with Severn, a childhood friend who has become an enemy to her. Kaylin and Severn are accompanied by a Dragon, Tiamaris. Fortunately, Tamaris, a formidable and quiet man, has great forbearance as he tires to keep Kaylin and Severn from attacking each other.

Children are dying in a bizarre manner in the poorer, crime-riddled section of the city known as Nightshade. Kaylin and Severn are familiar with the Nightshade as they were raised there as orphaned children. Seven years earlier Kaylin and Severn left the area, separately, after suffering the loss of friends who were being killed. The murdered children, then and now, are marked with tattoos which appeared on Kaylin’s skin too. Kaylin discovered that she has unusual healing powers that seem connected to the tattoos appearing on her body. But somehow she brings danger to others. Under the direction of the Hawklord, she is not supposed to use her healing skills without permission and she must keep her powers hidden.

Kaylin braves an audience with the Lord of Nightshade, an immortal who might be an enemy but currently is intrigued by Kaylin. He gives her a mark of protection. Although the mark doesn’t fully bind them as it might others, it is enough to raise questions by other powerful leaders possibly turning allies into enemies. While some try to take Kaylin down she struggles to save the children before another of her friends, a girl kidnapped from the orphanage, is killed.

I appreciate the world building and the different characters. Kaylin was a bit difficult to fully like as she is a messy character: immature, undisciplined and hotheaded. She is independent, a strong fighter and did mature some during the book providing hope for better behavior in future books. I definitely liked the interaction with the other characters, especially Tiamaris. It was annoying that others knew secrets regarding Kaylin’s powers but no one would share with her.

Between the interesting world, characters and action, the story kept my attention. I will likely try the next in the series at some point, although I don’t feel compelled to rush off to get it. I think readers who enjoy strong fantasy and YA characters should give this a try.

Audio Notes: Khristine Hvam does a good job narrating. She gives fitting voices to each character which adds depth to the audiobook. The narration enhanced my enjoyment of the story.