Mira Presents: Michelle Siguara's Cast In Flight


Title:  Cast In Flight
Series:  Chronicles Of Elantra #12
Author:  Michelle Sagura
Publisher:  Mira
Length: 496 pages
Rating: 3.5 Stars

New York Times bestselling author Michelle Sagara returns to the city of Elantra with a thrilling tale rife with ancient magic, assassination attempts and political intrigue.

Private Kaylin Neya already has Dragons and Barrani as roommates. Adding one injured, flightless Aerian to her household should be trivial. Sure, the Aerian is Sergeant Moran dar Carafel, but Kaylin's own sergeant is a Leontine, the definition of growly and fanged. She can handle one Aerian.

But when a walk to the Halls of Law becomes a street-shattering magical assassination attempt on the sergeant, Kaylin discovers that it's not the guest who's going to be the problem: it's all of the people who suddenly want Moran dar Carafel dead. And though Moran refuses to tell her why she's being targeted, Kaylin is determined to discover her secret and protect her at all costs--even if keeping Moran safe means dealing with Aerian politics, angry dragons and something far more sinister.


Please enjoy this exclusive excerpt from Cast In Flight
by
Michelle Sahara West
,
Chapter 1                                                                Morning was not Kaylin’s friend. Helen’s Avatar stood in front of the open bedroom door, her expression as pinched as it ever got. Sentient buildings were in most ways a living marvel, but they definitely had their drawbacks. “I’m not hungry,”Kaylin told Helen as she dragged herself out of bed. “I need sleep more than I need food.”She could see only one of her shoes. “Is there anything you can do about Nightshade and Annarion? I never thought I’d say this, but Dragons roaring at each other at the top of their lungs was more peaceful.”“I’m sorry, dear. I’ve done what I can to isolate the noise in the house, but Annarion’s voice travels through most of my barriers.”“It’s not just Annarion. I can hear every word Nightshade is saying.”“That would be because you bear his mark, dear. He can’t control you through it while he’s under my roof, but the connection is still active.”Kaylin reached up to touch her cheek. Nightshade’s mark looked like a tattoo of a small flower, and she’d had it for long enough she was barely aware of it, except in moments like these. Helen looked down at her hands, which weren’t really hands; Helen was a building. Her Avatar appeared to be human. It wasn’t. Clearing her throat was also an affectation, and she did that, as well. “Regardless, breakfast is an important meal. You have work today. You need food.”Helen’s Avatar folded her arms. As far as Helen was concerned, this was a fight worth having, and as it happened, Helen won all these fights. The winged lizard flapping around Kaylin’s face in obvious annoyance made it hard to pull clothing over her head. Kaylin swatted halfheartedly at her familiar. “That’s what buttons are for, dear. If you unbuttoned—and folded—your clothing, getting dressed would be less chaotic.”Small and squawky settled on Kaylin’s left shoulder with a little more claw than usual. “I used to daydream about having an older brother,”she said as she spied the missing shoe under her bed. “If nothing else, this has cured me of that.”


My Thoughts

First...
Let me say that I am so honored to have been chosen to host this re-read of Michelle Sagara's Chronicles Of Elantra, #12 Cast In Flight. 
Having said that.  I must admit that while reading this book I was very much of two minds.
On the one hand.  The world building that has taken place here.  (Speaking within the context of having read earlier books in the series.) Is wonderful indeed.
The time taken to introduce readers to the social intricacies and political wrangling associated with them is exquisite. Both through the experiences of Kaylin; as the outsider that she is. And through the eyes of a native cast mate.
In the case of Cast In Flight.  The Aerians are front and center.  Or to be more specific. One Sergeant Moran Dar Carafel.  A very special Aerian. Whose very special, but at present flightless wings, make her heir to a very important dynasty.
One that certain people within her race believe she should have no right.
Make her a target for murder.  At any cost.
But the secrets that Moran holds are much too precious to fall to an assassin's hand.
And if keeping Moran safe means adding her as a roommate to a house already choc full with the dragon, and Lord Nightshade and his brother arguing all the time, and people popping in all the time.  Things were a bit like a frat house during rush week.
Things for poor Kaylin were like that for the majority of the book.  And she seemed to just want to be in the background most of the time.
Which gave the book a rather detached tone.
Even though there was a great deal of action, mystery, intrigue, and even A little romance to be had.
It all seemed to be happening around Kaylin, and not to her.
And she didn't seem to grow very much from previous books until now.
With most of her decision making being based on having to ask someone's opinions or advice; rather than trusting her gut.
Her interaction with her familiar could have been much more natural if she had a more direct method of communication.  It obviously could understand her. Why not return the favor.  It was an ever increasing occurrence of little admittedly nitpicky things that kept all the puzzle pieces of the story from fitting together as snuggly as he would expect.
In short.  While the overall story is good.  The taming the devils that are the details, could have made it better

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Mira for providing access to the review copy on which my honest critique is based.









About Michelle
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.

Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.

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