Michelle SagaraKirja-arvosteluja

F/SF

I continue to read this series because I'm interested in the overall storyline and how it's going to resolve, but the prose and repeating sentence structure tends to feel repetitive. Once you notice it, it's hard to unsee and it tends to pull me out of the narrative.

Love this series. While this is not in any way a cliffhanger, it is not as 'complete' a story as the previous books. I wouldn't be surprised to find that it was a huge volume that Harlequin split in half.

I am now glumly setting out to find out when the next one will be published--grimly resigned to the fact that it will probably be out over a year from now.

This one is very much in the style of of the first few Elantra books. It's not high literature, but I enjoyed it.

I love Jewel ATerafin, I love the den, and I love the House war books. This one was in classic House war form, it has the typical stately writing style that West uses for these books, but it flows well. The characters are wonderful, there is plenty of drama, and Jay is coming into her own.

I'm usually not really into young adult urban fantasy, but this was by Michelle Sagara, and it didn't sound bad, so I gave it a try. And it paid off, because I actually liked this book quite a bit. It avoids the angsty teenager bits. It avoids the obvious romance bits. Oh, I'm sure there will be romance in one of the sequels, but there's only the merest hint of it here. The book is about a bunch of teenagers, but it also avoids the bitchiness of teenage social behavior. The main character, Emma, had real friends that back each other up, and one of those friends is the social queen of high school. Another of her friends is autistic. It makes for some very interesting dynamics, especially when Emma finds out she can see dead people. So yes, this is an easy-to-read young adult urban, but it also has a bit more depth to it. In particular, Emma and her friends have more depth to them. The bond between them is of such a nature that you just want to spend more time with them. This'll be one of the few ya urbans of which I will read the sequel...

Not bad, but I started this story in her other series in this world (House wars and Sun sword) and I find her writing in those books to be preferable. Sure, it can be a bit stiff at times, but it also had more depth.

Elantra once again entrances!

Raven lived in the Warrens. She collected glass no-one could see. She had a companion Robin but he’d disappeared. He had been recruited to the Academia, a place of learning that had been asleep but now returned and is governed by the Dragon chancellor, Lord Tiamaris. Tiamaris sees Academia as his horde. Never get between a dragon and his horde!
Raven couldn’t remember her past, her name, names of objects, anything, she was a blank slate. Robin had named her. The two had survived in the Warrens, looking out for each other from an early age. Robin vaguely, fleetingly remembers another life. Robin wants Raven to come to Academia, but when she arrives those in charge are alarmed by her.
Death is stalking the halls of Academia.
Who or what is Raven? Who is Robin? Who is the old woman Giselle?
This is an independent title that has seemingly grown out of Cast in Wisdom. I love the way Raven interacts with the giant spider Starrante, a Wevaran, and one of the three librarians of Academia.
Some of the lost Barrani cohort who now live with Kylin Neya are present, particularly Terrano who most people can’t see but Raven and Giselle can.
Sagara has an underlying current running through this novel that explores questions around waking thoughts and what dreams might be. The reality of fears, anxieties and wishes as they pertain to dreams. Fascinating!
Another stunning novel of Elantra that pulled me into the mystery of Raven and Robin, and more broadly into the lost cohort of Baranni’s.

A Harlequin Trade ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Enjoyable myth-making, but the latter books in this series continue to be long and not very dense. Still good, but not a page-turner, which is a challenge when a book is long.½

SHARDS OF GLASS is set in the same world as the Chronicles of Elantra series and has some of the same characters. This story takes place at the recently rediscovered Academia which was once a center of learning for the world but was shifted out of its timeline in the battle to defeat Shadow which was set to consume the world.

Young Robin was kidnapped from the Warrens when it was discovered that Academia needed students to complete its recovery. After the defeat of the people who wanted to use Academia to build their own powers and a new Chancellor was chosen, the quest for new students began.

Robin proposed the friend who kept him alive in the Warrens when he was a child. Raven was a strange person who knew how to survive and chose to help Robin survive too. Robin is the one who named this child Raven and who acted as her interpreter to the world since she was almost completely nonverbal when they first paired up.

Robin hoped that bringing Raven to Academia would provide the safety, food, and shelter that were so scarce in the Warrens. He wasn't expecting to drop her in the middle of a campus where random students were being murdered.

Robin has been making new friends among the students including three of the Cohort of Barrani who were rescued from captivity in an earlier book of the Chronicles of Elantra. Serralyn loved the Academia especially its endless library staffed by Arbiters from three ancient, immortal races. And Terrano was another friend who was most changed by their captivity and now has very non-Barrani abilities. Robin is even friends with Starrante who is one of the librarians and a Wevaran who looks like a giant spider.

As Robin and Raven work together to solve the murders and preserve this new home they learn more about each other and more about the pasts that are impacting their presents.

This was an excellent, complex fantasy filled with magic and magical beings. Robin seems to be an ordinary human but one with a potential magical ability. Raven is anything but human which comes as a surprise to Robin. The Chancellor of the Academia is a dragon. The Arbiters are a Wevaran, an Ancient, and a Barrani. There are sentient buildings and human mages.

But beyond the fantastical elements, this is a story of friendship and love and finding a home. I really enjoyed it and would be eager for more stories in this world.

Flavorful, but nearly 100% of it is setting the scene for action to come.

After a bit of a rough transition between the story pre-crossover with the Sun Sword series, this brings everything together very satisfyingly for the house war to start in earnest. The focus in this book is primarily on Jay herself and her meditation on what it actually means for her to seek leadership, but the story is leavened with enough action, enchantment, and viewpoints of other characters to maintain pace.

This is some of the most air-tight prose I've ever read in a fantasy series. Because of that, it's not the easiest read for casual readers, but well worth every juicy sentence for serious fans. As a newcomer to Sagara, I had a hard time understanding a lot of the world building (hence why several of the Amazon reviews mention it might be easier to NOT start with this prequel) but really loved the original ideas explored through use of magic and caste systems. I always admire an author who isn't afraid to make their protagonist someone who is hard to like, and I loved Severn all the more for this. Complicated plot, but excellent character development, world-building and sense of place.

Definitely read it!

Such a perfect and beautiful ending. It's hard to do that without wrapping everything up in a pretty little bow, but Sagara has mastered the art! Complex plot with excellent flow and a well of character development that keeps me hooked chapter-by-chapter. Awesome magic. Awesome world-building; really, nothing not to love here.

Definitely read it!

Fun little novella. Felt more like an unfinished short story but it was lovely to see a little more of "Kaylin's" backstory!

A quick and entertaining read. Go for it!

This was such an enjoyable read. Sagara's prose is beautiful, and does such credit to the complex world and deep characters she's created. I'm new to this series, but look forward to a few months of letting the light of Elantra shine on my imagination!

Definitely read it!

Another beautifully written addition to the series. That I have 15 books left to read makes me downright giddy. I love that we get intimate with the working of the Barrani court in this series. I started with the prequel series and had SO many questions about the workings of the immortal cultures, so this was a nice deep dive into world-building and culture! Also, Sagara's ability to end a book with the perfect mix of "Yes! I love this ending." and "Holy shit! Now what?" is downright enviable!

Definitely read it!

It's always delightful to find an author who manages the middle-series books with as much enthusiasm and attention to detail as Sagara does in this one. Instead of giving us a formulaic story from a slightly different perspective, we get a completely original story that serves as a shuttle of sorts from one part of Elantra, to another. I am learning new things about this world in every page, and the way the characters react to that world are as refreshing and exciting as they were in book one.

Definitely give it a read!

Sagara strikes again! I don't know how it's possible for these series books to get BETTER and more interesting, but they have. This exploration of Leontine culture is exactly what I've been waiting for. In this installment, we get to see the inner workings of a Leontine Pridelea, as well as some of the political intrigues of dragons. And another thing I've been waiting for: a hint at the formation and purpose of the fiefs! In short, brand new world-building territory and a deep dive into some of our favorite characters!

Definitely read it.

One of my favorite installments to date! This one gets pretty meta and abstract, but in a way that lets the reader experience a whole new kind of character and POV. I love the idea of giving something sentience that normally wouldn't have it. (Probably why I loved Beauty and the Beast as a child), but this one is done with incredible care and finesse and enough tension to keep me turning pages late into the night.

Definitely read it!

While I really loved the beautiful prose and rich depth of character in this installment, it got a little TOO abstract for me. Probably because I'm binge reading and two books in a row now have had sweeping dream-like-scapes and an excess of sitting with characters' thoughts. I found myself really missing the complex storytelling that happened in the first 4 book, and am hoping the series will return to the strong bones of that structure soon.

Still... a beautiful and important story about who decides who has a place in society. Definitely give it a read.

This was such a fun and exciting installment! I love the introduction of new characters/worlds while also continuing to add layers of depth to the characters we know and love. Kaylin is showing signs of maturity, which is a welcome addition to the series, though I wish it'd speed up a bit. I liked that this one was a return to some of the solid storytelling of the earlier books, with a little less of the abstract battles and dreamscapes. So excited to dive into the next one.

Definitely read it!

I really enjoyed moving through the world a bit in this installment. Again, it got a little too dreamscape for me. I realize now, that this is a theme in the Chronicles of Elantra, but it still gets abstract enough to detract from the story from time to time. That said, the journey to West March is exciting, gives a lot of information about the Halliones (sp?) And introduces a character I am instantly in love with. Definitely entertaining enough to keep me marching forward in the series.

I am hoping, at this point, to see a little be more character progress with Kaylin. I can only believe she's this hotheaded piss poor student for so many books before it gets old. So that's a thing.

A beautiful installment full of rich worldbuilding and action that takes us to the very heart of the West March. I've really enjoyed the two book trip outside of Elantra, and am excited to return to it in the next installment. Sagara has a masterful grasp on when to bring the story out of the established formulaic and into something new and exciting.

Also? Still super in love with unnamed SMOL not-really-glass dragon! *swOOn*

Definitely give it a read!

Another excellent and freshly-imagined installment. There are bits of the dreamscape that are feeling a tad stale as I've binged ten books in a row, but Sagara has such talent with introducing new elements that keep things fresh and exciting... and also adding depth to the world. What I'm looking for now, is a bit more personal progress in Kaylin. She's been a private for ten books. And hasn't experienced nearly enough personal growth for my tastes.

Moving on to the next installment with anticipation and hope, and a very loud fief shrug~!