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Chronicles of Elantra #1-3
Chronicles of Elantra Bundle
Epic fantasy meets fast-paced police procedural in Michelle Sagara¿s gripping action-adventure series The Chronicles of Elantra, where law enforcer Kaylin Neya investigates crime armed with magic and a sharp wit. Bundle includes Cast in Shadow, Cast in Courtlight and Cast in Secret.
1170 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2007
44 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Sagara
54 books1,805 followersSee also:
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle West
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
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.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
Michelle Sagara West
Michelle West
Michelle is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West (and sometimes as Michelle Sagara West). You can find her books at fine booksellers.
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.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 21, 2022
This is the second time I've tried to read this/these books, and I still can't bring myself to keep going. I'm sure it is a wonderful story, but I need some back story or something, to explain the world and who people are. Not understanding the magic didn't really help, although it is probably explained later on in the first book.
Oh well. maybe I'll try again another time after all I own it!
Oh well. maybe I'll try again another time after all I own it!
August 26, 2016
One day, after bitterly complaining that I couldn't find any good female fantasy writers, my darling husband bought me this bundle to read. I became so engrossed in this story. I ended up getting kicked out of bed to the couch so I could read one after another. I read all three in one sitting. Yes, by the time I was done, I was blurry eyed and exhausted.
I love Ms. Sagara's books. They are so different. She definitely sees things from a way that is unique. Her style of storytelling is refreshing. Her worlds are complex and so fascinating. Her books make me totally loose myself. Her characters are amazing. Ms. Sagara is one of my favourite authors.
I love Ms. Sagara's books. They are so different. She definitely sees things from a way that is unique. Her style of storytelling is refreshing. Her worlds are complex and so fascinating. Her books make me totally loose myself. Her characters are amazing. Ms. Sagara is one of my favourite authors.
July 10, 2014
Omg, read all her stuff. Twice. Sagara's "Chronicles of Elantra" books are awesome, epic tales with a wonderful young heroine who can save the day and still be worried about missing work as a "cop", delivering babies for the midwives guild or ticking off the dragon emperor because of her ignorance of etiquette. She's stumbly and graceful, vicious and kind, humble and rebellious. And she's got power, baby. Power she doesn't understand but she keeps using anyway because someone has to save the world from evil. Each book highlights one race of Elantra in detail while continuing the exciting plot. The characters are very well developed and memorable. I never get enough!
January 24, 2020
This is being marked as DNF. I couldn’t get past chapter 4, the premise of story is good but the writing isn’t. Very hard to get into.
February 20, 2023
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I completely change my mind on a series, so want to change my scoring down a lot. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
First book was a 2.75*, some stuff bugged me. I had others in the series already, so read the next book and liked that more. Then decided to read the next, having had a bad spate of 1* books (not posting reviews in order). Then I read the next book and the next and so on. I then got those I was missing to the last book currently out, number 17. The rating is an overall for the series one. Some books I liked more than others.
Oh I have not read the prequels, I only got those 'after' I read the first few books and didn't want to go back.
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes -- Definitely of this series -- I do have the first books of her other series to try, but am trying to give other 'new to me' authors a try first.
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
First book was a 2.75*, some stuff bugged me. I had others in the series already, so read the next book and liked that more. Then decided to read the next, having had a bad spate of 1* books (not posting reviews in order). Then I read the next book and the next and so on. I then got those I was missing to the last book currently out, number 17. The rating is an overall for the series one. Some books I liked more than others.
Oh I have not read the prequels, I only got those 'after' I read the first few books and didn't want to go back.
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes -- Definitely of this series -- I do have the first books of her other series to try, but am trying to give other 'new to me' authors a try first.
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
July 22, 2019
I'm a very picky fantasy reader. A lot of books out now are lacking in plot, character depth, and readability. The Chronicles of Elantra bundle excels in all three areas. The plot of each book is extremely developed and interesting, with little twists and turns at just the right times. The plot is believable (as believable as a fantasy plot can be) and unexpected. Most of the characters are developed well, with only a few minor exceptions. But the few flat characters of the book appear very seldom and mainly add color to the plot. The book is very readable also. The romance between the two main characters is sweet, but it doesn't try to steal the spotlight. All in all, a great read! I would recommend it to any fantasy fan.
April 9, 2013
Excellent as I remembered. Review to follow when I have the time.
2nd read: Read from July 02 to 04, 2011, read count: 2
_________________
Cast in Secret is the water/Tha'alani book and we get introduced to Evanton, the keeper of the elemental garden.
I really like the continuing importance of Sanabalis, although I miss Tiamaris (but these days I know he'll become important again).
Severn and Kaylin are really working a mystery here and following all kinds of clues, but the coolest bit is the history of the water and the Tha'alani, no doubt.
(for the reviews of the other two books, check at their respective single volumes - I don't care for the way that Goodreads counts omnibuses as only one book read :P; not to mention that a reread in the same year is NOT counted)
2nd read: Read from July 02 to 04, 2011, read count: 2
_________________
Cast in Secret is the water/Tha'alani book and we get introduced to Evanton, the keeper of the elemental garden.
I really like the continuing importance of Sanabalis, although I miss Tiamaris (but these days I know he'll become important again).
Severn and Kaylin are really working a mystery here and following all kinds of clues, but the coolest bit is the history of the water and the Tha'alani, no doubt.
(for the reviews of the other two books, check at their respective single volumes - I don't care for the way that Goodreads counts omnibuses as only one book read :P; not to mention that a reread in the same year is NOT counted)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
January 1, 2021The author deliberately leaves the reader in the dark about so many elements of the story and nuances of the culture, you're left swimming in a pool of quicksand with no life preservers. you have to drag them out of the tiniest thing, and even then you're let completely unsure if you were correct. I read novels to relax my brain, not strain it on the trivialities that won't even be revealed to me in the end, because even the author doesn't have a firm grasp.
But the world is amazing and beautiful, even the immortals, although they can be a bit cheesy at times. So, for the world, and the supporting characters, I give it a good rating.
But the world is amazing and beautiful, even the immortals, although they can be a bit cheesy at times. So, for the world, and the supporting characters, I give it a good rating.
February 7, 2010
I enjoyed this book in every way except for the main character. She nearly ruined it for me. I found her irritating. This occassionally happens. I found her unreasonable, often irrational and pigheaded in her inability to filter her comments/questions/reactions. Maybe it was just me, or the mood I was in while reading these first three books in this series, but she bugged me a lot. Otherwise I'd probably have given these books four stars.
July 12, 2013
It has been years since I was first introduced to Kaylin Neya, Severn and the rest, and I have really enjoyed the reintroduction this collection has offered. Michelle has crafted a wonderful story, and has given Kaylin a completely believable and enfolding story. Her growth is consistent and felt realistic, without any deus ex jumps or unpleasantly overpowering reveals. She feels like a sister or best friend that has shared her stories around a campfire.
August 21, 2016
In the first book you question if you are actually reading book one or if you have jumped jet the middle of the series. But everything is slowly revealed in a timely manor and seems to add an air of expectation. I found this refreshing from the usual first quarter of the book being a long winded history of the world/character. It made for a few confusing moments but overall kept me highly entertained. Good series so far!!
Book 2,3,
Book 2,3,
December 4, 2024
First three books of the Chronicles of Elantra!
This is a compilation of Cast in Shadow, Cast in Courtlight and Cast in Secret and the beginning of Kaylin Neya trying to understand the writing on her skin and how it is changing.
Kaylin Neya just wants to be a regular member of the Hawks but Kaylin has magic that she doesn’t understand that she can use to heal and accidently kill but now she is a Lord of the Barrani court and the Emperor knows she is a danger to the Empire.
This is a compilation of Cast in Shadow, Cast in Courtlight and Cast in Secret and the beginning of Kaylin Neya trying to understand the writing on her skin and how it is changing.
Kaylin Neya just wants to be a regular member of the Hawks but Kaylin has magic that she doesn’t understand that she can use to heal and accidently kill but now she is a Lord of the Barrani court and the Emperor knows she is a danger to the Empire.
February 11, 2015
Great
I couldn't put it down unless absolutely necessary. The action just kept coming and I would recommend this to anyone who wants something that can eat up a few days. My only downer is the language. It cussed more than I would have liked, but that is how the writer wrote it, so I accepted it.
I couldn't put it down unless absolutely necessary. The action just kept coming and I would recommend this to anyone who wants something that can eat up a few days. My only downer is the language. It cussed more than I would have liked, but that is how the writer wrote it, so I accepted it.
June 9, 2016
You can read my reviews of the three books my clicking on the links: Cast in Shadow, Cast in Courtlight and Cast in Secret.
April 10, 2014
If you're looking for a decent female fantasy writer and female lead this bundle is a good place to start. The intricacies of all the racial species and the forthcoming way that Kaylin seems to disregard all o them equally at some point actually brings some reality to the story.
to-read-i-own
December 28, 2012Um, yeah. This book started off waaay too fast for me.
But, I won't mark it as abandoned because I just wasn't concentrating.
So, I'll read it later.
But, I won't mark it as abandoned because I just wasn't concentrating.
So, I'll read it later.
August 1, 2013
I'm glad I could buy this on kindle as a package. Great books. Cast in Courtlight is probably my favorite of the entire series :)
June 9, 2016
This is the 3rd or 4th time i've read the Chronicles of Elantra (all of them, not just the first 3 in this bundle)...they never fail me.
May 1, 2014
Another series I love dearly and am eagerly awaiting the upcoming one! ^.^V
March 10, 2016
Enjoying a new series
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews