I love this series. Kaylin remains a protagonist that inspires mirth and intrigue with every book. I love her interactions with all of the characters, especially her interactions with those she considers family.

If I could offer one criticism about the series, it would be that each book seems very episodic. In this sense, the reader cannot perceive that much change within the main character, and I think this is the major flaw of the books. There is always talk of sacrifice and learning what being the Chosen is. Each book, Kaylin swears she'll learn something or another, and never does she actually do it. Her lack of knowledge is, unfortunately, one of her main character traits.

In future books, I hope for more growth for our loveable heroine, and look forward to seeing more of her adventures. ( )

This fourteenth in the Chronicles of Elantra dives deeply into Barrani politics. Since Kaylin's return from the West March with nine Barrani who had been chosen to take part in a ceremony centuries earlier and kept as prisoners in one of the March's sentient buildings, politics has been even more at the forefront of Kaylin's life.

Barrani life moved on while the children were gone. But, now adults, those nine want what they should have had had they never been lost or forsaken. Their first step is to pass the Test of Names but they are facing lots of opposition. The Consort who is the one who gives names to new-born Barrani that she gathers from a magical lake has very mixed feelings about their quest.

The feelings become even more mixed when it is learned that the Barrani High Halls are actually a broken tower that now imprisons a part of Shadow. Worse yet, some Barrani are trying to negotiate with that piece of Shadow for more power. One of the main negotiators is the brother of Sedarias who is the leader of Kaylin's Barrani. He attempted to kill her before she left and is more than willing to kill her now that she has returned. Sedarias completely returns his feelings.

When the Cohort begins the Test of Names, Kaylin, the Consort, Nightshade, Severin, and some others go along to try to get rid of the Barrani who are trying to corrupt the test and free the Shadow. This was a complex and fascinating journey for all of them. Kaylin has special powers because of being the Chosen and having marks on her body. She doesn't really understand them or know how to use them. However, use them she must if her friends are going to survive this peril.

Because this episode continues plot threads begun in earlier books, I don't think it would be a good place for someone to jump into this series. For those who are up to date, it was an entertaining and exciting episode. ( )

Still going strong

This is a deep world. You *really* have to start at the beginning, as many terms and relationships aren’t fully explained here.

For series lovers, this is not like the early books, with Kaylin scrambling to survive amongst dragons and Aerians. Marcus is present only as a name and reference. Most of the ‘action’ take place out of phase with reality. This is very philosophical and makes extensive use of metaphors. It’s also very political, as the Barrani High Court is very much involved.

I hope there aren’t too many more books in this series. While I love the characters and the world, it’s stopped being about actions. Even when things are happening, Kaylin is usually somewhere else trying to figure out which metaphorical action to take. It took me longer than I like to read this book as I kept growing a bit bored with the relentless discussions and explanations. It’s beautiful writing, it was just starting to leave me distractable. ( )

Still going strong

This is a deep world. You *really* have to start at the beginning, as many terms and relationships aren’t fully explained here.

For series lovers, this is not like the early books, with Kaylin scrambling to survive amongst dragons and Aerians. Marcus is present only as a name and reference. Most of the ‘action’ take place out of phase with reality. This is very philosophical and makes extensive use of metaphors. It’s also very political, as the Barrani High Court is very much involved.

I hope there aren’t too many more books in this series. While I love the characters and the world, it’s stopped being about actions. Even when things are happening, Kaylin is usually somewhere else trying to figure out which metaphorical action to take. It took me longer than I like to read this book as I kept growing a bit bored with the relentless discussions and explanations. It’s beautiful writing, it was just starting to leave me distractable. ( )

This fourteenth in the Chronicles of Elantra dives deeply into Barrani politics. Since Kaylin's return from the West March with nine Barrani who had been chosen to take part in a ceremony centuries earlier and kept as prisoners in one of the March's sentient buildings, politics has been even more at the forefront of Kaylin's life.

Barrani life moved on while the children were gone. But, now adults, those nine want what they should have had had they never been lost or forsaken. Their first step is to pass the Test of Names but they are facing lots of opposition. The Consort who is the one who gives names to new-born Barrani that she gathers from a magical lake has very mixed feelings about their quest.

The feelings become even more mixed when it is learned that the Barrani High Halls are actually a broken tower that now imprisons a part of Shadow. Worse yet, some Barrani are trying to negotiate with that piece of Shadow for more power. One of the main negotiators is the brother of Sedarias who is the leader of Kaylin's Barrani. He attempted to kill her before she left and is more than willing to kill her now that she has returned. Sedarias completely returns his feelings.

When the Cohort begins the Test of Names, Kaylin, the Consort, Nightshade, Severin, and some others go along to try to get rid of the Barrani who are trying to corrupt the test and free the Shadow. This was a complex and fascinating journey for all of them. Kaylin has special powers because of being the Chosen and having marks on her body. She doesn't really understand them or know how to use them. However, use them she must if her friends are going to survive this peril.

Because this episode continues plot threads begun in earlier books, I don't think it would be a good place for someone to jump into this series. For those who are up to date, it was an entertaining and exciting episode. ( )