Cast in Fury

Cast in Fury (2008) Michelle Sagara

Let me get this out of the way: I hate this cover. The scene seems to be a depiction of events from the last book, Kaylin does not once wear a dress–especially a dress that horrific–in this book, and the bracer is so badly photoshopped onto her arm her elbow looks broken. If I were not already reading this series, I’d take one look at this cover, out the book down, and walk away. It’s just that bad.

Luckily, the story found within the cover more than makes up for the travesty found on the front.

Cast in Fury occurs immediately after the end of Cast in Secret (which had an awesome cover I’d like to point out). Kaylin and Severn are assigned to duty at the palace, as Cultural Resources on the Tha’alani, as a playwright attempts to place recent events in perspective and keep the city from rioting against the group that had in actuality saved them. To add insult to injury, while they are at the palace, Marcus, Kaylin’s mentor, is arrested for murder.

And that’s a far better summary than you’ll get from the back of the book, which is certainly not describing the book that I read. In fact, I strongly advise you not to read the back copy, it’s that bad.

But again, the cover content had nothing to do with the quality of the actual book. Kaylin’s story continues to build, as she continues to discover more of her powers. I also am enjoying seeing her grow up–albeit painfully slowly at times. As she continues to prove herself, old animosities are set aside, which is allowing her to grow even more.

I also liked how we are seeing the repercussions of the previous book. Again, this may be part of Kaylin’s growing up, but it’s nice to see events in a series not occur in a vacuum.

If you like fantasy crossed with mystery, then you’ll want to check out Michelle Sagara’s Chronicles of Elantra series. In theory you can start the series here–and she gives plenty of back story to keep you up to date. But I always recommend starting at the beginning if you can, and as one of the things I enjoyed was seeing Kaylin’s growth, I think you’d be rewarded to start at the beginning and work your way here.
Rating: 8/10

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