Cast in Courtlight

By Michelle Sagara

In Elantra, a job well done is rewarded with a more dangerous task. So after defeating a dark evil, Kaylin Neya goes before the Barrani High Court, where a misspoken word brings sure death. Kaylin's never been known for her grace or manners, but the High Lord's heir is suspiciously ill, and Kaylin's healing magic is the only shot at saving himif she can dodge the traps laid for her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Luna
• Release date: Aug 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9781426820137

Michelle Sagara

New York Times bestselling author Michelle Sagara writes as both Michelle Sagara and Michelle West; she is also published as Michelle Sagara West. She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs. She can be found @msagara on Twitter or http://msagarawest.wordpress.com

Reviews for Cast in Courtlight

[Ellee · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

scribd! you have every book but the first one! too bad I can't start this series here

[humouress · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

{Second of 16 Chronicles of Elantra; fantasy, sword and sorcery}(2006)The events in this story follow almost straight on from those in the first book. Kaylin Neya left behind her name along with her fraught past when she fled the fiefs of her childhood. As we all know, names have power.She has been a Ground Hawk in the city of Elantra since she joined the Hawks at the age of thirteen, seven years ago. The Hawks, along with the Wolves and the Swords, keep the city safe and are answerable to the three Lords of Law. However, Kaylin grew up in the fief of Nightshade but the fiefdoms, which lie across the river, also lie outside the law and Kaylin had sworn never to return to NightshadeAs a healer - an almost unique power in the Empire - Kaylin is much in demand to help with difficult and dangerous births but this often makes her late (or, rather, even later) for her actual job as a Hawk policing the city of Elantra. But this power has recently brought her to the notice of the Dragon Emperor (not a courtesy title) who has decreed that she should be trained as a mage; unfortunately, Kaylin has always had little patience with lessons and ... ah ... frustrates the mages sent to train her. But this book does not concern the Dragon caste. The two immortal races, Dragons and the elven-like Barrani, have always held themselves aloof, for the most part, from the mortal races. Kaylin does have a couple of Barrani friends in the Hawks and discovers that her friend Teela is a Lord of the Barrani High Halls when Teela whisks her there to attempt to heal the younger son of the Lord of the High Courts. Having done so, she is then invited back during Festival when she finds that things are not as they seem, although her discoveries are ... not aided by the inscrutable Barrani.Teela lead them quietly. She paused as Kaylin paused and moved when Kaylin's attention was once again in the present. She did not ask what had caught Kaylin's eye. Sometimes it was the floor; the stones there had been laid out like a mosaic, or a series of mosaics. She almost hated to walk across them. She saw trees, birds, deer; she saw swords, armour and crown; she saw caves and mountains. The rivers that passed down the mountains were real; fountains were set at intervals throughout the Hall, blending with the floor. So, too, were flowers, and these were at least as remarkable as the floor itself. 'It has been long since mortals walked these Halls,' Teela told her not unkindly. 'And often they tarry. It will be expected,' she added, 'And lack of attention to detail might be seen as a slight.'Given permission, Kaylin did tarry. The sunlight seemed endless, and the permutations of light through glass - for the walls were half glass, and all of it coloured and composed like hard tapestry - blended with the stonework of the floor.She tried to remember that death was waiting. But it was hard to see death in these things. She discovers that she still has work to do to drive back dark forces, this time within the Barrani court, although she finds that she is not alone as she makes more allies to go with existing ones. The mark that Lord Nightshade, the exiled Barrani lord, gave her in the first book turns out to be both a help and a hindrance, depending on the situation, as she navigates Barrani court politics. I found that this book flowed a lot better than the first one and though I still had moments of confusion, many of them were resolved and I found the narrative quite more-ish. (I must say, though, that where Lord Nightshade was first scary and then protective in Cast in Shadow, now I‘m finding him creepy.)Kaylin, for all her fierce independence and fighting skills, has spent the last seven years growing up with the Hawks and being protected by them to some extent so she still seemed a bit childish in the first book. Now she seems to be growing up and learning from her experiences - even deliberately ‘failing to notice’ things on a few occasions although she still tries to ask lots of questions. She also learns a bit more about events connected to the first book and how she inadvertently failed to save the world.I'm beginning to see why people like this series and will be continuing with it soon. I think, too, that these first books could bear re-reading at some point, once I'm further into the series.September 20213.5 stars

[tatere-23877 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

notes on rereading: I'd forgotten what a complete spaz Kaylin is. It's pretty great.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The second book in the Chronicles of Elantra has Kaylin Neya going into the Barrani High Court to try to heal the heir to the courts. Naturally, there is a time crunch. She just has a couple of days to sort things out before all Hell breaks loose. In the course of the story, Kaylin learns vastly more about the role of the High Courts and what they were designed to contain. She gets a name even though humans don't have names in the sense that the immortal species do. Kaylin also comes to terms with what Severn did that caused her to flee the fiefs and to flee Severn and build a new life for herself in Elantra. This story is a richly detailed fantasy filled with fascinating characters and wonderful worldbuilding. I love the dragons and the Barrani. I also love the leontines and aerians. I think Kaylin is a wonderful character who is growing and learning more about herself in each of these stories. I both read and listened to this story. Khristine Hvam does a wonderful job with the voices and with the pacing in the story.

[jami_leigh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Plot: 4 1/2 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Style: 4 stars
Pace: 4 stars

Ah, political intrigue mixed with magic! I think I might save the rest of this series for January, though, as they're a bit long for cramming into this readathon.

[sunnysd_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After tangling with a rogue dragon and getting herself marked by an outcast Barroni lord, Ground Hawk Kaylin Neya wants nothing more than to go back walking the beat and enforcing the law. Unfortunately, the Hawklord has mandated training. In magic. By an Imperial Mage. And of course, Kaylin greets the mandate with her usual cooperative attitude. And then there's the small matter of the Barroni Castelord and his heirs... As usual, Kaylin's in trouble up well past her ears. Good thing she acquires friends and supporters as readily as she acquires enemies!Catching the rhythm of the story isn't effortless, but once you're there you'll want to read more.

[ansate · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this series has a REALLY bad chosen one problem, and I'm only on book two. I'm loving her writing and I devoured both books, but I'm going to try a different series and hope I am not as annoyed by the main character.

[theyodamom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, intense-Kaylin and Severn grow closer, old scars are healing, slowly. They find themselves demanded in attendance to attend the High Court. There is a great Lord Dying, and it must be keep secret. Saving him could put Kaylin and Severn in danger, the Barrani guard their secrets. There is more than their secrets to be discovered behind the High Walls, something much darker and older. They go where no mortal has ever gone.
I could read this book 5 times and still not get all of it. There is so much detail and hidden truths behind everything said and seen. Wonderful.

[lorune · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining, i must say tho i still feel like im reading the intro of a much bigger story, and with 8 books out already this is probably very true, but some answers would be nice :)

[steph1203-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book! Onto the next one!

[sailorfigment · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like this book much more than Cast In Shadow and I'm not a big fan of polotical intrigue. I stll felt at time that the characters needed to 'get on with it', but not as much as the first book, perhaps because there was more action. Not fighting action, but 'getting on with it'. The very end was kinda predictable.

[bookaddictdiary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I finished this book, my first thought was that it was good. Sagara gave the reader a fun ride full of twists and turns, and the characters did their part in the story. However, I just couldn't make the leap in my mind from good to great.Don't get me wrong, I read the entire book and just had fun with it (plus I'll probably read the next book), but I didn't rush out to suggest the book to friends. Cast in Courtlight is a good if you liked Cast in Shadow or high fantasy, but readers who don't enjoyed one of these things won't be converted by the novel.

[animeshon_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

These books just keep getting better and better. There is a slight tendency of Kaylin towards the Mary-Sue spectrum of the character gradiant, however its forgivable with her completely inappropriate attitudes and language. These books are rapidly becoming an addiction for me.

[mmillet_7 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Kaylin Neya is in over her head. After defeating age-old magic bent on destruction (when is it ever not?) she is summoned to the Barrani High Court to heal the Lord of the West March, second son of the powerful Lord of the High Courts. Being summoned to the Barrani courts (especially when you're not Barrani) is never a good thing and Kaylin must remain on her toes to come out unscathed when dealing with this arrogant and treacherous race. Never far from her side is the enigmatic Severn who I for one was happy to get to know better. As Kaylin and Severn slowly unravel the mystery of why they were called to court and it's importance to Elantra at large, they discover an ancient evil that is threatening to take over. Kaylin must rely on her magic - which is only spotty at best - and her instincts which tell her the solution might be the simplest one of all.I was much more impressed by Michelle Sagara's world building in this book. I was pretty frustrated while reading the first one, 'Cast in Shadow,' becuase I didn't know what was happening most of the time. Maybe it's becuase I already had a decent background of the five races and their politics but I felt drawn into this story from the very outset. 'Cast in Courtlight' gave a truly fascinating look at the Barrani culture and history - actually, I enjoyed just learning about the race in general. And Kaylin is complicated - full of ability but hesitant to use it. She also doesn't know when to shut up - an admirable quality in any heroine in my books. I'm definitely going to go for book three now.

[jedimarri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Cast in Courtlight" is book two in the Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara. I enjoyed the first book, and I found myself just as caught up in this one!Kaylin grew up on the streets of the fiefs, found her way out of that life and became a Hawk, serving the people and enforcing the law. Her life has always been rough, but she knows how to handle herself, and she can't really imagine life as anything different. Until she gets called up before the Barrani High court, and her world changes forever.Of course this isn't the first time Kaylin's world has been turned upside down, so other than the fine dresses they make her wear (and who can blame her?), she handles it amazingly well. Her healing abilities are needed by the High Lord's heir who has fallen sick under mysterious circumstances. Soon she learns that there are other circumstances that need her attention, and that there are those who desperately want to keep her and her power as far away from the High Court as possible!I really liked where Sagara took this story, the character development was well done, and there were some really interesting twists that I appreciated. The only thing that bothered me was all the intrigue, which was necessary, but a little confusing at times. I'm looking forward to the next book!

[teharhynn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another intriguing book. It's nice to see that this book focuses more on a different race of people than we saw in the first book. I'll be happy to see what she's going to do with yet another race in cast in secret. These books are a fun fantasy to read, and I definitely recommend them!

[amf0001 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Book 2 in the series, deepens our understanding of the Baranis, the formal, ageless, magic beings that inhabit this world. However, I found as the world building deepened, our heroine got more annoying. She persists in playing the young naif, but we've been with her for over 700 pages and by the end of the book she started to grate. Also, she never knows why she has all this power and neither does anyone else, she just does. I loved some of the ideas but the writing didn't always follow through. I started reading the third (and final?) but it was too back to back and I had to put it down. So B rating, good but not great.

[cbrachyrhynchos_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing, a dozen variations of heroine encounters magic artifact, heroine screams, heroine bleeds, heroine has one-sided cryptic conversation with patronizing immortal race, heroine has awkward encounter with childhood friend and love interest.

[lewispike · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is better than its predecessor, Cast in Shadow. In part that might be because I'm used to the style of writing, and in part it is because I'm more or less used to the backstory so that particular annoyance is more or less gone. This book makes more of the role of a hawk to hunt and investigate and see minute details, and is sort of a magical mystery as our heroine tries to work out the intrigues of the Barrani High Court. Lord Nightshade plays a much smaller part than in book one, and I find I hope he comes back in book 3. But Kaylin learns more about magic, more about the Barrani, something about her mark and so on and, almost inevitably, gets more powerful and bends the rules of the universe once again.But, it works, it's fun, it drew me nicely and I'm looking forward to book 3, and possibly later books too.