Reading roundup: Elantra
59. Michelle Sagara, Cast in Ruin (Chronicles of Elantra #7) -- probably my favorite in the series to date (because all the dragons!), even though the writing still really, really annoys me. Spoilers!
So, kind of a funny story. I had this book checked out before I went on sabbatical in the summer, but only got ~7% in -- this was when I was going through my secondary world fantasy dry period -- and, unlike most of the other books, this one didn't stick around on my hard drive, so I couldn't reupload it after I got back, I actually had to try to check it out again when ambyr said the magic words ("Dragaera crossover potential") and made me realize that Elantra was exactly what I wanted to read after having blasted through Hawk. Or, rather, had to put a request on this book, because it was checked out. All the later books in the series were on the (electronic) shelf, so I got those, and eventually couldn't resist and started reading Cast in Peril (though I only got to about 10% before my hold on Ruin came in and I could switch back to proper order). Thus, I had no idea who Bellusdeo was, but, with Dragaera on the brain, was just kind of mapping her onto Aliera. Which, now that I've read the missing book, actually works pretty well, as far as golden-haired lost ~princesses with unusual powers lost for centuries and then restored to a much-changed society go. But that is neither here not there, really.
I loved all the dragon worldbuilding stuff. Well, not necessarily loved the worldbuilding itself, but I loved getting it. The thing about dragon true names and how they go about achieving them, and how that does and does not interact with immortality. Loved just spending more time with all the dragons, the Akron (and getting a name for him), and Diarmat, and Sannabalis, and Tiamaris (who I think remains my favorite).
I really loved all the stuff Tiamaris is doing in his fief as an enlightened despot, planning on a police force and putting a morgue in place, and having plans for a Town Hall. And his relationship with Tara the Tower is nothing short of adorable. (I've got to say, the way Sagara writes human relationships tends to not really work for me, BUT Dragon/his tower? Ascandant/his sentient sword? Totally there, apparently!) (Also, because "Dragaera crossover potential" is the unofficial theme of this post, I was getting weird flashbacks to early!Morrolan-Lady Teldra from Tiamaris and Tara interaction. Which kind of sort of makes sense in that, as the senechal of Castle Black, Teldra is pretty close to a personification of it, in a way. Though, obviously, Teldra is a lot more suave and socially intelligent than new-to-life Tara, so that balance is a bit different.)
The other thing I really liked about this book was Maggaron in all his tragic forlorness and easily embarrassed earnestness. I wanted to give him a hug from start to finish of his appearance, and his relationship with Bellusdeo in all her facets -- as the sword he feels he has betrayed, as the reverent memory, as the dragon he rides into battle, and as the human form who delights in teasing him was absolutely adorable, too. I was also really amused by the thing where both Kaylin and Bellusdeo wanted to smack him for the "I am not worthy" impulses, and occasionally did.
I also really loved the whole thing with the swords made of dragons who sacrificed themselves (in secret! because the people their bearers were picked from would be horrified if they knew!) and the Ascendants who serve as their sheaths, because while mortals are weak and short-lived they are paradoxically less vulnerable to the Shadows' influence. It is apparently very much the kind of complicated romanticism I'm looking for in my magic sentient swords. And Kaylin apologizing to the sword for sheathing her really amused me.
I did not really yearn for this or anything, but I was actually suitably impressed by the developments-or-lack-thereof on the romantic / love triangle front. Because I had assumed the series was just doing the usual thing of protracting the love triangle for the sake of love triangles, but in this one Kaylin and Severn actually talked, both about their relationship and about Kaylin and Nightshade, and, you know... a heroine dealing with the aftermath of childhood abuse and trauma who is not magically healed by the Love of a Good Man who Will Always Be There For Her, but tries to cope the best she can with what she's got, maybe not in obvious or healthy ways, and actually talks about it... from a romance imprint, that's really not what I was expecting, but I was glad to be surprised!
(Also, while I feel like the parallels between Kaylin and Bellusdeo are being slathered on thicker than I really see them, I did like the conversation between them where they bonded over being survivors who are extra-leery of certain kinds of "cages" after their traumatic experiences, and I can see how Bellusdeo, who lost her soulbonded siblings, would latch on to Kaylin as a sister.)
It was also kind of nice to see Kaylin back in the fiefs and her experience there as a child being something that informed her understanding and investigation, but not being frozen or overwhelmed by her fief trauma, the way it felt in the earlier books whenever she ventured there.
As for things I didn't like... well, that was pretty much just the writing, which has been bugging me for all 7 books. I do not understand WHY there are "however"s all over the place, SO MANY HOWEVERS, including in places where make no freaking sense. I assume this is a stylistic choice, but they are such an eyesore to me. And I was reading this shortly after reading ursulav's post on editing, and I feel the way her editor felt about "stone", except "however" is not an invisible word to begin with. ALL THE HOWEVERS IN THE UNIVERSE. And the way all these random interjections and unrelated bits and sentence fragments keep popping up even in action scenes and emotional scenes really drags down the pacing for me. And I say this as someone who abuses clauses and interjections myself XP (Is it just me? Am I the only one bothered by this?)
And, yes, I want all the Dragaera crossovers now. Bellusdeo and Aliera would so bond, and then delight in discomfitting everyone else. Sethra should come hang out with the Arkon and be grudgingly tolerant of all these infants running around. I feel like Morrolan and Tiamaris would totally get each other. Vlad and Morse can talk about work, and rolling with the punches. There's even a canonically compliant way for it to come about -- the Dragaerans just need to step through Morrolan's window... and then make it through the Shadows or Ravellon somehow, but I'm sure they can work something out! (It's weird, I looked over my older write-ups for these books, and I was mentally comparing them to Dragaera from the very beginning, but didn't really want a crossover until now. Not sure if it's all ambyr's suggestion or if this book really crystallizes that somehow, or if it's that this was the first book in the series I liked enough to want to think about it more.
I was curious, so I paged back through my author tag, to see how my impressions of the series evolved real time. Here's how things stand:
book 2 (Courtlight) [which I read first] -- the Barrani are pretty cool!
book 1 (Shadow) [which I read second] -- god, Kaylin's POV is so annoying! But Tiamaris, yay!
book 3 (Secret) -- yay, Dragons! And Kaylin is starting to bug me less...
book 4 (Fury) -- yay, Dragons and Nightshade! ooh, Leontines. This is actually not bad!
book 5 (Silence) -- UGH, THE WRITING. But yay Tiamaris there at the end...
book 6 (Chaos) -- No, seriously, the writing >:/ But Dragons, yay! And, hmm, Kaylin/Nightshade, kinda...?
and now
book 7 (Ruin) -- ALL THE DRAGONS! :DDD And, d'awww, Maggaron XP
Book 8 (Peril), which I'm currently about a quarter into, is reminding me that I do like Barrani... but not nearly as much as dragons.
So, kind of a funny story. I had this book checked out before I went on sabbatical in the summer, but only got ~7% in -- this was when I was going through my secondary world fantasy dry period -- and, unlike most of the other books, this one didn't stick around on my hard drive, so I couldn't reupload it after I got back, I actually had to try to check it out again when ambyr said the magic words ("Dragaera crossover potential") and made me realize that Elantra was exactly what I wanted to read after having blasted through Hawk. Or, rather, had to put a request on this book, because it was checked out. All the later books in the series were on the (electronic) shelf, so I got those, and eventually couldn't resist and started reading Cast in Peril (though I only got to about 10% before my hold on Ruin came in and I could switch back to proper order). Thus, I had no idea who Bellusdeo was, but, with Dragaera on the brain, was just kind of mapping her onto Aliera. Which, now that I've read the missing book, actually works pretty well, as far as golden-haired lost ~princesses with unusual powers lost for centuries and then restored to a much-changed society go. But that is neither here not there, really.
I loved all the dragon worldbuilding stuff. Well, not necessarily loved the worldbuilding itself, but I loved getting it. The thing about dragon true names and how they go about achieving them, and how that does and does not interact with immortality. Loved just spending more time with all the dragons, the Akron (and getting a name for him), and Diarmat, and Sannabalis, and Tiamaris (who I think remains my favorite).
I really loved all the stuff Tiamaris is doing in his fief as an enlightened despot, planning on a police force and putting a morgue in place, and having plans for a Town Hall. And his relationship with Tara the Tower is nothing short of adorable. (I've got to say, the way Sagara writes human relationships tends to not really work for me, BUT Dragon/his tower? Ascandant/his sentient sword? Totally there, apparently!) (Also, because "Dragaera crossover potential" is the unofficial theme of this post, I was getting weird flashbacks to early!Morrolan-Lady Teldra from Tiamaris and Tara interaction. Which kind of sort of makes sense in that, as the senechal of Castle Black, Teldra is pretty close to a personification of it, in a way. Though, obviously, Teldra is a lot more suave and socially intelligent than new-to-life Tara, so that balance is a bit different.)
The other thing I really liked about this book was Maggaron in all his tragic forlorness and easily embarrassed earnestness. I wanted to give him a hug from start to finish of his appearance, and his relationship with Bellusdeo in all her facets -- as the sword he feels he has betrayed, as the reverent memory, as the dragon he rides into battle, and as the human form who delights in teasing him was absolutely adorable, too. I was also really amused by the thing where both Kaylin and Bellusdeo wanted to smack him for the "I am not worthy" impulses, and occasionally did.
I also really loved the whole thing with the swords made of dragons who sacrificed themselves (in secret! because the people their bearers were picked from would be horrified if they knew!) and the Ascendants who serve as their sheaths, because while mortals are weak and short-lived they are paradoxically less vulnerable to the Shadows' influence. It is apparently very much the kind of complicated romanticism I'm looking for in my magic sentient swords. And Kaylin apologizing to the sword for sheathing her really amused me.
I did not really yearn for this or anything, but I was actually suitably impressed by the developments-or-lack-thereof on the romantic / love triangle front. Because I had assumed the series was just doing the usual thing of protracting the love triangle for the sake of love triangles, but in this one Kaylin and Severn actually talked, both about their relationship and about Kaylin and Nightshade, and, you know... a heroine dealing with the aftermath of childhood abuse and trauma who is not magically healed by the Love of a Good Man who Will Always Be There For Her, but tries to cope the best she can with what she's got, maybe not in obvious or healthy ways, and actually talks about it... from a romance imprint, that's really not what I was expecting, but I was glad to be surprised!
(Also, while I feel like the parallels between Kaylin and Bellusdeo are being slathered on thicker than I really see them, I did like the conversation between them where they bonded over being survivors who are extra-leery of certain kinds of "cages" after their traumatic experiences, and I can see how Bellusdeo, who lost her soulbonded siblings, would latch on to Kaylin as a sister.)
It was also kind of nice to see Kaylin back in the fiefs and her experience there as a child being something that informed her understanding and investigation, but not being frozen or overwhelmed by her fief trauma, the way it felt in the earlier books whenever she ventured there.
As for things I didn't like... well, that was pretty much just the writing, which has been bugging me for all 7 books. I do not understand WHY there are "however"s all over the place, SO MANY HOWEVERS, including in places where make no freaking sense. I assume this is a stylistic choice, but they are such an eyesore to me. And I was reading this shortly after reading ursulav's post on editing, and I feel the way her editor felt about "stone", except "however" is not an invisible word to begin with. ALL THE HOWEVERS IN THE UNIVERSE. And the way all these random interjections and unrelated bits and sentence fragments keep popping up even in action scenes and emotional scenes really drags down the pacing for me. And I say this as someone who abuses clauses and interjections myself XP (Is it just me? Am I the only one bothered by this?)
And, yes, I want all the Dragaera crossovers now. Bellusdeo and Aliera would so bond, and then delight in discomfitting everyone else. Sethra should come hang out with the Arkon and be grudgingly tolerant of all these infants running around. I feel like Morrolan and Tiamaris would totally get each other. Vlad and Morse can talk about work, and rolling with the punches. There's even a canonically compliant way for it to come about -- the Dragaerans just need to step through Morrolan's window... and then make it through the Shadows or Ravellon somehow, but I'm sure they can work something out! (It's weird, I looked over my older write-ups for these books, and I was mentally comparing them to Dragaera from the very beginning, but didn't really want a crossover until now. Not sure if it's all ambyr's suggestion or if this book really crystallizes that somehow, or if it's that this was the first book in the series I liked enough to want to think about it more.
I was curious, so I paged back through my author tag, to see how my impressions of the series evolved real time. Here's how things stand:
book 2 (Courtlight) [which I read first] -- the Barrani are pretty cool!
book 1 (Shadow) [which I read second] -- god, Kaylin's POV is so annoying! But Tiamaris, yay!
book 3 (Secret) -- yay, Dragons! And Kaylin is starting to bug me less...
book 4 (Fury) -- yay, Dragons and Nightshade! ooh, Leontines. This is actually not bad!
book 5 (Silence) -- UGH, THE WRITING. But yay Tiamaris there at the end...
book 6 (Chaos) -- No, seriously, the writing >:/ But Dragons, yay! And, hmm, Kaylin/Nightshade, kinda...?
and now
book 7 (Ruin) -- ALL THE DRAGONS! :DDD And, d'awww, Maggaron XP
Book 8 (Peril), which I'm currently about a quarter into, is reminding me that I do like Barrani... but not nearly as much as dragons.