This was such a fun and exciting installment! I love the introduction of new characters/worlds while also continuing to add layers of depth to the characters we know and love. Kaylin is showing signs of maturity, which is a welcome addition to the series, though I wish it'd speed up a bit. I liked that this one was a return to some of the solid storytelling of the earlier books, with a little less of the abstract battles and dreamscapes. So excited to dive into the next one.

Definitely read it! ( )

I love Michelle Sagara and I will forgive her novels many shortcomings simply because her stories intrigue me so much. that being said I think she writes the slowest moving romances EVER. The world these characters inhabit fascinates me and even after all the books in this series I still feel rather clueless as to how it works which is actually a good thing I think. The biggest negative for me is that I have to wait a whole year for the next book. ( )

one of the best books in the series. plus i llol'd multiply, and it's not exactly a comical adventure. ( )

Cast in Ruin was a complex fantasy that is the seventh in the series. Each one builds on the previous books. This one continued the plot thread of Kaylin learning more about herself and preparing for a meeting with the dragon emperor. Along the way she is side-tracked by an investigation into the sudden appearance of seven dead bodies in the fief of Tiamaris. Tiamaris is a dragon who is her friend. So is his tower - Tara. Lord Tiamaris took over this fief and is trying to reconstruct it. However, shadows are still fighting for it.

This episode concentrates on the dragons. Kaylin interacts with them in many ways and learns much more about them. Dragons are incredibly touchy and secretive about themselves. She has to have protocol lessons from Lord Diarmat who has a very poor opinion of humans. She is being taught magic by Lord Sanabalis who is rather tolerant for a dragon. She interacts with the Arkon who is the oldest dragon in the Empire and who is the librarian for the Empire. Tiamaris, Sanabalis, and the Arkon are all involved in the investigation in the fief of Tiamaris.

Adding to the complexity of the fief are the Norannir who are 8-foot tall aliens who have come from shadows to fight Shadow. They were invited by Tiamaris to settle in his fief but the humans in the fief are still very wary of them. We also learn about the mythology of the Norannir as it intersects with Kaylin's investigation in the fief.

I like Kaylin a lot. She is a child of the fiefs who escaped them for the Empire. All she wants to be is a Hawk and uphold the Empire's laws. But she has a sort of magic that makes her more prominent than she would like. Some of the fief lord's want to control her. The dragons are wary of her and her magic because what she is and what she can do is not known to them. And dragons do not like mysteries!

It is hard to describe this book because it is so complex and has so many plot threads woven into it. But each episode has excitement and self-discovery and further illuminates a fascinating fantasy world. I can't wait for the next episode - Cast in Peril. ( )

I loved this book! It is probably my favourite in the series. Explaining why would get all spoilery, but if you love Dragons (and I do), then this story finally gives you insight into their existence and rules. I also loved how Kaylin grew in this novel. THAT is how you keep a character from stagnating during a series.

I think the only jarring issue for me was that the events in "Cast in Ruin" take place almost immediately after the previous novel, and since I had a delay in reading the two, it felt like it should have been longer. I kept trying to wrap my head around the fact that the People had only been there for a few days, not weeks.

My friend complained that there wasn't enough Nightshade, so I will warn that she is right -- he is limited to one very brief scene. But I really didn't mind as he wasn't relevant to this plot. ( )