★★★★ ½ @msagara #CastinConflict @edelweiss_squad #bookreview
Kaylin is back and she takes on yet another death defying mission. Into the heart of Ravellon, she finds something completely unexpected. This latest book in the series is yet another epic quest with danger and heartbreak. Just how much has been lost with the battle with the Shadow? What is it that causes Shadow? I'm still in the dark about it (no pun intended).
This story is as much Kaylins as it is Bellusdeo. Bellusdeo is the last female dragon of her kind. Her identity for so long is as a Queen Dragon leading and protecting her people. Now back to where she is born, she is little more than ... a potential mother of dragons. Is this not the same dilemma many career women face? Those who identify as their job title and suddenly it is time to be a mother? Does it have to be one or the other? Why is it that a female has to make this choice yet a male does not? Ms. Sagara provides no answers as her books always brings forth philosophical questions. There are always grey areas and there are no right answers. There are no great answer either.
I enjoyed this book as we slowly learn more about the Academia and how the Towers were created. In some ways, to be a lord of a tower, one must complete quests and challenges. Determining who will own the newly vacant tower of Candallar is not an easy feat as two different people want it for two vastly different reasons.
As with all the books in this series, I feel like I am only getting a little glimpse of the world. This very complex multi dimension universe continues to grudgingly and stingily dole out tiny pieces of information in how Elantra came to be. Whilst giving us a new piece of information of Tower creations, we learn about other races and as a Harry Potter fan, all I can image is Aragog and its family running around. When it comes to out of the box thinking, I can always count on Ms. Sagara to deliver. The way Wevaran travel is fascinating. The application of their web is something innovative and not what I would have imagined in my wildest dreams. What a specific Wevaran has to share about before Shadow and how perhaps their race could have been part of how it started. I am even more curious about Shadow and what caused this. I wonder if Ms. Sagara even knows and if this is an organic storyline growth.
For me, this book is all about change - change of residence, locations and purpose of life. This high fantasy is recommended to readers who enjoy fresh concepts and struggles against an undefined enemy.
*provided by Edelweiss
