Chronicles of Elantra Books in Order: How to read Michelle Sagara’s series?

Welcome to Elantra, a city ruled by Dragons!

What is the Chronicles of Elantra series about?

Written by Japanese-Canadian author Michelle Michiko Sagara, The Chronicles of Elantra is a fantasy series set in the fantastical city of Elantra.

The story revolves around the magical adventures of Private Kaylin Neya, a young woman with a complicated history. Kaylin serves the Hawks in the towering Halls of Law (Elantra’s version of a police officer).

She’s a mortal in a city ruled by Dragons.

How to read the Chronicles of Elantra Books in Order?

The Prequels to the Chronicles of Elantra

As often with this type of series, the prequels were written after the series began. You don’t need to read them before reading the main series. In fact, it’s better to know the world of Elantra before reading them.

• The Emperor’s Wolves – As an orphan scrounging in the lawless slums, young Severn Handred didn’’t have the luxury of believing in anything beyond his own survival. Now he’’s crossed the river and entered the heart of the empire: the city of Elantra. When Severn is spotted tailing some lawmen of the Hawks—a not insignificant feat to go otherwise undetected —the recruiter for the Imperial Wolves thinks he should join their ranks. The Wolves are a small, select group that works within the Halls of Law, reporting directly to the Eternal Emperor. Severn hopes to avoid the law —he certainly had no intention of joining it.
• Cast in Moonlight – Barely a teenager, Kaylin Neya is a thief, a fugitive, and an attempted assassin. She also has a smart mouth, sharp wits and mysterious markings on her skin. All of which make her perfect bait for a child prostitution sting in the city of Elantra-if she survives her first meeting with the Hawks!

The Main Chronicles of Elantra series

1. Cast in Shadow – Seven years ago, Kaylin fled the crime-riddled streets of Nightshade, knowing that something was after her. Children were being murdered- and all had the same odd markings that mysteriously appeared on her own skin…. Since then, she’s become one of the vaunted Hawks who patrol and police the City of Elantra. Alongside the winged Aerians and the immortal Barrani, she’s made a place for herself, far from the mean streets of her birth. But children are once again dying, and a dark and familiar pattern is emerging.
2. Cast in Courtlight – Kaylin goes before the Barrani High Court, where a misspoken word brings sure death. And 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 him-if she manages to dodge the traps laid for her.
3. Cast in Secret – Still avoiding her magic lessons-yet using her powers when need be-Private Kaylin Neya is relishing investigating a regular theft once again. That is, until she finds out the mysterious box was taken from Elani Street, where the mages and charlatans mingle and it’s sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the two. Still, she hopes this might be a mundane case…

4. Cast in Fury – When a minority race of telepaths is suspected of causing a near-devastating tidal wave, Private Kaylin Neya is summoned to Court-and into a PR nightmare. To ease racial tensions, the emperor has commissioned a play, and the playwright has his own ideas about who should be the focus… But Kaylin works her best magic behind the scenes, and though she tries to stay neutral, she is again drawn into a world of politics…and murder.
5. Cast in Silence – Kaylin’s moved on with her life-and is keeping silent about the shameful things she’s done to stay alive. But when the city’s oracles warn of brewing unrest in the outer fiefdoms, a mysterious visitor from Kaylin’s past casts her under a cloud of suspicion. Thankfully, if she’s anything, she’s a survivor…
6. Cast in Chaos – Something is coming, breaking through the barriers between the worlds. But is it a threat that Kaylin needs to defend her city against-or has she been chosen for another reason entirely?

7. Cast in Ruin – Seven corpses are discovered in the streets of a Dragon’s fief. All identical, down to their clothing. Kaylin Neya is assigned to discover who they were, who killed them-and why. Is the evil lurking at the borders of Elantra preparing to cross over?
8. Cast in Peril – Now might be the perfect time for Kaylin to leave Elantra and journey to the West March with the Barrani. If not for the disappearances of citizens in the fief of Tiamaris–disappearances traced to the very Barrani Kaylin is about to be traveling with…
9. Cast in Sorrow – The Barrani would be happy to see her die. So Kaylin Neya is a bit surprised by her safe arrival in the West March. Especially when enemies new and old surround her and those she would call friends are equally dangerous…

10. Cast in Flame – On a night when Kaylin should be talking to landlords in perfectly normal buildings, she’s called to the fief—by Teela. A small family disagreement has become a large, complicated problem: Castle Nightshade’s latent magic is waking.
11. Cast in Honor – Called in to investigate a triple murder in a quiet part of town, Kaylin and her companions are soon embroiled in a case that is anything but routine. Evidence of the deadly Shadows that still threaten the city leads to hints of ancient, forgotten magics…and everything can be traced directly to Ravellon, the heart of the Shadows, and the darkness they contain.
12. Cast in Flight – When a walk to the Halls of Law becomes a street-shattering magical assassination attempt on the sergeant, Kaylin discovers that her new roommate, Sergeant Moran dar Carafel, is being targeted. A lot of people want her dead. Kaylin is determined to discover her secret and protect her at all costs.

13. Cast in Deception – As political tensions ramp up, the shadows beneath the High Halls are seeking a freedom that has never been possible before. Kaylin must find a way to keep those shadows from escaping, or that freedom will destroy her city, the empire, and everything she holds dear.
14. Cast in Oblivion – Kaylin wasn’t sent to the West March to start a war. Her mission to bring back nine Barrani might do just that, though. She traveled with a Dragon, and her presence is perceived as an act of aggression. Internal Barrani politics are no less deadly, and Kaylin has managed-barely-to help the rescued Barrani evade both death and captivity at the hands of the Consort.
15. Cast in Wisdom – When a Shadow escapes, Kaylin must find out how…and why. If Shadows can breach the barrier erected by the Towers, the whole of Elantra will be devoured. It’s happened on other worlds. Bellusdeo, Kaylin’s Dragon companion, absolutely believes it can happen on theirs.

16. Cast in Conflict – A Dragon and ten Barrani wouldn’t be anyone’s ideal roommates if a person wants peace and tranquility at home. The residue of three Draco-Barrani wars can make things pretty awkward-on a good day. Kaylin Neya has run out of good days.
17. Cast in Eternity – When Corporal Kaylin Neya is assigned front desk duty-a task hated by every Hawk-the only thing she can look forward to besides an endless stream of complaints is visits from a dotty old woman. She always brings baked goods along with information passed on by her friends…who happen to be ghosts no one else can see. But then the old woman’s invisible friends have news about Severn Handred: his unusual weapon has caught their attention. Concerned, Kaylin accompanies the woman home because she has a few questions to ask these so-called ghosts.

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