of Fiefholds, Baranis and Dragons—the tale continues!

There’s an empty tower in the middle of the Elantra fiefs, formally captained by Candallar. That equates to a place where the Shadow can gain a foothold. Kaylin’s Barani misfit Lords want it and it seems so does her friend the Dragon Bellusdeo. Surprise, surprise! The dragon court of course wants Kaylin to keep an eye on Bellusdeo’s movements. They “would like to know where Bellusdeo has been going in the past two weeks.” To Kaylin, “It was clear that the gold Dragon was doing something with her day—something that Kaylin couldn’t see.” The dragon emperor has ordered Corporal Kaylin Neya to accompany Bellusdeo. Severn is sent to support(moderate?) Kaylin.
Bellusdeo has troubled me since the beginning. Why? Because she’s fiercely independent and yet carries the weight of being the last female dragon in Elantra. She arrived from the somewhere Other fleeing the Shadow, and now in Elantra, the continuation of dragonism just might be her burden.
The Emperor has been wise in allowing her distance. Currently Bellusdeo lives with Kaylin in the sentient House Helen. (What else can the Emperor do?) His patience is not measured as others measure. And I ask myself is Bellusdeo a significant part of his hoard? The other dragons are as usual confused by her. Except maybe the Dragon Sanabalis now the Arkon.
Bellusdeo wants to continue to fight the Dark. She wants to take charge of a tower. But then there’s the cohort of Barani’s living (loose term) with Kaylin, and they too are looking for somewhere to go.
Kaylin of course falls from one situation into another. We must remember this is as Severn reminded her, “Kaylin, Kaylin Neya, Lord Kaylin Neya, Corporal Neya or just Corporal”, and we’re never sure, neither is Kaylin, which identity will surface. Lord Nightshade is as ever his sartorial self.
Another great return to Elantra, one of my favorite spaces.

A Harlequin Trade ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.) ( )

Things are changing for Kaylin and her housemates. Now that Candallar has died his tower is in need of a new captain. Two of Kaylin's housemates want the tower for themselves. Bellusdeo, the only female dragon, wants the tower to continue her war against Shadow since she feels that she failed in her previous battles. She hasn't been happy in Elantra where she feels she has no real purpose beyond being the mother of her race.

Sedarias, the leader of the Barrani cohort, wants the tower to provide a place of safety for the cohort. She is having difficulties with the cohort who are starting to develop their own interests including Serralyn and Valliant who have become students at the Academia. Sedarias feels that she can't protect the cohort anymore if they are all going off in new directions. Her very dysfunctional childhood is coloring all her relationships.

Meanwhile, the tower itself has an ancient dragon at its heart and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to pick a new captain. But threats are growing and the outcaste dragon in Ravellon is eager to take advantage of the confusion to snatch Bellusdeo for his own and spread Shadow in Elantra.

This was a great story. I enjoyed all the information about the towers. I also enjoyed meeting a new race of beings even though their physical appearance of being very large spiders gave Kaylin the creeps. I also enjoyed the discussions of guilt and grief and was glad to see that Kaylin is learning to move past her guilt.

Fans of the series will enjoy this episode and be eager for more. ( )