The Chronicles of Elantra is one of my favorite series thanks to the colorful variety of races, but Shards of Glass, the first book of the Academia Chronicles, was not my favorite because it focused so much on one of Sagara's creative arcane puzzles and this was one I couldn't quite grasp. So I was pleasantly surprised that Raven and her special "glass" were only a tiny part of this book and that it was much less complicated and made a lot more sense. There are no arcane mysteries here, just Robin attending classes in between dodging assassination attempts while the Chancellor Lanagaros, a dragon, and Teela a Barrani try to figure out how to expose his murderous uncle and get him safely in charge of the potentially world ending Gardianno legacy. Poor Robin would rather just forget all of that and attend classes even if Teela is now one of his instructors.

The last time we saw Kaylin Neya the Chosen was rescuing an old woman named Imelda and her ghostly roommates from an evil Barrani wizard. Imelda has joined Kaylin's eclectic household, but there are still many questions about her ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Only Kaylin knows that Imelda can also command spirits because tales of necromancers are all about armies of undead, not grandmotherly women who take cookies to Elantra's police and the dragons are already nervous enough. Speaking of dragons, Bellusdeo is enraged again. As the only female dragon everyone expects her to waste no time producing more and she finally chose Emmerian as a potential mate because he was the least annoying. Unfortunately, the whole idea still drives her crazy so she attaches herself to Kaylin's continuing investigation of Imelda's situation to avoid the issue. Once again the Elements are disquieted and it seems to be related to an Ancient, aka those beings that made the worlds and various races, that was being used by the Barrani wizard as a power source. Kaylin freed it but it's power is now leeching into the world and distorting reality. Kaylin has no idea what she can do since it says it's already dead, but once again it's up to the Chosen to save the world.

Shards of Glass is set in the same world as The Chronicles of Elantra and shares some characters, but it is set at the Academia , which appeared in the fifteenth book, Cast in Wisdom. It isn't necessary to have read Cast in Wisdom, but it would be very helpful. Robin was homeless and living on the streets of Elantra's worst slum when he was kidnapped and thrown into the Academia. Now that the Academia is a school again, he wants his friend Raven to join him. Robin loves the Academia, but Raven isn't sure it's safe, especially when a third student is found dead on her first day there. These deaths are disturbing because the Academia's spirit, Killian, did not "see" what happened. Two of the dead students were immortal and found without a mark on them to indicate cause of death. Even stranger, Raven alone can see a piece of the glass she collects under the body. Robin should be more surprised, but he's always known Raven was peculiar. Maybe he can accept that his best friend isn't human, but if he wants to stop the killings and save the Academia, Robin will have to accept that he's not an ordinary human boy either.

For long time fans of this series Cast in Wisdom is a satisfying return to what made the early books great. Kaylin and her friends are back to investigating the problem of Ravellon, the ancient city overrun by the corrupt Shadows that simultaneously exists on all worlds. When a shadow escapes into the Fief of Candallar without triggering its protective Tower and the dragon Bellusdeo suggests they start their investigation by looking closely into the border zone between the towers. To Kaylin and the others what they find is a strange puzzle, but to the Arkon it is of great personal significance. So much so that he will risk everything, including his sanity, to solve it and if the eldest and most powerful of the Dragon Lords should lose his sanity....

Jewel Markess, Jay, is an orphan living on the streets of Averalaan when she steals from Ararath. Rath has spent his life avoiding personal relationships so he's not sure why he follows her beyond a vague sense that something is different about Jay. When she falls ill he keeps her at his apartment telling himself it's only until she recovers. It's hard to categorize Rath since he's a bit of a confidence man, thief, spy, and scholar. But when he needs money he delves into the undercity, the silent ancient city below Averalaan, that only Rath knows about. Then one night Jay warns him, as he goes to sell some pieces from the undercity, that he's meeting a man who will have him followed. Now Rath has two puzzles. Who is this man that wants to kill him and how did Jay know?

Kaylin Neya is a Hawk, the police arm of the Halls of Law in the city of Elantra. She is always oversleeping, never finds time to do her laundry, and can't be bothered to style her hair. Kaylin is brash, impatient, ignorant, and almost suicidally tactless. Kaylin is very human. She is also covered in ancient writing that gives her enormous power to heal or destroy. Kaylin is the Chosen, though no one has ever explained who chose her or why. For her new case Kaylin is given two new partners. Severn is a man from her past in the poor fief of Nightshade that betrayed her in the most horrific way possible. Tiamaris is a dragon. Their case takes them into Nightshade to investigate murders just like a series of deaths from Kaylin's childhood where someone was killing children with markings like hers. There she meets the fieflord Nightshade and he claims her as his own. Kaylin must face her past and win through the present if she and Elantra are to have a future.