I’ve received permission to post this. It’s a cover proof, which means it’s open to some minor revision; there might be some small details that change between this and the final. But I thought people might like to take a look at it.
(ETA: The artist responsible for the cover is Shane Rebenschied)
Cast in Ruin is an October 2011 title.
Michelle West & Michelle Sagara 
Mar 17, 2011 @ 22:56:00
I soooooo can not wait for the this to come out… counting down the days :)
Mar 17, 2011 @ 23:01:43
NICE!! possibly the best cover yet for Cast, although admittedly, I tend to think that with every new one. possibly that flush of eagerness, one step closer to getting it in my hands! thanks!
Mar 17, 2011 @ 23:04:45
I only wish it would be complete and released prior to October…
Mar 17, 2011 @ 23:06:04
Ooooh, that is just gorgeous!! Looking forward to it!
Mar 18, 2011 @ 00:24:31
Yay. So excited!!! Do you get to pick the models used? How many have there been?
Mar 18, 2011 @ 01:03:49
Woo hoo. Just one comment…shouldn’t she have a tattoo of nightshade on her face?
Mar 18, 2011 @ 02:31:57
@Shannon
I don’t have any say in the models chosen – that would be between the art director and the artist, I think. And I’m not a terribly artistic person. I can dissect a cover for marketability when pressed, because I did do the buying for our store before my oldest was born, but oddly enough, that’s easier and not so much about the art itself.
I would hate to be responsible for my own cover art because, unlike many multi-talented creators, I have the artistic sensibility of a dead snail, and I accept this limitation.
@Theresa
I don’t think there’s been a facial tattoo on any of the covers, now that you mention it. I really like this cover, though!
Mar 18, 2011 @ 03:13:05
I really like the cover!!! The model sorta resembles Mila Kunis.
Mar 18, 2011 @ 11:46:52
FINALLY! Kaylin gets a sword! And this model is almost exactly how I pictured Kaylin!
Mar 18, 2011 @ 12:29:13
Love the cover and I can’t wait to read it. I am hoping for an earlier than October release now. :)
Mar 18, 2011 @ 14:20:36
Very nice! I cannot wait to read the book!
Mar 18, 2011 @ 16:40:52
Darn it, October is so far away!!! I love this series! :)
Mar 18, 2011 @ 17:37:09
Do we find out what came out of the baby/egg in this book? (I like the cover, but I thought her bracelet/armband was gold?) Looking forward to the book, Teri C.
Mar 18, 2011 @ 17:48:07
The model has a bit of a pout, IMO, but the cover overall seems ok. Or at least it has a similar background and consistent design that goes with the rest of the series. Not my favorite, though.
Mar 18, 2011 @ 18:45:36
For all that between the sword and the bracer Kaylin is looking a little Conan the Barbarian.. I actually think this might be my favorite cover. It’s rather arresting. Though this one, like all the others, have never shown Nightshade’s mark on her face and I always find that vaguely disappointing. But mostly I don’t get that upset about how covers don’t match the text, coz unless you’re Janny Wurts and painting your own covers.. they almost always get something wrong. ;)
It does make me wonder though.. Kaylin’s had longish hair on all the covers, and while I assume that’s just artistic license.. did I misread it when I got the impression she lost pretty much all her hair in Cast in Secret? I’ve never been completely sure about how much of her hair was damaged, aside from the eyebrows.
Mar 18, 2011 @ 19:02:40
Of course this is an auto-buy, but…. you know… my first impression was “Why is Fergie cosplaying as a pouting Kaylin?” ^^
Mar 18, 2011 @ 19:54:04
Love the cover!!!! When do you think we will get and excerpt. Hee Hee
Mar 19, 2011 @ 00:58:19
I like the cover and found the blurb to be of interest. This is one of my favorite series.
Mar 19, 2011 @ 01:39:57
I really like the cover as well. And I, too, have been wondering where Nightshade’s mark is in the cover art (mostly because I’ve been curious about what it looks like). Michelle, did you have a particular look in mind on that score? I’ve always assumed it was a simple drawing — almost pen and ink — albeit small. But I suppose it could have been more like a tattoo, multi-colored and filled in.
That last, by the way, is an observation, and by no means a complaint :)
Carol
Mar 19, 2011 @ 08:50:59
I cannot wait for this either. And the cover is SO AMAZING. I am swooning. Flailing. Happy. :)
Mar 20, 2011 @ 21:09:34
Not my favorite cover, but it’s a nice addition. I’m more interested in the back cover at the moment. Kind of intrigued by the dragons in the sky. The plural has possibillities.
Mar 20, 2011 @ 21:35:01
Oh I really like the cover. Seeing a cover means the book release date is getting closer. I will have something to roam the bookstores (more so that I do know) looking for.
I really am looking forward to this next addition to the series.
elleno
Mar 21, 2011 @ 10:57:37
Wow, this is definitely my favourite cover so far. She looks down right menacing, like someone got her out of bed before 9 am.
Just one question though. Is the pricing on the back a mock up? The Canadian dollar is doing so well that US/Canada price gap seems extreme.
Mar 21, 2011 @ 21:39:27
The cover is great and in keeping with the previous series covers but my favorite covers are the ones that are paintings or drawings. They leave more to the imagination. When photographs are used as the basis, it is hard for them to not look like a B movie or cheesy. So my faves are still The House War covers.
Mar 21, 2011 @ 21:47:12
On looking closer the cover is really quite extraordinary! But I still vote for the ones that don’t make me think of ingenues in battle. She’s so clean with such perfect skin. I guess that means I like the more two dimensional unreal, stylized covers that really do look like paintings or gift card art.
Mar 21, 2011 @ 23:15:23
Excellent cover. I read novels a lot and the cover is what entices me to pick up a book and read the back description. The Chronicles of Elantra series always excells at cover art that is descriptive as well as mysterious. This one continues the pattern flawlessly. I have been waiting for this book for what seems like an eternity to release and finally the release date has been announced. Whoo-Hoo!
Mar 22, 2011 @ 16:57:56
Ooh, a sword?? Is that just sort of metaphorical or does this mean she’s getting some kind of uber weapon?
Mar 23, 2011 @ 21:53:21
I admit, I barely pay attention to cover art because it usually disappoints me. So, I didn’t notice she was missing the mark on her cheek this whole time! I also never think the text on the back ever really does the book justice. There is so much more to your series than “yet another fantasy chick with a sword”. Regardless, I’m really looking forward to this one. More dragons and *crosses fingers* hopefully more Nightshade! Woo!
DG,
Self-proclaimed President of Team Nightshade
Mar 24, 2011 @ 02:05:45
oh i hope there is more Nightshade!!!!!!!
i think this model is the one most like how i pictured Kaylin.
October is such a long ways away i dont know if i can make it…..
Mar 24, 2011 @ 13:03:09
I also hope for more Nightshade.
As for the tattoo…I think this the first cover with a close up of her face, so I wasn’t too worried about it not showing up. But this cover clearly shows her features.
Mar 25, 2011 @ 17:41:23
AWESOME!!!!! I am super excited, can’t wait!!
Mar 27, 2011 @ 02:27:05
I really, really hated this past winter (Tonight expecting snow in the D.C. metro area), and here I am wishing for October. Can the book be expedited? The covers are just right because they make my imagination run ahead. The prural “dragons” is very suggestive. Will we finally figure out how the dragons can sustain an empire with only about 6 or 7 dragons? Maybe 8 with the skeleton in the Library.
The big sword is very interesting. I’m still wondering what happened with the sword that the Lord of the Green gave Kaylin when she saved him from the Black Lagoon. He told her that it was not her chosen weapon,
“but you are not yet master of the weapon that is”. So is this the same sword and now her chosen weapon? Will Nightshade teach her how to use it, just like Meliannos? I’m on team Nightshade and really would like to see them having more time together. Like Kaylin going back to the heart of the Castle following the message Nightshade left in her mirror (Did he forget he threatened to kill her? He needs some classes on romantic behavior). I have to say, however, (and this is a spoiler for those who haven’t read Chaos yet; stop here) that Nightshade does not need lessons on kissing.
Michelle, I have read way over a thousand books in my life, and that scene, that first kiss stands among the top five in any literature contest. It is “The Kiss”. My hair stood on end, and at my age too.
Aug 17, 2011 @ 13:39:00
i figured he was talking about her magic…as her chosen weapon, and as she had no daggers she could use teh sword for a while…
Aug 17, 2011 @ 13:40:11
and yes, best kiss ever…i have some fan art of it because i couldn’t get it out of my head, might end up being a mini series, i’m not quite done though
Mar 29, 2011 @ 17:02:57
Yes! I’m so excited, can’t wait to read this. I hope there are more explanations of the past, but more mysteries will be fine too. I’ve been checking on Amazon on a weekly basis, waiting for them to post this book so I can pre-order. Yay!
Mar 31, 2011 @ 17:09:04
@ Nova
Amazon already has the preliminary page up:
I wouldn’t pay much attention to the price or anything else until it gets closer to October though. However, you can still put it on your wish list or pre-order.
@ Hilda
**Big Blaring Spoiler Alert…Seriously**
That was some kiss and it totally came out of nowhere. The interesting thing is that Kaylin felt something too, and if it weren’t for Barren I think they would have gone waaay past kissin’!
I also find it interesting that every time she goes to the castle there is something different about the cages outside. The cages she doesn’t like. When she first went there they were merely empty, and they stayed empty. When she went there the last time they weren’t there at all. I think he’s always dropped some subtle hints her way, but that last time he dropped one bombshell of a hint. It will be interesting to see if she goes back to the castle willingly after that, or if he does something to force her to come back.
DG,
Self-Proclaimed President of Team Nightshade
Apr 03, 2011 @ 16:38:09
I love that cover. I’m not usually a fan of cover art, but that one appeals to me. Re: the sword…I had to giggle – my first thought was ‘Kaylin’s got Nightshades weapon?!’ LOL – Can’t wait to see what comes in October.
Apr 04, 2011 @ 01:34:31
Reposting because it doesn’t seem like this blog is moderated, so my other post ended up in limbo!
@ Nova
Amazon already has the preliminary page up. If you search for the book name you’ll find it (sorry, I can’t post a link without the comments gobbling it up. :\).
I wouldn’t pay much attention to the price or anything else until it gets closer to October though. However, you can still put it on your wish list or pre-order.
@ Hilda
**Big Blaring Spoiler Alert…Seriously**
That was some kiss and it totally came out of nowhere. The interesting thing is that Kaylin felt something too, and if it weren’t for Barren I think they would have gone waaay past kissin’!
I also find it interesting that every time she goes to the castle there is something different about the cages outside. The cages she doesn’t like. When she first went there they were merely empty, and they stayed empty. When she went there the last time they weren’t there at all. I think he’s always dropped some subtle hints her way, but that last time he dropped one bombshell of a hint. It will be interesting to see if she goes back to the castle willingly after that, or if he does something to force her to come back.
DG,
Self-Proclaimed President of Team Nightshade
Apr 07, 2011 @ 23:57:02
do you know when the sample chapter will be put up? July? August?
Apr 10, 2011 @ 03:15:14
I am so excited for this book to come out…
There are some series that just make the whole year brighter, and definitely CAST is one of the very best of them. I like the purple cover!!
Definitely a part of Team Nightshade….
…I can’t believe I admitted that…
Apr 11, 2011 @ 01:55:08
Third time I start this message and hit the wrong button, and … “Poof” dissappear. Sorry, I would like to know, if possible, whether Cast in Ruins takes place in the Ruins in the Fief of Nightshade that are so dangerous. In “Shadow”, when Kaylin returned so sick from her first visit to the Castle, Marcus was frightened and prohibited her to go to those ruins because they are so very dangerous. Are they the same as the Ruins of the new book? I had wondered what happened to them. If they are the same, then one of those questions that I keep in mind while reading the Cast books, will be ansewed.
Apr 13, 2011 @ 17:06:33
I really like the cover. I think that it really goes well with the rest of the series covers, which is nice. I hate it when the art changes in the middle of a series. I, like many on here, am wondering about Nightshade’s mark. I always picture it as a small black tattoo. I like the design of the sword, because it looks heavy enough that it takes work to hold it but not heavy enough/big enough/unbalanced enough that she looks like she shouldn’t be able to hold it up with some effort.
I’m curious where you’ll take us with this one and can’t wait to see. I devour these books the day they come out in stores. Kaylin is one of my favorite characters.
Apr 17, 2011 @ 19:58:35
Wicked lovely cover!!!!!!
Apr 18, 2011 @ 00:47:58
I am so excited for the release of this book. I tried to get my hubby to agree to name our baby Kaylin but it turns out we’re having a boy.
Anyway, I got my friend hooked on this series. She loves them
Apr 18, 2011 @ 04:48:19
Very Xena Warrior Princess, still love it.
Apr 21, 2011 @ 05:53:14
SO very Excited for this book to come out – love, love, LOVE this very interesting and different series!! – devoured the first books far too fast!
Above all – Thank you!
Apr 21, 2011 @ 13:00:37
I pre-ordered it. :) Can’t wait, can’t wait.
Apr 23, 2011 @ 21:10:58
I am so~ excited, I’m giddy. I just love this series, so many mysteries to figure out and such diverse and developed characters… So one of my fav series. I have no doubt Cast in Ruins will be enthralling.
Apr 23, 2011 @ 21:13:10
One more thing: if you haven’t read Cast in Moonlight (the prequel), you should.
Apr 26, 2011 @ 01:45:39
I, too, like the cover, but (along with the no Nightshade mark) it’s always bothered me that the runes on the Cast covers look rather Norse (all lines and angles), while you always describe them in your text as having curves. I find it disturbing when there’s a discrepancy between text and cover, and it seems important to me that the shape of the runes be shown correctly because how you describe them makes their appearance so integral to how Kaylin uses & understands them. Can’t wait until the book is out!
May 11, 2011 @ 07:57:58
I have to admit that this is my favorite cover for this series yet, which is a little interesting for me. Like several of the others here, I prefer abstract images or freehand-styled art for book covers. They tend to attract my attention more as well as leave more room for my imagination. I love this one because it manages to mirror my internal image of Kaylin so much – she is very young and very determined. Kudos to the artist!
May 22, 2011 @ 18:01:52
I LOVE it!!!!! I can’t wait to read this next one! I am officially addicted to this series and have now managed to get my entire family addicted as well!!
May 23, 2011 @ 16:49:32
Team Severn, here. October seems abysmally far away. Could the egg be a new dragon? The covers don’t reflect the content of the books accurately so, while interesting, they do not generate the same excitement as the simple knowledge of the due date of the next book. For that I can hardly wait! Although the sword is interesting. There are other dragon-killing swords besides Meliannos. Maybe this is another one? Who taught Severn to use his chain?
Jun 17, 2011 @ 10:56:20
I think the egg will be an human oddity but one that is meant to live in the Elemental Garden and replace Evanton – it seems that Grethan may not be up to the task.
Jun 05, 2011 @ 05:31:29
Omg! I’m so excited about the newest Cast series, I’m marking the days on my calender until the Big Day, when I can once again visit the world of Elantra. I love it dearly, and I love a lot of the characters in it, and I wish for a happy everafter for all my favorite characters. Please Michelle, no sad endings, no tragedies, not here! And, is there any chance at all that we can have an excerpt, even a mini excerpt, by July? Pretty please? God Bless.
Jun 07, 2011 @ 14:40:24
My question is….which cheek is Nightshades mark on?? I have looked through all the books and it only mentions… she lifted her hand to her cheek – he raised his hand to her cheek…and the covers don’t show it……am very curious
Jun 07, 2011 @ 19:56:49
If I remember correctly it is the right cheek. It was stated when she woke the Lord of the West March. Or at least that is what I gathered from it.
Jun 15, 2011 @ 19:27:46
The cover art is very nice and I’m so excited to read the next book. But I don’t understand why everyone wants Kaylin to fall for Nightshade?? He is such a pompous jerk and only cares about himself and power. I think she should have punched him after he kissed her. Severn is the best man for her and he just proved his love in the last book. I think they should take it up a notch in the next one…. and maybe have Severn teach Nightshade a lesson.
Jun 21, 2011 @ 17:27:56
If Severn tries to take on Nightshade one-on-one he’s gunna lose. They already established in the 1st book that 2 humans trying to take on 1 barrani would be a major feat. I don’t think you want to mess with an outcaste barrani lord, who wields a dragon-killing sword, that has no qualms threatening the other barrani lords to war just because they breathed on Kaylin in the wrong way…Just Sayin’.
I don’t think “everyone” wants Kaylin to fall for Nightshade, just some of us. Why? Because he’s actually interesting, smart, powerful…and yeah a completely pompous egomaniac, but at least he has something to back up that ego. I find Severn to be rather dull and 2-dimensional, quite frankly, an idiotically obvious choice as a love interest. Hell, I’d take the Lord of the West March over Severn. At least that wouldn’t be so mind-numbingly uninteresting.
DG,
Self-Proclaimed President of Team Nightshade
Jun 21, 2011 @ 19:33:58
I have to say I agree mostly with DG. If someone better shows up in the future books, then I might change my mind about Nightshade. But right now I would perfer to see Kaylin with Nightshade. Severn is just the boring safe choice.
Jun 21, 2011 @ 21:56:22
I’d go for Severn myself. My problem with Nightshade, is yes, he’s interesting but I feel that there’s a lot we don’t know about Severn that we’ll be finding out. Like his time as an assassin, for example. Or where he learned how to use his chain? Or where he went for years when they weren’t together? Kaylin sure did some dark stuff before figuring out what she really needed/wanted. You can’t tell me Severn, who says all of nothing about his past, isn’t hiding a ton of things or that there’s no interesting, powerful, connected stuff in his past. Plus, he’s patient, unfailingly kind to her, and calls her on things to her face. Besides that, he isn’t the object of fear for 95% of the people out there.
Nightshade is a great character, a fun character, but not who I would choose for her to fall in love with. I think that with Nightshade it’s infatuation with someone who she used to fear as all powerful lord of life or death. Kaylin has trust issues and I don’t think she can fully trust him. She can trust Severn. Of course, I tend to think of the characters in terms of real life and who I think a character should be with if the books were real. But that’s just my two cents.
Jun 22, 2011 @ 10:15:57
we might not even get a chance to see who she would end up with
has anyone noticed that in the area of men she is very much a child
when she meets a guy or sees one walking by she never notices that they are cute and she has to have meet/seen someone who was physically pleasing at least once
her world cant be made up of unattractive people
she also panics when she is in a romantic situation
although i am very much a TEAM NIGHTSHADE
he also changed (even if its only a little) sense he has meet her
Jun 22, 2011 @ 13:43:12
I think Kaylin has matured over the books, and that will extend into the relationship side of things. Most of the time when she has ‘grown up’ its because she has been forced too due to a particular situation, and the kiss and possibly the ‘what is it you love about me?’ thing will be what will forces her to look at the relationship side of things seriously.
On a side note, DG i love u “I don’t think you want to mess with an outcaste barrani lord, who wields a dragon-killing sword, that has no qualms threatening the other barrani lords to war just because they breathed on Kaylin in the wrong way…Just Sayin’”
Go Team Nightshade!
Jun 22, 2011 @ 17:06:04
My greatest problem with Severn is she thinks of him as a brother. He obviously doesn’t feel that way, but she’s quite blind. I agree with Natasha in that sense, she doesn’t seem attracted to anyone. But Nightshade makes her nervous. Wether it is a good nervous remains to be seen, but at least she now knows that he is interested.
I don’t think of Severn as 2-dimensional, but for his past we’ll probably have to wait for Cast in Peril. That book was supposed to be about the Shadow Wolves, if I remember correctly.
Jun 22, 2011 @ 18:04:37
Yes, Kalyin has matured over the course of the books. I keep trying to figure out a time line on how much time has elapsed since the first book, but it feel to me like it has only been 6 months or so. Since there is no real calendar and references of only a few scant weeks have passed references in the text, it it hard to tell. If we say that there only have been 6 months or so of passage from the first to the sixth book, then the growth we have seen in Kaylin is pretty good but I don’t feel enough time has passed for her to change enough over come what has been done to her — mentally and physically (all though I have my doubt about what Baron may or may not have done to her). And truthfully at this point I can’t see Kaylin in a relationship.
@Auraya, I remember seeing a post by Michelle stating that Cast in Peril was going to be a wolf/barrani book. I am hopping that this is the book that Kaylin goes to the West March in.
Jun 22, 2011 @ 18:57:38
I agree! She has a lot of emotional bagage from her childhood and seems to avoid dealing with it untill she is forced to in order to over come the challenge at hand. Kicking and fighting all the way. I do not think she sees Severn as a brother but as a rock or foundation that she can reach out from and rely on as she believes she can’t any one else. They will get together I think and work together but their relationship will always be one of companionship and understanding, never abandon like so many othersbooks make out love. Theirs is a love that would last, not a tepestuous fire to burn out. Do you think that she and nightshade are a topic because she is not truely mortal due to the “chosen “status. There have been many allusions to the fact that she is not what she thinks she is and some clear signs from conversations with the” immortal” and “first ones” that she may just be arround longer than she thinks. Night shade is not worried about “Severn because he knows he has time to wait it out.?. Love the books and the characters. Re-read them several times a year. Cant wait for the next book and any that follow.
Jun 26, 2011 @ 07:51:19
Just gotta say I’m amused at how this went from a discussion of the cover to a discussion of Kaylin’s love life (or lack of it)…
My favourite cover remains that of Courtlight because it was that cover which intrigued me enough to pick up the book and thus got me hooked on one of my top three fantasy series of all time. This one is really neat I like the sword.
I’m of the opinion that she’ll end up with whoever she’s meant to, but I’ve always been a fan of Nightshade as a character (not implying that I want him and her to be together). Counting down the days til it comes out
Jun 27, 2011 @ 11:45:13
I am so excited to see there is another book in this series!!! Can’t wait untill it is relased!!
Jul 18, 2011 @ 11:58:36
I like this cover. It would be so easy for the cover designer to go the Patricia Briggs/Mercy Thomson route with this series. I looked at the books and put the back over and over literally for years because I misjudged the content based on the half dressed woman on the cover.
Jul 26, 2011 @ 03:04:18
OCTOBER?!?!?!?! BUT… BUT… BUT!!! I DON”T WANT TO WAIT THAT LONG!!!!!!!!
Jul 26, 2011 @ 11:00:51
Generally, when a book is an October title, it means it’s released in September. :) Amazon says Sept. 20th.
Aug 17, 2011 @ 13:35:26
As far as who she ends up with I find it amusing to contemplate the fact there has been hints that Tiamaris thinks of her as part of his hoard, which means me and several friends have fun laughing at the idea of Tiamaris and Nightshade fighting over her while Severn lets her choose herself. I feeel that Severn woudl let her choose and accept it no matter what, the others are more likely to force the issue. I’m not particular about who she ends up with but it’s fun to guess at.
Aside from that I absolutely love this cover the most out of them all, errors and tattoos missing and all.
Aside from the tattoo on her face, what has always bugged me and i wonder if I am misunderstanding, is that the tattoos on her arms and legs say fore-arms and thighs, and her back…and she always has tattoos on her upper arms, it drives me nuts but admittedly i could be misunderstanding, but I’ve never though of them as being on her upper arms at all.
And my first thought at the sword was that it was Mellianos, or one of the other dragon killers, which tickles me pink. If not I’m sure it will be just as interesting…considering it made the cover.
Feb 13, 2012 @ 12:30:04
i like to website blot