October Daye 5-8
Oct. 8th, 2015 07:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
schneefinkThe Pens' season opener is tonight! I'll most likely watch it, even though I have to get up earlier tomorrow for school debating. But it's the season opener! I'll be fine, I'll borrow my roommate's coffee machine.
(Have I mentioned that the third roommate moved in last week? I think it'll work well.)
I actually did one or two things today, like shopping, but I also had time to read.
One Salt Sea:
Quentin becomes Toby's squire, I like it :) He and Raj, two future Kings looking up to her (Quentin totally gave himself away.)
Toby/Connor – kinda obvious that Toby/Tybalt will be a thing so I feel sorry for Connor. And then he dies, huh, I didn't think it would happen so fast.
Toby being mad that the Luidaeg wants to collect on the debt, "I thought we were friends" – uh, did you forget who you are dealing with? Also, this is kinda important. I like the Luidaeg, and the history with the Roanan and Selkie is interesting. Toby you really need to learn more about fae history. And politics: giving Goldengrass to Dean was actually a good idea, but mostly accidental. Now there is no changeling nobility again (not that Toby was a good choice for that in the first place because she is not good at politics.)
That was a very short appearance by Gillian. But given that choice did you really think she would not choose human, Toby, seriously.
The last two books had a lot more foreshadowing, I'm admittedly curious.
Ashes of Honor:
Raj, darling! Lost in Annwn, then blackmailed by his father to challenge Tybalt and ready to die for it. I want so much Quentin&Raj friendship fic.
This time around, instead of seeing Toby being reckless, we see her actually asking her allies for help, while said allies express concern about a self-destructive period that happened off-screen after One Salt Sea. That makes much less of an impact than last time.
I like Riordan as a villain, very calculating. Oberon has vanished, why obey his laws anymore? And she plays WoW in her free time.
Toby and Tybalt finally talk about feelings and start officially dating/courting. This will be fun.
Chimes at Midnight:
I knew Quentin was a son of the High King! I wasn't completely sure if he was the Crown Prince because the hints were almost too obvious, but yes he is. The book ended before we got to see Toby meet his parents :( cheating. Of course she'll be extra nervous/cautious about sending him into danger next time, and he won't be happy about it.
The Queen was illegitimate, everybody suspected, but nobody ever looked for proof? Seriously? Not even Sylvester, when the Queen tried to have Toby killed? Admittedly it would have been messier without an heiress but still, the alternatives must have been better. The Queen should at least have had a slightly better backstory/cover.
Main characters & heroes who claim they are not interested in politics when they really should be are frustrating. I want to slap them and tell them to damn well pay attention, it's important. Once you put a new Queen on the throne you are definitely involved! At least Toby actually used her allies and asked them for help this time. She used the Library! Clearly more people should do that, libraries are very helpful.
The Luidaeg is clearly playing a long-term game in which Amandine should have played an important role, but now it's up to Toby. I'm looking forward to seeing what it is.
The Winter Long:
Finally someone notices that there must have been a third Faerie Queen, unless Oberon had kids like Zeus had Athena. Admittedly not impossible. I wonder why that Queen was forgotten by most? And why Eira is forbidden to hurt her descendants, but not Maeve's.
Also, logic says says that if (almost) every race has one Firstborn, they are all mixed-blood unless the Firstborn are capable of asexual reproduction, and all either a product of incest or, more likely, there were/are other races not descended from Oberon and the Faerie Queens (where did they come from?) Or maybe Amandine shifted the blood of the Firstborn's children to keep their bloodlines pure? That would be creepy.
Now that we know more of the Luidaeg's story, wow did she have shitty luck in life. Eira and Titania are horrible. The Luidaeg can still reach Maeve, one of the lost Queens, interesting.
Evening Winterrose, Daoine Sidhe Firstborn! Did not see that coming. Of course she'd love to get her hands on Quentin. Also, um, Toby and the Luidaeg seriously just left her there after stabbing her with an elf-shot covered knife? So they'll have no idea when she'll recover and come after them again – or worse, come at them from another angle before they have any idea. I hope someone will remember to warn the High King! Even then there may be Daoine Sidhe who think that she has a right to rule because she's their Firstborn.
Introducing Simon as not-evil worked surprisingly well. Amandine's husband, that was a surprise. Toby has a lost sister! Didn't we just have a lost princess storyline? No need to wonder if she'll show up eventually.
There were moments this time where it almost seemed like Toby was actually slowing down and thinking – yes, Tybalt, I also approve of this very much – but then there were moments like walking into Shadowed Hills with the Luidaeg without a plan, just to try something, without even knowing what Eira wants. Not smart.
I wonder if Toby will find a way to break elf-shot induced sleep, that would allow Raysel, Simon, and Nolan to play again, that could be fun.
Tybalt proposes! I approve. I wonder if that will make things complicated politically? Does Toby get a Caith Sidhe title?
(Have I mentioned that the third roommate moved in last week? I think it'll work well.)
I actually did one or two things today, like shopping, but I also had time to read.
One Salt Sea:
Quentin becomes Toby's squire, I like it :) He and Raj, two future Kings looking up to her (Quentin totally gave himself away.)
Toby/Connor – kinda obvious that Toby/Tybalt will be a thing so I feel sorry for Connor. And then he dies, huh, I didn't think it would happen so fast.
Toby being mad that the Luidaeg wants to collect on the debt, "I thought we were friends" – uh, did you forget who you are dealing with? Also, this is kinda important. I like the Luidaeg, and the history with the Roanan and Selkie is interesting. Toby you really need to learn more about fae history. And politics: giving Goldengrass to Dean was actually a good idea, but mostly accidental. Now there is no changeling nobility again (not that Toby was a good choice for that in the first place because she is not good at politics.)
That was a very short appearance by Gillian. But given that choice did you really think she would not choose human, Toby, seriously.
The last two books had a lot more foreshadowing, I'm admittedly curious.
Ashes of Honor:
Raj, darling! Lost in Annwn, then blackmailed by his father to challenge Tybalt and ready to die for it. I want so much Quentin&Raj friendship fic.
This time around, instead of seeing Toby being reckless, we see her actually asking her allies for help, while said allies express concern about a self-destructive period that happened off-screen after One Salt Sea. That makes much less of an impact than last time.
I like Riordan as a villain, very calculating. Oberon has vanished, why obey his laws anymore? And she plays WoW in her free time.
Toby and Tybalt finally talk about feelings and start officially dating/courting. This will be fun.
Chimes at Midnight:
I knew Quentin was a son of the High King! I wasn't completely sure if he was the Crown Prince because the hints were almost too obvious, but yes he is. The book ended before we got to see Toby meet his parents :( cheating. Of course she'll be extra nervous/cautious about sending him into danger next time, and he won't be happy about it.
The Queen was illegitimate, everybody suspected, but nobody ever looked for proof? Seriously? Not even Sylvester, when the Queen tried to have Toby killed? Admittedly it would have been messier without an heiress but still, the alternatives must have been better. The Queen should at least have had a slightly better backstory/cover.
Main characters & heroes who claim they are not interested in politics when they really should be are frustrating. I want to slap them and tell them to damn well pay attention, it's important. Once you put a new Queen on the throne you are definitely involved! At least Toby actually used her allies and asked them for help this time. She used the Library! Clearly more people should do that, libraries are very helpful.
The Luidaeg is clearly playing a long-term game in which Amandine should have played an important role, but now it's up to Toby. I'm looking forward to seeing what it is.
The Winter Long:
Finally someone notices that there must have been a third Faerie Queen, unless Oberon had kids like Zeus had Athena. Admittedly not impossible. I wonder why that Queen was forgotten by most? And why Eira is forbidden to hurt her descendants, but not Maeve's.
Also, logic says says that if (almost) every race has one Firstborn, they are all mixed-blood unless the Firstborn are capable of asexual reproduction, and all either a product of incest or, more likely, there were/are other races not descended from Oberon and the Faerie Queens (where did they come from?) Or maybe Amandine shifted the blood of the Firstborn's children to keep their bloodlines pure? That would be creepy.
Now that we know more of the Luidaeg's story, wow did she have shitty luck in life. Eira and Titania are horrible. The Luidaeg can still reach Maeve, one of the lost Queens, interesting.
Evening Winterrose, Daoine Sidhe Firstborn! Did not see that coming. Of course she'd love to get her hands on Quentin. Also, um, Toby and the Luidaeg seriously just left her there after stabbing her with an elf-shot covered knife? So they'll have no idea when she'll recover and come after them again – or worse, come at them from another angle before they have any idea. I hope someone will remember to warn the High King! Even then there may be Daoine Sidhe who think that she has a right to rule because she's their Firstborn.
Introducing Simon as not-evil worked surprisingly well. Amandine's husband, that was a surprise. Toby has a lost sister! Didn't we just have a lost princess storyline? No need to wonder if she'll show up eventually.
There were moments this time where it almost seemed like Toby was actually slowing down and thinking – yes, Tybalt, I also approve of this very much – but then there were moments like walking into Shadowed Hills with the Luidaeg without a plan, just to try something, without even knowing what Eira wants. Not smart.
I wonder if Toby will find a way to break elf-shot induced sleep, that would allow Raysel, Simon, and Nolan to play again, that could be fun.
Tybalt proposes! I approve. I wonder if that will make things complicated politically? Does Toby get a Caith Sidhe title?
no subject
Date: 2015-10-09 02:36 am (UTC)If it's of interest, one thing Seanan did leading up to A Red-Rose Chain coming out was answer some questions about the series' worldbuilding (all just a few posts down at her Toby tag). It included a couple of questions related to fae bloodlines and reproduction and whatnot.
no subject
Date: 2015-10-09 01:33 pm (UTC)Also apparently there are short stories on her website, I look forward to checking them out :)