Alysa’s Comments (group member since Jun 27, 2015)

Alysa’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

DQs Day 5
Ch 28 - End

18.) In case anyone had any doubt that we've been reading not only historical fantasy but an Action Adventure novel, things have ramped up even more: Amina's deal with the peris, the flight with Khayzur, the council of pirates, the new friendship (?) with Magnun... And now Amina has gained supernatural strength and sight! What do you think about all these developments? What did you like (or dislike) most about all these elaborate plot elements introduced between the Peri island and the final showdown on Socotra?

19.) We finally found out the full story of what happened to Asif. Do you think Amina is culpable for Asif's fate, as she believes she is?

20.) It seems like the author wrapped things up fairly well, while neatly setting up for further installments. Will you read more in this world? Any particular teases or loose ends that most interest you?

21.) Did you read the "Author's Note and Further Reading" -- and if yes, are you interested in any of the books she cites or recommends?

Bonus question: Dunya / Jamal ! Did anyone see that coming?! Thoughts?

DQs Day 4
Ch 20 - Ch 27

14.) The Moon of Saba certainly has a complicated tale. Do you think the author did this to highlight in a different way how the past is not always what we think? And the true story is often very different from what is recorded in the history books?

The different conflicting stories about the Moon of Saba do indeed highlight the idea of the past not always being what we think, and there are other things in and about this novel that highlight that. From the very start we've been getting examples of how the legends about Amina differ from the realities, and about how the characters' pasts don't always align with what one might think, or how the readers' assumptions about history might be skewed. It's all a consistent theme of the book, which is actually pretty cool.

@Judith, I also love that aspect of Michael J. Sullivan's series -- and funny you should mention it because I was actually planning to read Esrahaddon as my next book before my library loan of Amina came through in time for the BOM, and will probably start it next week instead!
Have you ever read Jane Yolen's Great Alta trilogy? I still need to read Book 3 (there's a pattern here, haha) but that series is also very much about stories having different versions depending on whether they're the truth, the myth, the legend...


15.) Now that we know more about Raksh, what do you think about him? Has your opinion changed over the course of the story? Do you think he'll find out he's a father?

My opinion hasn't changed much; I always thought him quite complicated under the surface, and his very being unknowable. I think he'll find out he's a father, but my theory is that there's all this build up only so that the author can diffuse it in some way, like maybe Raksh will be like "Oh, I've had lots of kids, whatever" and not take much interest or responsibility -- which would obviously suit Amina just fine.


16.) Amina's first conversation with Dunya was certainly illuminating. Was she what you expected? In her shoes do you think you would of pulled a runner with Falco?

I hadn't foreseen the coded-transgender part, but otherwise she was pretty much what I expected. Willful and smart and running from something. In her shoes I have no idea what I'd have done.
Probably stayed, because I'm not especially brave and I appreciate stability and home comforts. But maybe when I was her age I'd have run? No idea, truly.


17.) Anyone else trying to figure out how Amina survived in the ocean with no potable water for 2 weeks? Also, anyone else want to go to the magical island?

LOL, that two weeks was a stretch for sure. And I would only want to go to that magical island if there are pina coladas, and the bird people promised to let me leave alive!

DQs Day 3
Ch 14 - Ch 19

10.) There's some really graphic scenes in this section. Why do you think Chakraborty chose to be so detailed (esp what Falco did to them), when she could have been more circumspect?

It didn't strike me as any different from the rest of the book -- fantastical but grounded in emotional realism, the impact of which would have been lessened had the writing been any fuzzier on details.

11.) We met Raksh! Huzzah! What are you thoughts on final meeting him? Did that opinion change at all during the section?

I was not expecting him to provide so much comedy! I'm a little worried that it's partly meant to distract us from suspecting something terrible and dark that he's going to end up doing. But then again, we already know he's fully capable of darkness and has done horrible things in the past. So, complicated I supposed. But still very funny!

12.) And Falco too! What do you think of him? Does the backstory of crusading fervour in his father leading to financial ruin add or detract from him as a villainous villain?

Falco's childhood backstory adds color to how he became who he is: a raging malignant narcissist. A similar backstory could have turned a different man another way, but not Falco.

13.) Following from that - we see the first serious religious tensions in this section, in the hesitation to bury the Christian villages and then also in the Crusades history shared.
But, rather than dwelling on that point in particular - do you feel that the world being evoked is real, bedded in history, or too glamourised? General thoughts on the setting welcomed!

I don't know enough real history or anthropology about the part of the world where this book takes place to say how real it feels (apart from the fantasy elements, obviously), but I definitely appreciate the effort that Chakraborty has put it to situate it in a larger global context, especially vis-a-vis undermining the European Crusader perspective that I assume much of the reading audience is familiar with. I'm enjoying this book very much as a historical fantasy novel, but it also makes me want to learn more about the time and places that inspired it.

Judith wrote: "I agree with Cat though that something happened between Amina's last husband (djinn?) and what lead to Asif's demise."

That's a good theory. I was thinking the husband was supernatural (djinn), and something about Asif's death was supernatural-related, but I hadn't necessarily connected the two things.
Though if Amina had romantic and/or sexual relationships with BOTH of them, that makes sense too.

DQs Day 2
Ch 7 - Ch 13

So far we have met a mojority of the key players. With Salima requesting that Amina find her grand daughter Dunya because her dead son Asif used to work for her,

6.) We are getting hints of a nefarious demise of Asif with the possibility that Amina was involved. Any guesses (If you don't know) of what may have happened. Did anyone else confuse Asif as being Morjana father?

I get why some of the other characters though maybe Asif was the father, but Amina's been pretty clear with the reader that that wasn't the case. I think maybe there was something going on between Asif and Amina at some point though. And it sounds like there may have been supernatural elements involved in Asif's death.

7.) So far it seems that instead of Amina being the great baddie that she once was, is really the one being taken advantage of. With Salima forcing her hand to find her grand-daughter. Do you think that even if found her grand daughter would go home willingly?

Nope. I think Dunya knows her own mind and does not want to go back to her grandmother Salima at all.

8.) Amina has gotten her old crew back together (Dalila, an expert poisoner; Tinbu, her first mate; and Majed, her navigator) Which reunion did you enjoy the most?

I love that the old gang's all back together! I have enjoyed that in other books too, and no less here. I liked all of the reunions equally, though maybe I was the most entertained by the reunion with Majed, where they're scrabbling in a doorway until Majed's wife intervenes. Kind of slapstick in a good way.

9.) With magic playing afoot and Falco being able to do things unknown and Amina not being familiar do you think they eventually bring in or find someone to help them with that?

I don't think they will bring in anyone else specifically to deal with that, since they're so close-knit and they didn't have a 5th solid crew member before (unless Asif knew a lot about magic? I don't think that's been clarified, although he did grow up in Salima's house and we aren't told if it's Dunya who has amassed the occult library there or if it was already there...). Perhaps once Amina and her crew locate Dunya, they will end up convincing Dunya to help with magic against Falco or something? IDK. More likely there's going to be some kind of huge twist that I am currently not seeing coming!

DQs Day 1
Beginning - Ch 6

1.) Do you have any expectations going in? Have you read The Daevabad Trilogy (starting with The City of Brass)?

I *hoped* this would be as good as it looked, but I tried to keep my expectations on the lower side because I didn't like City of Brass enough to continue with the rest of The Daevabad Trilogy. It wasn't terrible or anything, just a bit meh. This, on the other hand, was giving Delilah Dirk vibes, but more literary. And the author seems to have evolved in a good way.

2.) Right off the bat, the quote "that to be a woman is to have your story misremembered". What do you think about this statement?

Sadly it's often true. I mean, I suppose plenty of non-women have their stories misremembered too, but it's been far more likely for women to be erased from the record, or be grossly misunderstood, mischaracterized, or used only as convenient for someone else's story.

3.) Did complaining about the annoyances and expense of home maintenance make the legendary pirate seem more real and relatable even after fighting off a demon in the previous chapter?

Yes, it definitely did. It all added color and context and realness.

4.) There seems to be a fun bit of the mystical woven into this world. Do you think Marjana's father is human?

Seems to be some kind of djinn.

5.) Are you liking how the book is structured? Like we are sitting at Amina's feet while she tells her tale with some fun extra thrown in between chapters.

I like the extras between the chapters, but the "sitting at Amina's feet" bits feel a little clunky to me. Maybe it's not the fact of them, but just the way they're integrated. It kicks me out of the story slightly, rather than drawing me in. Idk, maybe it'll grow on me.



I finished reading thru Chapter 6 at like 6:30 this morning during an unfortunate bout of insomnia. Silver linings 😂

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "break down is up! Alysa, maybe you could commit to the last section? No worries if not - we can flex :)"

If we put in a break day I think I'll be able to manage last section questions on 3/21...

Task: Read a book with a single body part on the cover
Direction: South

P : The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss
A : Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets by Dorothy Armstrong
S : Stockham, character in Winterkill
S : Salina, character in Widow's Web

Me too! But I don't promise to stay on-schedule lol

For next time I do a month-long NG challenge...

TBR:

I started choosing a book that fits this task and goes the desired direction, but then realized I’ve read enough books since my last maze turn that it’s just easier to do a skip LOL

Task: Read a book with a house on the cover
Direction: East

M : Matched, 418 p
I : Irene, character in The Dark Archive, 336 p
S : Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber, 216 p
S : Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, 416 p

Task: Read a novel with a recipe in it
Direction: North

H : Dark Heir by Faith Hunter
E : Eulalie, character in Moon Bayou
L : Ladanyon, character in Confronting the Demon
P : Philip, character in A Deliberation of Dragons

Task: Read a book with a cover showing close-up of a hand(s)
Direction: North

S : Sicarius, character in Deadly Games
K : Keita Mori, character inThe Lost Future of Pepperharrow
I : Immaculée Constantin, character in The Bone Clocks
P: Peter Grant, character in Amongst Our Weapons

Skipping
Task: Read a book that is in the Amazon 2004 bestsellers (http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/...)
Direction: East

C : The Crawling Darkness
A : About Time
N : Solomon's Crown by Natasha Siegel
T : Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Skipping
Task: Read a book whose author died this year
Direction: South

P : Peripeteia
A : The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
S : Smoke & Summons
S : The Scourge of Muirwood

When I got this task a few weeks ago, I tried to find something that fit but there were no books that appealed to me.
Only just past 3 months into the year, simply skipping the task was... let's just say... a lot more palatable... than the idea of waiting to see if an author with an appealing book would DIE soon... AMIRITE?!?!

Lyndi (mibookobsession) wrote: " I looked at the first 100 books on the list and I've read 68 of them. "

Impressive!

Skipping Task: Read a book that is in the Amazon 2008 bestsellers (http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/...)
Direction: East

C: Clint, character in Skin Trade (238p)
A: Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky (700p)
N: Margot Nielson, character in Burn Our Bodies Down (352p)
T: The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World by Tom Roston (320p)

Skipping Task: Read a book where a character carries a switch blade (or any kind of knife)
Direction: East

M: Rule, by Rowenna Miller (432p)
I: The Ivory and the Horn (318p)
S: Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show (240p)
S: The Bialy Eaters, by Mimi Sheraton (176p)

Sophie wrote: "

Don't SKIP this message! I know you want to call a HALT to the tasks that make you want to PASS out and MISS the maze entirely. I don't want the fun to STOP so if you CAN'T complete a task, just ..."

Love it! Thank you!
😁

Aaaaaaand another skip.

Task: Read a book shelved (listed on the first page on GR) as christian - plurals and spelling acceptable
Direction: South

S : The Silver Mask
K : Kiva, character in The Prison Healer
I : The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
P: Hank Palace, character in World of Trouble

In addition to SKIP and HELP, I am starting to wish we could spell CANT or NOPE. Just to add a little variety, LOL.