Briana’s Comments (group member since Aug 15, 2018)

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

I've just updated by last book (Exit Strategy) to the spreadsheet.

Shelby wrote: "Briana - Can you please update your shelf for The Soulmate with your completion date?"

Sorry finished the book and spaced out on updating goodreads. It's been fixed now.

I finished Rogue Protocol yesterday and should be able to get The Soulmate and Exit Strategy both finished by the end of the month to fill a couple of letters.

I had to dnf The Dangerous Harem, my brain just couldn't take the level of illogical or the prose anymore.

And I finished The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, too. I just couldn't put it down.

I can hold off on Sign Here until June, I've already started The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy since we need it for the U in the spellouts, but I'm happy to let that get bumped out of the page count tower if multiple people finish 400- 499 page books before I finish it.

Volunteering for Team Damara.

Also volunteering for Team Damara Damara.

I'm working A Discovery of Witches as one of our 500+ page reads. I'm almost halfway so I'm hoping to finish it this weekend if all goes according to plan.

Shelby wrote: "Briana - Can you please make sure to add Sweet Berries to your TT shelf? Thank you!"

Whoops, fixed. Thought I'd already done that.

DQs - Day 7
Chapters 47 - end

32. So not only did some of the Vanguards come to help rescue Rose, but they even patched up Clay. What did you make of the unguent that Tiamax gave Clay? And would you submit yourself to the same thing if you were in a similar position?

33. What did you make of the “fight” with Akatung? Was the dragon everything you expected given how much hype it got earlier in the book?

34. What did you think of Gabe’s speech at Kalador? Was it a lot of pretty words? Or did it evoke something more? And were you surprised by the reaction the attendees of the War Fair by the end?

35. After having such a presence all book as this near impossible to kill villain that had planned everything down the most minute detail, did you feel that Lastleaf’s end was what he deserved?

36. And finally what were your final feelings on the book? Were you satisfied with the ending? Was Kit’s small excerpt about how the Siege of Castia ended enough or did it leave you wishing to read more about the various bands that participated in the battle?

DQ Day 4
Chapters 22-30

16. The Maxithon, now that was an adventure. Was this what you were expecting was going to happen? What did you make of the fight?
Honestly I half expected a dragon, so a chimera wasn't that much of a disappointment. I still found the fight chaotic and confusing, but it just added all the more to the realism of the fight. Also Ganelon was A+ it seemed in the fight.

17. We meet yet another one of the old bands - what did you make of Vanguard? They seem a little friendlier at least than Raff's band. Did you expect them to say no? Or would you have thought they'd team up with Saga?
I liked that Vanguard was generally more friendly, it was a nice change of pace for Saga to meet a truly friendly face for a change. But considering how literally everyone even a decent chunk of Saga felt at one point or another that going to Castia was a death sentence and dumb idea I wasn't expecting the Vanguard to say yes that they'd team up.

18. Saga seems to have had a rather large amount of unfortunate bards. I can't help but wonder what they're going to lead Kit into, or do you think that maybe Kit will truly be the first ever bard of the band who will actually survive the adventure? Kit is supposedly unkillable after all, so maybe they're going to be lucky? What are your predictions on Kit's life expectancy as bard of Saga?
I think Kit is going to survive, I mean he's a zombie baring a handful of situations he really has pretty decent odds of survival.

19. Are you enjoying the writing style of the book? What about the story in general?
I'm enjoying the story so far, I do feel that the nonlinear writing is causing a bit of wait what just happened kind of situation where I have to go back and then forward after initially reading through.

20. The Heartwyld beckons! We are going to get a closer glimpse at this mysterious forest. What are your expectations?
Shadows, monsters, cannibals, and a very roasted but surprisingly still spry daeva.

21. Oh my word, someone went overboard! Over the forest! With the daeva no less. Makes me wonder if the band will be intact for much longer. Or could the daeva potentially not have killed Matrick, or intend to take him back to Lilith so she can kill her beloved husband herself? There was this one moment where it looked as though the daeva may let them be, seeing that they're on their way to rescue someone's daughter, so a noble feat in a world that seems to have kicked Larkspur all her life. Maybe? Yes? No? Am I alone in thinking something like this?
I think they're probably going to still have to fight Larkspur to save Matrick. Which is a shame because it did very briefly look like Saga was about to catch a decent break and then it went right out the window. I do think that Matrick is going to be alive but slightly more injured than he already is when they find him in the Heartwyld. Somehow Lilith wanting to kill him herself just makes a lot of sense.

DQ Day 3
Chapters 16-21


11. The fight with Raff's old band (who looked like clowns) that ended with snakes is one of the first times we see the almost full band working together. What did you think of this scene? Did you like the action or was it confusing? The actions was kind of confusing, but I think that adds to the reality of the fight. They're not linear things easy to track. They're complex and messy and generally chaos so the fact that the narrative felt chaotic and confusing just made the scene more believable.

12. So the hoarder kobolds - I thought they were great! And the bird-like creatures pulling the carriage. Do you have a favorite creature you've seen so far, or one you'd like to see? Tell why.
I really liked Dinantra. I liked how she was described as having a more snake-like body than a humanoid one with snakes for hair that we usually get when a gorgon is depicted in novels. And her ruthless attitude and unashamed willingness to break deals when given a better offer just lived up to the concept that she is a snake.

13. I think in the last half of this section we really start understanding what a big deal the Kings of Wyld really were. And we get to compare them to the Screaming Eagles. What do you think about the ethics and popularity of the new bands that kill captive monsters in arenas?
I think the ethics of the new bands is crap. Killing might be killing but at least the monsters that Saga once hunted and killed were causing actual harm as opposed to being bred for entertainment. Like there was an actual point to the death in the monster that Saga fought whereas the bands "performing" in the arena are doing it with the only purpose in mind being increasing their fame.

14. Lastleaf gave his (and the hordes') motivations for conquest. Do you think his reasons were valid, or is he just evil? Do you feel at all sorry for the monsters?
I think his reasons are valid to him and have a surprising amount of logic to them. The destruction of Castia being as much about vengence as it is about creating a New Dominion on it's ashes. I don't think he's evil exactly, but he may definitely have a skewed view of the big picture here.

15. We all picked our favorite character in day 1 questions. Has yours changed since then?
Nope. I still adore Clay, but Ganelon is proving a close second with Matrick and Moog right behind him.

DQ Day 2
Chapters 9 - 15

6. We meet the 3rd member of the band, the wizard Moog. What are your impressions of the wizard? Were you as surprised as Clay that he agreed to go right away?
I find Moog ridiculous and spacy but it's almost endearing how out there he is. And yet I still expected him to put up a fight about going to Castia to rescue Rose. When he didn't I was just as surprised as Clay was. Who in their right mind would want to take that sort of chance when they're clearly all much aged since the band disbanded?

7. That was some entrance to the palace, don't you think? What were your first impressions of Matrick? Were you surprised by the turn of events in chapter 11? Excited or worried when Moog announces that he had a plan?
It's not the first time a fantasy series has used a mirror as a portal, but it was kind of hilarious for what the smoke Moog put on the fire as they were leaving did to them. That was a potent phylactery. Considering how little we'd heard about Matrick to that point I wasn't sure what I was expected but a pot-bellied man wasn't what I was expected. I've decided through this section that when Moog says he has a plan you should always worry.

8. After several descriptions sprinkled throughout the story thus far, we finally meet a druin. What do you think his plan is? Why does he really want the Council to stand down?
I think Lastleaf is seeking domination. Possibly attempting to resurrect the Dominion. Why else would he go through all the trouble to invite the five courts to parlay and then essentially threaten them if they don't decide to do as he requests of them? That's a lot of effort to put in for something that he's claiming is a forgone conclusion at this point.

9. Were you surprised at how Lillian arranged the funeral? What did you think of Clay's contribution? How successful would you rate Moog's plan?
Surprised? No. It was very clear that she hated her husband and didn't respect him or the bonds that his existence put on her. Her decision to give him a viking funeral is hardly a surprise. She seems quite intelligent and by setting his pyre on fire I'm sure she was planning to ensure there was no way he could potentially return from the dead miraculously with a legitimate heir to ruin whatever plan she has been nursing all these years. She probably expected him to attempt to fake his death in order to escape her once Clay, Gabe, and Moog appeared after all what good are friends if not for getting you out of an undesirable situation?

10. Gabriel borrows Moog's crystal ball to check on his daughter. Were you surprised at what he saw? What did you think of the band's reaction?
For a group that had spent years traveling with Moog and in theory should be used to magic they were quite transfixed. And in the end horrified by how large the horde was. I was kind of surprised that they were able to see anything at all as I had assumed to this point that magic was limited to wizards and witches, not something that could be used by the average person like this. And the image of the bodies in the river was surprisingly graphic when we got to it, but the whole vision did well to give a sense of space and grandeur to the landscape of Agria, a sense of breadth that wasn't there when they set out from Coverdale.

DQs Days 1 Chapters 1 - 8
1.) What do you think of the premise of the book, like an aging rock band getting back together to go on tour but an adventuring band instead? Is the author pulling it off so far?
It's an intriguing concept. Especially the part where most of the male bands are made up of five members from everything we've read so far. Which just makes them seem more similar to the 90's boy band. It's working for me currently, I'm just hoping it stays that way.

2.) The rocks, may of hit me a bit in the feels. Did it affect your opinion of Gabe at all?
I'm still debating if that was just a clever bit of subterfuge in the event he ever got held up by bandits and quick storytelling to mollify Clay. After all he thought nothing of trying to play the guilt card when he asked Clay for help rather than respect his decision to stay out of it. But if it is true, well that is a really caring thing for an otherwise screw up of a father to do for his only child that he lost long before he should have.

3.) How do you like the world building, is it being done effectively for you without major info dumping? Is it helping to set the stage for the story?
I think the world building is brushing up on that info dumping line a bit, but at the same time it isn't actually pulling me out of the main story so while at times it can be a little much, it's fit in in such a way that calling it directly info dumping doesn't feel right. I'm not sure if I could have gotten that in there quite as well myself so I'm just going to accept that's how it is and carry on.

4.) What did you think about the parade? Did anyone else enjoy Clay's reaction to the ladies being whistled at and be disappointed when the lady blew a kiss back instead of skewering the guy (like Clay expected to happen)?
I thought the parade was pointless. All it did was illustrate how much the world had changed since Saga was adventuring. And yes I loved how disappointed Clay was that the female band didn't react negatively to the whistles. I personally felt like that should have, much like Clay. At least it would make their utterly useless armor seem more like a flex than set dressing.

5.) Do you have a favorite character so far? Clay Cooper is easily my favorite. His sense of humor is a little dry but it's also pretty self-deprecating and it makes me chuckle pretty much every time.


Bonus: Taking a poll for a very important question. On the Tassel Farm: Centaur or Moose? Centaur

Checking in to say that I'm still here and I have finished my first book All Systems Red, hopefully I can squeak in a couple more this weekend. I'm working on catching up with Kings of the Wyld so I can answer discussion questions.

Susan A wrote: "Hey Briana! You were picked for DQs. Hooray!!

8 May 45 - end 100% Briana (Damara Damara)"

Whoo I was just going to check that thread now with how close we are to the start of the challenge is tomorrow.

Volunteering for DQs for Team Damara Damara

Hi Everyone,

I'm Briana, or Bri doesn't bother me I'll respond to both. This is my third year participating in TT. I started with TT8 which was a riot and cemented my love for this challenge. I'm in CT and just started long-term subbing so I'm anticipating May to be one of those months where the majority of my reading happens between Saturday and Sunday with my reading hopefully getting back on track in the latter half of June when school lets out. But not to worry I have all of the Murderbot Diaries currently eligible for a reread in May to keep me occupied and those range between 145-175 pages not including Network Effect which is like 350 pages.

I tend to read fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and mystery/thriller. I'm working on getting some more non-fiction into my reading habit by reading at least one a month (and still haven't read one for April so we see how well that's going). I'm currently reading: Wolf Gone Wild, Before They Are Hanged, Blood Mercy, Sinner, and The Sinner and the Scholar. I uh have a hard time with reading only one book at a time. I hope to have most of those done by the 1st so I can start fresh for the beginning of the challenge.

My shelf is here.

Can't wait for the start of the challenge.

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "For those stalking this thread, we have a present.

TTX sign ups will be announced via message and in the "All about" thread on April 15, but you can sign up now here
https://forms.gle/xpDNeAjAEPgC..."

Whoo! I wait all year for this challenge. I'm so excited.

Well I failed miserably last year but it got me to read a non-fiction book so I'll count it as a win anyway. Going for a Coathanger but I'd be happy just to manage a headlock.

Progress: 0 / 12

40. The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison
69. Leaves on the Wind by Zack Whedon
119. Private Vegas by James Patterson
143. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
162. Code by Kathy Reichs
204. The Watchmaker's Daughter by C.J. Archer
265. Prequel to Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews
321. Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley
336. Water's Wrath by Elise Kova
402. Book of Night by Holly Black
476. Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson
508. Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer