Chelsea’s Comments (group member since Jun 08, 2015)

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

Day 4

14. We finally get Will's perspective of some of the events. Did you think that this worked in the story to build up to the end?
I don't think we really learned anything new from it. We already knew what kind of person he was.

15. The author has changed the pace a bit and we are now getting a lot of shorter sharper chapters before the perspective switches. I found this built up the tension; did it di the same for you?
I thought it felt a bit rushed, actually.

16. The big reveal! I hadn't quite put together how Aoife was connected (but had wondered why she had been so determined to host this wedding). I felt like Johnno got a raw deal, and was surprisingly accepting - I suppose this feels like his punishment fir the death at school. Did you work it out?
I had a feeling Aoife and Freddy knew them somehow, I just hadn't worked out the details.
I do feel bad for Johnno. He's been living with horrible guilt for about 20 years and then gets saddled with a murder he didn't actually commit. I think the childhood death would be more like involuntary manslaughter or something, not that it would make him feel less guilty. I don't think he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison, so I hope the police are able to figure at least some of the truth out.

17. I've added some more books by the author to my tbr. Will you be doing the same?
Probably not lol. I was disappointed in this book because it seemed like a regurgitation of Big Little Lies, just set over a much shorter period of time and in Ireland. The writing was generally ok but it wasn't particularly surprising or original, in my opinion. So that doesn't give me much hope for her other works.

I meant to say, I hope it’s not Will that ends up being killed because that’s too predictable.

Day 3

10. So we have finally learnt the rest of Olivia's story. And I had to laugh at myself for thinking there had been a knife-fight or an actual murder involving Steven. (It's a crime novel so the thought seemed logical haha.)
An abortion is not an easy experience and Olivia sees herself as a monster. Is the fear of Jules not believing her the only reason why she hasn't talked to her sister? What do you make of the relationship between the sisters now that we know a little more?
Well I also thought it was going to be some kind of physical attack that caused the blood lol.
As for telling Jules... I think it's one of those bad timing things. In the moment, she had a panic attack and was unable to say anything. And then after that it would have been really awkward to be like, "So I panicked because I've fucked your fiance..." Like how would you even approach that? If they were really close, sure, she could have mustered up the courage. But it doesn't seem like they're particularly close anyway and Jules is very demanding and intimidating, so I can see why Olivia clammed up. I don't foresee their relationship getting any better lol.

11. Johnno is still confusing me but man, what a, pardon the expression, dick-move to steal his best friend's idea for a show and then manage to get him kicked out of it all the while pretending that it hadn't been his decision. What does this little episode tell you about their friendship or rather the dynamic thereof?
Well it just cements the fact that Will is a total douche. It seems like his deep dark secret that Johnno is keeping probably has to do with the one kid who died during Survival at school. So then to stab your secret-keeper in the back like that? Dumb move, bro. Seems like Johnno thought they were legit friends and Will has just been using him all along. I hope Johnno gets the last laugh.

12. Charlie seems to have a bit of an aggressive and/or violent streak in him, which only seems to come out when he's been drinking heavily. For the rest, he seems like a bit of a doormat. I can't quite decide what to make of him. What about you? What do you think of this man? Do you think he has it in him to actually kill someone if the booze gets to him enough that this other part of him gains the upper hand?
He seems like an anxious introvert that is totally chill on his own but has no idea what to do with himself in a crowd. He wants to be cool but he has no idea how to do it, so he ends up being awkward and defensive; I feel bad for him. He needs a little more self-confidence.

13. Now that we know that Freddy was not a psychopathic murderer out to get all the ushers, and after that very, very odd best man speech and the guys taking off with a blind-folded Will, who do you think is the victim? What do you think happened? A true murder? Another accident that may not quite have been an accident?
Well obviously not much comes of the actual prank following the best man speech considering everyone ends up dancing and drinking later and all the groomsmen are accounted for. Plus they would hardly be carrying on without the bride or groom. But it could be that someone finds out about stuff that Will has done and Will sneaks off to kill that person. Honestly, if it ends up being Will as the murderer, this story is going to feel like a copy of Big Little Lies for me lol. The secretly cheating husband who knocked up a younger woman and no one puts two and two together until a big party and then they kill him. So I kinda hope it's not Will just so I'm surprised lol.

Day 2

5. Jules keeps stating that she loves Will. However, I think she loves the idea of him and how they look as a couple. It seems she is in love with Charlie and wants him to be jealous. Do you think Jules truly loves Will?
I think she loves both of them for different reasons. Will is obviously kind to her and their lives fit well together. Charlie is a good friend and they have unresolved sexual tension, but I think her love for him is mostly selfish- she likes feeling wanted and imagines that he's secretly in love with her.

6. We have POV’s from Jules, Johnno, Hannah, Olivia and Aoife. Is there a reason why we hear from these characters and not some of the others? Do you think this makes them more likely to be the victim or even the murderer?
It's probably more likely that they're not the murderer. But then again, I feel like everyone that we hear from feels like they're the "odd man out" for whatever reason; they all feel set apart. So maybe it's just that everyone else doesn't have that feeling or anxiety, so we're not hearing from them.

7. Who do you think sent the note to Jules warning her against marrying Will? I think it was Olivia. I think the older man that Olivia was seeing was Will.
That's an interesting theory; Jules did say that she met Will at a party and they hit it off- could be that party Olivia took him to. But then what's this secret she has involving so much blood? Does it involve the older man/Will or someone else? Maybe Callum.
Otherwise, I think it's possible Johnno sent the note. He clearly knows some dark secret about Will.

On a side note I also think that Will is the ex-boyfriend of Hannah’s sister Alice. The one who she had the bad break-up with while she was at University. I think he is a bit of a predator.
Also an interesting theory. But in that case, I don't think Hannah knows it was Will because there's no way she would stay quiet about that. If she were to find out, she would raise hell. Could be a catalyst for the murder later.

8. Johnno is haunted by something that happened while he was at the boarding school. Something tied up with boy that died. It appears the boy died as a result of that prank they used to play ‘Survival’. Do you think this will be the key to the mystery or is it a red herring?
It could be an indirect clue- evidence of a pattern of behavior rather than an outright cause for revenge, etc.

9. So far we don’t know much about Freddie, even Aoife hardly mentions him. He kind of fades into the background. But suddenly he looms out of the darkness on the wedding night. Do you think he means the ushers harm or is he there to help them?
I bet he's just grabbing some supplies and this is just a hook ending meant to leave you guessing and suspicious.

Day 1

1. I loved The Hunting Party and this book also immediately has me hooked. There's something about her style which keeps the fast pace and consistently drops little hints about secrets or things to come. I also love her use of imagery. What do you think of the style? Have you read any other of her books?
This is the first of her books that I've read. The setup reminds me of Big Little Lies- knowing someone dies and hearing from multiple perspectives.

2. I'm getting And Then There Were None vibes. I think the idea of the isolated island with a small list of invited guests. Do you like the setting?
I'm not familiar with that book. I do like the setting. Honestly, it sounds like a nightmare in waiting to have so many drunk people together on a tiny island where it's often stormy, but I bet it would be nice on a quiet weekend.

3. Is there any character you are particularly drawn to or relate to?
For me, I'm really intriguied by Hannah as there are parts of her character I relate to - especially that feel of discomfort being thrown into a situation out of the day-to-day and with all those rich/glamorous people.
Yes, I definitely relate to Hannah too. I don't have kids but I'm an introvert and I get really anxious in large groups; also the not being wealthy bit. Johnno seems to be similar to her in that way, not quite fitting in with this crowd, but at least he knows more people. I could see Olivia and her mom also not quite fitting in, so there seem to be a lot of people feeling isolated for whatever reason.

4. Any guesses as to who died? And who was the person that mouthed BOO at the window to Hannah (talk about creepy!)
It's too soon to say who might be dead, but there are obviously lots of threads of tension.
As for the person outside, I'm wondering if it's someone who just stepped outside for a smoke. I think all the boys are accounted for in their current conversation, but maybe Olivia or her mom stepped out for a minute and wanted to peek in. Or maybe someone else has just arrived and they peeked in before walking in.

DQs Day 4: Part 4

15.) Tar's had her confrontation with The Lady after she was captured. Was it what you expected? What about the conversation Tar & Sanjeet had afterward? Did their reactions, especially Tar's ring true to you?
Yeah, everything was pretty true to character. Poor Tarisai is still not getting a loving mother response like she wanted. I understand The Lady's reasoning for keeping her distance before, but she's still being an a**hole, so she's not really redeeming herself. Sanjeet is such a sweet guy.

16.) Did anyone else shudder in horror at the library restrictions and how the librarian felt about knowledge and people learning? Blasphemous! What were your reactions when you read this?
Yes! The restrictions are a way to keep people under the thumb of the emperor, so I hope they are done away with. Everyone should have free access under a peaceful rule.

17.) The quote "Uniformity is not unity. Silence is not peace." struck a cord with me. What do you think about these statements? What was the author trying to convey with these do you think?
Even if you get people "in line", that doesn't mean they'll follow you. Unity has nothing to do with looking and acting alike, it's a choice.

18.) Tar has got some guts! What did you think about her First Ruling? Were you surprised?
I was so proud of her! I figured she would do something to upset the emperor and Thaddace but I wasn't sure how; I had forgotten about that message she sent. It was a perfect first ruling.

19.) We finally got some answers about Songland and what The Lady was really going to do. Do you think Tar will be successful in not having the price of peace be bought with the deaths of children?
I was disappointed but not surprised about The Lady. It just shows that Tarisai is a more natural leader because she was determined to find a way to make it right and The Lady just assumed it would never work out.
I think Tar will be successful, but that's the plot of the next book so we'll find out!

Bonus: will you be reading the sequel?
Of course!

DQs Part 3

11. We meet some more normal people in this section, and Tarisai is starting to see more clearly the hints we'd already picked up. Do you like the choice of 1st person POV or would you rather have an alternative narrative style?
I think first person is appropriate so that we can see the internal debate she has with her true feelings vs what the curse is making her do and think.

12. I really enjoyed the section with Old Mongwe, who might be my favourite character now. From the moments of self-realisation there, do you think that Tarisai will be able to find a successful way to live as herself with all the different views of how Arit should be ruled that are competing now (i.e. the Emperor; the Lady; Dayo + Tar)? Which do you think is most just?
Yes, it's always a good idea to take advice from our elders!
I can definitely see Dayo being ok with ruling together but there's no way his father will share the throne with The Lady. I feel like the "peaceful" resolution would involve his father and The Lady dying, and Dayo accepting Tar as his co-emperor when he takes over. The Lady won't have much support once Songland finds out she never meant to keep her promise, so I'm not sure I can see her becoming Empress.
However, with this story shaping up to be a trilogy, this book probably won't end with Dayo and Tar co-ruling- that would probably be the end of the entire trilogy.

13. The Emperor well and truly stuffed that up, if he wanted to keep Tarisai on his side, didn't he? How do you think the meeting with the Lady will go? And I'm STILL intensely curious about Mblai - she believed in the Lady, and seems to be protecting Tarisai. Is she secretly spying? Why has Dayo been keeping her away from Tarisai?!?!?
There's no way the emperor will have a peaceful meeting with The Lady, at least not initially.
I think Mbali is being very smart and careful- she knows the best way to get at the truth of things is to remain a player in the game. I don't think she's necessarily totally on The Lady's side though- after all, she has spent decades with the emperor and must have some level of love for him. Since her power is truth-seeking, I would imagine Dayo is trying to keep a secret from Tar, but I'm not sure I want to speculate on what that secret might be. He seems to be a very honest kid. Perhaps he's simply hiding that she's his mother? He said at the beginning that he knows who his mother is but isn't allowed to show favoritism, so maybe he's afraid of that information getting out.

14. The book's been nominated for a Nebula. Do you think it deserves the nomination? Do you normally like books that are nominated for those sorts of awards?
I think I will have to reserve my opinion on that until the book is over, but so far I really like it. I'm a little concerned about some of the patriarchal stuff, so I'm interested to see how/if that changes.
I don't usually pay attention to what books win what awards; I think the only time I would pay attention is if I'm undecided on it and that swings me in the book's favor.

Y’all are so much more insightful than me, lol!

Well I’m already done with Part 3 so I’m ready for those questions so I can finish! Luckily I have other good books to read in the meantime:)

Cat- Well the next section answers what her ties to Songland are! I won’t spoil it for you.

I’ve finished section three and can’t wait to finish!

DQ Set 2: Part 2 - Chapters 10-17

6. At the ceremony in the temple, it seemed as if people from one of the lands knew more about Tarisai than she knew about herself. The young girl seemed to think that Tarisai should have saved them and her from her fate. What do you think they know?
I think The Lady is either from Songland or has strong ties there, and she has basically become their champion. She has probably told the people that her daughter should be able to fix the problem of only Songland children being sacrificed, so the people are waiting on their savior.

7. The Ambikos (sp) are demons from the underworld that demand redemptors to die every year or six months to satisfy the terms of a treaty. Why do you think redemptors are only coming from one realm now? What do you think Tarisai could do to change this treaty?
It seems obvious to me that someone on the council or the entire council made some kind of deal or wove some kind of magic so that all redemptors come from Songland. The demons themselves said they didn't care where the children came from and that they didn't choose. So the question is who made this deal, why, and can it be reversed. I'm wondering if The Lady is from Songland and she was a candidate for the current emperor's council, and maybe she stirred up a lot of drama while she was there. Either she was trying to fix the Songland problem or it was started as a punishment for something she did. The council seemed to either be afraid of her or sure that she couldn't do any further damage, so there's obviously a huge rift there.

8. When Tarisai suggests the Lonely Child Edict to be more fair to orphans in the 12 realms, Uncle Thaddeus says "Justice is not about being fair, it's about keeping order." What do you think about that statement?
I think he's full of shit. Mbali seems to agree.

9. I was surprised about the "Unity Edict" from the Emperor ordering all families through the 12 realms to turn in old drums and stories to get new drums with stories from the new empire, and to not give names that tie back to the 12 realms but to give names that reflect the empire. What do you think about this edict? Do you think it will go over well with the 12 realms?
I was also really surprised and disappointed. Obviously something needs to be done to unite the people so there's no infighting, but this is not the way to do it. You can't just erase people's histories and remain moral.

10. The Lady beckons Tarisai away from the festival and has her drink special water, which brings back her memories. The Lady says it's time to kill the prince. Tarisai brings Dayo to a hidden place in the palace and stabs him with a knife, but then calls for someone to help him. What do you think will happen to her as she travels to try and break the curse?
She will probably feel a pull and maybe her inner fire as she continues to defy the wish. Hopefully Sanjeet can help keep her in check until she gets some answers. I also hope he finds it in his heart to forgive her.

Cat- That's an interesting thought about the Lady; perhaps she's not as evil as the story is painting her to be. After all, she's fighting for the people of Songland to not be the only ones to sacrifice their children. She was definitely very selfish in having Tarisai as a tool, but her motivations may not be completely wrong.
As for the role of women within a book written in 2021 and by a woman author, perhaps that's something that's going to change by the end of the novel. She may be setting it up as a broken system that needs many changes.

Also, I just finished the second section and my reaction is: AHHH! lol

Suzanne - Yes, the puppies description sounds about right! It sounds too warm and sweaty to me lol!

DQ Set 1: Part 1 – Chapters 1 – 9

1. I had never heard of this book until this group read – had you heard of it before? What made you decide to read it?
I think maybe I had seen the cover advertised somewhere but otherwise, no. I read the description and it sounded really fun!

2. During these first chapters, we watch Tarisai grow a bit older. What struck you the most about her isolated life and young childhood? Why do you think she’s so attached to The Lady, since she sees her so rarely?
Well, I think it's natural for any child to be attached to any parental figure available to them. The poor kid was created as a tool and she understandably has some trauma because of it. I hope that, whatever happens, she gets to keep friends and love in her life.

3. I thought it was such typical kid behavior when Tarisai learned the house was “safe” and she couldn’t be killed or horribly injured – how she experimented, set fires, etc. If you knew you would survive basically unharmed, is there anything you would do that you wouldn’t dream of otherwise?
I'm not sure I would deliberately jump in a fire or out a window, but I think I would still do reckless things like climbing, knowing that it won't matter if I fall. I would love to climb tall trees and buildings for fun.

4. What do you think of the world building so far with the rulers, the Raybearers, and the gifts? There are a lot of countries/cultures to keep track of – is that an issue for you?
So far I'm not having trouble keeping track. I've read other books where the ruler has some kind of inherited special gifts, so that wasn't necessarily surprising, but his relationship with the Raybearers is new and strange. The fact that they're all so close but aren't allowed to have sexual relationships is bizarre- like why not? I can see them not wanting the women to get pregnant by another man but that's what protection is for. Also the whole, only a emperor never a empress and the women Raybearers mostly there to have children is gross. So I would love to see that stuff change.

5. I thought the mission to kill Dayo sounded horrible even before I “met” him. I had to finish the book and return it to the library, but if you are indeed at the end of Part 1, what do you think is going to happen? Are you worried? I was VERY worried at this point about how things would turn out!
Yes, it was obvious that he was someone important, and it's especially troubling once we get to know him.
Hmm, well obviously The Lady and/or her minions are going to try to get involved somehow and reclaim that wish. The question is if that's even possible anymore- we don't really know how this wish situation works in the fine print. But there's no way The Lady will give up now, so she'll probably try to find another way to get Tarisai to do her bidding. Maybe she can bind her to three more wishes like with her father. I'm interested to know if her father is free now or if he still has to perform a last wish.

Part 2 - Blood boil

6.Ah, the age old question. How are you liking the book so far?
I'm liking it a lot! Emoni's immaturity about going to cooking class was annoying but she's definitely redeemed herself. Plus someone pointed out that she is still only 16 so she's obviously going to be immature sometimes. I love all the relationship developments between the characters, especially between Emoni and Abuela.

7. The fundraiser was an interesting part to me. I think Emoni shows strength and maturity in leading their campaign. Do you think Chef put her in charge to teach her responsibility, because he thought she was the best one to lead the class, or both?
I think both. He knew she needed a wake-up call but also that she would be up to the challenge. And then she took the initiative to plan the menu herself so she's doing much better.

8. I LOVE anything Disney. Have you ever gotten to see Disney on ice? If you have did you enjoy it? If you haven’t would you like to go one day?
I love pretty much all Disney movies but I'm not a hardcore fan. I don't think I'd go out of my way to see Disney on Ice but I would be happy to go if someone got me tickets! lol

9. Ugh. Babygirl’s grandma. Emoni shows great control over her tongue when people make her mad and it was especially apparent when dealing with the other grandmother. How would you have dealt with that situation?
That was really tough! Tyrone's mother has good reason to be worried about Emma if Emoni and Abuela aren't able to show up but her attitude was unnecessary. It's true that Emoni was very irresponsible with her phone and Abuela should have waited to get a text back from Emoni before assuming that she got the message. But Tyrone's mother should not have threatened a custody battle- that's blowing things way out of proportion. I think Emoni handled it just fine though.

Part One: The Sour DQs

1. Elizabeth Acevedo is a poet, and this is her first prose novel. Do you think she has been successful in her transition into prose writing?
I didn't know that but I think it shows in her descriptions as well as in the hint of magical realism. I'll be interested to see if she takes that element any farther.

2. I am finding the all characters & their relationships compellingly written. Do you have a favourite character/relationship? Why?
I do like all the characters, although perhaps the Chef could be fleshed out a little more. Maybe that will come in the future. The relationship between Emoni and her grandmother is interesting- of course a lot of love, but also respect and understanding.
I agree with Elize that you could immediately tell Malachi would be the love interest and her resistance and then falling for him was pretty stereotypical of this genre.

3. Ms Fuentes says "Taking risks and making choices in spite of fear - it's what makes our life story compelling" Do you agree? What does this imply for Emoni's story?
Absolutely. I made a huge leap of faith to do something different when I graduated college and it ended up being one of the best decisions of my life. Yes, there were some shitty moments to follow but in general it put my life on a good path.
I think Emoni could do more of that. She's scared she's not smart enough to get into college or culinary school, so she needs to take the risk of asking for help and doing the dirty work to get where she needs to go. Staying at her minimum wage job is taking the easy way out.

4. When reflecting on her relationship with Tyrone, Emoni says "So much of my decision to have sex had more to do with being chosen than it did with any actual sexual attraction". To what extent do you think that she has learnt from that (and I am applying the principle more widely here than just sex!)? Is she still making decisions based on external factors ("being chosen") rather than what she actually wants ("sexual attraction")?
I totally understand that feeling. It definitely applies to her past love life but I don't necessarily see that in other parts of her life. And she is learning from it since she showed some restraint in starting a new relationship at all and she's taking it slow to make sure it's the right thing for her.

5. I am not a cook, but this book is definitely making me jealous of Emoni's knack! That said, her knack is hindering her ability to excel in the Culinary Arts class. Do you think that she will be able to harness her instincts in order to achieve her dream? Should she?
I feel like she is a hard worker in some aspects, like raising a child and keeping jobs to help pay the bills, but expects to be praised in cooking class just because she has some raw talent. I absolutely agree with the chef that she needs to learn the rules before she can break them, and she has to pay her dues! You can't just throw extra spices into someone else's dish and expect to be praised for it. Maybe she could ask to make two versions of each dish, one to show she can follow rules and one to show her talent. If she doesn't go back to class and follow the rules like the chef told her, she will never make it as a professional cook, which would be a shame.

Alison wrote: "Wasn't so much that Satoshi had declared himself emperor but more that Mari is a yokai and is believed to have been behind the plot to kill the emperor... She's clearly some kind of miracle worker who can overcome decades of hatred in a day or two... What happened to Hissa?... I also didn't like the Mari spent the rest of her life alone bit, I think it's supposed to be some feminist "I don't need a man to complete me" thing but I found it kind of sad. To be honest I keep hearing this book being touted as feminist and I'm sorry but I don't think it is."

You make so many good points!
1- Exactly- there's no way the samurai could go from being indoctrinated against the yokai to supporting a yokai empress in the span of a few hours. Plus they think she killed the emperor!
2- Right! No changing an entire empire's mind about a huge subset of people overnight.
3- I forgot about Hissa! There's never an explanation for that, only a vague hint that she went to live with the monks?
4- All of the yes! Feminism is not about rejecting men! I hate when feminism gets reduced to that because it goes against the core values. And you're absolutely right that the women in this book act like stereotypical men and that also does not make them feminists! It would have been totally fine for Mari to actually fall in love with Taro and them live happily ever after while also fighting for both female and yokai rights. And while she's at it she could also stop the killing of male babies in her village cuz that's awful.

DQs - Set 3

12. "The prince loves you like the summer loves the wild rose: only for a season". Taro and Mari tie the knot and Taro claims to love her and wants to know everything about her. Do you believe this or do you think Akira is right and it's a temporary infatuation? Do you think Mari is marrying the prince for love or is it a means to an end? If the emperor wasn't killed do you think they would have had a chance?
I think it was a temporary infatuation simply because he wouldn't have rejected her and hunted her down if he had truly loved her. There was so much potential for a better story there however- if he had truly loved her but had felt compelled to go after her because of his status and then ultimately decided not to fight her because of his love, that would have been a better use of a love story. Instead there's all this teasing with no real connection to show for it. I think Mari's reasons for marrying him were for both duty and love, although as I already said, the love part was screwed up royally. If the emperor wasn't killed then maybe Taro would have run off with Mari in rebellion himself, pledging to free the yokai from his father's tyranny; but alas, we'll never know.

13. Betrayal, Sei betrays Mari, Satoshi kills the emperor and the resistance are betrayed by their own. Did you expect any of this or was there a particular betrayal that surprised you? Sei wants rid of the collar at any cost, do you think knowing Mari was yokai would have made a difference?
I do think that Sei wouldn't have betrayed Mari if she had known she was yokai, judging by her reaction when she finds out. I wasn't particularly surprised by Satoshi's actions.

14. As soon as his father is killed Taro is very quick to shut Mari out and then to turn on her when he discovers her secret? Did this surprise you? Why do you think he goes to such extreme measures to avenge his father?
Yes, I think this situation was a perfect example of flawed story-telling in this book. If he truly cared about her and hated what was happening to the yokai because of him, then he would have at least heard her out. And despite the fact that any family member getting murdered is tragic... it's not like he was that close to his father... so vowing to turn the war up a notch goes against Taro's character, in my opinion.

15. The characters change a lot over the course of the story. Mari accepts who she is and finds her power, Akira finds courage and becomes a leader in the resistance and Taro... well yeah doesn't really end well for him. What are your thoughts on how the characters develop? Is there anyone's journey you particularly liked?
I liked that Mari came to accept who she was and I always suspected her full beast would end up coming out, but I don't think it got the development it deserved. I also liked that Akira found courage but it did seem like his entire personality changed, which was weird. Taro unfortunately makes some negative character growth, which I think is a disservice to his character.

16. The Animal Wives decide to make a stand against the emperor and we finally get the big battle between yokai and samurai. What did you think of the battle?
Like everything else in this book, it was rushed. Akira killing 6 priests with one throwing star made me laugh- you would have to be so incredibly lucky to get the right angle to accomplish that and I'm not convinced that it could slice through 6 bodies and maintain its velocity. I could buy it going through 2, but 4 and 6? Nah. The conflict between Mari and Taro was also so fast, barely a chance to get a hold on the scene and then BAM, both dead/almost dead. What???

17. The ending all seemed a bit too fast and a little too easy to me. Do you agree with the way it ended? Would you have preferred a different ending for any of the characters?
THIS WHOLE BOOK WAS RUSHED. Sorry, I'm just so frustrated with that lol. But yes, the ending was not satisfying because there's no explanation for anything- like why would the samurai support her as empress when Satoshi has already declared himself emperor? He at least has royal blood and he's male in a patrilineal society.

18. Final thoughts on the story. Anything you particularly liked or didn't? Favourite moments?
This story had so much potential but fell short for me. Absolutely every scene felt rushed which meant there wasn't enough attention given to character development. Taro's change of heart felt completely wrong to me because there was no believable explanation given; the murder of his father by a "yokai" (which wasn't even investigated very thoroughly!) suddenly changes his personality? I don't buy it. Akira's development also rang false for me. The whole thing just felt like Jean had a strict deadline with her publisher and they didn't give her time to develop the story properly. I agree with Alison that she could have ended this book with the end of the contest, then opened a second book with the death of the emperor and built from there. And the second book then could have ended with Mari ruling as empress, having defeated Satoshi.

1- I agree with yall about Akira learning the throwing stars... even if there's some magic involved it was pretty unbelievable how quickly he picked it up. But also, there isn't any evidence of that type of magic anywhere else, so why is there with him? It's not plausible. Yes, there are "magical" beings aka yokai that have incredible powers, but Mari trained for about a decade to master her naginata and Snow Girl also trained exclusively for about that time- no one else has any kind of magical skill that they can acquire that rapidly; either they are born with skills or strength of a yokai or they learn a skill with lots of time and patience, the end.

2- Eldarwen, you make an excellent point about the lack of human representation. I didn't think about it like that because I was thinking how it was nice to hear from the "minority" aka the yokai, but you're absolutely right. We don't hear a single human opinion about the yokai except from the emperor, Taro, and the priests. What did the average citizen think about them? What did the innkeeper think of his slave hook girl? What do the palace servants think about yokai servants? If Jean had fleshed out the novel quite a bit more, she could have included more aspects of this issue.

DQ - Set 2

6. We've already talked a little about the rooms themselves and how they were represented. But what do you make of the competitors (and their motivation to win)? Were you surprised by the small number of scrolls that were to be gathered?
Well honestly we didn't learn that much about them besides Asami being a yokai and a part of the resistance. There was build-up for the bow&arrow girl to be more of a threat but then nothing really happened with her unfortunately. We didn't really hear about motivations besides Asami so there's not much to say. I was surprised that it was already down to one scroll for the Winter Room because I thought that would be for the last one, but I quickly saw why that wasn't the case; although really, they could have had the final challenge just be in the main hall or something, it didn't need to be in the Spring Room.

7. With the competition over and a winner declared, what do you think the last part holds in store for Mari? Will she do as she was ordered by her mother?
Well I'm guessing Mari and Taro will get a little bonding time and then we'll see what happens with Akira's plans to get Mari out and kill the emperor and Taro. I'm guessing Mari will convince him not to kill Taro but I don't think she or Taro would really care if the emperor were killed. And then maybe Taro can make an announcement about how things will change and so they won't need a revolution. But it seems like the weapons master will want to get some blood one way or another.

8. What about Akira? Do you think he's going to complete Hanako's order in case his own plans will not turn out the way he intended them to?
I think he's not afraid to complete the order if he has to, but I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to find a way around it or it simply becomes unnecessary.

9. Have you come to a conclusion about the main characters? Is there one you prefer? Has your allegiance changed?
I still like Mari the most simply because we know her the best. There has been an abysmal amount of character development so we hardly know them at all.

10. The yokai resistance. There has been mention of it in the first part, and we have gotten to know the Weapons Master and some of her goons in the second part. However, other than their end game, we have not heard what they're really doing or have done so far. Do you think killing the emperor and the prince is going to prove a viable solution?
I think killing the emperor is probably necessary to create peace because there's no way he'll be convinced to free the yokai. But Taro would be willing to free them so hopefully that works out.

11. What would you do if you were the Weapons Master?
Well, Akira promised action within 12 hours, so I would wait 12 hours and be ready to storm the palace then if he didn't come back and/or the mission was not accomplished. They probably won't have a better opportunity, so why wait?

Alison wrote: "I have to admit I kind of lost the plot as far as the timeline goes...."

Just in case someone hasn't finished part 2 yet, I'll put this in a spoiler tag.
(view spoiler)[From what I understood, Summer happened on "Day 1" (not sure if morning or afternoon), then Autumn morning of Day 2, Winter early evening of Day 2 (since Mari and Taro were talking one hour before dinner was supposed to be served and then she was called away), and then Spring immediately following Winter so late evening of Day 2. It was implied that it was supposed to be one challenge per day, so having it all in less than 48 hours was definitely rushed. Especially since that gave the girls no time to recover. There's only one sentence mentioning recovery after the Autumn Room, which was that the ax-girl (Niro?) hadn't recovered yet- which was like, um duh cuz it's only been a few hours! There was no mention of advanced medical technology that could have helped the girls heal super quickly, so they would have retained any injuries from previous rooms into the next rooms, greatly dampening their chances of winning. All in all the result probably would have been the same, but it was kinda inhumane to make them do it that fast. And I found it odd that Taro didn't ask his father to be patient and let the girls recover between rooms since he was supposedly so concerned with Mari's well-being. Plus the fact that Mari wasn't even allowed to change clothes for the Winter and Spring room but was forced to participate in her dinner clothing despite the other girls having dressed for the occasion- def unfair. And yet she did just fine somehow? I think her dress should definitely have hampered her movement and success in some way. (hide spoiler)]