Kerri’s Comments (group member since Sep 29, 2015)

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

DQ’s Day Two: October 7, 2019
Chapters 8-13

6. I think we all had a feeling (including Gideon) that Harrow wanted her ring - & of course, she got it. What do you think was her purpose of stealing the ring from Gideon?

Harrow and Gideon strongly dislike each other and I think that Harrow has decided that she doesn't need Gideon to get whatever she needs to get done done. She stole the ring because she figured it was an important part of the puzzle and she didn't want to have to rely on Gideon to use it. And probably to stick it to Gideon because she seems to enjoy doing that, lol.

7. Gideon has never seen modern technologies such as a sink with running water, or a toilet. She didn’t even know the difference between night & day... nor had she ever had a hot beverage before. This, in itself, tells us more about the Ninth than we knew before, but could also leave room for speculation. Would you consider this book to be speculative fiction? If so, what are some of the different things you could speculate from this or other parts of the story?

This is striking me as kind of a dystopian? There are pieces of our world that exist but, clearly, something happened that caused our technology to either be destroyed or just scraped for magical/necromancy stuff. It's an interesting mix of sci-fi and fantasy. It really makes me wonder what happened before the Resurrection...

8. Somehow the Third twin knew Gideon was hiding in the stairwell eavesdropping, even though she couldn’t physically see her, & told her that isn’t the way to start things off. Will this encounter affect Gideon & the Twins in the future? Is it a sign of what’s to come?

Those twins are creeping me out... I dislike them a lot. Corona seems fake as hell and the other one who's name I forget is super creepy. And their cav is obnoxious. There is something that seems different about the less bright twin (Ianthe? Is that her name?). I can't put my finger on it, but she seems off to me. But I do think it would be a bad idea to get on their bad side.

9. What do you think Dulcinea’s motive is when talking to Gideon? She seems to be the only one really “intrigued” by Gideon, to the point of wanting to be around her a lot. Is this just normal, friendly interest? Or is there something bigger at play here?

I hate to say this, but I am SUPER SUSPICIOUS of Dulcinea! Everyone (beyond Gideon) is ignoring her, writing her off as too frail to be a threat, but I feel like she's more dangerous than people assume. I've got my eye on her...

[[ Frankie ]] - Punkins & Pages! wrote: "Kerri wrote: "[[ Frankie ]] - Punkins & Pages! wrote: "I think I’ve decided to read too, since some friends of mine are buddy reading it &..."

Lol, nice! Have you started reading it yet?

I'm also thinking of reading , which would work for Envy as it's YA. I'm gonna try and find some cover color matches for next week.

Now off to answer some DQs!

[[ Frankie ]] - Punkins & Pages! wrote: "I think I’ve decided to read too, since some friends of mine are buddy reading it & it works for a sin bingo for our sin - if it enrages m..."

I'm thinking of reading that book, too! I've heard a lot of good things about it and I'm in the mood for some sci-fi. And the brown cover certainly doesn't hurt ;)

Thanks for all the fun ladies! I had a blast :)

I'm really enjoying Gideon, but I can definitely see how it might be less enjoyable in audiobook format. I find myself flipping back and re-reading some things to keep everything straight in my head. I also like that the chapters in the physical book have skulls/house symbols next to them that seem to represent which House Gideon will be interacting with the most in that chapter. The little details in this book are great!

Day 1: Chapters 1-7

1. I love the world building this author does for her universe. I find it helpful in epic fantasies when authors give a little narrative upfront about the main characters in the story and their interrelationships. The world is very grey where Gideon lives - even her porridge is grey. Her arrival in this house as a baby from a woman that fell into the world was very auspicious. Gideon attempted to run away when she was four, and tried 86 times to run away by the time she was 18. What were your initial impressions of this world?

I really enjoy rich world-building, as well. From the descriptions we are given of the world that Gideon grew up on, I can see why she's tried to escape 87 times! It sounds absolutely awful... black and cold and devoid of anything approaching pleasurable. Not to mention the fact that it's basically run by a sadistic psychopath it seems. But I am loving that the writing is so evocative that I can feel Gideon's pain at being stuck in that awful place!

2. Harrow tricked Gideon when she talked about her offer of freedom. Gideon seemed to have the upper hand, but then Harrow won the fight through her earlier planning and planting that day. What do you think that says about their relationship?

It seems like Harrow has to work to keep the upperhand over Gideon, but she makes it seem like she's not even trying. Gideon is smart and resourceful, but Harrow needs her kept in her place since she knows her big secret. Though I feel like there's more to it than that... otherwise Harrow probably would have killed her a looooooong time ago. There doesn't seem to be any love lost there and there's definitely more to Harrow than meets the eye.

3. So Harrow wants Gideon to be her guardian as she travels to the other houses. Seems like a good opportunity to get off the Ninth, and become a Cohort. Gideon does take the position. Do you think that was a good choice for her?

I think, in the moment, it was the only choice for her. If she had refused, I feel like Harrow would have found some way to make it impossible for her to leave. Perhaps she would have just killed her or somehow trapped her there, but she probably would have never gotten off that planet. Accepting the position, even if she has to deal Lady Psychopath, guarantees that she'll get off the planet and, perhaps, find a way to gain her freedom.

4. I liked when Gideon’s sword instructor said “anyone can learn to fight, not anyone can learn to think”. Do you think that Gideon needs to do more thinking than fighting?

I think she does a lot of thinking, but it's all been focused on escaping. I don't think she's thought much beyond that, but now is the time to put that crafty brain of hers to good use! I think she's trying to encourage her to think beyond the narrow path she's been on until now and to use her brain while she's fighting, as well.

5. What do you think about the House of the First? The world seems like the exact opposite of the ninth in terms of light and sky, rather than everything grey. All the houses are there - do you think Gideon is going to get into trouble or save Harrow from trouble?

Oh, Gideon is most certainly going to get into trouble, lol. I think it will be impossible for her to avoid it! And I feel like she's definitely going to have to save Harrow from some scrapes. Her haughty attitude is bound to get her into her own sort of trouble.

The House of the First seems interesting... like all sparkle and show but with a hint of real danger. I'm wondering why they were brought to a broken down castle for this trial. I'm very excited to see what the actual trial is going to be!

Alysa wrote: "I’m kinda jealous of people who got the print, it sounds gorgeous,

I’m on Chapter 22, really liking this book!"

I'm really enjoying it, too! I have a special fondness for Gideon and her sass.

Got my book today and started reading Gideon the Ninth and, just randomly, I'm loving the aesthetic of this book. The black sprayed edges, the emblem under the dust jacket... I'm digging it!

I'd like to volunteer as the Team Ira back-up :)

Dropping in from Team Ira

First, the entire Anita Blake series, which starts with Guilty Pleasures - It started out okay but just devolved into an extended sex scene across like 20 billion books. Seriously, I've lost count of how many books there are... I don't mind steaminess in my paranormal romance, but I also enjoy an actual plot.

Wuthering Heights - This book was boring and every single character was awful. Just awful! I can't really enjoy a book where I don't connect with a single character. Hard pass.

Demon Girl - I read this forever ago and instantly purged it from my brain. Utterly forgettable and the main character was the Mary-est of Sues.

Yay, it's go time! Unfortunately, I can't get Gideon the Ninth til tomorrow, but I'm also off, so I'm gonna dig in!

Just finished up The Raven Tower for R!

I’ll be starting with Gideon the Ninth, as well and I’m still deciding on a book to read concurrently. There are so many I want to get to!

Also, I need to go check out this Bad Book thread 🤔

Alysa wrote: "Yay, Team Ira (Frankie) writing DQs for Day 2 of Gideon the Ninth!
😃

In other news: @Allison, unfortunately the Mods said no to the long web serial. Edition has to be available for “offline readin..."

Yay, congrats, Frankie! This is a great start to TT :D

I have an R book I could read for SafeZone 1.

So I finished my book last night and then promptly fell asleep. Thank you to whomever updated the sheet!

I don't think I'll be able to finish anything for #10. but I'm finishing up #6 tonight!

Allison Ann wrote: "Even driving, I can only listen to books I've already read, so when I zone out and come back, I have an idea of what is happening.

So I'm looking for recommendations. :D I seem to have run out of..."

The first thing that popped into my head was The Eye of the World. I'll have to take a look!

Jessi wrote: "Just to get us in the proper mood for our sin :D

"

Hehehe, one of my favorite movies! And the perfect season for it, too. Now I need to watch it!

On the audiobook front, the narrator definitely makes or breaks it for me. The book could be insanely good, but if the narrator is horrible, I just can't get into it.