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

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

January 13
Chapters 8-11


8. Have you read much about the occupation of France? Has any of the historical information (such as German officers billeting in houses) surprised you?

I have not read much about the German occupation of France. The historical information I've read so far hasn't really surprised me.

9.I was so annoyed with Isabelle in this section for being so naive and immature that I almost stopped reading the book. As a parent, I became so angry on Vianne's behalf about Isabelle continually putting Sophie at risk. What are your thoughts on Isabelle? Is her hurt and resentment towards Vianne justified? Is she doing the right thing helping the resistance?

I was getting rather annoyed with Isabelle, as well. Maybe it's a parental thing. I can understand her outrage, but there is a time and a place and you don't put an innocent child in danger because of your wounded pride. I can understand why she feels abandoned by Vianne, but she needs to deal with that in another way. I think her helping the resistance will at least keep her from being so explosive for a little bit. I don't know if it's the best idea, though.

10. Captain Beck has, so far, tried to be very accommodating and polite. Was he just trying to win their trust to be able to use Vianne? Or is he just a decent man dragged into a war with no choices?

Before I got to end of chapter 11, I would have said that it seems like he is a decent man forced into serving his country and just wishing he could be home. Now, however, I'm not so sure...

11. Captain Beck does some research and says the men have been captured and are "not coming home". Do you believe him?

I do believe him. Seems like the Germans would love to rub in that their men are never coming back.

12. Some of the women started to turn on Vianne, insinuating that she may be 'in bed' with the Germans. Do you think this was fair?

I don't think that was fair at all. Is she supposed to just abandon her home and wander about homeless with her daughter and sister? Other people have Germans in their houses, as well. It seemed like they were being unnecessarily cruel.

The current BOM is set in France if nobody gets to the mainland Europe goal before we're done with it.

12 Jan 2016 Chapters 1 - 7 Questions

1.Do you like the book so far? Why did you decide to read this book? Have you read any other books by this author?

I am enjoying it, though it hasn't completely sucked me in yet. I decided to read this book because it's outside my usual genre and I'm trying to branch out. I haven't read anything else by this author.

2.The Nightingale opens with the following statement: “If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.” What do you think the narrator means by this? Is love the ideal and war the reality?

I think she means that love inspires you to be your best you while war brings out the skills and attributes that you already possess. I think it's accurate to say that love is the ideal and war is the reality.

2.Who do you think is the elderly lady at the beginning? What is the reason for your choice?

I'm not quite sure. Maybe Isabelle? I think her age in the current story fits better with her being the narrator at the beginning.

3.The narrator says that: “He [her son] loves a version of me that is incomplete. I always thought it was what I wanted: to be loved and admired. Now I think perhaps I'd like to be known.” What have you always wanted? Has it changed and why or why not?

I've just always wanted to live a happy and contented life. That goal is still the same and I strive everyday to make it happen :)

4.War changes people. “The father who went off to war was not the one who came home.” How did war affect Vianne and Isabelle's family? Do you think that Antoine will be changed like Vianne's father? How about the soldiers that Isabelle comes across? Should she be so angry with them? Would you?

It helped to destroy Vianne and Isabelle's family. I don't think their father lost his capacity to love, but he certainly lost his capacity to nuture his kids. I'm sure it will affect Antoine somehow, though I don't believe it will be the same for him as it was for his wife's father. I wouldn't be able to be angry with them. I don't agree with their decision. You have a job to do and a nation depending on you. In the face of hopeless odds, though, and the fact that not all of them volunteered, I don't think I could judge them.

5.Why do you think Vianne is in absolute denial about the war? How would you react if it was you? Do you think your choice is a product of 50/50 because we can look back on that period and know what happened?

Vianne saw how the war affected her father and I think she's just wishing the people she loves would not have to be exposed to that. I think I would be in a bit of denial myself. No one wants to think about their loved ones going off to die. I think I would react more like Isabelle, wanting to help instead of just sitting at home waiting and hoping. I'm sure that statement is flavored by my knowledge of what happened.

6. Isabelle says that "Magic, to be its best, must be unexpected." Do you agree? Why or why not? Do you think she is warning her sister here?

Yes, I agree with her. The best part of magic is the mystery! She's probably warning her that she can't expect her to just stay and do nothing.

7. What do you think of the characters so far? Are they believable? Do you have a favorite? Dislike any?

I'm not too into the characters, at this point. I think I'm enjoying Isabelle the most, so far. They are believable, though.

It would work for the Horror goal, though. Michelle will probably finish her book before I finish mine.

Ahh, ok! I have a book that could work for Horror. Welcome to Night Vale. It has Horror listed under genre on it's page. It's the third one down. Would that work? Assuming we don't have something else that works that is already read, of course.

When it says listed on the first page on GR, does that mean when you click on Genres under Explore or on the actual page for that book?

Done and done! It's on my shelf and posted in our Books Read thread :)

Great job, guys! I've finished the 'asia' book goal, just haven't had a chance to post it yet. I'll get to it in just a moment so we can get that checked off. Way to go, team!

Dog

I don't know if it's been used, but the BOM I just completed (A Darker Shade of Magic) has twins in it. The super evil rulers of one of the Londons.

Nothing on the High Priestess list was on my TBR list. I should have the "Asia" goal book done by the end of today or tomorrow, though, so we'll be able to get a new one :)

I don't think I have anything for the "coming out of the closet" or the "High Priestess" goals. I think the boon would probably be better with the High Priestess one.

XIII: The Waiting King - XIV
January 9th DQ

33. Lila asks Beloc"How do you want to die?" and he answers "Quickly". If you were in Lila's position would you be able to kill Beloc in order to get to Astrid?

I would like to think so. Beloc obviously wasn’t happy being their pawn and there were bigger things at stake. He was willing, happy even, to die so that the White Queen could be killed.

34. What did you think of the fight scene and the twin's deaths? Any favorite parts?

That was suitably epic! I was so happy to see those awful twins get what was coming to them. I think my favorite part was when Kell stabbed Astrid because she was convinced she was just too clever for him and he proved her wrong. That and crumbling her statue to dust. Very satisfying.

35. Kell and Lila kiss! What did you think of this scene? Where you expecting anything different?

I wasn't expecting it, but it worked, in my opinion. It was a quick thing, almost like a release of adrenaline after all they had been through and it didn't turn into some sappy declaration of love. I don't even think it was because Kell is necessarily in love Lila, but she is certainly important to him. Love could develop if they were to spend more time together, but it wasn't a given. Made it way more realistic to me.

36. Lila was able to travel back to Red London without the rock. How do you think this is possible? Do you think this will be explained in the next book?

I think she may, in fact, be an Antari. The priest said that she had power, but it was "untended". Maybe even the latent Antari blood and power allows her to travel between worlds.

37. How did you like the book's ending? What rating did you give the book?

I quite enjoyed it! I'm probably going to give 4 stars, 4.5 if that were a possibility. Definitely one of the better books I've read recently.

Discussion Questions / January 8
XI: Masquerade - XII: Sanctuary & Sacrifice

26. The gleam Lila saw in the guards eye, she also noticed in the Red Queens eye at the masquerade ball. Do you believe Astrid has already corrupted the entire palace and royalty? And once people are corrupted with this black magic, is there a way for them to be free again? Will destroying the stone free them from their corruption?

I definitely think the Red King and Queen are both under compulsion, as well as many of the guards, but I don't think the whole castle has been overtaken. Ellis didn't have the gleam in his eye or Kell would have noticed it. I think if they destroy the Danes, they will be free. Right now it's the Danes controlling them, not the stone.

27. We finally find out that it was, after all, Astrid who set up Kell and tricked him into taking the stone. Did this surprise you at all? Or was this something you had already figured out?

It didn't really surprise me. It made the most sense that it would be the Danes that would set Kell up. I figured something fishy was going on with Rhy since Holland left his "present", but I didn't realize it would be a hostile takeover situation.

28. The Dane siblings want the stone to create doors between the Londons that stay open for anyone to pass through. Do you agree with Kell that this would be a horrible idea?

Yes! Those doors were shut for a reason. White Londoners would ravage Red London for it's magic. It'd become just as desolate as White London.

29. Any ideas as to why the stone physically stitched itself to Kell's palm after he used it for a "soul seal" to save Rhy's life? Why didn't the stone do that any of the other times it was used?

I think it's attached itself to Kell now because he used such a powerful spell. He had to open himself up to the stone for the soul seal to work and now the stone has a foothold inside him. Nothing good can come from that...

30. So Lila has a glass eye. When questioned about it by Teirin, she claims to not remember what happened to her eye but that she was told it was an accident. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Is Lila Antari? Did she have one solid black eye at one point? Maybe someone didn't want people to know she was Antari, so they cut it out. What are your thoughts on this?

Hmm, that is an interesting theory. I wouldn't have thought of that, but it kind of makes sense. Especially living in Grey London, it would have made her stick out like a sore thumb. It makes me wonder even more about her past.

31. How do you feel about the relationship between Kell and Lila? Do you think they make a good team? Will they be able to defeat King Athos and retrieve the missing half of the stone?

I'm liking their dynamic. I do think they make a good team, though Kell may become a little less reliable now that he is bound so closely with the stone. I think they can do this if they're smart about it.

32. A Darker Shade of Magic is quite a fitting title for this book, in my opinion. Do you agree? Why or why not?

I think it is a fitting title. We are, quite literally, seeing the darker side of magic billowing out from Black London.

Mythical

Jan 7 DQ Questions Sections IX: Festival & Fire and X: One White Rock

Q21: It wasn’t too surprising that Lila was able to successfully cross into Red London. After Kell gave his jacket to wear, she gave him her handkerchief. Seems right somehow, you gave me something of yours. I give you something of mine. Now we’re linked. Do you think Lila was able to cross because of the black stone, Kell and Lila’s “link” or that she may have Antari blood that has not revealed itself yet?

I think it might be a combination of both the stone's magic and the exchanged tokens. At least the exchange helped Kell find Lila! I'm not sure if I believe that Lila is an Antari, though, with her different colored eyes, she's the Grey London equivalent of one.

Q22: We are learning more about Lila. What do you think of her?

I'm enjoying Lila quite a bit. I still get annoyed when she steals things just because she thinks she can, but when she explained why people steal, I can kind of understand her reasoning more. She's turning into a pretty freakin' awesome character.

Q23: Do you think there will be any long term side effects of the black stone Lila and Kell are using?

Of course there will be unless, of course, they destroy it. It's already effecting them, after all.

Q24: The Royal Guards pick Kell up at Fletcher’s shop. It appears that someone in the royal family posted a missing person’s bulletin out of concern for him not coming back when scheduled. Kell seems to know one of the guards. Ellis seems genuinely concerned about Kell and sorry for placing a cloth over his mouth. Why do you think Ellis drugged Kell? Why kill Fletcher? Who do you think issued the missing person bulletin?

I think Ellis was under direct orders from someone more powerful than him to drug Kell. Either the Royals or maybe even Holland. Maybe he threatened his family or something. They killed Fletcher because he was a witness. Again, it was whoever convinced Ellis to drug Kell, so maybe the Royals or Holland.

Q25. At the festivities, Parrish notices a black eyed stranger cutting between tents heading toward the riverbank. When they confront him, the stranger thrust his blackened hand through Gen’s armor and says “dark heart”. Is the magic able to see who a person truly is? Why was the stranger heading towards the river? Do you think now that Gen is infected with the dark magic that he will complete the stranger’s journey?

Perhaps, since it calls Parrish "noble heart". I think it's headed for the river because it is a Source and the thing is drawn to magic. Maybe it intends to feed of the Isle or infect it. Gen is definitely going to keep going. It isn't Gen anymore, it's the dark magic.

6-Jan VII: The Follower - VIII: An Arrangement

Q16: "I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still." - Lily. This appears to be Lily's philosophy on life. What do you think of this quote/worldview? Are you similar?

I think that is a respectable worldview. She doesn't want to live her life in a rut thinking "What if?" She would rather take chances and live her life to the fullest than play it safe and boring. I don't know if I'm on the same level of risk-taking as Lila, but I certainly don't like getting stuck in a rut and adventures can be fun!

Q17: It seems as if we know the least about Lily and her background at this point. We know more about Kell, Holland, Rhys, etc. Do you think she has a back story that will be fleshed out more? Or is she just going to stay the sole plucky sassy female character?

I hope we get to learn more about Lila. She is a really interesting character and I would love to know how she became the Lila that we know. It would seem unfair if the main female lead didn't get a backstory.

Q18: Do you like the writing style of constantly switching point-of-view between characters between chapters?

The whole POV switching thing seems to be getting pretty common in books these days, so I feel like it's not as jarring as it might once have been. I'm really enjoying the writing style of this book, so far.

Q19: Holland seems very ruthless. Why do you think he did not kill Kell? Or did he intend to?

Well, if Lila hadn't shown up, I'm fairly certain Holland would have bled Kell to death, albiet very slowly. I don't know why he didn't do it faster... Maybe he knew or hoped Lila would come back and stop him? If that is the case, I really can't fathom why he didn't want to kill him. There doesn't seem to be much love lost between them. Of course, he's probably being forced to kill Kell and *not* doing it may be a form of rebellion.

Q20: Does the stone remind anyone of any other story? (The ring in Lord of the Rings immediately came to mind, and the horcruxes in Harry Potter). Do you think the stone CAN be destroyed? Will Kell be able to do it?

It does remind me of those dangerous magical artifacts in other books, like The One Ring and the horcruxes. I think it can be destroyed seeming as almost all the other Black London artifacts have been destroyed. I feel like it will take A LOT of power and I'm not 100% sure Kell is up to the task. We'll see!

I think we can do it!!

Garden

Good morning, everyone!

I can cover the "asia" goal if we don't already have a book that works. I've been meaning to read The Kite Runner and it's listed on the first page of it's top shelves.