Ashley’s Comments (group member since Apr 27, 2022)

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

I'm hoping *cross your fingers*, to finish a 500+ pager tonight, (if I'm not too tired, I only read this one after the kiddos are in bed).

I'm also reading , but I bet I won't finish it today. I have to actually go into work today, and I think I have a full schedule, so that one will probably be a Friday finish.

After those, I just got from the library and I'm going to start (645pgs), which will be my nighttime read, so that one will prob take me a weekish. I'm sure I'll shove some others in next week too! :) :) Book plans, ahhhhh!

Added my last needed DQ participation to the BOM tab

Completion/Confirmation Post

Day 1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 2: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Day 4: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

DQs Day 4 - Chapters 15 - 18


14. Nahri meets the king of Daevabad for the first time but doesn't seem to have a lot of further interactions with him. What do you think the king's plan is truly? He offers her everything but doesn't ask for much in return - yes, he revealed to Ali that he wants to marry her to Muntadhir, but is that really all?

I'm sure it's not all, it never is. Some sort of control over her, further than marriage, keeping her from becoming a savior perhaps....

15. Prince Ali, fabulous he.. Were you surprised at this further development in Ali's character? The extreme hatred he displays towards Nahri? For some reason, whenever I read the passages from his point of view, I feel he comes across more like a brat rather than a hate-filled person, yet that seems to be what he shows most often when Nahri is around. He now feels he is a murderer, which, granted, he now is. He also realises that his father has been testing and playing him, and will now use him to his own ends. Do you think the poor boy will finally start growing up?

I vacillate between thinking Ali is just an annoying brat who has his "head in the sand" and is happy never questioning his beliefs to... feeling kind of sorry for him. I think there's probably something good in there, but I'm personally not interested in finding it.

16. What do you think will be the outcome of Dara's quest in the middle of the desert with a future king and a contingent of warriors, who may or may not be hell-bent on killing the Afshin? Are they going to find the ifrit before their journey comes to an end?

I doubt it, I think the ifrit wouldn't want to share the truth, so ... frankly, I don't think anyone in this book is telling any truth...

17. Nahri's first patient! And what a patient that was! Did this first true test of her skills - towards someone she does not know or care about - live up to your expectations?

Personally, I think this is going to go badly. Throwing someone into this is just ASKING for trouble. I don't think she's ready for the responsibility.

18. Any predictions on who Nahri's father might be? I have to admit, I thought it was the king himself. But would he really want to marry his daughter to his son? Hm. What do you think?

How interesting! This actually never occurred to me.. and well, ick, but not out of character. I think I always just imagined it was a random person.. now I'm rethinking this...

I'm with you, I barely look at the TVs in our house. I have a book, thanks anyway! lol

However, a few days after I read A Man Called Ove, I was in the kitchen doing something or other and I heard my husband turn on a movie. I listened to the first scene and peeked my head in and said... "What's that movie called?" and realized it was the Tom Hanks movie based on the book... I then asked him if he knew anything about that movie and he said no... I promptly zipped my lips and decided to watch the movie.

That's usually how I end up watching the TV. "Oh, that's based on a book I read? I'm on the way!"

Whew! Finally finished Divine Evil, 577 pages, seemed like it took forever! I think it would have been better shorter, honestly.

I'm reading this green cover too!

Definitely better today, finally! The only plus was catching up on much-needed sleep! If it's not one thing, it's another!!

Checking in! Got almost zero reading done this weekend (like 40 pages last night) due to a headache that forced me to sleep allllllll day. Hate it.

Hopefully will make up for it during the week!

DQs Day 3 - Chapters 10-14

9. As he walks through the Daeva Quarters, Ali is shot by a toy arrow, let loose by one of the children playing about. Rashid suggests to Ali that he should punish the boy by taking him to be raised in the Citadel, which Ali refuses. What do you think this says about Ali, and about others in the city’s upper echelon?

10. Nahri and Dara have a moment, but are interrupted. Do you like this partnership, romantically or otherwise? Is it doomed, or meant to be?

11. We learn about the terrible conditions in the shafit orphanage and the difficult lives all the shafit are forced into. Even though he immediately refuses to help, how do you think this will influence him in the future?

12. As Dara and Nahri cross the last illusion shielding Daevabad, Nahri has an odd reaction and ends up flat on her back on the deck of the ferry, with Dara rudely refusing anyone’s assistance. Do you think this was caused by something related to what Nahri is, or something else?

13. Muntadhir takes Ali to a secret room filled with dead Nahids. Do you think this room will be a turning point for Ali? Do you think Dara will discover this and his relic, and what do you think will follow if he does?

no problem either way, just wanted to mention it!!

The book I finished yesterday was from an author born in China. R.F. Kuang I don't know if we can use that book, since #16 just showed up today, but I wanted to throw it out there just in case (or if someone wanted a recommendation - the book was GREAT!) Yellowface

Day 2 DQs : Chapters 5-9


5. So many groups! We had a couple of chapters in this part that described some of the tribes in Daevabad and elsewhere - the Daeva/Djinn, Ifrit, Simurgh, Zahhak and I'm sure I haven't listed them all. Where on the confusion scale are you - with 1 being totally confused and 10 being "I've got this". And are you ok with your level at this point in the book?

Um... at this point in the book, I was around a 3.... maybe 2. It was A LOT to take in, but I am just going with it!

6. Somewhat related to this - we learn that Suleiman curbed magical abilities because the daeva harmed humanity. I learned (thanks Google) that in the non-book world Suleiman the Magnificent was the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566 - he ruled over at least 25 million people. Did you know anything about Suleiman and what do you think of his inclusion in the book?

I know nothing, so this is all very interesting and educational! I like how historical elements are being weaved into this story!

7. We now know Dara was a slave for many years and was forced to do some things that haunt him. How does this make you feel about his character?

I am still liking him, and I think it makes him a very complex character, with the possibility of going bad, or good. It's all up in the air!

8. Ali's father was portrayed as brutal when we first met him at the execution, and then later he seemed like a pretty good ruler as he listened to and judged people's problems. What do you think - good king or bad king?

I think royalty has a tendency to be always portrayed as bad. I think in reality, it's almost always a mix of both. I think it's probably difficult to rule without being both. In terms of this story, I'm going with bad (and hiding it well).

thank you!

Oh, I picked up Five Tuesdays in Winter from the library. Can I claim that task from the Chipmunks?

Haha Steven! No worries! I didn't realize that the Chipmunk tasks had to be marked Free Choice, so that helps and definitely answers my question!

Can I ask a dumb question? Why does it matter if the page count is long or short for the Chipmunk tasks?

Melindam wrote: "Use the link of the book you are actually reading, but add the official BOM page count. :)"

Ok good, that's what I did!

Question! I'm reading the Kindle version of The City of Brass, which has a different page number from the "official" BOM one. Which do we use? How should I link my book on the SS?

DQs Day 1, Ch 1-5


1. This book begins in 18th century Cairo, with France and Turkey fighting over Egypt. I have never encountered this conflict in fiction before. Have you? Were you familiar with it before you started reading?

At the risk of seeming uncultured (and with the realization that I learned LITERALLY nothing in my first History class in College), I will admit to never reading or knowing much (anything) about this conflict.

2. Nahri has several mysterious powers, including healing, the ability to sense illness in others, and the ability to understand and speak every language she hears. Which of her powers would you like for yourself?

Nahri has GREAT powers, and I think being able to understand every language is a major asset. If I have to choose one, I want to think I'd go with the more selfless power of healing. I suppose it helps that she heals herself too.

3. What do you think of the world building so far? Do you find it confusing, or do you feel like you’re along for the ride?

I will admit to being very confused at the beginning, which I thought I would be, so I started listening to the audio, while reading the text for a while, to get a better feel for things. It's my go-to when I am feeling overwhelmed by HUGH world-building.

4. So far we’ve met 3 significant players in this book: Nahri, Ali, and Dara. Do you have a favorite character so far, or one who intrigues you the most?

I think Dara is my favorite. His "trope" is definitely in my wheelhouse and I can tell he's going to build into a great character.