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January 20 - February 12, 2021
The Corn.
All I can think of is "Children of the Corn" and god I hope that's related.
Occasionally, a box appeared completely empty, but as he passed, a tendril of whispers reached out with a snippet of half-formed words. Hero knew better than to stop to listen.
Pandora's boxes?
Oh dear gods, he was beginning to sound like Claire.
Beginning to? You've sounded just like her since you entered the library. :)
It’s a natural product of time,” Ramiel said quietly.
Ow.
the riddle had sunk its claws in
The riddle he read twenty seconds ago? Calm your tits, author.
“I wonder what happened to her.”
Ten bucks, she's the Fury.
I can't believe this is actually a word. Why not "shot through", "jolted through", or "barrelled through"? That looks dumb on the page.
Claire would be here and gone before she could bother them.
Why are you hoping to sneak around, Claire?
Should this not be "cherry wood"?
And she was tired of it.
And yet you handle Brevity the same way. Deciding what she should and should not know, what she can and cannot handle.
It’s my job to have answers. I can’t protect them without answers.”
You are not the Librarian any longer, Claire. I would accept it more if she wanted to right wrongs to the best of her ability, but this just feels like ego more than anything.
She swallowed and lowered the hand holding the scalpel—not to put it away, but for a slightly less overtly villainous posture.
She shouldn't have had it out until Lucielle gave the okay. That's fucking creepy.
“I’m not the Unwritten Wing’s librarian anymore. Your protection is not my responsibility.”
Oh, NOW she says that.
She needed answers, but wouldn’t it be a relief to take an answer from a book—willing or unwilling—and for a moment feel like she was certain of her role again?
She is so fucking desperate to be Librarian again, I'm slowly starting to hate her.
The others didn’t understand the stakes.
Because no one is smarter than Claire. No one understands like Claire. She might as well be singing Gaston's song in Beauty and the Beast. Fuck, I'm starting to hate her.
Mad . . . now, that’s a peculiar term, and, saints, don’t they love applying it to women. Women have a special facility for madness.
Fuck this. I'm so sick of this tone in the book. I'm honestly not sure I'll finish this.
Brevity the cocksure muse, ready to inspire the world.
This is why I think both Brevity and Claire are more flawed than is fully protrayed. Claire commited murder, and Brevity is a thief. Neither are saints, but I do feel like Claire is having to deal with that much more than Brevity. Claire is the horrible bitch who failed the Library, but Brevity is the poor innocent who gets a job promotion?
Claire was occupied with the vial of gore in her hands,
Oh Christ, even a vial of blood isn't "gore". Calm down, ya big baby.
“Library business is not attacking people!”
Wow, so you're gonna make Brevity this stupid, huh? Mind you, I don't think Claire went about it well, at all, but "attacking" feels like stretching the truth here.
Probity made a show of stepping aside with a sad shake of her head.
Claire is also the Arcanist, which has nothing to do with you, sweet cheeks.
The books looked to her; Probity came to her to collaborate on behalf of the Muses Corps, not to Claire.
Yes, Probity. Probity whom you haven't confirmed came from the Corps. Or is still a member. Probity who's been playing the little sister act since she stepped foot in the Library. Probity who wants to change things. Who knows you're new and unsure, Brevity.
“But she does have a duty to protect the Library from them.”
You need to GET RID of her.
But Brevity had only one way forward—Claire had only left her with one way, no matter how much she hated it.
Bullshit. You make a choice, you own it. Or you find another one, and you own that too. Don't put your choices on anyone else.
She snatched the vial back and shoved it into her pocket.
Personally, I don't think she should've ever handed it over. But I don't understand how she got it back so easily.
But it served to remind Brevity of the ache beneath the ache.
What is this sentence?
“This has turned into such a mess, sis.”
Ugh, I wish she wouldn't.
And if we fix the unwritten stories, the humans will sort themselves out.”
That is absolutely *not* how it works, you dip-shit.
“Oh, blind terror mostly.”
Heh.
It must have carried in his voice, because Rami grunted and rubbed sympathetic circles on Hero’s back.
I don't understand why Rami would do this? Sure, I think and attraction/curiosity is there, but I don't recall them touching before, and I have a hard time believing Hero - stubborn, prideful - Hero would allow it.
Hero was more accustomed to having to wrest control of a situation out of other people’s grasps with trickery and guile.
Now I'm imagining Tom Hiddleston as Hero.
“Probity,” Rami rumbled.
I am zero percent surprised. I only wish we'd gotten her about 79 pages faster. I also suspect she's Fleur, or working for Fleur.
Everything we do is for you.”
She sounds like a stalker speaking to their target.
Humans can’t understand the real meaning of sacrifice.”
Says a MUSE who's never had to live a day in reality. Ugh, I loathe her. Also, if this "reveal" is meant to be surprising, you did a fucking *terrible* job Hackwith.
I work very hard on the frivolity, you know. It’s handcrafted, artisanal even.
I really do miss Hero being quipp-ier.
Hee.
Up close, Sraosha struck Hero as likely fluid in gender presentation,
Now, I haven't done in depth research, but in Zoroastrian mythology, Sraosha appears to identify as male. Changing it to "gender fluid" - to up your queerness quotient? - feels wildly disrespectful.
“I don’t suppose you have a gently sloping path.”
I love him. This book needed so much MORE of this.
and Leto,
I MISS LETO SO MUCH. God, this book suffers painfully for the lack of him.
Philosophical, and a touch dramatic, granted.
Why hasn't there been MORE OF THIS? This book has had too much simpering office drama, dastardly obvious villians and not enough *fun*.
“You are taller than me,”
When ... was this established?
Shoulders turned, serious face emanating concern.
I don't mind this pairing but *holy shit* Hackwith's got the pedal to the metal here. Suddenly the halfway point struck and - besides a few mentions - it's like she's forcing the pairing to take shape rather than allow it to build naturally.
crowds could turn like lightning.
How in the fuck does lightening "turn"?
“None of us ever fall alone.”
Well, fuck. Now I wanna cry.
I don't understand. Is this a phrase, a curse, a prayer? Why is it continually being used?
Brevity, the cheerful woman who had stood by her side through almost thirty years of mishandling the Library.
Again, fully understanding she's a thief and the crime she committed, really changes my opinion of Brevity from the first book.
Hero has that effect on people.”
This has absolutely NOT been built up properly. I wish far more time had been spent on this, and far less on Probity and the interdepartmental spat.
“I fell with you, fool.
[whispers] Fly, you fools ...
They really were going to be the death of her.
See, this? This I could enjoy. But it is NOT time for romance, especially given Hero's past and Rami's past. Not. the. time.
This is an insult.”
Oh, beloved Hero.
“Paper cut? Are you mocking a man wounded in the line of duty, warden?” “Always.”
I know I keep saying this but oh my god I MISSSSED THIS. 350 pages is too goddamn long for this novel. The first 100 could've been chucked or at least heavily cut down EASILY.
