Age of Myth [May 16, 2020]

[Mel]

Choko wrote: "I would even say that the same person at different times of their personal development would enjoy or hate the same work of writing... I hate going over some of my early favorites, because the subliminal messages in them are so strongly against everything I stand for now, it is disturbing!"

Oh I feel ya. When you go back to a childhood movie or book and cringe! And think, "OMG, that was in there? How did I never notice? Yikes." I remind myself though that every cringe is a testament of how I've grown as a person. Isn't is amazing how we can change?

[Choko]

Yes it is!!!

And I love how cerebral Arian is! Although, I think Roan can give her a run for her money. Roan is so broken, but so brilliant, I love her!

[Mel]

I'm looking forward to finding out more about Roan, the way you speak of her. So far she hasn't really had a lot of page time.

Chapter 22: Curse of the Brown Bear

When the dead betray the living, the victims are memories.
—THE BOOK OF BRIN

I think not just the dead. Any betrayal taints the memories you have of that person.

Chapter 26: Beneath the Falls
(view spoiler)[I know Maeve's death was foreshadowed with her saying she could die easy if she could see the face of her daughter again, but gosh I hate this trope. Why does she have to die immediately after realizing Suri is her daughter? I know it's supposed to be poetic and tragic or whatever, and narratively blah blah blah, but... nnnguh! And of course Suri is oblivious to the realization herself.

I'm somewhat mollified though by the line from earlier:

The wolf wore a belt around its neck, the rest of which trailed on the ground. “Since when do you wear leather?”

So delightfully Suri. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

Chapter 28
Woo hoo Persephone! Way to go! Inspire the crowd!


Ooh hoo hoo! And what an ending! (view spoiler)[I'm so eager to find out more about Nyphon's intentions and endgame! So, he had already ordered the death of Shegon - why? I mean, of course, he was a total brideeth, but beyond that? Afterwards Nyphron needed confirmation that killing a Fhrey was possible, so he wasn't even sure if it would work. Was it just a test, and Shegon was the guinea pig? (hide spoiler)]

In general, having read Riyria Revelations, it's interesting to see which aspects of the legends were true, and which were warped and obscured by time. I like that the time-fog means that all bets are off. Forget what you know.

(I mean, I may have forgotten most of the details anyway, but still!)

[Soo]

Roan stands out because she doesn't act like a regular person and there are several sentences talking about the things that she had designed & made. Axe, etc.

I have vague memories of Riyria. It's been a few years and a couple thousand books since I read them. LOL

I really enjoyed the ending and will probably start the next book in a couple of days cause I'm pretty keen on seeing what happens next. =D

[Mel]

Hm, I guess I was expecting some big reveal or something from the mentions.

She's certainly an interesting member of the cast, but for me rather equally alongside Padera and Moya, as well as Gifford, Sarah, and Brin. I just didn't think she acted so abnormally. She's obviously gifted with her hands, tinkering and inventing things. She has some leftover hallmarks of being a slave, finding comfort in tasks, and not used to taking charge of others or her own household. She's perhaps on the quiet side, preoccupied with her work, but it's not like she doesn't socialize with the others. Probably just used to being told to keep quiet. Haha, well, she is oblivious about (view spoiler)[Gifford's infatuation with her, giving her all his most beautiful cups and vases, (hide spoiler)] but she's hardly unique in that. :P

...Ah. I did remember there was like one line that surprised me, so I looked back. Apparently she thought to stick a needle in her eye, curious about how far back the socket went? So yes, you're right. Not normal behavior there.

Just like many of the the other characters, I hope that we continue to find out more about them in the subsequent books.

[Choko]

Let me know when you guys start the next book, because I really want to know all of those things too and soon:-)

[Soo]

Roan: (view spoiler)[She was a slave & abused by the owner. Her odd behavior is due to her treatment. She doesn't like being touched. Startles if people come from her blindside. Other stuff like that. She's the only one that acted that way & that's why she stood out. (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

I'll probably start a little early as well, since I'm eager to continue.

Roan: Yeah, I got that. Like I said above, I understand the reasons behind some of her behavior.

Do you happen to remember where in the book you read that she doesn't like to be touched or startles easily though? Just curious, since if anything, I thought she was steady and unfazed treating the ax wound in the beginning, and she didn't hesitate to reach out and touch Grygor's hand. I found that bit to be rather charming, actually. Her focused interest in the task, measuring his hand for the tool overcame any trepidation for the giant. I think she's an interesting character, but so are all the others!

With Grifford, it's so tragically ironic that he tries to convince Roan of her own worth, and yet can't see his own. I really hope we see more of the both of them, and that they are able to gain a sense of greater self-worth.

I'm looking forward to learning more about all of them, actually. (view spoiler)[To see if Suri's powers develop further. Perhaps Arion will tutor her? Or more likely, they teach each other, and Suri's natural wisdom helps Arion's biases slip away. And Moya, that firebrand! I'm dying for more of her whiplike tongue. Could she possibly single-handedly flirt her way to peace with the Fhrey!? Hahaha! And will Persephone eventually warm to Raithe and return his feelings, or will theirs remain a platonic partnership? If you've read Riyria Revelations, we already know that (WARNING)(view spoiler)[Persephone and Nyphron end up together, (hide spoiler)]but hey!

(hide spoiler)]There are 5 books left in this series, and who knows what will happen? Time Fog™ remember? All bets are off!

Everyone else? What are you excited for?

For me, Grygor's cooking. Barely met the guy, but already I want a spinoff cooking show.

[Choko]

I also got that Roan doesn't like to be touched and her startling, but can't point out where I got it from. She is brave to headlessness in some situations, but I think that is because her curiosity overwhelms her fear. I know it is from the abuse, but it makes her character feel a tad on the autistic spectrum.

[Soo]

There's a difference when you choose to touch someone and someone else reaches out to touch you. It was part of a conversation around the middle-ish of the book.

Roan seems to be a narrow focused type and that's part of why people think she's not paying attention but that seems to mean she's thinking about something and still taking in what's going on around her. She just doesn't necessarily react to it.

Weakest Plot Point: (view spoiler)[To me, there were two big weak points to the story.

I can't see Persephone as being so dense that she can't tell when someone is kissing her ass and acting like they listen to her. So, having most of her clan/group end up ganging up against her and kill her off was a bit left field for me.

Sullivan relied on a lot of labeling to get the story across. That made it easy to miss a couple of key details there were just a phrase or sentence mixed into more active sequences. (hide spoiler)]

No pairings in mind but I'm looking forward to Suri learning magic. Seeing how the relationship between the potter and Roan may develop because I think it's sweet the way he loves her.

For some reason, I had Sunday as the date to read the next book because of the Team Challenge rules. You can only start a week before the BR start date. Haha! That's today. Not Sunday.

I'll start Age of Swords today. =D

[Choko]

Cheater!!! I am in the beginning of a other read, I will be there tomorrow, most probably (✷‿✷)

[Mel]

I did a thorough scour of every single scene with Roan, and I can't seem to find it anywhere. :/

Persephone: Yeah, I also thought that was unbelievable. I suppose one of her traits is supposed to be seeing the good in all people, which makes her blind to people's true natures. (view spoiler)[Her husband cheated on her, she wonders at how she could have missed Roan's slave owner Iver the Carver being so bad. Again and again, assuming the men of the clan as being better than they are. Remembering them at their best, memories of bestowing upon them awards and their smiling faces. (hide spoiler)] She's a terrible judge of character really, getting it wrong again and again. But it also bothered me that she could possibly be so naive. It didn't seem to mesh. She's smart. She's led the community alongside her husband for 20 years. She should have seen it all by now.

Labeling? Details? Can you provide an example, since I'm not sure what you mean.

Alright, you go on ahead and enjoy! See you on the Age of Swords thread before long. :)

[Soo]

Clearly marking who the good/bad guys are and where they belong within the story. That's what I meant by labeling. =)

[Mel]

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I also appreciate a little mystery and a good twist. Although I can just as well appreciate a head-on villain. That aspect doesn't matter to me as much as the drama the conflict creates.

That said, I think Nyphron's motivations so far make him an interestingly ambiguous character.

I don't suppose you remember said details that were easy to miss?