The Hand of the Sun King (Pact and Pattern #1) by J.T. Greathouse - Starting July 29th 2021

[Dannii]

My name is Wen Alder. My name is Foolish Cur.

All my life, I have been torn between two legacies: that of my father, whose roots trace back to the right hand of the Emperor. That of my mother's family, who reject the oppressive Empire and embrace the resistance.

I can choose between them - between protecting my family, or protecting my people - or I can search out a better path . . . a magical path, filled with secrets, unbound by Empire or resistance, which could shake my world to its very foundation.

But my search for freedom will entangle me in a war between the gods themselves . . .

[Jeeya]

Hi! Can we start sometime next week? 5th july?

[Dannii]

Jeeya wrote: "Hi! Can we start sometime next week? 5th july?"

Hey, Jeeya. I'm so sorry! I'm only now seeing this comment. Did you manage to start it early?

[Dannii]

I started this, this morning :)

First quarter - (view spoiler)[I was immediately interested in this story. Wen's Uncle, Harrow Fox, was revealed as a criminal and his grandmother introduced Wen to his fire-name, Foolish Cur, which seems like it could cause problems for this family.

I enjoyed witnessing Wen learn the difference between the Siennese and Nayeni opposing cultures. It was interesting to see how the two almost countered each other and that Wen seemed to naturally prefer that which was aligned with his Uncle and the rebellion.

As much as it was interesting to learn all of the aspects about them both, the history of the Empire, and the rebellion that seeks to defy the Emperor's rule, I was also eager for more of a story-line to assert itself.I also wished more details about the examinations had been included. Wen started his training as hand of the emperor, which I knew was a role he would get from the title, and I'm looking forward to more action scenes in the next quarter. (hide spoiler)]

[Jeeya]

I haven't started yet. Going to start tonight, also I saw a bunch of reviews for this and they all sound amazing

[Dannii]

Jeeya wrote: "I haven't started yet. Going to start tonight, also I saw a bunch of reviews for this and they all sound amazing"

I hope you love it. I've enjoyed all I have so far read :)

[Dannii]

Second quarter - (view spoiler)[Wen showed some unlikable character traits in his new, powerful position. I'm glad he and Oriole learned to understand each other's struggles and differences pretty early on in their interactions with one another.

I really enjoyed the scenes where Wen learnt about sorcery from Hand Usher. He began to grow in power but also understand the limitations of it, under the Emporer's rule and the Sienese culture. His grandmother's wilder witch magic also had limitations, but they were less prominent ones.

Wen's time of learning was quickly concluded. I love academic settings and magical training so would have loved a whole book, and not just a chapter, on these elements. War came and the focus switched there, though.

I can see Wen's appreciation for both cultures being tested, as he fights for the Sienese against the Nayeni rebellion. I can also see his friendship with Oriole being tested too. He has, so far, been the most powerful and worshiped individual of the duo but Oriole is showing much skills with war strategy and behind-the-scenes scheming. I hope it doesn't ruin their closeness and I hope they can learn how powerful they could be when aligned together. If they shared the position of Hand their different skillsets would work together and make them an unstoppable force.

Okay, so it seems my last thoughts were penned prematurely. I did not anticipate Wen to reveal his heritage and use it to gain access to the Witch's lair. I also did not anticipate Oriole to die at the end of their interactions!! (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Third quarter - (view spoiler)[I'd love this author to pen some other books related to the series. So many folk/fairy tales have been mentioned, which would be so interesting to read, such as the An-Zabati collection of folklore Wen reads to understand the language. He mentions desert demons and sky gods are in it, which would make for fun reading!

Wen's new role saw him further removed from the fighting but granted him a meeting with the Emperor. An-Zabat provided a new setting and a new focus for the novel. Each quarter, so far, seems to have provided a new direction for this novel to take. I've really enjoyed this fast-pace and the consistent new elements to explore, even though I feel I would have equally as enjoyed an entire book spent on each quarter's primary objective. This one was very politically focused.

Atar introduced Wen to what was occurring outside of the palace walls. No money trickled down to those who were the backbone of this city, despite the wealth kept by those at the top and by the Sienese.

I can foresee a future relationship blossoming between them, despite Atar pushing Wen away when he initially made his intentions know. He was her enemy and needed to show he was not like the other Sienese before she fully accepted him. But she did and he also gained the ability for wind magic.

His continuous desire for unbound and unrestrained magic was surely always going to hurt him in the future somehow, but I didn't anticipate his new abilities to be directly transferred to the Emperor's canon. (hide spoiler)]

Fourth quarter - (view spoiler)[Jhin's aid was perilous for his personal safety and I worried he would meet a bad end after Wen fled. Cinder was not going to take Wen's escape well and he has a true enemy there that I felt sure would work to track him down and return to the book. I was never suuuper invested in Wen and Atar's romance, as it was so brief, but it was quite sad to see them separated so soon.

I did not anticipate the Sienese massacre, with Doctor Sho and the poor dog. I understand Wen's actions but they still came as a surprise!

The meeting with Okara was hard fought for and the conversation between Wen, Doctor Sho, Okara, and Hissing Cat was very informative. It provided much information about the history of magic and the gods. It was revealed, at its close, that Wen could be taught unrestrained magic, removed from the spells of his enemies. This is something he has always longed for and that the book, in a roundabout way, was always leading to.

Wen had to begin a new round of magical education with a new teacher. It took him finding his Uncle and getting captured for him to truly understand and practise pushing against the patterns of the world though. (hide spoiler)]

[Jeeya]

oh my god you're already done?? i just finished chapter 5

[Dannii]

I'm sorry! I couldn't put the book down. I struggle with insomnia so raced through most of it last night. I look forward to seeing all your thoughts though :)