A Time of Dread (Of Blood and Bone #1)[July 20, 2023]

[Nirkatze]

I love having hunches that play out. ^^ That's half the fun of reading.

The discussion thread for book 2 exists--we'll be along to join you eventually if you do jump in sooner. ^^

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Vickie]

Thanks, Nirkatze! Yep, couldn't wait and dove right into book 2.😏

[Nirkatze]

LOL Great! Looking forward to chatting with you in a week or so. ^^

[Choko]

Just started this. First time reading it and up to Ch. 9... So far, I have to say I dislike the Ben-Elim almost as much as the Kadoshim! And I guess the G-d is still asleep, because he wouldn't have tolerated all of that... (view spoiler)[ The battle where they swooped in and started killing indiscriminately, was absolutely horrible! They claim they are protecting G-d's creations and the peace, but it sounds more like a creed they are not really sticking to. Very disappointing!

Good to see the giant kid, who is now a leader in the Bright Star Order, and she is doing well with her bear!

Riv is going to be an interesting character, I think. Whenever you are raised holding so much adoration for real people, the Ben-Elim in her case, some disillusionment is bound to happen. I was rooting for her when she punched the one who was taunting her in the face!!! I do wonder about her sister though...

I strongly, strongly disliked when the Ben-Elim killed that Kadoshim - Human halfbreed dude just because he was born the way he was. Ok, kill him for his actions or whatever, but not because he was born the way he was! No one chooses the circumstances of their birth, so you can't blame them for that. I didn't mind him getting killed after he murdered one of the White Wings, but back off on the "abomination" talk. And when the one dude was saying how wrong it is for human and "Devine" blood to mix, did I detect some of the BE's feeling uncomfortable? Yeah, have they been mixing their blood with some humans too???

Nirkatze, saw your obsession on Drem. Yes! Absolutely somewhere on the spectrum! It caught my attention immediately and you know I am a sucker for those characters! Also just got to the scene where he got into a fight to protect the girl, Fritha, from what I am guessing are Kadoshim acolytes, with the shaved heads and bad attitudes. I like this kid!

I like what I see from Bleda so far, the kid whose sister and brother were beheaded by the blonde Ben-Elim, I think his name is Coal. I don't like his friend, the girl from the clan his clan was warring with, Jin, who is now his betrothed. She is too impulsive, too rude, too filled with hate and haughtiness. Something about her really rubs me wrong. (hide spoiler)]

I am glad to be back in this world, but my heart is heavy with the realization that things are not as good as we thought they would be:(((

[Choko]

Up to Ch. 13... (view spoiler)[ So, we get the story of Veren's fall... And he had a little brother. Sad that both of them had died in that battle... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Forgot to mention - the white crow!!! Adorable!!!

[Choko]

Up to Ch. 17... (view spoiler)[ O-o! Riv is having sharp pains in her back and all over her joints, she is having berserker's rage, and is "stronger than she looks"... I wonder if she is not a halfbreed too. But which kind - BE or K? (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Up to Ch. 25... (view spoiler)[ So, Drem's dad was married to one of the Queen's sisters and she was a leader in the Order of the Bright Star. She killed a Ben-Elim for trying to kill her husband, was herself slain by a Kadoshim, and still the BE wanted to take Drem , who was 3-5 years old, as a blood compensation for the slayed BE. His dad took him and they have been running ever since. The dad was also a warrior in the Order.

I can't believe Drem's dad just died fighting the White Bear!!! And Drem couldn't find the Star Stone Blade to bury him with... I hope one of the bad guys doesn't have it! And where is Fritha? Did the Bear kill her as she did Fritha's grandfather???

Once again the Ben-Elim showed how horribly inhumane they are - one of them was "kissing" a human and they banished the human and cut his wings off. They would have killed them both if they had gone further than just kissing! WTF?!?! Now I am even more convinced that Riv's sister's friend left because she probably got pregnant by one of them... And I am sure Riv is a halfbreed! (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Up to Ch. 32... (view spoiler)[ Ok, that Coal Ben-Elim dude really creeps me out! The way he constantly touches on Riv and tells her some of the rules are too strict, and the way her sister stopped him, tells me he must have come on to her or her friend in the same way. Riv is confused about why her sister is treating her weirdly, but I think it's guilt and wondering how to stop it. Maybe this is why she went to the head of the BEs and he tried to have that talk with her...

So, one of the Kadoshim's acolytes took the Star Stone Sword and tried to free A., attacking the fortress. Thank goodness Bledda lived! (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Finished... I am kind of upset... (view spoiler)[ I can't believe Gwynne actually killed off The Giantess Sid!!!! She was such a great character and a bridge from the previous series... It broke my heart a little...

I was right, or more correctly, JG was great at giving us clues about Riv. So she is a human/Ben-Elim hybrid, up to now considered an abomination. I was disgusted by the way the coup went amongst the BE's, and although I hated how fanatical the leading dude was about enforcing the rules against humans getting involved like that with the Immortals, I still think he and his faction were better than this dude's Coal cronies. And what are they thinking, destroying their own ranks now, when the Kadoshim are steering and ready to make their power move??? If any of those people could look at the big picture and make priorities decisions, I guess we wouldn't even have a book ... Riv's mother killing the BE who was actually trying to help them pissed me off so much, that when she got killed herself, I was kind of fine with it. And Coal apparently had relations with both mother and daughter, as well as obviously a ton of other people. And all those baby remains, that was kind of sad... One other kid made it too though. What bothers me is that the dude claims he wants to normalize BE and human relationships, but what he is doing is just sexually using women, not having relationships! And talk about abuse of power! I am really disappointed in the Ben-Elim!!!

Now let's get to the other thing that disappointed me - Fritha! I felt betrayed, I can't even imagine how Drem felt. I had hopes for her, and she turned out to be an evil bitch! What those Kadoshim and their acolytes are doing is horrible! And all those people in the trapper's village had been complicit from the moment Drem and his dad got home. And because of the dad's impulse to make that blade, the bad guys now have the blood of A and the magic sword! And he would have still been alive if Drem hadn't insisted on staying to look for Fritha, who obviously killed him and killed Sig! That has to hurt big time!!! (hide spoiler)]

I actually didn't expect to be so saddened by the things I mentioned above, but that is a good thing, because any book who can provoke that level of emotion, is a good book:)!!!

[Vickie]

Yep, I had all those emotions, too!