Be the Serpent (October Daye #16)[April 5, 2024]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire starting April 5, 2024.


Happy Reading

[Tonari no Emily]

~shorties~

[Nirkatze]

Was this meant to be May, instead of April? Book #15 is set for March...

[Tonari no Emily]

Woops, yep! I put May for some reason... I'll ask for a correction. Glad you noticed! :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

When you request Sleep No More and Innocent Sleep, I think you should ask for them closer together, or in a single thread, even if we let the thread run longer...

Re: those books... you know Seanan has joked in the past about her competitiveness with Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, and is now doing a 2-parter (kinda) at pretty much exactly the same point in the series as Peace Talks + Battle Ground (1 book later)...

[Tonari no Emily]

Aye, I was thinking of that too.

Lol you're totally right. I bet she gets a little bit of satisfaction from that. xD

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Probably gonna read this tomorrow...

Went down a rabbithole trying to find news/confirmation about the next release in September (nothing yet, but I trust Seanan)...

BUT... I did find something else... a bunch of ideas and speculation from an ARC reader of Sleep No More and Innocent Sleep...

One of the questions/ideas really struck me... (safe to read now) (view spoiler)[what if Toby is only nigh-immortal because of Janet's immortality curse... and she becomes more killable when Maeve is found and the curse is ended?

I mean... people pointed out plenty of evidence to the contrary, including the prophecy Oleander uttered on her deathbed/deathfloor, back in Late Eclipses...

Still.. that one shocked me, as an idea... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Been doing my re-read today (yesterday I downloaded the next book and not this one, so I read Beware of Chicken instead, since I needed something to start in the car and had it pre-downloaded)...

Anyway... definitely eying the text more this time around for new notable ominous texts/prophecies/etc...

(view spoiler)[I don't think I ever paid attention before, much to the details of Oleander's death statements and the fact she's part-Seer?

Danny knows a mysterious Banic that clean's Arden's knowe?

The Ellylon firstborn is floating around, changing identities thanks to the molting skill...

So much potential for shenanigans among the Brown children and their myriad seer types... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Long term theory (not safe until new readers have finished the next book, as far as I've read): (view spoiler)[

Book 8: Toby vs Eira
Book 16: Toby discovers Titania
Book 17/18: Aftermath / Toby vs Titania
Book 24: Toby vs Titania v2, to the death this time (silver and bone/antler)

I feel like the series deserves to be 32 books...

I need to refind the Twitter/X thread where Seanan talks about the series cycles of 3/4... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

So, the long-term nasty bug I've been battling for two months took a turn for the worse this weekend, and I needed something familiar and cozy. I know Toby would provide some nice warm bloodbaths and sweet mayhem. Not sure if I'll read straight through before I return to my current eye-read or just dabble, but I'm glad to be back in the world.

Chapter 1--that's like... the recap of all recaps right there. And very nicely delivered. It takes some skill to deliver a recap in a way that doesn't make you want to just skim to the end. (view spoiler)[I am still crossing my fingers for Raysel getting a room at the Toby Halfway House for People Trying to be Decent Humans. Also excited to see confirmed that Oberon's knife was never returned, and was in fact a gift. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Chapter 3--(view spoiler)[YAY! Well, okay, maybe a little early to yay, but still! Things could happen that upset everything. Finally Raysel gets a chance to heal, and that was a great smackdown on Mama! From all sides!

I feel like there was some stuff revealed here that we didn't have before--but I'm too fuzzy brained to remember.

Okay, one note--Oberon seeming very discomfited by the law (guideline) saying that Changelings have no rights was interesting. I'm kind of getting tired of Toby being annoyed at Oberon for standing back though.... yes, he could "fix" it all with a wave of his hand--but if he couldn't fix Faerie back when he was ruling it, what makes her think it would stick? It'd be like putting a bandaid on a gash without stitching it up first. Faerie needs to heal from the inside, from the roots up, not the top down... And Toby is making a pretty good start, methinks. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Chapter 4--owwwwch (view spoiler)[What a gut-punch! Sure, it's a character we haven't really met much... I couldn't have named all 5 of the Brown kids before this if there was Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn on the line. But she's just a kid... and she was trying to be a hero.

I really want to know what Drew & Anthony's specialties are now. More Oracles? And I have to wonder if so many Oracles were born in part to correct the balance of the Roane being gone... or if they were Titania's way of trying to take control of the future.

I also find it interesting that the "Be the Serpent" line actually comes up as part of the book text. I don't think that's happened before...

It hasn't been said out loud yet, but I think we can take it as a certainty--Ancient Roses + Jessica knowing => Stacy = Titania.

And I also really want to know--like, how did Titania break out? Was it a curse like the Luideag's that bound her--or a curse more like Simon & August's--that she would never find her way home if she didn't play the role? Did she have the choice to become unveiled at any time but at a sacrifice, or was she bound and broke it? (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

All will be revealed…

[Nirkatze]

LOL Chapter 5--OMG so many bits dropped here--(view spoiler)[
1) 5 kids, all different seers.
2) No one knows how Stacy's bloodline ended up like it did--or even what it is.
3) All Firsts being completely different. (See note #1)
4) "Faerie knows what it needs"--see note #1. (hide spoiler)]

And more--Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[Toby never offering to change Stacy's blood, caught on to that a while back, and now she's finally questioning why... (hide spoiler)]

And Chapter 9--(view spoiler)[They've got the Roses, they've got that even Luideag or Eira probably couldn't have done this type of spell... but they're not taking the next logical step, to go to the next power level, the Mother of Illusions and Roses herself...

I wonder how long it will take to connect it to Stacy? Toby even considered that maybe a spell could have made her hurt her own children, but dismissed it because there was no blood, not even a trace smell, and she is so sure of her ability to sense it. But when Quentin was changed, his magic-scent changed too--and that was just a First.

McGuire's really giving us all the hints... it's just a matter of waiting to see when the main players put it all together... It just must be some unimaginable to Toby & co--that not only is Titania still among them, but that she is her best friend... what will it take to start her questioning?

Well, looks like Oberon's going to spell things out for us... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10 (view spoiler)[I'd been thinking all this time that Toby was going to fix the broken rides... but now I'm thinking it's the injury to Faerie that started the rides which she needs to fix...

"Leave no trace"... oh gods... children are a trace, aren't they? I got that just before Toby did... and I was definitely thinking, when Walther rushed off--no, that's not a good idea, it was Tony's GF that set off Staciania in the first place... don't put another BF in front of her... but would the children themselves be enough, if Titania is in scorched-earth mode? Five hundred years of slaughtering her own family... she's got to be certifiably insane by now, if she wasn't already... The ending of this chapter is a little confusing... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "LOL Chapter 5--OMG so many bits dropped here--..."

You broke your spoiler, and it's showing everything

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "LOL Chapter 10..."

(view spoiler)[Yea... it's messed up, but I've been thinking that Toby's healing could heal Faerie, if the Luideag sacrificed her?... and it would meet the Luideag's promise to kill Toby...

Titania is cuckoo for cocoa puffs... wait until you hear the rest...

Oberon is an idealistic fool... and an idiot... as much as you're tired of Toby harping on Oberon, I'm kinda with her for the most part... his solutions when he tries them aren't proving to be much better than the problems... failing to understand the full scope of his actions, a la the curse on Titania and children... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Gah, fixed it, thanks. Was missing the > after spoiler start tag. Thankfully they weren't that obviously spoilery... or that not too many folks are in this thread yet...

I'm starting to lean your direction on Oberon after the most recent conversations... through Chapter 13 (view spoiler)[Not just a matter of hands-off parenting, but some serious did-not-think-consequences-through bad-band-aid action here. Going all the way back to "whose bad idea was it to start human sacrifices anyway?" He seems someone horribly naive in some ways... and blind...

As for Titania--I find it interesting that the kids-dating thing is actually the trigger for her binding, not just Titania being a purist dickwad. That makes a lot of sense. And as for "her" fighting it... Stacy teleporting all the way to the grocery store... Stacy not killing her kids yet the second time... seems like the mask is fighting the curse, trying not to have to kill the kids again... even though who knows if Titania herself would care, underneath...

Bloody hell... five hundred years and she hasn't changed, hasn't gotten kinder or cared--though five hundred years of killing your families isn't going to be conducive to that--but each time she has to uproot and move on, she'd lose whatever progress she made. Yeah, Oberon, dumbass move. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Wasn't actually done with that comment when it hit submit. Still Chapter 13--(view spoiler)[Stacy's comments about Devon's lessons--having a Home to come home to--and that is what Oberon stole from her with this binding, she is not to come home until she's learned to be kind... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14--(view spoiler)[...and she definitely hasn't learned how to be kind.

There were some tidbits dropped here but I was reading too fast to catch them all... besides the bit on Titania also being bound not to hurt Toby and others of her line, and how Titania could twist everyone else if she wanted.... Not sure how the bit about Malbec worked--she held him in his cradle and that made him hers?

Double-standards for cheating...

Stacy resurfacing for a moment... makes me think of other similar stories, this is always such a painful plot device... Total Recall, Last of the Wilds recently... (hide spoiler)]

Contemplations based on sort-of spoilery blurbs for next books--(view spoiler)[I know the next books are his/hers stories and involve a mirrorverse, I think set up by Titania, according to just glancing at the GR blurbs... kind of hard not to see... which makes me a bit... worried? Annoyed? That we're actually not going to get a conclusion in this book, and have to wait for the end of #18 to actually get closure.... some cliffhangers coming up? Unless she sets it up as a dying curse or something... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Through Chapter 17--(view spoiler)[I kind of want to see a meme of a "Help Wanted" advertisement, but it says:

SEERS WANTED
Big Doom Upcoming!
Salary: We All Get to Live!
Contact Faerie For More Details.

I loved seeing Cass rip Oberon a new one. He definitely has a bit too much of an "I'm the only adult in the room" complex--and doesn't seem very grown-up for all of it.

Cassie's mention of a big bad coming their way makes me think of McGuire's comments about how she & Butcher are in a similar book race... and the Outsiders... What would qualify for that? Faerie tearing... and something Else coming through? The Luideag said something about dimensional theory earlier, how we could have dozens of dimensions on top of each other but we can only see a few... What is worse--or bigger--than the Three? The Deeper Realms and Faerie Itself?

Toby seeing the magic of the Three on the roads--now she has a thread to unravel to find Maeve too. Luideag said to look for her near the docks, piers, something like that. Well, Goldengreen has a dock. Before that, the Gardens had a lake... and there was mention of how the Luideag was Lady of the Lake before she was called to the sea. Applies to Maeve too? Also! Glad that we now have a string to pull for the Luideag as well--that Toby can undo one geas, why not another? First things first though.

Several things been mentioned in this book suggest things the Luideag has Seen--like that comment long ago about killing Toby... I didn't take note of them though.

And then there's the payment due--Titania mentioned (though should we trust?) the cost of Toby using Oberon's blood...

Okay, and now Melly is acting suspiciously knowledgeable and empathetic in a way that makes me think Marcia and Maeve. Maybe I'm just trigger happy after the pancakes and Tybalt, but the pastries and no strawberry--a bit of Seer there too? And the comment on how Toby shouldn't have been forced to give up those bits of her father... could just be someone who knows her expressing sympathy. It's not Marcia-level suspicious. I'm just on high alert. (hide spoiler)]

Yay Quote! Chap 18:(view spoiler)[
Etienne: Teenagers were more respectful in my day.
Chelsea: Yeah, well toilets were buckets in your day. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Um... Chap 18... (view spoiler)[Toby... Sylvester is Daoine Sidhe, which is Titania's if anything, why are you bringing him with you to confront Titania? He couldn't even sneeze without Eira's say-so when she came by. I don't think the "Heroes belong to Oberon" business is going to spare him.... I'm really surprised Simon managed to hold on to himself. Maybe he managed to get a vial of Oberon blood too? He was hanging out with Oberon earlier, before Toby came in and BigO bubbled Simon up. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Chapter 19--(view spoiler)[Feel like this is a glimpse behind the veil, with Oberon's memories... A crystal spire? A crack in its side, that birthed Oberon--and Maeve & Titania are essentially twins?

Big question: What cracked the Heart?

OK, so the price of Oberon's blood... is what Chelsea was telling Toby to eat more for? It's like... burning up her energy, maybe? Why the onions though?

So... if Toby tore off the geas that bound Titania... was Oberon's injunction to not hurt any of Janet's line also part of that?

Wonder why Oberon was starting to pull away when he was the one so insistent on the binding not being removed in the first place, that a free Titania would upend Faerie into Chaos?

Also... Toby's walking away without finding out what the new binding does? The first one was pretty shoddily worded and thought-through. How do we know this one is better? (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Chapter 21--(view spoiler)[So that answers the question about whether the geas to do no harm to Janet's line was worked up in the mirror-lives.

So, now Toby just needs to adopt everyone in the world into her family and we'll be safe from harm! Nice that he included Maeve's descendants... that still leaves the random Oberon lines though. And those of her own that'd rather not be connected.

Tybalt's actions show that she shouldn't be able to just order her people to do harm on her behalf either, hopefully...

Of course, Titania has eons of working on loopholes to the definition of "harm"... (hide spoiler)]

And yup. Finished. (view spoiler)[The ending makes me wonder--did Titania pull August all the way from Undersea? How far does this mirror universe extend? I'm guessing Tybalt wasn't caught up in it..

Oh, and we didn't get an answer to how Simon managed to hold off Titania's influence. Is he just inured, after so much Eira exposure? Like mithridatism? (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Gah, fixed it, thanks...."

I think the best analog might be Riyria... (view spoiler)[with the god and thew white feathers, for trying to atone/change...

Titania kinda just revels in herself... but isn't truly satisfied...

Did you get to the gloating yet?... (view spoiler)[where we learn her and Eira setup Janet and Maeve to destabilize Faerie / get rid of Maeve? (hide spoiler)]

The impressive thing through all this, is that Amy's book still feels the most emotionally damaging, with the cages for Tybalt and Jazz... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Wasn't actually done with that comment when it hit submit. Still Chapter 13--[spoilers removed]

Chapter 14--...and she definitely hasn't learned how to be kind.

There were some tidbits dropped he..."

Yea... you shouldn't have clicked blurbs... 17-18 are super spoilers... (view spoiler)[You/Toby/Oberon think they sort everything out here... but Titania has had 500+ years / millennia to get good at subverting geas... similar to the Luideag and her minor workarounds...

This is more to be read when you reach the epilogue, to point out Oberon's Folly, once again... (view spoiler)[the wording of the binding is that Titania can't hurt those Toby considers family... but what if you just rewrite reality/history, so Toby doesn't consider them family anymore?... and what if you don't directly hurt them... so many loopholes... (hide spoiler)]

You'll quickly learn this in the next book: (view spoiler)[Titania basically rewrites Faeries in the entire East Coast of the US, to a more idealized version of Faerie, where there are no "beastly" Fae, Daonie Sidhe rule everything, Changelings are happy servants, etc etc etc... (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Through Chapter 17..."

(view spoiler)[you could go multiple routes with this... corrupted versions of the Top Three that never went away for the good of Faeries... evil Marla Mason route with supercharged Titania from another dimension...

Full-on Cthulhu...

Or, a more expected UF route, of Faerie becoming known to the Human Realm... the fallout of that, trying to present Faerie as a stable faction to ally with instead of exterminate, etc etc etc... not really looking good right now with Eiras and Titanias floating around... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Um... Chap 18... [spoilers removed]"

I think Simon (view spoiler)[was just Immersion Therapy?... he hung around Eira so long he has some resistance?... similar to how Toby lived with Amy and isn't so enamored with Firstborn/etc... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 19--Feel like this is a glimpse behind the veil, with Oberon's memories... A crystal spire? A crack in its side, that birthed Oberon--and Maeve & Titania are essentially twins?

Big questio..."

(view spoiler)[Oberon + Titania/Maeve has a real Adam & Eve(s) vibe... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Chapter 21..."

You finished... SPOILER TIME... jk, not going too overboard... (view spoiler)[I already mentioned some spoilers regarding Titania's loophole here, by affecting who Toby knows and considers family...

Titania hits a pretty wide swath...

I don't think it's too spoilery to mention that people like Toby and August with their blood magic are most likely to be able to see through Titania's illusion, and that'll play a large part in resolving this in the next book...

Also (this is a bit more spoilery so I'll tag it) (view spoiler)[memories of this mirrorverse will carry over as conflicting backstory/memories for at least some characters if not all... this is what allows August and Toby to gain 50+ years of shared sisterly memories... which plays into the recommendations that Toby get Dochas Sidhe lessons from August (I expect this to happen in unpublished books or short stories, prepping for future plotlines) (hide spoiler)]

The next book is also where I say the January O'Leary resurrection short story becomes mandatory reading... the fact she's been alive again for the past 5 books was easily missable in a few scenes, but she plays a fairly sizeable part in the next book...

The original reason I started this spoiler tho was Rayselline... when I first read the next book, I forgot all about Raysel, until she appeared in the story... and then felt bad...

She spends all those years trapped by Simon, wakes up, turns evil, gets Elfshot, blood balanced, woken up, squired to Toby essentially, then Stacy/Titania happens, and she's not relevant to Titania's perfect Faerie, and (view spoiler)[basically shuffled back off to a dark hole in the ground, where nobody knows or likes her (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

I am finally home and I get to comment as I go!

Up to Ch. 5 and I am devastated... (view spoiler)[ For the little girl! And it is so sad, because we as readers who have been speculating a lot, suspect the girl was killed and her brother hurt by their own mother!!! But what happened to turn Stacy to Titania???? Did her curse break and what did it? And how could she hurt her little girl and her talking about being the Serpent and leaving no trace behind, would that mean she is going to try and kill all the rest of the children, who are apparently a different type of Oracle each???? This is breaking my heart!!!

On a better note, Raysel is going to "The halfway house for People Trying to be Decent Humans" hahahaha! I doubt Luna is going to forgive Toby for it though... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

There have been hints (view spoiler)[for awhile that Stacy is very anti-relationship, regarding her kids, for some reason...

Cassandra/Walter seem to be a bit of an exception, because (view spoiler)[Walter is trans, and unlikely to have children (you'd think Faerie would have a solution for that like everything else, tho)...

If you remember from Red-Rose Chain, the dryads recognized Walter as Princess Waltrune, from before the war... (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

That's right! I constantly forget about that... Makes sense.

I am in Ch. 8... (view spoiler)[ and everything that is happening around Stacy and the way she is behaving, in Toby's place, I would be extremely suspicious!!!

I haven't mentioned in this book yet, but here is my October Daye mantra - I Looooove The Luideag! She makes this series for me!

What happened that they are not able to see anything Faerie right now? Is it something Stacy is doing, consciously or not??? (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Ch. 9... (view spoiler)[ I see what you guys mean about Toby's expectations of Oberon and his answer... I take the side that his non-involvement is necessary for Faerie to find out how to grow up! They have to learn how to solve their own problems and stop waiting for mommy and daddy to solve them for her .. Also, he was very clear about his initial decision to close the deeper Faerie, although he still didn't explain why he and his wife left in the first place, just that without them, Deep Faerie would have consumed them... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

This one was very disturbing! It kind of broke my heart... And the ending was way weird! I am very torn and really want to know what the hell happens next!!! Wow!

[Nirkatze]

@Choko, re: Chapter 5--I'm glad you liked my house title. ^^ Tacking on to Iain's double-spoilered note--(view spoiler)[it mentions that Karen, next oldest, has had an almost-girlfriend... which also would not end in genetic children.

So it's mostly just Tony + Girl who is setting her off...

I really like the way that the book explained this all in the end... (hide spoiler)]

re: Ch 9--I'm kind of back and forth on Oberon... (view spoiler)[I'm mostly agreeing with Choko--parents need to step back for kids to grow up... but also, agree with Iain's points--the crap which is directly due to Oberon's bad decisions, he really should fix. Though I don't think him "going public" and telling everyone "hey, stop plastering my name over things I didn't say" isn't the route to go. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

@Iain, re: gloating--you know, somehow I thought that had already been revealed somewhere? (view spoiler)[Maybe in a short? 'cuz that was not at all a surprise to me... I was like "don't we already know this?" I always thought it was Titania telling Eira what to do... didn't realize we didn't already know that... (hide spoiler)]

I do like your comparison to Maribor/Ryria.

Hm. I can see what you're saying about damage--(view spoiler)[And the Amy book... but I'm feeling Jessie's death much harder than the cages... However--I do feel like the last couple books before this Toby coasted through almost too easily. This book too, actually, except for the opening act. She's getting better--almost too good--at solving things... hasn't had a big setback in a while. So it's time. (hide spoiler)]

re: 17/18 blurb spoilers--wasn't on purpose... part of my ebook editing process is putting the back-of-book blurbs into the metadata. Kind of hard not to see.

re: Chapter 17--I like seeing your theories there... (view spoiler)[I'd like to see what would happen if Faerie came out of the closet--much like in the Mercyverse... (hide spoiler)]

Immersion therapy = Mithridatism. Taking small doses of poison to inoculate oneself... Same page here then...

Hm... Adam, Eve... and Lilith.

[Nirkatze]

BIG SPOILER TIME YAY! Okay, I peeked at everything, and none too surprising--(view spoiler)[Was actually looking forward to that bit on August--was thinking, hey, mirrorverse! Gotta have a plus-side, if this is really August (and not just a figment), then they'll come out with a good sister relationship (I hope)--glad to see that is so.

But Raysel man, that sucks. She needs a focus book and a good therapist... (hide spoiler)]

Thanks for all the clarifications & hints, Iain! Looking forward to next month.

And then we'll be waiting with the rest of you.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Yea... news has been scarce about Toby release this year... I assume there'll be one, tho... just so many other things as well, since she writes so much...

(view spoiler)[I dunno the solution with Oberon (Titania/Maeve)... it sounds like he/they need a good wollop upside the head... more Toby's not taking their shit... in many ways I see them as more big kids like the Firstborn & older Faeries throwing tantrums (Amandine, anyone?)

I think changelings are the solution to the Kings/Queens... as we learned with Etienne's kid, there are changelings that lack power, and changelings that lack control and have unlimited power... the more I think about it, the more Toby seems like someone with unlimited power and limited control (but since her species is nearly unique, there's nothing to really compare it to, but August who hasn't been around enough)... we're just lucky Toby's power doesn't rip holes in Faerie... (this whole paragraph was kinda me spitballing an idea that came to me as I was typing)...

There have been some consequences in past books, but the series is running out of softball consequences... Tybalt ran out of extra lives back in Red-Rose Chain... if Toby hadn't Elfshot him in the next book he could have died forever from that poison... emotional trauma from the cages/Amandine... nearly losing Gillian again... the end of book 16 and events of 17/18...

When personal injury isn't really life-threatening, it's hard to compensate, I guess...

For years, I've been expecting Toby's favor to the Night Haunts to come due, especially given the names of a bunch of books like night & silence, but so many other things keep coming up, instead... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Hm... that's a lot of interesting theorizing... good point about how to keep the pressure up when your MC is indestructible...

[Tonari no Emily]

So glad I reread this when I did.. Was feeling a bit slumpy, but these are always so easy to devour. Sad we're reaching the end of the published books!

[Tonari no Emily]

Right now it seems I'm not in the headspace to actually contribute to the theorizing here, but just gotta say love reading all the comments here! (probably sound like a broken record now, sorry lol)

I'm tempted to do a binge reread after we catch up to #18 honestly though.. And maybe try to actually read some of those shorts!

[Choko]

Understandable, Emily... We all have our down moments... I hope you get back to normal soon*hugs*

[Tonari no Emily]

Thanks Choko! ❤️

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "Understandable, Emily... We all have our down moments... I hope you get back to normal soon*hugs*"

Dittoing Choko here! Glad you've found a comfort read to get you through low-energy times. Nothing wrong with just appreciating the comments and theories others've said! Like nodding along to a conversation. Someone has to listen to all the chatter!

[Paula]

Started, until chapter 6 (view spoiler)[ Poor Jessica, killed by her own mother. And she appears to be confused like under a spell so maybe the Stacy we know is the one being spelled and something made Titania come up. But how would she became Stacy in the first place? Did Oberon placed it before he went away? Or did she did that to herself? Maeve is unlikely since she was already lost on the ride (hide spoiler)]

[Paula]

until chapter 11 (view spoiler)[ yay, finally Stacy is said to be Titania. The luideag crying was the most shocking thing ans it shows that Toby is in deep trouble

And finally Oberon talked and even explained Stacy's origin. Its awful that because of oberon she had to kill her children. Toby is right, that's totally going to make Titania a better person...

So Maeve is in another dimension or whatever the Three came from. But she is still somehow conscious since she could help Toby in the rose road (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Yep! This is not the way to make her more compassionate for sure!

[Nirkatze]

Seriously a big f-up for Oberon, that!

[Paula]

Finished! (view spoiler)[ it was funny how Oberon literally just bound Titania and was upps, I lost her again haha. At least he put restrictions but they were not good since Toby was caught in a spell by the end. What an ending. At first I thought it was all in her head but the appearance of a cat, Tybalt, makes me wonder if the spell is a space where everything is happening like an illusion around Toby and maybe her mother is the only one real

And poor Tybalt, he discovers they are going to have a baby and then Toby is taken away (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Grats on the finish, Paula! (view spoiler)[The fact that Toby is pregnant--two things, first, how is her new mirage life going to explain that off. And 2) Toby being pregnant is too much of a literary opportunity--there has to be some sort of recreation of Maeve's last ride, maybe to ensnare Titania? Since Janet had to be pregnant with Tam's child in order to break it--maybe something with Tybalt will help break the new illusion? (hide spoiler)]

[Paula]

I have read all your comments (view spoiler)[ and it makes me sad for Rayseline. She really needs a break. And I agree with Nirkatze that if August is there with Toby then they will talk things and have a better relationship (hide spoiler)]