By a Silver Thread (DFZ Changeling #1)[September 15, 2023]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for By a Silver Thread by Rachel Aaron starting on September 15, 2023.


Happy Reading!

[Nirkatze]

Thank you!

[Tonari no Emily]

Started! I really have no idea what these will be about..
Prologue (view spoiler)[ My heart already goes out to this little monster girl... Victor is obviously a shit.. Hoping she gets out of his control quickly. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ So this seems not too long after the DFZ books... Interesting that a whole new magic/race seems to be introduced now!
The gossamer seems pretty different than human and dragon magic than we've seen before.
I'm also wondering when we're going to see this sister at the other end of her thread... (I hope its a when...) (hide spoiler)]

The narrator is the same as the Calamity books which is a little strange. I wish these would have just stuck with Vikas Adam so that if there are any overlapping characters they would at least sound the same... But I guess its a little strange with the main character is female and the narrator is male...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Decided to join you… chapter 7: (view spoiler)[I think Lola is Fenrir… no idea what to make of everything else… some kind of sympathetic/belief magic is at work… I think Victor is trying to use Human magic/spirit logic to make himself the God of Faerie? (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I kinda feel bad for saying this, but my opinion of Lola kinda dwindled throughout the first 80-90% of the book... she lacks agency, and seems locked into the mindset of (view spoiler)[scary monster that needs Victor's blood pills to survive...

Just not very interesting, compared to Marci & Opal...

There are hints of potential, but I don't think anything is finally realized until she's shunted out of her body, and tossed to what was supposed to be her death, and ended up in Victor's Death Pocket in the Sea of Magic... between finding Morgen, deciding to fight back, realizing she's not as weak and reliant and monstrous as she thought (maybe), and watching Victor's plans play out, things got alot more interesting and Lola got a lot more likeable (to me)... (hide spoiler)]

I got about 10% left to go... late in Chapter 15...

[Tonari no Emily]

I understand where you're coming from.. Most of the time MC's with little to no agency don't bother me in first books in a series... As long as they do assert control over their own lives eventually!

Finished! (view spoiler)[ And yeah the last bit of Lola gaining control did make her more fun to root for! But this whole book was the story of her breaking from her master's control, and I think it was done pretty well.
It's not as instant love as I felt with either Heartstrikers or DFZ, but I am intrigued by the characters and story so far... Fae being introduced to this world is certainly interesting and sure to throw a lot of things out of wack.

I was rather hoping for more cameos though... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "I understand where you're coming from.. Most of the time MC's with little to no agency don't bother me in first books in a series... As long as they do assert control over their own lives eventuall..."

(view spoiler)[For the first half of the book, I couldn't 100% tell who the romance was supposed to be... Black Rider, Tristan, Simon... I guess Simon is sibling, and Tristan is wary friend that just wanted his queen back... mild vibes of that secret Magician aspect from Tarot Sequence... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I don't know how to quantify what I'll let slide and when/why... I guess I'm just a big mood reader, and sometimes I'm happy-go-lucky, and other times I'm nitpicky... I was fine with the book until I was thinking about it, near the end... then it suddenly grated...

[Tonari no Emily]

Yeah I definitely get that. Most of the time I can passively read the great majority of the time without letting much get to me... But when something does get to me BOY am I unforgiving lol
But most of my abandoned series and DNF are just because I'm bored

[Nirkatze]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Started! I really have no idea what these will be about..
Prologue [spoilers removed]
Chapter 1 ..."

Started! I'm noticing a lot of the same things Emily pointed out--(view spoiler)[interesting new race introduction, not just Faeries, but also Changelings... I'm really curious how exactly Changelings are different from Faeries, since traditionally speaking they are Faeries--it's a baby swap. Also thinking of Thornhedge, as it's also a Changeling story...

Gossamer is interesting too--it's cool seeing a completely different and unknown magic-type introduced. We had typical thaumaturgical and dragon magic in the first series, shaman & spirit magic in 2nd series, and now for something completely different...

The way Victor played on Lola's fears for her "sister" makes me very curious about her... I wonder if she isn't already dead, or maybe the Fae family of the stolen baby is behind Victor's "patronage" of Lola, or something... (hide spoiler)]

Up through Chapter 7--some similar thoughts there--(view spoiler)[The whole Fenrir thing made me think of how Lola's magic works... like, setting the groundwork for an immense belief-based magic... I like your God of Faerie & Lola = Fenrir logic, Iain... I was definitely wondering why Victor would want to cause massive destruction... has to be linked somehow to the chip on his shoulder over blood magic...

Also finding the Rider an interesting addition. If the books go true to other DFZ books, then he would be Lola's love interest... but he's kind of... incorporeal? Darkness given shape by his riding suit? I wonder if that's what he goes to Victor for, for a spell to keep him in this world, much like Lola? It's interesting having a non-verbal character too. I wonder if he uses sign language. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Finished! Really enjoyed it, but I wasn't expecting it to end where it did. I was expecting most of the twists, in part (view spoiler)[thanks to Iain's early spot-on analysis. (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Just finished Ch. 3.... I just want to hug Lola!!! I am very curious about the Fairy infusion in this world and the Gossamer magic...

Also, I want Victor dead!

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "Just finished Ch. 3.... I just want to hug Lola!!! I am very curious about the Fairy infusion in this world and the Gossamer magic...

Also, I want Victor dead!"

Ditto that! I do find it interesting how this is a totally separate direction that hasn't even been hinted at before--the fairy magic...

[Choko]

I enjoyed it, but I also had an issue with Lola's helplessness through the majority of the book... And the sex scene just wasn't right somehow... Still, I enjoyed how different it was than what I was expecting... Looking forward to the next one:)

[Nirkatze]

I think Iain is in the same boat as you on Lola's helplessness and passivity... kind of like the book happened to her instead of her driving the book...