The Hourglass Throne (Tarot Sequence #3)[August 5, 2023]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for The Hourglass Throne by K.D. Edwards starting on August 5, 2023.


Happy Reading!

[Nirkatze]

Thank you!

[Ann-Marie]

I will probably start this tomorrow late in the day. Just so you know there is a revelation about a character in the next book and this is the first time I am reading this since that revelation happened so if Iain & I @ each other it is something about that so spoilers for the next book :)

[Ann-Marie]

So I started yesterday and am through The Arcanum

(view spoiler)[I loved in the beginning when the Tower played along with Rune about tricking Brand into walking into the barrier. Diana becoming Rune's seneschal was so good for the both of them and her tagging along in Scenes for the Holidays makes more sense now. Why am I not surprised Ciaran lives in part of the Titanic OR that he is actually the Magician? I can remember the first time I read The Hanged Man thinking it was strange how he spoke to Lord Magician but it makes complete sense now as does his interest in the version of the Magician they saw in The Sunken Mall.

Lady Death is such a badass, I <3 her!!! The way she did the whole ATTEND ME to her bitch of a mom was awesome! As for the party, Rune not heeding Quinn's warning is never a good thing and I wonder why he chose not to do so. I mean not only did he not take action he dismissed the warning outright. Was that before her influencing them?

Regarding the Tower....When I finished The Last Sun the first time I had doubts about the Tower's intentions and whether or not he was using Rune at best or was the one behind the fall of the Sun Throne at worst but by now I was firmly in the Tower is a good guy. The thing that always bothered me though is why didn't he give Rune sigils? I mean they didn't have to be Dagger Throne ones, he could have bought generic ones like Rune did at the end of the last chapter, especially after Rune started doing jobs for him too, never understood that.

Finally Corbie must be protected at all costs!!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

I'm starting today! Excited! Only like 1 min in, but I am already laughing!

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "I'm starting today! Excited! Only like 1 min in, but I am already laughing!"

Yay!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I re-read today, but it wasn't my most focused re-read... spent half my brain power fiddling with a new spaceship combat idle game...

So I read it, and hit all the high notes, but didn't grasp on to anything more to discuss specifically with Ann-Marie as a re-reader, except maybe one thing near the end?

I'll mostly be around to comment on what others say :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "So I started yesterday and am through The Arcanum..."

(view spoiler)[Everyone at that party was being controlled... every time they try to listen to Quinn, their mind gets fuzzy or a headache inches closer, and the magic reclaims them... (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

@Iain (view spoiler)[I assume you are talking about when Queenie drives the car into the battle at Farstryke? Rune & Addam just got tossed into the time stream so there may be something I haven't gotten to yet but that was something her & Diana did. The only other thing I took note of was once again Rune said Queenie had been with them for years and also Queenie was resisting them hiring anyone to assist her in the kitchen. I had an image of Queenie in the kitchen with everything floating around like magic like Finn in The House Witch lol (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Starting slow, only in early chapters--in Sun Estate--(view spoiler)[enjoying the slow life-chapter--and LOL Rune & Brand smoking weed was hilarious... (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Through Farstryke (view spoiler)[I hate Cornelious so much, I hate that chapter, I hate him, I hate what he does to them in the present and I hate that he was one of Rune's attackers. So glad he died, I wish it had not been a quick death. The action in the Warrens was well-done for sure, and the Tower & crew showing up, loved that. Them finding the warehouse though, that was tough. So not only was Rune's court destroyed, his father killed and himself brutally violated, the people who were behind it have been violating Rune ever since. For what purpose????

The fight at Farstryke was crazy, Lady Time is so powerful, she ripped Judgement in half! Sent Rune & Addam into the time stream! The only good part was how Ciaran revealed that he is the Magician, loved that! (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Chapter 3 ish The Principality Ciaran (view spoiler)[Anna: "Can you break a glass with the power of your mind?"
Brand: *goes over and picks up glass and breaks it* "Mind moves hand. Hand breaks glass. Glass broken with power of mind. Suck it." (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "Starting slow, only in early chapters--in Sun Estate--[spoilers removed]"

lol (view spoiler)[the best was Anna scamming them for cash! She knew how to manipulate the situation for sure, she is one smart cookie! (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

The Carriage House (view spoiler)[Who thought what happened the night the Sun Throne fell could get worse? You know it is going to come out what Brand did and even though he was under the effects of a geas he is going to absolutely blame himself, very much not looking forward to when that happens.It's clear now why Rune freaks out whenever someone tries to influence Brand.

Also Brand was his talla! (hide spoiler)]

@Iain (view spoiler)[Was it Queenie's voice who talked him back to Brand from the time stream? Who is she????? (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Finished (view spoiler)[The Tower.....The final battle with Lady Time was thrilling and devastating. It was so good though, and the epilogue was perfect, they are grieving but still living. Also this picture!

https://twitter.com/KDEdwards_NC/stat...

If you finished the book it is safe to click the pic, promise lol (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "The Carriage House..."

that was definitely my maybe new thing pickup, on this read through... i dunno...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Finished The Tower.....The final battle with Lady Time was thrilling and devastating. It was so good though, and the epilogue was perfect, they are grieving but still living. Also this picture!

ht..."

That image leads to a broken link on X that doesn't show anything...

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "So I started yesterday and am through The Arcanum..."

Loved all those parts you pointed out--(view spoiler)[I am really liking Lady Death especially, and I was happy when she & Rune had a heart to heart! Welcome to the family, Auntie Death! Her having to deal with her overbearing mom is something I can deeply empathize with...

I totally had the same impression of the Tower in the Last Sun... and it didn't help that the line about Rune being called the Catamite Prince due to his relationship to the Tower gave the impression that Rune was being sexually abused by the Tower, even if that turned out to very much not be the case. But he was definitely a lot colder toward Rune in the first chapters of our story... and yeah, what is up with the sigils?

Really cool how you pulled out those moments with the Lord Magician to shore up Ciaran's history... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Through Farstryke..."

That was seriously brutal... (view spoiler)[Having Rune go through all this again... but on the other hand... trauma doesn't heal if it's just buried, right? Doesn't mean face-shoving is healthy, but maybe it's in a form that can be fought and overcome, if out in the open?

Damn but Judgment getting torn in half...yikes.

Ciaran taking the spotlight was pretty fantastic. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "The Carriage House..."

I swear, (view spoiler)[there are so many hints about how deeply Rune & Brand are in each others' hearts... so so so many.

What exactly is a talla again? I vaguely remember a mention in book 1...

The whole bit about Brand never being able to know what happened... you know he's going to have to find out before the series is up... (hide spoiler)]

So close... but not quite going to make it tonight.

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Finished The Tower.....The final battle with Lady Time was thrilling and devastating. It was so good though, and the epilogue was perfect, they are grieving but still living. Also..."

Does this work? If not I will try to find it via another source because the new twitter is terrible....

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "The Carriage House..."

I swear, there are so many hints about how deeply Rune & Brand are in each others' hearts... so so so many.

What exactly is a talla again? I vaguely remem..."

(view spoiler)[A talla is a soulmate and those bastards took that away from Rune along with his father & court. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

@Iain (view spoiler)[So it was likely Queenie who talked Rune home from the time stream and also the last visitor when they were at the river for the Tower, right? So she literally drove into the middle of the battle at Farstryke as well this book. Who is she??? (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Thoughts regarding the loss at the end of this book (view spoiler)[There is no way the Tower doesn't return, right? I was thinking it would happen in the next book but that is unlikely because I believe that is Rune's gang driving an RV around America. In another thread Iain had a good point, it is possible that the second trilogy will end with them saving the Tower from the time stream and while I would love him to be rescued in chapter 1 of The Misfit Caravan there is no way that is going to happen lol (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Finished The Tower.....The final battle with Lady Time was thrilling and devastating. It was so good though, and the epilogue was perfect, they are grieving ..."

That worked... twitter is useless junk now... if you don't have an account, you can't follow threads, all twitter feeds are jumbled, so you can't see what they posted recently, it sorts by most liked or something...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Thoughts regarding the loss at the end of this book [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[it's written to heavily imply he's dead, like the life left his eyes... getting him back is going to be hard... (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Thoughts regarding the loss at the end of this book [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Agree but I feel like if he wasn't going to be rescued they would not have had Rune and Mayan agree to continue trying to rescue him, it would have been them saying goodbye at the end. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "The Carriage House..."..."

re: Talla---thank you, that's what I thought... but I couldn't remember specifics. (view spoiler)[That actually makes a lot of sense, for the hints we've been seeing about Brand & Rune... like, they are supposed to be soulmates, and the echoes are there... but it was stolen from them. If it ever comes back, I'm expecting a thruple with Addam. (hide spoiler)]

I finished and have all the feels... (view spoiler)[and touching on the above note, how Brand is starting to feel Addam like he does Rune--I am definitely voting for a thruple. I really hope Addam doesn't die in a big pre-finale, and leave Brand to mop up the pieces of Rune afterwards...

Dumbledore I mean, the Tower, has fallen... all mentors must fall eventually, in series like these... those were some well done emotional scenes, especially with the picture of him on the mantle, with Corbie's chocolate fingerprints on his shirt, and the show-and-tell in kindergarten was just too cute and bittersweet...

I like the theory Iain has, about the Tower being the culmination of the second trilogy... I agree that if they are researching how to get him back then it must have a chance... but I wonder if they'll find the Tower, and have a conversation, but he won't or won't be able to come back... kind of like the Abhorsen in Sabriel...

I love that Corbie has an undead dinosaur unicorn as his familiar. I really loved the talk with Anna. And I'm excited to read Magnus Academy next month and get their side of the story. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Glad you enjoyed it! So many unanswered questions and many months to go sadly :(

[Nirkatze]

Heh, the trials of starting an epic series when it's just starting out...

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "Heh, the trials of starting an epic series when it's just starting out..."

Right? And did you see the pic I put behind a spoiler tag? My heart :(

[Nirkatze]

I wasn't sure which @Ian/Ann-Marie spoiler tags were safe... but I found the picture and aww.ww.ww.ww.ww... all the feels...

had to add . between w because it turns them into hyperlinks if you have three in a row but I refuse to give up on the length of that aww.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

This is safe to say now, Nirkatze: (view spoiler)[most of what me & Ann-Marie have been discussing, has been the mysterious woman at the end of the book, and/or the voice Rune heard to escape the time river...

There's a big surprise at the end of The Eidolon, that may reveal who that person is, or add a whole other crazy layer to the situation...

The other spoiler tags above still aren't really safe to click, when me & Ann-Marie are talking, since they generally mention or allude to the Eidolon secret, but the 2 main theories we've floated, are that

1) I think it's Rune's mother or grandmother...

and

2) Ann-Marie thinks it's another hiding principality that hasn't been seen in the series, yet, like Moon or Empress...

Could be both, technically... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Just started. The Tower pretending that he had to do some special magic to see the barrier just so he can have Rune's back, was very funny:)) I love all the little tidbits about the people from last book already.

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "This is safe to say now, Nirkatze: most of what me & Ann-Marie have been discussing..."

(view spoiler)[Ann-Marie HOPES that is not Rune's mother because if his mom was alive and allowed him to struggle in the aftermath of the Sun Throne falling and not be there as a parent would be just the worst thing ever. I will be super mad if it turns out that is his mother unless Edwards somehow manages to spin it in a way that makes it make sense. More discussion to follow next month lol (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Choko wrote: "Just started. The Tower pretending that he had to do some special magic to see the barrier just so he can have Rune's back, was very funny:)) I love all the little tidbits about the people from las..."

I know, I loved the Tower playing along with Rune!!!! And the interactions with Julia again were so funny as well.Found family and snarky banter are my favorites things in books, it's no wonder I love this series as much as I do <3

[Choko]

Me too:))))

Up to The Revelry, 45% in... (view spoiler)[ First, the crime scene in the beginning was absolutely gruesome!!! Whoever that Lady Jade is, she is crazy powerful and most likely insane. How much of your own magic do you have to use to not be able to rejuvenate almost at all??? She looks like she is in her 70's now and as you guys already said, despite her harmless looks, the guys should have listened to Quinn and his warnings. They should know better by now, but I also understand that he is seeing all kinds of possibilities, so they can't take everything as a surety.

Lady Death is awesome! And yep, her handling her mother was a highlight! However, I can see why the mother might have been tempted into alliance with Lady Jade. That woman is obviously Old Atlantis all the way and her power would be very attractive to someone who wants to go back to the old ways.

That demon creature is freaky!

I want to know more about The Time Stream and the Hourglass Court and what had happened to those people.

I feel kind of sorry for Lady Justice. Her whole family is defecting to The Sun Throne, and she is obviously feeling abandoned. Who would be her heir now? Yes, she has been a shitty parent to Quinn, but she seems to be feeling some remorse, and I say better late than never.

I think Nirkatze has it right - it seems the author is going for a ménage à trois with Adam, Brand and Rune. I am all for it!

Ciaran being the Magician is a great revelation! I really enjoy his character! (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Choko wrote: "Me too:))))

Up to The Revelry, 45% in... First, the crime scene in the beginning was absolutely gruesome!!! Whoever that Lady Jade is, she is crazy powerful and most likely insane. How much of y..."

Re Lady Justice (view spoiler)[ she has an heir, Christian. He was poisoned in book 1 but recovered after they figured out what those 3 assholes who kidnapped Addam had done. And if Lady Justice hadn't treated Quinn so poorly then I would hazard a guess that none of the 3 of them would have so easily joined Rune's court, at least in my opinion lol (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

That's right! I remember Christian, I just couldn't remember if he lived... Thanks, Ann-Marie!

Up to Half House , about 60% in... (view spoiler)[ This is freaky! A replica of their old house... Listening devices, the Carige House,... And of course, his and Brand's memories are going to come back... They have been watched even as adults! That is just f@#$ed up! Adam and Lady Death are great support for the boys. The Tower and Magician are good to know too:))) (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Timelord Iain wrote: "This is safe to say now, Nirkatze:..."

Ooh, interesting! I have a harder time theorizing on audiobooks... I like eyebooks for that, easier to pick things apart... mostly I've just been enjoying the fact that I am able to follow the story on audio... guess I haven't hit audiobook jedi yet, still a padawan...

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "This is safe to say now, Nirkatze: most of what me & Ann-Marie have been discussing..."

[spoilers removed]"

Oh, totally... (view spoiler)[Any family member who let Rune (and Brand) go through what they did without stepping in... better have a really good reason. Like, astronomical. Or they can GTFO. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Choko wrote: "Just started. The Tower pretending that he had to do some special magic to see the barrier just so he can have Rune's back, was very funny:)) I love all the little tidbits about the p..."

Oh, so true! That's what I loved so much about the short stories--and what makes this my favorite of the trilogy so far, is the growing family and all the family antics...

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "Me too:))))

Up to The Revelry, 45% in...."

Good point about (view spoiler)[Lady Death's mom... a common trope with older generations is the difficulty of moving forward instead of looking back, on the "good old days"... interesting how the bad aspects of those days always seem to be glossed over...

I agree with Ann-Marie about Lady Justice... she reaped what she sowed... but as with the above, she can't change the past, but she can move forward...

Which is kind of like the theme of this book, isn't it? Learning to live with, and move on from, the past? (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "That's right! I remember Christian, I just couldn't remember if he lived... Thanks, Ann-Marie!

Up to Half House , about 60% in... [spoilers removed]"

Yeah, I got chills up my spine at that part...

[Ann-Marie]

Yeah that Half House chapter was something! The whole third or so of the book, with the revelations and losses was done so well, I am okay waiting (okay waiting anxiously with much anticipation) for the next in the series.

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Choko wrote: "Just started. The Tower pretending that he had to do some special magic to see the barrier just so he can have Rune's back, was very funny:)) I love all the little t..."

Agree totally! You cannot sleep on the free shorts on his web site <3

[Nirkatze]

*checks for information on release date for next book again*
*Edwards' twitter mostly talking about cat Vader*
*spends two hours sidetracked looking at cute cat videos*

#4 still in writing stage... and not every author has status bars...

Well, at least I still have one more book I haven't read yet!

[Choko]

I loved this one and also looked for the next release date, but alas, not determined yet.

I do have a question though, (view spoiler)[ now that Lady Time destroyed the Magnus Academy, does that mean that the book we have for it happened before the end of this one? Also, the bitch did something and removed Quinn's ability to see the future!!!! What is going to happen with him now???? (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Choko wrote: "I loved this one and also looked for the next release date, but alas, not determined yet.

I do have a question though, [spoilers removed]"

Regarding Magnus (view spoiler)[The Eidolon is contemporaneous to Hourglass and tells the story of the kids when they were kidnapped. Edwards wanted this to be included in the book but these sections were removed because it would have been way too long.

Not going to address Quinn's abilities, you'll have to read the next book lol (hide spoiler)]

I believe Edwards has said The Misfit Caravan will likely be released early 2024 and then a book a year going forward. Not sure if we will get a second book next year since this one was delayed so much, that is probably unlikely. Also not sure how the Magnus Academy series will fit in there either since that is self-published. And his Twitter/SM is definitely cat heavy since he got the 2 kittens a few months ago but he does link fan art too :)

[Nirkatze]

Ah, thank you for that update... always good to know...