This week is the fourth week of the readalong of Shadow of the Sun being hosted by Dab of Darkness.  If you haven’t already joined in then there’s still time to do so however you might not want to read any further as spoilers will be rife!

1) Ellion and Letitia finally have not 1, not 2, not 3, but four trysts in this section of the book. What insights into the characters did you gain from these assignations?

Well, in one sense it was inevitable and you could see it coming but then in another sense I really hoped I was going to be wrong – not that I’ve got something against people getting jiggy.  But, I’m going to be a total party pooper now and say that I don’t respect either of them at the moment.  They’re in the middle of life and death situations and they both just keep striding off by themselves – like Letitia jumping to shore and flouncing off – which was clearly a ‘chase me’ to Ellion – and worked very well.  And, well what of Iminor.  I don’t know it just doesn’t seem the right way to treat somebody.  If you don’t want to be with somebody then call it quits already, don’t go making poodle eyes at some other guy and then go playing patty cakes in the most flagrant fashion ever.  And what’s up with Iminor anyway – I don’t have much respect for him now either.  Why doesn’t he just tell Letitita to do one – she’s turning him into a muppet – basically how would she feel if he was behaving like this?  Look, I get that the Tanaan are all about openness and enjoying their sexuality but it still seems to me that this is massively taking the piss and it leaves a bit of a bad feeling for me with both of them (although in fairness to Ellion he isn’t otherwise engaged).  Plus, what is with Ellion boasting, inside his own head, about all his conquests and duels, again, it just didn’t show him in a good light. Alright, it’s obvious that they have feelings for each other and it also felt inevitable that they would get together – I just don’t like the way they’re going about it.

2) Letitia’s retinue has diminished even further. How did this affect you as the reader and how do you think it will affect the dynamics of the remaining Tanaan? 

It affected me in the way that I started to wonder why it is her that her life is more important than theirs.  I’m sorry but she comes across as a little spoilt and petulant and her actions seem to constantly put people in danger – and why on earth experienced warriors who know that she is talking nonsense then follow her orders I haven’t the foggiest.  It’s about time that somebody just told her to shut the hell up when it comes to strategy because she knows even less than I do and her foolish behaviour has led to the deaths of some really good characters that I was enjoying reading about.  Frankly, I think I would sooner they still lived and she didn’t (okay, that’s a bit harsh but I’m a bit annoyed with her at the moment)!  At least I would prefer it if somebody just gagged her and stuck her over the back of a horse and took the path that was right instead of letting a rather foolish and silly young girl lead them all into danger.  Now, everybody is probably going to beat me to a pulp now for suggesting such a thing but really, just because she’s the Mora doesn’t mean she knows what path is the safest does it.  And, if Ellion was protecting somebody else whose knickers he wasn’t trying to get into would he act differently?

3) We’ve learned a bit more about the missing Carina in this section. What do you think is in her grimoire that has Letitia so secretive?

I enjoyed reading the flashback.  I think Carina’s gotten up to something that Letitia doesn’t want anyone to find out about.  That’s why she’s so protective.  I think she was having a secret tryst with the baddie/who can change into a dragon.  He sort of sounded a bit interesting there didn’t he and there seemed to be a mixture of feelings that came across??  Perhaps she was also drawn a little to the dark side?  she certainly seemed to feel an attraction and definitely wasn’t repulsed by him.

4) We’ve heard plenty about how much Ellion’s vow not to draw power means to him. But then we also see him finding several ways to feel, tough, smell, and use someone else’s power. What do you make of this and where do you think it will take Ellion?

I just feel that this is another of those areas that you can almost see as inevitable.  He’s going to protest about using magic and his vow all the way through the book while people die needlessly and then at the end come to his senses.  Perhaps I will be wrong with this though and Letitia will become more powerful magically and he won’t have to lift a finger or break his vow.  At the moment it feels like he’s breaking his vow by stealth though.  Little by little.

5) Nechton also played a larger role in this section. Which aspect has caught your attentions so far? 

Perhaps it’s the old thing of being drawn to power but he certainly comes across as, mmm, worth reading more about’.  Okay, he’s a baddie, but sometimes they’re just more interesting!  And, don’t pretend that you don’t all think the same thing!  (Unless, of course, he turns out to be a real arse in which case I reserve the right to change my mind – after all, we’ve only had a glimpse up to this point).

6) The mummers were in and out of this section, turning up in city and on the river. What did you make of their antics?

I don’t understand why they seem to keep cropping up wherever our party are and why they’re so interested in them. They are just plain weird aren’t they.  My mum lives out in the sticks a bit and there was a tradition in that neighbourhood of mummers coming and knocking on your door, they would come into your house when you opened the door and sort of dance around a little bit just touching objects and humming -very unusual and quite frankly a bit creepy. I think that would scare the bejesus out of me if it happened.  Not to mention my dogs would be most unhappy – somebody would be getting bitten!

7) So far throughout the book we have gotten maps as we read. How is this working for you as the reader?

Not so well on the kindle to be honest.  Probably because I’m a bit more stupid than most people so I’m not really adept at flipping through the chapters to look back and forward.  This is definitely one of the upsides of paperbacks.

It might be something that I try and take a look at more when I’ve finished but it just feels too tricky at the moment and I’ll end up losing my place.