Kushiel’s Justice by Jacqueline Carey, readalong week No.3
3 April 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Justice, Readalong week 3
Today is week 3 of our readalong of Kushiel’s Justice by Jacqueline Carey. The schedule and participants are below. All welcome to join in or to simply jump in with the comments. This week we cover chapters 8-14, and this week I am the host. Without further ado, to the questions with the customary warning of spoilers!
I thought it was curious that Phedre and Joscelin joined the party to Alba – any theories. Are they about to become involved in something do you think?
It felt a little in the previous book that Phedre and Joscelin had been left behind and Imriel was finally going to take centre stage. It feels a little bit odd having them both back along – not in a bad way because I love these two characters – but almost like Carey wanted to continue to include them. I can appreciate that. At the same time I can’t help wondering if there is a hidden meaning as to why they’re being included – maybe Phedre’s relationship either to Melisande or Hyacinthe is going to be pivotal – or maybe I’m just reading into things too much which is quite possible!
I’m pleased and also curious about the mention of Hyacinthe in these chapters. What sort of role do you see him playing in the rest of this story, if any??
It seems to me that Hyacinthe may play a pivotal role here but almost like he’s reluctant to do so? I’m not sure why. Perhaps he doesn’t feel like he should play a central role. There’s definitely something going on with this aspect of the story but I’m not sure what at the moment.
I’m puzzled with Phedre in these chapters and her sort of inner calm? She seems to take everything in her stride. Any thoughts on this?
This question simply came about when the party had made camp and were alerted to strangers riding in. Everybody jumped to arms and drew swords and Phedre just sat calmly by the fire. Does she have an inner sense of things now that she knows the name of God? I am curious if that’s what everyone else was thinking or whether I’m over reading the situation.
And we have a name ‘Morwen’ what does this bring to mind if anything? Any more thoughts on the stories around the ‘Old Ones’ and the new characters that we have met?
The name Morwen feels familiar but I really don’t know why. Perhaps it’s just very similar sounding to another name from a story from the past but it somehow feels familiar. The ‘Old Ones’ sort of remind me of the fae. The way they used to be mentioned in stories, the fact that they disappeared, their shape shifting and other abilities. Probably a foolish notion but I can’t help it popping into my head. The other thing that springs to mind of course is Merlin and that whole mythology.
What do you make of Imriel and Dorelei’s relationship and how it’s developing. Do you see a future for them – one with perhaps a child in it? And if so, would this change Imriels plans about only spending a year in Alba and then returning to Sidonie?
Well, I don’t think Imriel dislikes Dorelei – at the same time I don’t think he maybe appreciates that the birth control methods of women in Alba may not be quite as stringent as those in his homeland where ‘love as thou wilt’ is the common motto. I think it’s highly likely that Dorelei will become pregnant and at this moment I have no idea just how that will muddy the waters. I still think Imriel will want to return to Sidonie.
This curse – what do you make of it. The protections that are now placed on Imriel – how do you see this affecting his relationship with Dorelei?
I think for the moment it will make him feel gloriously free of his previous attractions. yes, he will be at ease to fall for Dorelei but I wonder how true those feelings will be once the protections are removed. It feels like the protection will almost be not much better than the curse – which feels a little like voodoo. It makes me a bit sad for Dorelei really because Imriel may develop feelings for her whilst these protections are in place but I’m not sure how real that feeling will be when they are removed.
The Tiberians and the Maghuin Dhon – we learn a little more about them and their history. What did you make of it and the Tiberians?
I think we saw a different side to the Maghuin Dhon and their troubles with the Tiberians. I’m assuming the Tiberians are the Romans? They come and conquer but then they also leave if things are proving not as easy as they expected.
Finally, the Lady Grainne has given her terms to Lord Ferghus – what do you predict the outcome to be?
This felt a little bit sad to be honest, like something that Grainne was saying in order to conform to rules about guests in her home. I can see why she felt the need to say these things but it felt a little like trying to swat a brick with a feather somehow. Almost like there was a balance -but it was only a semblance of a balance? I doubt that her terms will have much effect but I hope I’m wrong.
Here is the schedule:
Week 1: Chpts. 1-7, Mar 20 – Hosted by Dab of Darkness
Week 2: Chpts. 8-14, Mar 27 – Hosted by Emma Wolf
Week 3: Chpts. 15-22, Apr 3 – Hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 4: Chpts. 23-29, Apr 10 – Hosted by Tethyan Books
Week 5: Chpts. 30-37, Apr 17 – Hosted by Dab of Darkness
Week 6: Chpts. 38-46, Apr 24 – Hosted by Emma Wolf
Week 7: Chpts. 47-56, May 1 – Hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 8: Chpts. 57-65, May 8 – Hosted by Tethyan Books
Week 9: Chpts. 66-END, May 15 – Hosted by Dab of Darkness
And here is the current list of participators:
Allie at Tethyan Books
Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Emily at Emma Wolf
Susan at Dab of Darkness
Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow
A Local Habitation (October Daye #3) by Seanan McGuire, readalong
19 March 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Local Habitation, Readalong week 3, Seanan McGuire
Today is week three of our readalong of A Local Habitation (No.2 October Daye by Seanan McGuire) arranged by Lisa from Over the Effing Rainbow. I read the first book as part of a readalong at the start of the year and thought it got off to a good start but book No.2 is speeding along .
The schedule is below, so if you want to join in or jump in with the comments then please do so. Without further ado here are the questions and answers with a customary word of warning that spoilers will be lurking below:
And, I must say – what a place to stop!!! I think there will be book finishings very soon – Tybalt!!! *swoonings*:
1. First things first, Toby braved the likelihood of being eaten alive by summoning the night-haunts! What are your impressions of this strange race of fae? And how do you think Toby’s relationship with the Luidaeg will change now that her final question has been asked?
I think I’m more scared about the Luidaeg and what will happen next – sort of scared but not scared if you understand me. Part of me feels like the Luidaeg likes Toby and needs her too. Time will tell. The night haunts. Well, I don’t know what I’d expected to be honest but tiny little cannibals that steal the faces of those they eat isn’t it! I think I was expecting something quite animal in nature. This is a really intriguing thread though. I don’t think I’d ever considered before, when I’m reading UF and the fae die, just what happens to the body – an autopsy just wouldn’t do would it! I wouldn’t say the night haunts were as scary as I expected somehow. I was expecting strange voices and darkness – lots of darkness – sufficiently creepy though.
2. The storyline has really kicked off with another death to add to the body count and yet another attempt on Toby’s life. How did you feel about this latest murder? Are you suspicious of anyone in particular or seeing any patterns regarding motivations?
I can’t believe this latest death. Literally can’t believe it. I just haven’t got a clue what’s going on. What does occur to me is that the attempts on Toby’s life are completely different than the other attempts/deaths so whoever is trying to kill or warn her off isn’t trying to make her a part of whatever is going on here.
3. Before her untimely demise, January was on the verge of revealing a secret regarding ALH and a mysterious project it was running. Do you have any suspicions on what this might be?
I’m all out of maniac theories this week. Whatever they were planning there is clearly resistance to so it must be something ground breaking. They’re an odd bunch of characters at ALH, eclectic, quirky, maybe it was something that would change the standing of the lesser fae or halflings – I really don’t know. It all seems to be linked into technology and I remember Toby saying there was an awful lot of random information being kept about everyone. Not sure how it all links together though.
4. April is a fascinating and amusing character to read about, how do you think she’ll cope now she no longer has her adoptive mother? Can you see her becoming part of another court or as an addition to Toby’s life?
I can imagine that April will become angry once she’s had time to grieve. I still don’t understand how she doesn’t know more about what’s going on though which I think is suspicious. I’d imagine that she would always keep an eye on January and she’s the only one who has that ability so I’m puzzled. Let’s face it – the suspects are getting more difficult to choose as the body count stacks up. I guess the only one we haven’t yet suspected is Elliot! I can’t come up with a reason why he would be the bad guy though. The thing is, I feel like I’m going down this route of ‘if people grieve or lose someone they care about it can’t be them – but that’s not strictly true is it. For example, April could be implicated with January’s death – yes, she’s distraught about the death but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have a part in it. It’s all very perplexing!
5. In this section of the novel a little more is revealed about one half of our suspicious siblings, Alex and Terrie. Whilst Alex gets very handsy and a bit hypnocreep with Toby, Terrie is almost non-existent! What are your thoughts on this pair? Was Toby’s reaction justified? And are you as suspicious of at least one half of this pairing as Toby?!
Alex is just downright creepy – and also a little bit suspicious. Although his attempt at schmoozing Toby away for example happened at a convenient time. Like he wanted her out of the way when January was killed – maybe he was actually trying to get her out of the way to protect her. Terrie. Well, perhaps she can’t come out at a certain point of the day? Bit like a vampire?? The other thing with Alex and Terrie and the whole ‘are they the same person’ routine – I can’t help thinking of the scene in Shrek where Princess Fiona turns into ‘green ogre Princess Fiona’ maybe Alex and Terrie are like ‘naughty and nice’ halves of the same person – bad and evil.
6. Alex might not be able to turn off the seduction but in this section we see the return of both Connor and Tybalt. What do you think of Connor and his obviously complicated relationship with both Toby and Raysel? Do you think they have a future? Or is Tybalt too much of an infuriating temptation? Or more to the point, will either of them be of any use during the investigation? Thoughts please!
I don’t think Toby and Connor have a future to be honest. I don’t dislike Connor but I think their relationship is in the past and whilst they’re both clinging on to fond memories they’re both different people now. I feel sorry for Connor being in a relationship with Raysel which has an arranged feel but then part of me thinks his own unhappiness is making him hanker after something else and Toby is an obvious candidate. Plus, Tybalt. Need I say more. I don’t know whether he will be in any use but I had an immediate release of tension in my shoulders when he appeared. Like Toby finally had somebody who could take care of himself and help her rather than somebody who she was running around trying to protect. Grrr!
Week 1: Saturday 5th March, Chapters 1-8 hosted by Over The Effing Rainbow
Week 2: Saturday 12th March, Chapters 9-16 – hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog (me!)
Week 3: Saturday 19th March, Chapters 17-25 – hosted by Books By Proxy
Week 4: Saturday 26th March, Chapters 26-end – hosted by The Bibliosanctum
All are welcome and there’s a discussion page over on Goodreads if that makes it easier to join.
Rosemary and Rue October Daye #1, by Seanan McGuire, readalong week 3
23 January 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Readalong week 3, Rosemary and Rue, Seanan McGuire
Today is week three of our Rosemary and Rue readalong arranged by Lisa from Over the Effing Rainbow. This week Anya at On Starships and Dragonwings is our lovely host and coming up with the questions.
The schedule is as follows, feel free to dive in with the comments:
Week 1: Saturday 9th January, Chapters 1-6, hosted by Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow
Week 2: Saturday 16th January, Chapters 7-14, hosted by moi at Lynn’s Books
Week 3: Saturday 23rd January, Chapters 15-20, hosted by Anya at On Starships and Dragonwings
Week 4: Saturday 30th January, Chapters 21-End, hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow (still me!)
All are welcome to join in and there’s a discussion page over on Goodreads if that makes it easier to join. Without further ado here are the questions and answers with a word of warning that spoilers will be lurking below:
1. We finally get to meet Lily in person! What do you think? Does she live up to the buildup in the first part of the book? We also meet Julie for the first time. Does it surprise you that Toby seems to have more friends than she lets on?
I liked Lily – it felt a little as though she’d been pulled into the scheme to capture Toby and I felt sorry for her in that respect. She seemed to be a genuine person and to really like toby and want to help – that being said she seems restricted on how much help she can give. Julie also seems to be a good friend – I don’t know what’s going on now with Toby. On starting the story she felt very alone but people seem to be popping out of the woodwork now to help her and be friendly. Maybe she’s withdrawn herself from everyone rather than the other way around – I guess she doesn’t know who to trust either!
2. Tybalt to the rescue! Do you buy his excuse for why he chose to save Toby’s life? Ulterior motives much?
I don’t buy his excuse at all. Those two are both in denial about their feelings I thin. It’s a little bit of a pity that he didn’t step into the fray sooner though – but, perhaps he was genuinely distracted before he could come to the rescue!
3. Toby gets together with Devin in this section. Their relationship is a bit fraught, what do you think? Is it good she is relying on Devin or do you think it is unhealthy?
I’m really starting to think it’s not a good idea. Devin treats everyone badly around him, he seems to be obsessed with Toby but I think that’s more to do with the fact that she was the one that ‘got away’. I didn’t know what to make of him last week but warning bells are now going off and actually in more ways than one. He’s not just a control freak is he – he seems to be maybe helping Toby because he has an interest in what she finds. Not healthy at all.
4. That freaking doppleganger! Did you suspect Gillian was fake? Do you think Toby should try to get to know Gillian now that she is older?
I didn’t suspect right away to be honest which makes me feel a little bit stupid really – after all this time, why would Gillian just show up like that?I do think Toby should try to get to know Gillian, although to an extent I can see why she would avoid contact because she’s probably trying to protect Gillian and not let her get sucked into her world.
5. Finally, we only have a few chapters left, any idea how everything is going to shake out? Ideas on who is behind it all yet?
At this point no. I don’t really trust certain people and think they have an interest. In fact, at the moment the only people I really trust are Toby and Tybalt.
Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey, Readalong week No.3
17 January 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushie's Scion, Readalong week 3
Today is week three of our readalong for Kushiel’s Scion.
If you’re interested in joining the readalong the details and other participants are below. Feel free to join in and obviously, if you haven’t read this series but are intending to do so please be aware of spoilers – because they’re running amok below
Now, to the Q&A:
1. Maslin says that Imriel’s gift of Lombelon made the estate small by so easily discarding it. Eamonn says it was Maslin that made it small. Who do you think is right?
I suppose you could equally argue for both sides of the discussion, but I think Maslin is in the wrong here. Frankly his behaviour comes across as petty and spoiled. I don’t think he enjoys the feeling of being beholden to be honest and yet Imriel isn’t exactly expecting him to bow and scrape. It just feels like the feelings that Maslin feels are being self inflicted. It boils down to the intent really and if Maslin can’t see that Imriel’s intent was well meant then that particular feeling of resentment is coming from within himself. He just feels a bit bitter and also a little bit spiteful.
2. What do you think of Imriel’s oath to Sidonie? Do you believe him? Would you believe him were you in Sidonie’s position? When he makes this oath, Imriel is still fairly young and doesn’t have a lot of experience in politics. Do you think there’s anything that could change his mind?
I believe that he believes his oath! I also think that he’s been brought up in a family that certainly know enough and have been involved enough in politics so you could argue he’s had a decent grounding in that respect. However, Imriel is still young and I think his own lack of experience was maybe a little bit glaring when he made the oath. These oaths are not just ‘throw away’ things to be made casually and so to an extent I don’t think he realises exactly the full ramifications of what he did. Again, if you look at intentions I think his were well intended but on the face of it it came across more as a gesture – although deep down I’m sure he was trying to make Sidione see that he really isn’t a threat to her.
3. Things change between them during a hunt. What do you think?
In a way you could see this attraction coming along – well, I thought so anyway, so I can’t say it’s a big surprise. It’s that fine line ‘thing’ between love and hate. They seem to have had animosity towards each other for a while – or at least Sidione seems to have had towards Imriel, but it seems that some of that was built on fear. On top of that Imriel seems to want to be liked and so between the two of them they have become fixated on each other. Not sure what else to make of it at the moment.
4. Imriel becomes the unwilling target or subject of potentially a treasonous plot. What do you think of Bertran’s reaction? Of Ysandre’s reaction and advice to Imriel?
I think Bertram acted foolishly. The way he responded made him look as though he’s never really trusted Imriel but was friends with him only with the ethos of ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer’ in mind. I didn’t like the way he acted and the way he virtually ran to Ysandre – and, now I think about it some more, he lied and said that Imriel had hampered the chase when in actual fact he had been the one to get in Imriel’s way! Now that just makes me think he was involved in it all along – plus he picked up the hat so he could have placed something in it – very suspicious. In terms of Ysandre – she has a lot of experience doesn’t she, I thought her advice was sound in one way. I was surprised to see that she was scared of starting something – at the end of the day whether you want problems or not you can’t stop them from coming along. It feels a little like she’s taking the ostrich approach and I don’t think that’s going to make her problems go away as we’ve learnt in the past.
5. What do you think of Talorcan and Dorelei and the idea of the betrothals?
I felt a little bit sad for Imriel to be honest. I mean, yes, I sort of expected the idea of politics and arranged marriages to creep into his life but he’s only just come of age and already he’s a pawn on the royal board! I don’t think he’s maybe given Dorelei a chance but then I also don’t think he’s ready for it all. And, it must be difficult for him, coming from the home of Phedre and Joscelin, who chose each other for love.
6. Mavros takes Imriel to Valerian House and forces him to confront…less vanilla sex, if nothing else, and Imriel eventually gives in. What do you think of this? Was Mavros too pushy? Why did Imriel give Sephira her own signale?
To be honest I’m not totally comfortable with it all. It’s almost as though everybody just naturally assumes that this is who Imriel is – and perhaps it is – but for me it feels very forced. I think he gave Sephira’s signale because in actual fact it was too much for him – and he doesn’t have a signale!
That’s it this week.
Here is the current schedule:
And here is the current list of participators:
Allie at Tethyan Books
Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow
Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Emily at Emma Wolf
Susan at Dab of Darkness
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, readalong week No.3 #RRSciFiMonth
20 November 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #RRSciFiMonth, Becky Chambers, Readalong week 3, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet
Today is week three of a readalong of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. The readalong has been organised by Lisa at Over The Effing Rainbow and is part of this year’s Sci-Fi Month. The details for the readalong are here and the schedule looks like this:
Week 1 (Friday, November 6th): “Transit” to “The Job” – hosted by Over The Effing Rainbow
Week 2 (Friday, November 13th): “Port Coriol” to “Cricket” – hosted by Chris @ Galleywampus
Week 3 (Friday, November 20th): “The Last War” to “October 25” – hosted by Claire Rousseau
Week 4 (Friday, November 27th): “Heresy” to end – hosted by Over The Effing Rainbow
All welcome.
So, to the questions, with a timely reminder before we start that the following may contain spoilers:
1. There is a lot of focus on some of the different alien races in this section, from Dr Chef recounting the story of his people’s decline and Sissix introducing Rosemary to her families, to the surprise visit from the Aeluons and the much less welcome search by the Quelin. What are your thoughts on the various beliefs systems we encounter? Does anything specific pique your interest more than the rest?
These were all really interesting little glimpses into the different alien races we’re encountering and I think all deserve a mention. It was lovely to see Sissix amongst her own people and to witness how comfortable and happy she was. Their family systems are quite fascinating but are clearly very effective for them. I really liked the explanations – for example, the way the older members look after the children – because they have more knowledge and experience (not to mention patience ) – and also because the younger members want to go off exploring. You have to admit that the reasoning really stacked up. I just really enjoyed that whole episode to be honest. The Aeluons – they seem a very calm, almost detached race – and yet that’s not really true as we see through Pei – perhaps that feeling arises simply because they communicate differently. Another enjoyable story – bit scary having all those bombs on board their ship. And the Quelin, well they didn’t really come out in a very good light did they. It just goes to show that you can simply look at the different races on a planet or you can go into space and look at all sorts of different species, but, at the end of the day, you’ll find a certain element who treat others wrong. Course I can’t speak for all Quelin – as this could be a small group and not representative and I wouldn’t like to tar everyone with the same brush?? (Although that didn’t really come across here).
2. Ashby gets the chance to give Pei a tour of his ship and introduce her to his crew, meanwhile Jenks and Lovey decide not to risk transferring the AI into a body just yet, and Rosemary initiates a relationship of sorts with Sissix. Were you happy to see any of these developments, or not so fussed?
I think Jenks and Lovey made a good decision – based on very sound reasoning and actually I thought it was really touching they they don’t want to risk losing each other or damaging what they have now. It was lovely and at the same time a little bit sad that the current legal system prevents them from taking that step but who knows… Pei and Ashby, again, a forbidden relationship! It was again very touching to see how Pei was just as affected by Ashby and his crew’s recent scrape with danger as he usually is by hers. It makes the whole relationship seem more balanced – it’s also interesting that quite a few people know about their relationship and nobody thinks it’s wrong – things need to be put in order don’t they! Finally, Sissix and Rosemary. I think at the moment they’re absolutely perfect for each other and they seem to be going into this with their eyes open which is a good plan, after all they both have things to learn about and from each other. I kind of get the feeling that Rosemary’s family is maybe very cold and calculating and she seems absolutely enamoured with the way Sissix is so open and demonstrative about her feelings and I think it will be lovely for Rosemary to experience that warmth and Sissix of course is missing some TLC being so far removed from her family so it will be great for her to be on the receiving end of some loving attention too. I must admit I think Sissix is a great character. Really fascinating and I love the way she’s written.
3. Cloning technology exists and is used in many sci-fi universes, but the GC does not look kindly on it and it is abomination to the Quelin. Did the reveal of Corbin’s nature change your view of the character?
I don’t think the revelation of Corbin being a clone changed my view of him, I didn’t really have a bad opinion of him – I just think he doesn’t interact well with others. What really made very interesting reading was the conversation between him and his father which I thought was very revealing and quite sad – for both Corbin and his father to be locked into that kind of relationship and also, not really wanting to hurt each other but doing so anyway. Corbin has a lot to come to terms with now so that will be interesting to observe. I’m also keen to see if this changes the way he interacts with the crew – particularly Sissix.
4. Each chapter told a different and fairly self-contained story, without any big cliffhangers from one to the next. How did you feel about the pacing of the story so far? Are you satisfied with how long the long journey is taking or are you impatient for the crew to finally get to their destination and do some tunnelling?
Well, it’s completely different than I expected to be honest. Not in a bad way but I think I was thinking more in terms of grand space opera type sci fi whereas what we have here feels more like little clusters of individual stories that run together as the travel progresses – it feels kind of more like little watching individual series of star trek rather than watching a full blown movie (if that makes sense). I think I would have enjoyed a grand epic type of tale but that being said I’m an absolute sucker for characterisation and the cast in the story really get a chance to shine and show you their true selves. I’m keen to get to the destination as well of course just to see what’s afoot but at the moment I think the pacing is great.
Books and travelling with Lynn 