Amylia Lerato
Accepted
OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH. It's currently 5:30 in the morning I am hopped up on enough pain meds for my wisdom teeth recovery to knock out a rabbit and I just finished a crown of swords. I AM SCREAMING. (metaphorically of course, I am trying to be polite). I am about to go on a rand (autocorrected rant but thought I'd keep it because it's appropriate).
First:
This was probs the darkest of the books so far, I needed to take a number of short breaks to breath because it did become too much
Moving on to less depressing topics. I kinda love the sea folk, I don't know why but I confused them with the Seachan for a while and when I realised they were two different groups it kinda made them more awesome. Also the detail that talents are more common in different groups of people due to the enviroment was such a cool detail. Of course the seafolk can control the wind, thats so much more useful to them than healing would be.
Moving on to Min and Rand, oh my gosh adorable. I have not rooted for a Randmance previously, it felt like Elayne and Aviendha were kinda snogging him so he could get something out of it. Like, now he knows politics, now he knows the Aiel, but Min felt different. They had this amazing friendship that seemed to flow naturally into romance and it just felt right! I actually started liking Rand a lot more through this book, he stopped bejng whiny farmboy and was just a sweet idiot who just needed a hug. Yes he has all this power but he's trying his best. He is now in my list of characters I feel a bit protective of and would likely die for.
Speaking of fiercely protective of I am very protective of mat now. Single Dad Mat Cauthawn was not something I knew I needed but apparently I did. He may have become my favourite character in this book. Also his friendship with Brigitte is adorable. I was giggling along with both of them, the absolute best bit of the book I think.
(I couldn't find the originalso have this weird edited version)
Now for the 90s girl band that is Aviendha, Nynaeve, Elayne and Brigitte. This was my second favourite part of the series. Baby spice (Elayne) and grumpy spice (Nynaeve) having the issues with not being recognised as Aes Sedai had me cackling. Elayne being a little bit offended but trying to be calm and Nynaeve about to bite people is just cute. Such an adorable friendship. And Aviendha just fit into the group so well! I loved it so so much.
I never liked Egwene much, but she has started growing on me as Amylrin. She kinda felt like the Vanilla of all the characters, but as Amyrlin she SHINES. Her and Suin are such an interesting pair, I just adore it so much. Its almost this tiny bit jelous Aunt that likes her neice a little too much to be mad at her.
Now for the one not so glowing review. Perrin. Look I liked his storyline in book 6 but it's just gotten boring now. Like we get it, Him and Faile have a relationship that could buy their couples therapist a literal palace. He's become the whiny farm boy that Rand was in earlier books and I just want to punch him in the face. I liked Perrin before, since Faile it has been a downward slide that just annoys me.
Finally, before I move on to speculation and confusion, The final sequence was AWESOME. The mysterious dude showing up so cool, the crown of swords being real holy sh*t I freaking loved that sequence so so so much. Side note: don't quite know how I feel about Dashiva.
Speculation time, Cadsuane seems evil. Not sure why but I have a theory that she might be a dark friend very suspicious of her. Also the mysterious man, yeah I think thats the Dark one himself.
I am a little bit confused on what happened with Savanah Sammael and Graendal, I got a bit lost.
Anyway thanks for reading this incoherant mess so looking forward to book 8!
First:
This was probs the darkest of the books so far, I needed to take a number of short breaks to breath because it did become too much
One of the most disturbing parts of this book were the THREE instances of assault. Morgase, Mat and Moghedian.
Morgase was the most classic representation of SA and when reading it just felt disguisting. Her bodily autonomy being taken, the reaction from her maid telling her to grin and bear it, genuinely awful. And followed by the Seachan showing up it felt like blow after blow with no real respite. I had this absolutely visceral fear reading that they would try and turn her into a Damane which would have made that section so so much worse. I was almost rooting for her to kill herself so she could regain any sort of power.
Then, not a short while after Mat! Holy sh*t. This was almost worse. The level of victim blaming from everyone was genuinely ridiculous and the fact that Tylin was meant to be sympathetic! There was this line that stuck with me that drove the point home "he would never have pursued a woman who made it known she did not want it" and that made the rest of the characters reaction even more horrifying. My favourite character, Elayne, laughing at him, the fear he had to return to the palace and the fact that the incident repeated himself. Tylin telling him he must've enjoyed himself felt disgusting and then the final exchange between the two! That felt like such a betrayal, like we'd had so many clear points where what happened to mat was clearly rape. His horror when she pushes him against the bed post and he realises what is about to happen, the way he feels guilty the next day but then acknowledges that he didn't say yes and had no power to stop Tylin. And then him telling her he'd miss her and "he'd been the one doing the pursuing next time". There were few points that made me that angry in the series than that moment.
Then Mogehdian. This was so much more implied but that didn't make it any less disturbing. The implications of what her captor had done to her (I cant remember the quote but I believe it was about how hed done worse things to her body than kill her). My interpretation could be way off but it still stung to see a villain I'd loved to hate be in such an awful position. Slavery has always had a part in Wheel of time as a big theme but the slavery after a villain being violated felt horrible. I felt guilty for being sorry for her because SHES A FORSAKEN goddammit but no one deserves that.
Morgase was the most classic representation of SA and when reading it just felt disguisting. Her bodily autonomy being taken, the reaction from her maid telling her to grin and bear it, genuinely awful. And followed by the Seachan showing up it felt like blow after blow with no real respite. I had this absolutely visceral fear reading that they would try and turn her into a Damane which would have made that section so so much worse. I was almost rooting for her to kill herself so she could regain any sort of power.
Then, not a short while after Mat! Holy sh*t. This was almost worse. The level of victim blaming from everyone was genuinely ridiculous and the fact that Tylin was meant to be sympathetic! There was this line that stuck with me that drove the point home "he would never have pursued a woman who made it known she did not want it" and that made the rest of the characters reaction even more horrifying. My favourite character, Elayne, laughing at him, the fear he had to return to the palace and the fact that the incident repeated himself. Tylin telling him he must've enjoyed himself felt disgusting and then the final exchange between the two! That felt like such a betrayal, like we'd had so many clear points where what happened to mat was clearly rape. His horror when she pushes him against the bed post and he realises what is about to happen, the way he feels guilty the next day but then acknowledges that he didn't say yes and had no power to stop Tylin. And then him telling her he'd miss her and "he'd been the one doing the pursuing next time". There were few points that made me that angry in the series than that moment.
Then Mogehdian. This was so much more implied but that didn't make it any less disturbing. The implications of what her captor had done to her (I cant remember the quote but I believe it was about how hed done worse things to her body than kill her). My interpretation could be way off but it still stung to see a villain I'd loved to hate be in such an awful position. Slavery has always had a part in Wheel of time as a big theme but the slavery after a villain being violated felt horrible. I felt guilty for being sorry for her because SHES A FORSAKEN goddammit but no one deserves that.
Moving on to Min and Rand, oh my gosh adorable. I have not rooted for a Randmance previously, it felt like Elayne and Aviendha were kinda snogging him so he could get something out of it. Like, now he knows politics, now he knows the Aiel, but Min felt different. They had this amazing friendship that seemed to flow naturally into romance and it just felt right! I actually started liking Rand a lot more through this book, he stopped bejng whiny farmboy and was just a sweet idiot who just needed a hug. Yes he has all this power but he's trying his best. He is now in my list of characters I feel a bit protective of and would likely die for.
Speaking of fiercely protective of I am very protective of mat now. Single Dad Mat Cauthawn was not something I knew I needed but apparently I did. He may have become my favourite character in this book. Also his friendship with Brigitte is adorable. I was giggling along with both of them, the absolute best bit of the book I think.
I never liked Egwene much, but she has started growing on me as Amylrin. She kinda felt like the Vanilla of all the characters, but as Amyrlin she SHINES. Her and Suin are such an interesting pair, I just adore it so much. Its almost this tiny bit jelous Aunt that likes her neice a little too much to be mad at her.
Now for the one not so glowing review. Perrin. Look I liked his storyline in book 6 but it's just gotten boring now. Like we get it, Him and Faile have a relationship that could buy their couples therapist a literal palace. He's become the whiny farm boy that Rand was in earlier books and I just want to punch him in the face. I liked Perrin before, since Faile it has been a downward slide that just annoys me.
Finally, before I move on to speculation and confusion, The final sequence was AWESOME. The mysterious dude showing up so cool, the crown of swords being real holy sh*t I freaking loved that sequence so so so much. Side note: don't quite know how I feel about Dashiva.
Speculation time, Cadsuane seems evil. Not sure why but I have a theory that she might be a dark friend very suspicious of her. Also the mysterious man, yeah I think thats the Dark one himself.
I am a little bit confused on what happened with Savanah Sammael and Graendal, I got a bit lost.
Anyway thanks for reading this incoherant mess so looking forward to book 8!
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