Reader and Raelynx
Jul. 15th, 2011 04:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
peroxidepirateI've finished Reader and Raelynx, and thus the original Twelve Houses quartet. I have Fortune and Fate, the tacked-on-because-the-main-character-demanded-to-be-written-about fifth book, cued to read next -- and I have high hopes for it* -- but I'm taking a little time to catch my breath first.
I loved Reader and Raelynx almost as much as Mystic and Rider. I really enjoy Cammon's perspective: he's genuine, uncalculating, and wonderfully excited/pleased/interested by life in general. And he's always aware of his own and other people's emotions, which I expect would make him less irritating/embarrassing than most people with such a childlike outlook. Next time someone asks me, "If you could have any 5 fictional characters over for dinner, who would you pick?" Cammon is so on the list. I like the way his awareness of Gillengaria's political situation develops over the course of the book, too; despite his own present feelings, I think he could be a very good king, in time.
I also fangirl Amalie so hard. I love her agency most of all: her insistence on making decisions of her own; her refusal to bow to the will of her uncle Romar, the regent; her stepmother, Queen Valri; or anyone else, unless she actually agrees whatever they're suggesting is a good idea. Even before her father's death, she doesn't let her protectors walk over her. She's not rebellious just for the sake of rebelling, though; she'll listen to someone wiser or more experienced if she can see the validity of their argument. There's no doubt in my mind she'll be a brilliant queen, and she'll probably manage to continue being a good person at the same time.
I love Amalie's friendship with the Raelynx. It doesn't feel right to say she tamed him; I don't think she did. But she goes beyond just controlling him, too; he doesn't seem to chafe at her control like he does at Senneth's in the first book. I really think she's convinced him that her cause is his cause; her friends are his friends, and her enemies are his enemies. I've said before that I love the way Shinn writes shape shifting. The same skill comes into play when Cammon gets inside the Raelynx's mind, and that's what makes the Raelynx such a fascinating character.
I went into this book with really mixed feelings about a Cammon/Amalie romance. I love Senneth and Tayse together, don't get Kirra/Romar, love the slow reveal of the changes in Kirra and Donnal's relationship, and could take or leave Ellynor/Justin. Early in the series I shipped Cammon/Justin, on the basis of Cammon's hero-worship and Justin's professed apathy toward romance with women (and because I can't fall this hard for a series and not ship some variety of slash somewhere in it); I'm disappointed to learn that Cammon barely seems to think about Justin, in spite of spending a lot of time visiting Justin's cottage. Even if it's decidedly platonic, I would have liked to see that relationship explored a little more.
So I wasn't particularly expecting to like Cammon's romance with Amalie. It was a nice surprise when I fell for the pairing. And I fell really hard: OTP-hard. Partly this is because I like them both, as I already said. Part of it is the practical way they both view their relationship, especially early on: Cammon doesn't expect to be able to marry the princess; Amalie claims (even to herself, I suspect) she's only playing, because she does understand the politics of her position. Mainly, I like their relationship because they each make the decision to be together while they can and to make each other a little happier while they can, and to value that for what it is, whether or not it's going to last. As many of you know, this is a huge kink for me. And when they finally do end up betrothed, it's after they've spent some time together and realized they still love each other; they've each thought about the particulars of their situation; they go in with their eyes open, I suppose, and I trust it more than I do many fantasy/fairytale romances. (I did giggle like a 12-year-old at the scene in the garden, when Amalie asks Cammon to explain where babies come from, with visual aid. And, sorry, I can't see Cammon having any prior sexual experience.)
Other things about the book... I like Ellynor more as a supporting character/now that her Epic Romance is settled and her talents as a healer are allowed to blossom. I adore Tayse in this book, and the ways he keeps surprising Senneth: by letting Kirra shape-change him, by shipping Amelie/Cammon, by not minding if Senneth loses her magic. I find Wen and Janni all kinds of adorable, friend/ship them so hard, and love Amalie's self-defense lessons. I think the war stage of the book was well done, with just enough emphasis on the hard reality of war for a lighthearted fantasy novel. The defeat of the Big Bad(s) is satisifying. The marlady who adopts Cammon (what was her name again? hard to look that up via audiobook...) is another wonderfully strong character.
And Senneth. I love Senneth with all my heart. Her exasperated-parental-elder-sister to Cammon's wide-eyed-kid-brother. Her escape attempts when Halcon captures her. Her discomfort with being under the influence of someone esle's magic. Her loyalty to the crown. Her dedication to Brassenthwaite, in spite of the difficult relationship with her brothers. The way she's fearless so much of the time, yet is still human and can still be laid low by particular circumstances. The trust and loyalty she inspires in those around her. The fact she's a woman in her mid-30s who's still kicking ass: she hasn't resigned; she hasn't taken a desk job; she might be helping to train and nurture the next generation, but it's not at the expense of being a BAMF herself. I love her to pieces.
So I was really disappointed by Senneth losing her magic. This was mitigated some by Shinn taking this loss seriously, as something Senneth feels and mourns over; something that tugs at her heart and maybe even changes her identity. I didn't like it, but I thought maybe I could accept it.
Then came the conversation between Senneth and Ellynor, about having kids; then Senneth talking to Tayse about how she would need something to do with herself, now her magic was gone. I held my breath. This is me overidentifying with the character, I think, and being too emotionally invested, but if Senneth had announced a desire to have childen, it would have been throw-the-book-across-the-room time.
Instead, her magic started to come back. Sharon Shinn, ILU. Whatever happens from here on, ILU for this moment.
In Mystic and Rider, and again in this book (especially in Carabos, the famously mystic-friendly town), I kept finding myself thinking of mystic as an allegory for gay. I have no idea if this is intended, or if anyone else gets the same thing. It could very well be my own way, as a white, middle class, American, Christian-raised, physically-able, cis-gendered lesbian, of understanding the discrimination mystics in Gillengaria can face. Anyway, it was amusing at first, but increasingly brain-breaking as more and more characters break into neat hetero-romancey pairs. I don't mind all the main characters pairing off, as that seems to the point of the series, and generally does make sense for each set of characters. But I find the pairing of so many minor characters to be gratuitous.
I would also like to direct Shinn to Wordle and then to a thesaurus. Fun drinking game, with this book: drink on conflagration. Dangerous drinking game: drink on instantly. Shinn is good enough at descriptions and character-building to get away with a whole lot of adverb abuse, but I'd prefer if it wasn't the same adverb so many times throughout the book. Again, I think it's easier to notice this kind of detail in audio form, and I did mainline the book in a few days. Nonetheless, by the end I was giggling every time something happened instantly.
Overall, though, I loved this book and will probably reread it, along with Mystic and Rider, many times in the future.
*I'm predisposed to like tacked-on-because-the-main-character-demanded-to-be-written-about fifth books. One of my favorite books of all time, Ellen Emerson White's The Road Home, is such a book. It's out of print, but so. very. much. worth reading, even if you haven't read the preceding series. I don't say this lightly, but I'll say it about this book: everyone needs to read it. Perhaps I'll do a reread and review/commentary on that sometime soon.
I loved Reader and Raelynx almost as much as Mystic and Rider. I really enjoy Cammon's perspective: he's genuine, uncalculating, and wonderfully excited/pleased/interested by life in general. And he's always aware of his own and other people's emotions, which I expect would make him less irritating/embarrassing than most people with such a childlike outlook. Next time someone asks me, "If you could have any 5 fictional characters over for dinner, who would you pick?" Cammon is so on the list. I like the way his awareness of Gillengaria's political situation develops over the course of the book, too; despite his own present feelings, I think he could be a very good king, in time.
I also fangirl Amalie so hard. I love her agency most of all: her insistence on making decisions of her own; her refusal to bow to the will of her uncle Romar, the regent; her stepmother, Queen Valri; or anyone else, unless she actually agrees whatever they're suggesting is a good idea. Even before her father's death, she doesn't let her protectors walk over her. She's not rebellious just for the sake of rebelling, though; she'll listen to someone wiser or more experienced if she can see the validity of their argument. There's no doubt in my mind she'll be a brilliant queen, and she'll probably manage to continue being a good person at the same time.
I love Amalie's friendship with the Raelynx. It doesn't feel right to say she tamed him; I don't think she did. But she goes beyond just controlling him, too; he doesn't seem to chafe at her control like he does at Senneth's in the first book. I really think she's convinced him that her cause is his cause; her friends are his friends, and her enemies are his enemies. I've said before that I love the way Shinn writes shape shifting. The same skill comes into play when Cammon gets inside the Raelynx's mind, and that's what makes the Raelynx such a fascinating character.
I went into this book with really mixed feelings about a Cammon/Amalie romance. I love Senneth and Tayse together, don't get Kirra/Romar, love the slow reveal of the changes in Kirra and Donnal's relationship, and could take or leave Ellynor/Justin. Early in the series I shipped Cammon/Justin, on the basis of Cammon's hero-worship and Justin's professed apathy toward romance with women (and because I can't fall this hard for a series and not ship some variety of slash somewhere in it); I'm disappointed to learn that Cammon barely seems to think about Justin, in spite of spending a lot of time visiting Justin's cottage. Even if it's decidedly platonic, I would have liked to see that relationship explored a little more.
So I wasn't particularly expecting to like Cammon's romance with Amalie. It was a nice surprise when I fell for the pairing. And I fell really hard: OTP-hard. Partly this is because I like them both, as I already said. Part of it is the practical way they both view their relationship, especially early on: Cammon doesn't expect to be able to marry the princess; Amalie claims (even to herself, I suspect) she's only playing, because she does understand the politics of her position. Mainly, I like their relationship because they each make the decision to be together while they can and to make each other a little happier while they can, and to value that for what it is, whether or not it's going to last. As many of you know, this is a huge kink for me. And when they finally do end up betrothed, it's after they've spent some time together and realized they still love each other; they've each thought about the particulars of their situation; they go in with their eyes open, I suppose, and I trust it more than I do many fantasy/fairytale romances. (I did giggle like a 12-year-old at the scene in the garden, when Amalie asks Cammon to explain where babies come from, with visual aid. And, sorry, I can't see Cammon having any prior sexual experience.)
Other things about the book... I like Ellynor more as a supporting character/now that her Epic Romance is settled and her talents as a healer are allowed to blossom. I adore Tayse in this book, and the ways he keeps surprising Senneth: by letting Kirra shape-change him, by shipping Amelie/Cammon, by not minding if Senneth loses her magic. I find Wen and Janni all kinds of adorable, friend/ship them so hard, and love Amalie's self-defense lessons. I think the war stage of the book was well done, with just enough emphasis on the hard reality of war for a lighthearted fantasy novel. The defeat of the Big Bad(s) is satisifying. The marlady who adopts Cammon (what was her name again? hard to look that up via audiobook...) is another wonderfully strong character.
And Senneth. I love Senneth with all my heart. Her exasperated-parental-elder-sister to Cammon's wide-eyed-kid-brother. Her escape attempts when Halcon captures her. Her discomfort with being under the influence of someone esle's magic. Her loyalty to the crown. Her dedication to Brassenthwaite, in spite of the difficult relationship with her brothers. The way she's fearless so much of the time, yet is still human and can still be laid low by particular circumstances. The trust and loyalty she inspires in those around her. The fact she's a woman in her mid-30s who's still kicking ass: she hasn't resigned; she hasn't taken a desk job; she might be helping to train and nurture the next generation, but it's not at the expense of being a BAMF herself. I love her to pieces.
So I was really disappointed by Senneth losing her magic. This was mitigated some by Shinn taking this loss seriously, as something Senneth feels and mourns over; something that tugs at her heart and maybe even changes her identity. I didn't like it, but I thought maybe I could accept it.
Then came the conversation between Senneth and Ellynor, about having kids; then Senneth talking to Tayse about how she would need something to do with herself, now her magic was gone. I held my breath. This is me overidentifying with the character, I think, and being too emotionally invested, but if Senneth had announced a desire to have childen, it would have been throw-the-book-across-the-room time.
Instead, her magic started to come back. Sharon Shinn, ILU. Whatever happens from here on, ILU for this moment.
In Mystic and Rider, and again in this book (especially in Carabos, the famously mystic-friendly town), I kept finding myself thinking of mystic as an allegory for gay. I have no idea if this is intended, or if anyone else gets the same thing. It could very well be my own way, as a white, middle class, American, Christian-raised, physically-able, cis-gendered lesbian, of understanding the discrimination mystics in Gillengaria can face. Anyway, it was amusing at first, but increasingly brain-breaking as more and more characters break into neat hetero-romancey pairs. I don't mind all the main characters pairing off, as that seems to the point of the series, and generally does make sense for each set of characters. But I find the pairing of so many minor characters to be gratuitous.
I would also like to direct Shinn to Wordle and then to a thesaurus. Fun drinking game, with this book: drink on conflagration. Dangerous drinking game: drink on instantly. Shinn is good enough at descriptions and character-building to get away with a whole lot of adverb abuse, but I'd prefer if it wasn't the same adverb so many times throughout the book. Again, I think it's easier to notice this kind of detail in audio form, and I did mainline the book in a few days. Nonetheless, by the end I was giggling every time something happened instantly.
Overall, though, I loved this book and will probably reread it, along with Mystic and Rider, many times in the future.
*I'm predisposed to like tacked-on-because-the-main-character-demanded-to-be-written-about fifth books. One of my favorite books of all time, Ellen Emerson White's The Road Home, is such a book. It's out of print, but so. very. much. worth reading, even if you haven't read the preceding series. I don't say this lightly, but I'll say it about this book: everyone needs to read it. Perhaps I'll do a reread and review/commentary on that sometime soon.
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-16 03:38 am (UTC)As for Fortune & Fate... I protested its being released as "A Novel of the Twelve Houses" because that story is so complete, and I resented having a narrator who wasn't one of the original six, but it's quite often my favorite of the series. ^_^ Then again, it hits some of my kinks, so it won't be very surprising to many to hear how much I love it!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-20 08:46 pm (UTC)I'm curious about what parts of my commentary you disagreed with, if you're inclined to comment? I always love hearing your thoughts on fiction/things in general.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-26 05:43 pm (UTC)I do agree with much of what you said, but I think you and I approach Shinn from very different perspectives. I'm a sucker for her romance, so she could pair up everyone under the sun and it wouldn't bother me (much), so long as her world-building is solid and she throws in lots of stoicism in the men and practicality in the women. :P