Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton

2025 Reread Review
There are spoilers contained in this review.

Narcissus in Chains was a lot easier to get through than the last couple of Anita Blake novels. I pretty much attribute this to the inclusion of characters I actually care about and not ones I hate... though there is plenty of Richard's nonsense here as well. There is also a good deal of world-building here. More explaining of how the lycanthropes and vampires work, given different circumstances, most of which, honestly, are objectively horrifying.

The joining of the Marks was cool and all but… Micah!!!! Micah’s here! I really like Micah. I like that he's willing to be whatever Anita needs with little to no qualms about it. He's also quite patient with her, actually explaining things as they come up (for the most part anyway). I don't remember how I originally felt about Micah, but I am fairly certain he was a breath of fresh air after Richard. I also quite like the inclusion of Merle. He's the first in a long line of bodyguard characters I'm fairly attached to. He also brings a certain air of "elder statesman" to the mix, especially in those moments where I'm reminded that Anita's still in her 20s...

Narcissus being like “I would like to participate in community decision making but not be in the community and also get literal people in return for it” made me want to hit him. Seriously, dude. Get well over yourself. I feel like this really comes back to bite him in the butt as it's the rats and wolves that come to his aid in the end. Ya know, the community he doesn't actually want to be a part of. That said, these lycanthrope politics sure are a bitch. Like, all of it. I do kind of like that each "species" has their own internal politics, but having to "watch" Anita navigate more than one is... insane, honestly.

Nathaniel pre-relationship is adorable. It’s very cute how Anita already thinks “silence with Nathaniel was one of the most relaxing sounds of my day.” Awwwwww… I just wanna cuddle them together. Narcissus in Chains is really the book where Nathaniel comes more into his own. He's still not quite the person he's going to be, but you can see the scaffolding, essentially.

This is definitely when Dolph jumped off the deep end for me. Projecting onto Anita is really not fair. The stuff at Anita’s house is also well out of line. Her personal life is none of his business, especially when he’s supposed to be there in a professional capacity. I very much dislike Dolph in this book. I think we're kind of meant to. He was a father-figure for Anita in the first few books and I honestly feel like this "fall from grace," as it were, is par for the course in father figures. Either they don't like some aspect of the hero's life and check out or they end up dying. Dolph is clearly the former and crashes out a bit spectacularly. Oh, speaking of which, I dunno who needs to hear this but... Your children do NOT owe you grandchildren. Period. Be disappointed all you want, but don't act like Dolph and see it as the end of the world. Yeesh.

Ah yes, the ardeur bane of my not-spicy-loving-anymore existence. I literally skim and skip those scenes. Skim because Hamilton has a habit of mixing character development into them. For example: a sudden introduction of Belle Morte as a character. I mean, she’s been talked about before but hasn’t been “on screen” before now. Can’t just skip that, now can we? I also don’t really like the ardeur due to the questionable consent it causes. Anita has issues around it in this book where she, herself is concerned, though that will grow to include other characters later. It’s not always handled well, if memory serves.

Oh yes, Damian exists. Didn’t even think about Damian in this whole “finding yourself” thing you did, huh, Anita? And now it’s all “gimmie my vampire NOW.” You got yourself all cozy with the leopards but left Damian completely out in the cold. Wtf even, ma’am. And dude, Jean-Claude is also to blame in this. Should have fucking reminded her that Damian was hers when she dealt with a goddamn crime scene involving him. Wtf even, sir. Ya’ll both suck. Honestly, I like being able to both love and hate my protagonists, so this was actually quite nice in terms of character building. Anita does have a lot going on, very much highlighted here, not just with Damian, but with the "power creep." Anita’s rapid power-progression is also something I have mixed feeling about. It’s a wonder this woman ends up being able to lead any kind of normal-ish life, with that much power being thrust upon her, no pun intended. Anita really did need that “come to Jesus” moment she had with Jean-Claude. Can’t just shirk your responsibilities, especially when they come with metaphysical ties and consequences you don’t like.

Okay, time for the "Richard Sucks" corner. Richard is SUCH an asshole here. Leave Anita the fuck alone about her life decisions. You dumped her, as is repeatedly pointed out. Circumstances have changed and you weren’t included because why would you be? Fuck ALL THE WAY OFF. Just cuz you hate yourself doesn’t mean you get to take that out on everyone else. Add to that the ending where he literally almost gets them all killed... No. Not allowed. Fuck ALL THE WAY OFF again. Even if it just meant the Triumvirate was going to be taken out, I would be fairly pissed, but Anita makes a point of it being the entire damn pack at that point. That's hundreds of people and, Ulfric or not, you don't get to make that kind of decision. I will say he probably didn't realize it would have been the entire pack, but still... therapy needs to happen sooner rather than later.

I don’t think I internalized (or even realized) how much of these books took place while people were incredibly sleep deprived. There are at least 2-3 major altercations and decision-making moments that happen while Anita's had little to no sleep... over, like, 3 days.

Complete side-tangent: I wonder what weredogs look like. What dog breed do they more resemble? How did we end up with weredogs when real dogs came from domesticated wolves? Or are these an African Wild Dogs kind of situation? I have many questions about this.

Finally, I am not entirely sure how to feel about Chimera. It’s an interesting way to do Dissociative Identity Disorder, I guess. It's honestly a very comic book interpretation of DID. Each personality has its own physicality, even in human form... which is weird and I'm really not sure how that even makes sense, but SOD, I guess. I do kind of like the panwere concept. It does set up a bit of stuff for the tigers later… and Anita… and others.

Overall, I really enjoyed Narcissus in Chains. It's a thick book filled with thick topics that actually manages to work pretty well. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the series, now that a couple of my favorites have entered the arena. 

Favorite Lines

"That made him smile. 'Yes, those that hoard their power are often insecure.'" - Merle

"Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can't save everyone." - Micah Callahan

     "We looked at each other in the darkened kitchen. She raised her coffee mug. I'd given her the one with a tiny knight and a large dragon that said, 'No guts, no glory.'

     Lillian said, 'Down with zealots.'

     I raised my own mug in the air. It was the baby penguin mug, still a favorite. 'Down with zealots.'" - Dr. Lillian & Anita Blake

"The only true happiness, Richard, lies in knowing who you are -- what you are -- and making peace with it." - Anita Blake

"On important stuff, your word is great, but when it comes to primping, you have no sense of time." - Anita Blake 

 

Just One More Thing

I don't know how many of you have heard about Audible's BS around paying authors, but it's actual BS. I am not the person to explain it, that would be Daniel Greene over on YouTube. LINK to explanation. However, I can share the link to the Change.org petition to try and stop them screwing over authors... so here ya go: LINK. 

The Renegades of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

The Renegades of Pern made me realize that, unless there are very large deviations from the original text, I don’t enjoy reading of events that have already happened. Or at least, not in McCaffrey’s style. Because I’ve been reading in chronological order, there’s several instances in The Renegades of Pern where the story is re-tread. There was a retelling of Piemur’s arrival in Southern via Sharra, Thella’s version of Aramina’s recuse by Heth, and a good chunk of The White Dragon through Piemur’s eyes. It was alright, but I just read all that elsewhere.

That said, the rest of The Renegades of Pern was alright. I was honestly bored with the second half of Jayge and Aramina’s story, but did enjoy the ultimate ending. Thella was slightly compelling, until she went full-on revenge-girl. Like, I enjoyed that she was willing to strike out on her own and that she managed to mostly do it successfully… but then it was all “they have seen me, they must die” and that was just less fun.

Most of Piemur and Toric’s bits were re-treads of what happened during The White Dragon. That changed during the last few chapters, where more exploring of the Southern Continent happened. That part was interesting. I won’t go into specifics on that, but it was a continuation of Pern’s story that’s looking like a lot of fun.

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire

Slight spoiler warning in the second paragraph if you aren't familiar with how the Wayward Children books usually end up working out.

As usual, I enjoyed this latest installment of the Wayward Children series. I don’t really have a lot of thoughts about it. I quite enjoyed Nadya's introduction, though her characterization is mostly told and not shown. That's not to say it wasn't done well, just that we don't really get a chance to "see" how Nadya does any of the things she does from her perspective until later in the book.

I did have a feeling of impending dread as the book went on, especially considering it’s one where the main character is going to fall out of her chosen world at some point… which Nadya does. Wayward Children hasn't yet introduced a character who gets to live out their "Happily Ever After" in their chosen world in their introductory book. Honestly that part reminds me heavily of the end of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, with Nadya’s true age being stripped away from her. I honestly find this kind of de-aging horrifying, which is usually the point. I can't imagine having to go through puberty again, especially while also having to navigate being a literal child in the eyes of everyone around you when you've been an adult for... however long it was.

I liked the concepts of different densities of water being breathable or not and sitting atop each other. The turtles were neat. I feel like I could have used some more characterization of Alexei. He was just kind of a “blah” character who I definitely didn’t attach to.

The parenting styles of Carl and Pansy were kind of interesting to look at. It's very clear Pansy is the driving force of that relationship, and not in the greatest way. Her need to both conform and control gave me the "ick."

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear was another solid entry to the Wayward Children series. I can't wait to see how Nadya factors into the rest of the story line.

Favorite Line

"But things weren’t love." - Narration

Sky Dragons by Anne & Todd McCaffrey

Overall, Sky Dragons makes a nice change of narrative from following Fiona and Lorana for two books. It was also a lot more fun, as there wasn’t as much doom and gloom hanging over everything. As usual with these last couple (chronologically) books, there is some filling in of the overall Pern narrative through the use of time travel.

Book One: Sky Dragons

I’m actually really enjoying Xhinna, here. She faded fairly quickly into the background during the last two books, especially given her absence from Igen. But here, she seems to be flourishing. I do think it’s a little odd that saving Pern seems to be on her shoulders. I get being the first female Blue rider and apparently needing to prove herself in that regard, but I’m still not sure why saving Pern seemed to end up being Xhinna’s responsibility. Gotta theme those female main characters, apparently.

Okay, so… how’d the cats end up on the islands, exactly? Given where the islands are and that Tuberman’s cats would have been on the Southern Continent… this just doesn’t make sense. This is not explained, but the cats come in handy (no, I will not refer to them as Mrreows) so I guess we’ll just hand-wave that.

I really enjoy Jirana. She’s a lot more plucky and less wispy than a lot of other female-child-seers tend to be.

I was a little put off, late in this part of the book, by how much of the book went by in a play-by-play of the time. Just seemed like a lot of time to spend directly in the action vs how much time needed to elapse for Sky Dragons to match up with the rest of the timeline. Not that there weren’t little time-jumps, but they didn’t seem long enough.

Book Two: The Sky Dragons

Back to business as usual for the Weyrfolk, only, ya know, on an island. Not gonna lie, my eyes were glazing over again when the numbers and logistics came back into the mix. However, hearing about how D’gan dealt with coming back to Telgar was rather amusing.

In Conclusion

Sky Dragons was a nice change of pace, while still sticking to the "gotta save Pern via judicious time travelling" thing that last two-three books (depending on what order you're reading in) have had. I very much liked that this mainly stuck to the one story line, even if I had been a little worried about its length vs the length of the book itself. It was nice not to be overly bored with logistics for once, as well. They were worked in a lot better this time, in my opinion. Definitely a solid Pern entry.

Favorite Lines

"Adults are only grown-up children, after all." - Xhinna

"Girls, as you may have noticed, are dangerous." - R'ney

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Wild Magic was honestly a lot more fun that I was expecting. I feel like Tamora Pierce was trying to recapture some of this book when she wrote Tempests and Slaughter. Daine’s schooling in her magic definitely had a better feel than Numair’s did. I also like Daine a lot more than I liked Arram/Numair. I also feel like Daine in terms of being introduced to Tortall’s “elite.” They are all really welcoming and open, which makes a change from other “elite” groups from other series.

So yeah, Tortall is a weird place. The palace is super informal apparently. Kind of makes sense given that it’s a home and a training ground and a royal palace all wrapped up in one. Pretty sure Tortall ruined all the more formal royals for me.

I started this review talking about how Arram/Numair’s magical schooling was a lot different from Daine’s. Part of that is Numair being in charge of Daine’s schooling and part of it is Carthak’s mage-training school. I felt a lot more involved in Daine’s “schooling” and actually understood what was going on when Numair explained it to her. I really enjoy that sort of nerdy-in-the-weeds kind of thing involving magic systems. It’s fun.

I also enjoyed the way Daine interacted with her animal friends. She is both of them and yet not, which makes for some interesting dynamics. Cloud, especially, is a stand out.

I sweat I’ve read the Daine series before, but I can’t really remember much, if anything. That makes a lot of the introduction of the “immortal” characters/creatures interesting. I definitely ran into some of them during the Kel series, but I’d plum forgotten how they ended up coming back into the Tortallan world. I kind of missed them during the Beka and Alanna series… but then, I’m a sucker for my mythological elements.

Wild Magic is honestly a really good jumping on point for anyone interested in reading the Tortall books. I feel like there’s enough detail to bother hook readers and keep them interested while at the same time not info-dumping too hard. 

Favorite Line

"The person who commits an action is the one responsible for it, not the people he commits the action upon." - Numair

Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce

A Semi-Spoilery Reread Review

So, I have read Lioness Rampant three times at this point. I will tell you that I did not remember what the hell happened through 90% of the book at any given moment between the last time I read it and the present. I feel like that's probably because there was actually a lot that happened. Lioness Rampant is a "quest book" -- as Pierce puts it in the 2014 afterword -- but the quest isn't the main focus of the end, which is arguably more jam packed than the rest of the book. I barely remembered what happened during that last 90% as well. There's just so much and it honestly made me tear up this time around.

So, the things I remembered are technically spoilers, so... you've been warned. I promise not to spoil the end, though.

Thayet and Buri eventually ending up in Tortall. I have read and remember more of Protector of the Small and so had it hammered into my brain that Thayet eventually becomes queen and Buri sticks around. I remembered Thayet was a warlord's daughter, but not much beyond that. I did not remember how they ended up in Tortall, like, at all. I think I vaguely remembered Alanna introducing Thayet to Jonathan... I mean, her court entrance was amazeballs in my mind. Big Beauty and the Beast style staircase and the dress was super vivid in my brain. How could I forget that?

I knew Alanna got the Dominion Jewel, but the method by which she got it totally left my brain and still wants to. I think the concept of more eldritch being tied to certain places is a cool concept, though not one I think is explored again... I swear I read Immortals at some stage but I literally remember nothing except Daine so I cannot say for sure. I assume that's where the eldritch beings might come into play... but yeah. Alanna fights a big ol' ape in the cold. Cool. *shrug* moving on.

I did not remember Liam at all. He exists aaaaand then poof, gone from my brain. I guess that's kind of amusing for the Shang Dragon being as they're supposed to be the best of the best and I just plum forget him every time. Liam kind of struck me as Scottish or whatever the Tortallan-y version of that is. I really don't have much to say about him.

The ending part of the book is just so much court stuff piled in on top of itself. So much to remember and keep straight for as long as it's happening, I guess. I was really touched on Alanna's behalf when people were welcoming her home and accepting her as The Lioness. Made me tear up. I guess I was more attached to these guys than I thought.

I did remember the whole scene where Jon gives George his pardon and makes him a Baron. That scene lives rent free in my head for some reason. I did forget that it was a bit later than all the other stuff, like Alanna becoming Champion and whatnot. Thought those scenes were one... I was wrong. Go figure.

Alanna shows in Lioness Rampant that she really has grown from even the end of The Woman Who Rides Like a Man. Her growth isn't exactly super obvious, but sneaks up on you. It's definitely a factor in how she eventually deals with the resurrected Roger. Actually uses her head instead of just rushing in all reckless and whatnot. Not that she was super prone to that in the beginning, but... I dunno. It felt significant.

The last thing I remembered was the whole thing around Roger. I won't talk about it here, but his machinations were definitely something to remember. I didn't quite get the setting in my head right or all the details, but it was largely correct and present in my head as I was reading. Every time Alanna awoke from one of her vision-dreams, I was like, "nope, girl, that wasn't just a dream."

So yeah, I liked Lioness Rampant. It's very likely a good portion of it is going to slip my mind again until my next reread, but I feel like that's okay. Rediscovering Alanna's story is part of what makes my disparate rereads fun.

Favorite Line

"Fairy stories are important," Jendrai told Alanna. "Legends teach us and guide scholars in searching out the truth of history." - Nahom Jendrai

Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

Anyone else find it extremely annoying when old vampires decide to be ridiculously extra when they largely just want to talk instead of, I dunno, using the usual means of human communication that don’t involve kidnapping? Like really, you used to be human. Why can’t you just walk up to someone and start talking to them or call them, like everyone else does? Hell, the fae have more manners that you. What the hell?

That said… Silence Fallen was a trip. And I don’t just mean because Mercy and Adam went to Europe. Coming more solidly from the Anita Blake fandom, I am much more used to weird metaphysical things happening to end vampire conflicts, so having this one largely ended with a physical fight was interesting. Having essentially a full, multi-species delegation from the Tri-Cities go over to Europe was fun. I’m much more attached to Marsilia now.

I’m really not sure I have much more to say about Silence Fallen. I mean, Mercy’s figuring out more about her powers, as one does. We got vampire shenanigans. More Coyote interference… apparently. I dunno, it was solid, just not a lot to talk about that’s not either spoilers or vampire shenanigans… which also… spoilers.

Oh! And Honey is amazeballs. Like, I’ve been growing to like her more and more as the series goes on, but Silence Fallen definitely cemented her as one of my favorite characters.

So… yeah, that’s it.

Favorite Line

"If you are taken by your enemies," he said, "don't wait to escape. The hour you are taken is when you will be at your strongest. Time gives them the opportunity to starve you, to torture you to break you and make you weak. You have to escape as soon as you can." - Charles Cornick

In Other News

The first part of the new Pokemon Scarlet/Violet DLC has been released. I'm going to be spending my off-hours playing that for a bit. Definitely planning to do a couple of "Scarlet Adventures" post about that, so stay tuned.

Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire

Calculated Risks is basically one big bottle-episode character study. Definitely not a book to put down and pick up and put down and pick up — which I did for the most part. It is definitely a book and a story that works better in much larger chunks than I was reading it in. I recommend reading it when you have time to actually sit down and read it. All of that said, Calculated Risks was very good.

Poor, poor Sarah having to deal with the closest members of her family without them remembering her. I don’t know if I could have coped, but she manages arguably better than anyone could be asked to. Especially given that they all have to deal with the stress of an alternate universe and basically zombies at the same time. I also believe I said in my Imaginary Numbers review that I wasn’t really affected by the Sarah/Artie romance… Calculated Risks made me feel it in-absentia. Sarah’s heartbreak during the 24-hours or so during which Artie does not remember her is palpable.

Artie during this whole thing is a giant jerk and is called out several times for it. Given how much time he and Sarah apparently spent together throughout their lives, I do not blame him one bit. I’m sure having such patchwork memories to deal with was awful. I do like that he eventually came around and it is very helpful to remember that Calculated Risks takes place over 48-hours so it’s not like there was a lot of time to process.

I like James a bit more now. Getting the little bits of time with him near the end reminded me that he’s a research nerd and maybe doesn’t have much of an outward personality, which isn’t a bad thing. I also think his rapport with Annie is pretty awesome. They really do feel very much like James took to being a Price quite quickly. I’m sure being stuck in a camper with Annie and the gang helped with that, but I really felt his whole thing here… if that makes any sense to anyone but me.

Annie was her loveable self throughout. I am glad we basically got to see how well-rounded she is as a person from both inside and outside perspectives. Sarah was definitely right when she called Annie “the flexible one.” Annie will always be my fave of the Price “kids.”

Finally, Mark. Hmm, he’s alright for a fully adult cuckoo. I quite like somewhat acerbic heart-of-gold type characters. Like, we know he’s inherently selfish, but not entirely so that works. I also definitely think he did a bit of a whammy on Annie, James, and Artie to make them more comfy around him, even if it was unintentional and not really addressed. I feel like Mark would be a good ancillary character to have around after this.

The story itself was mostly a bottle-episode focused on Sarah. I didn’t really feel much dread until the giant spiders started appearing, which was over halfway through the book. Aaand I don’t like giant spiders, not even Greg. I tried very hard not to think about Greg or the mantids and focus myself on Sarah and the other humanoids. Speaking of, we finally learn why the Prices are luckier than normal humans! That was fun, even if I can’t remember the name of the species their luck comes from. We do learn a but more about cuckoo brain-ology though. Seeing them pretty much from tiny to fully instar-ed out helped with that.

I’m glad Sarah basically found a way to de-cuckoo the cuckoos… or at least the kiddos who “made it” to the Iowa thingy. Hopefully they make a point of going about de-cuckoo-ing any others they can. I’m interested to see how the species is going forward.

So yeah, Calculated Risks is very emotionally heavy and should be read (in my opinion) in as few sittings as possible for full enjoyment. Really let those emotions sink in a burrow, man.

Favorite Lines

"And then it was said and Stated, as it always shall be, Never Split the Party!" - Aeslin Mouse

"Dumbledore was a dick," - Sarah Zellaby

"Sarah is my cousin, because  say so, and I'm the terrifying one." - Antimony Price

"Is that the correct plural?" I asked. "I thought it was 'mantids.'"

     "I don't think the correct plural is appropriate for me to use around children" - Sarah Zellaby and James Smith

 

Singing the Comic-Con Blues by Seanan McGuire 

Novella Included in Calculated Risks

I’m not overly fond of nine-years-ago Annie. She might be a quippy smart-alec but she’s also just straight-up mean. Seriously, the amount of Verity hate in the entire thing is egregious. Needs character development.

This novella was kinda cute, but not really satisfying. I mean, I would have liked to get an actual resolution to the siren, rather than just the “let’s talk in a few hours.” Sarah was adorable. Artie was there, being nervous, but largely just there. Much shrugging. 

Favorite Lines

"I am what happens when nerds are allowed to marry and thus produce even more nerds, like nerdiness squared, like what happens when Seymour from Little Shop is allowed to hook up with Jordan from Real Genius. And if you got both those references, odds are good that you're a nerd, too, which would explain why you're following this road trip of the damned." - Antimony Price

"Why? Are we expecting a visit from the normal people for some reason? I thought I was done with them when Artie graduated and they stopped trying to strong-arm me onto the PTA." - Jane Harrington

Foundation by Mercedes Lackey

A Spoiler Free Review

People always seem to talk about the next books they should read after Harry Potter. Or at least they used to. I think I might point them in the direction of Foundation. It might not be as “magical” strictly speaking as Harry Potter, but it’s a fairly nice school story, all told. Foundation was also a fairly good introduction to the world of Valdemar. Much better than The Mage Wars or The Last Herald Mage. I quite enjoyed it.

Reading the Valdemar books in chronological order the way I am made reading certain parts of Foundation interesting. Well, mostly the part about the vrondi. I immediately clocked what was going on with the foreigner Mage — who isn’t actually confirmed as a Mage in the story but, knowing what Vanyel tasked the vrondi with made it obvious. Also seeing how Valdemar seems to have forgotten that Mages are a thing is interesting. Kind of concerning, actually, but I’m sure that’s more of a “furture Valdemar” problem.

Moving on to characters; I thought Mags was an engaging protagonist. I like him and Dallen a lot. Dallen’s currently fighting Yfandes for the spot as my favorite Companion. Mags is also a good POV character as, despite living in Valdemar his entire life, he knows next to nothing about it or its customs. I probably learned more about Valdemar and how it works from Foundation than I did from any of the previous series or short stories.

I also like Lena and Bear, though they felt more tacked on after Mags spends a good chunk of the book with Lydia and her friends instead of Lena and Bear. But I liked them alright. Herald Jakyr… clearly a dude with attachment issues. I’m not sure what to say about him. I did like Herald Nikolas, though. He seems like an interesting man, especially as a King’s Own. Mind you, I’ve “experienced” all two of those in Shavri from The Last Herald Mage and Talia from The Heralds of Valdemar.

So yeah, I felt Foundation was really good as both a Valdemar novel and a school novel. Highly recommend to fans of either series or sub-genre.

Reap the Wind by Karen Chance

A Semi-Spoilery Review

I honestly found myself very frustrated with Reap the Wind. This largely has to do with how the entire book is structured, but also for a lot of the same reasons Cassie herself is frustrated. I rolled my eyes and actually shouted at the book at certain times. My semi-spoilery, detailed thoughts are below.

So… what exactly happens if you encounter past Pritkin and tell him what needs to happen in order to save his life? Are we even going to try that route or just keep with the jumping around and ambushing him? And, given how Reap the Wind basically ends on this front, why the fuck won’t the other Pythia’s listen to Cassie trying to tell them what the fuck is going on? I understand she’s kind of fucking with the timeline, but still, she’s ALSO a Pythia so why not give her a minute to explain herself? No one seems to want to TALK to each other in this universe. It’s frustrating as all get out.

I LIKE that Cassie is FINALLY learning about her powers from someone who knows shit about her powers. I LIKE the Cassie vs The Circle thing they have going on because Cassie’s got Rhea telling her shit. I LIKE that Cassie is sort of getting the house in order. Would like it more if she actually mananged to do so, but, ya know, chaos reigns in the Cassandra Palmer-verse.

I DISLIKE having the main storyline COMPLETELY SIDELINED to deal with Mircea’s crap. Doesn’t help that I’m not into reading sexy-times anymore and at least the first part of this chunk of story is Mircea/Cassie sexy-times. Kit was amusing, as he usually is, in my eyes. But still, put off that whole “GOTTA GET TO PRITKIN AND SAVE HIS LIFE” storyline and jump to “MIRCEA’S DOING MIND-SEX AND APPARENTLY WAR” thing. Though I am glad Cassie FINALLY realizes her relationship with Mircea is fucked up in ways she hadn’t thought of.

A big problem I’m having at this point in the Cassandra Palmer series is that Cassie has zero consistent confidants. Pritkin’s ostensibly been killed. Mircea doesn’t respect her and her bodyguards are ostensibly loyal to him, not her, unless they’re temporarily not because reasons. Jonas, it turns out, is selfish about her power and won’t help her unless she does what he sees as important. Not to mention his apparently Agnes grief he’s still working through, I guess. Rhea and the rest of Cassie’s “court” are too not-powerful/literal children. Tami is basically a glorified babysitter for Cassie’s “court.” The witches apparently fucked off after helping rescue the “court.” Even anyone in the “Ally” camp is dubious, at best. Cassie’s basically on her own, STILL, and that’s super frustrating to me.

So, while we’re jerked back into the “Saving Pritkin” part of the storyline, we get crazy faerie battles. Battles I didn’t really follow, by the way. Too much happening and once and not a good sense of where anything was. And then we have Pritkin dumping a bunch of lore on Cassie, who does very little dumping back. Would have been a perfect time to, I dunno, explain a shortened, non-spoiler version of why she was there in the first place, but no… just a big old Pritkin/Faerie lore dump interrupted by more incomprehensible faerie battle.

The ending of Reap the Wind is yet another of Cassie’s “I’m finally gonna battle a villain I have very little investment in aside from they’re the villain” battles. I mean, it was at least a bit more comprehensible then the faerie battles, but still… the final acolyte doesn’t even have a name as far as the narrative is concerned. It’s… uh… not a great look, really. I was unimpressed.

And finally, Dory and Cassie come face to face… which, ya know, I knew was coming because of Fury’s Kiss. Just really makes me want to shake Cassie, though. She knows absolutely nothing about Mircea in comparison to how much she should if they’re going to make an actual relationship work.

So yeah, I largely found Reap the Wind intensely frustrating. I had the thought at several points that I might drop the Cassandra Palmer series altogether at this point. However, I do have a copy of Ride the Storm waiting in the wings, so I’ll give it one more book, at least. Well, two, if you count Lover’s Knot, but the Dory books haven’t frustrated me as much as the Cassie ones do so… yeah.

Frostbitten and Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

A Spoiler Free Reread Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: May 12, 2022

Back on form with this one after the travesty that was Living With the Dead. I enjoyed this one so much I barely put it down. Elena’s gone through a lot of growth since Bitten, for which I am grateful. She’s much more enjoyable as a character now than she was at the beginning. I’m also glad her relationship with Clay has steadied and I’m sure motherhood did some good, too.

The plot was rather bog-standard, really, but I felt like it was lifted by Elena having to work through some issues during it. Also the addition of the new supernatural race was good. Always nice to see world building even this late in the series run.

Really my only complaint about this book is the cover. The one with Elena and a wolf on the front with the blue-grey background. God awful coloring on her hair. It’s muuuuch too yellow. Bugs me so much.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the lack of child-focus. This is the first book after Elena had the twins, so I think I was expecting them to have more focus than they did, maybe even be part of the overall plot somehow… cuz that’s how it tends to go in series where the main character has a child. This was not the case. Sure, the twins were mentioned and Clay and Elena talked to them on several occasions, but there wasn’t any “motherly instinct” crap that can often bog down stories about mothers. I found that refreshing. 

 

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

A Spoiler Free Reread Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads: May 19, 2022

In all honesty, the ending of this book makes much more sense (as in has actual lead-up) if you’ve read the short stories/novellas in Armstrong’s anthology catalogue. Even though this is my second read of the book, I didn’t remember what happened, and so actually spent some of the book wondering when … was going to show up. That’s all I’ll say about that though. Highly recommend reading those anthologies in chronological order though.

Anyway, Waking the Witch is perfectly serviceable as a mystery novel. The supernatural stuff is largely incidental. Definitely better than Living With the Dead, though. More entertaining.

I do feel the need to mention that, at the time I’m rereading this, the overwhelming whiteness of this series is poking at me. Poked at me real hard when Savannah offhandedly remarks on her independently wealthy status. Hope and Lucas are really the only main characters in the series who aren’t white, but they’re also ridiculously wealthy (even if Lucas likes to pretend he isn’t)… the privilege is rearing its head in my consciousness this time around. Doesn’t stop me from enjoying The Women of the Otherworld, but it’s definitely on my mind.