I Just Finished Reading Realm Of The Gods And.

i just finished reading realm of the gods and.

first of all it was a fucking incredible book. just. 10/10 no notes (you will see that this post does continue so actually i have many notes but still). the pacing is always so delightful in that we never spend too much time getting from place to place or on the things that don't matter. the characterizations were so consistent and so delightful. the dialogue was. god. i love the dialogue in these books so much.

and the thing that most surprised me was.

look.

i'm not like, wild, about numair and daine. i do think the age gap is still a little weird, but the fact that it's so extreme and the way they interact earlier in the book makes me think that this wasn't planned from the beginning, that ms. pierce just saw their characters evolving along that path and went with it.

and the thing is, it does work. daine has always been an incredibly self contained character who stands on her own so well. she has companions and friends but she's not so deeply involved with them as alanna, for instance. we see an example of this in the fact that she nearly gives up the mortal realm to keep her word. she values her honor and integrity and the various things that make her who she is over her relationships. Allan would never consider keeping her word over her interpersonal relationships.

so daine, as a character who stands so well on her own, who is so down to earth and straightforward and determined, doesn't see the age gap as an issue. she likes numair, he likes her, and she doesn't care about what reputation she might have. she wouldn't even consider that he might be manipulating her and she very quickly dismisses the concept that she might not be experienced enough for him. it's clear to her that he knows what he wants and he's just getting his frippery in the way.

meanwhile, numair is worrying enough for the both of them and their grandmothers because he's an overthinker and cares more about daine that he does himself. he didn't see her like this from the beginning, but he also didn't singlehandedly raise her. he wasn't really her guardian–she hasn't quite had a relationship like that since her mother, because she didn't need one. he was a friend, who was older than her, and a mentor, but she didn't want a father or even an older brother out of him. he's never seen her in the light of a daughter either, only as a younger friend and then someone experienced and powerful and level with him in different areas.

i guess it was just surprising how little it bothered me, thanks to the way she handled it.

anyway.

Forever sad for the people in North America who didn't get the poetic titles for The Circle of Magic Quartet The Magic in the Weaving The Power in the Storm The Fire in the Forging The Healing in the Vine I remember moving to Canada, going to the library and shrieking internally when it was just "Sandry's Book" etc.

mini post bc i remembered

new month new book of the month

this month's book is the world for a shilling, which is nonfiction about the Great Exhibition in victorian london

fancy post to come

am still reading rosemary and rue

reread t kingfisher's boar and apples

rereading t kingfisher's summer in orcus

rereading scarlett gale's his secret illuminations (which i love) (did you know they did a drm-free audiobook)

thinking about poetry: mary oliver and sarah kay. also jerod anderson

you know what's making me insane? the thought that vimes used what VETINARI thought him to defuse the mob in night watch and vetinari learned it from watching him defuse that mob. like. that's insane. that's crazy to me. i dont even need to say anything, that's already poetic enough

"People as things, that's where it starts."

Carpe Jugulum (Discworld #23) - Terry Pratchett

Going Postal (Discworld #32) - Terry Pratchett

my favorite three creatures from The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Totally forgot that Maia should be loaded down with earrings, d'oh