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Kypriotha and
westernsunset , this is my favorite Tortall series because Kel is the heroine I relate to the most and I find the character development to be the best in this series.
I just have too many thoughts on this series, so I’ll break my thoughts down like I did with SOTL and the Immortals quartet.
First Test-To address the elephant in the room, I always understood Jon’s decision to place Kel on probation so I never hated him for it the way some fans did. Jon having to make these sorts of painful and pragmatic political decisions is part of what makes him a more compelling character to me as an adult than when he was younger. The adult Jon has to make difficult choices and that is super interesting to me.
-I also think that this scene really highlights Jon’s ability to read people accurately. (Jon’s greatest strengths as a leader in my opinion seem to be his ability to inspire and read people.) My impression is that he understands–perhaps even better than Wyldon does–how much honor motivates Wyldon and that’s why he ties Wyldon’s decision on whether Kel can remain after her probation to Wyldon’s honor. Jon understands that Wyldon’s honor will force him to keep Kel if she meets the terms of their agreement, and I believe that is a big part of why he consents to the probation. That fits in well with Wyldon’s comment to Kel in the third book about how it was ultimately his honor that made him keep Kel at the end of her probation.
-All that being said, I do totally get why Alanna is absolutely infuriated about Jon’s decision to allow Kel to be put on probation. That’s got to feel like a slap in the face from one of her oldest friends–a betrayal of her and everything she’s devoted her life to trying to accomplish. Her reaction makes complete sense for the passionate person that she is.
-I do love Kel’s parents so much. They are very supportive of her and leave the choice of what to do up to her after giving her good advice to think before deciding.
-Kel’s scene where she rescues the kittens shows how from early on she is determined to protect the small (even if it gets her in over her head and puts her in situations she’s not yet mature enough to handle) and fight bullies. Fits very well with her character arc throughout the series.
-I do like Anders in his role as big brother. You can feel the love behind the advice that he gives to Kel. Some of it (about not being a showoff) is good. Some of it (being silent about bullying) is less great and indicative of the problematic culture that surrounds bullying in the pages’ wing. Speaking out against bullying–reporting it to those who have the power to stop it–should be lauded, not treated as a terrible character flaw or weakness. It is really horrible how otherwise good characters have this massive blind spot that prevents them from seeing how reporting bullying is a strength, not a weakness. Definitely a mindset of a culture that glorifies violence too much. I harp on this so much because I think it is important that young people be encouraged to speak up about any bullying they may be experiencing rather than told that it is shameful to speak up. People already get too much of that message about it being shameful to speak up without it being allowed to exist largely unchallenged in the Kel books.
-I wasn’t a big fan of having Zahir’s objection to Kel being her lack of a veil because it seems to me that living in the palace for years he would be used to seeing women who aren’t wearing veils. I don’t know why his objection to Kel couldn’t have been just that he (like Joren, Wyldon, etc.) doesn’t believe women have a place in combat. It just felt uncomfortably stereotypical and not really logical to have Zahir make that comment about veiling.
-Neal’s clash of wits with Wyldon is hilarious. Love how they constantly goad one another throughout the series.
-The destruction of Kel’s room and the writing on her wall are very touching and realistic.
-I like the Shang warriors. They have very distinct personalities and nourish Kel’s talents.
-I do appreciate Wyldon’s more hands-on approach to training compared to what we saw from Duke Gareth in SOTL. In that way, I do think (heresy, I know) that Wyldon might have actually been a superior training master to Duke Gareth. Of course, I will note in Duke Gareth’s defense that because King Roald was terrible at delegating, Duke Gareth was stuck with too many duties: training master, King’s Champion, and Prime Minister. It’s a marvel that the stress didn’t kill him.
-Kel’s inner torment about not standing up to Joren and his gang the first time she sees them picking on another page always is very poignant to me. That guilt about being a bystander is an extremely believable emotion for me.
-Seaver’s shame about being rescued and about being bullied that is turned into anger at Kel for saving him makes absolute psychological sense to me. It’s terrible but it definitely feels spot on.
-Neal’s backstory of training as a page because his brothers died and he felt he had to out of a duty to the family name was heartbreaking. Gives Neal a depth beyond his irony that I appreciate.
-Neal’s relationship with Baird also works very well for me. Baird comes across as knowing how to handle Neal’s dramatics and willing to allow Neal to make his own decisions. Most people probably wouldn’t know how to handle a child like Neal but Baird does, so hats off to Baird.
- Kel’s lecture about how they have to stand up against bullies now and not just wait until when they are knights to start protecting people is always a powerful one for me. She really does bring a fresh voice to the pages’ wing in that regard. Preach on, sister.
-While I still have reservations about fighting and violence being treated as the answer to bullying (since in the real world of zero tolerance policies that probably just leads to being suspended from school), I do appreciate that this time Kel is fighting individually or in a group against Joren and his group. It makes Joren seem a worse villain than Ralon and makes it clear that Joren isn’t in any way being bullied (while it could be argued that Jon’s gang excluding Alanna sometimes bullies Ralon). Overall, I do think the treatment of bullying has improved from SOTL and to POTS. It seems a bit more of a mature outlook. I also should say that I do appreciate that these books deal with bullying. Many teenagers face bullying and can be inspired by how a girl like Kel overcomes it with the help of her support group.
-Myles frustrates me because on one hand he seems to be the lone adult voice of reason realizing that all this hazing stuff is rotten at its core but on the other he doesn’t do enough to oppose the bullying. He knows it exists and that it is wrong but doesn’t make an effort to really end it. That’s a big reason why I can’t see Myles as this uncomplicated good character the way many can. To me, he knows an evil exists and doesn’t do anything to stop it. In some ways, that’s worse than not realizing the evil exists. He offers a critique of traditional chivalry which is needed but in many ways his critique is confined to his words and doesn’t extend to his actions. I need more action and less sarcasm from Myles, basically. Sarcasm is fun but it is ultimately pretty hollow for those who live the nightmare of bullying every day.
-I can’t believe I made it this far without mentioning Prince Roald. I love him and think that he handles being Crown Prince better than Jon does at a comparable age. I think he shows a wisdom and diplomatic instincts beyond his years in making sure that he sits with a different group of pages every night. I also admire the subtlety of how he supports Kel–calling her by her name when nobody else except Neal was, joining her and Neal to study from the beginning, and then getting Kel that Midwinter present that looked like Peachblossom that shows he does have some sense of humor after all. I just love respectful, quiet people who try to be fair. The world always needs more people and leaders like that.
-Kel’s fear of heights speaks to me since I also hate heights. You can find me on a plane, for instance, because I’m white-knuckling my armrest and closing my eyes during takeoff. I felt her humiliation on the palace ramparts and later when it came to climbing that terrible tree every day. Facing a fear of heights is not easy.
-The hunt for the spidrens with the Own is fun. I especially appreciate that in Qasim we have a Bazhir who has no problem with Kel being a girl in combat and just treats her as he would a boy. Makes a refreshing contrast with Zahir. I also think he is given a good amount of personality for a minor character when he feeds Kel’s sparrows. I’ve got a soft spot for Qasim, what can I say?
-I like to see Raoul as a commander. Even in the small glimpses we get of him in this book, he has a different leadership style than Wyldon, and it’s interesting to see that.
-The final confrontation with the spridens is chilling (spidrens creep me out) and I do love how the references we got to Seaver’s father being killed by spidrens paid off in the climax of the book. It is understandable and heartbreaking how Seaver wants revenge for his father’s death even if it could have gotten killed. So many of Kel’s friends have backstories that make them believable.
-Wyldon allows Kel to stay, and even though I predicted that from the beginning of the book, it always has a dramatic weight that works for me as a resolution. I also just love how Kel runs down the hallway shouting for her friends when she gets that news. Just emphasized how she went from being an outcast to someone with friends who deeply cared about whether she was allowed to stay at the end.
Page-I do love how Kel rescues Jump. She is totally the person who would have a rescue dog.
-Kel’s decision to take Lalasa as a maid is also very true to her character. She doesn’t really need a maid and she doesn’t exactly have the money for one, but she takes Lalasa on to try to protect Lalasa.
-It was mentioned last book but more attention was drawn to it here that Zahir stopped participating in the bullying. It’s nice to see someone outgrowing the bullying and realizing that it is indeed a stupid waste of time that could be devoted to be better things than tormenting people. Not all bullies remain bullies for life, and Zahir seems to be a good example of that.
-When Kel saves Owen and he sticks around to fight too endeared Owen to me forever. I also just love how fiercely loyal to her he is after that. I love that kind of wild courage in a character especially since he was on the verge of sticking up to Wyldon on her behalf before she nudged him into silence. Owen is just so brave and loyal I have to admire him.
-Speaking of Wyldon, I should probably say that it frustrates me how he blames Kel for the fighting in the pages’ wing instead of the bullies who are the true root of the problem. It’s just aggravating how it never seems to click for him that if he put a stop to the bullying, the fighting would end too. It’s like watching someone who can’t see the forest for the trees and keeps getting lost in the woods because of that or who continually adds two and two together to equal five but can’t figure out where the math is wrong. Come on, Wyldon. Be smarter than that. Please.
-Seeing all the pages band together to stop Joren and company’s annoying Midwinter pranks was awesome and epic. Of course, I appreciate it any time Joren is put in his place.
-The bandit fight truly shows Kel’s potential as a commander, and I also love how Owen stands up for Kel to Wyldon when she is throwing up after the battle. I just appreciate characters who are willing to speak the truth to power and it pleases me how whenever Owen stands up to Wyldon it always involves Kel. Wyldon needs someone to call him out when he is being unfair, and Owen is that person. Love it.
-I really enjoy that scene where Raoul and Kel meet briefly and they discuss everything from bandits to bullying. It slots Raoul into that sort of mentor role and shows his enduring interest in her training.
-I do like all the changes Wyldon makes to the training program after the bandit fight. Shows Wyldon is very much thinking about the training he gives and trying to improve it. Shame he just has this blind spot a mile wide when it comes to bullying and also to girls in combat.
-Vinson is scum for how he assaults Lalasa, and Lalasa’s account of the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her own family is truly heartbreaking.
-Not really a fan of Lalasa being forced by Kel to learn how to fight. I loved seeing Lalasa grow from a timid maid to a confident businesswoman, but I wish that learning how to fight had never been part of her transformation. She can still be a strong woman without learning how to fight, teaching her how to fight reminds me too much of the assault advice that women get where if we don't learn how to defend ourselves we are to blame for whatever befalls us (advice I wholeheartedly disagree with), and her learning to fight didn't really impact the plot since she still gets kidnapped at the end of the book anyway. To me, we got some unpleasant implications for no real reason, which is a shame since I love most of what Tammy did with Lalasa's character. I just wish she had never been made to learn how to fight. Kel should have just respected her wishes with that.
-I did love Kel nourishing Lalasa’s talent as a seamstress, however, and how Lalasa takes on an almost big sister role in Kel’s life when it comes to the changes associated with puberty such as growing breasts and the monthly torture that is a period.
-Kidnapping Lalasa to prevent Kel from attending the page trials is so cold-hearted and calculating that it really elevates Joren from a mere child villain to an adult villain for me. This to me is his point of no return.
-Wyldon’s interactions with Kel at the end of the book always touch me. How he wants Lalasa’s kidnapper brought to justice comes through to me and so does that sense that he appreciates for the first time just how resilient a person Kel is and is sort of mystified by that. When he talks to Kel about how she shouldn’t be surprised if a knight doesn’t choose her right away read to me like he is trying to give her good advice for the first time from a standpoint of genuinely caring about her welfare. I also like that he sort of wryly admits that he won’t try to predict what will or won’t happen to her in the future because so far she has proven him wrong on every count. That’s a big epiphany for him to finally have and I think it speaks to his growing respect for her. He still has a lot of growth to do over the next two books but he is on his way to enlightenment. That is pretty much all I need to consider this a happy ending.
Squire -The scene with the Chamber early on really sets the tone of how the menace of the Chamber will always be in the background throughout this book, reminding us of how Kel will have to enter it and emerge from it battered but triumphant at the end.
-Always love the banter between Neal and Kel.
-Raoul is the perfect knightmaster to Kel. He really builds her potential as a leader. I think he offsets Wyldon well as a mentor figure, and they both end up teaching Kel different but important things. He really shines in this book since he gets to fill a major role.
-I enjoy Dom as a character. I know some find him a bit too much like Neal, but I find the differences in their temperament–Neal so dramatic and Dom much calmer–interesting. I do agree that Dom could have been allowed to have more flaws as a character. He does at times seem on the cusp of being too perfect, which is probably why I try to show some of his flaws when I write about him in my fanfiction. I do appreciate how he takes Kel under his wing from the start, giving her advice and food when she needs it. I also like how he just accepts and respects her from the beginning. And he makes every scene he is in amusing. I give bonus points for that.
-I love Lerant’s backstory: how he suffers for Delia’s treason and how Raoul saves him in a way that sort of echoes how he saved Kel. I also found it believable how he felt his position was threatened by Kel’s arrival. I love it when minor characters have so much depth in motivation and backstory.
-Qasim continues to be great, teasing Kel about her flying when she tilts with Raoul.
-I do appreciate how Joren’s trial, which should be a cathartic moment of him being brought to justice, instead is turned into an opportunity to emphasize the injustice inherent in a feudal society.
-Wyldon shutting Joren down by telling Joren in front of the entire court that Kel earned the right to stay more than any lad is an underrated Wyldon moment. I think this moment is so rewarding for me because we know how long it took Wyldon to reach it. Of course Joren does all he can to ruin it but he can’t take this moment away from me or Kel.
-The thought of Raoul telling Kel stories of his childhood adventures in the pages’ wing with the king and Alanna is just adorable.
-Cleon’s relationship with Kel works for me in an adolescent first-love, flirting way but not in a serious way. Glad they didn’t end up together since they didn’t seem like a couple meant to get married or have a family together. They were just meant to have some fun together, and in the end, that is what they did.
-It is so satisfying to see the Chamber inflict the sort of suffering on Vinson that he did to Lalasa and other women. The Chamber as a harsh agent of justice works for me in a chilling but somehow righteous way.
-Joren’s death in the Chamber feels a bit like a deus machina for me. I would have preferred that he failed his Ordeal and then had to watch Kel become a knight. I think he should have been forced to see Kel become a knight and also that Kel should have been allowed the narrative satisfaction of destroying Joren herself. Joren has been built up as a villain so much that it is disappointing to not have the reward of Kel ultimately defeating Joren rather than the Chamber.
-Wyldon’s resignation makes sense (even though it does make me sad) and his conversation with Kel about it is just about all I could have ever asked from this series. I love how Wyldon flat-out acknowledges to Kel that he was harder on her than on anyone else and how close he came to not allowing her to stay even though she had met all the conditions of her probation. I also love that Kel doesn’t respond with some sort of empty assurance that what he did was okay (because it wasn’t) but just says that she’s learned so much from him and that he’s the kind of knight she wants to be. Then it hits me right in the feels when he responds that he’s not but that it’s the best compliment he’ll ever receive that she thinks that. There is just a lot of honesty and respect between these two characters despite their complicated past that gets acknowledged rather than swept under a carpet. I am so here for this narrative pay-off and character development. If you had told me early on in this series that I’d be watery-eyed when Wyldon retired, I wouldn’t have believed you but here we are.
-Kel playing matchmaker for Wyldon and Owen is delightful. I should think Wyldon and Owen as a knightmaster-squire pairing is asking for trouble, but I actually like it in an opposites attract sort of way and I think they have just enough in common in terms of courage and honesty to work.
-Kel’s reflections on duty before her Ordeal are always poignant to me and most of her Ordeal is the stuff of nightmares, but I would prefer if she didn’t get the vision of Blayce at the end. I liked that Kel wasn’t a divinely-touched or prophesied character in any way since that is rare in fantasy, and I don’t think she ends up needing the vision as a motivation to take down Blayce in the next book. Her internal drive to rescue her refugees is strong enough to bring her after Blayce that she doesn’t need the vision at all.
Lady Knight-Raoul and Kel’s relationship continues to be wonderful. Love how he is so furious at her for asking if she can enter the Chamber a second time. Always makes me chuckle.
-Tobe, the abuse he has suffered, and his abandonment issues touch me. I just want to wrap him in a hug.
-Neal and Baird’s relationship also continues to be great. It is amazing to see Baird return Neal’s banter and then tell him that he better not hear Neal call Wyldon the Stump while he is under Wyldon’s command. Baird doesn’t take any of Neal’s disrespect, and I love it.
-I like seeing that Owen has matured but is still essentially the same enthusiastic Owen we know and love.
-I enjoy the scene where Wyldon asks Kel to command the refugee barracks and she is very open with him about her concerns and he doesn’t respond with ordering her to do anything. He just takes her on the tour of the refugee barracks and knows that will be enough to change her mind. The tour of the barracks also does a great job showing how Wyldon unlike most nobles is comfortable in the dirt and the cold as long as he is doing his duty to defend people. Shows that at his core Wyldon actually has quite a lot in common with Kel, and I think that’s why they ultimately reach a point where they understand each other very well.
-I do like that the story acknowledges how awkward it might be for Merric to have someone his age in command of him. He respects her and that is clear in the text but he also sometimes finds it difficult to accept that she is in charge. It’s very believable to me.
-I am happy to see Dom and his squad again when Kel takes command of Haven.
-There is a depth to the portrayal of the convicts that I like. They have broken the law but they aren’t necessarily bad people and they don’t deserve to be treated abusively. Adds some complexity to the story that I appreciate.
-The description of Haven’s destruction is very moving to me. I definitely hear the echoes of the 9/11 trauma in how it is written.
-When Neal and Wyldon both say the same thing to Merric (that he didn’t let them down in the defense of Haven), it does add a moment of needed levity to have them be appalled at having the same thought as the other.
-The killing devices are truly the stuff of nightmares. It’s not enough to kill the children; they must be turned into weapons as well. Horrifying.
-Blayce being so small when Kel slays him really emphasizes how it can be the ordinary looking people that are the most evil. A villain doesn’t have to seem impressive to inflict a tremendous amount of damage, and sometimes it is the seemingly normal people that do the most damage to the world. Glad that this book touches on that by calling attention to how normal Blayce appears.
-Wyldon kissing Kel on the forehead and saying he is honored to know her is all I need to end this series. Just feels like we have come full circle in a great way.
-I appreciate that the story ends with Kel being single and maybe having a crush on Dom (at least she is looking forward to seeing him again). It is good to have a series where the heroine isn’t in a relationship but is focusing on her career for fulfillment. Shows that women don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy. It also just feels very modern and feminist.
Maybe once we'd have seen it during Smackdown!
Nov 4, 2021 5:04:36 GMT 10
Maybe once we'd have seen it during Smackdown!
Nov 4, 2021 5:04:36 GMT 10