Mic Breaks Only discussion

***Open discussion through Act II below, no spoiler marks needed. Be sure you have read through this page before reading! Note: if this is your first visit to this topic I recommend you read this post about discussion ideas, then skip down and post your initial response, then read and respond to other people's posts.***

At the very least check in here when you finish this section and tell us if you are enjoying the book. I'll post specific discussion ideas below, along with some general topics you'll see repeated throughout the book.

Mic Breaks discussions:

1) Do you think the necromancer/cavalier teams who have been assembled are competing with each other? If yes, who are Harrowhark and Gideon's biggest competition? If no, which teams do you believe will triumph together?

2) Where did Gideon come from?

3) Would you have another team meet their demise instead of the team that actually died?

General Discussions:

1) Share your favorite quote(s) from this section.

2) Share your favorite word(s) used in this section.

3) Do you have a favorite or most intriguing character at this point in the novel?

Location reminder

If you are returning to this topic after having continued past this section, here is a plot reminder:

After Harrowhark and Gideon succeed in a treacherous task they find two bodies at the bottom of a ladder.

GO!

Me and You and You and Me?
The necromancer/cavalier pairs from each House seem to be competing with each other. Even though quite a few of the teams know each other, they are keeping their cards close to their vest. I don't get a sense of cooperative effort or "we're in this together" thus far in the story. Harrow and Gideon's biggest competition is the Sixth House which includes necromancer Palamedes Sextus and Cavalier Camilla Hect. They already have an intriguing gold key and work together like a well-oiled machine. I'm also keeping a close eye on potential runner-up Dulcinea Septimus from the Seventh House, she is quite cunning and possibly uses her illness and purported frailty as a ploy and a distraction.

Origin Story
I think Gideon is an underestimated wunderkind. Maybe she is from the First House. She may be a special hybrid of a fighting necromancer and her magical powers have been overlooked by her wards in the Ninth House.

A Gruesome End
I was a huge fan of Manus Quinn and by default liked Abigail Kent because they were married. I would substitute the uncle and nephew duo from the Eighth House to die since they have been nearly excluded from the narrative at this point. I'm less attached, so they can die instead.

Favorite Quotes
"The shades of the Ninth were deep and shifty; they were bruise-coloured and cold."

"Crux advanced like a glacier with an agenda."

"I completely fucking hate you, because you are a hideous witch from hell. No offence."

"It was a skeleton party."

"She'll have glory squirting out each orifice."

"Harrow was a desiccated mummy of hate."

"Harrow was sprawled on a sofa spread with tattered brocade, robes abandoned, scrawny black-clad legs crossed at the ankles. In Gideon's mind she looked like an evil stick."

"The mayonnaise uncle was talking to the other anemic twin, his probable future bride."

Favorite Words
Thanergy, cloisterwoman, jollity, po-faced, catarrh, bockety leg, dropsical, migraine motes, coruscating light, and numbnuts.

Favorite Character
While Gideon is extremely entertaining, there is more to Harrow than meets the eye. Harrowhark's internal dialogue, motivations, and feelings have been omitted from the story because Gideon is such a feisty, opinionated narrator. I'm interested to find out more about Miss Nonagesimus - she is not just a capable necromancer.

1) Do you think the necromancer/cavalier teams who have been assembled are competing with each other? If yes, who are Harrowhark and Gideon's biggest competition? If no, which teams do you believe will triumph together?

I don't think they are competing, but, some could be interpreting it as a competition or find reason to make it so. First, the twins - there has been implication that 8 of the assembled participants could succeed and so they may think removing another participant is required. Second, the cavalier's may also have aspirations that we don't know about. Finally, someone may have knowledge about Gideon that could change their perspective on things.

I'm a bit suspicious of Dulcinea to be honest. It is hard to tell who may have an advantage as we haven't learned much about the individual necromancers skillsets.

2) Where did Gideon come from? I feel like she is a necromancer from the first. Nothing else quite makes sense but I couldn't begin to guess the circumstances for how she came to be with the 9th.

3) Would you have another team meet their demise instead of the team that actually died? Although they have been described in some detail I haven't really gotten attached to any of the houses outside the 5th. Just because I liked Magnus and wanted to know about Abigail it was a bummer that they died so abruptly.

General Discussions:

1) Share your favorite quote(s) from this section.

The shades of the Ninth were deep and shifty; they were colored and cold .

"I did offer him a stupendous work of a titty nature, and he got offended".

I could offer a bunch of Gideon's snarky quotes here, she is great. "I completely fucking hate you, because you are a hideous witch from hell. No offense."

Harrow was sprawled on a sofa spread with tattered brocade, robes abandoned, scrawny black-clad legs crossed at the ankles. In Gideon's mind she looked like an evil stick.

"I wanted one with a skull puking another, smaller skull, and other skulls flying all around. But tasteful, you know?"

The man who'd put the sword to her neck was uncomfortably buff. He had upsetting biceps. He didn't look healthy; he looked like a collection of lemons in a sack.

2) Share your favorite word(s) used in this section. I'm keeping that secret for now, I might have a fun game or puzzle using them later.

3) Do you have a favorite or most intriguing character at this point in the novel? Gideon followed closely by Harrow.

OVERALL

Really loving the book. Info is meted out slowly and there is a LOT of mystery, but it all makes sense from Gideon's perspective. I struggle to keep the other participants straight, I almost wish their house numbers were referenced more regularly. I can't wait to hop in and continue.