Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Me, Siobhan, and Jessica are planning to read Along the Razor's Edge, and presumably the followups The Lessons Never Learned & From Cold Ashes Risen...

But our schedule is iffy... and prone to delays, with Siobhan's other reading and life schedule... and my own...

So we made a Book Club thread (which I was super late on doing)...

I think we'll finally start this week... meant to start last week...

So yea... last week didn't happen... I read all the BRs I had scheduled for the Mystery thread, tho...

Started Jade City today...

So I'm caught up on the stuff I'm not SUPER behind on (like Shadows of the Apt)

Siobhan/my plans to read The Grey Bastards starting today-ish, might throw another wrench in the works tho...

So I'm just waiting for some responses :D (Siobhan left a message/question for Jessica in the invite thread 5 days ago)

Sorry I didn't notice you'd started this thread!
I will start whenever you want on this one.
Did you see a thread for Grey Bastards yet?

Siobhan wrote: "Sorry I didn't notice you'd started this thread!
I will start whenever you want on this one.
Did you see a thread for Grey Bastards yet?"

I asked for one, but haven't seen it yet

Chris wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Sorry I didn't notice you'd started this thread!
I will start whenever you want on this one.
Did you see a thread for Grey Bastards yet?"

I asked for one, but haven't seen it yet"

Just put it up :)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Aw thanks Jenna! ☺️

Siobhan wrote: "Aw thanks Jenna! ☺️"

You're welcome :)

You commented just as I lay down last night… didn’t feel like getting up just to type no :D

Probably gonna start all my BRs soon and loop between then… 66% thru Jade City, then jump between this and Grey Bastards…

Thanks, Jenna.

BTW, I read this trilogy last year. It's great stuff. Nothing like his Mortal Techniques series. Which is also great, just different.

I've only read Never Die, which was like a samurai allegory?

Timelord Iain wrote: "I've only read Never Die, which was like a samurai allegory?"

Yes, that was it. It's the first in the Mortal Techniques series of standalones.

Second was Pawn's Gambit

Third is coming out next month: Spirits of Vengeance. I have an ARC I'll start after Grey Bastards probably.

I didn't realize that was part of a series...

Timelord Iain wrote: "I didn't realize that was part of a series..."

They're standalone. He says you could read in any order as they're set in the same world but not directly sequential.

Chapter 1: Lots of foreshadowing, lots of descriptions of pain and misery... at least we know things are going to happen to make things better...

Chapter 4: (view spoiler)[Maybe I've just seen too many books/movies with interrogations/torture, but I'm pretty sure the Warden just wanted to get the MC in the habit of answering questions before getting to real questions... (hide spoiler)]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Chapter 1: Lots of foreshadowing, lots of descriptions of pain and misery... at least we know things are going to happen to make things better..."

Yeah! (view spoiler)[ It's strange this kind of 1st person narration because we already know she survives the pit, and burns it down or whatever. That seems like a big spoiler to a story, but this story must be very much journey before destination! XD (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6: (view spoiler)[Until she bribed the brute, I hadn't really seen anything out of the MC to indicate she was gonna get out of the pit through anything but blind luck... maybe she'll display more intelligence/cunning, yet... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 12: There's such a thing as too much foreshadowing, I think...

It's like the MC keeps taunting us with all the things she knows that we don't... reverse dramatic irony...

It doesn't help that I'm unclear if the trilogy is about escaping the pit, or also what the MC keeps hinting comes afterwards...

Chapter 20: The book has long since exceeded my "foreshadowing threshold"... but if I ignore that, the story is getting more and more interesting as it progresses... (view spoiler)[even as it's sad to watch the MC and her childhood friend's friendship deteriorate out of stubbornness and true betrayal... (hide spoiler)]

Through chapter 5 and the "foreshadowing" (a bit too blunt to even fit this literary device for me) is already annoying me! But (view spoiler)[ I like Eskara, she's brave and bold. I keep forgetting she's so young. Your point about chapter 4 is totally right. It was obvious to us before she realised! (hide spoiler)]

Maybe foreshadowing is the wrong word, but whatever it's called it definitely has worn out it's welcome...

I think I referred to it as reverse dramatic irony at one point... it's like the MC is rubbing the future knowledge in our faces... it's almost as annoying as knowing things the MC doesn't and watching them do bad things as a result...

Hopefully you can enjoy it despite the irritating "foreshadowing"... I'm trying to... I'll probably want to read all 3 books to see how it plays out, but I probably won't be pushing you guys to hurry up and continue :D

Probably finish today, once my audiobook player finishes charging...

Hahah it is almost that annoying!! 🤣

I'll continue as long as the next books aren't too expensive. I like to wait for a 99p deal xD

I was surprised when I finished the book

On the one hand, it ended right where I expected it to... on the other, it ended right when it felt like the book was going to "get good"... (view spoiler)[with them escaping the pit, and Eskara's friend betraying her and dying and killing her regretful first sexual partner... (hide spoiler)]

There's also clearly going to be so many twists and turns to come in the next book... considering (view spoiler)[Eskara shunned the guy that killed her childhood friend, but mentioned so many future memories of them working together... (hide spoiler)]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Chapter 6: [spoilers removed]"

Chapter 7 according to my ebook (feel like me and Iain are discussing the same things with different chapter labels 😂) (view spoiler)[ I really liked the gambling scene! She's so rash and foolish but it somehow paid off. I like that she gave the big guy bread to fight for her. "If a jobs worth doing it's worth hiring someone to do it properly" 😆 (hide spoiler)]

I'm well-known for slightly incorrect chapter numbering :D

Haha! XD

Sorry I've been so slow with our buddy reads! I'm still chipping away at them.

I'll be around when you have time...

Timelord Iain wrote: "I was surprised when I finished the book

On the one hand, it ended right where I expected it to... on the other, it ended right when it felt like the book was going to "get good"... [spoilers remo..."

I feel like it ended where it was just getting good too! Not that it wasn't good, but it felt like one long prologue. (view spoiler)[ I feel like the story is just starting now they're free! I liked the twist of Joseph getting killed there. I feel like she's told us so much that nothing would be a surprise! (hide spoiler)]

Yup... I'll be around when you have time to continue... altho I'd liked to do Lot Lands first... already have True Bastards loaded and waiting... I'll pick this one up when the time comes...

I'm not in a rush to buy this next book, I'll be waiting for a good deal!

the ebooks are on KU... but audio is still full price...

I don't have KU sadly :( and I already had a free trial a few months ago.

ah... bad assumption there, I guess...

KU can be gotten for nearly half price in US, using sales found online... gotta pay for 2 years tho... I picked it up for the read and listen titles and because it let's me get whispersync discounts on audible if I checkout the ebook and buy the audiobook... gets me audiobooks for $2-$7

KU is about £8 a month here, which isn't bad, but it's just not worth it for me when I own 500 books to read! 😂

Guess it makes more sense once you work your way through your backlog :D

You seem to be doing a better job at sticking to your owned pile than I generally do... eventually I reach a point where nothing I have waiting seems interesting anymore, and I start searching for new stuff...

The perennial problem...

Don't think I'm too good! I definitely buy about 3 more Kindle books a week 🙈