Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for The Tide Child series by R.J. Barker starting February 14, 2022.

Thanks Niki

Darnit! I want to read these too! If I can squeeze I will join.

I will join in for this one.

Oooh, I want to join, but I'm not sure if I have time for it this month.

I am in

Thanks Niki!

You know @Em Lost when you stopped by my tracker to say hello, I really wanted to suggest a BR but had been outta touch so long I’m completely out of the loop about your reading plans and were hesitant if you would wanna… but but but… lookit here… the Luck Monkey strikes agn!

I tentatively started this one. Finished Ch. 2... (view spoiler)[ I remember now the style of writing this author has... It will definitely take a minute to acclimate to the story. So far, J is a young man condemned to death, and apparently those condemned so are put on a Black Ship, or Death ship, and are given a chance to win their lives back if they go and, I am guessing here, either fight for their country, or do something really beneficial to the country somehow. However, winning your life is obviously almost impossible and people on the ship pretty much just wait for death to take them... I am guessing the wind-talker or an equivalent, is not exactly human, or is a zombie, or something, not clear yet... I felt bad for the initial captain, since the lady took his position over so easily... I wonder if he is crippled somehow, since he keeps calling her lucky, not having been born imperfect... Interesting, let's see where it will lead us... (hide spoiler)]

Up to Ch. 6 (view spoiler)[ So, the two main characters so far are Lucky Meas and Joron Twiner. He is from the burned class not because he is a cripple, but because his mother died in childbirth, which marked him and his siblings as coming from weak blood, thus lowest class... What a horrible class system... And the creature that is supposed to somewhat control the wind is really not human, but some type of humanoid bird person, who in this case seems very temperamental... I want to know more about his race!

Otherwise, The Boneships give me the Robin Hobb vibe, made from the bones of dragons, which are supposedly extinct...

The crew, I would be sleeping with one eye open at all times, since none of them are trustworthy so far. Actually, I might not be sleeping at all if I was on Joron's place. And he needs to grow a bit of a backbone and stand up to them. I am not sure, but from what I gather, is he only 20 years old??? (hide spoiler)]

I am listening to the audio version of the book and enjoying it so far but I missed something. What does being a shipwife mean?

Ok, so in this world, apparently, they refer to ships as He, a male, and the captain of the ship is His (the ship's) wife. So Shipwife is the captain, doesn't matter male or female. And I went back and he did say Joron Twiner is 19 years old. Wow!

So in this world fertility is rare and many are born with deformities. Those women who have healthy children and those men who father them gain status in the community.
Up to Ch. 16... (view spoiler)[ I hate that sacrifice of the first healthy born child to the gods! I hate it! (hide spoiler)]

I like the new bodyguards:)

I really appreciate you giving me the info about the ship wife. I realized that I was missing too much by listening to the audio (the narrator's voice is kind of hypnotic) so I grabbed the print version at the library today.

After finishing chapter 6 earlier today I totally had (view spoiler)[ push, hey a push hey! (hide spoiler)] stuck in my head at work.

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[ I don't think that Joron is the best choice for shipwife and am glad that Lucky took over. At least the crew will get out of port and have a chance to do something even if their lives are short. (hide spoiler)]

I completely agree! Lucky has been trained to be a Shipwife, while Joron kind of fell into it, mostly because the crew decided that he is weak enough to let them do whatever they want and he couldn't stand up to them. I have a feeling that he is going to grow up quite a bit under her tutelage.

Yes, I think he will mature and be able to learn how a ship should be run. Not everyone can lead without training and it doesn't help if you are drunk all the time.

This does seem to be one f@#$ed up world though, doesn't it. I guess it is made up of ton of islands and something is distorting their genetics, because it is such a big deal to be a fertile female and have healthy kids... Which makes the tradition of (view spoiler)[ sacrificing the first healthy child of a healthy female to the Sea Hag that much more ridiculous! And those "kept" males, the ones who have fathered healthy children, become the nobles of the place, parading around in gaudy clothes and showcasing their "tool of fertility" ... Gag me!!! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10 (view spoiler)[ I am curious to find out more about the backstory of Meas. Something big and dramatic must have happened to have the people on the other boats turn their backs on her as her boat enters that harbor. (hide spoiler)]

Choko wrote: "This does seem to be one f@#$ed up world though, doesn't it. I guess it is made up of ton of islands and something is distorting their genetics, because it is such a big deal to be a fertile female..."

I agree with you that this is such a blood thirsty world. I also don't like that they hunt the dragons for their boats.

Me neither... It doesn't seem like they attack the boats unless they have been attracted... And I guess the bones eventually rot because they are fish-like bones? I haven't seen any mammal bones rot, or at least I have never heard of any...

Chapter 16 (view spoiler)[ How they treat women and children is so disgusting.

I found it really interesting that a tsunami was occurring when Meas was being committed. She seems destined for great things. I could see how these superstitious people would feel that it is a bad omen however. (hide spoiler)]

I love Meas' backstory! She truly is a legend! No wonder so many respect and hate her at the same time!

up to chapter 9
(view spoiler)[it was a rough start with so many new names but I'm getting the hang of it. I feel bad for joron but I can see he will grow up to be more outspoken and more of a leader thanks to Mea and I can't wait (hide spoiler)]

Choko (view spoiler)[I also thought he was a cripple with the way Joron talked of Mea being lucky and with a whole body. It took me a while to figured it out (hide spoiler)]

I agree with all of you with how hopefully joron will grow in the future. He doesn't know anything about how to run a ship so being with Mae will only help him, and make him stay sober

I think so too. He is not a bad sort, and I am starting to think that the singing and him hearing a "song" that others don't, are going to matter on the long run somehow...

If I had a mother and a sister like Meas has, I wouldn't need any enemies... Wow! Talk about family "love"....

Chapter 19 (view spoiler)[ After all their hard work all their stores got destroyed. At least they were able to get underway fairly quickly again.

I am hopeful that Joron will meet the Gaunt Islanders and find they are not bad people like he has been taught and everyone can work together for a better future, but who knows. (hide spoiler)]

Choko (view spoiler)[yeah, when I first heard the old woman ask him if he sang I immediately thought that him singing is important. Maybe he can control the wind or something like the windtalker because he said that they sang songs to do it (hide spoiler)]

Rachel (view spoiler)[And thankfully Maes didn't listen and put the cargo the last day

Yeah, me too, joron has too many prejudices. But I thought he would be more of a critic of the kept and berns after the way they treated his father and himself (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 24 (view spoiler)[ It broke my heart that the gullaime has collapsed and is possibly dead. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 25 (view spoiler)[ I hope to learn soon what it means for Joron to be called "caller" and I bet it has something to do with his singing. (hide spoiler)]

Finished! I really enjoyed this book but it is certainly not over. Will anyone be reading the next in the series as a BR?

I also want to read the whole series so a BR would be perfect, but not yet since I haven't finished

I am totally in for the whole series! I found it very strong and the story is very interesting, the only thing I wish the author had been able to do is to introduce some humor here and there. Whenever a story has such a dark and heavy feel, the best authors find ways to weave in something to lighten the mood here and there... Even dark humor would be fine, but something to give the reader a bit of a breathing space... That is my main complaint. Otherwise, very intriguing!

I agree about the humor but most of the books I tend to read are on the lighter side so I tend to find it best if I am reading a book like this to take a break and read a cozy mystery or Dresden and then come back. I also found that I was better at reading this in the morning rather than after work which was interesting.

Rachel, hm, that is a good idea! I read a ton of books, but I tend to read them one at a time, so once I tackle it, I don't let go. This one was not easy to read, because of its dark feel... I should start trying to take a break while reading and do some lighter reads to break up the tension... Good idea! I am going to try to do that:)

Finished!
(view spoiler)[yeah, I do think joron being called caller has something to do with singing. Maybe singing to the Keyshan to communicate as he has dreams that he was a Keynshan

I liked joron and how much he progressed throughout the book from being unable to make orders because he feared the crew to accept his place and having the crews faith. Meas was also awesome, how she is an incredible shipwife and has faith in joron and helps everyone

I do have to admit that the battle with all those ships was a bit confusing at times with the different names of the ships and how they approached each other but I think I got the gist of it (hide spoiler)]

I do read more than one book at a time but sometimes if I'm feeling in the mood I just rush through a book and I ignore the rest a bit

@ Paula (view spoiler)[ I agree that the battle was a bit confusing at times but I tend to feel that most battles are confusing so I just go with the flow (hide spoiler)]

Same here! But I loved the three main characters! I am actually excited to see where the story takes us. What do you guys say continue with book 2 in 3 weeks???

I am good with starting book 2 in 3 weeks. Whatever works best for you all!

Great!

Works for me too

Awesome! So we will be here again in three weeks:)))

Thru 65% and @whomever recommended this series to Hailee and somehow triggered the chain of events that led her to make a challenge page and dragged me into reading it like the tail of a comet (Hailee...get it??? #iloverottenpuns), to thee I give thanks! I found a new favourite author.

Ch 5 I immediately love Meas and if RJB does the expected thing and (view spoiler)[ kills her at the end of Book 1 to trigger a Joron revenge arch, I dunno what i will do. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 11-13 What sort of society is this? (view spoiler)[ How can they not see the extent of their barbarism and thoughtlessness/shortisighted? Killing children on both sides, killing dragons, making ships outta bone and torturing the gullaimes in the name of their own good? Why on earth would you want to blind your own birdmages????

2. Also are there no benign animals in this world? What's with ALL the creepy birds and fish???
It's still a compelling world and I like nautical settings. I liked the rubric of Skeariths Eye, Blind Eye and Bones being the sun moon and stars. I like ANYTHING to do with crone and hag magic.

3. BUT I ALSO WANT TO SEE THIS SOCIETY COME CRASHING DOWN and right now my sympathies are with the Gaunt Isalanders. I'm actually happy Meas is a traitor to her family and the aristocracy, if she's working to bring an end to this large scale idiocy. I just hope she lives. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 15 -17 (view spoiler)[ whats the bet the keel won't come loose at critical juncture?
Good, brisk setup scenes - the recruitment/reunion warmed the cockles of my varmint heart and Black Orris is HILARIOUS.
(hide spoiler)]

Ch 24 I like seeing Joron's (view spoiler)[ slow but irreversible transformation from a petulant souse (ok he's grieving and lost, and I give him that)...to D'keeper. He's a nice sympathetic MC but so far, he was nothing special to me until he started to overcome his revulsion and personal prejudice and start to genuinely care for the gullaime. Also, I dunno, it seems implausible given the ages but do you guys reckon Joron's hero worshipping of Meas may have a bit more to it? He seems very aware of whatever she is doing and saying, as if he is always watching. and he is always processing her actions, always working his mind on it. I dunno, I'd be scared, she'd prolly eat him alive and spit out his bones :D little kiddo. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 25 (view spoiler)[ :( but there is hope for this Dobby (hide spoiler)]

Ch 28 Whatta smart way Meas (view spoiler)[ neutralised Cwell and her little faction with the bonebore eggs. I like the little asides on people management. How she maneuvered the whipping for insubordination...badass! (hide spoiler)]

And yea of course Ch 24-25 (view spoiler)[ DRAAAAAGON AHOY! He did those scenes right. (hide spoiler)]

Now I've reached the part where (view spoiler)[ they're just about to attack the island with the towers and recharge the gullaime.
Also, note Joron, the oracle haggy char named him CALLER. so i guess there is some new magic we have not yet seen. excited for that...can't stop reading. It was actually hard to pause this for RW&RB and now im in the middle of two books i dont want to put down. WHAT A HAPPY DILEMMA I HAVE! :D *KICK* (hide spoiler)]

Choko wrote: "Awesome! So we will be here again in three weeks:)))"

Yeah, Hay and I planned to read this trilogy one a month to keep up with a channel readalong so I'll be here in April.

And hi Choc. We meet agn!

Zaara, then April it is! I am just happy to see you here:)

Zaara wrote: "Thru 65% and @whomever recommended this series to Hailee and somehow triggered the chain of events that led her to make a challenge page and dragged me into reading it like the tail of a comet (Hai..."

hahaha fun fact is my dad is really into astronomy and Halley's comet had a big part to play in my parents choosing my name...

I'm really glad you're loving it so much!! I'm only 4 chapters in but I have really enjoyed them.

Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ Lots of intriguing but unfamiliar terminology. And if Meas was the shipwife of some legendary ship what is she doing fighting for the captaincy of some unimportant ship of the dead. What did she do to lose the captaincy of the better ship. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 3: (view spoiler)[Meas is such a badass, can't wait to see more of her in action. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4: (view spoiler)[ The state of The Tide Child is a shame. If a dragon had to die to make it, the ship should be treated with more respect. I'm also really curious to find out more about corpselights. They keep being mentioned but I'm not sure I understand what they really are. (hide spoiler)]

Zaara wrote: "Yeah, Hay and I planned to read this trilogy one a month to keep up with a channel readalong so I'll be here in April.

And hi C..."

Ooops I completely forgot about book 2 in the vague TBR plan I shared with you lol. But I'll make sure I'm ready for book 2 in April.