Romance Lovers for the Challenge-Impaired discussion

The Assassins of Altis (The Pillars of Reality #3) by Jack Campbell

Trapped within the dead city of Marandur, Master Mechanic Mari and Mage Alain must escape both merciless barbarians and the pitiless Imperial Legion. Beyond those dangers lie the mightiest and most unforgiving powers in the world of Dematr: the Great Guilds that rule the world with iron fists.

Mari's Mechanics Guild and Alain's Mage Guild have always been enemies, but they are united in wanting to kill their rogue members before Mari can fulfill the ancient prophecy of being the one who will finally overthrow their power. Mari and Alain must risk those dangers because halfway across their world lies a place where truth has long been hidden. A place that could explain why their world's history begins abruptly, with no hints of what came before. A place where they might learn how the Mechanics Guild came to control all technology and how the Mages manage to alter reality temporarily. A place that might tell them how to achieve a task that appears to be impossible.

Never before have a Mage and a Mechanic worked together, and their combined talents offer their only hope. But she and Alain must first survive the deadly and implacable Assassins of Altis.

Join us in June for this "buddy read".

Please note: This is book 3 and may contain spoilers for books 1 and 2.

Reserved.

I'm in!

I'm in.

I started this.

I'm on chapter 3
Have you noticed that Alain's mage skills are useless?
He either can't use them because there are mages around and will notice him if he does or when he uses them he gets so drained and tired that he can't even walk! What's the point of being a mage if they can't use their power all the time? !

I agree, his character is set up in such a way that it makes Mari look better/stronger/more capable by comparison.

Chapter 4
(view spoiler)[
I thought Asha showing up was suspicious but it seems she is genuine and truly sees Alain and Mari as friends. (hide spoiler)]

Have you started?

Chapter
(view spoiler)[
Wtf ? Mara?
I was wondering about the good looking woman thing that kept coming up but this....
I'm guessing she's going to find out about her parents (hide spoiler)]

ShoSho wrote: "Have you started?"

Yes, I'm in ch4 now.

Again with the mom thing! Gah! I want to shake Mari so bad!

ShoSho wrote: "Chapter 4."

(view spoiler)[I'm glad Asha is trying to be more like Alain and is starting to reject the " wisdom" she was taught. I wonder who she stayed behind to help... I found it interestin that she also has a tie to Mari. I wonder if any mage can form a connection to anyone or if there is something special about Mari that makes it possible. (hide spoiler)]

*hee hee* "transmiter of love" LOL

Ch. 11 (view spoiler)[ I'm not happy with the wedding. I don't like how Mari handled things. It felt manipulative to me. If it had been the other way around she would have thrown a fit. (hide spoiler)]

Gisela wrote: "Ch. 11 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[
I completely agree with you. Poor Alain!
If she wanted to have sex they didn't have to be married. But this getting married before sex happens in a lot of YA books. Some kind of message to teenagers reading the books perhaps?

Apparently the more connection the mages have the stronger they get.Alain could get power because he established an emotional connection to her mother. This is reminding more and more of the psy. (hide spoiler)]

ShoSho wrote: "Gisela wrote: "Ch. 11 [spoilers removed ..."

(view spoiler)[ Yes, but despite all that, Alain still seems pretty weak to me. I want him to create a Roc or something to help them travel. For all that I love The Lord of the Rings, I'm not really a fan of hunted/on-the-run tropes. After a while it seems repetitive. (hide spoiler)]

Gisela wrote: "ShoSho wrote: "Gisela wrote: "Ch. 11 [spoilers removed ..."

Yes, but for all that Alain still seems pretty weak to me. I want him to create a Roc or something to help them travel. For all that I ..."

Me neither! My least favorite sub genre is road trip/on the run.
I hope they find a base somewhere and stay for a while!

Which chapter are you in?

Chapter 13, you?

I don't like that they happen to see one of their friends wherever they go!

ShoSho wrote: "Chapter 13, you?"

Almost done, I'm glad things finally picked up. The pace was too slow!

ShoSho wrote: "I don't like that they happen to see one of their friends wherever they go!"

Too convenient!

I finished, it didn't pull me in as the 2 other books. It was repetitive and a lot of things happened that they were convenient. People showing when they were needed didn't work for me at all!
If they had planned to meet it would have worked but not the way it happened.

I agree, plus Mari's mood swings and how the marriage was handled didn't work for me. And I mean both that she tricked Alain into it and Mari's reasoning for it. If the message to teenagers is to wait till marriage for sex then you have to give a reason too. This "lets get married so we can have sex" is weird.