The Sword and Laser discussion

I'll try to lay this out without doing any spoilers.. Chapter 2 has been really rough so far, with the main character's complete "helplessness". I feel the story is just grinding to a halt for me. I understand that we have to have the protagonist hit a low period before coming back up, but man, it is just scene after scene of the same thing going on. It would be one thing if our protagonist was trying and getting knocked down, but so many of the scenes here have her just sort of "giving up".

We have a likable character here and I feel like the author is trying to set the stage that she is going to dive into the adventure at some point. Multiple times we hear her referred to as a "wild child" or "feral daughter", but it just isn't setting the stage for that to develop.

At this point i almost feel that if she does make the "turn" in character development later in the book that it won't feel believable. It would be one thing if she was trying and failing due to lack of experience or knowledge at this point, but here she just isn't trying which makes her feel like she just doesn't have the skillset to drive the narrative. How can she possibly make such a huge change at a later point?

I’m a bit further along and I actually think the seeds for her changes in personality are being down really well. I also find this honestly more believable than the “feisty” female characters you often get in this type of fantasy, especially given the fact that she has been raised in a society with so many constraints on her. Most people want to fit in and belong, and I think we are seeing January try that approach before she tries another.

agree with Lou most people are content, they want to belong in their role. january becomes unsatisfied. she has to for the thousand doors to appeal to her. I really empathize with her. the author might take a little to long setting up her desire to act. but I think it's naturally done. Mr. locke is good to her in his own way. what's worse is she is belittled into thinking she needs him.

The only ones that describe January as feral or wild are those that want to control her or are prejudice against people that look like her. There's even hair shaming!

Ruth said in her review "This book manages to feel at once very fresh and of-the-moment - with its commentary on colonialism and oppression - and also timeless" not trying to talk for her but i agree with that take 100%. TTDoJ seems a modern take on historical fiction i liked. some could make the revisionist argument of course. the mixture of fantasy/historical fiction is a winner for me. the way Alix Harrow presented modern social issues through a historical gaze really made sense to me and grounded the fantasy elements in something concrete. Take Cornelius Locke for example he was a great man of his time but does that make him a great man by today social constructs. this is a BIG issue where i live in the American south. where yesterday "great" men are being judged by modern constructs. I could make a argument either way really but this book surprisingly taps into that discussion perfectly.