The Sword and Laser discussion

I won't spoil the main plot here, but will spoil how the romance turns out, which might actually be the main plot of the book, I suppose. (view spoiler)[ While I was reading I rooted for Delly and Win to get together and was pleased that it turned out that way, but have reevaluated a bit now that I've finished and thought about it more. Delly knows she is competent enough, but her own view of her morals is very negative - which made me think she would turn out to be some kind of anti-hero. Instead, she's really a nice person who has some crappy circumstances and a very low opinion of herself. This is fine, but would it have been more interesting if she actually was the ruthless lady promised by the title?

Perhaps her funny speech pattern could have turned out to be an act and she could have consummated her relationship with Winn and jumped out the window with Winn's family jewels onto a horse (which she was only feigning not being able to ride) and galloped off to live in gin-soaked luxury? It just strikes me as a bummer that instead of being a ruthless scoundrel, the main character turns out just to be a depressed person who needs real love to begin feeling some self-worth. (hide spoiler)]

I was fine with that, as I think the overall message of the book is “don’t let the circumstances of your upbringing define who you are.” Because we have quite a few pairs of people to contrast against each other, and they all make opposite choices, illustrating the different paths one can take.

Delly versus her mom. The two rich sisters. The two mercenary sisters. And et cetera. (I’m using “mercenary” loosely here, in the sense they were there for the money — as was everyone — but saying what they actually are is a small spoiler. Also, I don’t recall their names.)

Having Dell be bad and jilt Wynn would have violated the first rule of romances which is: Must have a happily ever after or happy for now ending.

Sure, thats true, I just should have listened better to the book briefing or something. I didnt know it was billed as romance rather than simply romantic. Perhaps this is why I don't read romance. It was more interesting to me when I though there was a chance it would turn out differently.

Seth wrote: "Sure, thats true, I just should have listened better to the book briefing or something. I didnt know it was billed as romance rather than simply romantic. Perhaps this is why I don't read romance. ..."
I don't mind romance novels once in a while, but this one was particularly predictable. The story was fun while they were building their team, and solving the mystery, but once they did that, I had to make myself finish it.

I just did not get Delly as all that ruthless. Delly's rogue card was not fully stamped before the redemption.

Stephen wrote: "I just did not get Delly as all that ruthless. Delly's rogue card was not fully stamped before the redemption."

This is a good distillation of my discontent. She could have been actually bad and then make a choice to change for Winn, and that would have been something. Instead, she feels like she just doesn't like herself and then needs saving by being loved or something. Is that what a romance book is? Because I don't really like it.

^ For me this was more of a commentary on the stratified class system. Delly acts bad because it's a requirement of her rough life. That roughness is partly due to the inability to change class as it is enforced by the upper classes. This is why Winn's reaching across class lines is such an oddity for a person in this world, and why Delly could eventually warm up to her. She doesn't have to act bad for Winn. Any other upper class person, Delly should be expecting betrayal at any moment.