You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Margo and I are going to read book 2 in the Rise and Fall Series, Farilane. We plan to start April 12.

All are welcome to join.

Can't wait!

I just finished my current book, and could start it right away if you're game.

It'll take me a few days to finish Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. Might be able to start Saturday.

Okay, let me know when you're ready. I'll start a new book today.

Thanks Janice :-)

I'm finished my book and ready to start whenever you are!

Will tomorrow work?

Perfect

I got to the end of chapter 6
(view spoiler)[ In the early chapters I was struggling to know where we were in time - was Nolyn still emperor? That was eventually made clear in chap 4 or 5. (I didn't have my laptop and there's a limit to what you find on a phone!).

As I understand it Nolyn was the 2nd emperor and we're now on 5th. I suppose Sephryn is dead too.

Farilane is an interesting MC. She spent her life proving she would make a better leader than her twin and trying to find ancient manuscripts that would allow the law to be changed so she could be co-ruler. Like Nolyn, she has daddy issues.

Not sure what to make of Proust. Selwyn is just creepy! They sound like a bunch of conspirator theorists but, Proust was fairly accurate in his conclusion about the death on the first emperor. Is he correct that that the current ruling line has no real right authority over the Elven, that they are unaware that Nephryn is dead because the horn wasn't blown? That damned horn has come back to haunt us LOL

He wants Farilane to travel to a monastery (the one that the monk who died in first book came from?) with Selwyn. Presumably her new scribe, and bodyguards would go to - I hope so as I wouldn't like to see her alone with that man!

Forgot to mention that Farilane is a bit of a Sherlock Holmes type. She noted some details about Selwyn and constructed his whole life story from them. So cool ;-)
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Good start Margo. I have things to do this morning so I'll join you this afternoon.

I've finished to the end of Chapter 3. (view spoiler)[ Farilane has a great sense of humour. I enjoyed the discussion about there being no gods. (hide spoiler)]

Janice wrote: "I've finished to the end of Chapter 3. [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ She is really funny. She gives her poor Scribe a terrible a terrible!
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 7
(view spoiler)[ The journey begins, despite the fact that the emporer forbade Farilane from leaving the palace grounds. What's going on with those advisers?

Does Prost have a spy in Farilanes camp or does he have magical links i.e. Mawlyn? He was able to tell Selwyn what ferry she would the party would be taking - much to everyones relief, it wouldn't have been the same without him LOL
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I'm started chapter 8, and will comment to the end of Chapter 7.

(view spoiler)[ Farilane has cajones, I'll give her that. I'm not sure if that's endearing or annoying. I feel for her in that she will never be more than a member of the royal family while her twin brother (who's rather weak and biddable) will inherit the kingdom.

Perhaps the horn of Gylindora will change things for her. She'd better start developing some fighting skills. (hide spoiler)]

Margo wrote: "I got to the end of chapter 6
..."

Funny, I got (view spoiler)[ the Sherloch Holmes vibe too.

Yes, Nolyn is now dead. I googled and this book is set about 250 years after Nolyn. So far, there is no mention of how he died.

My understanding is that since the horn that Sephryn stole was a fake and didn't get blown after all.

I suspect there was a big coverup about the circumstances surrounding Nephron's death. (hide spoiler)]

Margo wrote: "Chapter 7.."

Oh please (view spoiler)[ don't let Prost be Mawyn in disguise. (hide spoiler)]

Janice wrote: "I'm started chapter 8, and will comment to the end of Chapter 7.

.."

(view spoiler)[ I think the term you're serching for is "plucky", an attribute that I always want to shake out of an MC lol (hide spoiler)]

Margo wrote: "Janice wrote: "I'm started chapter 8, and will comment to the end of Chapter 7.

.."

[spoilers removed]"

Agreed. (view spoiler)[ It's so over the top as to be annoying. (hide spoiler)]

I read to the end of Chapter 10

(view spoiler)[ The question is just who is Kyle? What is Kyle? I think he has Farilane's measure and is a good foil for her. He strings her along and then totally surprises her. She assumed he couldn't read and that he just copied texts, and then noticed that he was reading the copy of The Book of Brinn upsidedown. And he's gone a long way to teach her that she may be wrong about magic, and maybe about there being gods.

Their sojourn in the forest was certainly a test and a surefire protection for the monastery. She may be a little off base trying to assert that the three of them had simply lost their way. I think the monks will see right through her lies. (hide spoiler)]

Janice wrote: "I read to the end of Chapter 10

..."

Agreed (view spoiler)[ Farilane may have to rethink a lot of her certainties. Also, she won't get an acting award any time soon lol

I don't mean to harp on about how gung-ho she is really.........she saw Kyles broken body at the foot of the cliff and still she jumped! And apparently selwyn did likewise!!!!
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Talk about a leap of faith.

I didn't get much time to read this afternoon. I had a hair appointment and my son showed up for coffee about half hour before I had to leave.

Chapter 11 - the monastery (view spoiler)[ I don't think Farilane was able to fool any of the monks.

Interesting that they didn't know of the monk Seymore. I wonder if we'll learn more about that.

It was hilarious that Farilane and Kyle ended up having to share a small bed. (hide spoiler)]

Janice wrote: "I didn't get much time to read this afternoon. I had a hair appointment and my son showed up for coffee about half hour before I had to leave.

Chapter 11 - the monastery I don't think Farilane wa..."

Well, at least you have good hair ;-)

I can't remember which events were chapter 11 or 12 ( I was very sleepy last night) and didn't make notes
(view spoiler)[ They found the Book of Brin! And in it there's a letter to Nolyn and Sephryn.

Yes, it's odd that noones heard of Selwyn. I can't remember if he was from that order?
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Chapter 13
(view spoiler)[ All hell breaks loose when the Emporer arrives and orders Farilane to be cuffed. (Ruby doesn't like that at all! Rubys back story is very sad. She was ostracised because she couldn't control her magic.)

In typical Farilane fashion, she legs it and they're all left to clear up her mess.
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I finished to the end of Chapter 13.

I'm not enjoying this book as much as I thought I would. Have I tired of Elan?

(view spoiler)[Farilane, Kyle, and Selwyn had the struggle of their lives to get to the monastery, blocked by a magical forest. Yet, the Teslor lords and her brother just walked right in like it was a walk in the park. That seemed a bit off to me.

Revelations - Kyle is much more that a scribe. Is he a god? Farilane seems to hold romantic interest in him.

And Selwyn is Malwyn. Oh good grief. I had hoped we were done with him but no such luck. Someone so vile couldn't just fade off into the past, could he? (hide spoiler)]

Janice wrote: "I finished to the end of Chapter 13.

I'm not enjoying this book as much as I thought I would. Have I tired of Elan?

..."

I'm enjoying it on one level but I have a few problems with it. I will finish the trilogy but you don't need to Janice, don't feel pressured.

(view spoiler)[ I wondered how they made it through the forest and why they hadn't encountered Ruby before now. (hide spoiler)]

Re Kyle and Farilane (view spoiler)[ She wants him so bad! (hide spoiler)]

To end of chapter 15.

I'm somewhat confused (view spoiler)[ Things I know:
- Brin was a woman
-The monks of Dibbon are sorcerers
- Seraphyn has been hiding the Horn,
- Selwyn was Mawlyn in disguise, as was Proust
- Mawlyn killed Seraphyn, as per a prophesy made on the day Farilane was born.
-Seraphyn recognised Kyle
-Mawlyn was correct that Nolyn didn't blow the horn and hence was never the true Emperor

Things I don't know:
-Who is Kyle? A god?
-How did Kyle and F survive?
- Will Sephryn go to elf heaven?

So, sorry for the brain dump Janice, I feel a bit better for doing it though. Please let me if I've got it got anything wrong 😵‍💫

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Margo wrote: "Janice wrote: "I finished to the end of Chapter 13.

I'm not enjoying this book as much as I thought I would. Have I tired of Elan?

..."

I'm enjoying it on one level but I have a few problems wit..."

I thought they did encounter (view spoiler)[ Ruby just before they finally found the monastery but didn't learn anything about her until they were at there. (hide spoiler)]

I have Esrahaddon on audiobook, so I will finish it.

Margo wrote: "To end of chapter 15.

I'm somewhat confused Things I know:..."

I understand your sentiments. I've read to the end of chapter 18 so don't read until you're there. (view spoiler)[ I was confused too when Brin was mentioned as a man, but as Farilane was reading the book, she realized that Brin had to have been a woman given the writing style.

So Malwyn's full name in Mawyndule and when he killed Sephryn, his bolt would have killed Farilane too, but she was holding the Book of Brin and it protected her. I don't know who Kyle is yet, but I think he's a god, I wonder if he's Malcolm. Just a guess.

No elf heaven for Sephryn. When she killed Nephron, she felt her soul leave her body and Malcolm felt guilty that he hadn't intervened to prevent that outcome and was going to make amends as much as he could. That's why he orchestrated Sephryn finding her friend's lost daughter (can't remember the name).

A person would have been smart to make a who's-who right from the beginning. My virus software won't even let me into the Rhyria Wiki page any more so I've been using AI. It's even confused. I keep saying things like, "No. Kyle is not Mawyndule." "Mawyndule did kill the emporer in Farilane."

I hope that answered some of your questions. I'm sure more will be revealed soon.

Farilane is a smart Sherlock Holmes cookie - guessing that the person standing before her in the Emperor's room was Mawyndule and not Selwyn or any other disguise, and that Sephryn wouldn't have given him the actual horn. But now her grandfather is dead, and Colby has been shut up in a sealed room and will be dead momentarily if Farilane doesn't reveal the location of the horn.

Back to Kyle - I'm perplexed. He says he is not her friend. (hide spoiler)]

That could be a day or 2. I'm reading my irl book club book for monday.

I hope to finish it today. I only have 1-1/2 left.

I finished the book this afternoon. (view spoiler)[I'm kind of of pissed off. I don't get why she had to die. I don't think she would have been the catalyst for the end of the world. I think she would have brought about significant changes - allowing people to become educated, working towards bringing unity in the different races, encouraging a means for magic to be a part of the world.

I hope there is some redemption in Esrahaddon. We learn that Kyle is indeed Malcolm. He's a god but he sure makes a mess of things. He was utterly upset at the end of Nolyn that he didn't intercede and prevent Sephryn from damning her soul by killing Nephron, and was going to make amends. Then he turns around and kills Farilane.

I just think there could have been another outcome. Call me annoyed. (hide spoiler)]

I finished too. I had one of those really annoying nights where my brain refused to relax, so I listened to books.

Thanks for clarifying some of the things that were bugging me!

The ending
(view spoiler)[ I really liked the the ending - I know I'm a bit of a sadist lol I have a feeling that Farilane and Kyle will be in the afterlife together yet.

What I didn't like was how willing her father and brother were to send her to har execution by trickery. At least Kyle trusted her enough to tell her what was at stake and to tell her that her brother wouldn't have been willing to make the same sacrifice.

I don't know what action future Farilane would have taken that could trigger such disaster, I'm sure it sometime we would see as just, but that would trigger an avalanche effect.

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Hopefully it'll all be made clear in the final book. Will we do it next month or do you fancy a break?

No, lets plow ahead. I want to find out if it has any redemption. Do you have any preferences for May?

None, anytime is good for me ;-)

I'll set up a thread for it. Once I've planned my May reads, I'll have a better idea of when I can slot it in.