Status Updates From The Chosen

Overwhelmingly beautiful! That ending saved the story, or, at least, boosted my opinion back up. Outrageous Owens does it again. This story riled me up! There was a major prob: intense emotional scenes were missed out on by building the character growth and relationship WAY too fast, making the love hard to believe and the characters seem lolz, inconsistent. BIG prob. But the crazy-sauce... oh, the crazy-sauce.

This switch of Jakob taking care,do a desolate Mikon is makin my stomach all knotty!

I despise the overused line "giving as good as he got" and all it's many painful--in a bad way--permutations.

The bit about Kei taking over Mikon's consciousness does not make a wit of sense. Mikon IS Kei, he is that soul, and that soul has matured into *Mikon*! So how in the seven hells does Kei take over Mikon's consciousness, pushing Mikon into a corner of his brain, unable to control his actions?!

That is one thing about Owens' stories: they always leave me wishing the mcs remained angry at each other longer, struggled longer with wash other and themselves. But hotdiggity, that initial, short lasting conflict sucks me under every time.

Oh, the... irony? Mikon said he wouldn't wrong someone else after he had been wronged, humiliate someone else after he was humiliated, in an attempt to regain his own self-esteem: that's just making a bigger wrong, not righting a wrong. But, why, then, is he quickly bodily claiming Satarin (with questionable consent) right after he himself was unwillingly bodily claimed? I think your subconscious is against you, M.

What the ever loving hellballs is this? M JUST said he wouldn't take advantage and rape S as the god does him, and now, here he is, totally taking advantage of S's inexperience and vulnerability! Can he not reason, since he knows S has been a slave to this god for centuries, that he isn't mature enough to decide what he needs? BAD Mikon! *swats with rolled paper*

So, the "love" (like?) feelings seem to be moving too fast for Mikon and Satarin, but, then again, they are both rather desperate in a desperate situation to form trust bonds and to see the best in each other. Quickly. I sure wish S could remember the abuse of M when the god possesses him, and I sure wish M felt more angst about the violation of his rights.

And visions of Stockholm syndrome dance before my eyes....

Although I wonder why the Ancient part of his soul, Kei, loves this mad master--it's obvious the master god (son of Anin) does not understand love, for he only wants to posses to dominate, to be in control--he cares little for Kei (or Mikan) as an Individual in his own right.

Hm, I'm curious to see how Owens will handle this split soul in one body: Mikan's body and this consciousness were raped, he fought against it, and he should be responding as one would to severe abuse, but the other part of his soul, this subservient Ancient, was a participant, eager, willing. Sounds like a recipe for rage and madness.

Oh! Exciting scene! Love it! Again, I'm reminded of how critical it is for me to read non fiction alongside fiction: I just learned about a third response to the flight or fight instinct, which is to dissociate when one cannot do either of the first two. Now, I see it in action: "He leaned against the door, childishly closing his eyes. If he could not see or hear, perhaps somehow he would make it out of this horror."

I love books about sibling love--any kind! The interactions and thoughts between Mikon and Jakob are beautiful, protective, and deeply bonded.

There is something amazeballs (thanks, Al) about Owens take on rough fantasy.