Status Updates From Some Things Transcend (Prin...

I... can't help my discomfort with the fundamental ickiness of Jahir repressing his sexuality for hundreds of year out of longing for Sediryl and how Lisinthir is reassuring Jahir he can have her and they can have children, not pointing out how unhealthy this is? What Sediryl wants isn't even considered, and I don't even think she _knows_ about Jahir's long, tortured obsession with her?

Okay, look... book. Either Lisinthir is on the edge of actually dying from his body completely failing on him _or_ he's well enough to personally administer intensely physical self-defense classes that push two healthy people to the brink of exhaustion simultaneously, you can't convince me of both, and no, "they did a magical psychic block so he can't feel the pain" just isn't cutting it.

I'm frustrated by this book, there was an opportunity here for questioning rep, but we go from Jahir having... supposedly thoroughly repressed his desires at all so that he felt no attraction for 100+ years because of forbidden love for a woman, much less attraction other than to women because his society is very homophobic, to casually joking about sex with a man in like... three days?? because.... I don't know???

It's... uncomfortable that the whole main plot line is about Lisinthir getting psychiatric treatment after the last book but absolutely no one seriously suggests that his love for the Chatcaava who literally held him captive and tortured him is anything less than honest and true and not something like Stockholm syndrome? Even given the magic empath powers in play?

I decided I might as well read this now or else I'd never get around to it, but I kinda wish I'd waited. There are... discontinuities of character in Lisinthir and the Chatcaava as we see them in flashbacks vs in book one? Partly it's that scenes are supposed to have occurred in summarized periods but many should've been important enough to mention (eg the Emperor sharing military info.)

Some lengthy emotionally fretful passages necessary to build tension for the fight that is sure to come. Slow burning, I am enjoying this

Lisinthir has become a whole lot less enigmatic, as we have now been provided with his history and motivation. He is a protector, looking for a purpose and a task to apply his considerable talents. Clearly he is not fazed by species or gender differences when it comes to choosing his life companions. So far I really limb e him, despite the dark halo around his solid core.