Erin > Recent Status Updates

“I’m never telling you my dreams again.”
Graham laughs and says, “You have to. Every day for as long as I know
you.”

~And she does. But the day he stopped knowing who she was, she stopped sharing her dreams with him.~

"Watching Harrison pose on the wet fire escape was the first time Lou ever saw anyone so aware of their body [...] This was a whole new body grammar" (Ch5)

"It was a relief to be given straightforward directions by an adult [...] She felt exposed and too angular, but not as self-conscious as she would have expected" (Ch5) - Lou's never known what to do with her body, seems to be a relief to be told what to do.

Lou is very careful about crossing limits and invading others' privacy because she's had her personal space/life/boundaries crossed by other people all her life.

Ongoing themes: body vs self, hiding, change

"Her body was so vague to her sometimes. She often forgot she was there" (ch2).

Morgan asks Lou to try it on "'Just so I know what it looks like on a body'", and "here she was, being scouted even by people she knew" (Ch2).

"Lou looked in the mirror one last time, then closed her eyes against the image of herself" (Ch2) - Lou's idea of her "self" and her idea of her "body" are not aligned.

Long description of Ellis sister's faces + looks - Lou pays very close attention to the way people look, not in a judgmental way, but just in a very discerning way that modeling scouts must look at her.

There's a stark contrast between the legions of scouts who see Lou's body/look and approach her versus Ivy, Lou's friend who sees her. Lou says this too, about wanting Ivy "looking at her for other things", not for the reasons the scouts look at her.

Lou also hides - her body, behind a camera; she also likes overcast days because "the sky became a physical boundary, containing her" (Ch1).

The entire transition from (a sad moment that I'm not going to spoil) to her engagement and lavish shopping trip with Finn was driven by pure adrenaline. The language just forces you to keep moving forward, stumbling in a haze of tumultuous memories that feels like waves of euphoria and depression.

"I wanted to be the air, wanted to pass through his lungs, to dissolve into particles, to enter his bloodstream, to flush beneath his skin. But I did not [...] Instead I sat perfectly still."

Caroline's recounting of the beginning of her relationship with Finn are weighted, her words filtered through sepia, a pleasurable but wistful remembering. It's so beautiful but also makes me feel uneasy.

I love the way the author uses language - it's got a gentle but forceful undertone in the way they create complex emotional environments.

Emeric is warning Isda of Cyril's self-serving intentions, but she doesn't believe him...

I had been suspecting as much too since the beginning; I've been a bit wary of Cyril using Isda to garner positive reviews for his shows and grooming her to expand her powers while also claiming to not know the extent of them...

I am also concerned with Isda's new craving for elixir. Her evolution is chilling.

Isda craves to have the world hear Emeric's voice, just like the Phantom craved to have the world hear Christine's.

I know I should probably stop comparing the two, as they are independent works, but I just get so excited whenever I come across a parallel.

"I need some way to get this boy to sing for me -- and sing for me a lot."

SING FOR ME!!! Yes! I love this Phantom parallel!

Oh my gosh, and now she's offering to train him so she can bask in his voice. I love this take on the Phantom of the Opera; it's incredibly imaginative in drawing from the original story of Christine and the Phantom's relationship, while crafting a unique world of memory magic.

Holy moly is this like the phantom of the opera, but the phantom is a woman? And also this power is making me wonder if every time I've watched Phantom the phantom in the opera has been messing with my mind to remember an ethereal performance.

I am really excited to read this!

I love the kinds of "aloof person gets their heart melted by a fiery person" romance stories. Ralph and Chloe are both trying so hard to keep their promise to not fall in love with one another.

Also Lucy is super annoying - she is described as having an "amiable vulgarity," and I think that is a kind way of putting it.

I really like the writing style so far, it's very elegant and dream-like, full of colorful musing. I am a bit confused and eager to learn more about the circumstances surrounding some things though - like what happened between Sibby and Meg. The way things about the characters are revealed is rather vague, and I have to remember that I'm learning about them through the perspective of just one person.

Why can't people just leave Maddie and Cal alone? Also, I'm getting a weird feeling about Bill and his internal monologues concerning his doubts about his relationship with Noreen and his pathetic regrets for leaving Maddie. Maybe I've been reading too many stalker/murder romances, but my brain was heading towards putting Bill in that obsessive-lover column.

Oh gosh I know Frances is setting herself up for a big problem by not telling Henry his letters are not from Caro...

But I am also burning to know what secret scheme Henry called upon Caro to concoct...dare I hope he has finally opened his eyes and that the scheme is about winning Frances?

With that being said, I do like the characters and am curious to see what happens next with the elusive figure that Rory can't seem to capture on her security cameras. Also interested to find out where Lou's case with HDG goes.

Ok, I like the theme of strong female characters that Ruggle writes. At this point though, I do think Rory and Ian's relationship is not developing as smoothly as it could be. They've been friends for several years, known each other for more, and suddenly Ian's making moves and innuendos - I was a bit confused as to why this started now.