Peony > Recent Status Updates

Basically, its a gothic fantasy without the usual romantic main plot. I'd say it's good, though I don't particularly enjoy the sexual parts, I don't like rape in my fantasy, and while I enjoy the worldbuilding of its integration I'm not enjoying the religion and magic mechanics themselves.

The beginning was a bit boring and a bit 'old timey bad british adventure where everyone babies one another' but the intrigue, exploration of middle aged characters from a very feminine and domestic angle, and social worldbuilding is moderately promising.

yeah.... this third volume is not very good

Okay, Simon started off kind of a crazy child, but why are all the female main characters so... stupid? 😭??? I'm kind of offended. Like i get it now, I prefer the girlboss with 7 older brothers to this.

This book is a lot harsher than the last two.... I dont like that about it.

Like, I see the formulas but these are *not* the implicit contracts I'm used to following between author and reader. I don't know how to measure where we're going, and this is usually a bad thing, but this time no, it's just that I'm not imaginative enough. Sucks there was SA in my comfort read though.

Okay, nevermind. Back again to "I did not know a story could do that"

I am sorry to say im not enjoying this as much as the last volume. The war was, of course, tiring. The swamp comes off as a formulaic sidequest extending the story, though I am likely wrong.

I don't really like that the psychological mechanic of 'quiet child attaches to someone of similar vibe' was used *twice.*

MST had usurped Ascendance of a Bookworm as my favorite series of all time, and this volume as surpassed The Hobbit as my favorite book.

The Sithi are...terrifying.

such a terrible liar!!! Aaaa, its giving me anxiety