Jess > Recent Status Updates

How interesting that Shesheshen’s newly developed, anomalous heart turned out to actually be an egg sac. Even though it’s not a heart, I think it can still be symbolic for how Shesheshen adores Homily. It’s interesting that the heart/egg sac is almost trying to flee Shesheshen to go to Homily; which is resonant of how the “curse” can be “broken” by taking the monster’s heart.

—her being forced to care for her younger sister, Epigram, who would physically abuse her with weapons & potential attempts at killing her? That’s awful; this novel can be numerous at times, & gory at others. The deer creature’s rampage/battle was intense!

I’d initially theorized that the deer monster may have secretly been what remained of Shesheshen’s mother, but it’s been revealed that it’s a result of asexual reproduction/Shesheshen’s discarded matter. It seems to be trying to return to her/further her inner desires. I’m glad Blueberry is free! Homily’s past/family dynamic is much more abusive & horrific than I’d anticipated—

Poor Blueberry :( I think the exploration of Homily’s people pleasing as a response to trauma is interesting. Definitely real. It doesn’t mean she’s not kind, & that the generosity is 100% a result of pain, as Shesheshen is concluding now. Although, she doesn’t seem to blame Homily or see her negatively for it.

(Progress from yesterday)

(Progress from yesterday) Homily is a Wulfyre & mistakenly believes Shesheshen to be the when who cursed her family. Is the curse even real? We know that family is pretentious & obsessed with exerting power… surely “solving” a curse would add to their status? A couple of explainable deaths does not a curse make.

—Hearing how Penelope was held to a different standard than Odysseus was validating & well-explored; specifically in reference to fidelity. Penelope is also very intelligent, & has more integrity than Odysseus, if I do say so myself.

Still in the introduction, but what a thrill to listen to a translation by a woman that’s also narrated by a woman! The Odyssey is an incredible epic & I’m excited to delve into it again. The analysis of women’s portrayal in the Odyssey & how Ancient Greek life Walmart have looked for women ofc interested me. Penelope, Clytemnestra, & Helen are ofc wonderful parallels. I adore them all—

Adoring this! The horror/comedy/romance blend is written well. This style reminds me of TJ Klune. I love Shesheshen’s social understanding & learning as a hyperbolic mirror to neurodiversity in real life. It’s comedic, but also honest & real. She has her own way of thinking/logic. I think the way she perceives human behavior is often relatable. Sometimes, humans don’t make sense!

—A positive thing about the 2 books in 1; I found the family built by Hari, Galath, & Vina to be very sweet. It also fits into my favorite trope: grumpy, aggressive, traumatized man is obligated to care for angsty daughter & they become found family. Happy belated Father’s Day to Galath (& Hari)

—The pacing was rather unstructured; I didn’t mind it much bc I felt invested in the characters, but it was a bit long w the loose pacing + 2 books in 1 deal. Also, Vina didn’t fight much in this book, even though she’s a knight, which was a tad disappointing. Simran did most of the dramatic stuff. Although, ig it fits Vina not wanting to kill (specifically in regard to Simran in their tale, but still?)—

A beautiful tale of free will & the burden of compressing yourself into other people’s expectations. This theme was coupled incredibly well with queerness, ofc the protagonists are a lesbian couple, but they also resist societal pressure & standards. They proudly denounce their roles as the story progresses. The only gripe I had about the book was the temporary amnesia; it felt more tedious than suspenseful imo—

It’s almost like a second novel was twisted into this one 🤔 I’m still enjoying the book! I feel less overwhelmed by it now. Although, I will say that I hate temporary amnesia in stories. I’m always just anxious for the character to remember 🧑🏻‍🦲

The pieces of the Eternal Prince vs Queen puzzle make sense together. Plus, I understand how the Elsewhere immigrants help to feed the Isle with their tales. It’s a great allegory; I’m enjoying the themes of how change is necessary, people should have free will, stories are culture & should be free etc

I suspect that the prophesied knight’s hunt of the witch will come from the Queen discovering that Simran is Elsewhere born. Once she knows that an incarnate exists from Elsewhere, she’ll want to censor it from the public to maintain the Isle’s superiority — similar how she tried to leash Vina & Simran to establish the Isle’s supremacy.

I hypothesize that this will have to do with how Simran & Vina save themselves & how they free the Isle; maybe the magic that makes Elsewhere immigrants forget their homes is due to the Queen’s tale?

My theory is that the magic of tales isn’t exclusive to the Isle. There are themes of the Isle being superior & anti-immigrant; the Crown & archivists etc are probably censoring the fact that tales can exist from other regions in the world.

The mystery is unfolding 🦭

Loving this so far! Fairy tale + Tasha Suri’s writing 🙂‍↕️🩷

—& Carmilla both mention hunger as a theme throughout; this is both a literal hunger for physical sensation (food, touch, sex, violence), but also, a hunger for freedom, autonomy, decision-making about your own life. The analogous coupling of this with cannibalism/vampirism is carnal, romantic, & sensual. Riveting 😼

—directly, although the reader could certainly pick up on Carmilla’s vampire traits (as I mentioned previously) & the other characters labeled her as strange. Lenore is never turned either, which I was expecting; she merely attacks Henry as a human. Because of these narrative choices, the metaphor is almost more akin to cannibalism than it is to vampirism, although I reckon that the two go hand in hand. Lenore-

Good for her! I thoroughly enjoyed this. The frequency of the flashbacks was a bit too often for my liking; but it didn’t detract from my overall interest. They did provide context to Lenore’s mindset, but I think they would’ve served their purpose without so many. I found the depiction of vampirism (or almost lack thereof) quite intriguing in this novel. “Vampire” was never said, & it was never tackled—

I love the portrayal of a woman’s rage as she discovers how much she’s been limited by herself & society. Lenore is filled with rage that she’s been denied autonomy, had her skills/accomplishments diminished, & treated cruelly. Henry’s treatment towards her rings true to how men have treated me irl! He can only view Lenore through his lens of himself.

He can’t even conceptualize someone’s autonomy, emotions, or needs outside of himself. He & Carmilla are symbolic opposites. Carmilla, while sometimes immoral, tries to make Lenore practice critical thinking & independence. She wants Lenore to be introspective & pursue what she wants, not make herself smaller for others, & advocate for her needs.

Henry isn’t cheating on Lenore, but is being more illegal & immoral at work by giving injured/deceased workers no compensation?? & he’s drugging Lenore with the candy? Carmilla knows best. Henry is a textbook case of toxic masculinity. He’s entitled & ignorant as a result of his privilege; he selfishly believes that everyone wants (or should want) what he wants. He’s too self-absorbed to reflect or empathize

—& Carmilla is interesting. There’s clearly signs she’s a vampire (weak in daytime, luxurious in nighttime; eats little, except a bit of meat; teeth; the sleep paralysis stuff; sensual/flirty; creepy)

—& Cora seems superficial & eager to help herself. Henry also clearly doesn’t have much romantic interest in Lenore any more. Also, I think Henry is doing something illegal within his steel works, as evidenced by the journalist, “no police” w the accident, his shady letter etc. He’s probably snappish bc he’s stressed from worrying he’ll be caught. The back & forth nature/tension between Lenore—

I find Lenore to be a sympathetic, relatable protagonist. She’s faced hardship & trauma, & thus belittles herself + her wants/needs. She overworks herself to seek control & to convince herself she deserves decent things. Before Carmilla suggested Henry & Cora may be having an affair, I thought so myself. Henry seems entitled & like he believes he should have everything he wants (even cheating w a younger woman)—

Interesting setting so far & I like the writing style 🐛

19h 46m! I listened in 1.15x speed. I really enjoyed the narrator (I believe that’s what Dominic Keating’s official title would be?) I felt that he really brought the story & characters to life. Hera was great, I especially enjoyed the end of the Iliad since it’s what I’m most familiar with