Viki’s Reviews > This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me > Status Update

There's something transcendental about a fan being part of its object of... respect? Desire? Maggie is a fan of this world. Even as you identify with the person as a main character, they are also outside, being impressed by things around them as much as you are. If done right, it is a strong bond that makes the MC even more "identify-able". Admittedly, done wrong, it's pretty cringe.

You know, I'd say I am coming to the opposite conclusion. I am a pacifist who feels bad for swatting a fly and will release a spider outside to go on its way. But if push to comes to show, I'd probably go crazy and do baaad things. The type of character that's "calm in most circumstances but when provoked, explodes". I think Maggie is the same. Maybe... most women are like this.

Hmmm... something tells me IA disapproves of the traditional YA training montage with swoon moments that transform a complete civilian into dagger-ous maniac in record time. Something... =D

Oh my, Everard is getting the Mad Rogan treatment. I suppose Curran had the same one but it was more drawn out and I didn't notice the precise moment it started. I thought this one was less about romance but it actually feels consistent with IA - a dangerous man, hot and competent and smart but with some bad reputation. The MC lists his good attributes, then explains he will never love her. And then... =D

Chapter 26... UFF. That was a hard scene. I wasn't sure how graphic it was going to get so I switched to reading. It wasn't that bad. Bad it did teach us a lesson and "made good" on what we knew - Maggie's gift can become a terrible curse. There are, indeed, fates worse than death.

I think this book is really relying on pacing the information. It has to, obviously, not only for our benefit and because info dumping is not cool but because in theory, Maggie knows everything about the world and the plot so seeing things from that perspective would be boring. Even with some new revelations. Feeding us information at the right time in the right way is an art central to this type of story.

Knights, eh? I recently saw this explanation (on chivalry) that kind of explains the concept of knighthood and how the real thing developed and existed so differently from our romantic ideals of it. Basically, knights started as raping butchers that needed to be reformed (took a long time) but only briefly landed in the vicinity of all those knightly virtues and in that time, they didn't even fight much. So...

PLOT TWIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't know how much Maggie/the original book missed but it seems this world wants to surprise us/her. What a revelation. So that first important scene when she... whoa.

Well, actually, it's supposed to be "took an arrow to the knee" =D. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Really? We're giving her personal motivation to make changes so soon? Maybe it will take more tragedy for her to realise - acknowledge and use the power she has.