It’s the penultimate week of this SciFi Month Read Along, and things are getting very tense as Hail starts to uncover who is responsible for the series of attacks on her and her family… or does she? This chewy thought-nugget and more, as I answer questions on chapters 16 through 22!

SPOILERS BELOW.

 

This week’s questions are courtesy of Ariana at The Book Nook, and if you need a reminder of the Read Along schedule, here it is:

• Week 1: Chapters 1-8, questions posted on or by Thursday 2nd November, hosted by Dear Geek Place
• Week 2: Chapters 9-15, questions on/by Thursday 9th, hosted by Bookforager
• Week 3: Chapters 16-22, questions on/by Thursday 16th, hosted by The Book Nook
• Week 4: Chapters 23 to End, questions on/by Thursday 23rd, hosted by Dear Geek Place

Hokay. Let’s discuss.

Hail has managed to survive yet another assassination attempt this week and some of the culprits are coming to light – were your suspicions confirmed? Is there anyone you’re side-eyeing that could still be part of it? 

Yes, my suspicions were confirmed – though to be fair, they were kind of being signposted a bit. Ganda and Laabh as the culprits makes sense given what we’ve seen so far, but I dunno. It feels a bit too obvious? There have to be others higher up the chain, pulling the strings on this – I doubt either Ganda or Laabh cooked up the entire scheme by themselves. And there are certainly others I still don’t trust, or don’t believe they’ve been properly dealt with yet – Nalmari and Bial, for example. But we shall see!

Despite our Princess being a little more progressive when it comes to men, she is still quick to suspect them of doing anything for power, and it seems that in the case of her nephew Laabh she is right. What do you make of this situation in which people will step over their own loved ones to gain influence, and what do you think this means for the future of the Empire? 

First of all, I loved that scene where Hail’s own bias was called out, and instead of making excuses for it she acknowledged it, but stood her ground in pointing out that in this instance, she’s pretty much right to be wary of handing power to men if this the kind of thing they’ll do just to gain some. BUT. I don’t believe that the dubious example set by Laabh is one that applies to all. Let’s face it, he’s clearly a puppet in this. And there are men far closer to Hail who have set far better examples. However, you could argue that this makes Hail’s unfair bias even less fair, and nothing about this is ever going to be that simple, and you’d be right. It’s a thought-provoking mess of a situation, and I’m deeply into it.

As for what it means for the future of the Empire… I suspect that’s going to be an issue for the following books at this point, and I don’t really have a solid idea how it’ll go beyond this one. But hey, that’s one reason to continue reading, isn’t it?

The people of Indrana have augmented senses due to implants, and Hail relies on these for communication, information, and even for maintaining her appearance. This is your time to talk all things tech and how you think it fits into the story!

My thoughts about tech implants in general are conflicting, most of the time. I approve of better, faster, more secure communication. And the idea of being able to change your appearance with tech seems neat, even if I’d be a bit too scared to use it myself! (I am uncomfortable with the thought of invasive procedures in general, but that’s me.) But, to come back to the communications side of things – one thing I’m really appreciating, and that I find very interesting and a clever method of keeping the mystery/conspiracy side of things ticking, is the way that this tech relies on the perspective of the person using it to gather and provide information. You can only learn from someone the things that they know, or have seen for themselves. If that person is attacked suddenly from behind, there’s no guarantee they can tell you who attacked them or why, right? So this is a neat way of gathering information but also of keeping the story going, of letting the tension build to a bigger reveal.

Everything seems to be coming to a head with the Saxon attack and the threats to the throne being revealed. Since we’re nearing the end of the book, it’s time for some predictions! What do you think is coming next for Hail and will she weather it? 

I do have some recollections of the finale of this book, so for now I don’t want to say too much. But the fun part is that whatever happens here, the question of how Hail will weather it is another one for the next book(s). So I’m getting even more eager to carry on with the trilogy!

As for this book, though… I think there’s more to the Saxon attack than there seems. I don’t recall if they do have a hand in destabilising the Empire or if this is purely opportunistic because they smell blood in the water, but I am dying to continue reading to find out (again)!

So on that note, with the end of the questions, I’m off to keep reading!