jvj

She did wait long, I've been wanting her to step up for a longgg time haha
I suppose its how it is when you are all kinds of intimidated and too concerned about being well liked. She did not seem to want to make unpopular decisions or expose herself. I think she spoke the words of "I will be chief" without fully realizing the meaning of it, without making plans to really go ahead with it.
That changed. Time to clear house

Yeh I was waiting for Raina to really step up but I could understand the whole keeping her dignity and not giving ppl excuses to start gossiping or whatever but it did frustrate me sooo much - though after what's she has been through, esp with Mace, it takes alot to put yourself out there. but yeh the frustration was there - i was always notice how JV gets me so wrapped up in it i do feel like grabbing her characters by the shoulders. esp after poor anwyn - when that happened, i actually cried out a 'Nooooo!' *sniff* i had to close the book and take a deep breath...

then when Raina woke and 'knew what she had to do' i was like 'hell yeh!' finally - the necessary risks are being taken *rubs hand in glee*

Ha, absolutely! So many times I wanted to reach into that book, shake, slap or otherwise pester the characters! Its kind of sad that it took the deal with Anwyn to make her snap. I knew what would happen when they parted, could just see it..but it did shake me up regardless. Even though my guess was right, the way it went down..was different.
Raina is finally on a real mission, I enjoy that very much! I have to wonder, whats left to save? Yet on the same account..I don't really care. I will get to see what I've been waiting for!

So, yea..summary: Kill Scarpe! Kill Scarpe! <insert war drum beat here>

Yeeeess...get rid of Scarpe!

Kill Scarpe! Kill Scarpe!

I don't know whats worse Mace and all the evil he perpetrated, or blackhail and take all the offal he shoveled hook line and sinker.

I don't knwo who i like anymore. I used to like ash but i don't know her who naivety and behaving like a dog in heat kind of soured me for the time being. As dirty as mace is, I think i dislike robbie dun doone even more. At least mace is loyal to his birth family.

I like raif of course, addie, angus. I really hope that cassie is still alive....

I"m also hoping we meet Mors some day...julie really had me going, that chapter stormbringer, i was sure it was about him lol.

Oh and vaylo, gotta love vaylo, remember when he dislocates his sons knee? lol that was classic...

What I did not get was why? Why did Raina wait? I did not really understand her I guess.

As far as Ash goes..have to keep her age in mind, if I'm not entirely mistaken she is still really young. Hormon raging teen, in a world she doesn't have a clue about.
Robbie struck me as ruthless more so than really evil. He's ambitious much like Marafice but with more of a brain. I don't know, I didn't feel hate like with Mace. Of course, he also didn't have as much "storytime" either and may yet grow into something in book 4.

Raina, I just believe really didn't know what to do to back her words up. At the same time, she was too concerned with her status, kept being intimidated and shoved around. Her frame of mind was out of whack for what she needed to do. From a character/story point of view it makes sense that she wouldn't really do something until pushed too far but I personally do feel she should have acted sooner. Had wished it, I should say. I really wanted her to tear the skin from Mace's body haha
Now however, we (hopefully) get to see one hell of a show

Good points, Souldrinker, but I have to disagree with you about Robbie though.
Being ruthless itself does have some degree of evil or wrongness, but ruthlessness to the point of screwing over your own brother or allowing your clan to march into a massacre just for your own gain steps it up a notch. In fact, Robbie really seems only slightly less evil then Mace at this point. I don't think Robbie would stoop to being a rapist or murder by his own hand, but if he could gain from it by looking the other way, I think he would. Robbie seems to have loyalty only to himself and wants to be king of the clanholds to satisfy his own lust for power.

Marafice Eye on the other hand, does fit the bill of being ruthless though. There's no denying Eye has a sadistic streak that does, at times make him evil but at the very least, he does have his men's best interest at heart, most times anyway, and he does seem to have some degree of keeping to his own personal code of conduct (even though that code doesn’t seem to keep him from being a brutal bully and carrying-out murder at Iss’s command). To the Brothers of the Rive Watch, Marafice is a good and trusted leader, which is at least one redeemable quality he has.

Plus, Marafice Eye doesn't put on any aires. With him, what you see is what you get. Robbie puts on a show of sincerity and loyalty for his clan but he is really only using Dhoone as a tool that he'd easily discard once its fulfilled its purpose.

Good point about Robbie, I'll have to blame foggy memory about Grey Ice for that. He did pull of a few more nasty things than I could recall clearly. I'd have to agree he's more of a creep than I recalled.
The interesting twist I'd like to see is him and Mace facing off. They're clearly a threat to each other and while I wouldn't put it beyond Mace, I don't think he has the same ambition of being king.

Marafice still has to grow on me. The "you see what you get" is a nice change from the other bad guys I agree but I think at the same time that is his shortcoming. He's entering a world where he has to be two-faced..or hold enough power behind him so he does not need to care. He just does not strike me as having the proper mindsetting to live long as Surlord. Of course I may end up being surprised, he already outgrew the "thug" image he started with after all.

Too true. I wonder how Eye will hold up as Surlord also. JVJ is so good at creating real characters. Just like many real people who strive for postions of power and once they achieve it, they prove to be a much better 1st Mate then they do a captain.

I agree with CWW - I liked Ash but then was put off by some of her actions - I get the whole teenage, hormones raging thing but to me there's naivety and then there's just plain stupid. Sorry, I am really harsh as a judger of ppl - hehe. I'm not dissing the book or anything, it's just my feelings. But I can see her really growing - infact she grew a heck of alot just in her last chapter - that was when I was like 'Yes! Ash is BACK!' hehe. So I have hopes for her yet. ^^

On another note entirely - I loved this character in 'A Cavern' but what happened to Sarga Veys????! He was awesome!

I hear ya, Souldrinker. Even the more obscure characters in this story are very interesting.

Magdalena Crouch, the female assassin from "Cavern" seems to stick in my mind, like a chill that sneaks up on ya. She was so cold and professional. In fact, when Cavern first came out, the part where here character was introduced was used for the excerpt and that's what got me to buy the book.

Speaking of her, maybe I'm a little slow, but does she also have some of the old skills (magic)? I was wondering if her ability to be non-distinct and forgettable but still intimating and able to make subtle suggestions that sway people's decisions was just a natural gift or supernatural talent.

In the beginning Ash was one of my favorites. I liked her combination of frailty and uncontrollable power. Her behavior, attitude, and motives in the first book seemed completely appropriate for the plot. I can even understand her leaving Raif in the second book--can't forgive her for just ditching him on the sly, though--but her transformation in Sword just disappointed me. It's like being in high school and watching your crush flirt with the moronic competition. She just left me with this, "What?!?!" feeling and it wasn't until the last chapter when she realizes her mistakes and switches to "take no prisioners" mode that I felt comfortable with her again. I would like to say though that I think the sudden onset of her sexuality was enhanced by her new Sull blood--that Lan's being Sull triggered that. Only maybe not, because Ark and Mal could have evoked the same response from her if that were the case. Oh, the mysteries abound.

Again, I agree with you pangie.

I'm not so sure about the Sull blood thing - I think there was supposed to be general confusion - it felt a little Freudian/Electra-complexish thing to me, what with all the contemplating about Iss and always having tried to please him - so I think there was just some urge to be 'appreciated' or something.
Still hated it though...because i felt it was so obviously Electra complex or something. I mean Iss and the relationship they had was thought alot by Ash, alot more than in 'Fortress' - very much in a comparative way to what she was then feeling with Lan.

Icky...

This series is so rich in wonderful characters that I have scores of favorites.

I want to see what Effie makes of herself, she is so self-contained and talented. She could become the Guide for Blackhail once Raina finally gets to wreak her revenge on Mace-the-weasel. I fear for my favorite clansman Vaylo Bludd. If he dies before the end of the series I will weep buckets! I love both the Dog Lord and his "son" Drybone.

I agree with others who are annoyed with Ash, she let her hormones get the better of her wits.

I hate Mace so much I can't decide which character should get the pleasure of killing him. I want Raina to have it, but the Dog Lord could make him suffer!