Iron Flame Live Reactions: Chapter 5
Feb. 10th, 2024 07:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaWe're back...unfortunately.
Chapter 5 opens with these lines:
I'm sorry, I know we're not even 20 words in, but come on. This is such labored, heavy-handed writing. You don't even need that second sentence to explain the first one! After reading the entire first book, the reader is well aware that the riders are a military contingent and therefore fight hard!
Everyone gathers for the post-graduation party, and Violet notes that there's no one sitting on the dais as there usually would be. Tonight everyone is equal, and there's no hierarchy.
We're dropped into a conversation between Rhiannon and Ridoc, which is actually a nice way to set the scene. Ridoc is saying he's looking forward to possibly getting to spend his leave in Chantara, the village that supplies Basgiath, because the dating pool at the war college is too limited. First of all, 'dating pool' is so...I don't know. it's modern enough that it carries all the baggage of contemporary romance norms, and this book is a fantasy set somewhere else (supposedly), so it feels like Yarros doesn't care enough to even bother with, like, generic fantasy romance conventions.
Also, a single village supplies the whole war college? Really?
We get another god name-dropped, Zihnal, the god of luck, who has a temple in Chantara to pray at. I will reiterate that the religion in this book is so poorly utilized.
Apparently, the second years get weekends off and have a relaxed fraternization policy and can associate with the other quadrants. i have a question about this. These quadrants...aren't all the same size, right? I would expect Scribe and Infantry to be much larger, and Riders to be the smallest, since so many of them die. Why are they quadrants, then? Another choice that feels weird. It also suggests an equality that does't seem to be real, since everyone seems to regard the infantry as cannon fodder.
Hey, why do the second years have less onerous duties? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Especially since they're short-staffed, and third years are getting called to the front early?
Oh, they can write to their families now.
I don't really understand why all these regulations only apply to the first year. The danger doesn't seem to have decreased, since Violet's still angsting about how only a third of them will live or whatever.
Violet notes that one of the non-rebel cadets is serving drinks to Imogen, and hopes the discrimination against the rebel kids will decreased in the future. Then we get this.
Okay. Okay. Violet...do you think the rebellion is morally justified or not? Like, what does this mean? The rest of this conversation involves the others interrogating Violet about what it was like to actually fight a gryphon, which is tactless and which leads to Imogen blowing up at them. Some real, hardened soldiers this war college is producing. These guys have been watching their peers die for a whole year, they really outght to have developed some tact by now.
Violet is still sad about Liam, at least. I appreciate that.
She feels Xaden watching her, and goes over to talk to him. Also to ogle him, because heaven forbid she interact with him normally ever. Tehy have a weird interaction where Xaden flirts and Violet tells him she won't fuck him becauae she can't trsut him and Xaden is like:
Oh for fuck's sake. I know I've said that this is a stupid conflict because it makes Violet look like a self-absorbed twat, and I stand by that, but still. Why must Xaden be a douche?
Colonel Aetos comes over. Xaden is being sent to the front, and won't be back more than every 14 days. Violet is given 2 days of leave every two weeks to visit him. Oh, and a new guy, Major Varrish, is going to be the vice commandant. Not sure what that means but I assume he's the new villain of this part of the book, a strict evil military teacher dude, etc., because the first thing he does is comment on how fragile Violet is.
Dude, this is the general of the whole war college's kid. Why does no one ever suck up to Violet to get in with her mom?
Okay, so the conflict here is that Tairn and Sgaeyl can't be apart more than 3 days, and even if they rotate leave Violet and Xaden can't meet more than once a week.
Why would the military do this? Like...these are two of your strongest dragons, bonded to their riders, and as far as we know the military does not have the power to force dragons to bond. Now, Xaden and Violet are huge liabilities, but it feels stupid to deal with them by crippling their dragons. Xaden is going to the front -- won't that endanger his fellow riders? Aren't you guys short-staffed as it is?
The plotting in this book makes no sense.
Chapter 5 opens with these lines:
Riders party as hard as we fight. And we fight pretty damned hard.
I'm sorry, I know we're not even 20 words in, but come on. This is such labored, heavy-handed writing. You don't even need that second sentence to explain the first one! After reading the entire first book, the reader is well aware that the riders are a military contingent and therefore fight hard!
Everyone gathers for the post-graduation party, and Violet notes that there's no one sitting on the dais as there usually would be. Tonight everyone is equal, and there's no hierarchy.
We're dropped into a conversation between Rhiannon and Ridoc, which is actually a nice way to set the scene. Ridoc is saying he's looking forward to possibly getting to spend his leave in Chantara, the village that supplies Basgiath, because the dating pool at the war college is too limited. First of all, 'dating pool' is so...I don't know. it's modern enough that it carries all the baggage of contemporary romance norms, and this book is a fantasy set somewhere else (supposedly), so it feels like Yarros doesn't care enough to even bother with, like, generic fantasy romance conventions.
Also, a single village supplies the whole war college? Really?
We get another god name-dropped, Zihnal, the god of luck, who has a temple in Chantara to pray at. I will reiterate that the religion in this book is so poorly utilized.
Apparently, the second years get weekends off and have a relaxed fraternization policy and can associate with the other quadrants. i have a question about this. These quadrants...aren't all the same size, right? I would expect Scribe and Infantry to be much larger, and Riders to be the smallest, since so many of them die. Why are they quadrants, then? Another choice that feels weird. It also suggests an equality that does't seem to be real, since everyone seems to regard the infantry as cannon fodder.
Hey, why do the second years have less onerous duties? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Especially since they're short-staffed, and third years are getting called to the front early?
Oh, they can write to their families now.
I don't really understand why all these regulations only apply to the first year. The danger doesn't seem to have decreased, since Violet's still angsting about how only a third of them will live or whatever.
Violet notes that one of the non-rebel cadets is serving drinks to Imogen, and hopes the discrimination against the rebel kids will decreased in the future. Then we get this.
Then again, given what I know now, everyone is right not to trust them. Not to trust me.
Okay. Okay. Violet...do you think the rebellion is morally justified or not? Like, what does this mean? The rest of this conversation involves the others interrogating Violet about what it was like to actually fight a gryphon, which is tactless and which leads to Imogen blowing up at them. Some real, hardened soldiers this war college is producing. These guys have been watching their peers die for a whole year, they really outght to have developed some tact by now.
Violet is still sad about Liam, at least. I appreciate that.
She feels Xaden watching her, and goes over to talk to him. Also to ogle him, because heaven forbid she interact with him normally ever. Tehy have a weird interaction where Xaden flirts and Violet tells him she won't fuck him becauae she can't trsut him and Xaden is like:
“I’ll earn your trust as soon as you realize you don’t need full disclosure. You only have to have the guts to start asking the questions you actually want answers to. Don’t worry about the bed. We’ll get back there. The anticipation is good for us.” He smiles—really fucking smiles—and it almost makes me rethink my decision.
“I tell you we’re not together because you won’t give me the one thing I need—honesty—and you counter with ‘it’s good for us’?” I scoff and walk down the stairs and past two of the marble pillars in the rotunda. “The arrogance.”
“Confidence is not arrogance. I don’t lose the fights I pick. And we’re both allowed to have boundaries. You’re not the only one who gets to set the rules in this relationship.”
I bristle at the implication that I’m the problem here. “And you’re picking a fight with me?” The world tips slightly when I look up at him.
“Picking a fight for you. There’s a difference.”
Oh for fuck's sake. I know I've said that this is a stupid conflict because it makes Violet look like a self-absorbed twat, and I stand by that, but still. Why must Xaden be a douche?
Colonel Aetos comes over. Xaden is being sent to the front, and won't be back more than every 14 days. Violet is given 2 days of leave every two weeks to visit him. Oh, and a new guy, Major Varrish, is going to be the vice commandant. Not sure what that means but I assume he's the new villain of this part of the book, a strict evil military teacher dude, etc., because the first thing he does is comment on how fragile Violet is.
Dude, this is the general of the whole war college's kid. Why does no one ever suck up to Violet to get in with her mom?
Okay, so the conflict here is that Tairn and Sgaeyl can't be apart more than 3 days, and even if they rotate leave Violet and Xaden can't meet more than once a week.
Why would the military do this? Like...these are two of your strongest dragons, bonded to their riders, and as far as we know the military does not have the power to force dragons to bond. Now, Xaden and Violet are huge liabilities, but it feels stupid to deal with them by crippling their dragons. Xaden is going to the front -- won't that endanger his fellow riders? Aren't you guys short-staffed as it is?
The plotting in this book makes no sense.
