Onyx Storm: Chapter 32
Mar. 23rd, 2025 08:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaWe've passed the 50% mark. Somehow.
Violet is naturally fighting against the only female warrior the Unnbrish put up. It's not like this woman is described as physically smaller or weaker than the others, so I don't know why the book needed her to be female.
They all have to use the same weapons, so Xaden, who's been negotiating the terms of the fight, picks daggers because, as we all know, Violet's tiny hands can't hold a sword.
Question: why are the daggers in this book all throwing daggers? Especially when so many of them are augmented with venin-killing metal that is in limited supply? Why doesn't Violet have knives that are designed for her to hold in combat? Yeah, it's not great for her to be wrestling with opponents, but also once she throws all her weapons she's unarmed. And Violet's signet lets her fight at range, so I would think she would want a close range weapon.
Anyways. Maybe I'm overthinking this. Violet does in fact open her fight by throwing a dagger which her opponent dodges. She manages a hit on her opponent, but takes one in return that she only survives because she's still got her dragon scale armor on. Her opponent proposes they both remove their armor, but Violet understandably declines.
Ugh. Like, adrenaline is a real thing that can have insane effects under pressure on humans, but also these books are full of moments where Violet just willpowers her way through things, including her disability. And I don't think that that's always great as a depiction? I've seen this complaint from EDS-having readers, too.
Violet fights Marlis, her opponent, with difficulty and then takes her down by...grappling her?
Okay. I don't want to sit here like "it's impossible for a small woman to grapple anyone" because this is a fantasy novel and also women in real life can train and become physically dangerous, but I do feel like Violet's limitations are only present when it's convenient for the plot for her to have them. She's too weak for a fucking sword but she's strong enough enough to wrestle a woman twice her weight?
Marlis is pinned but now Xaden is in danger. For some reason, Violet's been fighting to wound, not kill, and I really think she or someone should have confirmed if this was a fight to the death before they got into it. They had time. Violet was gabbing with a priestess while Xaden negotiated weapons.
Violet saves Xaden but lightning starts mysteriously striking, and Violet says that it wasn't her but she also had a weird feeling so like. It was her. They win the fight, and Marlis reveals that she is in fact the queen of Unnbriel and they get to have their audience right the fuck now. Okay, now I see why Violet had to fight the only woman. That's actually a cool reveal.
Violet tries to negotiate with her, but while she's willing to offer what the Deverelli offered--hunting rights, etc--she refuses to fight with Navarre and she says no one knows anything about the seventh breed on Unnbriel.
“What do you want?” I call after her as Aaric, Cat, and Dain head our way. “At least name your price.” “The same thing everyone in the isles craves.” She pauses and looks back over her shoulder. “Dragons.”
Cool, so this is an obvious chapter ender, let's ask some questions and see if they get answered.
To start with: do the people of the isles (Deverelli, etc) know that dragons are sentient?
Because if so, they're wasting their time negotiating with Violet or Aaric or whoever. They need to talk to some actual dragons. Yes, the dragons can't talk to them, but presumably if a dragon wanted to talk to them they could just bring their rider and have them act as a translator. As the book is constantly trying to convince us, the dragons have their own government and their own politics and are not subservient to Navarre.
Another question: do the people of the isles realize they live in a magic-free land? Because it's already been stated that the dragons couldn't comfortably live here, to the point they can't even communicate with each other. There's no wards here to guard their eggs.
Like, it's possible that no one outside of Navarre knows anything about dragon culture and society, since only the riders can communicate with them to know. I would buy that as an explanation. I'm just curious to see if Yarros has thought of it.
Violet is naturally fighting against the only female warrior the Unnbrish put up. It's not like this woman is described as physically smaller or weaker than the others, so I don't know why the book needed her to be female.
They all have to use the same weapons, so Xaden, who's been negotiating the terms of the fight, picks daggers because, as we all know, Violet's tiny hands can't hold a sword.
Question: why are the daggers in this book all throwing daggers? Especially when so many of them are augmented with venin-killing metal that is in limited supply? Why doesn't Violet have knives that are designed for her to hold in combat? Yeah, it's not great for her to be wrestling with opponents, but also once she throws all her weapons she's unarmed. And Violet's signet lets her fight at range, so I would think she would want a close range weapon.
Anyways. Maybe I'm overthinking this. Violet does in fact open her fight by throwing a dagger which her opponent dodges. She manages a hit on her opponent, but takes one in return that she only survives because she's still got her dragon scale armor on. Her opponent proposes they both remove their armor, but Violet understandably declines.
Her blade glances off my dragon-scale armor, and I stumble sideways from the blow, drawing controlled, deep breaths to try and block the nauseating pain that erupts under my left arm. No mental trick in my arsenal can contain the waves of star-bright agony, but I manage to stifle the scream that fights its way up my throat as steel clangs behind me. I will not be Xaden’s distraction. Adrenaline kicks in, coursing through me like power.
Ugh. Like, adrenaline is a real thing that can have insane effects under pressure on humans, but also these books are full of moments where Violet just willpowers her way through things, including her disability. And I don't think that that's always great as a depiction? I've seen this complaint from EDS-having readers, too.
Violet fights Marlis, her opponent, with difficulty and then takes her down by...grappling her?
Okay. I don't want to sit here like "it's impossible for a small woman to grapple anyone" because this is a fantasy novel and also women in real life can train and become physically dangerous, but I do feel like Violet's limitations are only present when it's convenient for the plot for her to have them. She's too weak for a fucking sword but she's strong enough enough to wrestle a woman twice her weight?
“Perhaps,” she admits, turning her face to the right and laying her cheek against the ground. “But Costa has him.”
Holding my blade against her neck, I chance a glimpse to the right, then do a double take.
Costa has Xaden pinned to his back, his dagger inches away from Xaden’s face. Xaden’s fighting, both his bloodied hands wrapped around Costa’s wrists to keep the blade from plunging, but it slowly lowers under Costa’s weight.
Marlis is pinned but now Xaden is in danger. For some reason, Violet's been fighting to wound, not kill, and I really think she or someone should have confirmed if this was a fight to the death before they got into it. They had time. Violet was gabbing with a priestess while Xaden negotiated weapons.
Violet saves Xaden but lightning starts mysteriously striking, and Violet says that it wasn't her but she also had a weird feeling so like. It was her. They win the fight, and Marlis reveals that she is in fact the queen of Unnbriel and they get to have their audience right the fuck now. Okay, now I see why Violet had to fight the only woman. That's actually a cool reveal.
Violet tries to negotiate with her, but while she's willing to offer what the Deverelli offered--hunting rights, etc--she refuses to fight with Navarre and she says no one knows anything about the seventh breed on Unnbriel.
“What do you want?” I call after her as Aaric, Cat, and Dain head our way. “At least name your price.” “The same thing everyone in the isles craves.” She pauses and looks back over her shoulder. “Dragons.”
Cool, so this is an obvious chapter ender, let's ask some questions and see if they get answered.
To start with: do the people of the isles (Deverelli, etc) know that dragons are sentient?
Because if so, they're wasting their time negotiating with Violet or Aaric or whoever. They need to talk to some actual dragons. Yes, the dragons can't talk to them, but presumably if a dragon wanted to talk to them they could just bring their rider and have them act as a translator. As the book is constantly trying to convince us, the dragons have their own government and their own politics and are not subservient to Navarre.
Another question: do the people of the isles realize they live in a magic-free land? Because it's already been stated that the dragons couldn't comfortably live here, to the point they can't even communicate with each other. There's no wards here to guard their eggs.
Like, it's possible that no one outside of Navarre knows anything about dragon culture and society, since only the riders can communicate with them to know. I would buy that as an explanation. I'm just curious to see if Yarros has thought of it.
