Broken Dove: Chapter Three
May. 14th, 2026 08:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaBefore this chapter is another one of these "enemy of the state" profiles, this one about Xavier. Again, the more I think about Xavier's actions so far the more improbable it all seems. Like I hope we find out later there was some other reason he had to join Wren on her trip to the Uprising, because so far it just makes no sense and makes everyone involved look like an idiot.
Xavier is part of a long tradition of the best friend in romance stories being a plot device meant to facilitate the romance at expense of them having any actual characterization.
Okay, so Wren is heading to the cells to meet with Xavier. The Dagger only has three cells, because they don't need more; if anyone on base commits a crime, they get either exiled or executed, depending on the severity of the crime. Exiling seems like a bad move, this person now knows where your secret base is and is motivated to betray you, but okay. I can buy they choose to execute rather than imprison.
If we're going to depict Wren as being squeamish and uncomfortable with violence, I wish the book would contextualise that with her actual lived experiences.
Anyways. Wren asks if she can meet privately with Xavier in his cell, and Kallister just...lets her. He opens the cell, lets her in, and then leaves them alone. Now, there is a camera, but still. Xavier could break her neck!
Wren feeds Xavier the story she cooked up, and assures him she'll try to get him out.
And another thing. The book is going out of its way to humanize Xavier. He makes jokes. Wren is concerned for his safety, to the point she makes up an empathy for Mods that Xavier himself has not expressed. And Xavier is a Silver Elite officer! He did not know Cross was a Mod! So it's fair to say he probably has some anti-Mod prejudice! But since characters who are nice to Wren are always good, the book makes space to drum up sympathy for him.
This guy probably has Mod blood on his hands. But Wren doesn't think about this.
In comparison, look at the way this scene ends.
Okay, next scene. Gray collects Wren and takes her to his room to spend the night, since she hasn't been assigned quarters yet. This doesn't really make sense. Wren phrases this like it's a sign of the Uprising's distrust, but like...would it not make more sense to assign her a place to sleep so they could keep an eye on her without the risk that she'd attack an Authority member in their sleep? Like it kind of seems like Gray just wants her to spend the night in his bed. He's an Authority member. He can probably just assign her a room for the night if he wants.
Gray casually drops that he has a girlfriend now, and Wren assures him she won't mention their fling to her.
Now, we know Gray is a love interest in this book, because Wren loves it when a man in a position of authority over her acts inappropriately towards her. And if Gray is a member of the council that runs the Uprising and Wren is a lowly agent, then yeah, it is actually inappropriate for him to have had that fling with her, since he was aware of the fact that they were both Mods. And honestly, I think it's questionable now for him to invite her to spend the night in his quarters and give her wine.
As we all know, Wren thinks anything a man does to her is fine if he's hot enough, so none of this occurs to her.
Wren, if you join the Uprising tomorrow, this guy is going to be your commanding officer, so this is like...sexual harassment. I'm begging you. Develop an ounce of self-respect.
Anyways, when Wren comes out wearing one of Gray's huge t-shirts, he asks to see her bloodmark, which is on her inner thigh. Creepy. And of course, Wren's is relatively large because she is the universe's most special girl.
Gray then pointedly asks Wren if she knows what happens to Jayde Valence, and Wren decides that she might as well tell him, since she'll have to tell him tomorrow anyway.
Wren and Gray banter a bit, and Wren makes sure to tell us about how muscly he is. Gray asks about her sleeping with Cross, and she admits to it but says it wasn't serious. And Gray says this about Cross:
Gray also says that she doesn't need to disclose that to the Authority, which, yes she does, that's highly relevant if she's going to do fieldwork later. And then Gray says that he is surprised that Lyddie turned Wren in.
Again--so much empathy for the soldiers of Silver Elite, who are literally trying to kill her and everyone like her. None at all for the Uprising. Wren's Mod best friend, Tara, is in a labor camp right now after being captured and raped by a Silver Elite soldier. Wren has not thought of her once this book.
The chapter ends with Wren asking Gray if she trusts the Uprising, which is a stupid question to ask a guy who is literally in charge of it, obviously he trusts them and he's not going to reveal his misgivings to you, a person who is still deciding whether to join up. But Gray then warns her not to do anything to get kicked out and the chapter ends.
Okay, some thoughts.
I think again we are running into this fundamental mismatch between Wren's backstory and Wren's behavior.
Wren was raised by Jim in isolation and then out in the countryside. She was raised to distrust Primes, fear them, and she has been involved with the Uprising in some way for years prior to the start of Silver Elite. Her beloved uncle was a Mod. Her best friend was a Mod. She had no close friends who were Primes.
I can buy that Wren, isolated and grieving, forced into the military against her will, might get reluctantly attached to Lyddie simply out of a need for friendship. But Wren just isn't reluctant enough. She immediately is willing to accept every Prime in the program who is nice to her, or in Cross's case willing to fuck her. She is way more attached to the Primes she met while undercover in Silver Elite than she is to Tara, her friend of many years. Where is the solidarity with her own people? Why does she barely display any concerns for Mods? Cross forced her into the military for reasons that have never been explained in canon, but Wren is still able to overcome her scruples enough to sleep with and fall in love with them. The Uprising take out the evil dictator of the country, the guy who presumably ordered her beloved uncle's execution, and Wren constantly is looking for reasons to mistrust them.
It doesn't make any fucking sense.
The book wants us to see Wren as torn between two sides and what they represent. Like, I assume the point of all this is that Wren will have to choose between Cross and Gray, and they will represent two sides, either joining the Uprising and whatever 'morally dubious' shit they will have been revealed to be doing or...not. But the end result is that the book is stupid as hell, because they have not actually depicted the Uprising doing anything fucking wrong.
Deep sigh.
Xavier is part of a long tradition of the best friend in romance stories being a plot device meant to facilitate the romance at expense of them having any actual characterization.
Okay, so Wren is heading to the cells to meet with Xavier. The Dagger only has three cells, because they don't need more; if anyone on base commits a crime, they get either exiled or executed, depending on the severity of the crime. Exiling seems like a bad move, this person now knows where your secret base is and is motivated to betray you, but okay. I can buy they choose to execute rather than imprison.
“Do they at least get a trial?” I ask with a frown. “An opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances?”Wren, didn't you personally kill Ansen for raping Tara in the last book?
“Of course. But if they’re found guilty, they die.”
I wince. “Isn’t that barbaric?”
If we're going to depict Wren as being squeamish and uncomfortable with violence, I wish the book would contextualise that with her actual lived experiences.
Anyways. Wren asks if she can meet privately with Xavier in his cell, and Kallister just...lets her. He opens the cell, lets her in, and then leaves them alone. Now, there is a camera, but still. Xavier could break her neck!
Wren feeds Xavier the story she cooked up, and assures him she'll try to get him out.
His voice turns gruff. “Come on, Wren. Let’s not be stupid now. I knew what would happen if I helped you escape. I never expected your Uprising to show me mercy.”Okay, so at least they're addressing it. But like...that was Xavier's plan? He was just going to desert the military and go into hiding? First off, fuck Cross for ordering him to risk his life protecting Wren without some kind of plan to keep Xaiver safe afterward, since his military career would obviously be over. And second, what is Xavier's motivation for doing all this shit? He's just Cross's bro that hard? I don't know, man. The fact that Wren doesn't question any of this is absurd.
“What was your plan then?” I ask in dismay. “To just let them kill you?”
Xavier shrugs. “Figured I’d eventually find a way out. Disappear into the wards, maybe.” He studies the stone walls of the cell, cursing under his breath. “But I didn’t foresee their HQ being inside of a fucking mountain. I feel like this poses a problem for my escape plans.”
And another thing. The book is going out of its way to humanize Xavier. He makes jokes. Wren is concerned for his safety, to the point she makes up an empathy for Mods that Xavier himself has not expressed. And Xavier is a Silver Elite officer! He did not know Cross was a Mod! So it's fair to say he probably has some anti-Mod prejudice! But since characters who are nice to Wren are always good, the book makes space to drum up sympathy for him.
This guy probably has Mod blood on his hands. But Wren doesn't think about this.
In comparison, look at the way this scene ends.
“Wren…do you trust these people?”Again, the book goes out of its way to create the illusion of two sides, goes out of its way to portray the Uprising in a suspicious light. I'm not arguing that the Uprising has to be perfect for the book to be good. But if you look at the facts of the situation as the book presents them, there's not a lot of evidence to back up Wren's mistrust.
I tilt my head to meet his serious eyes. “I’ll get back to you on that.”
Okay, next scene. Gray collects Wren and takes her to his room to spend the night, since she hasn't been assigned quarters yet. This doesn't really make sense. Wren phrases this like it's a sign of the Uprising's distrust, but like...would it not make more sense to assign her a place to sleep so they could keep an eye on her without the risk that she'd attack an Authority member in their sleep? Like it kind of seems like Gray just wants her to spend the night in his bed. He's an Authority member. He can probably just assign her a room for the night if he wants.
Gray casually drops that he has a girlfriend now, and Wren assures him she won't mention their fling to her.
Now, we know Gray is a love interest in this book, because Wren loves it when a man in a position of authority over her acts inappropriately towards her. And if Gray is a member of the council that runs the Uprising and Wren is a lowly agent, then yeah, it is actually inappropriate for him to have had that fling with her, since he was aware of the fact that they were both Mods. And honestly, I think it's questionable now for him to invite her to spend the night in his quarters and give her wine.
As we all know, Wren thinks anything a man does to her is fine if he's hot enough, so none of this occurs to her.
When I return, Gray’s green eyes travel up my bare legs, and my first thought is how I doubt very much that Cross would like this. No, he’d get all primal and growly. Tell me how he wants to rip Gray’s eyeballs out of the sockets for daring to look at me.
I’m not sure what it says about me, but I love that dominant, possessive side of him. No one’s ever growled over me before.
Wren, if you join the Uprising tomorrow, this guy is going to be your commanding officer, so this is like...sexual harassment. I'm begging you. Develop an ounce of self-respect.
Anyways, when Wren comes out wearing one of Gray's huge t-shirts, he asks to see her bloodmark, which is on her inner thigh. Creepy. And of course, Wren's is relatively large because she is the universe's most special girl.
Gray then pointedly asks Wren if she knows what happens to Jayde Valence, and Wren decides that she might as well tell him, since she'll have to tell him tomorrow anyway.
“I incited her to do it,” I blurt out.Wren? Bleeding heart? LMAO.
His breath hisses out through his teeth. “You’re an inciter?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Shit,” he mutters. “I was hoping for mind reader. Or maybe a powerful empath. You’ve definitely got that bleeding heart. But incitement? Does the Company know?”
Wren and Gray banter a bit, and Wren makes sure to tell us about how muscly he is. Gray asks about her sleeping with Cross, and she admits to it but says it wasn't serious. And Gray says this about Cross:
“Well, of course, I figured it wasn’t serious,” Gray says. “The captain is a stone-cold asshole. Not a trace of emotion in that guy. Probably a good lay, though.”Cross is the leader of an elite military unit that kills Mods, and Gray's description of him is "a stone-cold asshole, but probably a good lay." Insane. Insane thing to say about a guy who as far as Gray knows is opposed to the liberation of his people and actively participating in their genocide.
Gray also says that she doesn't need to disclose that to the Authority, which, yes she does, that's highly relevant if she's going to do fieldwork later. And then Gray says that he is surprised that Lyddie turned Wren in.
Sadness lodges inside me, filling the corners of my chest where I thought I’d found a real friend. “She’s been programmed to hate people like us. So I get it. That’s what happens when you’re fed Company propaganda your entire life. She felt betrayed by me.”
“She betrayed you.”
“We betrayed each other, I guess.” I wearily get to my feet. “I need to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Again--so much empathy for the soldiers of Silver Elite, who are literally trying to kill her and everyone like her. None at all for the Uprising. Wren's Mod best friend, Tara, is in a labor camp right now after being captured and raped by a Silver Elite soldier. Wren has not thought of her once this book.
The chapter ends with Wren asking Gray if she trusts the Uprising, which is a stupid question to ask a guy who is literally in charge of it, obviously he trusts them and he's not going to reveal his misgivings to you, a person who is still deciding whether to join up. But Gray then warns her not to do anything to get kicked out and the chapter ends.
Okay, some thoughts.
I think again we are running into this fundamental mismatch between Wren's backstory and Wren's behavior.
Wren was raised by Jim in isolation and then out in the countryside. She was raised to distrust Primes, fear them, and she has been involved with the Uprising in some way for years prior to the start of Silver Elite. Her beloved uncle was a Mod. Her best friend was a Mod. She had no close friends who were Primes.
I can buy that Wren, isolated and grieving, forced into the military against her will, might get reluctantly attached to Lyddie simply out of a need for friendship. But Wren just isn't reluctant enough. She immediately is willing to accept every Prime in the program who is nice to her, or in Cross's case willing to fuck her. She is way more attached to the Primes she met while undercover in Silver Elite than she is to Tara, her friend of many years. Where is the solidarity with her own people? Why does she barely display any concerns for Mods? Cross forced her into the military for reasons that have never been explained in canon, but Wren is still able to overcome her scruples enough to sleep with and fall in love with them. The Uprising take out the evil dictator of the country, the guy who presumably ordered her beloved uncle's execution, and Wren constantly is looking for reasons to mistrust them.
It doesn't make any fucking sense.
The book wants us to see Wren as torn between two sides and what they represent. Like, I assume the point of all this is that Wren will have to choose between Cross and Gray, and they will represent two sides, either joining the Uprising and whatever 'morally dubious' shit they will have been revealed to be doing or...not. But the end result is that the book is stupid as hell, because they have not actually depicted the Uprising doing anything fucking wrong.
Deep sigh.
