Read Along: The Bone Shard Daughter – Week Two

Welcome to the second week of The Bone Shard Daughter readalong questions. Last week’s answers were mainly about me not gelling about the book. What about this week’s?

Here are the questions and answers.

Jovis has begun to show strange new strengths since escaping Deerhead Island. What do you think is going on?

I feel pretty sure that Mephi is somehow giving him powers in some way. And that Mephi’s appearance and existence is somehow linked to Deerhead Island’s sinking. Creatures that literally shake the earth and all that.

More than the new strengths is the way Jovis’ mission and morality are changing. I think that’s more Mephi’s emotional influence than any part of the powers but I’m not entirely sure. Either way, the swing in his character feels a little rushed. In a lot of ways, these rogue/heroes often work best when observed by another character, in order to obscure their exact thoughts from people, even if it does sometimes take us away from the character with most at stake.

Basically, what I’m saying is make this Mephi’s story damnit.

What is your understanding of witstone, and the strange effect it has on Mephi?

Maybe – just maybe – it’s something like elves and iron. Being around it affects his magic. But I don’t think that’s what it is. To be honest, I’m not sure I really understand what witstone is. It’s mined, it produces wind when burned, and Mephi reacts really badly to it. That’s it. Hopefully we’ll find out soon because my curiousity about it has been piqued, and is now dwindling, with a half-belief we’ll find out what it is in time for it to have a deus ex machiny affect due to unknown powers.

Lin attends two rather different – and rather awkward – family dinners. Why do you think her father invited her to eat with him? What do you make of Bayan now?

Ah, here comes the fun stuff.

I hadn’t really gelled with Lin before. Now I do. Why? She’s a prisoner and so is Bayan, and these chapters have got me really feeling it. The magic, and the Emperor’s approval, are what they need to survive, so that’s what they go after. There’s a purpose and a sense of personality and a sense of direction to her and now, well, now I’m interested. Sorta interested in Bayan too. Will they make common cause, or will one sell the other out?

As for why the Emperor, her father, invited her to dine with them? Hmm. One possibility is paternal affection. The other is a desire to keep an eye on a useful tool who’s been out of sight. I do not believe those possibilities are mutually exclusive, so I’ll believe in both.

What do you make of the rebel plan and the deal they offer Jovis? Do you trust them to deliver what they’ve promised? How do you think Phalue will react to their plan?

Well, first off, who cares what Phalue thinks.

Anyway, I’ll be surprised if something with this whole deal doesn’t go wrong for Jovis. The best likely outcome is it all goes off without a hitch but creates real problems for him down the line. If I had to guess what’s about to happen, the plan’s going to go mostly right, the rebels are going to claim he needs to do something else to hold up his end of the bargain, and he’s going to have to do a runner. That does feel too obvious though given Jovis has pretty much lampshaded this in his thoughts, but it’s still my best guess.

That’s it for this week. I’ve started to get on board with this story and am curious as to where it goes, but I haven’t fallen in love with it yet.