#Garrett Wren | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

writerofsorts · 5 months ago

Text

A Funeral and A Secret

(image creds: to the owner)

pairing: jason dilaurentis x female reader.

summary: 2x05 "the devil you know" episode imagine/rewrite.

warnings: death, funeral.

*read previous part here!

—————

The day after discovering that Ian Thomas was dead, the girls sat in the courtyard of the school, quietly chatting among themselves.

"Is this a suicide note or a confession?" Aria asked. The five girls were looking at a picture of Ian's suicide note that was found next to his body.

"It's both," answered Spencer.

"How do you have this, Em?" [Y/N] asked, confused as to how Emily had a photo of the note on her iPad.

"I sent it to her," Hanna replied. "I took a picture with my phone before we called the cops."

"It's weird," Emily said, a disturbed glint in her eyes. "Why would Ian kill himself just as he was about to skip town with Melissa?"

"Maybe he realized that he was gonna get caught," [Y/N] suggested and Spencer nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he knew he couldn't hide forever. Even with Melissa and Wren's help."

"He was probably desperate," Aria commented.

"Look, who cares why Ian did it?" Hanna spoke, a little annoyed. "The important thing is Ali's killer is dead and we are no longer people of interest."

"Why am I not feeling relieved right now?" Emily asked, still not convinced.

"Oh, Em, come on," Aria sighed. "For months, we've been about as welcome in this town as a cold sore. Now, people know that we've been telling the truth."

"And, Ian is out of our lives for good," [Y/N] added, Aria and Hanna nodding in agreement with her.

"Yes, but A isn't," Emily pressed and Spencer sighed out loud. "Can we please slay one dragon at a time?"

Spencer suddenly sat up and turned off the iPad. Her friends frowned at her behavior but soon understood when Garrett Reynolds stopped next to their table.

"Hey," he greeted simply.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Spencer asked curiously.

"I just came to return some evidence that we took from the field hockey office," he answered and looked around once before lowering his voice further. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry you all had to be the ones who found him."

"Melissa is the one who found him," Spencer replied.

"I'm sorry," Garrett said. "Then again, it could've been worse."

"What do you mean?" Aria asked him.

"Bodies decay. He had been dead for at least a week," he replied, making the girls freeze in their seats.

"Give my best to your family," he told Spencer and gave a nod to the other girls before walking away.

"A week?" Hanna whispered.

"That's impossible," [Y/N] said. "Wasn't he texting Melissa?"

"No, he wasn't," Emily said, realizing that her suspicions might be true after all. "I'm betting it was A."

"Why would A pretend to be Ian and then lead us to his body?" asked Aria.

"Does it matter?" Spencer asked. Although she looked stunned by Garrett's revelation about Ian's death, it was clear she wanted to move on from this topic. "The guy was scum and now, he's dead scum. Who cares if A found him first?"

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why A would be involved?" Emily asked. "I mean, what does A want?"

"You know what I want?" Hanna asked. "I want to enjoy my life again before A finds a way to ruin it."

Hanna got up and walked inside the school with Aria and Spencer following behind. [Y/N] got up to do the same when she noticed Emily making no move from her seat.

"What is it, Em?" she asked softly.

"We now know A is involved," Emily answered. "Doesn't that make you nervous?

"Of course, it does," [Y/N] replied honestly. "Just for today, I wanna forget about A. I'm still recovering from seeing Ian's dead body last night."

Emily's previous apprehension shifted to understanding as she held [Y/N]'s hand. [Y/N] smiled and squeezed Emily's hand in hers.

"But, we'll figure this out," she said, hoping to reassure Emily. "We always do."

…

Later that night, after taking a shower, [Y/N] was dressed in her comfiest pajamas. She was settled comfortably in her bed, reading, when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," she called out, placing the bookmark on the current page she was reading, and closed the book.

The door opened and her parents appeared in the doorway as she placed the book on her nightstand. It gave her a sense of déjà vu except for her brother's absence, who went back to his apartment.

"Hi honey," they spoke at the same time and [Y/N] smiled.

"Hello," she said back. "You guys haven't slept yet?"

"No," Leslie replied. [Y/N] moved over and Leslie sat in the space next to her while James sat next to his wife. "Your father and I just got off the phone with Veronica."

"Uh oh," [Y/N]'s response was rather automatic.

"Nothing bad, we promise," James replied instantly, holding his daughter's hand on top of the comforter. "Veronica asked if we could be there at Ian's funeral for them. For Spencer."

"Of course," [Y/N] nodded and her parents shared a look.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to go if you don't want to," Leslie told her. "No one will say anything if you don't go. Even if someone says something, it doesn't matter."

"I want to be there for Spencer," [Y/N] answered. "Besides, this feels like a closure. The closure my friends and I have been looking for since- since they found Ali."

Her parents nodded, understanding where she was coming from.

"We also wanted to apologize for not believing you and your friends about Ian," Leslie said with guilt in her eyes and [Y/N] shook her head. "It's alright. It didn't help that Ian disappeared from the church that night. We had no proof other than our words and experience."

"That should've been more than enough," James argued, angry at himself. "If that wasn't enough, we agreed with Dr. Sullivan and Veronica when they suggested you girls should spend time apart."

[Y/N] could tell her parents were extremely guilt with everything. She was grateful for their understanding; at the same time, she felt a little guilty as well for meeting with her friends behind her parents' backs.

"I have to tell you both something," she spoke, looking between them sheepishly. "My friends and I didn't stop hanging out… completely. We still met up sometimes to talk about everything that's been going on. So, I'm sorry too."

"I had a feeling you girls might your find your way," Leslie said with a playful glare, ruffling [Y/N]'s hair and the latter laughed. "Dad? Are you upset?"

"Of course not," replied James. "This just means I don't have to drown in guilt anymore."

The three of them laughed and the parents engulfed their daughter in a bear hug. According to them, the town's biggest nightmare was over and they couldn't be more relieved.

…

Next day at school, [Y/N] along with Aria, Hanna and Spencer were sitting in their class and quietly chatting before the teacher arrived.

A few minutes later, Emily entered the classroom and rushed over to her friends.

"Ian didn’t commit suicide," she stated with a finality in her tone. "The entire suicide letter is made up of A texts."

"What?" [Y/N] and Spencer exclaimed at the same time.

"How do you know that?" Aria asked.

"I read the note again and a couple of words stuck out to me," Emily explained. "I checked my old text messages. Come on."

Emily gestured the girls to follow her to the back of the classroom for privacy. She pulled out a paper from her notebook and Aria grabbed it first, reading the content.

"I killed Alison. I lost my temper, because she knew too much."

[Y/N]'s eyes widened at the last sentence. 'She knew too much' was text she and her friends had received after A tried to kill Hanna.

"But, there is only so much you can bury and it won't be that easy," Aria continued reading. "But, I know how to get rid of the pain. I can't run anymore. Come and find me. Ian."

"So, these are the parts from the texts?" Hanna asked, pointing at the parts that were printed and pasted on the paper.

"There are only five people that know about the texts," said Emily. "Us and A."

"How did you figure this out?" Aria asked.

"Please. I've been watching Wheel of Fortune with my mom since I was three," said Emily with a hint of humor.

"If A wrote this, that means Ian never actually confessed to killing Ali," Spencer said, her eyes filling with dread.

"It gets worse," Emily added, making the girls look at her in growing worry. "Logan Reed? The guy who dropped off money for Ian the night of the sting? I know where he works. We need more answers."

…

The day of Ian's funeral arrived.

[Y/N] was dressed in a simple black dress with her hair in a simple half up-half down with some strands framing her face.

She arrived at the church with her family and it didn't take long before she spotted her friends. Except for Spencer as she was already inside the church with her family.

James, Leslie, and Sid went ahead to greet the Hastings while [Y/N] joined Aria, Emily and Hanna.

The four girls walked inside the church and the bells went off.

"Who's ringing it this time?" Hanna asked quietly, sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Hey, thanks for being here," Spencer said, walking over to her friends.

"Of course," [Y/N] smiled. "How's your family holding up?"

Spencer didn't answer and turned to look at Melissa. The girls followed the direction Spencer was looking and saw Melissa standing at the back. She was staring down at the floor with no expression on her face and had one arm wrapped around her protruded stomach.

A wave of sadness washed over [Y/N] as she took in Melissa's state. The older woman's gut-wrenching scream from the night they discovered Ian's dead body still rang in her ear sometimes. Melissa didn't deserve to deal with such tragedy, especially while being pregnant.

"What are the police doing here?" Emily questioned when she noticed several police officers stationed at the entrance and scattered throughout the church.

"Uh, my parents wanted them here in case any uninvited guests showed up," Spencer replied quietly.

"I thought my no-party-crashers policy was strict," Hanna joked lightly.

"I think Spencer means angry mob with torches," said Aria.

"I should get back to my family," Spencer smiled tightly. "Thanks again."

A while later, everyone gathered at the cemetery and watched as Ian's casket was lowered to the ground. The five best friends picked up dirt and threw it on the casket, one by one.

[Y/N] was the last to throw the dirt and dusted her hands. She glanced up and she was taken aback to see Jason sitting on a bench in the distance. He resembled a lost little boy as he sat by himself, staring down at his hands, and her heart went out to him.

Soon, the service was completed and most people had left. The girls' parents stayed behind, catching up, while [Y/N] stood to the side, debating on whether she should go check up on Jason or not.

"You should go talk to him," Hanna spoke, coming to stand next to her.

"What?" [Y/N] asked.

"You should go talk to him," Hanna repeated. "I mean, you were thinking the same, right?"

"Well, I was debating on whether I should or not," [Y/N] admitted. "And, I didn't think he would be here."

"Me neither," replied Hanna.

"Waiting for your parents?" Emily asked, walking up to [Y/N] and Hanna. The girls nodded in response and it didn't take long before Emily noticed Jason's presence in the cemetery. "Who's he waiting for?"

Hanna shrugged while [Y/N] said, "Maybe, he came for the same reason we did."

"To spit on Ian's grave?" Emily scoffed, making her friends laugh a little.

"No, for closure probably," said [Y/N].

"Well, I still think he's creepy," Emily said, crossing her arms across her chest. "Even if he wasn't hiding Ian, the guy's a freak and always has been."

Hanna looked at [Y/N], who pursed her lips.

"Anyway, I should go," Emily said, facing the girls again. "Tell your families I said goodbye."

"See you later, Em," [Y/N] replied just Hanna said, "will do."

Hanna turned to [Y/N] once Emily was out of earshot, "don't take her words to heart."

"I won't," [Y/N] smiled, shaking her head. "But, yes, I'll go talk to him."

"Good," Hanna smiled back. "Talk to you later?"

"Definitely," [Y/N] nodded and Hanna gave her a hug before walking away.

After making sure her parents and brother were still chatting with the Montgomery's, [Y/N] made her way towards Jason.

"Hi Jason," she said quietly, not wanting to startle him.

He looked up at her, surprise crossing his features, "Hey [Y/N]."

"Is it okay if I--" [Y/N] pointed to the seat next to him and he moved over instantly, giving her space. "Go ahead."

"Thanks," she smiled as she sat down and clasped her palms in her lap. "I didn't think you would be here."

"I didn't think you'd be here either," he replied, looking at her.

"For Spencer and her family," she answered and he nodded in understanding. "How are you holding up?"

"He was one of my best friends," he stated solemnly. "And, he killed my sister. I- it's hard to believe it. But, I got to admit that Ian and I stopped being friends after-"

[Y/N] looked at him curiously when he paused, "after he what?"

"Doesn't matter now," he shook his head. "How are you? I heard you and your friends were with Melissa when she found him."

"It was… unexpected," she answered. "We were following Melissa and Wren, because we were afraid Ian might hurt her. But, we didn't think we would find his… corpse, instead. I could still hear Melissa's scream in my head."

"I'm sorry," he said, sympathy lacing his voice, and she smiled a little.

"I just hope Ali can finally rest now," she said and he nodded, hoping for the same.

"She was so fearless," he remarked with a small, fond smile. "She used to threaten me all the time with one thing or another."

"Sounds like Ali," [Y/N] chuckled, Jason joining in.

"She was extremely smart, even as a kid," he continued. "She was fearless when she needed to be. I was always a little jealous of that… of her.

"I guess, that's why my parents can't even look at me anymore. They know they lost the wrong kid," he was holding back tears as he finished speaking and [Y/N]'s eyes widened at his words.

"Don't say that," she said back, grabbing his left hand with her right one on instinct. "Look, maybe you coming here today was a mistake."

"The opposite, to be honest," he replied, holding her hand, accepting the comfort she was giving him with the small gesture. "You don't know how good it feels to know it wasn't me."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, confused.

"I don't remember much from the night Ali died," he explained. "I blacked out and woke up the next morning with a wicked hangover and-"

He paused, reaching into his coat pocket with his free hand. He pulled a piece of paper and held it out to her, "and, this."

She removed her hand from his and took the folded piece of paper. She opened it and her eyes widened as she read the words on it, 'I know what you did.'

"Jason, who gave you this?" she asked, facing him again. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know, but it almost destroyed me," he replied, facing forward.

"You thought you killed Alison?" she whispered, afraid of saying the sentence out loud.

"Like I said, I was jealous of her," he replied quietly. "And, when I got loaded, I got angry."

[Y/N] looked down at the ground, processing the last few minutes.

"But, Ian's confession changed everything," he said, relief visible in his tone. "He did it, not me."

[Y/N] remained silent as her mind was fluttering with thoughts. Not for one moment did she think that Jason killed his sister. However, she also knew that Ian's confession was fake.

So, who really killed Ali? And, who wrote that note for Jason?

She looked down at the paper one more time, her eyes scanning the words. She didn't know if she was being paranoid, but the handwriting looked similar to Ian's 'suicide note' which was actually written by A. So, she couldn't help but wonder if A had been around on the day Ali disappeared and messed with Jason for some reason.

"[Y/N]?" Jason's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "You okay? You've been silent for a while."

"Yeah, I'm okay," she cleared her throat, before passing the note back to him. "I think you should get rid of this. You- you never know with the people in this town."

He stared at her for a couple of seconds before nodding. He took the note from her and tucked it inside his coat pocket again to take care of it later.

Before either could of them could speak more, several footsteps coming in their direction made them look up.

[Y/N] felt her heart drop to her stomach when she saw that it was her parents and brother. The three of them looked confused seeing her sitting with Jason. She stood up once they were closer and so did Jason. Leslie was the first to break the silence as she smiled at Jason kindly.

"Hi Jason, how are you?" she asked.

"I'm good, Mrs. [y/l/n] and you?" Jason replied back politely.

"Good, thank you," said Leslie.

"Are your parents here?" James asked.

"No, they're not," said Jason. "Coming back to Rosewood is not easy for them."

"Give them our best," Leslie said with sympathy and Jason nodded, "I will, thank you."

"Are you planning on staying?" Sid asked next.

[Y/N] was a silent spectator and she felt a little embarrassed with all the questions her family kept asking Jason. But, he was patiently answering them.

"I do," he replied, clearing his throat. "I've been doing some renovations around the house. They're almost complete."

"Good, good," Sid nodded. "Well, reach out if you need anything."

"Absolutely, don't be a stranger," Leslie added.

"I appreciate it, thank you," Jason said with a small smile.

"Well, we should get going now," James said. "Good to see you, Jason."

"Likewise, Mr. [y/l/n]," Jason replied.

"Bye, Jason," [Y/N] said with a small wave and he smiled at her politely, "Bye, [Y/N]."

Leslie and Sid exchanged their goodbyes with Jason as well before the family of four walked to the parking lot.

"Honey, I didn't know you spoke to Jason DiLaurentis," James broke the silence first.

"Oh, I do… occasionally," [Y/N] replied, a little anxious. She didn't think she would have to talk with her family about Jason this soon. "I mean, I just say hello when I see him around."

"So, this was not the first time?" James asked. He was trying to seem nonchalant, but he didn't like seeing his daughter around a… boy.

"No, not really," [Y/N] replied in a small voice. She didn't want to lie, because her family must've noticed the comfort with which she was speaking to Jason.

"How about we stop at the Grille for some lunch?" Leslie asked once they reached the car, trying to change the topic. Just like her husband, she was curious as to when her daughter started talking to Jason like a friend. At the same time, she knew [Y/N] would talk to them when she was ready.

James, who knew what his wife was doing, stared at her. [Y/N] and Sid watched as their parents had a silent conversation before James sighed in defeat.

"To the Grille, it is," he spoke, getting into the driver's side of the car. Leslie smiled in victory and winked playfully at [Y/N] before getting on the passenger's side.

"I'm here if you need anything," Sid told her simply and opened the backdoor of the car for her to go in first.

"Thank you," she smiled at him before getting inside the car.

Sid got in the seat next to her and closed the door. The ride to the Grille was silent but not uncomfortable.

[Y/N] was grateful that her family did not push her to share more about what's been going on with Jason and her. Not much happened for her to talk about anyway… not yet, at least.

—————

*read next part here!

ps: i gave the reader/ofc’s family names because it was getting a little difficult to keep up with the abbreviations. sorry for any inconvenience!

#jason dilaurentis x reader #jason dilaurentis x female reader #jason dilaurentis fanfiction #pretty little liars #pll fanfiction #jason dilaurentis #drew van acker

123 notes · View notes

ezziefae · 11 months ago

Text

My thoughts on The Prisoner's Throne.

(spoilers ahead, and talk about Holly Black's planned book)

ps: I finished this book in one sitting on release day and needed days to process everything, that's why this is a late post. Enjoy!!!!

Heather and Vivi

Where were Heather and Vivi? They were present in the prologue but then they vanished. I was excited to see Vivi become friends with Wren, especially after the rude comments she made towards Wren in TQON. I wonder why Holly excluded them from everything after the prologue, such as the family drama scene at the feast. However, I appreciated how they were mentioned in the story, particularly when we learned that Oak and Heather's mom are close, and that Oak would sleep at their house.

Oak abdicating as heir

So yeah, Jude and Cardan have given Oak permission to resign from the throne as heir, and obviously Oak is taking that opportunity to do just that, just not yet….he has to stay heir for months since Jude and Cardan are going away together. I always knew Jude and Cardan were going to stay as High King and Queen of Elfhame, but only because Oak married Wren and therefore became King of the Ice Needle Citadel, but that didn't happen…Jude is letting him step down because she knows he's grown, and wants him to make his own choices, which is great. If Oak resigns, Jude and Cardan will need to have a child to maintain the royal lineage. So, it's VERY possible that we may see a Jurdan baby in the future.

political problem (Holly Black's next faerie book)

So finally we know what the next book will be about. We know that Jude and Cardan have plans to go to the Undersea. That was the plan Holly Black has been teasing at us for a long time now. This means we��re getting another Elfhame book (Holly didn't say an "Undersea book", she said "Elfhame" even though it's going to be set in the Undersea). In an interview online, Holly Black states that this book will possibly be a stand-alone. Many fans are speculating that this book is going to be a Nicasia POV, but from reading the interviews from Holly I believe it’s going to be either a Jude or Cardan POV (maybe even both). This would make sense since Holly has said many times that she's planning to give us more Jurdan, and that Jude still has a lot of story in her. The Prisoner's Throne leaves us with many unanswered questions, such as what happens to the Ghost, if Oak gets married, news about Wren and her family, and whether Jude and Cardan have children. A standalone book to wrap up these loose ends would be very needed.

Cardan saving and being protective of Jude

Do you guys remember the post I made about Cardan fighting alongside Jude? and how he will not sit on the sidelines to watch her fight? Fans who know Cardan well already knew this to be true, but this book further proved this. This isn’t the first time has Cardan stepped in front of Jude to save her from being impaled. My man sacrificed himself so Jude wouldn't get hurt. Many times during the Stolen Heir duology Cardan has been called a coward, but mannn he's no coward, he will protect those he loves dearly, it was so refreshing to get more of his protective side in this book.

Taryn and The ghost

Since TQON, fans have been speculating that Garrett and Taryn are involved in a romantic relationship. Although it wasn't confirmed in the book, The Prisoner's Throne offered some insight into this. We find out that Heather, Vivi, and Oak have all speculated about it. Furthermore, Oak reveals that even after 10 years, The Ghost has remained close to Taryn and her child Leander. In one chapter of TPT, The Ghost has a serious conversation with Oak, but when Leander interrupts them, Oak notices that The Ghost becomes a different person around Taryn's son. He changes his behavior and has an indulgent smile towards the boy. I personally find it adorable, and after all the hardships The Ghost has been through, I believe he deserves to find happiness, even if it's with Taryn of all people.

The Ghost’s tragedy *sobs into pillow*

I never expected The Ghost to become such a prominent character in the book. It was amazing how I started to develop an emotional attachment to the Ghost throughout the book, only for him to end up turning into a tree by the end. The chapter where the family feasts and Lady Elaine and the Ghost are found dead was pure chaos and full of royal family drama. I had such a good time reading that part, until the Ghost turned into a tree. Also, going back to the topic of the Ghost and Taryn, I feel bad for Taryn even though I know she is a terrible character. It was heartbreaking to see Taryn sob and hold the Ghost while he was slowly dying (We didn't get word from Taryn that they were dating but I think that part was enough comfirmation that they were indeed lovers). As far as we know, Taryn and the Ghost did not get a happy ending in this book :(

ps: This is why I believe holly black's next book will be a Jurdan POV, because the only way we get to know about the ghost is through them. Nicasia is not close to Wren, Oak, the Ghost, or Taryn, we will never get insight on what happens to them if this next book is a Nicasia POV. Also I've been hearing as of 3/12/24 that Holly might possibly write a Jurdan dual POV, so...more reason to believe that it will definitely not be a Nicasia POV.

Taryn Vs Wren

It's funny how Holly decided to create a lot of family issues in the second book of the duology. Many fans believe that this duology should have been a three-part series to resolve these issues. One major problem is that Taryn dislikes Wren and holds her responsible for what happened to The Ghost. Oak's family is also not very fond of Wren. It would have been nice to see a moment in the book where Oak's family and Wren could have worked together and gotten along, but that didn't happen. If Oak and Wren plan to get married, I hope that they can resolve these issues between them all.

Cardan VS Taryn

It shocked me that after 10 years of them being brother and sister in law, that they still don’t get along. I think Taryn was wrong to feel like she had to protect The Ghost from Cardan when he was only trying to help. In fact, it annoyed me a bit. While Cardan was respectful towards Taryn, he had every right to dislike her, unlike Taryn who had no reason to dislike Cardan. Moreover, I would like to mention the moment when they found the ghost almost dead and Cardan ignored Taryn and answered Jude instead, Cardan being petty to Taryn in the most respectful way is hilarious. I think that moment perfectly sums up their relationship.

Wren’s Family

Although I’m happy Wren's sister Bex reunited with Wren, I was very much expecting to get more closure from that, like seeing Wren's entire family together reunite in the book. It feels like that left a huge void at the end of the book.

Wren’s Transformation

Okay, that was absolutely shocking. Holly mentioned in one of her interviews that there would be a transformation in the book, and I guess that was it. Wren now has beautiful wings. Can someone please draw a picture of Wren with wings? Also, can you imagine what Oak and Wren's children would look like if they ever had any? Their child would have blue skin, hooves, and wings. That would be a very interesting looking child.

Wren VS Jurdan

Wren was so wrong for making Jude and Cardan appear weak in front of their court. While reading this part, I remember thinking 'Wren, please stop," I found this chapter fun to read, and seeing Jude and Cardan's reaction to Wren's power. It was interesting to see how Wren exposes Jude's geas and curse to almost the entire court, and how Cardan becomes overprotective of Jude while Wren was removing her curse. I love Cardan.

Where was Queen Annett?

Since the stolen heir, I believed that queen Annett was going to be a problem for Elfhame and Wren. As you may recall, Wren freed her prisoners, and I always believed Queen Annett would've punished Elfhame for it since Wren was with Elfhame's heir Oak. However, she did not appear in The Prisoner Throne at all. I wonder if Holly forgot to bring this issue up or if she has decided to address it in her upcoming faerie book. (Queen Annett is also pregnant, so I think she will definitely be brought up again)

Madoc's Character

I'm a bit disappointed. I was expecting a lot from Madoc in this book, but nothing happened, except the fact that Jude lifted his exile (temporarily?) It bothers me that she lifted his exile easily, does Jude not remember he caused many problems for them? Madoc is the reason why Cardan almost died, why Oak was put in danger, he's the reason why the royal family died, and why Orlagh was weakened. I at least expected that Jude lifting his exile would've caused political problems for her, since Madoc is a political criminal for Elfhame and the Undersea. I thought he would’ve at least made a big heroic or villainous move in The Prisoner's Throne, or found a way to at least redeem himself, but nope.

Oak and Wren's Ending

So…Oak does not become king of anything, which is shocking. Everyone believed that if he didn’t become the King of Elfhame he would at least rule the Ice Needle Citadel, which can still happen, since he did propose to Wren at the end of the book. But still, I find it unnecessary, I think that Wren should step down from being Queen, and run to the mortal world with Oak where they can live away from the royal duties. Oak has expressed many times he does not want to be king, but if he marries Wren he will be king, which doesn't seem satisfying to me. Wren never cared for power in The Stolen Heir, she only ever cared for love and her family, I think the ending felt incomplete and unfinished. A lot of stuff was built up from The Folk Of The Air series, and this duology was supposed to give us results, but it did not. Even Oak and Wren's love story felt rushed. I didn’t see much of a connection. It didn't give me much of what I felt when I read Jude and Cardan's love story (You guys are so welcome to disagree with me)

Jude and Oak

So if you read the book, you know how shocking Jude and Oak's relationship became. Especially that scene where they “duel” (And Jude was an absolute fucking badass in that scene) The way she tricked Hag and even Oak at first that she was going to trade Oak for Cardan. I was very impressed with Jude in this book, especially in this chapter where we see her ordering her archers, and her ripping her dress to be able to fight while she's all wet. Her dialogue was so badass: "What if I give you Oak's head instead of Cardan's" and even this quote "Well, then, what a wonderful opportunity for you to prove your loyalty and die for the High King." Chapter 23 (I was so gay for Jude in this chapter, she was so mommy material) Despite feeling a bit betrayed by Oak and believing that she had failed in protecting him, she still trusted him when it came to Wren.

Oak Vs Taryn

"For a moment, he thinks of going over there and dumping his red clover tea over his sister's head" (Chapter 19)

(Jaw was on the FLOOR when i read this) I think it really sucked that Oak's family never told him about this, and I understand that Oak had every right to feel so raged that his family hid his mother’s true killer from his knowledge. Oak and The Ghost have been close, we did get some insight of The Ghost going to the mortal world and train Oak with Magic. I really hope Oak and The ghost's issue gets resolved, but that can only happen when the ghost gets cured....I love family drama, and it shows.

Jurdan Kids

Going back to the topic at hand, Cardan and Jude have given Oak permission to abdicate, which leads me to believe that they are planning to have kids of their own. So far, there hasn't been any indication from Jurdan that they are against having children. Holly has given us insights into Jurdan taking care of Leander, which is incredibly heartwarming. For example, we find out that Cardan plays with Leander, and there's a part where Jude is in the mortal world with newborn Leander, and Oak remembers Jude playing with baby Leander with a toy, almost like she was playing with a cat. I think these are definite hints from Holly that Jurdan would make great parents. Holly did say that we would get an answer to Jude and Cardan possibly having kids in the Prisoner's Throne, and I believe this was it. I will definitely make a separate post on this.

Randalian

I'm so happy this man is dead, it was long overdue. This man annoyed the crap out of us since the folk of the air series (it’s crazy that Jude and Cardan never decided to remove him from the living council, he never saw eye to eye with Jude and disrespected them constantly)

Lady Asha apperance

It turns out that Lady Asha is still in the court. She was only mentioned once when Lady Elaine was speaking with her. At that moment, I became suspicious and believed that Lady Asha was also part of the conspirators.

Locke appearance

The dream Oak had with Locke as a fox was fun and interesting. Even though it was a dream, it was cool to hear Locke again and how he acknowledged being murdered by Taryn.

Taryn is aging...but not Jude

FINALLY, we have some information on this topic. Oak describes Jude as looking very young, and Taryn as aging. He offers two possible explanations for this: either Taryn has visited the mortal world too often as her years are catching up to her, or becoming a mother has exhausted her. For a long time since TFOTA series, fans have speculated that since Jude is the Queen of Elfhame, she will never age. And it looks like Holly seems to support this, especially since Oak finally wonders "if Jude is quite as mortal as she once was". I from now on have no doubt about it, i am a "Jude will never age as long as she's Queen of Elfhame" believer.

The Cardan and Oak problem

it turns out that it wasn’t a big deal, Oak had been too much in his head, he was his own enemy when it came to Cardan, and it was amazing to see Cardan and Oak have a brotherly talk by the end of this book. Cardan’s character has really matured, and its amazing how comfortable he's become with his loved ones (i love him so much) I will admit, that when Cardan was talking to Oak about delaying his abdication of heir, I thought he was going to announce Jude’s pregnancy and you can't blame me, the way Holly wrote it made it sound like he was going to do that. (would’ve made me scream) but nope.

Summary:

The beginning was slow, but I nonetheless enjoyed it. I love Oak and Wren, however, I felt that they could have had a stronger connection in the story. There were too many unanswered questions left in the book, and it did not provide any closure to Oak and Wren's future. I feel that the series should have been a three-part book series instead of a duology. Moreover, many of the main characters seemed to have lost their power, such as Oak's resignation as heir to the throne, Wren losing her godly powers, and Tiernan being fired from his position as Oak's guard. I think many new readers who have never read the Folk of The Air series might not have appreciated that. Despite this, I appreciate that Jurdan was not removed from the Elfhame throne. However, I think that Holly Black set up more problems in this book than solutions, which makes it feel neglectful towards Oak and Wren's story. I am excited about this book, and I am sad that we may not get more news on Elfhame until possibly 2026, as she is currently working on the second book of The Book of Night. Anyways, In other news, I have a virtual event with Holly Black tonight 3/12/24, so I will write anything important down, and I will try to ask good questions!

182 notes · View notes

fantasyfangirling4ever · 1 year ago

Text

Spoiler free (some in purple with warning) The Prisoner's Throne thoughts

So The Prisoner's Throne as somehow the best and worst book I ever read.

I found the plot exciting, interesting and genuinely surprising (literal gasps were uttered).

And it had that great quality in a book where I like the author's voice and I keep genuinely laughing at a sentences and highlighting them, I love Holly Black's descriptions, jokes, world building and the light, irreverent, clever way she was able to talk to us through Oak.

But my god this did not feel like a final draft- what the hell? This book had an editor right? Because I kept finding really glaring and bad spelling mistakes, most with literal capital letters in the middle of a sentence. How were these not picked up? Surely plenty of people read this book before me, so why with one quick power read could I find so many errors? OH MY GOD MY PRINT VERSION CAME AND THE MISTAKES ARENT IN THE PRINT VERSION ITS AN EBOOK ERROR- HOW DID THIS HAPPEN???

However!! There were actual parts of the plot that didn't add up for me (SPOILERS FROM HERE IN PURPLE) like how did Oak jump from 'Madoc has Garret's real name' to 'Garret killed Liriope', like I kept rereading that passage and not understanding how he was supposed to have uncovered it, Garret told him Locke knew the name of the killer not Madoc. It just didn't make sense to me how Leander saying that Madoc knew Garrett's true name = Garret killed Liriope.

I'm excited for the next installment and excited to hear ever everyone else's thoughts

My review is: it was a thoroughly enjoyable, exciting and lucious read with the typical action and intrigue I expect from a Holly Black book along with her trademark genuine and thought-provoking messages/character development throughout. The characters of Oak and Wren were handled pretty well and their arcs were gratifying. And at the end of the day, no matter what character she's exploring there's nothing better to me than being back in such a fantastically indulgent world where Black never holds back from the fairytale and frightening BUT there are genuine criticisms that could be made of the book, some choices made may not vibe with eveyrone.

#the prisoners throne #the prisoner's throne #the stolen heir #holly black #the folk of the air #the cruel prince #jude duarte #the wicked king #cardan #queen of nothing #jurdan #oak #wren #suren #oak greenbriar #queen of n

31 notes · View notes

cromulentreader · 1 year ago

Text

TPT reading thoughts chapters 20-25

And done reading. I avoid rating books outside of liking them - or not - and would re-read (or not). I liked this one more than TSH, so pleasantly surprised. I will re-read certain scenes in this book with Jude, Madoc and Tiernan.

Chapter 20 (cont.)

Elaine dies too and Oak complaining

The Roach <3 Roiben and Kaye mini-cameo <3

Randalin, you bitch! Cardan would not be ok with dying by Randalin’s hand. Unacceptable, really

Fala delivered the best line of his existence

Oak goes kill-mode-activated. Jude blames Madoc. Leander got the Madoc’s clan baptism

Cardan has long forgotten about not being a killer and wants to kill anyone sus. I can’t blame him

I’m confused about the POV, ngl

Chapter 21/22

Why would Dain have a crest beside the Greenbriar crest?

Honey-mothing your lover. Tsk, tsk. Ha, he plans to kill her, a family tradition at this stage

“something else to lose”, this boy spent time with Vivi

MOTHER MARROW, I feel betrayed

Bex is inside a nut. This would be a lovely tale

Wait. Oak, child, you still have the usual glamour right? Why wouldn’t that be enough to get Bex to behave?

Bogdana fight time, yes?

Chapter 23

Jude, Jude, Jude <3

Jude is duelling another family member, Leander better watch out

This is probably the only chapter that brings me back to the Elfhame of the previous trilogy

Chapter 24

The love spiel was nice but felt off at the same time

Wings? Why?

Madoc had a realization moment. Can he be trusted now? Probably not looking at the chess moves

T&H made up <3<3<3

Wren went to see her unfamily

So Taryn believed killing her abusive husband was the worst thing she did? Really?

Everyone is very cool with Garrett being stuck in a tree

Cardan being awesome

Oak can abdicate but we need a few months for a backup plan, maybe more. I was like “Sir, you know it can take long to conceive?”. Then Cardan talked about going to watch the faerie edition of The Selection

Jude has massive balls to go back into the undersea

Chapter 25

They’ve spent like 3 months together tops, no need to marry anytime soon

“King of someplace”, mf forgot about his promise to the Thistlewitch. Promise that Wren can no longer break either

#the prisoner's throne #the prisoners throne #read 2024

14 notes · View notes

murasaki-cha · 1 year ago

Text

So I just finished reading The Prisoners Throne Excerpt

*sharp inhale* *screams into the void*

AND I HAVE THOUGHTS PEOPLE!!!

First of all WHAT DID CARDAN DO!?!?!?!??! SERIOUSLY WHAT HAPPENED THAT WAS SO BAD THAT OAK THINKS THAT CARDAN WOULD ACTIVELY TRY TO KILL HIM!?!?! They were cool the last time we saw the so WTF!?!

Seriously this part got me so curious I won't be able to stop thinking about it for the next 3 months! Oak has so much hot family drama to spill!!

But moving on from that.

I love how we're finally exploring Oak's charming ability and how he starts doubting it himself if he really did subconsciously use them with Wren

And we got so many moments of Oak recalling his training with the court of shadows. He considers them all his friends and recalls those memories so fondly it was so sweet (he sounded more comfortable with them than when he recalled anything about Jude let alone Cardan apparently). That whole convo with the Ghost was especially adorable:

The Ghost/Garrett: How are your skills with the blade?

Oak: I'm eleven???

Also can we please talk about jealous Oak please! Like my boy, out of all the times and occasions! He's so desperate it's hilarious

Still in the OakWren train, this boy is so down bad it's pathetic. The way he waits for her even if it's just to command or scorn him, simply because he wishes to see her. Regretting every single thing he hid from and feeling like shit because he can't even apologise since she doesn't come see him. BRUTALLY ANNIHILATING that mechanical snake since it could have been going to poison Wren. Pleading to postpone his rescue just so he could talk to her.

Favorite part was when he recalled Wren's betrayed face after she found out the truth and going "Damn yeah I really do deserve to be in here locked up, still need to escape tho, but I deserve this."

Oh Greenbriar men, you and your love for evil women who you accidentally betrayed and kept you imprisoned. Alexa play Loverboy.

Loved that this entire paragraph (besides Cardan's vendetta against Oak WHICH IS KILLING ME) was just Oak going

Oak: Angry vengeful Jude? Yikes. Angry vengeful Wren? Yikes. Angry vengeful Jude and Wren against each other? We're doomed

And finally we at least now know where the ring from the cover came from!

Holly Black did say that an important element in the cover is how the ring is frozen in the brances, unmoving. I wonder if it's some kind of symbolism about Oak's inability to leave Weren, how he is trapped by her not only physically by the briddle, but emotionally too? That would be so cool

Tho this first chapter sneek peak gave me more questions than answers, I really enjoyed getting a feel of what the book would be like from Oak's pov (regretting, simping, scheeming and a whole lot of Keeping Up with the Greenbriar/Duartes). God I can't wait 3 more months I need this book in my hands now!!!

#the prisoner's throne #the prisoners throne #the stolen heir #oak greenbriar #queen suren #suren #wren #oakwren #cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #tfota #the folk of the air #the cruel prince #tcp #holly black #bookblr

42 notes · View notes

satancopilotsmytardis · 1 year ago

Text

Holy shit!!! Release Volume 1 is live! This is a M/M monster fucking anthology following 3 pairs at the titular Release Hotel. Here's the summary for those interested!

Welcome to Release, the premiere hotel to have all of your fantasies satisfied! Our luxury skyscraper hotel boasts 52 floors and over 300 rooms, night club, lounges, dungeons, and more! Each experience helps to feed incubi and succubi throughout the city, allowing a happy ending for all involved! After an extensive background check and in-depth kink consultation survey, you will be able to book an experience, and will be paired with a member of staff or other participants of all genders, species, and ages (18+) depending on your stated preferences. Each experience ensures a safe environment to explore even the most elaborate of fantasies, so don't hesitate and apply now! Your Release awaits! Garrett wasn't even supposed to be here tonight! He'd only come as a space-filler due to a last minute cancellation. But now that he's caught the eye of a gorgeous naga, he's not complaining about the disruption to his evening anymore. He's far too curious to find out just how snake-like the demon's body really is... Wren has been stuck bag feeding for six months, and Release may be an unconventional hunting ground, but boasts they can find a match for all their customers' needs. So if they can find him a mortal willing to open a vein for him and dom him until his brain turns to putty, then it will be money and time well spent. He's just a little confused as to why the powers that be seem to have decided the infuriating co-worker he'd never thought he'd see here, is being offered up as his partner for the night... Jackson is less than thrilled with his experience so far. An aspect of socialization he wasn't expecting, has not found his partner yet, and when a staff looks at his reservation, an error in the system becomes apparent that might mean he doesn't even have one tonight. He's settling himself in for a disappointing night as he sips at his drink and the staff try to work things out. The night is definitely about to go far worse than that when he finds himself waking in a dingy room on a stained mattress, hands chained to the wall, tied up and ready to become a demon's new toy...

It is available for free on Kindle Unlimited and $2.99 without (I had to make it $2.99 to make it eligible for Unlimited 😔) it's 27k of smut with a bunch of staples from my usual work! Thank you so much for all of the encouragement over the past few months!

#tanco speaks #my writing #consume!verse #sorry i keep updating this i happened to be at work when it went live #tetero romance

23 notes · View notes

jaggedwolf · 6 months ago

Text

pll rewatch 2x08

JENNA CAN’T HEAR US, SHE’S BLIND

A classic PLL line that has been memed on endlessly, and yet I’ve only just realized - is what Hanna means that even if Jenna hears their stomping, Jenna won’t be able to see that it’s them because duh, she’s blind?

Does Jenna have a kink for making out next to windows? I think her rape-by-blackmail vid with Toby was also taken near a window

Emily has terrible situp form. Is she even exercising her abs. She’s also making the terrible choice to do them the morning of the meet

I’m concerned Emily doesn’t have any friends on the swim team to discuss training regimens with :/

You know who I bet knows things about training regimens? Paige.

Hanna fussing over Emily’s overtraining is cute. Less cute is Emily witnessing Tom and Ashley’s morning after, this is the most family drama she’s experienced outside of her own coming out

In my notes I wrote “Wren is gross” and it doesn’t even matter what scene this is about

Mike’s friend who bothers him in school...I think he’s genuinely concerned about Mike, it’s just filtered through terrible teenage bro levels of self-expression (asking Mike if he’s going to be a crackhead next)

Aria lies to Ezra about the confrontation she had with Jenna in ceramics class and never told him about the Mike burglary shenanigans

On one hand, she doesn’t want to mention Jason to Ezra, on the other hand she is the most secretive of the liars

As a naturally secretive person myself I’m inclined to defend this behaviour

Emily’s so stressed she gives herself an ulcer. Her little “when can I swim again” :( :( :(

Fun fact: Ulcers aren’t really caused by stress but by bacteria, though of course stress is not great for the immune system overall

Spencer is so cute when she’s defensive of Emily who has an ulcer, Do Not Scare Her Hanna! I love that when Aria shows up with a coffee Emily silently looks at Spencer to give the explanation.

Thus we can conclude the other three’s reactions to learning about Emily

Hanna: Stopped by her Mom’s workplace to borrow her car to go to the hospital, googled ulcers out of mild curiosity and went WAIT IT’S A HOLE IN YOUR STOMACH? THAT’S WHAT AN ULCER IS? A HOLE? SPENCER A HOLE???

Spencer: Already knew what an ulcer is but re-reviewed to know what Emily can or cannot consume and to provide Reassuring Facts on ulcer healing.

Aria: Does not know what an ulcer is and does not care to find out, does know Emily’s favorite coffee order and wants to give her a nice treat. Foiled by biology :/

Spencer is so funny when she interrogates Hanna on her Caleb sitch while they’re in the elevator. “Where else are you gonna go?” Guess Hanna has to answer her.

Ashley telling Tom to fuck off. Hell yeah!! Maybe tell him to talk to Hanna first

We see more of Jenna & Garrett Evilly Plotting than I remember, I’ll want to compare this to later Evil Plotting scenes from other characters

Emily gets hit with the second punch of steroid use. She is so scared and stressed about this :/ It is well-crafted emotional torture by A - to have first made Emily a liar and then a cheater, when Emily is the girl who cares most about fair play, whose mom stated back in S1 that her daughter was raised to earn everything she’s gotten

And all of it is in circumstances where no one would believe Emily telling the truth

Did the ulcer save Emily from getting kicked off the swimming team...

Mike seems to be actually doing his homework when Ella knocks on his door, which is a note I like

OK when Haleb is in Spencer’s family cabin, why is Caleb the one making the fire and Hanna the one to not know what kindling is? The camping scene last season had Hanna be the one with outdoor survival skills and Caleb clueless, I don’t like this arbitrary swap

All of Caleb’s shady shit happened in Allentown. I have memories of a fic where the backstory was Caleb & Paige being absolute disasters in Allentown and I wonder if the author chose that location because of this mention or just because, you know, it’s a place in PA

Was this whole plot so Haleb could get laid? Maybe a little bit

Wayne Fields is the one good father, he does not want Emily to stress about college and paying for it. Well sir please investigate your finances and military benefits

Emily wants to bail to Texas, Spencer appeals to her sense of justice in finding Ali’s killer. The limit to Spencer’s desire to protect her people, perhaps - she doesn’t want to be left alone

Hanna is really upset at Ashley saying she doesn’t want to get back with Tom, because that makes Hanna the sucker that is the only Marin who wants things back the way they were

2x08 is six weeks before the wedding. Enjoy fitting that into the timeline.

While Emily is alone and depressed in her hospital bed in her very shitty situation, Spencer pops up to go “Hey Em, wanna read through our dead friend’s autopsy report with me? Look at this X-ray of blunt force trauma to her skull.”

Emily does look at it, I ponder if Emily and Spencer were partners in bio class and they realize page 5 is missing. Oh no!

I have literally no memory of this plot point, would simply like to note that when Hanna asks “How can one page just disappear” I went yeah PLL I have that question too

You know Hanna is really broken up about her dad because she and Caleb literally sit on the curb while staring at the happy family. Do you think the parents of that family are going hey why is that teenage couple staring at us?

#pll #pll watching #pll 2x08

6 notes · View notes