#Myth & Kat read WS

[longsightmyth]

So it begins.

[longsightmyth]

SO. There’s this book that’s out now. It’s caused some controversy. I was excited when I first heard about it. @spaceshipkat  was wary.

Kat was probably right to be wary.

THAT BEING SAID. We’re gonna do a practice cooperative chapter-by-chapter for WS by ED, because Kat keeps getting asks about it and I want to read it, but like. With backup.

Kat has sent me some screenshots. I’m hoping it gets better.

Keep an eye out in the next couple of days for chapter 1 of our chapter-by-chapter reread of W/icke/d S/aint/s (tagged Myth & Kat read WS). I feel like there should be a codeword for this.

Please be patient while we figure out our format, it’s probably going to evolve.

[longsightmyth]

Myth & Kat Read WS, Chapter 1

(Kat’s post is here)

Myth’s First Impressions:

I am unwowed but my optimism is uncowed. Or something.

The first chapter doesn’t have to wow me, though. It just has to introduce me to the world and the characters.

Frankly I think the events of this chapter should have come later in the book, when we already had context and cared about the characters or at least understood that the main character cared about them. As someone who has written something that killed off a character early for supposed emotional impact… well. I wish I’d taken more time to develop Goldor before killing him off. I wish the author here had taken more time to ensure we knew K/osty/a better so we cared too.

Second Impressions (aka status updates the second time I read the chapter);

I’m unimpressed by the scripture. Step up your game, author. (I say as someone who likes to include this sort of thing in her writing and usually ends up removing it later, but I love it when it’s done well, like in Pellinor)

The author decided to explain what vespers were. Vespers are an actual thing irl.

‘She hadn’t anticipated losing her entire day to remedial labor, yet here she was.” Did you maybe mean menial labor?

Unlike Kat, I am amused by the pettiness of the potato inner monologue.

I am not, however, amused by the dialogue.

I wish we had seen the prank in action. I think it would have given some good insight into K/osty/a and the world at large.

Why are we using dull kitchen blades

Let the Sarah Janet prose begin I guess

Hey a semicolon! Pretty sure it should be a colon, but whatever

Why are we translating words used in the narrative directly to english terms

“When N/ady/a prayed, gods listened.” There I made it more dramatic for you and saved space. You’re welcome. (you don’t need to tell us that’s valuable or scary, that’s pretty clear)

This is so far very explain-y, but I think if we had a little more context and a little less exposition I would be enjoying myself.

The gods are not very godlike. Your mileage may vary.

Unclear if the T/ranavian/s actually know N/ady/a exists, let alone that she’s at the monastery. They could just be going for a tactical target in their holy war. In a book that explains so much else in exposition, this seems like a strange thing to omit.

“It’s over, T/ranavian/s! We have the high ground!” - all I can hear even the second time around.

I told Kat this when I was reading the chapter the first time and she agrees with me on part but not all of this: this really feels like it’s first person PoV that somehow got morphed into third person? Like, I feel like I’m reading first person, so every time I read about N/ady/a in third person it’s a shock.

Her hand isn’t frostbitten, it’s covered in magic ice. Words mean things.

Why would a character raised to believe in gods who also grew up conversing with them be shaken by their omnipresence? Maybe if we had more on the religion this would be explained.

Honestly I’d have been okay with the narrative telling me to feel things here if I knew more about K/osty/a.

Final Impressions:

I still think this should have been a second or third chapter after we spent some time at the monastery and met the people involved so it would have more of an emotional punch. The prose is… sloppy isn’t the right term. It feels unfinished, I guess? But it’s salvageable, and I think it could be much improved by removing 90% of the exposition to make room for character development that would show us how the world works and how these people interact with each other and their environment. THAT BEING SAID: depending on how the holy war aspect is handled, I could be all over this. Is it weird to say that I love a good fictional holy war?

BONUS:

Title is pretty cool at the outset and has the advantage of not being a ___ of ___ thingy. Jury is out on how relevant it will be, but I have hopes! (hiiiiiigh hopes/ musical interlude)

Kat Responds:

What’s hilarious is that I’ve seen so many reviews talk about how they love the scripture at the beginning of each chapter, since they seem to feel that it weaves more world-building into the book and also introduces us to the pantheon, but imo they really don’t serve their purpose. Maybe it’s just me, but I tend to skip over things that are right below the chapter header, which makes the purpose moot. And honestly, if you have to weave world-building in that way, the book itself needs some serious work.

I actually laughed at remedial vs menial.

The whole dull kitchen blades thing could’ve been interesting, if Father Alexei was supposed to be someone we dislike, since it’d show us if he trusted Nadya and Kostya or not (they’re not guarded, which implies he trusts them, but the dull blades thing doesn’t make any sense). Instead, we’re supposed to care for him, despite the opening paragraphs, and love his faith in allowing Nadya to fight (but that’s in chapter 2, where I rant a lot, so I’ll hold myself back here ahem).

I think the lack of explanation for why the Trana/vians are there and why they’re after Nadya is supposed to be some big secret from the reader, despite the fact it only serves to make us frustrated. You shouldn’t have to build up tension through withholding information, especially something that a person would normally think about.

I, too, love a holy war because they’re fascinating to read about, considering religion is such a huge driving force no matter where you are in the world (even if you aren’t religious yourself, chances are you are still aware of/impacted by it). I think what makes me wary is the way the gods are being introduced, or the lack thereof, because this entire chapter plonks us into the story without building anything up/making us understand and empathize with Nadya. I’m definitely still going forward with an open mind, but this first chapter doesn’t wow me at all. The foundation is there but little else.