#but Shannon frequently introduces new things to throw us off

[bookwyrminspiration]

It's been a while since anyone has died. I feel like Shannon will kill someone off in the next few books. If so, who do you think it will be?

I've talked about this a little before, which you can find linked here, but in case you don't want to read that I'll do a quick summary. I think Sandor is likely to die by the end of the series, and Shannon even said once that she'd planned to kill him in every book since he's been introduced. So that being said there have definitely been Sandor Death Plans, but whether or not she's still planning to kill him in uncertain. But I think it will happen, which may be the kind of motivation Sophie needs to really loose herself and unleash herself on the Neverseen. it would definitely be interesting!!

Given the rate of death in the series, I don't know if there's time for more than one in the final two books, but then again we're building up to the ending of the series so the consistency is bound to become less reliable as things ramp up. In that case, I'd guess...maybe one more death of Sophie's allies and one or two of her enemies? I don't think the ally death would be one of the main 12 in her friend group, just because Shannon doesn't seem like the type to write that. She seems more like a "everyone is going to make it through somehow. I don't know how, but they're going to be okay" kind of writer. Which isn't a bad thing!! It's only an observation and assumption that we can rule those 12 out.

Who it would be would be vague speculation on my part though. If Sandor does die, then I'd rule out any of the bodyguards so it doesn't feel repetitive. I'd probably rule out Flori because we've already gone through Calla's death. Maybe Mr. Forkle could be ruled out because his brother is already dead, but then again it could be used as both brothers dying and finally being together again. I feel like all the parents fall under the "everyone is going to make it through somehow" thing or the "it's already been done" like how Alden already has a wanderling. Same with the Council, as Kenric already got roasted.

This is a random guess, but maybe a member of the Collective? Yes, Forkle 1 already died, but it didn't actually impact the collective the same way. So if it were to be one of them, I'd guess Tiergan because he's had the most impact on Sophie's life and would have the most affect on her after death. He's been her mentor for long enough and gotten to know her well enough that it would hurt a lot more than someone like Wraith or Blur.

and then there's the matter of who in the Neverseen would die, as for something like the finale of the series there would have to be more than just losses on Sophie's side for it to stay balanced.

I don't think Fintan will die, but he's the only one I'm really certain of. Oh and Alvar will probably die, but that was kinda assumed since Sophie found him all weak and not looking too hot. I wonder if Lady Gisela will die, as she's been a key player and caused a lot of hurt and it would be dramatic story-wise. I don't think Vespera will, but she'd have to be dealt with somehow.

There's many possibilities and so little time left in the books, so it's hard to say exactly what will happen! I'm kinda basing this on what I would do if I were writing the story and also the patterns Shannon's just been following, but that's just my interpretation. Shannon might come around and shock me and finally kill Sophie in a self-sacrificial final moment. Though that would be devastating for everyone and it doesn't seem in line with everything else that's happened. I do think a few of Sophie's friends will acquire more scars, but I don't think they'll die.

But who knows!!

[missjenmichelle]

I’m a big fan of Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season. It’s a young adult series (arguably? like maybe  a little older than young adult, but not quite...what, old adult? real adult?) that, like MANY young adult series these days, features a pretty problematic, romantic relationship between the two main characters: Paige Mahoney (a human) and Arcturus Mesarthim (aka Warden [a rephaite]).

Paige is a clairvoyant criminal in dystopian, future London, and Warden is a high-ranking member of an otherworldly race called the Rephaim who control the puppet government of London from the ruins of Oxford. The Rephaim like to collect human slaves, both clairvoyant and not, to serve them and to fight their battles against terrifying, carnivorous creatures called the Emim. Early on in the first book, Paige gets captured and sent to their slave colony in Oxford, where she becomes property of Warden, her new “keeper.”

Later [SPOILERS] it is revealed that Warden only chose to take Paige on as his slave to prevent her from being taken by another, crueler Rephaite, who would’ve likely beaten her to death for her constant insolence and rebellious spirit. In fact [MORE SPOILERS], it turns out that Warden himself is also a prisoner in Oxford. He is one of the few remaining “scarred ones,” which are Rephaim who, decades ago, helped organize a human rebellion against the ruling Rephaite family, the Sargas. The rebellion failed, many died, and the Rephaim involved were labeled traitors and tortured extensively, leaving them with horrific, painful scars. 

Warden was chosen by Nashira Sargas, the ultimate leader of the Rephaim (the so-called “Blood Sovereign”) to be her betrothed. This allows her to keep a close eye on him, to subjugate and humiliate him, and to send a clear message to whatever traitors might still exist within the Rephaim ranks that she controls everything, even them.

So in that sense, Warden is a prisoner, yes. One might even argue that he is a slave--Nashira’s slave, ordered to kill and fight enslave others on her behalf. 

It’s important to note, though, that whatever claim to imprisonment/enslavement Warden might have, it pales in comparison to everything Paige has endured. 

Paige was ripped from her home and tortured extensively before being brought to Sheol I; while Warden’s migration there wasn’t exactly willful, it was nowhere near so traumatic. At Sheol I, Paige is constantly being reminded of her place in this new society, which is firmly at the bottom. She’s fed on, beaten, starved, left to freeze in damp, dark conditions during the night (which is still better than most of her human companions can say), forced to train, to fight the Emim; she’s branded, she’s denied proper medical attention, and even her name is taken away, replaced with a number by which everyone addresses her (except Warden, when they’re alone). 

Warden, on the other hand, though he may be a prisoner, lives quite a luxurious life. He has a room to himself in Magdalen, one of the nicest residencies in Oxford, he has numerous humans slaves to wait on him hand and foot (summoned by a bell he has in his room), he’s provided with all of the clothing and medical attention he could ever need, he feeds on humans, including Paige, whenever it suits him, and though his status as Nashira’s betrothed is more a punishment than anything else, he uses it to his advantage numerous times throughout the first book, throwing around the weight of his title to get what he wants from lower-ranking Rephaim.

Yes, Warden’s a prisoner, but Paige is much more so, and as kind as he can be to her, relative to other Rephaim, Warden is nowhere near innocent in his interactions with Paige. He calls her by her name, he never beats her, he tries to provide her with food and fresh clothing, he allows her to bathe and explore the city, he pushes her during training, but never to truly dangerous limits, he tries to help her when Nashira brands and poisons her with Flux, he brings her into the folds of the rebellion and works to ensure her safe escape back into London--and those are all great things...given the circumstances.

But Warden, particularly in the beginning, does frequently flex his power over her, ordering her to take pills that she doesn’t know the purpose or content of, feeding off of her, bringing her to Nashira when she is summoned, despite knowing what will happen once they arrive. He trains her at Nashira’s request--helps her power mature despite knowing that Nashira is waiting to harvest it by killing her--and even once Paige has virtually orchestrated her own escape and ensured her own free, even once she’s safely in Nick’s arms, about to go free, still, he brings her back to Sheol I. Back to her prison, back to her eventual murderer’s lair, back to the place where her friends--all of her kind--suffer and die regularly. And why? For his own, selfish purposes. By his own admission, he brought her back because he was too afraid to face Nashira alone. He could’ve let her go. Instead, he chooses to subject her to months and months of starvation, torture, and other, utterly despicable living conditions, to risk her life, to offer her life up as a potential sacrifice, all to win his war.

Nothing can absolve Warden of his crimes against Paige. Standing by while she’s branded, leaving her alone in woods filled with Emim, bringing her back to Sheol I when she could’ve escaped, involving her in his revolutionary plan, and--perhaps worst of all--entering into a romantic relationship with her.

Warden knows that he’s endangering not only himself but Paige, his Rephaim allies, and every human in Sheol I whose life literally depends on his successful revolt by giving into his feelings for Paige. He knows the consequences will reach even beyond Sheol I. Yet he does it anyway.

My point here is that a lot of discussion has been going on about Paige’s relationship with Warden being a classic example of Stockholm Syndrome that we should all vehemently condemn. I’ve always believed that this problematic dimension was introduced intentionally, to exaggerate, and therefore draw attention to, the insane power inequities that seem to always exist in young adult/quasi-young adult literature these days--usually (though, admittedly, not always) with with the man being the one who has all the power.

This theory, for me, was backed up by the fact that Paige, as our narrator, seems to have a lot of subtle misgivings and doubts about Warden that, though they never fully concretize in her mind, come across pretty clearly to us, as readers. For example, [MASSIVE SPOILERS]: when she and Warden are kissing the night of the revolution, she keeps thinking/hearing a small voice in her head telling her: no, no, stop, stop Paige, stop. Later, in The Mime Order, there’s a lot of tension between them. Warden’s allies distrust her and frequently scoff at the possibility that she might even consider Warden having feelings for her, and he never outright defends their connection. Rather, he smooth talks her, avoiding direct confrontation altogether. Nick expresses shock and near-outrage that she would even consider trusting him. His relationship with Terebell, who is particularly dismissive of Warden and Paige’s connection, is suspiciously...friendly, giving us the impression that might almost be using Paige. Why wouldn’t he? She’s a dream walker, for God’s sake. The only dream walker, and as of TMO, she’s led an entire, successful revolution and she [MASSIVE, MASSIVE SPOILERS] controls the London syndicate. He’s used her before; why should we believe he’s not doing it again?

Even Paige, subconsciously, distrusts him. She always notices when he puts his gloves back on, rather than allowing skin-to-skin contact between them. She is quick to pick up on and react angrily towards any attitude he gives her (which he lamely justifies by saying he’s trying to prepare her for how the other Rephaim will treat her), and when she wakes up in his arms, her first reaction isn’t a sigh of relief, a smile, or a feeling of security. Instead, she’s terrified. She leaps away from him, the brand on her shoulder stings, and she pulls out a knife, proving that whatever else might be true about her feelings, there’s at least a part of her that still associates him (RIGHTFULLY SO) with her imprisonment, her enslavement, her torture, her trauma, etc., etc., etc.

I think their relationship is absolutely an example of Stockholm Syndrome, and Warden’s own unfortunate circumstances don’t change that--don’t justify what he’s done to her/allowed to be done to her, even though he had the power to stop it (what’s that expression about two types of evil, those who do it and those who see it but do nothing?). But I also think Shannon is creating these issues to make an important point, and if it goes the way I think it will, I think The Bone Season will become one the absolute greatest modern series across all genres based on this aspect alone. 

p.s. I haven’t read the song rising yet because i just got back from studying abroad but SOON ~so no spoilers please~