#ill prolly finish Valour tomorrow

[fish-wifey]

I will just have to go mildly insane about Valour and Cywen and the fact that Joyn Gwynne simply does not have the balls to do what would be great.

Im less than 100 pages of the end but read so much today that I simply cannot finish it tonight. But Gwynne is doing something in the second half of the book that have me go feral with the eyerolls.

(spoilers ahead).

Okay so first of all the two most potent love interest for Cywen (in my opinion) have all the things most girlypops in current fiction like:

enemies to lovers

knife to the throat

men with questionable morals on the bad side.

But the way Gwynne is writing Cywen, the few chapters she's gotten in the second half of the book and how how few and far in between they are... its a lost cause lol. small cywen tangent:

Like at first our girl is fighting and trying get out of situations but now she's simply accepted the fact that she's a hostage???? she knows where her brother is and does not try to get away. Like I know there's a giant watching her, but she literally has no agency over her fate and is reduced to the damsel in distress trope.

Rafe would be an amazing choice because they fought in book 1, were antagonising each other in book 2, both lost their fathers. They're around the same age. They both are alone in the world basically and the fact that Rafe used to be Corbans bully and fought Corban so many times WOULD make the romance all the juicier.

And ofc my otp: Conall and Cywen. But that's never gonna happen given all that happened in book 2.

They truly had so many great moments together. Conall is trying to protect Cywen from getting herself killed by the hands of the enemy, while he himself works for the wrong side!! He understands her and does not underestimate her.

All the men are like "omg women fighting, weird?" but at no point does Conall make a comment about Cywen. Apart from "hey dont kill me? thanks".

they had the most awesome fight in the woods, even if Conall tried to kill her. Peak enemies to lovers.

I was already sad that Conall went over to Rhins side and all the comments/hints about him sleeping with the older woman (good for her ofc).

What absolutely makes me rage inside is that after everything, Gwynne is trying to make Veradis and Cywen happen 🙄🙄🙄🙄 Like sure its still 'enemies' but Cywen does not see him as the enemy! Nathair killed her father!!! and at no point does she try to murder this man!!!!

At no point is there ANY tension between Nathairs first sword Veradis and her! It's so fucking luke warm.

Every Veradis pov post the Conall fight/Conall+Rhin stuff is just. Bleghgg when he thinks about Cywen. I already have issues with Veradis since book 1 and this is just 🫠🫠🫠save me.

There have literally been no Conall/Cywen scenes after Conall went over to Rhin. I am looking for scraps at all times. And then I have to deal with comments from Alcyon about Veradis liking Cywen and her not getting it. God I dislike it.

but truly cannot imagine anything else from Gwynne. The way he writes Corbans family and his upbringing, his thought process. He's so good boy/pure heart/chosen one and that just has to translate to his sister also being like that, WHEN WE CLEARLY. ESTABLISHED. EARLY INTO THE BOOK. that both her and Conall are known "quick to anger".

I love my girl but shes become such a wet rag from her awesome ch37 moments to where we are now. she's just an object for Veradis to want, to have his choices questioned over. To bolster Corbans chosen one story line.

hate it here lol. I still have two books to go but it will be 4 months before I finish the series due to a readalong.