#pro taryn duarte

[beware-of-the-light]

Taryn is Madoc's daughter

I think she's meant to be his narrative mirror.

They both killed their spouses after they turned out to be something that they didn't anticipated. Both do so by blade. They are left to deal with a child that their spouse left behind.

Madoc doesn't go to trial for his crime. But we don't forgive him, not really.

Taryn is meant to be trialed. We forgive her, sort of, Locke was horrible anyways.

She is clever, Madoc trusted her for his coup of the throne. Just like him, she hides her intentions until she strikes. Jude didn't believe that any of them would do such a thing, yet they both do so anyways.

Thinking about how when Madoc killed the girls' mother, he dripped his cap in his blood until it was coated red and hardened. About how when Taryn killed her husband, she ran to her sister for help and in the way found forgiveness.

Thinking about how they are the same, but Taryn chose life and Madoc chose death.

[seleneprince]

What are your thoughts on Taryn from TCP?

I know what she did was like wrong, on all levels. Betrayal and stuff but I genuinely think that a lot of the fandom kind of overreact? Like I genuinely feel like it's a small form of internalised sexism but I ain't a therapist so this like my hypothesis?

I really think that Taryn is just an example of how desperate someone can be when they want to fit in, to the point they do horrible things just to 'survive', in a way. Is it weird to say that I think Taryn has a lot of self-hatred?

Like you can tell she resents her human nature a lot already, but i wonder how deep it really goes.

I hope Holly Black will give Taryn her own book (I know she has her own book, but like an actual book with her own adventures, ya know?)

Oh wow I wasn't expecting this, but I'm more than glad to answer

I admit I was on the board of hating Taryn for what she did at first. While I can understand her motives (with time) I still didn't agree with her, because we see Jude's pov willing to do anything for her and it's obvious Taryn doesn't return the sentiment. She felt ungrateful and selfish to me, but then, that's the thing right? We only see things from Jude's pov, and even though she's pretty self aware compared to most first pov fantasy protagonists, her narrative can still be biased and not completely accurate to reality.

Taryn's betrayal pissed me off a lot, not only because she did that to the one sister that's always been ready to let herself be step on for her, but because I read Jude's pov of said betrayal and I felt the pain, the anger with her.

As time passed and I got to revisit this books more times, I came to the same conclussion as you did. Yes, Taryn did some questionable stuff, and to her own sister no less. But she did it because she desesperately wanted the same thing as Jude: To fit in Faerie. The difference was their methods. Jude went by earning her place through blood and schemes (and she was a fucking icon for that) while Taryn went for it by playing the fae's games. They both did morally grey shit to prove themselves and everyone that they belonged in that world. They're humans with Fae hearts, raised by their parents' murderer. Of course they're going to do morally fucked up stuff. They've never been allowed to be remotely normal.

However, we can acknowledge and understand a character's motives and still resent them, and that's the thing with Taryn in the fandom. While most of us can agree she had valid reasons to do what she did, she's hated because the victim of her actions was Jude, her sister, whom we see from her pov how loyal and protective she is of Taryn. Jude is no saint, but she never actively hurt any of her family. It has nothing to do with internalized sexism.

And that said, she won me over inmediately when she killed Locke and didn't have an OUNCE of regret for it. Fucking icon too. I stopped hating her right away.

Taryn is a complex character that's neither good or bad, just like Jude. She does what she deems necessary to get what she wants, and she makes mistakes. It makes her realistic. And I think that alone makes her better than a LOT of fantasy protagonists.

[feyres-divorce-lawyer]

haven’t even read tcp but shoutout to that one blog that’s literally carrying the pro taryn tag. you are obviously correct and wise and anti taryn people are wrong

[beware-of-the-light]

If Taryn has no defenders check my vitals, Taryn, they would never make me hate you actually!!!!!

We forgive MADOC for the coup but not Taryn??? "Oh that's just how he is!!" Taryn says she's sorry, makes peace with Jude, decided to leave hate behind and raise her son with love and all she gets is for her lover to turn into a tree?? Like be fr.

I will never forgive Holly Black for treating Taryn like that 😭 As far as I know at first she was surprised that people hated Taryn, but it seems like with time she gave up and started disliking her as well. That's so unfair bc 99% of tfota characters are selfish and violent to others, but when it comes to Taryn, people expect her to behave differently. And also let's talk about giving her karma moment in TPT, that was sooo odd since there are a lot of characters who committed worse crimes and deserve the punishment but from Holly's pov it's better to let Taryn suffer and BLAMING herself in what has happened with the Ghost. That's wild because some how killing your abusive husband who already made your life hell and would probably ruin your child's life is smth you should pay for in THAT way

So for others it's normal to kill and be mean, but for Taryn it's not? 🥴

Just wanted to hear your thoughts, bc I don't remember if anyone's really discussed her fate in TPT

I think I already talked about it back when the book first came out, but I don't mind repeating myself~

I agree 100%, Taryn was present and had whole character arcs in books 1 and 2 and then in book 3 she got pregnant and became Jude's cheerleader and that was it for her. In the TSH duology she is just there in the background, hating on Cardan and taking care of her son and being nice, and it's absolutely obvious that HB either lost interest or decided to give the people what they want. I think it's insane that Oak had a whole relationship arc with the Ghost, which hurt because he was Taryn's lover and part of the family, and Taryn just. Straight up wasn't even a part of it. She just laments over the Ghost's fate and then we hear she feels personally responsible from a second-hand source. I think her suffering was definitely there to punish her, but not for Locke's death (bc literally no one in the books OR in our world blames her for that, Oak straight up follows it with "yeah that's not true because we all would have been punished way worse ages ago" lmao), it was to make her more sympathetic out of context. If she is crying and saying this is divine retribution for the bad things she's done, the readers who hate her can feel satisfied, as one of the biggest issues they have with her is that she was never "punished" for her crimes in the original trilogy. Here's to hoping it's the prelude of a Taryn solo adventure where she has to go on a quest to save her cursed tree lover.

I also think you mentioned an interesting point about the expectations people have for Taryn being different from the expectations they have for other characters, because that's also featured in TPT! At one point Oak straight up says he feels Taryn's betrayal stung more than Jude or Madoc's despite all three having done the same thing, simply because he always thought of her as kind-hearted and gentle. I believe HB is very aware what her readers think and want and adjusts her content in a conversation with them, no matter what she says in interviews.

[stargirlie25]

Random: Why do you dislike taryn duarte?

Me:

“I get why he chose her. I just wish she had chosen me.”

Thats it.

[ghosttownheart]

I have only just started The Cruel Prince and I already dislike Taryn.

Like please FUCK OFF-

Jude finds ONE THING that brings her happiness in the last 16 chapters of this godforsaken book, and Taryn couldn’t rip it away from her faster.

Go crawl in a hole and stay there. Please for the love of god.

[fenrysmoonbeamswife]

I have such an issue with characters that are portrayed as sweet and endearing when they're more ruthless and disloyal than anyone. Characters that are simultaneously judgemental and hypocritical. Characters that only accept another character when they do exactly what they want or need.

If a character is ruthless or takes issue with another character or uses other characters for their own gain, fine. But own the fuck up to it, portray them that way in the narrative and don't vilify other characters for their same behaviours or lesser behaviours.

There's literally nothing I hate more than a hypocrite. A character could be the nastiest skank ass hoe ever but if they own it then that's fine, you do you. But don't pretend they're a golden retriever, sweet little flower child while they're blatantly being an asshole in the text

[danaedanette]

THIS

It pains me to see all the hate the fandom have for Taryn when she's a really interesting character, complex and well written.

And, frankly, were we to find ourselves in Faerie, what are the chances that we would try to fight and best the faeries like Jude ? We would probably try to adapt exactly like Taryn

Unpopular (?) opinion: Taryn Duarte is a really cool character, and the hate she gets is so disproportionate to what she actually did in the books.

I struggle to read her in The Cruel Prince as anything other than the victim in an abusive relationship with Locke, and as such deserving of sympathy even if you don't like her. Locke manipulates her into keeping quiet while he flirts with Jude, playing on her insecurities and desire to fit in at court (which is the exact same thing Jude wants. Also the extent of Locke's manipulation and abuse is detailed in Taryn's novella). When Jude finds out she goes after her sister rather than Locke which, I hasten to add, is fair enough. She challenges Taryn to a duel and nearly kills her. Again, in context, that doesn't automatically make Jude a bad person. As we know, she is morally grey and her actions are understandable. But so are Taryn's.

Further, I think the reason her "betrayal" of Jude in The Wicked King is seen as so unforgivable (despite the fact that Jude literally ends up forgiving her) is that there is a fundamental disconnect in how Jude and Taryn view the situation. Jude obviously sees it as a terrible political betrayal: Taryn ruined everything Jude has worked for and sided with her political enemy (Madoc). But from Taryn's point of view, Madoc is their father, not an enemy. Taryn didn't know Cardan could be trusted, and she believed that Madoc (probably with reason at that point) was acting in the best interest of the family and wouldn't actually hurt Jude. She has no idea of Jude's plans and strategies because Jude never tells her. From Taryn's pov, there is no reason Jude couldn't just join the rest of her family (and in fact, Madoc keeps trying to recruit her). In short, Taryn has no way of fully realising why Cardan remaining in power is as important to Jude as it is. Taryn isn't twirling a figurative moustache at the prospect of dealing a dastardly blow to her sister's political regime. She is following the advice of her father in a way which she believes won't actually be damaging to Jude.

In the first two books, her relative passivity and attempts to fit in at court through conventionally feminine means make her a morality tale about believing in classic fairy tales, hence her being represented as a victim of an abusive relationship (in a way paralleling her mother's murder at the hand of Madoc). But her character is more than that. The narrative does not merely condemn Taryn's femininity, pacifist tactics, diplomacy etc. in favour of Jude's more traditionally masculine aggression, military skill, and cynical politics. Not only does Taryn manage to ecape her abusive marriage, she proves her resourcefulness and intelligence in tricking Cardan and in dealing with the Ghost. Even Jude admires her for the skills she learned from Oriana.

There is a lot we don't know about Taryn. In many ways, we are seeing her at her lowest possible point for three books. But there is definitely plenty of evidence for a charitable and interesting interpretation of her character if only we afford her the same level of understanding we afford Jude.

[1800naveen]

Just because you can relate to an unpopular character doesn't mean you're an abuser or a horrible person.

It makes me a bit bummed out when I find a character that I can see myself in and later find out that they aren't well liked by the fandom (Taryn for example).

It's also strange that some people don't feel empathy towards certain characters. Feel whatever you want to feel but damn. I hate Rhysand but I still feel for the guy and what he had to go through with Amarantha.

[duchessvultjag]

madoc when jude, taryn, or oak experience any kind of problem:

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

yes, i completely agree!! i actually have a post that goes a little more in depth into her motivations and explains, like you said, why something so grievous as betraying your sister, when taken out of the context of Taryn's own life experiences/emotions/desires, doesn't seem redeemable, but when considering the whole picture (instead of just focusing on Jude), her actions suddenly become understandable for a person of her age and circumstance.

I think everyone dogs on Taryn because this is Jude’s pov. We get an insider look into how much she’s hurt and that it’s coming from her own twin. But if Jude can break bread then the taryn’s haters should to. If they dislike taryn as a person, they need to take that hate up with the man who made her the she is: Madoc.

I also have a head cannon that in the future Jude and Taryn continue to grow as people, now that they can finally get out of the constant survival mode. I think they grow closer the older they get.

you're absolutely correct, nonnie.

i think people will be shocked to find out how Taryn-neutral i am. despite everything i've said to defend her, my thought when finishing the series for the first time was exactly that: if Jude can forgive her, then we should be able to, as well. it was a very simple, no bells-and-whistles forgiveness. i think Taryn is extremely interesting, i think her character is poised and ready for a beautiful arc, but i wouldn't trust her as far as i could throw her.

also, i've said this before and i will say it again: Madoc getting every single exemption and grace from the same people who condemn Taryn to shame on main is some kind of bullshit.

the mental gymnastics you'd have to do to say that the dude who continuously tries to manipulate Jude and her actions for his own gain, who continuously patronises/underestimates her throughout the series, and who straight up murdered her parents in cold blood in front of her cos he felt slighted, is more redeemable than a teenage girl who was 1) just trying to survive in a cutthroat world and 2) honestly was just doing what Madoc told her to do? would be laughable if it weren't so damn sad.

this isn't to knock on Madoc, either. i think he's a fantastic villain, an extremely fascinating character, and i love the dynamic between him and Jude. but there's no denying he's done some straight up reprehensible things to all of his daughters. and the lengths some people will go to defend him while at the same time tarnishing Taryn's name is wild to me.

now, i'm not saying people can't dislike a character just because. Taryn is Not a likeable character. so if your opinion of her is "she's just not for me", i think that's valid.

what i am saying, however, is Not Liking Things to the point where you make hate posts using main fandom tags, send people asks demanding they defend why they like a certain character, start discourse in the comments of posts celebrating the character you dislike, is the antithesis of fandom.

fandom is meant to be a joyous celebration of the fictional worlds/characters/things we love. if you don't like something in fiction, that's fine. but the moment you make your poor opinion of something other people's problem is the moment i take issue.

–Em 🖤🗡

p.s. i love and agree with your HC. i think that is an accurate representation of irl sibling dynamics, as well.

In Defence of Taryn Duarte

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[divumquevoluptas]

Unpopular (?) opinion: Taryn Duarte is a really cool character, and the hate she gets is so disproportionate to what she actually did in the books.

I struggle to read her in The Cruel Prince as anything other than the victim in an abusive relationship with Locke, and as such deserving of sympathy even if you don't like her. Locke manipulates her into keeping quiet while he flirts with Jude, playing on her insecurities and desire to fit in at court (which is the exact same thing Jude wants. Also the extent of Locke's manipulation and abuse is detailed in Taryn's novella). When Jude finds out she goes after her sister rather than Locke which, I hasten to add, is fair enough. She challenges Taryn to a duel and nearly kills her. Again, in context, that doesn't automatically make Jude a bad person. As we know, she is morally grey and her actions are understandable. But so are Taryn's.

Further, I think the reason her "betrayal" of Jude in The Wicked King is seen as so unforgivable (despite the fact that Jude literally ends up forgiving her) is that there is a fundamental disconnect in how Jude and Taryn view the situation. Jude obviously sees it as a terrible political betrayal: Taryn ruined everything Jude has worked for and sided with her political enemy (Madoc). But from Taryn's point of view, Madoc is their father, not an enemy. Taryn didn't know Cardan could be trusted, and she believed that Madoc (probably with reason at that point) was acting in the best interest of the family and wouldn't actually hurt Jude. She has no idea of Jude's plans and strategies because Jude never tells her. From Taryn's pov, there is no reason Jude couldn't just join the rest of her family (and in fact, Madoc keeps trying to recruit her). In short, Taryn has no way of fully realising why Cardan remaining in power is as important to Jude as it is. Taryn isn't twirling a figurative moustache at the prospect of dealing a dastardly blow to her sister's political regime. She is following the advice of her father in a way which she believes won't actually be damaging to Jude.

In the first two books, her relative passivity and attempts to fit in at court through conventionally feminine means make her a morality tale about believing in classic fairy tales, hence her being represented as a victim of an abusive relationship (in a way paralleling her mother's murder at the hand of Madoc). But her character is more than that. The narrative does not merely condemn Taryn's femininity, pacifist tactics, diplomacy etc. in favour of Jude's more traditionally masculine aggression, military skill, and cynical politics. Not only does Taryn manage to ecape her abusive marriage, she proves her resourcefulness and intelligence in tricking Cardan and in dealing with the Ghost. Even Jude admires her for the skills she learned from Oriana.

There is a lot we don't know about Taryn. In many ways, we are seeing her at her lowest possible point for three books. But there is definitely plenty of evidence for a charitable and interesting interpretation of her character if only we afford her the same level of understanding we afford Jude.

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

what are your thoughts on the lost sisters? or maybe you have many and i just can’t find it in your posts?

CW: this post is explicitly pro-Taryn. if you find her triggering, please take measures to protect yourself by blocking the "pro taryn duarte" tag, unfollowing/blocking me, or simply scrolling away. i will not be taking counter-arguments on this post.

i've done many posts about Taryn, but i don't think i've ever done one about The Lost Sisters specifically!

i've only read it once, so my memory of it is a bit rusty. i remember thinking The Lost Sisters offered perspective. we spend so much time in Jude's head during the series, and i felt the new POV added depth to the world.

while i don't condone anything Taryn did in TCP/TWK, i can say her novella helped me understand it.

I. It's About Compassion

the great thing about reading is that books can be some of the biggest practices in compassion. the point of Taryn's perspective is not to say, "feel sorry for me" or "please forgive me"—though, that is often how i see it interpreted.

the point is to say, "haven't you ever been jealous of someone? haven't those feelings of jealousy ever uncovered something ugly in you? hasn't that ugliness ever made you do something you regret? so, you see? we are not so different."

if, however, your answer is no, you haven't ever been jealous to the point of cruelty or doing something you regret, then you're either lying to yourself or you haven't lived. and if you haven't lived this experience, then you really cannot say what you would or would not do. you can only say what you hope you would do, which is not the same thing at all.

II. It's About Mirrors

it's funny to me that one of the biggest motifs in this series is mirrors.

Jude makes this comparison multiple times in regards to her and her twin.

Taryn explicitly tells Jude in TCP that she is the mirror Jude doesn't want to look at. (ch. 23)

and yet, readers continually overlook this crucial and poignant idea when considering Taryn's narrative.

the point of Taryn's book, as is the point of all books, is to make the reader feel seen.

perhaps you don't like what you are being shown, but she is holding up the mirror, regardless. she is telling you that there's a capacity for this–jealousy, betrayal, cruelty–in all of us. she is saying that she has seen all of these things in Jude, too. and perhaps you hate her for that.

but i'd argue that the narrative of TLS also tells us, albeit indirectly: "jealousy is not an intrinsically bad emotion. making mistakes and doing things you regret are not inherently bad. they're inherently human."

humanity is not defined by only its good parts.

III. Other Motives

of course, to boil Taryn's behaviour down to pure jealousy is reductive. there are many things at play. but her envy is the thing Taryn is probably most aware of, so it's the reason she gives us.

i go more into other things that made Taryn act the way she did in this post. though i do think jealousy played a big part in her motives, age and survival instinct also played a role.

IV. In Conclusion

The Lost Sister holds up the mirror, forces us to see a reflection that is maybe not so likeable or pretty, and hopefully gets us to practice compassion—not only toward Taryn, but toward ourselves and others.

–Em 🖤🗡

In Defence of Taryn Duarte- Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV

more theories & analysis

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

society teaches us that passivity and inaction are weak responses because they mimic apathy in a way that people who are not inside the passive/inactive person's head can't separate without a considerable amount of compassion (which tends to be too much work for many people) and also because passivity and inactivity are traditionally more "feminine" traits.

what people don't know is that a lot of what passivity and internal processing is is metabolising yourself. the thing that dips you into the cold shock of grief literally eats away at you from the inside out. it becomes so big in your mind that it's all you can think about. thinking of other things becomes painful. all thoughts lead back to The Thing. being active requires forethought and how can you have forethought when you're being dragged back to the past over and over again? it fills you up so you don't feel empty, but then what's left of you? nothing. you become a living ghost.

that's not weak. that's scary as hell.

i don't stan Elain. i don't really know her all that well. but i respect the hell out of her. all the worst monsters are inside your head.

One of the reasons I will always defend Elain is because I too went through a period of catatonic grief after unimaginable loss after loss after loss (in a short period of time) There was no Rhysand to rescue me from an abusive relationship, no Cassian to teach me how to wield a sword and feel strong. There was only myself with my thoughts, stuck in my mind as I replayed events over and over and could barely get out of bed to survive past all of the pain that was completely out of my control. Maybe if one hasn't experienced it, it's harder to understand how easy it is to disassociate in the face of too much incomprehensible sadness, no matter what is going on around you. I can see how that would be perceived as weak, from that perspective (I suppose), although I do not agree.

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

People say Taryn's motives were selfish but Jude's was for the greater good. But initially, everytime Jude did something rash, Taryn was punished for it alongside Jude. Jude never acknowledged the fact that others were facing the conssequences of her own actions. Doesn't that, in part, make Jude quite selfish too?

No hate to Jude! It's just a very human response to the hatred that radiated off the fae and I wanted to explore that

my entire point of this post.

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

Hey! I wanted to know why Taryn's character gets a lot of hate even tho she was trying to survive in faerie just as Jude did. Except her way of survival was more traditionally feminine and demure.

this has honestly been my point since like... forever lmao. if you've been on my blog for any length of time, you'll know i'm a pretty big Taryn apologist. i speak more about it in this post. but essentially, it's exactly what you said. and i have more to say.

[DISCLAIMER: this post is tagged as pro-Taryn Duarte. any comments or asks i receive expressing the reason why You Hate Taryn are entirely unsolicited and will be deleted on sight. if you don't like my opinion you can block the pro-Taryn Duarte tag, and scroll away.]

I. Me, harping on about Madoc deserving more of the fandom's scorn, part 300

it will always boggle my mind how this fandom allows Madoc every grace of "the complex character/relationship" but we don't afford Taryn even remotely the same attempt at understanding. even when Madoc committed infinitely more betrayals, infinitely more attrocities, than Taryn ever committed–or indeed has had time to commit given her extremely young age (compared to Madoc's centuries of life).

that's not to say i don't love Madoc. i think he's a great villain and his character, particularly his relationship with his children, is very complex. but why can't this be the same way we treat Taryn?

regardless of this blatant double-standard, people still hate her, and i think it has a lot to do with (as you said) the way Taryn handles her traumatic life events.

II. Trauma Responses and How They Are Received

[FOR LEGAL REASONS, THIS POST IS DISCUSSING HOW THE TRAUMA RESPONSES ARE PERCEIVED STRICTLY IN TERMS OF CHARACTERS, NOT IRL PEOPLE/SITUATIONS!]

i've discussed this on here before, but the Duarte sisters exhibit three out of the four recognised trauma responses in the way they cope with their parents' death/being taken to Faerie:

Jude- fight

Vivi- flight

Taryn- fawn

i think we can all agree that, in terms of what an audience wants to see from characters, Jude's fight response is the most palatable of the three. not only because she is the main character (and thus, everything is from her perspective/justified in her eyes), but also because it is what i believe most of us would want to be able to do ourselves in the face of adversity and hardship.

it's the most commendable. it is probably also the hardest to maintain (as is made apparent by the series as a whole). which is why the other two sisters employ alternative modes of survival.

as discussed in this post, Vivi survives by escaping. whenever and however she can. i'm not sure how everyone feels about this one. until recently, i had no idea people even had strong opinions about Vivi.

but i do know that the flight response could be considered a bit cowardly, even if it's effective. if there's anything to be respected about it, though, it's that the person knows in no uncertain terms that they are not cut out for facing the trauma head-on. and they are the first one to admit it.

the fawn response, however, is a kind of camouflage. it's doing everything in your power to be perceived a certain way, to fit in, to please people.

the thing i think people dislike about the fawn response, is that (if you twist the perspective enough) it could be viewed as dishonest. deceptive or manipulative. perhaps even spineless, depending on the situation.

and indeed, these are all phrases i've seen thrown around in close proximity to Taryn's name.

throughout the book, Taryn plays nice in order to get people to like her. she does whatever the fae tell her to do, even at the expense of her own or her sister's humiliation. and instead of making her own place at court, she announces that she will "fall in love" to earn her seat. meaning that she will rely on one of the fae (likely someone with station) to give her the privilege of staying at court, through means of marriage or children.

it's a more passive route to survival than Jude's. but that route isn't any less valid. it's just less masculine.

III. Active vs. Passive (and how it leads to misguided sensationalism)

society has taught us not to see passivity as a mode of operation, and unfortunately, this makes for overtly sensationalised (and therefore inaccurate) interpretations of character.

if the only actions a character takes are deceptive ones, we conclude they are intentionally deceiving people. if the character doesn't act at all, they are apathetic people. no matter the character's own motives. if they do not act the way we wish them to act, they must be in direct opposition to what we want.

take Taryn, for example. if her modus operandi is to camouflage, or passively fit in, we don't recognise this as an action. rather, we look at what she does do.

in order to achieve her goal, Taryn must actively betray her sister (multiple times), lie to her (multiple times), and kill her husband in cold blood (an attribute, if you ask me, but whatever). through these actions, we, as the audience, realise Taryn is not nice. but she portrays herself this way so she can get what she wants. as all good writing does, we are made to feel deceived right along with Jude.

but even though Jude herself forgives Taryn eventually, we still dislike her. because she is not our sister. she is not the main character. she doesn't mean much to us. we don't regard her as a nuanced person–she becomes, to many, this two-dimensional "enemy" or "other".

and if you aren't thinking critically about the text, and instead take the story personally, then yeah. you're going to hate Taryn at the end of it all.

people have a way of interpreting actions as the sole basis of character, while disregarding motive or intention. i don't think this wise. it's reductive at best, disingenuous at worst.

actions are a product of our nature and the conditions of our environment. Taryn is in just as much peril as Jude is in Faerie. the only reason you, dear reader, might not like Taryn is because she didn't act how you wanted her to act, and because she didn't act how you wanted her to act, she ended up hurting someone you care about (Jude).

this well-meaning loyalty unfortunately doesn't do much for an accomplished understanding of the text. which i get it. some of us are just here for fun and that's fine. but if you take the time to hate a character with as much passion as people seem to hate Taryn, you have time to think at least a little bit critically about the text.

—Em 🖤🗡

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