#the evertree

[bayofwolves]

Rereading The Evertree

We've come to the end. I'm finally at the last book of the first arc! Hopefully I can stop explaining what these posts are now, but one more time for anyone unaware: These posts are a compilation of notes taken from my rereads of the Spirit Animals books. They include interesting details, stuff I missed and how I plan to change certain things in my retelling of the series, A Revised History of Erdas. Shall we begin?

"I know you were supposed to be your village's Rain Dancer and all, but can you lighten up on all the dancing?" I know Rain Dancers have to engage in rituals and meditate extensively before they can produce rain, but Abeke influencing the weather with her emotions is a fun idea. Imagine the ceaseless rain is brought down by her pain and sorrow over Shane, Meilin, Tarik and her family.

It definitely feels to me like Tarik was one of the Greencloak leaders, alongside Lenori and underneath Olvan. His role in training the Four Heroes themselves, him having a seat at the table with the other leaders and a place at their important meetings, et cetera... it all seems like his rank was higher than he let on in-text. (Also, my two cents: I would nominate Finn to take his place as the third Greencloak leader.)

"The image of Gerathon's smiling jaws and slithering body disappeared, replaced instead with Rollan's lopsided grin and Conor's encouraging voice, Abeke's clear laugh." I am crying.

The typos in this one are funny. Kalani's dolphin, Katoa, is referred to as female even though he was introduced as male in Against the Tide. And Devin is mistakenly called Devon.

I don't like how Kalani and Rollan made up by completely forsaking the cultural beliefs of Kalani's people. If Hundred Islanders believe something is tapu and want nothing to do with it, they shouldn't be forced to go against that. They already introduced the concept of a ceremony to rid someone or something or tapu (noa), so they could have simply had Kalani perform this for Rollan. I've been saying this, but I'll say it again.

Finn should have been the leader of the Greencloak expedition from the beginning. He already has experience with these kids, and placing him back in a position of authority would be much less likely to spark resentment than a completely new person like Dorian would. Narratively, I do think it was necessary to see more of how Tarik's death affected the Four. But logically...

The Conquerors are monitoring their own people for signs of disloyalty. Interesting.

It seems some records of Stetriolan wildlife survived after all -- Finn knows that the animal who stole their provisions is a dingo. Since it was established earlier that the Greencloaks know next to nothing about Stetriol, I would have liked it better if Abeke was one of their only sources of information. She could use whatever she learned about the continent from Shane and the Conquerors to help guide them in their quest. And she identified a dingo in Against the Tide, so she could have done the same here instead of Finn.

Strange how the party just left the dead horse behind and continued on, instead of using it for meat. Between the meat from the horse and the water bulbs Abeke found, they would have been set to last for even longer.

Abeke swinging up onto her horse's back reminds me of that scene in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers where Legolas does that crazy mounting technique. I'm willing to bet that was done on purpose; both characters are great archers, after all.

Shane's intense reaction to Gerathon entering his mind must mean that this is the first time she has controlled him. It makes sense, given that she probably wanted to make him feel like he was the one in charge. Oh, what I would give to get inside Shane's head during this battle.

Gerathon forcing Shane to aim for Abeke specifically was definitely intentional. Her method of reading people and then turning them against the ones they love the most is the highest form of torture.

I know I've mentioned that Sundown in Rise and Fall may be my favourite chapter in all of Spirit Animals, but Duel is a strong contender, too. The contrast between the raw pain and rage of Duel and the peacefulness, the gentleness, the emotional vulnerability of Sundown is incredible. It makes sense why both are so close to my heart; they go together, hand in hand. You can't have one without the other.

Everything I read about the Four Heroes' travels is telling me that Erdas is a remarkably small planet.

Conor is sorely mistaken about the crater around the Evertree being caused by an ancient volcano. Additionally, when Abeke later sees a vision in the sky of how the world came to be, including the birth of the Evertree and the Great Beasts, there is not even a hint about the Wyrm. It makes me wonder if the authors had conceived of the Wyrm's landing at this point (or if they were purposefully covering up this plot point to surprise the readers).

Only the Great Beasts know the location of the Evertree. I wonder how it has remained hidden to the rest of the creatures on Erdas. Surely there are tribes living in southern Nilo, yes? It would be cool if the Great Beasts were able to conceal it with their combined magic, making the crater and everything inside it invisible to the human eye.

The Evertree bears fruit! Its description of "pure white" and, well, the fact that it comes from the Evertree itself makes me imagine it has magical properties of some kind. What could this fruit bestow upon you if you were to eat it? Good health? Eternal life? If humans knew how to find the Evertree, I'm sure wars would have been waged over this very question. (It could have made for an interesting storyline if Shane had managed to steal one of the fruits before he fled. Perhaps he would eat it, perhaps sell it, perhaps keep it to look at. I imagine it would stay fresh even after being plucked and never spoil.)

In ARHoE, Arax appears at the Evertree with a broken horn from when Barlow threw him off the cliff. Just a cool detail I thought to mention.

Tellun sacrificing himself is supposed to be seen as a noble act, but at a closer look it actually works against our protagonists. Kovo has made his intent to rule the whole world quite clear. While the Great Beasts dying might sadden him, it won't stop him. By taking themselves out of the battle, Tellun and the first few are leaving it all up to a bunch of kids (warriors, yes, but still kids) to bring down this age-old, godlike gorilla, instead of using their combined might to stop him and save the world they swore to protect. If Tellun had learned something from the last Great War and decided to fight this time, aided our heroes in driving Kovo into the Evertree and died in the process, it would have been so much better! On the flip side, though, it could be read as a testament to how selfish the Great Beasts actually are -- how they are shown time and time again to care more about themselves and their talismans than upholding their oath.

I would have preferred it if the brief moment when the Four Fallen appear as Great Beasts once more happened at the Evertree and not Muttering Rock. Like, if being in the presence of the tree that created them temporarily restored them to their old forms. Great Beast-sized Briggan, Uraza, Jhi and Essix fighting Kovo, Gerathon and Halawir with the rest of their brethren, a more hopeful and heartbreaking rendition of their last battle all those years ago, would have been amazing.

Something about Shane presumably fleeing further into Nilo, home of the friend he betrayed, and perhaps wandering there a while in the wake of his defeat... and many months later, Abeke restoring her bond with Uraza in Stetriol, home of the friend she forgave. Everything is connected.

Wow. This was a powerful finale -- high stakes, epic final battle, emotional climax, descriptions I could see in my mind's eye. There were quite a few things I didn't like about this one, though. Outside of what I've already mentioned: The ending should have been heartwarming, and for the most part it was, but Abeke reconciling with her abusive family soured it for me. I wish the Four had reconvened with Finn, Maya, Kalani and the rest of their party at some point, instead of them vanishing in the middle of a battle and never being heard from again. And once again, I protest the exclusion of Irtike! Aside from all that, though, The Evertree was a great read and a solid conclusion to arc one of Spirit Animals. There are a lot of loose ends to be tied, but for now, the war is over, and our protagonists can finally breathe.

It's been a good run. I plan to take a short break here, but I'm excited to turn the page and begin a new arc soon!

This is part of an ongoing series.

Wild Born | Hunted | Blood Ties | Fire and Ice | Against the Tide | Rise and Fall | The Evertree

Immortal Guardians | Broken Ground | The Return | The Burning Tide

Heart of the Land | The Wildcat's Claw | Stormspeaker | The Dragon's Eye

Tales of the Great Beasts | The Book of Shane | Tales of the Fallen Beasts

[dark-night-star-light]

Spirit Animals: The Evertree (Reread pt. 7)

DISCLAIMER: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOKS ONE THROUGH SEVEN AND BOOKS ONE THROUGH FOUR IN SECOND SERIES, AS WELL AS FOR TALES OF THE GREAT BEASTS AND THE BOOK OF SHANE.

Masterpost

Chapter 1

“Conor jerked his head to the side at the familiar scream. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized that he was lying near the edge of a cliff - and not far from him stood Meilin, weighed down with chains. She threw herself at an oncoming Greencloak and knocked him into the dirt. Jhi looked helplessly on. Rollan was locked in a tight battle with an enormous snake. The snake wrapped its coils around both of his arms, lifting him high in the air. A short distance away, Abeke and Uraza fought what seemed like hundreds of Conquerors” (2). Is Kovo trying to dash their hopes by sending this dream on purpose?

The description of the dream is done so well.

“Except it wasn’t Tarik. The face transformed. The kind, knowing eyes were replaced with ones cold and cunning. Conor found himself staring up into the face of Shane instead. The boy smiled at him in a way that showed all his teeth at once” (3). Is this symbolism for Shane’s betrayal and how Tarik died?

Chapter 2

“Rescuing her felt impossible. Sometimes, when he chatted with the others, he found himself looking for Meilin so that he could tell her the newest joke in his head. He would yearn to make her laugh, only to realize that she wasn’t there. She was far away” (5). This sounds a lot like grief, actually.

“Abeke had sent several doves to Nilo, to deliver the news to her father and sister . . . As far as Rollan knew, Abeke’s father hadn’t responded” (7). Is Abeke still hoping for her abusive family to magically become un-abusive? She’s regressed and lost all the progress she made in the last book!

“The pain of losing Meilin irritated him for an instant. He’d done so well, for so long, on his own. But now there were people at stake, whose absences hurt him, and he didn’t like it one bit” (7). Character development. Also, Rollan getting annoyed at himself for caring is lowkey hilarious?

“‘It looks good on you,’ she said, offering him a weak smile. Tarik’s cloak” (8). Is Rollan officially a Greencloak? Is there no ceremony or anything???

“Ice. In Nilo? Rollan tried to imagine the oasis where they’d found Cabaro, encased in a thick layer of ice. ‘Well. That sounds like a nice, normal summer.’ Abeke couldn’t help smiling a little at his sarcasm. ‘I can’t remember seeing that - or even hearing about it - when I lived in Nilo. The tribes must be in chaos.’ ‘Or skating around and playing games. I mean, I would.’ That coaxed a genuine laugh out of her. ‘I can see it. Planks of wood and antelope bone strapped to our feet.’ Rollan leaned in with a conspiratorial grin. ‘I bet Uraza would love that. Wouldn’t you?’ He nodded at Uraza, who regarded him with a rather withering look” (8). Rollan and Abeke's relationship has honestly reached its peak. There’s only one moment in the second series that I think tops this. (If you know, you know.)

“‘It’s not your fault,’ he finally said. ‘Shane’s betrayal … He’s the one who should feel guilty, not you. You couldn’t have known. You love and you trust. And I just wanted to say … well, that I’m sorry people keep taking advantage of that trust.’ Abeke studied him for a long moment. She still looked sad, but Rollan thought he could see some of the guilt lift from her eyes. After a while, she nodded. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured. ‘I’m sorry that you’ve had to wait so long to trust others,’ she replied” (9). Perfect summary of Rollan-Abeke foil relationship.

Is Conor sleep-walking because of the dreams?

Seriously can’t remember . . . 

Chapter 3

“Olvan turned his piercing eyes to Conor. ‘You were climbing the battlement, boy?’ Conor didn’t say a word” (14). Doesn’t Olvan know Conor’s name? Also, why exactly is he so mad? 

“She sipped her  breakfast gratefully, thinking that if only the porridge had a touch of Niloan spice in it, it could be the best thing she’d ever eaten in her life” (15). I always thought this was strange, because porridge isn’t Niloan, is it? Unless it’s Niloan porridge. Anyway, combining that with Niloan flavors might be a bit clashy, right? I put way too much thought into this.

“The words echoed, familiar and cruel, in her ears. How stupid” (17). Oh no, the pity party’s back. Look, I’m not saying Abeke’s feelings are invalid, but I do wish that they’d just said that defeating Shane was her main motive for the coming quest and have her focus on that instead.

“‘The heart of the lands,’ Lenori murmured in wonder, and everyone turned to her. ‘There is an ancient myth among the Amayan tribes of a place in Erdas that is the origin of all life - humans, animals, even the Great Beasts . . . ’” (18). The heart of the lands as in the Heart of the Land bond token? This was foreshadowed all the way back in The Evertree? I seriously don’t remember this at all. 

“‘Our friends Finn, Kalani, and Maya will arrive in Greenhaven tomorrow’” (19). Not Lishay? Or Monte?

Chapter 4

“It was always unlocked. Gerathon saw to it, because she knew it made no difference for Meilin” (22). Couldn’t Meilin go somewhere warmer then, at least?

“‘Do you think . . . do you think the universe made a mistake, pairing the two of us together? Do you think it knew how I would treat you?’” (24). This is so sad. But, also, I don’t really feel that much sympathy for Meilin, not as much as I would have. They made her so toxic all throughout book five, it was borderline abuse. 

“Even the sound of his voice seemed different - colder, somehow, a far cry from what she remembered” (26). Shane’s a good actor, honestly.

“‘Yes. I’m the Reptile King.’ . . . ‘Are you really so surprised?’” (26). So the do Conquerors all know that Shane is the true Devourer? Or just some?

“Then, abruptly, the coiled monster in the shadows of her mind reared its ugly head” (28). This is a well written line-

“Shane brushed hair out of his eyes and sighed. ‘Call your panda into its dormant state,’ he said. ‘Now’” (28). The way he refers to Jhi shows that he doesn’t really see her as equal to humans. He just sees her as a thing. Also, he seems so bored, lol.

“The light pushed the fog back. Only for an instant” (29). What is this light??? Does it ever say?

“Meilin managed to strike a glancing blow against his cheek . . . ” (29). She actually punched Shane in the face. Slay.

“‘Chain both of them to the wall’” (30). Can’t Meilin just summon Jhi into passive, then summon her out again, not in chains?

Also, I’ve been meaning to say this but: how does Shane know Common? He grew up on Stetriol, isolated from the world, so he should only know Stetriol’s native language. Did he learn it?

“Shane hesitated with one foot still inside her cell. He didn’t turn around. Instead, his jaw tightened, and a strange emotion flickered across his face, something Meilin almost wanted to interpret as . . . regret” (31). Shane redemption arc seeds being planted already?

Chapter 5

“Somehow, the older image of Lord MacDonnell in complete control of his domain was comforting” (33). I still think it’s annoying that we never get an end to the harpist plotline. We never figure out what happens to her. Never.

“They’d only just learned that Zhong had fallen. Nilo had still been free” (33). Which makes no sense when you look at the map. Nilo is closer to Stetriol than Zhong is.

“ . . . Conor noticed that Abeke hovered constantly at the windows facing the harbors” (34). Didn’t Abeke literally conclude that her family was abusive at the end of the last book? What happened?

Maya’s relationship with Tini is almost as good as Tangaroa and Ngaio’s.

“‘Do we even know how to get to Kovo’s prison, or the heart of Erdas?’” (35). Why do they need the heart of Erdas, anyway? That’s where the Evertree is, right? Don’t they just need to get to Kovo’s prison right now?

Chapter 6

“He galloped ahead now, as if he had always been their leader, as if Tarik had never existed” (40). Honestly, he is a bit of a jerk, and at least this time Rollan has an actually good reason to be mean to him.

You know how spirit animals only go into passive form if they trust their partners? Did Kalani just leave Katoa in a large body of water until he trusted her?

“‘She’s very sensitive . . . ’” (42). Isn’t Katoa male? Katoa has been gender-swapped. Small plot hole.

Chapter 7

Rollan is so mean to Dorian, but this time he has an actual reason, unlike with Mikak.

Why aren’t they just sailing around the tip of Nilo? Why are they going between Nilo and Zhong instead???

“‘Tarik would have been proud of us, if he was here! But he’s not. We just have you, trying to fill his shoes’” (53). Rollan lowkey is kind of right though?

“Perhaps it was a coincidence” (54). If there’s one thing I learned from this book series, it’s that seagulls are never a coincidence. Also, I don’t remember the seagull plot line at all???

Chapter 8

Rollan-Kalani bonding!

“He could feel something poisonous here, in the very air of the place” (59). How??? Stetriol’s just . . . a continent.

*narrator voice* The seagull was, in fact, a Conqueror seagull.

Meilin-Kalani parallels! Also, I forgot that Kalani goes a step farther and literally cuts the whales free.

“Rollan had the sudden notion that this was how he would die. What would happen to Essix if he did?” (66). Aww, he thought of Essix first.

Dorian’s death: unpopular opinion(?) but I kind of didn’t care? Talked about this but: when a character is introduced for the sole purpose of dying, it’s hard to care about them. Dorian’s death is clearly only there to further Rollan’s arc.

Chapter 9

“‘Tarik once told us never to take our cloaks off to win favor’” (73). Ladies and gentlemen, he comes full circle.

“In the morning, the bodies of red-crested birds littered the streets” (77). What?

Kalani faints??? I don’t remember this?

Chapter 10

“She rolled into a quiet crouch, listening intently” (82). This is the second time in the series Abeke has done one of these late night endeavors. First was in Fire and Ice when Meilin didn’t trust her. Parallels?

“‘We should let it go’” (84). What if it’s a Conqueror’s spirit animal???

“If they ever made it out of this desert, she would drink an entire keg of water. The fifth day” (85). Going straight from thirst to water poisoning, eh? Also, shouldn’t they have died from thirst by now? It’s been five days?

“They rode in silence for a long time after that. Abeke couldn’t stop playing the horse’s death over and over in her head” (86). They’re short a horse then, right? Who’s walking?

Abeke literally just saved them all with her plant knowledge. Wow. 

Chapter 11

“‘If Kovo hasn’t been freed yet, it won’t be long before he is’” (91). How many talismans exactly does Kovo need to be freed? It can’t be that many-

“The fire of rage lit her eyes, a rare sight” (92). Abeke’s character development might actually be the best of the four. It’s so great when she’s allowed to get angry. Wish she would be more angry at her family, though . . . 

Devin is spelled “Devon” here . . . hm.

The wave-cave paths are a cool concept. It would be cool if they were combined with the underground tunnel system from Against the Tide to create some kind of cool maze.

“‘Found you,’ [Meilin] said” (97). Uh oh.

Chapter 12

I think this chapter should’ve been from Meilin’s perspective instead of Rollan’s. There’s already been so few Meilin chapters between this book and the last, and in my opinion, it would’ve been more emotional to see it from Meilin’s perspective.

“Rollan noticed that Shane stood at the very back of the patrol, a dark smile on his face” (99). Aim for him! Aim for him! AIM FOR HIM! 

“And there - Rollan thought he saw Lishay . . . ” (102). Oh, okay, Lishay is here.

“He wondered if Abeke’s father was among them” (102). Probably not-

“ . . . stallions that looked much stronger than the mounts they’d been traveling with . . . ” (103). How? Did they bring horses aboard the ship to Stetriol?

“ . . . the Greencloak was Monte . . . ” (103). Slay, Monte’s here, too!

“Shane stared at Abeke for a moment, his brows furrowed, as if he wanted to say something. Then he seemed to change his mind” (104). No! What was he going to say??????? My sanity needs this-

“It was Abeke’s bow against Shane’s blade” (107). Okay, you know what, I would’ve settled for having this be from Abeke’s perspective, as well. What’s going on in that fight???

“‘Keep me shackled,’ she said. ‘Don’t let me go’” (109). They should’ve just done this from the beginning, though? 

“‘If the Great Serpent is too weak to control a girl!’ . . . ‘I’ll be ordered around by no human’” (109). Gerathon controlling Shane is honestly such a strange concept. I don’t even know why, it just feels so wrong?

“Zerif waited several dozen yards away” (110). Zerif is actually such a boring character, though? What are his motives? Power. Just power, nothing else? He’s a stereotypical power-hungry villain. What’s his backstory? We don't know. Where’d he come from? We don’t know. How’d he meet Kovo? We don’t know. Why was he willing to drink the Bile when he likely knew it’d make him Gerathon’s puppet? We don’t know. What was his childhood like? We don’t kn-

Chapter 13

“‘Are you sure about this? Gerathon could turn her against us at any moment’” (113). Yeah, that was kind of an emotional move on Rollan’s part. His justification: “‘I trust you’” (113). Okay, yeah, but no amount of trust will hold back Gerathon forever. In fact, shouldn’t they be wondering why Gerathon isn’t controlling Meilin right now?

“Exhausted, he pulled himself up” (116). Isn’t Muttering Rock’s top hot enough to scorch any boot, foot, or paw that landed up on it? Isn’t it? Plot hole?

Maybe the changing weather also shifted the temperature of Muttering Rock to a more bearable temperature?

“‘I am glad you’ve returned, my brethren. I did not wish us to part on such bad terms’” (118). First Wyrm arc hint?

“Their glow grew brighter and brighter, wider and wider, until the colors all fused into one” (119). I think the Coral Octopus and the Granite Ram should’ve also fused at this point, from a narrative perspective. They were close enough to be melded during the initial creation of the Staff of Cycles, right? 

Chapter 14

I think Kovo should’ve turned down Shane’s request for the Staff after all of the talismans had been melded together, at least. That would have certainly been better, in my humble opinion. 

“‘You killed Drina for nothing!’” (123). Not really. It was to give Abeke the illusion that Shane was on her side, yes?

“Zerif called his jackal - and for the first time, they saw the tawny animal emerge” (125). Why is Zerif called “the Jackal” if people barely see his jackal?

“Then she hit Meilin in the jaw, right where she knew she would knock the girl unconscious” (126). She’s definitely learning. 

Chapter 15

“But Zerif was already gone” (130). Well. Yeah. That’ll definitely come back to bite them.

“‘Was that . . . bonding sickness?’” (130). I think it would’ve been cool if the bonding sickness was from the tree getting sick. Certain splotchy patches on the tree could correlate to certain bonds that had bonding sickness. The staff controls the tree, right? So the staff would then be able to control how the sickness was used. 

“Only when Jhi uttered a low, mournful growl and nudged Meilin with her nose did she finally turn her eyes up” (130). Awwwwwww.

“But when she reached him, Abeke kicked him hard with her boot instead” (131). Here comes my favorite chapter in the entire first series. Slay.

Chapter 16

“Shane had deceived her into caring for him, sympathizing with him, pitying him” (132). He did, indeed.

“‘I’m sorry. You don’t understand how hard it’s been for me-’” (133). Bruh. He’s apologizing? Now?

“How ironic, she thought, that their first session was a harbinger of the betrayals to come” (133). I mean, I guess the first session could be considered a “betrayal”, but I still think it was a good practice technique. It is nice symbolism, though. So for the sake of the story, I get it.

“‘You didn’t choose for your spirit animal to be one of the Four Fallen - you were handed a hero’s choice . . . ’” (134). Right, but she didn’t want it. Nobody really wanted it. This is honestly such a shit defense.

“‘Did they abandon you?’” (134). Honestly, part of why I love this scene is this speech by Shane. His best lines are in this chapter. The other part, is of course, someone finally kicking Shane while he’s down.

“‘You were chosen for greatness . . . I only wanted the same’” (135). Didn’t he want the cure to the bonding sickness, not greatness? Going down the path of the first Devourer, I see . . . 

“‘You meant so much to me - you were my only true friend. I remember everything about you ever since we first met . . . ’ . . . ‘But I had no choice. I’m bound to the Bile . . . ’” (135). Which he chose. Also, even without the Bile, he made some interesting decisions that even Gerathon can’t take credit for.

“‘Well, I’m sorry too, because you mean nothing to me’” (136). The grammar. But, besides that, the intensity behind the words is so, so just- so good.

Chapter 17

“Rollan fell to his knees before the mighty elk . . . ” (138). I still think it’s quite stupid that the Great Beasts have a leader. That . . . was a decision, for sure.

“Meilin and Shane let out a simultaneous gasp” (138). This chapter should’ve been from Meilin’s perspective propaganda. I rest my case.

“‘I think the Bile is completely gone . . . ’” (139). Okay: I really didn’t like that Meilin’s bond to Jhi is affected by the Bile for the entire series. I think she should’ve been cured earlier so we could’ve had a good understanding for their Bile-less relationship within the original series. I guess that’s why the authors started a new series for the aftermath of the events.

I will always, always think it’s incredibly cringey that Rollan and Meilin kissed in front of Abeke, Conor, Shane, the Four Fallen, and Tellun. At least the authors included the appropriate amount of embarrassment on both their parts. Maybe that’s just the aromantic in me talking, but it seems, just, so weird? I personally would’ve done it after all the events were concluded, during the resolution.

“‘ . . . there existed only the sky, the water, the air, and the earth . . . ’” (141). Another reference to three of the four traditional elements, with a substitute fourth.

“‘She has never healed. This injury is what gave rise to the bonding sickness . . . ’” (142). Wait, so the tree’s patchiness is what causes bonding sickness . . . which I do not remember at all. Huh.

“Conor reached out in silence and took the talisman from Tellun’s antlers” (142). But what does his talisman do? I think that’s the only one we never learn about (in The Book of Shane, Shane experiments with the stolen talismans and we learn what the Four Fallen’s and Kovo’s talismans do). 

Chapter 18

“Her growl sounded suspicious and scathing, the hints of a deep bitterness apparent” (145). I like that Uraza distrusts Tellun. It’s very human-like behavior.

“‘I can help you,’ he said. ‘I know things that you don’t’” (147). Sure, he knows things the four don’t, but he probably doesn’t know anything Tellun doesn’t know.

“‘So,’ she said. ‘You want to be worthy? Well, now’s your chance’” (148). Headcanon: when the Redcloaks were picking out their codenames, Worthy had a hard time with his. Shane told him this story and told him about that quote in particular, which helped Worthy decide that he wanted his codename to be Worthy.

Chapter 19

“‘Nilo is the First Lands, the origin of all life’” (150). So Zhong is the Walled Lands, Amaya is the New Lands, and Nilo is the First Lands. Also, it’s ironic that the Heart of the Land is in Amaya which is the New Lands, about as far away from the First Lands as you can get.

I kind of wish that there was a bit of foreshadowing about the Evertree before this book. The first of the foreshadowing was the beginning of this book, and it seems like there should’ve been something before this?

“But as large as they loomed, the Evertree dwarfed them all” (155). The Evertree would be cool as, like, a meeting of the Great Beasts location. Like a council hall.

“He slammed the staff into the earth” (156). Shouldn’t that have shattered it? Maybe it’s about intention?

“The blemish was twice as big as he was, a region of black, rotting wood that seemed to be slowly eating away at everything surrounding it” (157). I might be remembering wrong, but isn’t that the Wyrm?

Spoiler alert: I was, in fact, remembering wrong.

“They stood frozen, the ominous totems of an endgame” (158). That sounds cool. No idea what it means.

Okay, I guess it means that they are the end. The Great Beasts’ end is the end itself.

Where’s Shane in this fight? He isn’t mentioned even once up to this point, and only Kovo is still alive (out of the unfallen Great Beasts).

Chapter 20

“Another figure had lunged at Kovo, someone riding on the shoulders of an enormous crocodile” (168). Now that the Bile’s gone, why doesn’t Grahv run away? Why is he still obeying Shane? Shane didn’t treat him particularly well and Grahv and Shane’s bond should be completely gone now because Shane’s bond is unnatural, right? Maybe Grahv is confused and doesn’t know exactly what happened? Spirit animals are supposed to be smarter than normal animals, and Grahv isn’t (technically) a spirit animal anymore?

“Jhi had always been the true warrior. The warrior who turned to peace and kindness first, and struck only in love and defense. The wise warrior. What Meilin should have wanted to be all along” (169). Awwwww.

“He lifted the complete Staff of Cycles, took a deep breath, and rammed it into the ground” (170). Didn’t Kovo do the same thing before? How come that didn’t break it? Also, how did Conor know what to do? It’s not like Tellun told him anything-

Chapter 21

“The Evertree fell” (172). That’s so ominous.

“She witnessed the birth of the Great Beasts that emerged from this newfound energy . . . ” (173). The energy is the Wyrm, then, right? Because that’s what created the Great Beasts . . . 

Chapter 22

What exactly are these visions? Did the dying tree conjure up its memories of the world, somehow?

“‘The Four Fallen won’t need to sacrifice themselves again.’ Silence. Until Rollan broke it with a huge whoop” (176). LOL.

“ . . . watching Shane’s back as he ran . . . ” (177). He’ll be back.

“A seedling! . . . A new beginning. Anew Evertree” (179). A weak-as-hell Evertree, that’s for sure.

“ . . . someday, when the Evertree became whole again, the other Great Beasts might return once more to Erdas. The cycle would begin anew . . . Someday, Briggan might evolve back into his Great Beast form . . . Everything would begin again” (179). The idea of cycles is repeated over and over, which implies an end and new beginning, which I think is pretty cool. I think the Great Beasts are probably meant to cycle through Great Beast and spirit animal form regularly.

Chapter 23

“Rollan pulled off his boots and let his toes wriggle in the surf” (181). Is this a resolution to when he thought about relaxing on a beach with the other four in book five?

“‘I bet I can beat you back to Greenhaven’” (181). Aren’t they in southern Nilo??? 

“As they sailed back toward Greenhaven . . . ” (182). So they are sailing. Where did the boat come from???

“Her father and sister waved at her from the side of the street” (185). That’s it??? After all the development Abeke went through realizing she has a shitty family, that same family is going to be her happy ending??? What?

“[Aidana] looked happy now. Free” (186). Awwwwwwww.

“ . . . so that no one could tell where one ended and the others began. They were one” (188). This kind of comes back to a circular motion, the idea of no end and no beginning. In my opinion, that’s why the last line hits so hard.

Final thoughts and rating:

The ending hit so hard. The way the last line was written was just done so well. I also enjoyed the way that Shane’s story is explained so well. My favorite scene in the entire first series happens in this book, and the raw lines and Abeke getting angry together just hit so hard. I feel like the tree’s lore was explained fairly well. The motif of cycles was a good theme to bring into this book. Conor’s and Abeke’s development was generally done very well.

I think Abeke “making up” with her abusive family without so much as an apology was a terrible decision. It just sends the message that family is always good and they’ll always be family no matter what, which is objectively false, and in Abeke’s case, is downright harmful. I thought the fact that we never find out what Tellun’s talisman does was not great, but not bad, necessarily. One thing that really bothered me is that while the Evertree and the motif of cycles are both really good decisions to include, the execution was way off. Both were only foreshadowed in this book, when they should’ve been foreshadowed throughout the series. 

Rating: 9/10

[reviews-sky-1]

New book review!

And (for now) the last Spirit Animals review!

Spirit Animals #7: The Evertree by Marie Lu

Link

[volkihar]

GROW: SONG OF THE EVERTREE 🌿 dev. Prideful Sloth

[dark-night-star-light]

About "fake" Bile bonds (would not be bonded if Nectar had been taken instead of Bile):

"'One day I awoke to find I couldn't summon Grahv from his passive form'" (The Burning Tide, 29).

The above quote was said by Shane. In my opinion, the "one day" implies that it didn't happen immediately. The tree reset right after the Conor broke the Staff of Cycles into the ground, at the end of Evertree. But it's implied that Shane lost his powers a while after that incident.

About "true" Bile bonds (would still be bonded if Nectar had been taken instead of Bile):

Meilin is the only known person to summon a "true" spirit animal with Bile (besides Feliandor), but there's also Aidana. Sure, she was already bonded to Wikerus before she took the Bile, but the same thing happened to her as it did to Meilin: after the Bile bond broke, her bond became a healthy bond.

"She didn't look like she had the last time he'd seen her. She looked happy now. Free" (The Evertree, 186).

The above quote is about Aidana. The implication here is that the her bond has already become healthy (this is directly after the climax). I think what happened was that when the Staff of Cycles was broken (and with it Gerathon's talisman, the source of the Bile), all "true" bonds that were bonded with the Bile became healthy bonds.

My theory in a nutshell: "True" bonds that were bonded by the Bile became healthy bonds as soon as Conor broke the Staff of Cycles, but "fake" Bile bonds took a while to fade after the same incident.

I’ve recently realized something.

Meilin summoned Jhi with the Bile, right? But it’s clear she didn’t choose Jhi, and the whole thing with the Bile is that the human usually chooses which animal to bond with.

Which means that she summoned a “true” spirit animal with the Bile. The first person (known to us) since Feliandor to do so. I just thought that was interesting.

Huh! Somehow I always thought there were more but now I've racked my brain and ... yeah. An interesting parallel.

(You have to wonder how her dad & Sheyu thought it would go if she didn't summon a true animal. Would the Bile just pick whatever animal she was subconsciously most thinking about? The one she was standing closest to? Do you reckon the audience in attendance (or Lenori!) would see anything weird about one of the menagerie animals suddenly being a spirit animal?)

Another interesting weirdness about Bile bonds:

Tellun frees Shane from the Bile alongside Meilin on page 138 of The Evertree.

On page 160 of The Evertree, Tellun dies.

On page 165 of The Evertree, Gerathon dies.

On page 168, Shane still summons his animal to fight briefly alongside our heroes, and after that puts Grahv back into passive state to slip away.

So! So! There was a period of time after Gerathon was gone and the Bile theoretically held no power that Bile bonds still existed! Shane's bond still existed (for a while) after Tellun severed his connection to Gerathon! What was powering the Bile bonds? How did they work?

[blaine-sirius]

Excuse me while I wait until 2025 for Lux City of Lies to release 😙

In the meantime, ✨FANART✨! Quick sketch of my favorite elf in the saga 🙂‍↕️

Here’s my Pinterest board for all my interactive fiction MCs if y’all wanna take a look😌

[gamingcreatures]

Some named Everkin in Grow: Song of the Evertree

[oneknightstand-if]

Hii i love your if so much (≡^∇^≡) and i have a questions about MC

Can we make MC mage that cansting fireball in every promblematic situation.

And also how RO react if, MC suggests to fireball every problem they acounter

I think it will be good comedy, and also sorry my English kinda bad :v

Throwing fireballs requires a higher level of magicry since you'd be creating something out of nothing at all and then would need the actual finesse to presumably aim the fireball and not set yourself on fire.

Something like what can occur in the Camelot dream sequence (set aflame a wooden sword already held in hand) would be an easier spell for a beginner to grok.

That is to say, no flinging spells around willy nilly until the MC regains their past incarnation's memories at the end of the game. (And even then some backgrounds lean more into that sort of thing than others).

ROs Reactions to Magical Pyromaniac MC

ᕕ(✿ ᐛ )ᕗ Merlin, Arthur, Percy, Vivian

(ʘ言ʘ╬) Gwen

(≖_≖ ) Cassandra, Lorelei

(눈_ლ) Adrian, Broderick

|ʘ‿ʘ)🔪 4̷0̶4̶ ̶E̴r̸r̸o̵r̶ ̶N̵o̵t̴ ̶F̸o̸u̵n̶d̴

[digic300]

Fighting myself from getting 1 more game beforenthe steam sale ends but im also super picky with what i want

I want to look for a fun indie game but i also want to try out an rpg/adventure game

These were the ones i was thinking of getting though, but only one

[it-holic]

Dandy/my MC

[ol-files]

same vibe

[bayofwolves]

i love the tellun i've made up in my head, the reclusive, gentle soul who could never be found by any human, who has no higher standing than his fellows because the great beasts are all equal, who changed his mind about the first devourer war and would have fought alongside the four had he not arrived too late, who was wracked with immeasurable guilt for letting them fall and wandered the wilds of stetriol for 500 years afterwards, who appeared to conor, abeke, meilin and rollan in a sad state of ruin, fur dull, head hanging low, all manner of plants hopelessly tangled in his antlers, with no light left in his eyes. why couldn't the four heroes have encountered a great beast who had fallen from greatness? why couldn't any of these god-like beasts have felt lasting, debilitating shame for their complacency in the deaths of their siblings, for their failure to protect the world they had sworn to? why couldn't tellun have been plagued with guilt so intense he hid himself away until he saw his prophecy fulfilled? why couldn't he have lingered at their gravesite until he laid eyes on them once again, reborn?

[bonefall]

I mis-read your summary and thought it said Rathma's creature and I was like oh, you're into Diablo too?!? Sweet!

Sadly, no, I do not know of most of the... top-down combat type games like that. My scene is simulators and sandboxes. Spore, Rune Factory (i see you in my like notifs, person with a wooly avatar), Song of the Evertree, modded Minecraft, petsites...

Rune Factory and Minecraft is the closest I get to combat games, most of the time. It's not that I don't LOVE fighting mechanics, I just need to be collecting stuff for a base or collecting creatures from it, lmao. Diablo and Darksouls and other things of that nature are waaay out of my orbit.

[mariemarion]

sketch commissions from ko-fi :') + three sketches of my OCs at the end

[phroegy]

Idek if anyone knows Orion from the Evertree Saga, but damn I miss him. </3 Bring my pookie back.

Have some art of him. (Also idk how to use Tumblr pls help)

[riskyalt]

I'm going insane QSMP x Grow: Song of the Evertree.

The eggs as Everkids....q!Phil as an alchemist....q!Tina as a tailor....Dapper with a critter center.....

Do you see the vision