#this was one of my main personal gripes with stellarlune

[camelspit]

never forget what they took from you (stinas character arc)

[bookwyrminspiration]

What are your main gripes with the series? My main gripes with KOTLC is that the books are full of filler, move at a very glacial pace, and tend to leave plot points open for long amounts of time without giving the reader any hint as to how the said plots will end. Thus, I struggle to see how Messenger could bring the series to a realistic and satisfactory end. Do you think Messenger will be able to end the series in a decent way?

Those are fair assessments! When you say gripes the very first thing that comes to mind for me are details/capabilities that are introduced only for a very specific instance that aren't discussed again outside of it.

(under a cut for length)

Specifically for me, the outward channeling. It's an elven skill that only ever has relevance in book five. It's introduced and serves it's purpose entirely within the span of that one book. Sophie learns about it and what it is, which introduces how that's what the Neverseen use to topple Lumenaria, and then no one ever uses or even speaks of it again.

That's the biggest example I can think of from the series, but it also shows up in little ways like when Tam literally traveled through shadows in book five, taking several people along with him, and then it was never spoken about again. Or like when Linh figured out how to get everyone across a moving river by having them step where she stepped in book four, and that was the only time we saw something like that. Things like that.

They just irk me. I like consistency, and even if it's not a big thing I'd appreciate some acknowledgement of them outside of the One Instance It Helped The Plot, so that it isn't a thing that in one instance helped the plot. I think it would connect everything in a more satisfying way.

the consistent introduction of New Things (that aren't answers to previous introduced things) after a while is like...well what about all the other things? I personally think Shannon's pretty much reached the limit for new things in keeper what with Elysian and Keefe's new ability and Sophie's recently reset abilities. So it's not a gripe quite yet, but if anything new is brought up then that'll definitely be on the list as well. I want more connection, not constant here's additional stuff!! Added things can be good for the story and develop it further, but at a certain point it's all just done for mystery and nothing is being answered and it's so unsatisfying.

Another that's just a general gripe in all stories for me are things included that shouldn't be physically possible. I've made a few posts about things like this, and they're the most minor of details, but still. One I made a post about was how in Neverseen in one instance Shannon has the kotlcrew walk about 40-50k steps before a mission to get there, which is literally the length of a marathon. Another is how in Flashback Sophie mentions 30+ elixirs she has to take at once, which I calculated out to be a literally impossible amount of liquid for the stomach to contain.

I know we're supposed to suspend our disbelief past them, but things like that always bug me so much when I see them. So that's not keeper specific but it is a gripe I have.

I do think Shannon will be able to bring the series to a satisfying conclusion, though I'm not sure what that'll be given how there's two books worth of content left to see that will change things. Does this necessarily mean I'm fully confident the ending will be good? No. Shannon's capable of bad writing just as much as good, same as everyone else.

I think right now we're on like...a precipice? We're right at the edge between where everything is set up and all the pieces start to fall into place to make the story come together in a nice way. So looking forward it seems like there's too much and too many questions and things just keep getting introduced. But once we cross it and things start to get answered with finality, I think it'll be fine. My commentary will change though if Stellarlune does the "and then this new thing!!' routine again, however.

Anyway, I anticipate enjoying it and think she's fully capable of a good ending, but whether or not she lives up to that is a different matter. I'm also just inclined to enjoy stories, I'm not super picky about that. Unless it's horrendous (cough Stung by Bethany Wiggins cough) then I'll probably find it enjoyable :)

I hope some of that answers your questions, but if not I always love answering asks and talking!!