#zack reads tlt

[brave-symphonia]

Also, I didn't realize this until reading the previous tags of a piece of art I reblogged from a mutual, but did Harrow successfully open the tomb because she had Gideon's blood on her that day?

Because, if so, just fuuuuck.

So, John telling her she could not have opened the tomb, turned out to be completely wrong.

No fault to him, how could he have foreseen that the one time his genetic material got loose, it created a baby that was sent to the ninth house and just happened to get into a fight with Harrow the day she decided to open the tomb.

Like, that's a very specific circumstance.

[brave-symphonia]

You know, I'm pretty sure that Harrow the Ninth guaranteed I'm going to stick with this series to the end, like, HtN is the book that got me fully committed.

Sure, GtN got me invested a bit with it's ending, but HtN's entire format, along with so many things throughout the book got me truly immensely invested.

Like, after reading it, I can wholly say I love Harrow, along with a few other characters, I want to see where everything goes, I want to reread everything.

The Locked Tomb has its hooks in me completely.

GtN got me interested in continuing, HtN ensured I've fallen in love with the series and is what's going to keep me here.

[brave-symphonia]

Holy shit, maybe I’m being overly hopeful, but the way the narration is in chapter 44, it sounds like it might be Gideon.

I was confused at the start because the narration felt off, using “you” to refer to Harrow.

And then when she started referring to Harrow in certain ways, telling her she was supposed to lift weights, it’s Gideon.

It’s what the Emperor said would happen, the Cavalier taking over the Necromancer’s body while they’re in the river.

But now that Harrow remembers Gideon, does that mean she won’t be around for much longer? That she’ll be absorbed into her like she was meant to at the start.

Also, about that, what the fuck, Harrow. Fucking with your mind and rewriting all your memories just out of love for Gideon so she didn’t go away.

Like, there’s love to that, but also, that’s a lot to go through, to erase who you are all for the person who sacrificed themselves for you.

[brave-symphonia]

I'm actually curious.

Is The Locked Tomb series complete?

I know it has Gideon, Harrow, and Nona, but I don't know if that's meant to be the full series, if they've got another book lined up, or even if the author hasn't said how long the series will be.

I'm also thinking about whether I should reread GtN before reading HtN, or save a reread for later.

Like, I'm absolutely sure that a reread would have a ton to offer, but not sure if I should wait to do that.

[brave-symphonia]

Also, I think it's really hitting me right now, just what John did.

Like, hearing he sent off all those nukes and basically ended the world is shocking, but the more I sit with it, the more real it feels.

He killed everyone on the planet, billions of people, and upon ending civilization, placed himself as their new God, choosing who to revive, making sure none of them remembered.

And is Alecto meant to be the Resurrection Beast that came from the Earth? And he basically did the Lyctoral process with her?

Is he so powerful because he took in all that thanergy from everyone on earth dying? Or maybe because he's powered by a Resurrection Beast? Maybe a bit of both?

I also wonder where his necromantic powers came from, like if it was just chance they emerged for him, or if it was something else?

I think I might vaguely remember a line where he was talking and it seemed to state or imply that he got them from Alecto? Like, the Earth gave him Necromancy and set him down that path that ended with him bringing Alecto into the form she became?

It all feels like a lot, trying to think about everything John explained.

[brave-symphonia]

So...I finished Nona the Ninth.

Man, I can't wait for Alecto the Ninth.

Might reread that epilogue, though. I'm not completely sure about what happened in there.

I think Alecto woke up, went to John, and he said hello to her, but beyond that, I'm not completely sure.

I'm also curious where Harrow is now, like is she back in her body now that Nona is gone? Or maybe we won't see her again.

Although, wasn't John talking to her that entire time throughout the flashback chapters? I'm actually not sure I fully understand the context of what those chapters were.

Like, it seemed like he was talking to Harrow, but I thought we'd get a reveal that elaborate more on that.

[brave-symphonia]

Kind of wondering if it's actually John narrating the Bible verse chapters in Nona.

It's someone talking to Harrow, but when referring to John's actions, I'm pretty sure they refer to John with sentences like "he said", stuff like that.

I wonder if maybe it's Alecto? Like, Alecto is talking with Harrowhark, telling her John's story before the tomb is opened, or after it's just opened?

[brave-symphonia]

I want to preface this by saying that I knew about Harrow's parents killing all of the people in Harrow's generation except her and Gideon beforehand.

But like, Harrow's comeback to Gideon saying, "Harrow, I'm so bloody sorry.", is honestly just so good. Even knowing the secret beforehand, this scene is really just so good.

Her talking about how she spent her life destroying her, how she hurt her and tried to make her wish she was never born, because that's what Harrow wished for herself, how Harrow feels if Gideon killed her she would deserve it, and Gideon just tells her sorry after she comes clean.

And then those last two sentences.

"You are my only friend. I am undone without you."

Like, fuuuuuck.

[brave-symphonia]

I was reading HtN and…

Did John, the Emperor of the nine houses, the Prince Undying, just reference a tumblr post?

Did he reference none pizza with left beef?

I…I’m not sure what to do with this. I don’t know if this is supposed to have implications or if it’s just meant to be a throwaway joke.

[brave-symphonia]

I also keep forgetting that these books can honestly be pretty funny at times.

My favorite moment so far in the book is when Harrow is doing a theorem while in the River, and the Emperor seems to panic a bit and tell her not to do theorems.

Only for Mercymorn to turn around and say she obviously can barely be conscious at her level, there's no way she can do theorems. Before abruptly cutting herself off and yelling about how they need to stop her from doing theorems.

One of my favorite parts of this book, I've gone back to read it 3 times already.

[brave-symphonia]

I also realized at the beginning when John is telling Alecto he was just trying to save her, he's talking to the earth.

Although, was he trying to save the earth at the beginning? He was looking into Cryo, which seems more like it would be to save humanity.

What exactly was his plan with the Cryo? He said they had room to store 11 billion people, presumably the population of the Earth, so were they just going to wait for the Earth to recover in cryo and wake up and start society again with a fresh start?

Like, I think I remember hearing somewhere the earth will eventually recover from what humans have done to it, it just would take hundreds or thousands of years, maybe more.

Maybe that's wrong, and also there could have been other plans to do with cryo.

Maybe they were going to abandon earth and use cryo to escape to another planet? Keeping everyone in stasis during the flight?

[brave-symphonia]

Augh, this bit we get in addition to the usual poem about the nine houses, it hurts so much.

Like, it feels like a love poem, one that's saying how there will be a day when it'll be alright, when they'll be happy together, but it's cut off before it can finish.

The fact that it's cut off before it finishes hurts me the most.

[brave-symphonia]

Very curious if the bible chapter titles mean anything in regards to the chapter.

John 20:8, John 5:20, John 15:23, John 5:18.

Those are the four chapters I've read so far, and they seem like they probably would've been deliberately chosen.

I have a friend who I mentioned the title to, she said there is a book of John and read John 20:8 to me, but I don't think I picked up on anything too obvious?

Maybe I just don't know bible verses well enough to pick up on things.

[brave-symphonia]

The fact that the RBs can't even kill him, meaning he was hiding from them for nothing is genuinely pretty messed up.

It makes me wonder if he allows them to exist not because he can't kill them, but because it's another aspect of his empire that allows him to stay at the top.

[brave-symphonia]

I'm honestly really curious about Ianthe.

Like, I feel like there's more to her I don't really get, and I'm actually excited to understand her a bit better.

Like, I'm not sure I fully understand why she saved John rather than push him in, unless it was simply to save the Houses?

Like, yeah, Gideon talked about how you can count on Ianthe to make the worst possible decision, but I feel like there is more to it than that.

[brave-symphonia]

Absolutely love Gideon taunting Harrow by saying stuff like “bones are mediocre.” and “Ooooh, Palamedes. I am measurably less intelligent than you.”, I missed Gideon.