The Idhún's Memories. Have you heard of it?

Sep 29, 2017 19:23

Hi there. It has been a while since I posted something here, I couldn't find the time to do anything more than a comment here and there ( Read more... )

rant, fantasy

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snarkbotanya September 29 2017, 18:22:41 UTC
Sounds like this trilogy somehow suffered from Sequelitis despite not being a movie series. (WARNING: TV TROPES LINK.)

They start ok, even promising, but around the second half of the first book, everything goes downhill really fast.

Sounds pretty similar to how it was with Eragon, really. He at least remained a fairly promising (if generic) lead longer than Bella Swan, who managed to make me hate her pretty much immediately with her incessant whining and being a bratty little shit to her dad despite him pretty much bending over backwards to connect with her. (I don't care that Charlie Swan gets character assassinated in Eclipse; he needs a hug and absolutely does not deserve a daughter as horrible as Bella.)

There is also some "Blue and orange morality" thrown into the mix,

Hmm. Pulling in Blue and Orange Morality is definitely playing with fire, because it takes a good amount of skill to do right. If this author can't keep her characters from turning into Sues, I doubt she can handle it.

Although is a little more justified than in Eragon or in Twilight, it's telling that in the second book, the part of the "final battle" that is treated with the biggest tension is when the female lead has to choose between her two lovers.

Oh gag. I'll take your word for it on it being more justified, but there is something to be said for Twilight outright telling you that it's going to be a romance. If the book starts off a swords-and-sorcery fantasy and then turns into a romance, that's just... blech. I'd like my romance to stay as a sideplot, please. My planned trilogy doesn't even have a romance subplot until the second book, and when it does show up, I am keeping it thoroughly relegated to subplot status.

And in the third book it just goes on, and on, and on, trying to desesperately have something new to say, while wasting away a very interesting plot about gods trying to destroy all the evil of the world at the cost of all the mortals.

...Wow. Just... wow. That could be a seriously fascinating plot with all the groundwork for a deep exploration of the nature of gods and humans and their relationship to each other, not to mention a recipe for some serious conflict and tension. Hearing about such an idea being wasted just makes me sad.

(Also, uh, I think you seriously typo'd on "desperately".)

And in the end, I shit you not, the female lead ends up with BOTH love interests

Okay, I'm all for the polyamory ending if the characters can make it work, but...

One of them is quasi-relatable, even it it is a moron, and the other has almost all the characteristics/backstory of Edward Cullen, but up to eleven.

...yeah, fuck that.

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thegharialguy September 29 2017, 18:41:28 UTC
It's been about ten years. I need a refresher. How does Charlie get character assassinated in Eclipse? I remember him being a pretty reasonable guy throughout.

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atoraruka September 29 2017, 18:52:54 UTC
He goes from being the lone voice of reason in the series to mindlessly support Jacob even after he forces a kiss on Bella. And his stupidity becomes rampant.

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snarkbotanya September 29 2017, 21:41:12 UTC
What atoraruka said. On the one hand, I don't think it was intentional; the bit regarding Jacob's sexual assault is probably a result of the rule that characters can't be smarter than their author. On the other, the fact that it's unintentional and that Meyer goes on to basically use the "it's not rape if you liked it" justification says terrible, terrible things about her.

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atoraruka September 29 2017, 19:28:12 UTC
It's actually kind of a mixed bag. I think the second book isalmost the same quality of the first one, if only because it's then when we finally get to see the world of Idhún and some interesting secondary characters. Other than that...yeah.

Sounds pretty similar to how it was with Eragon, really
Indeed. In fact, I think one of the male leads (the moron) is exactly how Paolini wanted Eragon to be. I never got the feeling that he was hypocrytical or sociopatic, just Sueish.

If the book starts off a swords-and-sorcery fantasy and then turns into a romance, that's just... blech
Sadly, that is exactly what happened . There was no romance whatsoenver in the back of the book or even in the first half of it. It just started as a cute subplot between the two main characters, but when the third one got into the mix, it spiraled out of control.
An the "justification" is basically that they are the "only ones of their kind" and the fate ot the world literally depends on them

Yes I absolutely typed "desperately". My bad.
An the plot IS very interesting and has a lot of conflict and tension...when is allowed to surface. But the love triangle swallows everything.
Yes, is very sad. Especially when one of the sides of the triangle is a remorseless seriall killer who gets away with no reasonable punishment

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snarkbotanya September 29 2017, 22:03:22 UTC
It just started as a cute subplot between the two main characters, but when the third one got into the mix, it spiraled out of control... the love triangle swallows everything.

Ugh, the all-eclipsing love triangle... I hate those. Love triangles in general are overused and just make me roll my eyes, and when they overshadow the plot, it just gets irritating. I'm not a fan of the romance genre, but a romance subplot in a story can be fun. When it stops being relegated to a subplot, though... yeah, I just kinda tune out.

The only kind of love triangle I'd ever be likely to write is the Gayngst variety (i.e. Eve likes Alice, but Alice is in a relationship with Bob).

one of the sides of the triangle is a remorseless seriall killer who gets away with no reasonable punishment

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK.

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thegharialguy September 30 2017, 01:25:18 UTC
TV Tropes rather appropriately calls it a Romantic Plot Tumor. On the topic of good love triangles, anyone ever see 12th Night? The shit's hilarious.

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snarkbotanya September 30 2017, 02:01:04 UTC
TV TROOOOOOPES! *high five*

The best production of Twelfth Night I've ever seen was performed by some drama students at my alma mater when I was in my junior year. It ended with the implication that they were all going to go have a foursome. Olivia was quite excited at the discovery of Half-Identical Twins.

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thegharialguy September 30 2017, 02:07:17 UTC
Well I suppose that's a bit better an ending for her than accidentally marrying someone she's only just met and being sort of stuck with him.

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snarkbotanya September 30 2017, 02:09:59 UTC
Definitely, because let's not kid ourselves, she's totally going to be the one everyone focuses on in that foursome.

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thegharialguy September 30 2017, 02:17:05 UTC
I highly doubt Sebastian is going to be interested in Viola or Orisano at least. Then again he did seem to have an affair with the ship captain and Orisano is meant to be an attractive guy...

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snarkbotanya September 30 2017, 03:41:55 UTC
I get the feeling it'd be more of a "line" foursome than a "square" foursome. You know... Sebastian on Olivia on Viola on Orsino.

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