New chapter!!

[darcyjausten]

Hear hear! The new chapter of ACP is out guys! And OMG soooooo many FEELINGS! I wish I could post a more coherent starter post but I cannot. What's your reaction to ahem what's happened in the latest chapter? I'm crap at linking and avoiding spoilers so I'll post the rest in comments

Comments

[darcyjausten]

Firstly I'd like to say that despite of or perhaps because of the deaths this latest chapter is one of my favourites to date. The deaths added power to the story, and I loved the contrast that Cat gave us between this latest chapter and the last one.

I've read and re-read the chapter now and one thing it drives home is that last night whilst Laurent and Damen consummated their relationship for the first time, whilst they were having their amazing sex, during that same night Aimeric was in his room writing his final note to Jord, slicing through his own wrist and slowly bled to death. I loved freece's last few lines re: Aimeric that he was striving for the perceived affection and approval given to him by the regent that he as the fourth son had never received from his father: a hint of how vulnerable Aimeric was to the regent.

And Nicaise, there are ACP fans who can write a better eulogy for Nicaise than I can so I won't even try but...well both the boys death took me by surprise (oh the glorious glorious PAIN!) but lusiology very astutely pointed out that Nicaise would have been killed by the regent two weeks ago so before the border fight- two weeks ago surely that's when Laurent was still or have just finished training his men after two weeks at neeson? Or have I completely calculated this wrongly ? Whats your thoughts on this and what do you think have set the regent off in killing Nicaise? What would have been Nicaise pleading for? Because he knew of the ambush with the rock fall?

And just a thought but surely the regent would have picked up the affinity between Nicaise and Laurent , could he deliberately have told Nicaise all his devious plans for Laurent to see how Nicaise reacted and when Nicaise pleaded for Laurent used it as an excuse to kill him so he could send Laurent nicaise's head to make Laurent loose control and trick him into an ill advised open battle (when the sensible act would be for L to stay in Ravenel and for the Regent to have to seige the impregnable castle to get to him?)

Speculations and of course hugs to everyone who needs a bit of discussion and TLC after the last chapter!

[elizaben]

Firstly I'd like to say that despite of or perhaps because of the deaths this latest chapter is one of my favourites to date.

I feel the same. It hurts so good XD
Seriously, though, I'm devastated about Nicaise, but at the same time I can't curse the writer, the way I would in other instances. I never saw it coming, but it still felt terribly natural, the unavoidable conclusion of events.

And I can't squee enough about the "morning after". And the men going to say goodbye was very touching. Of course, Freece made us pay.

Bottom line, Freece is a great writer and I'm a masochist XD

[darcyjausten]

Like a machochist I can't seem to get over the latest chapter and keep on re reading it and scrolling the comments even worse than usual just to see everyone's reaction to it. I agree in that Both Aimeric and nicaise's deaths had a 'natural progression' feel to it Aimeric because despite the sad reasons that he did what he did he had committed treason and from a writing standpoint it takes the choice of executing him for treason away from Laurent's hands, and with Nicaise the regents interest in him was already waning from the start so we always expected him to be disposed of in one way or another though I for one didn't anticipate this so early (plus so far the deaths in the story have had little emotional impact as when orlant died we all thought he was a traitor so i wrongly thought ACP was going to be death-light) and I certainly didn't expect the two major side characters to be disposed of in the kind of sudden/ casual brutality that would have made Dorothy dunnett proud - plus even though I can see Nicaise's death made sense from a writing standpoint from freece's comments - she loved Nicaise, and that Nicaise needed a hug and a smack, I kind of expected her to keep him alive so that he can develop, like one of the best comments which made me laugh because it's so true 'when you said you had other plans for little salad I didn't think you meant his head in a bag' and i didn't expect her to be able to kill off a child lol :p oh well kudos to the author for not shying away from writing painful deaths which overall make the story more powerful

Also the contrast the wonderful consummation of Laurent and damens relationship to the double deaths works so so well! Oh the feelings!

[elizaben]

Me too, it's the first time I've been reading the comments and even commented more than once.

The whole chapter after Laurent's sudden return was like watching a train wreck for me, I knew what was coming was horrible but couldn't avert my eyes. The part about Nicaise was the worst. I read the first part, which mentioned youth, and was like "she wouldn't...she didn't...OMG SHE DID KILLMENOW".

Yes, I didn't expect it either. It's funny, after the previous chapter I was thinking about the "death of a minor character", and thought Orlant didn't have enough of an emotional impact to justify a warning, but Nicaise never occurred to me. Freece obviously took the advice to "kill your darlings" to heart.
Aimeric's death, on the other hand, as more than one people commented, was beautifully written. The description was lyrical, and somewhat serene after the harsh cruelty of the previous scene.

The contrast, yes, I read Freece's comment about the one-two of intimacy and its punishment and she totally delivers.

I need more hugs, and to start reading Dunnett. Or not, I'm not sure my heart can take it.

[darcyjausten]

I know! When the soldier first said 'this one spoke for you' my initial thought was conscillor Audin perhaps then it was his blue eyes were gone, his youthful skin, I think it wasn't until the pearls in his hair that it finally sunk in and I thought OMG Salad! It um took me a while XD

Nicaise's death was most shocking but Aimerics almost had a resolution or peacefulness to it, although it does squick me out a bit that looking back, timewise aimeric was in enough broken despair to slit his own wrist whilst Laurent and Damen were enjoying sex in the chapter 28. :-s

I enjoyed the first two possibly three of dunnett but the seconds half of lymond - think nicaise's death but worse / even more angst - cuddles my broken heart I'm a wimp when it comes to child deaths :p

[darcyjausten]

Just another thought but thinking over the whole thing nicaise's death makes literary sense but I kind of thought he would almost definitely survive based mainly on the thought that. The- Author-Wouldn't-Kill-A-Child. Why I thought that when I knew cat's favourite author is Dunnett I really don't know- but seriously WHY?!

[elizaben]

I didn't really care about Aimeric, I only felt sorry for Jord's sake. I felt sorry for the young boy who fell for the Regent's scheming, but Aimeric murdered Orlant and used Jord, so in my book he got his just desserts. And Laurent won't have his blood on his hands, so good riddance (I'm heartless and I don't feel bad about it lol).
I hadn't thought of the timing, though, you're right. But I feel it's tragic in a more general, abstract sense, I don't feel especially sad about it.

It's the highest praise to Cat's skill that she killed two characters in one chapter, one of them a child, and instead of readers asking for her head (horrible pun intended) all of us are crying and asking why while exclaiming how much we love this story. She might even get the highest (and well-deserved) amount of donations she's ever gotten. When you kill a readers' favourite, and a CHILD, and the readers applaud and love you more, you're doing something very right.

*hug* There, there. I totally feel your pain. I might be a little -or a lot- bloodthirsty, but children's deaths break my heart.
Have you read Megan Derr's Midnight?

[darcyjausten]

I know she can kill off two characters including a child who wasn't given the chance of redemption and a 'normal' life and it still feels 'right'. Aw thanks for the hug ;-) no I haven't read midnight what's it about? Would you recommend it?

[elizaben]

It's a story about a male witch and his young, unusual (to put it mildly) ward. More details would be serious spoilers.
Highly recommended -I got the paperback. I like the author's work very much. She's got the right for my taste balance of harsh reality and people getting exactly what they deserve, good or bad. I also like her prose style. If you haven't read anything from her, you can sample her writing here
http://maderr.com/?page_id=757

[darcyjausten]

Thanks for the rec and the link I'll check it out! Just wondering is the book slash? I have a weak spot for slash and magic (hence my foray into the Harry potter slash (good times!) and now BBC merlin slash - merlin and prince and later king Arthur? Nuff said :p I should like to point out that in the BBQ merlin version merlin and Arthur are the same age, there's no um old man sex anywhere XD

[elizaben]

Of course it's slash XD Sorry, it didn't even occur to me to clarify it. Usually, I give slash warnings to other people and non-slash warnings to slash readers.

there's no um old man sex anywhere
And aren't we all thankful about that!

[darcyjausten]

Magic and man love! You do have good taste! Right thanks bb I'm off to check amazon to see if I can order it online :)))

[elizaben]

Great. If you'd like, drop me a line after you've read it to tell me how you liked it. Though you'll probably want to kill me for creating a new book addiction to spend money on ;)