#have been another bigger book to delve into those themes and Thule Livvy and switch-off Jules and everything. And then another book about

[bluesadansey]

which tda book is your favorite?

Lord of Shadows slightly edges out Lady Midnight although they’re really close since I love both so much… but LoS has the overall most impactful arcs and storylines to me the section in the Unseelie Court is probably my favorite part of the series, and the ending packs a big emotional punch to say the least. It might be my favorite tsc book period actually I really love LoS. Also like I just said in the previous ask I tend to be a middle book(s) or middle seasons girlie it’s just who I am. I think this book struck a neat balance between being character driven and plot driven that was extremely effective although to be clear it would probably also be my favorite if it was just character centric filler angst about Emma&Jules because that’s who I am… but I’m still glad it was more than that! LM is also wonderful in a way that few first books in fantasy series are to me usually there’s a slow burn for me to be really invested but not here, and the whole murder cult mystery with body horror (had forgotten about the missing hands that made it even better) + forbidden romance + familial dynamics themes combo and vibe really works for me. Qoaad is my least favorite of the three but I still really like it, and I definitely thought far better of it on reread compared to when I first read it since back then I had been anticipating it so hard and theorizing etc. and had very sky high expectations (especially with Clockwork Princess being a rare perfect finale to me and with how much I loved the first two tda books I hoped for Qoaad to accomplish the same thing..) on reread I could evaluate it more for what it is and I came to the conclusion that about 80% of the actual content of the book I am a fan of, it’s just that the pacing of the book is insane. Genuinely if that book was split into two books and they were paced normally I’d have loved them as much as the first two I think! Genuinely I think cc has gotten too attached to trilogies as the sole structure for her work and it’s a big part of why the receptions for her last two finales have been what they are … (well I’m sure there are multiple factors at play but I’m confident that’s one of them) also maybe even effected tmi part 2 because I remember cofa being pretty filler and the plot there feeling like it could be resolved in a duology? I love almost every individual storyline in that book so if you asked me which ones I would snipe for the third book to be paced correctly I’d be hard pressed to get rid of things but if you split it into two books and grounded them each tonally to feel distinct and just gave us some breathing room I think you could stick the landing! But since I like almost every individual element of the book it’s an enjoyable reread when you already know where the story ends up and the best parts of it really work for me / get a level of emotionality from me no tlh or tmi book does so it still ranks high (like #6ish since I like all the tid books more as well as first two tda) for me, I slander her but she’s my bestie <3.

#s speaks #myhouseofivyandstone #so to answer your question Lord of Shadows lol #tda #tsc #asks #I think it’s the same deal with Chain of Thorns objectively btw the issues are more about pacing than content. But then it was the opposite #for me with that book since I wasn’t actively theorizing or anything so I don’t think I went into it with much expectation and I liked it #more than most of the fandom. But I’m curious if I were to reread those books back to back if it would be the opposite and I’d be more #negative on a reread? tabeling that thought for the future #the role hype and expectations have in a reading experience. not to be underestimated #the best part of qoaad is definitely what it has to say about grief which I can also appreciate more now because #sadly my loved experience over the years since I first read the book mean that those resonate more with me now. Especially these methods fo #exploring it in a paranormal/fantasy media #but it is objectively something that makes it an odd finale because there’s a lot of other things at play. Which is why I think there shoul #have been another bigger book to delve into those themes and Thule Livvy and switch-off Jules and everything. And then another book about #the main political storyline and parabatai curse (and there would be overlap ofc but as main areas of focus) #I wonder if that might have been why there’s such a lack of willingness to give Any time to characters grief in ChoTh. Like she went too #hard in the other direction #the dark artifices