Chapter 1: Living without Love

Hello, and welcome back to our irregularly scheduled nonsense!

I should be working on a paper but I'm doing this instead.  Tee hee.

Last time, we dove into the prologue of this literary masterpiece, where we got to hear about Lokesh...being really horny.  Basically, he wants to rape Kelsey in order to get a male heir.  Except he never actually says this outright, because Houck has an aversion to even implying the word "sex," even when her villain's actual literal motivation is sex.

I have also started reading ahead into the next book, and if anything the horniness actually gets worse.  So.  We have that to look forward to.

So, what follows up the really graphic and violent prologue?  Something intense and exciting?

The protagonists are playing board games.

Chapter One: Living without Love

The first chapter opens up with Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan playing Parcheesi.  Ren wins (of course, because never forget that Ren is ~perfect~), and Kelsey exposits that it's been about a month since they rescued Ren from being tortured by Lokesh.  In that time, she's given Ren all of her journals and baked chocolate and peanut butter cookies for him in order to jog his memory, but nothing has worked.

Now, I mentioned in the last book that I have a profound (and, admittedly, somewhat extreme) hatred of amnesia plots.  I'll get into why that is after I finish with the chapter, but I hate them so much.  Which means that I'm going to have a really fun time with this book, where a huge part of the main Plot is an amnesia storyline!!!

Something had happened with with Lokesh to cause Ren's amnesia.

HMM, it couldn't POSSIBLY have anything to do with the fact that Kelsey herself asked Durga to help Ren, and that as soon as Ren accepted Durga's deal he got amnesia, could it?  It's so mysterious!

Yeah, this "mystery" takes WAY too long to actually be resolved.  It's frustrating the whole time.  It's not even a spoiler, since I called it as soon as it happened the first time I read the second book before the amnesia thing was even revealed.

Anyway, Kelsey is resolved to help him regain his memories somehow, as well as continue breaking the curse whether he ever regains them or not.  Still, being around Ren while he can't remember her is really difficult because she's still in love with him.  Kishan has backed off of his relentless pursuit for Kelsey's affection in order to support her through all of this, which already cements Kishan as a better person than Ren because he's able to keep his paws off of her for longer than five minutes.  It's still obvious that he's interested in her, though, because every male character, including the Big Bad, is super horny for Kelsey at all times.

An unspecified amount of time later, Kelsey finds Mr. Kadam reading in the library and cries into his lap while he comforts her.  She says that she's not sure if she'll be able to love anyone again because losing Ren is just So Horrible.  He says that she was able to love Ren even though her parents died, which proves that she's strong enough to make it through this.  Kelsey says that those are different kinds of love, so it doesn't count.

"It's different in some ways but the same in others. . . ."

Houck needs to stop making Kelsey's relationship with Ren into a maternal thing.  It's gross and incest-y.

Mr. Kadam, as the wise old mentor, says, "Then I would suggest that what you are feeling is not the scarring or the diminishing of your heart, but the absence of your loved one."

This is supposed to be Deep and Wise, but it's not.  Because this is literally the problem she came to ask for advice about.  SHE'S SAD THAT REN DOESN'T REMEMBER HER, THAT'S WHY SHE'S HERE TALKING TO MR. KADAM.

Mr. Kadam says that the problem is complicated, and that it might be a good idea to let Ren go.  He shares a story about one of his sons, who found a bird with a broken wing and took care of it until it was healed.  When it tried to fly, he panicked and grabbed onto it, suffocating it to death.  If the bird had flown away or if it had stayed, it would have been better than what happened.  Props to Houck, this is a decent analogy, and it's actually effective because Kelsey doesn't ask a million questions through the whole thing.

After some back and forth, Kelsey decides to be Ren's friend instead of trying to force him into a relationship he doesn't remember.

And you know what?  I'm actually okay with this.  Yeah, it's only happening because of my least favorite narrative device, but Kelsey actually handles the problem like a human being.  She takes her feelings and Ren's feelings into account and makes an actual decision that would be the best for everyone involved.

The next morning, Kelsey goes downstairs for breakfast and runs into Ren, who is busy "piling a plate high with fruit and sweet rolls," because eating a lot of food is a running gag that will continue through this book as well.  Is it funny yet???

Anyway, he's starting to look better after his torture session--he's filling out and his hair is shiny.  He asks if she's alright, because he heard her crying last night, and Kelsey says not to worry about it.  He apologizes for hurting her feelings, even if he's not sure how.  Even though I complimented Kelsey for her decision last night, she apparently forgot about all that, and snaps at him, mentioning his comments on her birthday and specifically that he called Nilima beautiful.

Ren points out that just because he called Nilima beautiful doesn't mean he was saying that Kelsey wasn't attractive.  He just meant that she's young.

"So is Nilima by your standards.  You're more than three hundred years old!"

Hi thanks for reminding me how gross this age gap is.

There has been exactly one (1) relationship with this kind of an age gap that I've been even slightly okay with, and it's one that I've only been reminded of fairly recently.  I've been rereading the Fablehaven series (which I was SUPER into as a kid) and one of the main characters, who's fifteen, has a Thing for another character, who also shares that he has a Thing for her.  But he's hundreds (and likely thousands) of years old because he's an immortal supernatural being.  Despite the immediate squick reaction, the author did two things that made me more okay with this.  First, in the Fablehaven universe, the shape a supernatural creature takes has a huge impact on their psychology.  A dragon who takes human form doesn't think like a dragon, for example.  The love interest's human form is seventeen, which means he acts like, well, an old seventeen-year-old.  He's been around for a long time, but he's still mentally a teenager.  Second, he specifically points out that the protagonist is only fifteen, and that they should wait for a few years so that the protagonist can make sure that this is a choice she really wants to make.

I think what I was trying to get across with this tangent is that I hate Ren.

"Technically, you should be dating a very old lady."  A tiny smile passed my lips.

How does a smile pass your lips?  You smile with your lips.  That's not the right word.

Also:

Already a much better joke in What We Do in the Shadows, which you should really see if you haven't already.

Ren says that he should like being around her, and that he can't explain why he can barely stand to be in the same room as her.  He says it's not just that he feels pressure to remember her--it's another weird force keeping them apart, but that he'll do his best to ignore it.  Literally being in "close proximity" to her creates a "response" that makes him feel he has to escape.  I sympathize--being in close proximity to Kelsey also triggers my flight-or-flight instinct.

So yeah.  The Powers That Be are literally keeping them from touching, because Drama.

Kelsey says not to go crazy because she's decided that she's willing to be friends with him.

He leaned forward and said conspiratorially, "But aren't you still, you know, in love with me?"

Ugh.  Ren is such a narcissist that he wants Kelsey to still be in love with him even though he can't stand being in the same room with her.  This isn't me just over-interpreting, either--Kelsey says that she doesn't want to talk about it, and Ren demands an answer why.  Because he's ~such a gentleman~ you guys.

Kelsey makes another reference that Ren has no way of understanding, and I'm thrilled to pieces that this running gag is back.

"Because Lois Lane never suffocated Superman."

Hurr hurr because Ren is so great he's Superman.

She says he's free to date Nilima if he wants because she's not going to push the issue anymore.

"Wait a minute!  You're just going to cut me off?"

"Is that a problem?"

"How dare you not worship the ground I walk on even though I physically can't be in the same room as you for long and it's so hard on you emotionally you've been crying your eyes out for a month straight?"

"I didn't say it was a problem.  It's just that I've been reading your journal, and for a girl who's been supposed to be crazy about me, you're sure giving up pretty quickly."

GOD he's such a dick.  Now that a girl he doesn't know isn't interested in a relationship with him, he can't handle it.  He's still possessive over someone who's a complete stranger to him!

Kelsey says that they'll start over on a clean slate and work past his instinct to escape.  They shake on it, and Kishan walks in asking what they're doing.  Ren lies and says that Kelsey agreed to demonstrate her lightning powers.

"Being able to shoot fire from your hand is something I've got to see."

Yeah, if you remember from the last book, it's not fire.  It was clearly lightning, since it's described as arcing between targets, something that fire does not do.  But this will be a recurring problem in this book, which I'll get into later when it actually matters.

The three of them eat breakfast, and the tension in the air between Ren and Kelsey is completely gone (which Kishan is not thrilled about).  Ren quotes some Shakespeare at her and warns her that she should watch out for Kishan.  Ren leaves, and Kishan asks Kelsey what the hell that was about.  Kelsey tells him the truth about what they agreed on, and Kishan isn't convinced that it'll work.  Kelsey says that it doesn't matter what she thinks, because it's impossible for her and Ren to be together anyway.  She can see Kishan about to offer himself as a replacement boyfriend, but he stops himself, so she kisses his cheek when she leaves.  Leading him on, I guess?  Whatever.

Anyway, we have another unspecified time jump, and Kelsey says that she's been keeping her foster parents updated once a week.  She says that she finished up her last semester at school online (which...doesn't seem possible) and that she's spending the summer in India with Mr. Kadam doing an "internship."

She also practices martial arts with Kishan, and unless I'm losing my mind, I don't think she ever uses it for the rest of the book.  She and Ren eat breakfast together, and she helps Mr. Kadam work on the next prophecy for the rest of the day.  After dinner, she, Ren, and Kishan fuck around playing games and watching movies, and they read through A Midsummer Night's Dream together.

One day, she comes across Ren in the music room playing his guitar, and he picks through the song her wrote for Kelsey while they were in Oregon.  He struggles to get through it, and apologizes that he can't remember the rest.  He sees that this makes her sad, and asks if she's heard it before.  She lies and leaves the room crying a Single Tear because of the Drama.  That's the end of the scene, so that sure was...pointless.  What was the point of the scene, except to remind us that Ren has amnesia?  It shows that he still remembers some things on a subconscious level, but we already know this because he quotes Shakespeare all the time.  This could have led to something interesting if Kelsey actually told him, but she just leaves.

Another unspecified amount of time later, Kelsey overhears Ren and Kishan talking.  Ren says that Kishan has changed a lot in the last six months, which actually lets us know how much time passed during the second book!  Ren was being tortured for five months while Kelsey and Kishan were fucking around and sightseeing.

Kishan takes this as a threat of violence, which says a lot about Ren.  He's apparently just Like That to the extent that other characters just assume he's threatening to beat them up.

Ren says that's not what he means, and that he's a lot more "composed" than he used to be, and that he's harder to make angry.  So I guess Ren's been intentionally trying to annoy Kishan and is surprised that he's not able to.

Kishan says that it's because Kelsey's changed him.  He's been trying to become the kind of person that she needs to be with, and that he's working to become who she thinks she is.  D'aww, that's actually kind of sweet.

Not in line with how Kishan acted during the quest in the last book, but still.

Ren doesn't answer, and they leave, and Kelsey thinks about how complicated everything is.  Then the chapter's over!

Closing Thoughts

This chapter...actually isn't so bad?  Maybe it's because I'm still traumatized from the prologue, but the characters actually act like...characters instead of blunt plot devices?  There's some interesting character interactions going on that, while not exactly subtle, still play off of each other.  Like, Kelsey's relationship with Ren actually impacts her relationship with Kishan, and vice versa, and Ren and Kishan's relationship exists independently from their feelings toward Kelsey while still being impacted by it.  This is stuff that I actually like, and it's been wholly absent from the series until now.  This also goes away very soon, but I'm choosing to enjoy it while it's here.

Now, I promised an explanation for why I hate amnesia plots so much.  I'm sure a lot of this is just a personal pet peeve of mine, and my problems with this kind of plot might not be a problem for other people.  But I can explain why, so I will!

I'm sure this has come across before in my spork, but I'm a very...impatient audience when it comes to plot.  That's not to say that I can't appreciate a slow plot--Blade Runner is one of my favorite movies, and its pacing is sloooow.  I just don't like when an author explains the same thing to me over and over again.  One of my major problems with the non-amnesia elements of the Tiger's Curse series is that Houck just...explains the same things over and over again. 

Similarly, I can't stand it when a scene doesn't actually accomplish anything--if a scene imparts nothing that I don't already know, I get impatient because I want to get to scenes where things...actually happen?  This is what I've mentioned before with editing--every scene in a work should accomplish something, whether that's revealing plot, character, setting, or just being entertaining.  I've been watching Fullmetal Alchemist (finally), which is really good, but it's annoying to be reminded in EVERY SINGLE EPISODE that they're trying to get Al's body back.  WE KNOW.  WE'VE BEEN WATCHING THE SHOW.

Amnesia plots suck because they usually fail on both counts.  When a character gets amnesia, the vast majority of the time the plot just stops dead in its tracks so that characters can sit around expositing about things I as the reader already know, and it's boring.  We spend time trying to jog the person's memory, which makes sense in the narrative, but reveals nothing new about the plot, characters, or setting--it basically turns into a clip show of, "Hey, remember when we did [X]?  Remember that you like this kind of food?  Remember when we went to [Y]?"  We learn almost zero new information, and actually REPEAT a huge amount of information, which is a surefire way of losing my attention and interest.

In short, it's repetitive.  Which means it's boring.

I've liked amnesia as a plot device exactly twice in my entire life (that, uh, I can remember off the top of my head).  The first was in Doctor Who, where Donna stopped being the Doctor's companion.  Yeah, it was an excuse for Catherine Tate leaving the show, but it destroyed me emotionally.  The second was in Gravity Falls, which was actually explained in an interesting way and had a bonus self-sacrifice angle.  What do these have in common?

They don't affect the plot at all!  They both happen at the end of the story/character arc!  Which means we don't waste time trying to remind the character of things that have already happened, which frees up space to actually play with the interesting aspect of amnesia--the tragic effect on friends and family who love them.  You know, character interaction.  The INTERESTING STUFF.

I only went off on this tangent because the Dragonwatch series just dropped an amnesia plot on me out of nowhere and I'm very ticked off about it.

Anyway, next time, Chapter Two: Getting Reacquainted!  It's...very repetitive for the reasons I just described.  But they're actually on their way to get some plot started, so that's at least an improvement on the second book.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tiger's Curse Spork: Introduction and Prologue

Moon People, Part II: Putting a Sexy Smile on My Face

Chapter 13: Waterfall