In the third chapter of Wild Magic, Daine becomes closer to Onua and Numair as the group heads into the capital of Tortall. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Wild Magic.
Chapter Three: Spidrens and Meditation
Okay, there are so many things here that I love in fiction, and they’re all in chapter three. I’m getting hints towards the point of this quartet, and let me just tell you: I AM VERY EXCITED.
- One big huge NOPE to Spidrens. I am not at all familiar with this term or this creature, especially as it pertains to fantasy or classical mythology. I am 100% okay with never having to deal with a spidren ever ever ever ever ever ever ever again. I cannot stress this enough. They creep out my soul.
- It’s striking to me how Daine lacks the arrogance and confidence of those around her despite being incredibly helpful and talented. I like stories about people realizing their self-worth, and this is heading in that direction.
- “That was bad enough, until she saw this one from the front. Head and neck were human – it’s teeth as sharp and pointed as a giant cat’s. It screamed with a man’s voice, enraged at seeing the knife.”
- No, I’m serious, I think I can deem the spidrens as my least favorite monster in Mark Reads history. They terrify me so badly that I have a hard time just thinking about them.
- Instead, let’s think about the fact that hedgehogs woke Daine up to warn her. This book is going to end me with cute, and I’m perfectly okay with that. I’d rather that happen then have to read another sentence involving a spidren.
- Wait, actually, I do need to talk about them. Hakim and Alanna finally clue in Daine (and the audience) as to where the spidren came from, and it explains why Onua said that the Stormwings didn’t belong here: they are Immortals, beings banished to the Divine Realms four hundred years ago by a shaman.
- SO THEY BASICALLY LIVE IN SOME ALTERNATE DIMENSION AND HAVE FOUND A WAY INTO OUR WORLD. AHAHAHAASKJLDHF I ALREADY LOVE THIS BOOK, AND I KNOW I WILL LOVE THIS SERIES BECAUSE I LOVE STORIES ABOUT ALTERNATE REALMS/DIMENSIONS/WORLDS. Come on, His Dark Materials was my favorite series I ever covered for Mark Reads! Are any of you surprised that I’m totally into this?
- Something had to have let these creatures out of this dimensional prison, yes? I imagine, then, that this book is going to address that. Well, possibly the whole series! How exciting!!!!!
- SalmalÃn is a shape-shifting mage. Okay, it’s totally okay that all I can think of is Dragon Age, right? Can he shape-shift into a bear or a tarantula, too?
- OMG, Alanna has a new horse, Darkmoon! Which only makes me sad because that means that Moonlight is dead, right? Oh god, perhaps Moonlight is just too old to be an active horse! Let’s think positive things.
- The one reference to George here made me want to pass out. “He’ll do anything for you I would.” OF COURSE HE WOULD I already miss these characters and it’s been like a week.
- “If you were as good with the sword as you are with a bow, I couldn’t take the competition.” God, Alanna is so great, y’all.”
- Sinthya is a dude! Oh! I thought it was an interesting spelling of Cynthia. So, he’s the main antagonist so far, clearly the one working with the Immortals. Perhaps he also freed them from prison. Okay, wait, what other Immortals are in the Divine Realms? I’m scared.
- Can we talk about this? “An idea made her jaw drop: if she’s a legend, and a hero, then anyone could be a hero.” This is what Alanna did. She created hope, and she did it all by being herself. That’s so incredible to me.
- Ooooooooooh, Daine totally has a crush on Numair. SHE TOTALLY DOES.
- Numair is a spy???
- There’s a neat similarity between Daine’s reaction to the Gift and Liam’s. Daine doesn’t fear it, but she also doesn’t necessarily understand its importance. Both characters come from a culture that views magic in very narrow ways. In Daine’s case, her hedgewitch mother desperately wished Daine had the Gift, and it seems she pestered her daughter about it. I don’t think that is the scandal Daine has referred to before. I mean, there’s a point later in this chapter where Daine insists that Alanna wouldn’t want to know her if she knew what it is that she “did.” Regardless, it becomes clear to me that whatever power Daine has, it’s not the Gift.
- “Numair found Daine greeting a woodchuck…” CAN I PLEASE HAVE DAINE’S LIFE PLEASE. I want to talk to animals!!!
- “Boys worry just as much about their looks as girls do. We only hide it better.” Bless you, Tamora Pierce, for writing this.
- So Numair is the most powerful mage in Tortall. I wonder if he’s more powerful than Thom was. It’s clear he has the same arrogance as Thom. Okay, it’s not that bad, but it’s still there!
- I don’t even need to ship Numair and Onua. The text does it for me. Nice!
- I didn’t expect that I get a hint to what Daine is until much later, but Cloud spells it out for her: she’s “of the People.” She insists she is human, but the mare says she’s only human on the outside. Okay, so she’s of the animal world? She is an animal inside? How is this going to make her feel special or more lonely? THESE ARE THE THINGS I WANT MORE OF. You can tell Daine is very sensitive about her identity as it is. Numair is able to upset her so easily, and for good reason. I can guess that whatever secret she’s hiding is related to this, too. So what happened back in Snowsdale? What’s the piece of the puzzle that I’m missing?
- “Daine heard Tanoi sigh. Now he had no one to play with.” She can fucking talk to dogs, THIS IS NOT FAIR AT ALL. Oh my god, I love how Pierce narrates the dog’s thoughts. Bless.
- Stormwings flew Sinthya away in a box. The image is so absurd it hurts.
- It’s nice that the end of this chapter reminds us just how incredible Corus is. Daine is seeing and experiencing it for the first time, and it’s still just as wondrous to her.
I have so many unanswered questions, and that is a fine way to start a series, y’all.
Part 1
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEAaiMLOo_M]
Part 2
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuEqXv_l8xs]
Part 3
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMetoGDOhj0]
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