In the sixth chapter of Page, many things change in Kel’s life. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Page.
Chapter Six: More Changes
Oh god, let’s chronicle how different things are for these characters. So many changes.
Training
Obviously, training becomes more difficult over time, and it’s neat to see how that affects these people versus how it was for Alanna. It’s weird; I should know exactly how this happens, but none of this feels like a repeat of Song of the Lioness. It’s very fresh, and that’s surprising to me. Anyway, the pages get more weight added to their harnesses, they go camping in the middle of winter (WOW THAT SOUNDS BRUTAL), and then they all must stress about their upcoming yearly tests. We’ll get to that in a bit.
Feelings
Oh, Kel. It’s such a strange experience to suddenly have your hormones kick in and have to deal with feelings. Mine hit in seventh grade, and despite that I knew I liked guys by then, I really knew that I liked them when it became this sense of sexual desire that was entirely impossible to fulfill. It’s confusing and bewildering to suddenly develop emotions for people who weren’t anything but your best friend prior to this. You always viewed them as one thing, and now they’re something else to you in the span of a few days. Tamora Pierce writes this so well, y’all! It’s disorienting to go through because it feels like your whole world was tipped upside-down.
Kel’s First Period
Oh god, y’all, I can only imagine how meaningful this must of been to anyone who has ever had a period. IN A FANTASY NOVEL. Tamora Pierce takes great care in being thoughtful about how this is portrayed. It’s sudden, but it’s not life-ruining. Then there’s that whole section where Lalasa and Kel talk about how different people react to their own periods, which helps normalize the idea that there is no normal behavior. Oh god, our society demonizes periods so viciously, despite how common they are, so it’s comforting to see this appear in this context and method. Like, it’s simultaneously a big event for Kel without Pierce making it out to be a huge disaster? It helps that Kel has Lalasa there to assist and comfort her, and I’d be remiss in not mentioning this. She absolutely matters here, and it’s awesome that Pierce has created a character like her. (There’s also something to be said for how their relationship as women is a fantastic destruction of the trope in fiction where women cannot be friends or get along. Bless.)
My only fear here is that some asshole will find out that Kel has had her period and use it against her. However, I have some hope because
JOREN IS GONE OH MY GOD LET THE ANGELS SING
I don’t even know how to deal with this. Part of me wanted him to fail his examinations, but oh well. The prime antagonist in this series is gone. He is in Nond. Only Garvey and Vinson remain in the palace, but they’ll no longer be in the pages’ wing. What does this mean??? Will Kel reign supreme? QUEEN OF THE IRON THRONE OF THE PAGES, PLEASE. Okay, seriously, it’s such a relief on one level, but then… well, what antagonistic force will she face next? I have no clue at all! Pierce doesn’t exactly provide one for me, either.
Time!
The main change is that the narrative rapidly accelerates forward. I’m assuming that we’ll cover all four years of Kel’s time as a page, so we’re already moving to the summer before her second year. Will the next set of first-year pages contain any bullying assholes? Will she ever cross Garvey or Vinson? Will King Jonathan despise Joren? I CAN ONLY HOPE HE DOES. And with that, I venture into the extreme unknown.
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