In the eighth chapter of Untold, Kami and her family learn the true scope of Rob Lynburn’s power. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Untold.
Chapter Eight: Past Hearing
Seriously, y’all, this is brilliant writing.
I think it’s a bold choice for Sarah Rees Brennan to reveal so much this early into the novel, and I also believe that this story will be all the better because of it. This is a demonstration of Rob’s power on the one hand; it’s also a neat way of not portraying Claire Glass as simply losing her sanity; it’s also an empowering moment for Kami. It’s layered. It ups the risks involved, it heightens the stakes, and it builds dread beautifully.
Oh my god, the entire Glass family knows about magic and sorcerers, y’all. AND WE AREN’T EVEN A THIRD OF THE WAY THROUGH UNTOLD.
Can we discuss all the little things in this chapter that are just too much to deal with?
- I think it is important to note that Claire went to great lengths to conceal her magical history from her family, and yet, in a matter of minutes, she spills everything to her whole family, including her young sons. You know what this speaks of? Fear. It made me scared because things had to be truly awful for Claire to do something like this.
- “I’ve been dreaming too long,” she said. “Now we have to survive.” OH MY GOD, JUST JAB THE KNIFE FURTHER IN WHY DON’T YOU, SARAH REES BRENNAN.
- Kami refuses to leave her brothers’ sides. I love Kami so much. I adore what she does for Ten and Tomo in this chapter, y’all.
- WHEN DID ROB TELL CLAIRE THAT THE LINK BETWEEN JARED AND KAMI WAS BROKEN?
- Oh my god, is Kami going to tell her father about the link?
- Oh my god, this chapter is so ridiculous.
- HELEN’S PHONE CALL. EVERYONE. CALL ME AN AMBULANCE. I’M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH THIS. Initially, I was so confused by what was going on that I was convinced I’d missed something in my reading. Was Helen being watched? Why would she have such a disproportionately joyous response to what Claire told her? Was she trying to hide the truth from Jon Glass?
- IT HAD TO BE SPELLED OUT FOR ME. ROB PUT A SPELL ON THE ENTIRE TOWN TO MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO CONTACT OUTSIDE PEOPLE FOR HELP
- Y’all, do you realize what this novel has become??? It’s like the very best kind of thriller: the closed room scenario. Except it’s a whole town that, ostensibly, no one can escape from. I’m so interested to see what other things Rob thought of and used to continue to keep Sorry-in-the-Vale in fear of him. I mean… holy shit, I still can’t wrap my mind around this. In just a single chapter, this man has taken control of a whole town, and this book became HORRIFYING.
- Just… how is Kami’s dad going to cope with this? What did Claire show Jon to prove to him that everything she was saying was real??? I NEED TO KNOW THIS.
- Lillian has less than a dozen people. God. HOW? How are they going to fight back against over twenty powerful sorcerers???
- At the very least, this chapter ends on an empowering note. Again, Kami’s treatment of her brother Ten is just stupendous. Through this, though, she realizes that she does have power of her own: the power to write. Initially, she uses this to help Ten understand what’s going on, but this morphs into something else. Knowing that she’s been cut-off from the outside world, Kami believes that there’s still a power in her written word. Oh god, she’s going to publish something in the paper, isn’t she??? I’m so into this.
- Bless this book. Eight chapters in, and it’s already a good time.
Please note that the original text and the video contains the words “crazy” and “mad.”
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