In the epilogue of Lady Knight, life goes on. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to finish Lady Knight.
Epilogue
Despite that this chapter of Kel’s life is over, everything continues on.
Kel’s journey over the course of this series has been incredible, and I hope I’ve done a decent job of conveying just how much I’ve loved Protector of the Small. Even if I’ll always have a soft spot for Daine and wild magic, I think these books are much better written. It’s been fascinating to watch Tamora Pierce grow as a writer, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten an experience quite like this one for Mark Reads. This is the end of the third quartet of Pierce’s I’ve read, and it’s just so different from Song of the Lioness, despite that on the surface, it’s the same idea: How does a young woman break into an institution that’s so completely overrun by men?
This is how Kel does it. She respects herself. She respects the people and the creatures that she comes into contact with. She values human life, even if that life belongs to an enemy. She fights – fiercely so – for the people she loves, the people she cares about, and the people she’s been tasked with protecting. It’s hard not to think about that spidren attack all those years ago and see some of the same traits in the adult version of Kel, you know? And while she hasn’t been able to save everyone (DON’T REMIND ME, I’M ALREADY SAD AGAIN), she’s fought for each and every life that she’s been responsible for.
It’s fitting, then, that the second refugee camp is called New Hope because it’s precisely what this place represents. After Kel was largely responsible for the rescue of hundreds of people, I feel like she gave them the hope that they exercise here. That’s not to ignore how they feel or their own self-worth, because I think that’s important as well. Instead, I believe that Kel’s actions worked as an inspiration to others, to give them the confidence and the skills they needed to defend themselves.
But this isn’t all about war, and I think that’s my favorite part about the end of Lady Knight. People can still fall in love. They can still celebrate life. They can create life. (NEAL WITH A DAUGHTER OH MY GODS IT’S TOO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT.) They can still find a reason to go on. As traumatic as this experience has been, these people haven’t let this kill their hope for a future.
I did like that Kel wasn’t paired off with anyone at the end of the series. Romance and love are important to her, but it’s just not the right time. Which is fascinating, given how at one point, Cleon was her everything. But people change, they move out of one another’s life, and life goes on. Kel will find love one day, but that doesn’t have to be this very moment. For now, she’s attending marriage ceremonies with Neal, and rebuilding a refugee fort. And it just feels right. That’s all I could ask for Keladry of Mindelan.
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All right, I did want to make sure to go over my predictions for this book before we started on Trickster’s Choice on Tuesday. (!!!!!! I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT, I’M SO EXCITED.) Oh god, if I remember this correctly, I did terribly.
- Kel will find out what the hell the Chamber was talking about when it showed her that small man, and she’ll use that information to stop the Murdering Child Soul Robots. That is their official name, FYI. Hey! I’m actually off to a good start. 1/1
- Kel will find a way to be with Cleon by the end of the series. HA! Hey, it was actually a decent prediction at the time. 1/2
- Kel will not be a knight alongside Raoul; I think King Jonathan will send her elsewhere. Okay, technically this counts? Only King Jonathan had nothing to do with where Wyldon sent Kel, as far as I know. I’M COUNTING IT, THOUGHT. 2/3
- Owen will become a knight! Technically, this isn’t canon yet in the book, though it’s easy to imagine. I’m not counting it based on that. 2/4
- Kel and George Cooper will team up to fight pirates. What the hell is this prediction. 2/5
- Sir Myles will adopt fourteen cats. You know, I wish we had more of Sir Myles. 2/6
- Lord Wyldon will open up a school for lady pages. Not a bad idea, but no. 🙁 2/7
- Raoul always sounds so attractive. 100% CANON FOREVER. 3/8
- Gods??? Only one, actually. Damn it, even my superfluous predictions were awful! 3/9
- Wait okay, can we please find out what the force/god is behind the Chamber of the Ordeal is? Because what the fuck. Actually, I like that there was no explanation. We just had to accept it. 3/10
- I am clearly just posting bullshit at this point. I am unfairly unprepared for Lady Knight, my friends. Ain’t that the truth, y’all. -100/11 just for the sake of it.
And now, onwards to Trickster’s Choice!
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