Mark Reads ‘Untold’: Chapter 18

In the eighteenth chapter of Untold, Kami attempts to discover why Matthew Cooper is so important to Sorry-in-the-Vale, and Jared comes clean about what he desires of Kami. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Untold.

Chapter Eighteen: What I’ve Tasted of Desire

Oh, this is too much. I’ll get to that thing at the end, because NOW IT’S OUT IN THE OPEN. THEY CAN’T IGNORE IT ANYMORE.

Matthew Cooper

I totally balked on commenting much of anything on the Matthew Cooper issue, mostly because… well, what could I say? I didn’t feel like I had any information beyond Amber’s strange comment and the fact that the town had erected a statue of him for something? Whatever he did? I don’t even know! And there are a few interesting ideas presented here, one of which I’ll latch on to because I MADE A COMMENT EARLIER THAT TOTALLY FORESHADOWS THIS.

“I don’t think he was a sorcerer at all.”

Ash looked thunderstruck. “What could he have done for the town if he wasn’t?”

Kami asked, “What am I? Think. Anne Lynburn was a lady of the manor, she wouldn’t have been fighting, but she and Matthew died at the same time.”

Light dawned on Ash. He said quietly, “A sorcerer dies with their source.”

Now, I didn’t find this particularly surprising, given that Amber had already referred to Matthew Cooper in a similar capacity. Plus, it makes sense that a source – especially one linked to the Glass family – would be so vital and crucial to the history of this town. Hell, the reaction of the Lynburn’s to Kami’s existence alone in the previous book confirmed this. But this suggests something so much bigger than we’ve considered, and that’s what has me stumped. There is this theory, though:

“She gave me the clue by talking about sources, and Matthew Cooper having them both. I don’t know what she meant at the time, but – could she have meant two sorcerers to a source?”

It’s not entirely far-fetched, even if there’s no history of it. I think it’s actually pretty neat, and here’s where I latch on to this idea. Remember back when Ash and Kami pulled Jared out of the Crying Pools, and I mentioned that I was fascinated by this idea of Kami as a bridge between the two brothers? I meant that in an emotional sense the first time, but what if that was literal foreshadowing? What if she could link herself to both of the brothers and create some sort of super power through two sorcerers? (Holy alliteration!) Of course, that would be chaos inside of Kami’s brain, so I don’t even know how that could logistically work. Wouldn’t she be super fucked up by that?

I don’t even know, y’all. I was fascinated that Kami had to explore the implications of love and the link through Matthew Cooper, but I can’t even imagine what a nightmare that would be for Kami

Rosalind

What the fuck is Lillian doing meeting with Rosalind and why is Rosalind disguised as Lillian when they do so??? Holy shit, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SCENE???

“You don’t understand why you have to give in,” she heard Rosalind say, softly. “You don’t know what he’s really planning.”

what the fuck WHAT IS ROB PLANNING. DON’T TEASE ME LIKE THIS, SARAH REES BRENNAN. YOU’RE MAKING IT WORSE.

Kami’s Father

After being utterly bewildered and terrified for the future because of this brief and totally-not-fair glimpse of the Lynburn sisters hanging out with each other, Sarah Rees Brennan decides that our hearts have not had enough, and so we get the utterly heartbreaking scene of… well, John Glass’s heartbreak. I’d almost forgotten that Kami’s life was falling apart, especially after she’d done so many things to repair or strengthen her relationships with Holly, Rusty, and Jared. But life at home hasn’t gotten any better for her, and this certainly implies that the Glass house is at a breaking point. Kami’s father’s life has largely been full of lies, and nothing makes any sense to him. How do you approach your life again when it has become this confusing, you know? I was transfixed by the image of John Glass as a child throwing a tempter tantrum because it speaks to his mental state, to his loss, to his utter confusion, and to his desire for someone like Sobo to come and just solve all his problems.

This isn’t fair. 🙁 🙁 🙁

MORE JARED FEELINGS

can we not

Just kidding because I ALWAYS WELCOME MORE FEELINGS. LIKE THESE!

“Something’s wrong,” he said. “You have to tell me what it is. I can’t read your mind anymore.”

This one line represents exactly what Kami and Jared have had to start dealing with: They are not linked with one another anymore. They have to learn how to HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION. It sounds so absurd out of context because Kami and Jared have a history that’s so frighteningly unlike our own. But I think it also a neat way to explore dynamics of conversation for people with social anxiety, and I imagine that it must be neat for people to read something like this. For example, I was not always the social butterfly I am today. No, that was an intentional thing that I changed about myself. I grew up shy and awkward, convinced I was not special and did not deserve any attention. I honestly think that if I had a novel that explored how to have a conversation with another person, to learn how to gather the courage to say what I wanted, it would have helped me a lot. And the reason I wanted to bring that up is because while most of us don’t have to deal with what these two go through, I don’t want to ignore the host of emotional and mental issues that make conversation a terrifying, anxiety-inducing thing for plenty of us either. Normalizing this idea that we can’t all say the right things at the right time… I like that. I like how Kami and Jared are allowed to discover how to treat one another without their magical link, and I truly believe it’s the best part of this entire novel. As heartbreaking as it was for Kami to allow Rob to sever the link, I think it’s bringing her and Jared together in a really unique way.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Jared is perfectly fine moving on. The big reveal at the end of this chapter is that he does wish to have his link with Kami back, and I am certain this is going to open wounds again. Granted, these two people are getting better at having uncomfortable conversations, so I have faith that they’ll be able to sort out how they feel about this. Jared’s going to have to work on his own feelings of self-worth and how they’re tied to Kami. Like he says to Kami near the end, being able to depend on someone doesn’t mean you’re dependent on them, and Jared has to be careful to take his own advice.

Oh, this is just so satisfying to read. ONWARDS TO MORE.

Please note that the original text and the videos contain the words “crazy,” “insane,” “nuts,” and “dumb.”

Part 1

Part 2

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