In the second chapter of Tris’s Book, Niko enlists Tris’s help in learning what happened the night before. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Circle of Magic.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of fire/explosions.
Tris. TRIS. I’m going to end up unable to discuss this book beyond just shouting her name emotionally at anyone who asks me about it. I ALREADY KNOW IT. Despite that I had no problem with the narrative format of Sandry’s Book, I can already feel how different this book is from the last one. There’s an urgency in it because Pierce is framing this story with a murder mystery, one that’s happening LESS THAN TWO WEEKS after the events at the end of the last book. It’s so great that Tris is at the center of this because her power to hear the voices carried on the wind can play such a huge part in it. At the same time, that doesn’t mean this is solely about Tris, and like Sandry’s Book, this novel also manages to keep all the other characters deeply involved.
Chapter two opens with a great scene at breakfast the next morning where all four characters are exhausted by their busy night, which was spent answering TONS OF QUESTIONS. And they each have their minds on something besides the explosions at Winding Circle. Daja is looking forward to time spent with Frostpine, just as Briar is eager to get back to learning from Rosethorn. While Tris gets the main focus of nearly all of this chapter, Sandry does get a brief part from her point of view where she wonders what her friends are thinking. I love that Sandry is always trying to understand those around her, and it’s one of the things that I think makes her such a unique noble character. Granted, we know why she hasn’t grown up to be like her peers; her peers never made her feel like she belonged. But these people here in Discipline? That’s a different story.
That’s a quiet little subplot or subtext that I see unfolding here. Tris was never made to feel like she belonged, either, but her work with Niko in this chapter tests her growth as a person. When Niko says he needs Tris’s help to investigate the destruction of the watchtowers, Tris is eager to go:
Tris held very still, fingers crossed, praying to go.
She’s developing a sense of respect for Niko, and I think that’s because he respects her in a way that most other adults never have. Of course, it’s clearly exciting for her to be a part of the action. Who wouldn’t feel special? But if there wasn’t this sense of acceptance at work here, I don’t know that Tris would necessarily be so open to going on this journey. Nor would she let anyone else charm her spectacles so that they can see magic! (Though it’s important to note that even when Niko asks for them, she still shrinks away from him, unsure if she’ll even get them back.)
I’m hoping, then, that her growing sense of trust in the people around her means that she’ll feel she can share her experiences with others. Namely, I hope she does not keep the conversation she overhears to herself because I think that it’s SUPER IMPORTANT that there’s a mole…. somewhere. And it’s someone whose voice Tris has heard before! I think she recognizes what a big deal this attack is, and I’m certain that also plays a part in her decision to allow Niko to borrow some of her magic. Of course, like I pointed out before, Niko’s validation of her is the main reason she allows this, and I think that’s the most important aspect of her characterization in this chapter.
HOLY WORLDBUILDING, Y’ALL. I could easily spend a long time talking about the feelings this book is already inspiring in me, but I also don’t want to ignore that I just got a HUGE bit of information about how magic can work in the Emelan universe. The spell that Niko does allows him to reconstruct the past and observe it, and through this, Tris also gets to observe how one “borrows” magic from another person. OH, THEN NIKO ALSO REVEALS THAT YOU CAN SEAL MAGIC WITH BLOOD TO MAKE IT STRONGER AND THEN HE THREATENS TRIS IF HE EVER FINDS OUT SHE’S USED THE BLOOD OF OTHERS. It’s such an intense sequence, I swear, and it only makes the entire spell that much more intimidating. I imagine that Niko wanted it to be that way, so Tris wouldn’t take it lightly.
So what exactly do they learn? Well, I don’t know that there’s anything here we didn’t know, since we overheard the Whiner and Gruff Man leaving their burden in the guardwoman’s place, and we knew that a cord did… a thing? I like my theory that the whatever was wrapped in canvas caused the explosion, but I shall not presume I know what I’m doing here. I don’t. It’s just a theory AND I HAVE SO LITTLE TO GO ON.
But birds, y’all. Holy shit, Tris decides to save a baby bird who was the lone survivor of the tower attack (SUCH SADNESS ALREADY), despite that Niko discourages her and tells her it’s too much work. AND THEN WE GET THIS:
“I hope Rosethorn will help me.”
“She will. She likes birds much more than she likes people.”
AHHHHH ROSETHORN AND TRIS HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON I HOPE THEY BECOME BEST FRIENDS OVER THE COURSE OF THIS BOOK.
The video contains use of the word “crazy.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot5hW4CJ0Co
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