In the twenty-first chapter of Untold, Kami has two difficult conversations with her parents. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Untold.
Chapter Twenty-One: Her Legacy
I’m glad that at this point, Brennan is including both of Kami’s parents in the drama unfolding in their town. Frankly, it just feels necessary, you know? It’s difficult territory, though, because Kami’s torn between sympathy, between fear, and between anger, and it’s not easy for her to sort out how she feels about all of this, especially when it comes to her mother. Her initial instinct in chapter twenty-one is of protective love, and I saw a neat parallel to how Kami felt towards her father when she witnessed his breakdown in the graveyard. She sees how scared her mother is, and her first reaction is to protect her. Truthfully, even if she’s not doing the best job, Claire Glass is trying to protect her family, too! It’s why she is so suspicious of Jared and why she’s so scared that Kami’s gotten involved in all of this. Of course, it’s important to acknowledge that Kami became involved because she was forced into this, and I think Claire’s going to have to accept that if she’s going to repair her relationship with Kami. Still, I wanted to put myself in Claire’s shoes to understand why she behaves the way she does, and I think Brennan does a fine job making sure that Claire’s motivations are on the page. I had to remember that the Lynburns used Claire, and so it’s natural for her to assume that Jared, a Lynburn himself, is using her daughter, too.
For Kami, though, her relationship with Jared, while ridiculously complicated, isn’t based on being used. No, we know intimately how much they care for one another, both when they were linked and now that they’re not. I also loved that Brennan included that bit about Kami feeling strange about vocalizing her love of Jared to someone else. Oh gosh, I KNOW THAT FEELING, DEAR KAMI. It is a weird thing to make real by saying it out loud. Again, I appreciate these emotional explorations because Brennan validates them by including them in the story, you know? Realizing you love a person isn’t always this grand, magical thing. It’s scary, and love can be scary:
They were terrifying words, words to encompass a world.
And that doesn’t make them any less real, either. No, it’s simply a realistic take on how the experience can feel, especially if it’s a person’s first love. For Kami, you’ve got to take into account her chaotic experience with Jared, and this makes a lot of sense, you know? Sure, she’s got a lot to figure out, and I expect having to deal with MURDEROUS SORCERERS IN THE MEANTIME isn’t going to make that easier, but I’m pleased that Kami is so willing to make this work.
AND THEN JON GLASS. OH. OH MY GOD. Let’s just start with a perfect summary of his entire characterization in this chapter:
Kami could not quite believe that her father was getting sassy with a sorcerer.
You know how there’s this thing that dad’s do where they just love having the perfect dad joke at hand, ready to destroy you with the worst pun you’ve ever heard? It’s like Jon Glass leveled up years ago as that Arcane Mage Dad Jokester and he’s just destroying the competition. And yet, despite how undeniably funny he is, I found this entire set of scenes with Kami to be endlessly touching. The man is trying to understand this ridiculous world around him, and he’s thankful that Kami is doing what she can to keep him in the loop. Like Claire, he’s got this complicated world to navigate, and it’s understandably challenging to do so.
Yet he’s able to handle Lillian Lynburn. I just… oh my god. My hero. MY HERO. He refuses to call her the correct name after she rudely enters the Glass home with magic. IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL, especially since he’s the first person to be so openly antagonistic towards Lillian without any fear at all. But y’all, HE WANTED TO KNOW IF HE WAS A SOURCE SO HE COULD HELP THE LYNBURNS AND PROTECT HIS FAMILY. This man was willing to leap head first into the world of magic for his family. My emotions. And even when it turns out that he’s not a source, he’s still eager to help out. Ugh, HE IS SO GREAT.
I just adore the relationship between these two, and I’m eager to see how Kami’s parents are going to become a part of Untold‘s endgame. They both want to help out in their own way, even if they have a different idea of how to do so, and I don’t think they should be ignored. There are a lot of variables at play now, and I think we need to accept that both parents will do anything to protect their family at this point.
THIS IS SO GOOD Y’ALL.
Please note that the original text and the video contains the words “mad” and “crazy.”
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