In the sixth chapter of Tris’s Book, HOW IS ALL OF THIS HAPPENING ALREADY? Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Circle of Magic.Â
I’ll repeat what I said at the end of the video for this chapter: REMEMBER WHEN I NOTED HOW SANDRY’S BOOK DIDN’T REALLY HAVE AN ANTAGONIST OR A THREAT OR A HUGE CONFLICT???? LOOK WHAT I HAVE MADE HAPPEN.
Okay, it’s not my fault, but in yet another example of my eerie ability to unknowingly say ironic shit, Tris’s Book is jam-packed with conflict, namely the now undeniable threat of pirates off the coast. This is the SIXTH CHAPTER. There are A HUNDRED AND FIFTY PAGES LEFT IN THIS BOOk. That’s legitimately frightening! I expected something like this to be the start of the big finale of this book, and I’m barely a third of the way through Tris’s Book, and HOW. HOW.
I’m scared.
So let’s start with Tris, whose magic has evolved SO MUCH in the little time I’ve known her. Look what she does with just a few months of training!!! She’s able to:
- sense that there’s something wrong with the wind
- recognize that the storm out at see is wrong
- MAGICALLY RIDE GUSTS OF WIND TO EXPLORE THE BOUNDARIES OF THE STORM AND CORRECTLY IDENTIFY IT AS MAGE-MADE BECAUSE OF ITS IRREGULAR SHAPE. (!!!!!! are you freaking out because Tris is so amazing !!!!!!)
- convince the guards that she needs them to go get someone
- convince the guards that she needs to be taken seriously
- ruin my life.
I’m not kidding, this series is ruining me. It’s not even that Tortall sucked or is inferior or poorly written because IT’S NOT. I LOVED THAT EXPERIENCE SO MUCH. But these books feel so different, and it’s like I’m reading something I’ve needed my whole goddamn life. Where were these books twenty years ago? Okay, they didn’t exist, BUT STILL. STILL.
Let’s also take a huge moment to sit here and acknowledge how utterly incredible it is that there is a scene in this chapter where Frostpine and Lark responsibly tell Daja of the risk she is facing by helping with the incoming pirates. It is very common for fantasy adventures to do the opposite, and I admit that it can even be entertaining to watch. The hero is asked to help, and then at the last minute, their companion reveals that WHOOPS, EVERYTHING IS A LOT MORE DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS THAN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE. (Oh my god, that’s like half of the episodes of Doctor Who, isn’t it?) But these people respect Daja so much that they go out of their way to inform her of what she’s getting into:
“Think about this, Daja,” Lark said, her usually cheerful voice husky with sleep and worry. “You’ll be in a boat – you won’t be able to run away if the fleet attacks. You won’t be able to change your mind once you’re out there.”
And when Daja thinks back to her only experience with how vicious pirates can be, SHE STILL ACCEPTS THE CHALLENGE. There’s a line later on where Daja realizes that Frostpine is filling her with bravery, but I’d argue that she had it from the start. She was probably excited to return to sea, but that doesn’t mean she can’t understand the risk she’s taking. She’s well aware of what she’s doing.
Pierce does a fine job (as she normally does) handling suspense, and I was left feeling unbearably nervous as soon as these characters got into the harbor. (Well, after I had a good laugh at the irony that was Frostpine after he picked on Daja for his horseriding, only to then reveal that he’s terrible at sailing. OH, HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED.) It was bad enough that the last chapter revealed that an entire armada of pirates was most likely sitting out in the harbor, but Daja, Frostpine, and the other soldiers were heading out in a longboat with a magical net protecting them from being spotted. It’s such a terrifying visual image because we’ve got a single boat hiding in plain sight from AN ENTIRE GROUP OF SHIPS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT. On top of that, we get to see how immense and intimidating the “chain” is that protects the harbor. Plus, I like getting the chance to see Frostpine’s magic because he is a constant surprise to me. What can’t he do?
Actually, he can’t do everything alone, and it’s a tremendous thing to see. He’s got so much power, he’s incredibly inventive, and yet he still needs Daja, the only smith mage in all of Winding Circle, so that he can help protect everyone. He needs Daja. I feel like I don’t need to explain why that’s a huge deal to someone like Daja. She’s wanted and needed. I would also suggest that the text itself shows us that the people in the longboat may have died if it weren’t for Daja. After someone points out the black boxes floating towards them and the Harbormaster’s tower, Frostpine, who is occupied with the fence, tasks Daja with sending them away. Like Tris’s display of control earlier in this very chapter, I was in awe of Daja’s ability to concentrate and use her magic in a way that seemed impossible months ago. Obviously, it’s not on the level that Frostpine’s at, but it’s still impressive.
Unfortunately, despite that Daja is able to destroy both boxes and give some of her magic to Frostpine so he can finish protecting the chain, tragedy strikes: the previously hidden ships use this moment of temporary failure to fire on the Harbormaster’s tower, striking a ship and killing sailors and Y’ALL. THIS IS THE SIXTH CHAPTER. Where is this book going to go from here???
The original text contains use of the word “crazily.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYF68oOxiPw
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