{"id":4485,"date":"2018-03-14T05:00:36","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=4485"},"modified":"2018-03-11T08:39:41","modified_gmt":"2018-03-11T15:39:41","slug":"mark-reads-games-wizards-play-chapter-14-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2018\/03\/mark-reads-games-wizards-play-chapter-14-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘Games Wizards Play’: Chapter 14, Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first part of the fourteenth chapter of Games Wizards Play<\/i>, both teams relax after the semifinals. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Young Wizards<\/i>.<\/p>\n

So what happens next<\/i>?<\/p>\n

We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re pretty far along in Games Wizards Play<\/i>, and at this point, I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the best sense of the shape of this book. There have been a lot of hints that something else<\/i> is happening alongside the Invitationals, but there are now less than a hundred pages left, and we still haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t found out what that is. Which isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to say that the Invitational isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t entertaining or engaging. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve become HEAVILY invested in both Penn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and Mehrnaz\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stories. I think Games<\/i> feels a lot like Lifeboats<\/i> in that sense. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an immersive novel, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot more subtle and quiet than many of the other Young Wizards<\/i> novels. Here, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no big antagonist that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re fighting over, and the main conflict stems from whether or not Penn and Mehrnaz are going to make it to the next round of the Invitational.<\/p>\n

But there is<\/i> a lot of character building present here, and I find that it helps me approach the book from a different perspective. We have delved deep into these two contestants\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 lives, for example, and Duane examines the ramifications of the Invitational for other<\/i> characters, too. We get a chance to see Penn express a GENUINE, ACTUAL COMPLIMENT, which was one of the WILDEST things in this book. But that moment is important! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a legitimate step in the right direction for him, you know? Then, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Ronan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new venture in the chocolate business with Carmela, which is a GREAT new development.<\/p>\n

AND THEN NITA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S CONVERSATION WITH MATT. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a dynamic here I appreciated as a gay man, which is how Duane writes this so that Nita<\/i> is the one who has the guilt over Matt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s identity, not the other way around. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been on the receiving end of this exact<\/i> kind of guilt before when people have made the assumption that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m straight. (Though this usually happens at a distance; almost no one who has had a conversation lasting five minutes or more is under the impression that I am anything but the gayest gay who ever gayed. AND I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M FINE WITH THAT.) They feel sorry they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t notice, and they wonder aloud if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever said anything to me that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t cool, and honestly? You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d probably know if you had. Instead, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just trying to live my life. As open and out as I am these days, there really are<\/i> moments when I never make any reference to being gay, so, like Matt, it just doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come up. Granted, I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trying to remove a magic spear from someone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chest, but STILL.<\/p>\n

The best thing I recommend to people regarding this guilt is: just be a nice, good person. To everyone<\/i>. Because when those of us who are LGBT or queer feel safe, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll just talk with you about that part of our lives. It won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be a big production, either! We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll just be ourselves.<\/p>\n

And speaking of being yourself\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 oh, Dairine. This book has given me the first huge look at the complicated politics of the world of wizardry. Like, I never would have dreamed that Irina would confront Dairine about what Mehrnaz\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s aunt said and did. I admit that I am resistant to the idea of Dairine apologizing to her, particularly since that woman deserved to be talked down to. I get why Irina is asking it; she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been put in a place where Dairine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actions have had unintended ramifications. At the same time, I respect so much<\/i> that Dairine demands that someone<\/i> pay some much-needed attention to Mehrnaz. Look, Dairine can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be her only support system, you know? That girl needs help<\/i>. She needs someone on her side! Who is that going to be once the Invitational is over? What happens to Mehrnaz then? I would feel less terrible about Dairine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apology if this were certain, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I JUST WANT MEHRNAZ PROTECTED FOREVER. AT ALL COSTS. Carmela, too, for that matter. WHY ARE WE MEN SO GROSS. Was Matt participating in that conversation, too, or just spectating? At least he agreed with Kit that they shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have been talking about Carmela in that manner.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/QqpxbL0mNmQ<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now available for pre-order!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"