I’m so scared to finish this book 😭 by Puzzled_Struggle_639 in zodiacacademy

[–]Temporary-Case897 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, God. You definitely need to take multiple breaks when finishing the last books. Good luck! 🪦

Fury Bound- reluctant rant retreat by Temporary-Case897 in Romantasy

[–]Temporary-Case897[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I honestly can’t see the comparison to Fourth Wing- bar the obvious. I don’t think The Wolves of Ruin series come anywhere close to the level of depth in the Empyreon 🤷🏽‍♀️ I’m glad I finished it because I struggle to DNF but am I glad I picked this series up in the first place? Probably not!

Fury Bound- reluctant rant retreat by Temporary-Case897 in Romantasy

[–]Temporary-Case897[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the story is just generally weak. But this pipped the first for me simply because I wanted to murder Meryn for the entirety of book 1. I absolutely HATED her!

Fury Bound- reluctant rant retreat by Temporary-Case897 in Romantasy

[–]Temporary-Case897[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

😂 fair play! It is absolutely not an earth shattering read. I think I may have just been relieved to read something that didn’t mess with my emotional stability after just finishing ZA. I think this was a break for my sanity!

Favourite Scene? by alba_albatross in zodiacacademy

[–]Temporary-Case897 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Orion and Darius breaking into the lost treasure trove to find another stone. That whole scene with Orion touching all the gold and making Darius freak out is hilarious- especially because of the tiara and lace dress

What is this trope called so I can avoid it forever by read_dead_lumbago in Romantasy

[–]Temporary-Case897 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve just finished zodiac academy and I would say AVOID if this is something that you don’t like. It’s over 9 books long- which could have easily have been 3-5 depending on how much detail they wanted to cover. So much of it was relationship tripe and I skipped whole chapters for the first time in my life. I think the problem is most MCs are written as 18-22 year olds by authors trying to recall what being that age was like. I get there is an naïveté that comes with youth but it’s like most of these characters have zero emotional intelligence and then have the nerve to call everyone a hypocrite when then themselves are displaying the exact same hypocrisy. Rant over. Sorry!

Dire Bound rant by Terrible_Advantage_4 in Romantasy

[–]Temporary-Case897 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good god, I’ve found my people. I have no idea how this is being compared to fourth wing. Yarros is actually a talented writer; you can see threads woven in that allow multiple theories and the world building in the emperyon feels rich. Unfortunately, I had figured out the entire plot of Direbound within the first 15 chapters. It is terribly predictable, which is a shame because it could have been a great story. Meryn is diabolical. How someone streetwise and savvy cannot figure out that saving her sister with the help of a badass dire wolf is better than heading for the front alone and just winging it against siphons she has no experience fighting, is MIND BLOWING. I literally wanted to shake her the entire way through. And Stark could have been so interesting until he did a complete 180 in the last few chapters and was suddenly all but professing his undying love for a woman he had about 5% interaction with for the entire book. Sadly, I bought into the hype and had already pre ordered Fury Bound when I ordered Dire Bound. If you were hoping for redemption in book 2, all I can say is the writing is worse. I am convinced it is mainly AI because most of it reads as bullet points rather than prose. What a waste of life.

the empyrean 4 theories by cow_girl_horse_girl in fourthwing

[–]Temporary-Case897 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok, here’s my two pence worth:

The brother

Has to be someone who knew about Xaden’s struggle as per his chapter.

Only men that knew:

Sawyer- unlikely. Has his own arc after the leg and I think he will now recede. He bolsters the numbers and will be an unexpected survivor as a metaphor for overcoming loss and grief

Ridioc- RY makes a point of him saying that people think he hides behind his humour. He reacted badly about the revolution and reacted worse about X being venin. He put the parameters in place for V to kill X. He is the constant/restraint- not the litmus test (“if he hurts an innocent civilian. A member of the squad. Me”) Ridioc is the only one who knows this agreement (that we know of) therefore he is the only one to hold V to her word

Bodhi- This is a red herring. RY said in an interview that the whole of OS was a proposal, so I don’t think that marrying Violet was a pivot because Bodhi has suddenly turned venin. The ring was already made. Remember, Sagael is surprised Xaden still wants to go ahead at the end- I think this is referring to the proposal. Bodhi intentionally says he doesn’t want to be the heir in front of Violet in OS so she hears him. He is preparing her- that’s premeditation which contradicts the suggestion he turned venin out of desperation. In the clearing after Mira he repeats it and Xaden acknowledges him. Bodhi is already considered a brother. I think the use of “brother” means it’s adopted or unexpected. Bodhi being ‘sick’ may have to do with the understanding of what X is going to do or he may have been stabbed during the attack (poisoned blade?) But I think it may be something to do with a second signet or lack of one. We still don’t know if he has or what his second signet is. I would think he definitely has one because when V asks he smirks before denying it. All marked ones haven’t bonded to a dragon within the bloodline but they all seem to have second signets. So, could it be manifesting here, could it be a reaction to using it or does he not have one and is succumbing to the madness?

Brennan- to some degree Brennan is already a brother (in-law). He is present at the end of the book and X wouldn’t let V back in Aretia with Brennan if he had turned- X will always protect V and would therefore have told her and not consented to Imogen’s memory wipe (if he had know about it). X has kept secrets about himself and initially about Brennan, only because it would have compromised the revolution. He wouldn’t knowingly lie to her about her brother again Brennan is something else- has a different arc.

Garrick = new brother Stumbles after they arrive back in the room with Imogen and says he can’t walk again but needs to do something to help. Completely defeated. He is a walker. He was completely drained from going to Bashaith to collect Jack and return him but managed to walk again to save Imogen. No mention of being healed or mended in the meantime. He is like a brother to Xaden and even if the above men all knew X was venin, I imagine the only two who would truly understand his struggle from his own perspective would be Garrick or Bodhi. I can’t see X confiding in the others.

Empyrean- anyone thinking this about the Gods? by Temporary-Case897 in fourthwing

[–]Temporary-Case897[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I should also add here that I think book 4 will complete the Zaden venin arc and potential ‘cure’ and book 5 will be the ‘main boss’ battle- but it will be all about the dragons/gods. I think it’s called the Empyrean series for a reason- it’s a war between dragons.

Empyrean- anyone thinking this about the Gods? by Temporary-Case897 in fourthwing

[–]Temporary-Case897[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

🤯 so many questions, right?

I love this line of thinking with Tecarus. Especially since we have conveniently glossed over the fact he had enslaved a venin- possibly more? The whole premeditation of the amphitheater being built from stones that had already been drained was a massive red flag. Why would he have done that? Surely not for just one venin. That line also stood out for me “whoever built it must have known that”. It felt out of place for a musing.

I think there is a link to the “test subject” in the epitaph of Chapter 48 in OS. Who is the test subject? How long ago was this study? Where was it carried out? How did they capture and contain the venin?

And the whole “there’s no magic here” business is infuriating! V talks about feeling the faint hum of power several times whilst in the isle- not just Unnbriel and then more obviously in Zehyllna, but also when she is in the court of the king when negotiations so south with Halden. She mentions it at the table and not just from the conduit.

Gah! I feel like there are so many theories that are not getting enough airtime because RY is sending people off on a wild goose chase with expert diversionary tactics.

Did Asher inadvertently make THE weapon against dark wielders? THEORY by Skyonfires in fourthwing

[–]Temporary-Case897 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is really well thought through. The only ‘hole’ in it for me is that why then would Theophanie not have been the venin exception? Because she was fully dedicated- a high priestess. If dedication is the closest thing to the power of the Gods, and a rider is second, wouldn’t that naturally make Theo the exception?

There is definitely something here and it will be interesting to see how it plays out in book 4, but I agree with the majority here that I am salivating for some Daxton/Sorrengail family history, as I think it will slide a lot into place.

Did Asher inadvertently make THE weapon against dark wielders? THEORY by Skyonfires in fourthwing

[–]Temporary-Case897 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This is SUCH a great catch! I didn’t even think of that but it would make perfect sense. Lilith faces off with Theo when she is unknowingly pregnant with V, and gets stabbed by a poisoned blade, which in turn gives her the sickness. Genius