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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
“you were watching the road.”
laurent and damen are the absolute standard for lovers. i will never recover from these books.
I really liked the Charls the Merchant story, which was so freaking funny and cute, and everything about Ancel, whose perspective I'm glad to see. The other two stories weren't bad, but I didn't find them too memorable either.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Green but for a Season, ⭐⭐⭐
The Summer Palace, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Adventures of Charls, Veretian Vloth Merchant, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pet, ⭐⭐
The Summer Palace, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Adventures of Charls, Veretian Vloth Merchant, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pet, ⭐⭐
Light-hearted short stories of my favorite characters after an emotional whirlwind? Sign me tf up.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ohhhhh, these stories were just the cherry on top of this fucking fantastic trilogy, holy shit. These stories gave us perspectives I didn't know I needed, little glimpses of our main characters that were just so, so special (side note: after reading CaPri and seeing how often Damen spends an entire paragraph wrapped up in how beautiful Laurent is, it was kind of refreshing to see Damen get similar treatment in Charls' chapter). I didn't even realize how much I wanted some of these POVs until I had them (Ancel? Excuse me, sir??).
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
*dead dead dead dead*
If you love the trilogy, you'll love these stories! I started with The Summer Palace because... obviously... but then gradually made my way through the other stories and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the stories for characters that I either disliked (Ancel) or didn't make much of an impact (Charls). These are definitely for people who loved the trilogy and want a little bit more, though, so if the trilogy was only okay to you, these stories won't be for you.
Green But For A Season
Jord is a favourite side character so it was interesting to learn more about him, get some of his life and perspective, how he ended up with Laurent and the lead into his doomed relationship with Aimeric. It was probably my least favourite of the four stories, but I still liked what it added to my understanding of Jord (and Vere).
The Summer Palace
It was a sweet final chapter to Damen and Laurent's love story. They've been through so much to get to this point, and none forgotten, but their love for each other matters more - the people they are now matter more. It's super fluffy and soft, lots of gentle romance and sweetness. It's the epilogue you want for these characters after they've gone through so much together.Laurent making promises to Damen's mother's statue and Damen offering to make the same promises to Auguste.... I can't, it's too sweet and perfect.
The Adventures of Charls the Veretian Cloth Merchant
So fun! Charls was a fun character in the books, but not a character I would have thought I would enjoy revisiting. If this were a story about Charls alone, I think that would stand true, but this is actually an outsider POV of Laurent and Damen on an undercover mission. This is made more fun by the fact that Charls knows who Laurent is, but not Damen!The advice he gives "Lamen" and then the eventual realization of who he actually is at the end is so good. This story was a pleasant surprise and a lot of fun.
Pet
I don't think I'm alone in disliking Ancel in the trilogy for obvious reasons. While this story does not redeem him completely to me, I do think that it gives a different and more nuanced perspective on his character and motivations. It also gives some insight into pets and what it means to be a pet - it's not safety and security, it's constantly scrambling to be valuable and to continue to be seen as valuable. The way Ancel sees things and thinks makes his more abhorrent choices understandable. I also enjoy the dynamic between Berenger and Ancel, it surprised me how invested I was in them resolving their problems, and it was very satisfying when they did.
Overall, I'm a fan, so I'm going to love short stories that are (mostly) fan service. I know C.S. Pacat is onto a new world/series, but I would love more of these someday.
If you love the trilogy, you'll love these stories! I started with The Summer Palace because... obviously... but then gradually made my way through the other stories and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the stories for characters that I either disliked (Ancel) or didn't make much of an impact (Charls). These are definitely for people who loved the trilogy and want a little bit more, though, so if the trilogy was only okay to you, these stories won't be for you.
Green But For A Season
Jord is a favourite side character so it was interesting to learn more about him, get some of his life and perspective, how he ended up with Laurent and the lead into his doomed relationship with Aimeric. It was probably my least favourite of the four stories, but I still liked what it added to my understanding of Jord (and Vere).
The Summer Palace
It was a sweet final chapter to Damen and Laurent's love story. They've been through so much to get to this point, and none forgotten, but their love for each other matters more - the people they are now matter more. It's super fluffy and soft, lots of gentle romance and sweetness. It's the epilogue you want for these characters after they've gone through so much together.
The Adventures of Charls the Veretian Cloth Merchant
So fun! Charls was a fun character in the books, but not a character I would have thought I would enjoy revisiting. If this were a story about Charls alone, I think that would stand true, but this is actually an outsider POV of Laurent and Damen on an undercover mission. This is made more fun by the fact that Charls knows who Laurent is, but not Damen!
Pet
I don't think I'm alone in disliking Ancel in the trilogy for obvious reasons. While this story does not redeem him completely to me, I do think that it gives a different and more nuanced perspective on his character and motivations. It also gives some insight into pets and what it means to be a pet - it's not safety and security, it's constantly scrambling to be valuable and to continue to be seen as valuable. The way Ancel sees things and thinks makes his more abhorrent choices understandable. I also enjoy the dynamic between Berenger and Ancel, it surprised me how invested I was in them resolving their problems, and it was very satisfying when they did.
Overall, I'm a fan, so I'm going to love short stories that are (mostly) fan service. I know C.S. Pacat is onto a new world/series, but I would love more of these someday.