I hate that you have a really good point. That makes sense because they wouldn't go from being super controlling to saying here you go just sail wherever you want and have fun, we don't care. Damnit. The face of the family bit is convincing too. And their family's business was a lot of like... was it transporting valuables or something? I don't remember. But if she's doing that, she'd be a target, so she'd need a ship that could defend itself. Soo yeah. That's probably right. BUT I also agree with the last part. It showed they were paying attention to her struggles and her likes and dislikes and even though they scolded her a lot and had trouble showing their love directly, they had other ways of doing it. I'll still take that.

I was thinking too about something unrelated... we got to hear some history about how Maaya started getting called Ghost as a derogatory word, and eventually she kinda owned it and made it her own but at first it sucked, and not even in a way the townspeople wanted. Because at the start of the book she hates ghosts and thinks they're responsible for her situation, so when she starts getting called Ghost she's basically being labeled the thing she hated most, way to add insult to injury lol.

Rebekah wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 09, 2021 6:13 pm

While I've been thinking about the more subtle parts of the book, I got to thinking about Inga and Adelaide. At first, the way I understood their relationship was that Inga's feelings toward Adelaide flew mostly under the radar, that Adelaide was kind of suspicious about Inga but that it didn't go much beyond that. But the more I think about it, the more I feel like Adelaide was very aware of it, and that it was a mutual understanding between the two. Hannah already pointed out the meaning behind the "goes where I cannot follow" thing, which I thought was a good catch. But there's also the several times that Adelaide asks how Inga is so good at comforting her and offering her just what she needs, and while at first Inga says she's just doing her job, eventually she starts saying something like "That will have to wait for another time," basically outright implying there's more to it than her just doing her job. Then you have The Scene in Inga's quarters where she explains her past, which wraps everything up. It might not have clicked immediately, but I think that was the moment it came together for Adelaide, because by the end of the book, the way the two of them talk has shifted, like the one instance where Inga (who is always staunchly professional) calls Adelaide by her name rather than her title when giving her life advice. By then I get the impression that their relationship has changed a little even if it's an unspoken recognition (or maybe they talked about it "off screen" or something).

I think you're right, and like I remember there's a part in GW, I think it was right before then dead zone where Maaya's in Adelaide's cabin and Adelaide says Inga will sometimes tell her to tidy up and she says something like "it's like she's my mother or something" so I think by that point she totally knows and she's also ok with it too. Seriously one of the best dynamics in the entire series, MAF was a godsend for giving me this LOL. After I finished MAF and figured that out I went hunting in GW for all the hints of that relationship, and there's a lot there. It IS subtle for sure but it's there.

ALSO you're probably right about the ship too, for her parents it was probably like ok we need to keep her in the business, well how can we do that, well we know she looooves ships and sailing and all that stuff, we could give her the ship she'll be using to travel and we're gonna make it GREAT. Pretty sure they made it so big and beautiful because it was supposed to be for business, otherwise they might have gotten her a daysailer or something that couldn't go very far or have many people, but they've surprised me before. They would probably still get her one of her very own.

I don't know how some of you read this book so fast. Every few chapters especially near the end I had to like, stop and process for a while because so much was happening. This one was more emotional to me than Ghost Walk was, and maybe that's easy to say because it happened over four years instead of a couple months. Bindhiya's death was the hardest any moment in this series hit me because it wasn't just her death, and even that happened in like the saddest way possible, it was watching everything she built slowly fade away into nothing. What sucks is I knew all of it was coming, allllll of it. Hari and Malika foreshadowed it a bunch of times, and I knew it was coming, but it still hurt so much when it happened.

Also I liked this one a little more than Ghost Walk, I think there were some writing style improvement and stuff but also there was soooo much more character development for EVERYONE. Like I didn't expect to come out of this just falling in love with Inga but then that happened. (and Hannah I didn't even realize that thing about her statement she says a few times, fuck.) Seeing more of Skarin was great, meeting Maaya's friends and Saber of COURSE was great. I thought I would have a hard time reading Maaya's sections because I know what happens to her friends but it was surprisingly ok. Annayet was super sweet, I liked her being this really prim and proper girl of society who's also totally down with helping Adelaide pull off a big lie for both of their families while they both talk about running away and starting their dream lives, that was A+++ content. And what is it with Cymreiges coming into scenes for 10 minutes to completely steal the show and then just leave again rofl. I need more of her. You guys think she and Emil would get along? Or already know each other?

Just, it's hard to talk about this in one post because there's just so. much. stuff. And it's not even that it's a long book, I feel like it was at least twice as long as it actually is. What an adventure this whole series has been. I haven't even read the new short stories yet.

international wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 24, 2022 6:47 pm

I haven't even read the new short stories yet.

KRISTEN BE CAREFUL LOL. One of them's gonna break you!

I think I could read it all because whenever there was some sad or dark moment it always followed up with something lighter, like it never stayed there too long imo. And there's still always some reason to hope so I kept going because when shit got dark I was like all right, it's going to be resolved somehow, I need to see how. Bindhiya's death I think was the saddest part of MAF but for me imo there is nothing worse at any point in the series (not counting the short stories) than Saber's "death" in GW. Like, there are plenty of other moments through the series, but whenever I get to THAT part I almost have to skip because fuck, my heart. It's Saber and the dad she just found, it's the kids coming back to say goodbye properly, just, it's everything all at once and it kills me LOL.

Soo it's been a while and while I'm waiting for whatever next book is coming I'm thinking about doing a GW series reread, anyone want to join me? Book club time?

Girl I'm ALWAYS down for that. Which one do you want to start with? MAF good?

Shit sorry I kept meaning to reply but work has me too tired lol. Yeah I'm fine with MAF! It'll be my first time reading it all in chronological order so it should be fun.

I don't think I talked last time enough about how cool Sanna is and how much credit she deserves. She's like the older sister figure to Adelaide that she really needed, before even Inga was playing a big role in her life. She cared so much about Adelaide and gave her advice and talked shit on Adelaide's parents LOL, just all kinds of stuff. And her attitude too, that moment where she's ranting about how the other elites don't listen to her and then laughs, and Adelaide goes "That doesn't sound funny" and Sanna says something like "It is if you make yourself laugh every time you're full of rage!" Also the fact that everyone outside her family sees shit for what it is, like Sanna and Asmund both being like "girl your parents are fuckin nuts." BUT, it's so hard for her to get herself to see that anyway because she's on the inside. She had to get there on her own.

And Adelaide herself, my poor sweet overachieving girl. Her brother gets killed and she gives up the magic, and her parents don't think she can handle the truth about the ghosts, but the instant they tell her everything she goes and trains until she can't stand anymore because she just wants to make sure no one else goes through what she did, and she wants to avenge everyone who's died in the past hundred years. My babyyyyyy. It was written like it was really noble too but I'm glad Sanna called her on it later, because she's setting herself up for disappointment and she had to get over that before she could be a real elite.

And then MAAYA. That part where Hari tells her about the job in exchange for getting half of what she steals. He asks her why she hasn't been to see Bindhiya, and the first time I read it, she explained that she has a bad reputation and there's a limit to how much the others can accept, right. I thought that was fair. But I should have understood, this is Maaya's perception and not reality, like sure to an EXTENT it's true, but when Saber practically forces her to see Bindhiya later, everyone's happy to see her, Bindhiya is overjoyed, and throughout the whole book moves heaven and earth to make sure Maaya is happy and safe no matter what her reputation is. Even when some of the others try to keep her out Bindhiya is like "bitch if you try to keep Maaya from me again your ass is outta here, try me." So I should have known! It makes me so glad Saber came along too, because no one else really pushed Maaya on her beliefs. They kinda protested a little but otherwise let her be, it was Saber who first actually sat her down and explained honey no, you are completely wrong, and I know it's going to make you very uncomfortable but you need to do these things. Maybe it was needing the outsider perspective, or it was just needing a blunt dead girl who legit does not give a fuck to come in and do what needs to be done, but from the very very beginning Saber is such a good influence on Maaya's life and I fucking adore them both.

It's kinda funny though because when I read GW and there was that tiny flashback to how they met I thought it was gonna be some happy emotional scene, where Saber talks about how she was finally free and everything, but in MAF she's the only one who's excited and Maaya is like "um ok good for you but I gotta go" LOL. ACTUALLY speaking of which, Styx! My man. Istg the best parental figures in this whole series are not actual parents, he saw his kid Maaya was upset and took her for a ride, listened to her, gave her great advice, and you know she trusted him because he could see ghosts too and dealt with weird dudes like Milo. She wasn't totally convinced I think but wanted to give it a shot, and to Saber's credit she already had the perfect apology ready. I had to remember she's several years older than Maaya at the time and has the mind of someone mature enough to be on the court. But that probably sealed the deal for Maaya right there. And it's just hilarious how Saber goes from being super bubbly and excited about everything to hating Sark more than Maaya does in the span of like a month loooool.

Ok damn enough essay writing

Jade wrote: ↑

Thu May 04, 2023 11:39 pm

She wasn't totally convinced I think but wanted to give it a shot, and to Saber's credit she already had the perfect apology ready. I had to remember she's several years older than Maaya at the time and has the mind of someone mature enough to be on the court. But that probably sealed the deal for Maaya right there.

For real, I think that probably made all the difference. All the other ghosts didn't really care about her boundaries, even the man at the very beginning who seemed pretty nice showed that he didn't really understand or care enough to be respectful of her in ways that mattered. It was just "you can see me therefore you're obligated to talk to me." Like Len, just not all as crazy as him lol. So for Saber to come out and say "I have a problem but it's not your responsibility to solve," and then to come back later and make sure she said it properly and try to make up for the trouble she caused, that was huge. The man in the beginning was talking about being friends, but ghosts never treated her like one, they treated her like an answer to a problem. As dorky as Saber can be she has these moments where you see that she 100% has the knowledge and awareness and maturity of someone on the court. She's damn smart and she knows how people work and it shows. And that combined with the sense of humor that dead people get is hilarious, like when she's trying to convince Maaya to see Bindhiya she's like "what do I need to do to get you to do this, is it the full moon, is it an animal sacrifice, because I don't usually do animal sacrifices but if that's what it takes" rofl.

I got to where Annayet shows up and I forgot how devious she is right from the start. I love her so much lol. I love that they immediately start off being such good influences on each other, it's so wholesome. Then I read the part where the Windfire gets its name revealed and I get a little emotional?? Partly because I know this ship is like destined for greatness and everything that comes after lol, but it's also the way it got its name, like how CUTE was that. It comes from a conversation where two girls who feel trapped are tentatively exploring the future and the things they love. I like how they help each other out too. Annayet helps Adelaide become more confident while Adelaide helps Annayet think seriously about escaping the life her dad is trying to force her to have. There was no "will they won't they," no teasing at something else, just pure wholesome goodness with these two. AND NEITHER OF THEM DIE.

Annayet and Adelaide are the best, even though they're so different they still just built each other up and supported each other. Later on when Adelaide meets her at her house Annayet talks about how her dream life is to live in a cottage and paint and Adelaide's is to sail the seas with pirates lol. There were a few moments where I almost wanted them to have a thing, but they were better off this way. I hope she shows up in the future.

I'm also loving Sanna even more this time around, and in general I think that Maaya and Adelaide both just have some amazing role models. Sanna is just the total pro who knows her stuff and knows how the job affects them and so she helps Adelaide not get shut down when things go wrong, and it's not perfect right but she helped a lot. The scene where we find out she died was so mean though! Where he's like "I have something to tell you about Sanna!" and Adelaide is panicking like what, what happened? And the guy goes "she saved everyone here omg it was great." and then as soon as she starts feeling relieved, he goes "and also she's dead" LOL. And I know that was done to fuck with me, the reader, specifically.

Then over on Maaya's side, Saber is like the best addition to her life, there are some great scenes the one where Maaya is wishing she could be like Bindhiya, and Saber is ACCURATELY pointing out how she'd never let herself believe she was even if she made it, and then what she says after Maaya's breakdown in Bindhiya's place. Then there's that whole scene in general, because Bindhiya is also one of the best role models ever. And like, later in the chapter, where everyone's celebrating Maaya's birthday, and she's just in shock because she's never considered celebrating the day she was born, like, fuck. How cute is that! She's so GOOD.

That reminds me too, between that scene in Bindhiya's room, and the one with Inga and Adelaide talking about the coat, I realized some of my all time favorite moments in the series are just a couple characters talking together. Nothing else going on, no big battles, nothing epic, it's just two characters having a moment. The Inga one though, now that I knew it was coming I was watching her close in every scene because all of her behavior just makes sense lol. When I read it again I think Becky was right that Adelaide knew what Inga thought of her, because she already knew it was a lie but now she learned where that lie came from, and Inga chose to use it for her. She must have been planning on telling Adelaide for a long time, to just use that kind of story as a lie. Have I mentioned I love this scene?

Jade wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:58 pm

The scene where we find out she died was so mean though! Where he's like "I have something to tell you about Sanna!" and Adelaide is panicking like what, what happened? And the guy goes "she saved everyone here omg it was great." and then as soon as she starts feeling relieved, he goes "and also she's dead" LOL. And I know that was done to fuck with me, the reader, specifically.

It was, and it was done well and I hated it, I had the dread of her death, the moment of hope where I thought it was a fakeout, and then it was a double fakeout which made it worse lol. The deaths in this series REALLY are brutal.

Jade wrote:The Inga one though, now that I knew it was coming I was watching her close in every scene because all of her behavior just makes sense lol. When I read it again I think Becky was right that Adelaide knew what Inga thought of her, because she already knew it was a lie but now she learned where that lie came from, and Inga chose to use it for her. She must have been planning on telling Adelaide for a long time, to just use that kind of story as a lie. Have I mentioned I love this scene?

I agree and I think there's more to it too, just like this was a journey for Adelaide in figuring out what Inga thought of her, I really think that their relationship helped Inga heal from her loss and be ready to have another child. In that scene she says she's thought about it but knows she isn't ready yet, but I really do think that their closeness helped her. Inga was super protective and I think she had to learn to deal with the fact that Adelaide would be in danger, and that terrified her, but it also helped her kind of manage her feelings. I love how close they got, and it's all so so subtle compared to Maaya and Saber but you can tell it's all there. Inga lets Adelaide see a little more of her every so often, and I love how it went from Inga going "I'm just doing my job" in the beginning to "You're like a daughter to me and I want you to be happy and safe, and I'm afraid you'll be taken from me too." So yeah I think that understanding helped Inga get ready to try again. Actually, since we know she did end up having another child I wonder what that kid's relationship was like with Adelaide, are they basically sisters?

Double posting but I had another thought.. since we read MAF after GW, we know what caused the machine to start going haywire and becoming more erratic and everything, and that was Maaya bringing Saber out of the gem. That's why Adelaide failed at her first attempt, because the waves were coming off schedule. And what kills me about this is.. these two things literally happened in the same month. Adelaide was literally finalizing her plans to get to Nalmar and then hopping on a train as Maaya was stealing the gem. If Maaya had gotten it just a week later maybe, or waited just a little to mess with it, Adelaide might have succeeded the first time and the whole thing would be over. I know that wouldn't make for a good story AND it'd probably mean the two of them would never meet but like, knowing what we know, as soon as Inga came back and said "oh yeah btw, top secret, but the machine's gone crazy" I was just like... fuck, wait, that's why, I literally just got done reading the chapter where Maaya and Saber basically cause it to happen, except no one's going to find that out for like four more years rofl.

I haven't been able to do a reread but I've been enjoying watching you guys do it. Did you finish?

Jade wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:58 pm

The Inga one though, now that I knew it was coming I was watching her close in every scene because all of her behavior just makes sense lol. When I read it again I think Becky was right that Adelaide knew what Inga thought of her, because she already knew it was a lie but now she learned where that lie came from, and Inga chose to use it for her. She must have been planning on telling Adelaide for a long time, to just use that kind of story as a lie. Have I mentioned I love this scene?

I love this point. Adelaide might not have realized it immediately, just like we didn't (or I didn't lol) but she'll put two and two together and realize oh, the lie she made up there was basically the story of her real daughter, and of everything she could have said she used that one for Adelaide. I know Inga wanted to tell her for a long time though, even when she wasn't ready and Adelaide would ask, she never said to mind her own business, she just said that will have to wait. And she got closer and closer every time they had that conversation, like she basically admitted to traveling with family before, but she was very vague about it. For real though the Inga/Adelaide relationship is one of my favorites and it came out of nowhere for me.

Jade wrote:Then over on Maaya's side, Saber is like the best addition to her life, there are some great scenes the one where Maaya is wishing she could be like Bindhiya, and Saber is ACCURATELY pointing out how she'd never let herself believe she was even if she made it, and then what she says after Maaya's breakdown in Bindhiya's place. Then there's that whole scene in general, because Bindhiya is also one of the best role models ever. And like, later in the chapter, where everyone's celebrating Maaya's birthday, and she's just in shock because she's never considered celebrating the day she was born, like, fuck. How cute is that! She's so GOOD.

The birthday scene too though yes! GW was more "fast paced" (if you can call it that) but MAF had so so many more just amazing character building scenes, and I thought they couldn't get any better but they did.

What I really want to know now is what's going to be in the short story collection that's coming. The one with Cymreiges! I think Lindsay's going to get her wish and we'll get to see more of the scary magic of the world we don't see in the other books except for maybe GS. Also it just means more from this universe which I'm happy about, I was worried about since we basically moved to FF that this series would be over. All I need is another 800 page book, I'm not asking for much.

I'm late with this but yeah I'm reaaally looking forward to that. It looks like exactly what I wanted lol. It's all stories from Cymreiges and it doesn't look like it's connected to the main cast of characters so it's ALL just stories of the world and the creepy stuff we didn't get to hear as much about in the main series. I'm pretty damn excited for that. I'll always take more in this series but that specifically is what I really want.

This isn't MAF related but I didn't know where else to put this, someone on YouTube did a review of GW recently! I'm curious what y'all think of it, it's 25 minutes long and pretty positive so I thought you guys might like it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWqMb8dhRL8