Shielded Readalong: Day 2

Gorgeous photo by @thelondonfaerie

Hello Fairy Friends!

It’s day 2 of our readalong of Shielded!

Yesterday we left off with Ren headed to the North watch and Jenna at the beginning of her journey to Turia to meet her betrothed!

Today we’re reading chapters 5-9!

Please be warned, the following will include spoilers for Shielded Chapters 1-9! Read only if you’ve finished those chapters!

-!SPOILERS!-

The plan for Ren to leave in the middle of the night wasn’t even known by General Leland or Master Hafa which surprised me! I thought maybe they would know at least!

Even though the tethers haven’t been all that useful yet, at least it gives Jenna some peace of mind that her father and brother are okay!

I love that Hafa just started attacking her with pebbles and also so non-chalantly just started talking about magic! But yaaay she gets to train with her sword and the ring now! I’m so excited to see what she can do with them!

Hmm why do I get a bad vibe from General Leland? Anyone else get that or am I just reading him all wrong?

Suspicious On To You GIF by Originals

Ah and there’s the bad part of the tether, if something is wrong she can only feel that it is, she can’t know what is actually happening!

Oooo Hafa wants to tell her more about the magic weapons!

Ohhh so Kais chased the followers of the black Mage to the ice deserts and when he couldn’t track them anymore he left them there to die. But Kais has kept a few of the mages artifacts incase they would ever prove useful in fighting the mages if they were to return!

Ahh so it’s possible someone summoned the mages which is how they could have broken through the banishment and it may be them that are attacking from the north but who would have summoned them?!

The wild does not sound like a fun place to be and I hope they can stay on the road!

Ahhh yaay she finally managed to beat Hafa at a fight!! But did she manage to use magic with the sword??

Oh no no no what is happening with her father?? I wish there was a way to find out!

nervous season 6 GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants

Ahh the man has used magic to immobilise everyone but it didn’t work on Jenna! And he thinks Aleinn is Jenna ?? what is he going to do to her?? 

Whaaat the King of Turia has sent a message saying her family is dead?? But why would he do that when they’ve just made a deal?? Omg they actually are both dead! Noooo Aleinn gave her life for Jenna’s? 

They surely can’t send her off into the wild by herself! All we’ve heard is that nothing will survive in there!

Hafa too!! Poor Jenna has lost everyone in basically the last 5 minutes!

Jumping off the cliff was a terrifying move but smart as she managed to get away from her attackers! But now what! She’s on her own in the wild with nowhere safe to go!

Waaait! Who escaped? Hafa maybe? Or Leland??

Was the shadow man a creation of the Mage or was it something born of the wild do we think? 

Jenna has two options, go home or travel on to Turia and Turia really does seem like the best choice at theme point considering there’s a traitor somewhere at home!

bruce campbell starz GIF by Ash vs Evil Dead

Jenna seems to be thriving in the wild but also seems kinda numb to other feelings like she’s not hungry or thirsty often and can’t feel the tethers? Something weird is happening!

Whaaat has she been going in circles?? 

She’s really being put through it in the wild and is coming up against all weather types! It’s such a gruelling journey! 

Ahhhh she’s been attacked by a wolf! I’m kinda surprised this is the first animal she’s come across! But she manages to use magic to beat them! Not her own magic but magic that the ring absorbed!

Uh oh, the shadow man is back! 

Oooo she’s figuring out how to use the magic against people and its starting to protect her! 

Yaay she’s made it to Turia! Now she needs to make it to the King but how will she fair when there’s nobody she can trust! 


Wooow okay so much happened today!

What do we think she’s going to be met with in Turia? Let me know all your thoughts and theories and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Love,

Amy

16 thoughts on “Shielded Readalong: Day 2

  1. I’m a bit confused about the King on page 133/134…. are we back in time and is this Jen’s father or is he still alive?? Is it King Marko??
    I’m glad she’s finally out of the wild and hopefully save with this family for now anyway…..
    I’m also wondering about Cris, is he still alive, is he perhaps the traitor? (He’s one of the few who knew where Ren was going to!?!) I’m really enjoying this book so far….

    1. I thought there might be a 3rd king? I think they want us to think it’s king Marko?

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  2. wait, who authorized this? No no no, I declare illegal for Ren to die just yet, expecially like this! But again, are we 100% sure Ren and the king are dead? We only know the tethers shattered, but it could be some spell of sort, no?

    The wild is both lovely and scary, it felt like a compressed version of the journey of Frodo: from the beauty of the Shire to the horror of Mordor in just a chapter. I liked this portrayal by the way, I think it makes the wild scarier and harder to survive than just a tipycal “it’s full of monsters”.

    I had a clue the kingdom of Turia was inspired by Italy (dark hair, big noses? And also the names Marko and Enzo) but I think we can confirm that now, and if you are curious “carina” means “pretty” and “bosco” means “wood” (agglomerated trees, not the thing you burn in the fireplace ?).

    I’m really looking forward for tomorrow’s chapters, I agree the first part of the book was interesting but a little redundant, but I have a feeling things are going to be intense from now on.

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  3. What a twist, I didn’t expect her brother and father to die so soon! This section was more exciting. Though I felt the section in the Wild did drag on a bit longer than necessary. But I am enjoying the book a little more and looking forward to seeing what direction the book goes in from here.

  4. The camaraderie between the soldiers is great to see and that they start including Jenna in their group. You can tell that Hafa cares about her even though he is all gruff ☺️ Leland I am not so sure about.
    I didn’t think of the fact that another person may have escaped, I assumed they thought Jenna was the soldier ? but if another person did escape I hope it this someone whom she can trust and that they find her.
    I really hope the tethers breaking is a result of the mage’s magic and not really the deaths of her family! Or maybe Ren’s death is not real because she said it felt like the link ‘shredded’? For both her mother and father it ‘snapped’. This could just be my hope that she has family left talking though ? A few tears fell at this point!
    The journey through The Wild was interesting to read, how at first it helped her but then turned on her when she was about to leave.
    I love that Turia seems inspired by Italy ❤️

  5. I kind of feel like a lot happened, but also not a lot happened, in this section.

    I’m really hoping that her brother’s tether ending differently to the King’s means that maybe he’s still alive. And I’m glad Jenna has found the family, she needs somebody to look after her, even if just for a couple of days. And they might even have information to give her, about whats happening in Turia

  6. Ok, I expected that Ren and Jenna’s father will be dead soon. I only thought that this mysterious messager will be the person who kills him but it’s a totally different place and people…which confused me a little: is it the same time line or it’s the past?

    Jenna’s way through Wild still has for me Merida vibes and Alice in the Wonderland, you know beautiful but dangerous.

    Shadow man is a strange person. I am not even sure that he is a man or only some magic’s creation.

    I am not sure that Jenna will find support in Turia.

  7. The book definitely picks up pace in chapter 5, it’s getting me out of my reading slump.

  8. Lots of death all at once & now she is wandering through the wild all alone. I would definitely not survive any of this. I definitely don’t trust Leland. Couldn’t tell if he was trying to save her or help her to die. Also if Ren is dead then what about the men who were with him? What about Cris? Are they dead too? Or are they part of the plot? If I don’t trust Leland can I trust Cris?

  9. I feel the same as someone above me wrote. Al lot happened and not a lot happened. I feel like the way through the wild was a bit to long, also she seems to be able to survive a lot… Maybe I pictured the things more extreme than they were, but still… a bit weird to me.
    Curious about the chapters between the chapters, I never even thought they could be in another time, that could be a nice twist. I think it will be interesting to know who they are about.
    Really enjoying it so far

  10. I still hope her brother and father haven’t died she just doesn’t feel their tethers for some other reason. :'(
    I’m suspicious about Leland, then again I don’t know much about him just what Jenna tells.
    I’m glad she arrived more or less safely to the other kingdom. Looking forward to read more!

  11. The book really found it’s stride for me on day 2, I was able to let go of my misgivings about the hair, and holy cow poor Jenna, what a rough ride

  12. Soooo this was confusing but also as expected I guess. I knew something was going to happen in the Wild. It is so sad that her brother and father are dead now though. I have a hope that something else severed the bond maybe? And I was really confused on that chapter about the king? Who is he and what is he doing?
    Now in Turia, I’m thinking she will stay in the house for a while an then find her way on. Maybe try to find out if King Marko really had something to do with everything that happened?

  13. It was so sad that Ren died and Jens father too. Poor girl. And on top of that she has to go into the wild alone. At the beginning it’s still nice, but it doesn’t stay that way. Good that she had Ren’s book. But why was his book suddenly empty?
    I was so happy that she finally arrived at the lovely family. i hope the kreepy shadows or worse the mage himself doesn’t find her

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  14. I refuse to believe Ren is dead nope nope nope. I’m actually in love with The Wild, even though it’s pretty scary too. And I’m really liking how Jenna is managing to survive and keep fighting, despite having been raised as a princess

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  15. I agree I think these chapters were better than the first. Things really picked up. I think the Wild scene dragged but it was also quite exhilarating. The push and pull of the forest was a bit confusing. I don’t understand why it was protecting her and leading her the right way then all of the sudden turned on her wanting to keep her in… I feel awful for her though. She’s lost so much. I really hope she finds answers in Turia.

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