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Happy Tuesday, fairies!
Welcome to day two of our readalong of The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart! Yesterday left us with quite the handful of questions about where our characters are heading, so let’s dive back in and see what they’re up to now!
Today we’ll be covering section two of our readalong, chapters 12 – 23…Let’s do this!
Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart from chapter 12 to the end of Chapter 23. Please only read on if you have finished reading this section!
β!SPOILERS!β
It doesnβt take too long for Hakara to land herself in trouble again, as sheβs swiftly taken by the Unanointed and blackmailed into working with them. Their aim is to steal god gems and use the aether within them to restore their own land, creating a loophole between the current inhospitable land and the restoration.
Meanwhile, we learn more about Sheuan and her familyβs fall from grace as she sneaks her way into an event – and rapidly gets a reality check from the Sovereign once caught. I donβt know about you, but I almost held my breath hoping sheβd somehow get away with it! But alas, her sneaking skills leave something to be desired.
Much like Hakara, Sheuan finds herself blackmailed into a journey she didnβt ask for, being offered the trade minister position to find out why the restored realms stopped their trade. She can claim sanctuary for 30 days to grant safety on her journey – but the countdown is looming! Will she manage it in time?
Snapping back to Hakaraβs journey, sheβs learning more about the gems, each of them granting a different ability through the aether and explaining what happened to her arms in the sinkhole. This is a world where everyone is after any advantage, and so itβs not long before we see her bonded to Utricht. Can you imagine it, having your abilities heightened when bonded like that? It must be such a bizarre experience! But itβs one Hakara takes in her stride, winning Thassir over and helping heist a corestone in the process.
Rasha, on the other hand, is wavering in her godkiller trials after being confronted with a (just about) living God, not knowing whether to help or finish the job. Itβs a grim scene, and we see just how terrifying Kluehnn can be as he literally devours the other Gods. Iβm starting to wonder if Rasha has gotten herself in too deep? Though she seems to be holding her own!
To end the section we have Mull testing his filters against the second aerocline, and the God Nioanen preparing to face war. Itβs an ominous place to leave them, and danger looms in the distanceβ¦
Weβre definitely gearing up to something big, but what could that be? What will happen when everyone reaches the end of their journeys?
Thassir seems reluctant to help if not for the cats – why?
Do you think weβll see the reunion of Hakara and Rasha?
Let me know down below, and Iβll meet you back here tomorrow for round 3!
Love,
Ashleigh
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That was an explosion of characters and plotlines, but I start to understand the world and how it works. At the beginning I only wanted to know about Hakara and Rasha but Sheun and Mull won me over too.
I still need to place Nionaen, which I don’t know where it lands.
I’m dreading a confrontation or at least an opposite site for the sisters as they are fighting for different goals, though their ultimate goal is always reuniting. Rasha is harsher than I thought, she holds herself up a lot better than expected being she has been taken care of all her life.
It’s already proving to be quite the tricky situation eh? It’s hard to know how they can all align, but I suppose that’s part of the intrigue!