Amazing photo by @sarahreadss!
Hey fairy friends!
It’s the final section of our readalong of The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix!
Today we’re reading from Chapter 61 to the end of the book.
Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix, from chapter 61 to the end of the book. Please only read on if you’ve finished The Ones We Burn!
-!SPOILERS!-
When Aramis wakes, she’s understandably furious at Ranka. The fury is put to one side for now though… as Foldrey is here! The happiness is short lived though, as they quickly put the pieces together. Foldrey was responsible for guiding the Hands to sabotage her work and giving Ranka’s blood over to the Hands. He says he’s here to help now though. Except his help involves taking over Isodal and locking up the Sunra twins. They accept his help, but Ranka vows to herself that he’ll pay for his hand in all of this.
Aramis’s anger dissipates when it’s time for them to get Galen back. Ranka volunteers herself, with no magic, no strength, injuries and no weapon, Aramis is worried she plans on giving up and makes her promise she’ll fight her way back to her.
In the heat of the fight, Ongrum gives herself a dose of winalin. Ranka pleads with her, calls her Mama, but she’s not Ongrum anymore, she’s a monster. In a last ditch effort to win, Ranka does the unimaginable, and plunges winalin into her own thigh. It causes her to face her demons, face Belren, and she manages to come out the other side. Winalin is too strong though, and she feels herself start to fade, and that’s when Aramis arrives. She has the final vial of the almost cure, sobbing, she administers it to Ranka.
Two weeks later, Ranka is awake. Her magic is gone but the winalin in her system is dwindling. She’s called to council, where Galen resigns and passes the crown to Aramis. Ranka vouches for her, vows to revoke her coven, her land, everything, but only if it’s Aramis who rules.
Three months later, Percy and Ranka are set to leave. Galen and Aramis arrive to see them off, and Aramis asks why she’s going. Ranka thought she wanted her to… Aramis asks her to stay. With an extra ticket spare, Galen volunteers to accompany Percy.
Did the book end how you expected it to?
What would you rate it?
Thank you all for taking part in this readalong, and we’ll see you very soon for the next one!
Love,
Shannon
“Yay” for Percy making it through to the end & having his shot at happiness.
Daily Q&A:
Q:
1.) Did the book end how you expected it to?
2.) What would you rate it?
A:
1.) More or less. The extent of Ongrum’s betrayal & Foldrey’s was a little surprising.
2.) 2-stars
Oh wow only seeing the picture at the top of this post did it register with me how relevant the black and white art is. Very cool!
1) More or less, yeah. Some of the general plot lines like Ranka facing Ongrum and reclaiming her blood magic, those seemed kind of like a given. But the way they played out was great! And the emotional journey the characters went on really spoke to me, it felt like the author’s spirit lifted off the pages and spoke to my soul. I was definitely sobbing by the end. And I did love the ending, even the characters commenting on how things seemed to work out perfectly. As they should in stories. That’s why we (or at least I) read them: because unlike how reality often works, in stories people can have the endings they deserve.
2) 5 stars, hands down. What’s wild to me is that I felt fairly meh through the fist half of the book, really hated some of the things in the second half (maybe winalin feels too close to covid), and then this last part was so good emotionally that I just…have no words. Unexpected therapy session from a book. I would love to read more by this author.
Kind of. I didn’t expect Galen to leave but I did expect everyone to get happiness.
I think I would give this book 3 stars. It’s not my favorite but I like come of the concepts.
1. It did kinda end how I expected. The big plot lines were a bit predictable, but the little extra things that happened alongside them, such as Ranka’s magic being gone, Aramis becoming queen and Ranka staying I hadn’t really expected that.
2. 5 stars!