Stunning photo by @booksta_han
Hey Fairy Folk!
Its day 2 of our readalong of This Golden Flame!
Who’s ready to jump back into the action? I know I am!
Everyone nice and cosy? Okay let’s get started! Today we’re reading Chapters 8-13!
Please be warned, the following will include spoilers for This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria Chapters 8-13! Read only if you’ve finished those chapters!
-!SPOILERS!-
Today’s section opens with Karis awaking from a nightmare, as the memory of her and her brother’s capture by the Scriptorium resurfaces and we learn that she feels responsible for their separation. No wonder she’s trying so hard to find him!
However we still have some tension between Dane and Karis due to the fact that she kept her plans from him. Their lives were going in different directions and she was ready to let go and find Matthias without him. But ouch, she was really just going to leave without saying goodbye?
Oh no Dane reacts to the news that Master Theodis is Alix’s father in the expected fashion by saying he’s a war criminal, who sabotaged the other Scriptmasters, and tried to take all the power of the automatons for himself. Poor Alix, if only he could remember what happened, perhaps the damaged runes on his arm are causing the gaps in his memory?
Interestingly he does remember his father saying that he had been training to do something, if only he could remember what that thing was…
Was he truly made to be a weapon? Any early theories folks?
Oh wow just as a plan was set into motion we now have pirates!?! Enter Captain Zara of the Crimson Streak!
Seems they have stumbled upon one of Captain Zara’s hide-aways. Alix takes a bullet to the shoulder trying to save Karis from the pirate’s clutches but Zara has Alix’s tome, things aren’t looking good folks!
After a quick getaway from a Scriptorium ship, Zara frees Alix from her command… just to have them become captives on her ship. They have a common enemy in the Scriptorium perhaps this will end well? *Crosses fingers*
Who else has been loving seeing Karis rush to defend Alix and correct others when they refer to him as anything other than “he”, or as a person generally? We love to see it!!
Dane and Karis are both feeling guilty for their choices which has lead to their current unfortunate situation and we have Dane facing up to the fact that he can never go back to become a soldier like he’d always planned 🙁
I’m very intrigued about Matthias, what are your thoughts on the snippets we have had of his character?
Okay maybe Zara isn’t so bad? The flash of interest she showed at the mention of “golden light” may be cause for concern though? What is she hiding? Either way our trio don’t really have much of a choice but to work with her here huh?
Hmmm do we trust that she will return Alix’s tome to him when they reach Valitia?
Our trio are now members of the Streak’s crew but it’s fair to say other members of the crew aren’t immediately thrilled about this…
Thankfully Finn and Dane reach an understanding and Kocha and Wreska seem happy to have the help of more script workers on board! It seems there’s many more ways to script work than Karis ever knew! Does Karis have the potential to be a master script worker too?
Hold up it’s sword fighting time! Bold move Dane, bold move…
That didn’t end well for him huh? Oh yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Zara is going to teach Karis how to fight! Give this girl a dagger indeed!
Who else is loving seeing the banter between Karis and Dane, is all forgiven between these two? Karis and Alix’s bond is strengthening too! But Alix has a very valid fear, what if Zara learns something from Alix’s runes that could hurt them? How much can we trust her?
Oh wow Alix’s hobbies include gardening and singing CUTE. Group singalong?! Even more CUTE
“So, you do have a bit of a backbone.”
I frown. “No, I don’t. My back is metal.”
We learn that Zara certainly has a vast knowledge of runes herself and that Alix used to be able to feel the energy given off by other automatons. Zara gives him the same feeling, what does that mean though??
He also can’t stray far from his tome and if it were destroyed, he doesn’t think he could survive it…oh no, let’s hope they can retrieve it!
Woah wait Ava has an “obey” rune on her wrist?! Can runes work on people too? That’s a horrifying thought!
So Zara thinks Alix’s runes may be the clue to the finding out what that “glowing light” he remembers was, come on Zara stop being so vague! Any theories as to what she’s holding back folks?
Ooooh who is this person who can help figure out his runes? Will they be able to help unlock Alix’s memories? Karis is desperate to reach Valitia to find her brother but she agrees to this detour for Alix. Let’s just hope this mysterious rune expert can be trusted!
Wow so much happened in today’s chapters! Things are moving so quickly and I can’t wait to see what will happen next! Let me know your thoughts and theories below and we’ll chat again tomorrow!
Love,
Codie
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This book has pirates. Female pirates. I’m delighted. ?
I wonder is Zara is an automaton too, some sort of modern version of Alix. This would explain how she knows runes so well and the familiar sensation Alix gets near her.
She also definitely knows something about Karis’ brother, I can’t wait to find out more!
I agree – I wondered if Zara was an automaton too…
These chapters were so fast paced! I loved the pirate aspect, I did not see that coming and it was a nice surprise! I really like Zara so far but she clearly has secrets up her sleeve…and I want to know more. The entire pirate crew is interesting and I hope we learn more about them.
I love that Karis is defending Alix as a person and not a thing, it warms my heart!
And can’t wait to hear/learn/see more about Matthias – its been ages since Karis last saw him, so who knows what hes up to….or….if he’s alive….but he must be, right?!
I didn’t expect the book to go in this direction, but I’m not mad about it.
I wish we got a Dane point of view oddly enough… I have to wonder what is going on in his head.
I like this widening of the world for us and for Karis and co.
There is clearly going to be some kind of catch with Matthias… Why would he be sent to a library for violent behaviour? It’s got to be some sort of enforcer training centre. I think he’s not going to be the brother she left behind.
Looking forward to reading more!
I adore Zara! It’s so fun to have a Pirate Queen!
I do have a feeling she might be an automatic as well, but like a more modern version. There are definitely secrets there…
I really enjoyed today’s chapters!
Well…. I’m not in love with this book. I like the fact that there’s a person who wants to be called they but then there are two mistakes, his eyes and later on he’s referring to himself as I.
Also.. why does Dane still has his sword on his belt when he was already taken prisoner, that makes no sense to me.
I still love the idea of Alix and that there’s a girl pirate. Really curious if they will find Matthias, so I’m gonna keep on reading. For now I’m just not loving the story as much as I wanted to. Maybe it gets better……
Yeah I noticed the inconsistency with the pronouns. Like, if you include this, do it well
The pirates were a twist I definitely did not see coming!
I’m very curious about why Alix seems to feel like Zara is so familiar and how that ties into the knowledge of the runes! I wondered if somehow they were descended from his father or just with some of the rune knowledge his father had.
Really enjoying this one and finding it a quick and easy read – looking forward to continuing!
I was not at all expecting pirates! But I’m in no way complaining at this turn!
Definitely very intrigued by Zara, and who/what she might b given the vibes that Alix has been picking up from her.
Also sensing some chemistry between her and Dane, so a little intrigued as to where this might go? (It might go no where at all, but I love m some playful banter).
I hope we get to learn more about the other nation’s runes. Is Zara an automaton from somewhere else? Also the crew is definitely interesting. Introducing the pirated took the story in a different direction to what I was expecting and I’m here for it.
Day 2 and I’m still loving this! Fast paced, easy to read, I fly through the day’s chapters so quickly!
Definitely something interesting with Zara, and the sensation Alix gets from her – maybe part-automaton, like a kind of cyborg? Or perhaps a next-gen version of Alix, with her runes not visible?
Loving the pirate vibe overall, lots of secrets to be uncovered within the crew.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s chapters
Based on all the questions I currently have about the pirates, script work and the runes it really is a bigger, more complicated world than Karis had been lead to believe. I am looking forward to Learning more.
I still like the premise, more so with the pirates, but did no one in the proof reading stages catch Finn being misgendered twice there? Geez. I do believe it was honestly an accident but… what is proof reading and editing for, y’know? I hope the author takes time to apologise for that screw up.
As for plot theories, I think Zara and perhaps other crew members are some kind of automaton-human hybrid in some way.
YES! I am reading this book now and I really wanted to know if others saw it too. Finn is being misgendered twice in just two pages time. I really hope this doesn’t happen more often.
I was so happy a non-binary character was included, but if they keep being misgendered…
So the start was good, but then…pirates! And a really complex crew too…who seem to be following the pirate pattern, but what is Alix sensing from Zara? And what vibes from Zara is Dane picking up…would really like that to be taken further. I feel like the scope of the runes just keeps on unfolding, and somewhere there is a key to it all…and Alix may just be it…but does he get a choice as to if he wants to be?
I really like where all of this is going! And female pirates, omg! I love the main trio and some of the pirates, like Zara and Finn!
So the automatons and the script working is way more complex than we though so far. I’m looking forward to read more of their everyday use!
I hope Alix will be able to get free from his tome somehow.
Looking forward to continue!
Haven’t read a book with pirates in it for years or maybe ever, totally not what I was expecting. Hello diversity!
I love that our little trio is compromising and increasing their empathy between each other.
I do kind of hope that any romance isn’t actually with each other though I’m not sure at this stage if there even will be any.
Ok this book is super cool! The different countries having all different sorts of rune magic is really neat and I am always a sucker for pirates – but especially female ones! I’m so curious about those runes, though… could the pirates be hybrids or enhanced humans? It would explain why Alix feels like Zara is pulling him in some way! I’m super excited to find out.
Hiii so I am continuing to enjoy the vibes from this book (cool rune magic, pirates, sword fighting, music, and mysterious golden glowing mysteries), and I like Karis, she is brave and fierce as well as kind. ?? I wonder if either the whole pirate crew is secretly automatons, or cyborgs as someone else mentioned (I kinda hope so cause CYBORGS), or they’re still human but under some runic curse… As for theories on Alix’s father, maybe he was upset at how the automatons were being used as weapons and wanted to stop it by breaking the Automaton Heart which I’m assuming is the source of the automaton magic. Also the readalong is really fun so far, I love it?
I just love the rune magic Its soo cool that you can just draw a rune and you can control objects or maybe even people.
Speaking of controlling people that rune tattoo had me thinking what is the crew as well as Zara have some automaton parts so they can be controlled by Zara
How cool it is that we have a female captain I am loving it and she is soo sassy and what looks like really smart. Awesome
I love reading Alixis point of view I jut love reading about how he thinks and acts he is soo precious and that bond that is forming between him and Karis I love it soo much
I am really enjoying this book so far
Ughhh I’m loving the pacing of this book!! Exactly what I need right now ?