It’s time for the second post of the read-along of N.K. Jemisin’s The
Broken Kingdoms! This time,
questions were provided by Dab of Darkness, and they cover chapters 5-10. As a warning, this discussion will
contain spoilers of The Broken Kingdoms through
chapter 10.
1) We learned some tidbits about Oree's father in this section. Who, or
what, do you think he was and what do you think of the suspicions about mob
madness that Lady Serymn brought up?
They introduced the idea of ‘demons’, children of
godlings and mortals, in this section.
It seems like this might have some bearing on Oree’s heritage. I’m not sure if Oree’s father could be
a demon directly, since I don’t think there were godlings around at the time of
his birth. My main guess is that
he, and therefore Oree, are descended from a demon.
However, if the demons have a longer than usual
life-span, he may just be one. I
am wondering if there is a link for demons between mortality and
magic-use. Oree’s father warned
her that she could kill herself by using all the magic inside of herself, so
maybe demons age and die depending on their magic use.
As for Lady Serymn, I think I’m with Oree’s
reaction. Serymn is obviously
saying this in an attempt to sway her opinion towards killing Nahadoth, but
that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. I
don’t think I would say it was Nahadoth’s fault, exactly, but the loss of
Itempas stability and the return of Nahadoth could well have affected people
around the world.
2) Shiny has some stern views about the relationship between Oree and
Madding. What do you think of him testing her love for Madding? Do you think
she said yes to Madding for the right reasons?
I think Shiny is an arrogant jerk, and I’m really hoping the story doesn’t
end up putting him and Oree together.
I think that ‘test’ mostly just revealed that he was a good kisser, and
that he doesn’t understand anything at all about love, relationships, or even
power dynamics. At this point, I
wish Yeine would show up to make him truly
start over—banished from Shadow with no powers whatsoever and no
companions.
After that, I guess it’s clear that I think Oree said yes to Madding for
right enough reasons. I think that
after everything in this book goes down, it’s possible that Oree won’t even
have to hide in Shadow anymore.
3) The House of the Risen Sun has some followers with skills. What do you
think of the holes, The Empty, and what has happened to Oree's friends, both
mortal and immortal? Shiny?
They are much more powerful than humans are expected
to be. The Empty is pretty
terrifying… I’m glad Oree didn’t permanently harm herself in fighting it. I’m guessing the immortals are still
there, but we also know that these people are capable of killing
immortals. I really hope they
aren’t dead! As for Shiny, I
imagine he got away. Maybe he’ll
help Oree, maybe he won’t.
4) Are the ambitious plans of the House of the Risen Sun justified? Noble?
Or is there a particular follower you already want to seen tossed into The
Empty for a spell?
I don’t see a good solution to the current situation. Nahadoth has murdered a lot of people,
even destroyed an entire continent, so I can see where it might seem a good
idea to kill him. On the other
hand, I am totally with Oree on the peace of the Arameri, which was based on
the persecution and murder of anyone who didn’t follow all their many orders
exactly.
5) Lord Dateh, the Nypri, requested a
bit of Oree's blood for study. What do think he will do with it and what part
do you think the House of the Risen Sun hopes Oree to play in their plans?
If my guess about her
descendance from a demon is correct, maybe he’ll study it to find out who and
when. Also, we’ve seen that gods
blood gives mortals their particular power. Maybe he expects Oree’s blood to have a similar kind of
usefulness. I am not sure if they
have an exact role for her worked out yet, because I don’t think they’ve really
explored her capabilities.
