I was actually rather fond of her Sun Sword series; while she was into infodump it focused a lot on cultural nuances and felt a bit unusual for that type of fantasy. I don't recall being particularly bothered by her writing style or plot progression in that series so maybe it's gone downhill since then.
I read the first seven books. The seventh was unusually incoherent, but I feel okay about the first six.
Kaylin's background did eventually get explained to my satisfaction.
Kaylin seems to have that min-max disease which is also held by RPG characters in certain systems. She spent all her points on her save-the-universe power, and didn't have any left to spend on social status. So she spends around 20% of her time saving the world, and 80% of her time apologizing to people because their eye colors mean they're angry with her again. I spent around a book and half feeling deeply indignant on her behalf, then eventually decided it was cute.
They let me be a Hawk anyway because Most likely because she has artifact-level magic powers and the maturity of a ten-year-old, and they're trying to stop her from turning evil and destroying civilization.
One reading of the other characters' actions is that they're very aware of what Kaylin is, and they're playing status games aggressively to make sure she always thinks of herself as very low in the pecking order. It's been awhile since I read the books so I'm not sure quite how accurate that is, but it seems to match what I remember.
Huh. Certainly that would explain Nightshade, and perhaps the Hawklord, but supposedly the others don't know anything about her being the possible destroyer of the world.
Most likely because she has artifact-level magic powers and the maturity of a ten-year-old, and they're trying to stop her from turning evil and destroying civilization. I guess the camaraderie and discipline (sort of) are good. The information/social games seem really not conducive to that though.
Kaylin's background did eventually get explained to my satisfaction.
IMO It gets explained far, far too late, and has insufficient foreshadowing in the form of explanation of her mental state. Even just an offhand sentence in the beginning to the effect of her hating what he did but being unable to completely suppress her memories of affection or whatever would have been fantastic. But yes, when it's finally explained, it does mostly give cause for what she's been acting like. At that point was when I changed my opinion from "psychotic" to "traumatized".
I spent around a book and half feeling deeply indignant on her behalf, then eventually decided it was cute.
I can see that it could be, but... I think that it occurs in such quantity that I can't really appreciate it as such. (Also, half the time I sympathize with whoever is pissed off at her instead.)
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Kaylin's background did eventually get explained to my satisfaction.
Kaylin seems to have that min-max disease which is also held by RPG characters in certain systems. She spent all her points on her save-the-universe power, and didn't have any left to spend on social status. So she spends around 20% of her time saving the world, and 80% of her time apologizing to people because their eye colors mean they're angry with her again. I spent around a book and half feeling deeply indignant on her behalf, then eventually decided it was cute.
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Most likely because she has artifact-level magic powers and the maturity of a ten-year-old, and they're trying to stop her from turning evil and destroying civilization.
One reading of the other characters' actions is that they're very aware of what Kaylin is, and they're playing status games aggressively to make sure she always thinks of herself as very low in the pecking order. It's been awhile since I read the books so I'm not sure quite how accurate that is, but it seems to match what I remember.
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Most likely because she has artifact-level magic powers and the maturity of a ten-year-old, and they're trying to stop her from turning evil and destroying civilization.
I guess the camaraderie and discipline (sort of) are good. The information/social games seem really not conducive to that though.
Reply
IMO It gets explained far, far too late, and has insufficient foreshadowing in the form of explanation of her mental state. Even just an offhand sentence in the beginning to the effect of her hating what he did but being unable to completely suppress her memories of affection or whatever would have been fantastic.
But yes, when it's finally explained, it does mostly give cause for what she's been acting like. At that point was when I changed my opinion from "psychotic" to "traumatized".
I spent around a book and half feeling deeply indignant on her behalf, then eventually decided it was cute.
I can see that it could be, but... I think that it occurs in such quantity that I can't really appreciate it as such. (Also, half the time I sympathize with whoever is pissed off at her instead.)
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