Amber and I are BACK this August for a fun new readalong! We're about to start our monthly discussion for our July Adult book (recommended by those 18+), Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong!
As a reminder, from now on, our monthly discussions will be both here on the OwlCrate blog AND on The Nest! Go check out Amber's discussion that will be full of fun extra content!
On each day we'll read a section of Immortal Longings, both on the blog and in The Nest's group, and then discuss in the comments our theories and predictions. This means there will be spoilers for each section! Beware!
Just a reminder that this will be a SPOILER discussion for chapters 1-4 of Immortal Longings, so make sure you read or are finished this section before continuing.
I'm diving into this fresh from vacation and I haven't even read the synopsis, never mind taken the plastic off! Let's go!
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
Chapter One:
The story opens with August Shenzhi looking over the bulging twin city and coliseum of San-Er. He speaks with his bodyguard Galipei. August is a prince, soon to be adopted by his uncle-turned-father, King Kasa.
They discuss a game soon to be played in the city, a game pitting skilled fighters to the death. Something to distract the population from their inequality.
Suddenly August tells Galipei to take his body inside and he "jumps" his consciousness (qi) into the body of a child playing on the street in front of him.
He moves down an alleyway in the body and is stopped by an old woman but continues on his way until he comes to a den. He jumps from the child to another person and is greeted as a prince.
He is told that they have found the person August has been looking for ahd he's shown a developing photo of a young woman. August recognizes her as Princess Callla Tuoleimi, found at last.
Chapter Two:
We meet Calla who is waiting for someone outside her apartment in a dingy area of the city. She hears someone coming but it's just a child. She warns them to mind their own business. Calla thinks about the time before she escaped the palace and her time on the run. She gives the boy a coin and he leaves.
When a teenager shows up with a delivery, Calla becomes predatory, trying to hide the yellow eyes that give her away as royal progeny.
She's suspicious and discovers that he is a member of the Weisanna family. The only family who cannot be invaded by someone jumping their qi. The Weisanna member jumps out of the messenger boy and runs. Calla chases after them.
She chases them to a rooftop where the Weisanna jumps again and Calla screams in frustration, worried that King Kasa has found her. Calla turns on a wristband and a screen appears blinking down a timer. Calla has been registered in the games.
•·················•·················•
Elsewhere in San-Er we meet Anton Makusa who finally gets his own wristband. He is also registered in the games and plans to win so that he can live comfortably in wealth. Currently, he's sitting in a borrowed flat and a borrowed body.
Anton's real body has been exiled and he spends his time borrowing other's and tossing identity numbers into the pool hoping to get chosen for the games so that he can save someone who has been asleep for seven years...
Chapter Three:
A civilian named Lusi stumbles into a side alley. He has lost everything and wishes to be taken. All of a sudden he sees someone in a palace uniform. They tell him not to fret and he's suddenly awash in a blinding light.
•·················•·················•
Calla goes to a shop where she meets with her old attendants turned co-conspirators, Chami and Yilas. Calla asks them to tell her who has been asking after them and tells them of the Weisanna who found her.
Calla notices that they've bought a computer and chastises them for that because it's a way to track data. Suddenly they're interrupted and Chami tells Calla to come with her.
She sees that it's August. He tells her that he's been looking for her since the bloodbath she caused at the Palace Of Heavens. August tells Calla he needs her help. She asks him if it's for patricide and he's silent.
She learns that August wishes to take the crown for himself and offers Calla a pardon for it. August temps Calla by telling her that he will help her in the games. She agrees.
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
Well well well...may the odds be ever in their favor...
Questions:
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🕴 Jumping sounds scary. Would you like to body jump? -
💰 Would you be tempted to enter the games? -
💭 Why do you think Calla killed her parents?
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