Bonjour! It is day 3 of the Sweet & Bitter Magic readalong! We're really diving into the meat of the story now. Who's excited?
Today we're reading chapters 8-10. We're almost halfway through! I will spout my daily disclaimer that the following text contains spoilers for up to chapter 10 of the book. Reader beware! Remember by participating in the conversation you'll be entered to win a free OwlCrate box!
Also, I should mention that comments are moderated for the blog so we can avoid any issues with spam, so don't be worried if you don't see your comment right away! Chances are I'm either working on something else or sleeping (probably sleeping, let's be real).
Chapter 8:
After their first day on the road Wren and Tamsin hunker down under a bridge to pass the night. While Tamsin sleeps, Wren hears a voice calling out for help. Wren of course follows the voice only to discover a frog who claims to be the son of a lord who was cursed by a witch! He claims Wren can help him by simply giving me a kiss. Reasonable enough? Wrong! Luckily Tamsin discovers them before the kiss because a. It’s a toad not a frog and b. he’s actually a swamp sprite and if Wren had kissed him she would have turned into a toad! No good!
The next morning Wren wakes up to find that sneaky diary Tamsin had so purposely left behind, but the pages won’t open for Wren. As they continue their journey they tragically stumble upon a barn fire, but Tamsin convinces Wren that even with her magic it would take a day to put out, so there’s no helping these people. :(
Chapter 9:
When they reach the foot of the mountain it turns out that the tunnel through has collapsed so up and over it is! At least this hopefully means no giant spiders!
After a blow up between Wren and Tamsin as they climb the mountain, Wren storms ahead and the diary presents Tamsin with another entry from her sister. It started with Marlena falling unconscious after attempting magic and nearly dying for Tamsin to finally make the decision to tie her power to her sister. Share it. But this was dark magic and although the spell worked for a time, soon the dark magic started to present itself.
Chapter 10:
Halfway up the mountain Boor announces they have reached the queen’s palace, which wasn’t exactly the plan but in through the back entrance they go. Boor bids them adieu and leaves them to carry on for themselves through the ransacked palace. Super great guide.
They come across a hungry child who claims he is with his sick mother. Tamsin, of course, thinks it is a terrible idea to follow a random child, but begrudgingly follows Wren. They encounter the boy's mother pregnant and in pain, and Wren makes Tamsin conjure food and blankets for the family before once again going on their way. They make it to Farn which seems to be a terrible place, filled now with rot and misery.
Well that got dark! Farn seems awful and I hope we leave soon. We need some relief for our poor heroines!
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Questions:
1. Now that they’re in Farn, what do you think the next step will be?
2. Do you think that there’s still some sort of leadership in the land, or is it everyone for themselves?
3. Do you think that Wren is going to suffer any repercussions for not turning herself into the Coven once she is revealed?
4. Do you think that Tamsin will complete their pact and take Wren’s love for her father? If not, how do you think they will deal with the ribbons around their necks?
