#jude: a seed planted in goblin soil

[deathsweetblossoms]

...I take my stuffed animals and seat them next to me on the rug. Once, they were a reminder that there was a time before Faerieland, when things were normal. Once, they were a comfort to me. I take a long last look, and then, one by one, I feed them to the flames. I am no longer a child. I don't need comfort. (TWK Ch 4)

Only under the (bath)water can I allow myself to weep. Only under the water can I admit that I almost died and that I was so terrified and that I wish there was someone to whom I could tell all that. (TWK Ch 20)

All I want to do is walk into (Cardan's) arms. I want to drown my worries in his embrace. I want him to say something totally unlike himself, about things being okay. (TWK Ch 21)

[bookebased]

Character Thoughts: Taryn Duarte

Tayrn Duarte is one of the worst characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about; and I loved it. Holly Black did an amazing job with the Duarte sisters; it was interesting to be reading something from a human point of view; but viewing it from a faerie perspective. As Val Moren said in Chapter 19 of The Queen of Nothing: “Do you think a seed planted in goblin soil grows to be the same plant as it would have in the mortal world? …I do not know what you are, but we are not the same.” Even though that characterization was meant for Jude; I saw it more in Taryn. After the events of The Cruel Prince, I made quick work of the Lost Sisters, wanting to see how Taryn could betray her sister like that; and over a boy nonetheless. I think it’s because I’m an older sister, even though my sister and are 7 years apart compared to Taryn and Jude’s minute difference. Reading the series form Jude’s point of view; the readers get acquainted with her Faerie-like nature and her desire for bloodshed, but Taryn is always viewed as the conforming, obedient older sister who’s supposed to set an example for Jude’s brass behaviour. However, in the Lost Sisters, readers truly see that she is more Faerie then Jude and Vivi combined. Her betrayal of Jude was meant to be a mockery from Locke, showing Jude that Taryn values what Locke is to give her (“love”, status, belonging) rather than familial relations. Jude is shown to care for her sister regardless if she wants the same thing. 

This is shown many times in the books when Jude offers to bear the brunt of their schoolmates mocking in the place of Taryn, and when she chastises herself for thinking ill of Taryn’s motives. Faeries are shown to value little of blood relation, given Dain and Liriope’s relationship and Asha’s treatment of Cardan before the start of the series, just Taryn did not show much remorse over her betrayal; apologizing in a sense that would show it to be a necessary evil. Taryn believes that Jude would understand why she did everything she did, that she would’ve done the same. But Jude never wanted to merge into the Faerie Court, she wanted to carve out a place for herself; through her own merits, not through someone’s last name. The line; “Something passes over her face, and it looks a lot like resentment. She has Locke, but I am here with a prince.” in Chapter 29 of The Cruel Prince always gets to me. Taryn says she fought hard to gain her lover’s hand and find her place within the courtiers, so shouldn’t she be happy her sister wants to do the same? After her betrayal, shouldn’t she be glad her sister has also found someone? Especially since Madoc had given her full hunting right on Locke’s head for his schemes. Loyalty is important to Jude, which may remain fickle in Taryn, show when she refuses to bend to Balekin and Orlagh’s will during her fake glamour, and forces a break-in to warn Cardan, and when she question’s her father’s actions repeatedly. She still holds him dear, even when he betrayed her and planned to kill her husband. The end of The Wicked King shows Taryn’s other betrayal; pretending to be Jude to allow Madoc access to the armies. I felt like this hurt Jude the most. Jude and Taryn were human in Faerieworld, and they made sure that they watched out for each other; because no one else would have their backs. However, Taryn siding with Madoc only illustrated that Taryn chose someone over her sister; someone she was supposed to look out for. This becoming even more painful as it happened right after Jude have everything to protect Faerieworld during her torture in the Undersea. Madoc was their father but he was also the murderer of their parents, and siding with him only further hurt Jude, creating a rift between the twins. Nonetheless, a different side of Taryn is shown in the Queen of Nothing, though nothing major enough to change my opinion on her. When she offered The Ghost’s name to Jude and Cardan, Jude was startled, thinking maybe they may not have any more secrets between each other and their relationship maybe on its way to be mending, showing optimism towards her growth. I feel like her character was almost a foil character to Jude’s, making decisions that Jude would not have made; choosing to marry into court instead of becoming a knight, hurting her sister when Jude fought for her, and even losing herself to the everapple in times of loneliness. Even though Jude married the King, she holds every skill to be a Queen, and she might’ve (unintentionally) hurt her sister when she courted Locke but she never fought for the boy, only her honour, and let her sister marry him if it made her happy. Lastly, Jude did eat the everapple, but only to develop a tolerance to it so it would no longer affect her, not because she feared loneliness, but she feared her inferiority. To sum up, I hate her, but I also applaud how amazingly she’s written and portrayed, her character helps develop the story so much and allows the reader to really understand the extend of how different the twins are from humans. Hell! Even I was confused as to why they didn’t just move back home in the beginning, but after finishing the series, I realized they don’t belong anywhere else other than with their people.

Picture Credits: @/Wictorian_art on Instagram

[deathsweetblossoms]

“I can’t believe the land chose me”

Jude, QON

This entire scene has me weeping in public on a Sunday morning. The fact that she wanted so desperately to find a place for herself in Faerie, and has fought so hard to be accepted, and now she finds herself rescued by her sisters, by the Roach, by Cardan. Grima Mog is kneeling before her and acknowledging her as queen. And on top of all of that, the land itself embraces a mortal girl as it’s High Queen when she almost died is just SO PROFOUND, SO POETIC, SO GOOD.