Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews
Sep. 29th, 2023 02:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI liked it.
+ I liked getting to see Dina flex her Innkeeper muscles. (Sean too.) As always the stuff with the Inn, seeing what Dina can do with it, was my favourite part. I enjoyed the whole Spousal Selection situation and how she dealt with it.
+ I liked that we finally made some progress on the disappearance of Dina's parents. I liked that it was tied in with the corrupted ad-hal and we got answers there too. I liked that the interest in Dina had reason behind it - that she'd also experienced the loss of an Inn.
+ The reveal that the dying Inn was Magnolia Green was sad, I really liked it's desperate efforts to protect Dina, and I loved it giving her a cutting before it's death which she then attached to Gertrude Hunt successfully propagating it.
+ I did find that Beast/Belaud having been Sebastien North's cat a little eh. Maybe too coincidental. But maybe its not meant to be. I don't actually remember anything about his part so whatever.
+ I liked getting to finally learn the backstory behind Caldenia. It was wonderfully bittersweet and tragic.
+ The Donkamins/Children of the Silver Star were a pretty fun creepy alien race.
+ I loved Cyanide of Higgra seeing Dina brushing and cuddling Beast and immediately deciding 'I want some of that'. I want the side-story of her inevitable attempts to get some humans of her own.
+ I liked the reveals about the Temples of Desire, and that Lady Wexyn was the head priestess of the desire for revenge. That was a fun twist. I liked the end with her and Kosandion.
+ I loved the reveal that Kosandion was using the spousal selection to deal with various enemies, crises and issues that were currently being problems for him.
+ I love how the Inn opens to sometimes completely random worlds that no one knows about. It's great. I really want a book of Dina going to a new one and exploring and making new discoveries.
However the most interesting part for me was that I found myself really shipping something while reading. I like Dina/Sean fine. But I have no real interest in the pairing, or really any other pairing potential in the series. Which is fine but also made it surprising when I found myself interested for once.
Dina/Kosandion hit some buttons for me I guess.
Part of it was definitely that I loved Kosandion. His competence. His stoic loneliness. His mix of kind and ruthless. His hotness (both described and in the picture.)
Part is that I liked the quiet understanding that grew between Dina and Kosandion and the easy way they were with each other. I found a lot of potential in their interactions for them to find a happiness together?
As I was reading I found myself thinking about Dina becoming the favoured choice. I realise that it wouldn't actually work according to the rules of what the spouse of the Sovereign of the Dominion needs, simply because of her first priority always being her Inn but I love the idea.
Perhaps earlier on one of the recordings captured a quiet moment between Kosandion and Dina that hit very well with the Dominion citizens and so Orata and her team added more in. Everyone is very impressed with the powers of an Innkeeper and how well she does in handling things. (For most it's the first time they've heard or or seen an Innkeeper.) People become more and more enamoured with Dina. It becomes a problem that Orata worries at as Dina takes unofficial place as front-runner.
Meanwhile Caldenia really likes Dina, respects her and over time found herself thinking that she would be perfect not just as mother to the next heir but as someone her dear Kosandion could love and lean on and trust, things she knows are in short supply. So she's in the background orchestrating things so that Dina is both showcased to the public but also given lots of time/moments with Kosandion to bond and learn about each other and care.
And it works! Because they do start to care. Both of them.
+ I liked getting to see Dina flex her Innkeeper muscles. (Sean too.) As always the stuff with the Inn, seeing what Dina can do with it, was my favourite part. I enjoyed the whole Spousal Selection situation and how she dealt with it.
+ I liked that we finally made some progress on the disappearance of Dina's parents. I liked that it was tied in with the corrupted ad-hal and we got answers there too. I liked that the interest in Dina had reason behind it - that she'd also experienced the loss of an Inn.
+ The reveal that the dying Inn was Magnolia Green was sad, I really liked it's desperate efforts to protect Dina, and I loved it giving her a cutting before it's death which she then attached to Gertrude Hunt successfully propagating it.
+ I did find that Beast/Belaud having been Sebastien North's cat a little eh. Maybe too coincidental. But maybe its not meant to be. I don't actually remember anything about his part so whatever.
+ I liked getting to finally learn the backstory behind Caldenia. It was wonderfully bittersweet and tragic.
+ The Donkamins/Children of the Silver Star were a pretty fun creepy alien race.
+ I loved Cyanide of Higgra seeing Dina brushing and cuddling Beast and immediately deciding 'I want some of that'. I want the side-story of her inevitable attempts to get some humans of her own.
+ I liked the reveals about the Temples of Desire, and that Lady Wexyn was the head priestess of the desire for revenge. That was a fun twist. I liked the end with her and Kosandion.
+ I loved the reveal that Kosandion was using the spousal selection to deal with various enemies, crises and issues that were currently being problems for him.
+ I love how the Inn opens to sometimes completely random worlds that no one knows about. It's great. I really want a book of Dina going to a new one and exploring and making new discoveries.
However the most interesting part for me was that I found myself really shipping something while reading. I like Dina/Sean fine. But I have no real interest in the pairing, or really any other pairing potential in the series. Which is fine but also made it surprising when I found myself interested for once.
Dina/Kosandion hit some buttons for me I guess.
Part of it was definitely that I loved Kosandion. His competence. His stoic loneliness. His mix of kind and ruthless. His hotness (both described and in the picture.)
Part is that I liked the quiet understanding that grew between Dina and Kosandion and the easy way they were with each other. I found a lot of potential in their interactions for them to find a happiness together?
As I was reading I found myself thinking about Dina becoming the favoured choice. I realise that it wouldn't actually work according to the rules of what the spouse of the Sovereign of the Dominion needs, simply because of her first priority always being her Inn but I love the idea.
Perhaps earlier on one of the recordings captured a quiet moment between Kosandion and Dina that hit very well with the Dominion citizens and so Orata and her team added more in. Everyone is very impressed with the powers of an Innkeeper and how well she does in handling things. (For most it's the first time they've heard or or seen an Innkeeper.) People become more and more enamoured with Dina. It becomes a problem that Orata worries at as Dina takes unofficial place as front-runner.
Meanwhile Caldenia really likes Dina, respects her and over time found herself thinking that she would be perfect not just as mother to the next heir but as someone her dear Kosandion could love and lean on and trust, things she knows are in short supply. So she's in the background orchestrating things so that Dina is both showcased to the public but also given lots of time/moments with Kosandion to bond and learn about each other and care.
And it works! Because they do start to care. Both of them.
