I hope I don't have to read all 57 pages before posting?
pirsquared, I like your theory about Returning=Awakening and Commanding oneself. Or being A&C-ed by some higher force, maybe?
Some things I want to mention:
Really good book. Not as great as Mistborn, but still very good.
I wonder why the high priest was so rude to Siri. I just don't understand that guy. I don't understand most of their religion. They could let the God King grow with his adopted family and be happy for some more time. Explain things to him. Not "how to Awaken things and become powerful", but simple things, like family matters and such.
I agree that the idea of Siri going to be raped by a tyrant is very disturbing. Yup, she does not but we don't know that in advance.
It's more disturbing because it's unnecessary, even from in-world point of view. If the priests could claim that Siri is pregnant than why couldn't they just put her into Susebron's room and claim that they have had sex? Or maybe that is what they wanted, but Bluefingers told her to undress and kneel just to scare her more?
Well, the priests could go even further and claim that she'll automagically get pregnant by king somehow using his BioChroma on her and then give birth in much shorter time than normal. She wouldn't have to touch him and they will be able to present the child they found as new king sooner. Anyway why did they want to have a new king as soon as possible? I guess that again half of what I think about it is wrong, and than there will be more about it in next book(s?).
I wonder if the fact that the marriage have been consumed is as unimportant as it seems. Maybe (because of Siri being from royal family or some other odd circumstances) they will have a child anyway.
Mercenaries being evil was a bit easy to guess - after Mistborn I am quite paranoid on important characters not having their PoV chapters. But the scene in cellar (dead Parlin and animals) was great and shocking. Probably the best scene in whole book, in my opinion.
BioChroma... is it just me, or does it looks a bit futuristic? More like some cybertechnology than magic. Maybe it's not magic, in fact.
Maybe it would look better as Biochroma, without second capital.
I wonder why did they bring only(?) children to give their Breaths to Lightsong. Is it because he died saving a child? Or do children deal more easily with losing it? Are their Breaths stronger? Or is it just because most of poor people were already Drabs, because their parents have sold their Breaths and so it went... ?
(petitions, s 125/126)
“Please, Great One,” the woman said. She sniffled, then bowed her head.
“Oh, please. He was brave, like you. My Breath, it would be yours. The
Breaths of my entire family. Service for a hundred years, anything. Please, just
heal him.”
Why is she offering Lightsong these things? Doesn't she know that he would have to die to help her child? Or does she promise Breath and service to the Court of Gods in general or to his successor (the next deity of bravery, or something like that)?
It’s Tax, all right. Goes by a different name now.”
Denth nodded. “Vasher. He’s used it for a while. It’s a joke on his part.”
I hope the joke will be explained someday, because I don't get it.
Site 314/315:
Vasher stood openly atop the building. He didn’t really care who saw him.
He rarely did. An endless flow of people passed on the colorful street.
VaraTreledees—Denth, as he called himself now—walked among them with
his team. The woman, Jewels. Tonk Fah, as always. The clueless princess. And
the abomination.
?!
Why does Vasher consider Lifeless an abomination? Or is it some different kind of Lifeless? Or a mistake?..
Clod being Arsteel... there may be more to it than just "they animated their old friend's corpse to make a bodyguard construct". I think he still has have some important role to play.
I wonder who Egdli was/is.
BTW - is there a way to buy Mistborn or other books as PDFs? It would make searching for metaplot elements (like Hoid) easier...