“Infinity Blade: Awakening” by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Infinity Blade: Awakening
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Read Date: 11 April 2012
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Review Preview: Short and sweet!
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Trained from birth in swordplay and combat, a young knight named Siris has journeyed to the Dark Citadel with a single purpose: fight through the army of Titans to face the tyrannical God King in one-on-one combat. This was his father’s sacred mission, and his father’s before him, going back countless generations in an effort to free their people from enslavement. But when Siris somehow succeeds where all those from his bloodline previously have failed, he finds himself cast into a much larger world, filled with warriors and thieves, ancient feuds and shifting alliances, Deathless immortals and would-be kings. His quest for freedom will take him on an epic journey in search of the mythical figure known as the Worker of Secrets—the one being in the world who can unravel the secrets of the Infinity Blade.

Based on the bestselling video game from ChAIR Entertainment and Epic Games, this all-new adventure from acclaimed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson digs deeper into the fantastical world of Infinity Blade, a world of mystery and intrigue where magic and technology are indistinguishable, and even life and death are not what they seem.

Like he did in Mistborn, Branderson explores the concept of deities, their (im)mortality, and their place in a society whose traditions revolve around these entities in Infinity Blade: Awakening; it’s something that he does well.

I like the little plot twists that he managed to include even if this is just a novella, and of course, I love the dry humor. I also like that there are familiar fantasy creatures (trolls, golems–probably a holdover from the game) and that they are used in an interesting way.

Siris is not as compelling a character as Brandon’s other heroes, but he makes enough of an impression to at least carry the story. Same goes for Isa and even the God King. I’m not going to complain about this too much because there was little room to explore the characters in such a short story anyway.

I’m not sure how much of the magic system in play here is Brandon’s and how much is from the Infinity Blade game, but it works. I love how the basic concepts of our modern technology were integrated with fantasy tropes to create a rather entertaining system from a reader’s point of view, but one that also feels organic to the world of the novella. Looks like someone took Niven’s Law (“Any sufficiently rigorously defined magic is indistinguishable from technology.”) to heart.

He glanced at his ring; its runes weren’t glowing. It hadn’t recharged yet. His hand brushed the throne as he moved, and there was a beep from the magical mirror on the armrest.

“Ring of Transportation,” the helpful voice said, “fifteenth generation, running service pack six. Please enter the password for activation.”

“Damn you!” Siris sputtered.

“Incorrect password.”

 
I can imagine all of it working nicely in the context of the video game, too.

It’s a pity this is just a companion piece to the game because I really want to see more of this world.

Miscellany: While I was hiding out in Joseon-era Korea…

I’m back from Holy Week Semi-Hibernation!

Aside from participation in the usual religious ceremonies, my holiday also included a Korean drama marathon (The charming Sungkyunkwan Scandal and The-Show-That-Made-Me-Cry-For-1.5-Hours-Straight The Moon That Embraces The Sun ) and, unfortunately, much procrastinating on writing assignments.

While I was on that self-imposed internet blackout, these happened:

➳ Writer-producer-director Chris Weitz, otherwise known to me as the director who made a problematic Twilight book at least watchable (i.e. New Moon ), will soon add “author” to his résumé. Little, Brown and Company won the rights to publish Weitz’s The Young World, the first in an “epic, post-apocalyptic trilogy” set in a New York where only teenagers remained alive. [Source: click!]

It sounds a little too manufactured for my taste, to be honest. I can see where he wants to go with these teenagers who are left alone without adults and the comforts of life. I just hope it’s written well and that Weitz can bring something new to the post-apocalyptic YA sub-genre.

➳ As Lauren Oliver revealed when she visited last month, she’s writing her first adult novel. The Harper Collins website just revealed that the book will be titled Rooms, but offers no other details about the plot. (Duh.)

➳ One of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson, will release four shorts this year. I don’t know how he does it considering he’s working on other novels and is probably at the editing stage on A Memory of Light (Pub. Date: 13 January 2013). I think he’s a secret Mistborn and he must have found a previously unknown metal that can be burned to enhance writing efficiency. If so, I hope you can hear me, Brandon: will you be my Kelsier?

Heuristic Algorithm and Reasoning Response Engine (with Ethan Skarstedt) will appear in the John Joseph Adams-edited military science fiction anthology, Armored. Mecha fans will probably love this! If you click on the title link, you’ll find a short excerpt on his blog.

Legion , meanwhile, is a modern sci-fi-ish mystery/thriller that will be released as a novella and e-book.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell   is included in an anthology called Dangerous Women, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.

The one that I’m most excited about is The Emperor’s Soul, which is set in the Branderson Cosmere (the core mythology will tie-in with the worlds of almost all of his adult fantasy novels). I love the premise of the story, and this promises to be another showcase of Brandon’s always-fresh-and-never-boring magic systems.

Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Though condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor’s scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Despite the fact that her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead from the attack of assassins.

Delving deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan’s truest nature—and the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that her forgery is as much artistry as it is deception.

Skillfully deducing the machinations of her captors, Shai needs a perfect plan to escape. The fate of the kingdom lies in one impossible task. Is it possible to create a forgery of a soul so convincing that it is better than the soul itself?

➳ In other Branderson news, Writing Excuses is up for a Hugo this year and the Mistborn movie is moving forward!

They now have a working script for Mistborn that Brandon likes, and it’s being shopped around to studios along with this “mood trailer.”

 
Note: That wasn’t an official trailer; it’s cut from scenes from different movies that were put together to show studios what kind of film Mistborn is supposed to look and feel like.

I wish I had several million dollars to put into financing this film! (Actually, I wish I had several million dollars, PERIOD. )

➳ Mina V. Esguerra’s new book, That Kind of Guy–I mentioned this in my profile story about her–will be released this month! She’s hosting a giveaway on her site. Check it out: click!

➳ Lastly, if you are wondering why I never posted about The Hunger Games after seeing the movie, well…let’s just say I had so many things to say that I didn’t know where to start. I had a LONG conversation with my friend Frankie via the comments section of her blog post (click!), but I lapsed into procrastinating and lost a lot of the words that I wanted to write into the ether.

I eventually managed to put together a coherent review, which was published yesterday on GMA News Online: (click!) I’m sure it’s evident in the tone of the article that I had more to say about the movie, but I had a maximum word count to abide by and had to choose only the points that are most important to me.

I hope I can still make myself write a proper blog post about the movie, but re-capturing my train of thought despite extensive notes is going to be an uphill battle. After a marathon of 2 Korean historical dramas, I feel like my mind is stuck in another time and place where magical english subtitles appear when people speak.

I really should take Jae-Shin‘s advice, eh? Don’t procrastinate often; it will become a habit. Lesson learned! (I hope.)

TGWR Giveaway #2: Win a signed copy of “Delirium” by Lauren Oliver

Welcome to my second giveaway here on The Girl Who Read and Other Stories!

As most of you know, Lauren Oliver was here in the Philippines last weekend to promote the second installment of her Delirium trilogy, Pandemonium. If you missed the book signing event last March 24 at Powerbooks Live, you can listen to my recording of the Q&A or read the accompanying transcript here: click! More important, if you missed having your books signed, then here’s your chance to win a signed copy of Delirium !

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing.

They didn’t understand that once love — the deliria — blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Scoring the Book: “A Temptation of Angels” by Michelle Zink

One of my favorite things about Michelle Zink‘s latest book, A Temptation of Angels, is it isn’t your usual angel-falls-in-love-with-a-mortal story. The main characters are all on equal footing, so to speak, so we see a different kind of dynamic, and there was room to explore different avenues alleys (winks at those who have read the book) down which the different relationships and the story, in general, can go. There was also more room to build the world and its mythology.

“Holding On and Letting Go” by Ross Copperman is my Scoring the Book choice for A Temptation of Angels. I think it captures the helplessness that Helen Cartwright must have felt in the end—caught between two men who represent her past and her future, knowing that her choice was less about who to hold on to and who to let go of, but whether she is brave enough and ready to embrace her destiny.

 
This is a fan-made video. Ross Copperman doesn’t have an official video for the song.

One other favorite thing about the book: Griffin Channing. And that’s all I will write until I post my review.

UPDATE, 3/30: I was just going through my song archives, and I’ve found my song for Raum. :S

Transcript and Recording of the Lauren Oliver Book Signing in Manila, 24 March 2012

Author Lauren Oliver was here in our part of the world last weekend to promote Pandemonium, the 2nd book in her Delirium trilogy! She had a Q&A and book signing at Powerbooks Live in Greenbelt 5.

My friend Leia also won a contest to be part of a private lunch with Lauren, and she asked me to be her guest. I was quite starstruck during the lunch, so I only managed to really remember this part of the conversation when we were talking about Nicholas Sparks’ visit here, and Lauren said:

Nicholas Sparks! Is he even real? I always pictured him looking like Fabio. What does he look like? Of course I could always Google him, but…

So anyway. I recorded the Q&A during the book signing event itself, which was hosted by Ms. Xandra Ramos Padilla, Purchasing Director for Books of National Book Store and Powerbooks.

If you missed the event, you can opt to listen to the recording by using the media player below, or you can read the transcript after the jump.

Recording of the Lauren Oliver Q&A: Click the green icon to play!

Re-reading “The Hunger Games”, Finale: Scripted

Chapters 17 – End

Since I’m going to watch The Hunger Games tonight, I figured I should post the last of my re-read thoughts.

Scripted Reality

The Hunger Games is as real as a reality show can get. Contestants are reaped at random, there are no set challenges, and the rules are simple. The Gamemakers occasionally get to ratchet up the action when things slow down, but the Tributes are pretty much left to their own devices. Mentors exert another level of control, but even that is actually part of the game.

And you know it’s real when things don’t go the way the Capitol and the Gamemakers want, and they have to do some serious troubleshooting: to threaten and to script what happens after the Games.

Of course, the Games are part of the Capitol’s more expansive reality show, in which they attempt to assert complete control over the other 12 districts.

In our world, no matter what they claim, most reality shows are still scripted. Producers get to choose contestants, and they choose the ones who are most likely to generate a lot of drama and excitement on-screen. Producers get to pick the challenges, and they set rigid parameters, even in a show like Survivor. There is still the matter of making sure that certain scenes are fit to broadcast, after all.

In both worlds–Panem and ours–reality is filtered through literal and figurative lenses. Reality is scripted. Even if these shows are supposedly just for entertainment purposes, this shows just how real the power of broadcasters really is.

Sometimes I’m tempted to play Real or Not Real when I watch TV, but [channels Klaus]that’s just so tedious[/channels Klaus]. I fear for my poor sanity.

Scripted Emotions

I’ve ranted before that Katniss’ indecision when it comes to her feelings for Peeta and Gale seriously annoys me.

After finishing the book at a slightly slower pace than I read it before, I realized I can’t entirely blame her because her interaction with Peeta happens during a life and death situation. Before that, there was just that one time with the bread. On the other hand, Gale has always been there.

And then there’s Haymitch, who’s ever so cryptic when he’s in front of Katniss.

And there’s Haymitch’s Star-Crossed Lovers Master Plan and his not-so-cryptic Parachute Messages.

And then there’s Peeta, who’s ever so cryptic when he talks about Haymitch’s plans, and sometimes, even his own feelings. To his credit, he’s never cryptic when it comes to his actions.

At this point, Katniss is just playing the Real Or Not Real game inside her head, so…no, I can’t blame her.

And also, I just realized that part of my annoyance stems from my own feelings for Peeta, who, as I’ve said before, is my pet character in this book. It’s very selfish of me, really. I don’t want to see him unhappy, so I blamed Katniss.

Literary gods, please don’t judge me too harshly.

♕ ♕ ♕

 
There’s this site called HungerNames.com, where you can get a THG-inspired name, and here’s what I got:

The “You were killed by jealousy” part amuses me to no end.

T minus 3 hours to the movie! Josh Hutcherson, please don’t disappoint me.

Scoring the Book: “Before I Fall”

I just finished reading Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall after a 5-hour marathon.

I was very hesitant about reading this book because I thought it would be a mega-drama that will make me feel depressed and sad for days. At least that’s what I got from the synopsis. It turned out to be a very different story than I expected, and in a good way.

I’ll post a full review in the next few days, after I clear my backlog of posts. In the meantime, I would like to share a song that I first heard in an episode of The Vampire Diaries: “Hate and Love” by Jack Savoretti, featuring Sienna Miller. This was the song that was playing in my head during that sweet moment between Sam and Kent, just before Sam entered the party on the very last day.

 
I didn’t cry when I got to the end of the book, but damn it, I think I can feel some of that sadness now.

Re-reading “The Hunger Games” #04: Disturbing Behavior

Chapters 10-16

Katniss is still suspicious about Peeta, huh? I can’t blame her entirely, though, since a District 12 Tribute teaming up with Careers is indeed suspicious behavior. But then again, is it so hard to believe that Peeta will at least try to do what he can to survive? Sure, he made a big deal about it in his nobility speech on the rooftop the night before the Games, but does teaming up with a Career mean he let the Games change him? I don’t believe so. Peeta’s circumstances are more fortunate than many in District 12, but he’s nevertheless a survivor like most people there. Peeta may believe that other Tributes are more likely to survive the Games compared to him, but that doesn’t mean he’s just going to give up.

Of course, Katniss doesn’t know it, but Peeta has another agenda: to keep Katniss alive no matter what it takes…even if he has to team up with the Careers to do it. He’s always looked out for her from the time he gave her that bread, and he always will.

Yeah yeah, anyone who’s read The Hunger Games already knows this. But I had to write it out for myself because when I read the book for the first time a few years ago, I too was suspicious of Peeta’s motives at this point in the story.

And reading about her shooting Rue down about Peeta’s Lover Boy Act not being entirely an act is amusing. Denial, dudes!

Oh hey, I did say that when Katniss owns up to being a Tribute, she’s a killer, right? Our girl is now thinking of strategies and forming alliances and dropping tracker-jacker nests on people’s heads!

And Rue. Oh. I’m almost back to that awful place in the story. I think I’d better stop reading this until I’m all alone, and no one will care if I cry my eyes out because of a gorram book.

♛ ♛ ♛

 

p.s. While I continue to be able to un-imagine Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth and pretty much all the other cast members while I’m reading, I can’t help it when it comes to Cato. Alexander Ludwig doesn’t want to stay out of my head. o_O

To be continued…

Waiting On Wednesday: “Unspoken” by Sarah Rees Brennan

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

 

(It’s still Wednesday in another part of the world, so…)

It’s been a while since I posted a Waiting on Wednesday entry, but this one’s just too intriguing to ignore.

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the- Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Sarah Rees Brennan brings Gothic romance kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century with a funny, modern heroine who can take care of herself, an angry, beautiful boy who needs to be saved, and the mysterious forces that bring them together and tear them apart.

Publication Date: 12 September 2012

Well, Ms. Brennan, you had me at “imaginary friend”.

I haven’t read anything by Sarah Rees Brennan yet, although I’ve heard and read much about her and her work. “Unspoken” is the first book in a new trilogy, so maybe this is a good place to start.

Snapshots: Meeting Mina

A wee break from all the The Hunger Games re-read posts.

I’m still transcribing my interview with author Mina V. Esguerra, which will appear in the form of a profile on GMA News Online – Lifestyle sometime this week or early next week. In the interim , here’s a snapshot of what she wrote on my copy of Interim Goddess of Love:

I enjoyed finally meeting Mina, who I’ve only ever corresponded with via e-mail and Twitter. She’s very passionate about her writing, and was very forthcoming when I asked her to share her thoughts and experiences about self-publishing independent publishing. I hope I will be able to capture that enthusiasm in the profile that I’m writing.
—

College sophomore Hannah Maquiling doesn’t know why everyone tells her their love problems. She’s never even had a boyfriend, but that doesn’t stop people from spilling their guts to her, and asking for advice. So maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise when the cutest guy in school tells her that she’s going to have to take on this responsibility — but for all humanity.

The Goddess of Love has gone AWOL. It’s a problem, because her job is to keep in check this world’s obsession with love (and lack of it). The God of the Sun, for now an impossibly handsome senior at an exclusive college just outside of Metro Manila, thinks Hannah has what it takes to (temporarily) do the job.

While she’s learning to do this goddess thing, she practices on the love troubles of shy Kathy, who’s got a secret admirer on campus. Hannah’s mission, should she choose to accept it, is to make sure that he’s not a creepy stalker and they find their happily ever after — or at least something that’ll last until next semester. (As if she could refuse! The Sun God asked so nicely. And he’s so, well, hot.)

Interim Goddess of Love is available via Amazon and Mina’s Multiply Store.

Re-reading “The Hunger Games” #03: The girl who…smoulders.

Chapters 5-9

Cinna – I can see now why they cast Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, though he still wouldn’t be my first choice. In my head, Cinna is a cross between Christian Siriano and a younger Kyan Douglas, maybe. Oh, I’m not stereotyping the stylists, but I was thinking more about Christian’s aesthetic and Kyan’s calm demeanor.

I think we all could use a Cinna in our lives!

Also, I’m excited to see Katniss and Peeta’s flaming costume on-screen! I’m not too thrilled about the glimpses we already got of Katniss’ interview dress. Somehow, it’s not as wow-look-sparkling-jeweled-gown as it is in the book. It looks too normal for Capitol Couture…unless of course there’s something more to it than just a floor-length red asymmetrical gown.

Haymitch – Haymitch, Haymitch, Haymitch. There are times he amuses me because his comments are so Meta. Suzanne Collins knows Katniss is going to exasperate some people. She acknowledges it through Haymitch, and I kinda like that. I like that Katniss is not a perfect heroine because she feels more real that way.

Haymitch is right–Katniss can be hostile and surly and petulant. From the start, she never really liked Effie or Haymitch, and she did not believe in what they can do for her. She always reverts to hostility whenever she feels that Peeta is getting under skin. It’s a defense mechanism, of course, but it is off-putting when it’s what you always see.

But to her credit, when Katniss owns up to being a Tribute, she can be a real killer. She can give a Ms. Universe contestant a run for her money with all that waving to the crowd during the Parade. Heck, even her petulance pays off when she gets an 11 for her training score. And that kiss after the Parade? *shakes head* Peeta’s right–she has no idea of her effect on people. And she isn’t even really on fire yet; she’s just…smouldering.

The panda who was on fire.

The man who smoulders.

One thing that disturbed me about Haymitch, though, is this:

You are a fool! Do you think he hurt you? That boy just gave you something you could never achieve on your own.

He made you look desirable! And let’s face it, you could use all the help you can get in that department. You were about as romantic as dirt until he said he wanted you. Now they all do.

I can’t deny that he’s right about the outcome of Peeta’s little plan, but I’m wary about the message that sends across to younger girls. Katniss later proves that she doesn’t need this kind of leverage (although much later, she uses it); I just hope that Haymitch’s speech won’t be the part that will truly resonate with audiences.

That doesn’t stop me from *squeeing* over Peeta’s interview, though, strategy or no strategy. Real or not real.

I’m coming back into focus when Caesar asks him if he has a girlfriend back home. Peeta hesitates, then gives an unconvincing shake of his head.

“Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what’s her name?” says Caesar.

Peeta sighs. “Well, there is this one girl. I’ve had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I’m pretty sure she didn’t know I was alive until the reaping.”

Sounds of sympathy from the crowd. Unrequited love they can relate to.

“She have another fellow?” asks Caesar.

“I don’t know, but a lot of boys like her,” says Peeta.

“So, here’s what you do. You win, you go home. She can’t turn you down then, eh?” says Caesar encouragingly.

“I don’t think it’s going to work out. Winning…won’t help in my case,” says Peeta.

“Why ever not?” says Caesar, mystified.

Peeta blushes beet red and stammers out. “Because…because…she came here with me.”

Oh, and another crying moment: “I’m not allowed to bet, but if I could, my money would be on you.” Gorram it, Cinna.

♛ ♛ ♛

To be continued…

Re-reading “The Hunger Games” #02: Denial

There was one point I forgot to comment on from Chapter 1.

His (Gale) rages seem pointless to me, although I never say so. It’s not that I don’t agree with him. I do. But what good is yelling about the Capitol in the middle of the woods? It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make things fair. It doesn’t fill our stomachs. In fact, it scares off the nearby game.

This resonates with me because, as I pointed out in an article I wrote recently, this is something I hear people say often. Humans value self-preservation by nature. If our survival is at stake, we don’t care about anything else. People who rarely experience being in that border between luxury and poverty, life and death, will label Katniss’ thinking as “uninvolved” or “selfish”.

We can’t really know how difficult the kind of life Katniss lives is until we experience it ourselves, but it’s also noteworthy that after she really saw what was going on in the Capitol, Katniss began to take a stand. Maybe in the real world, altruism is for those who can afford it, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. Maybe, as in Katniss’ case, empowerment is key.

Chapter 3

Okay, so THG also holds the distinction of making me cry 2 chapters in a row. Congratulations, Ms. Collins!

But it wasn’t the encounter between Katniss, Prim, and their mother that made me cry. I was somehow already prepared for that scene, and I was too busy giving Katniss an imaginary pat on the back for finally telling her mother what she always wanted to say.

I didn’t cry when Gale came in either, although I added yet another notch on the scoreboard in favor of “Katniss is in denial about Gale’s feelings.” Really, Katniss, he was going to say “And remember, Katniss, I LOVE YOU.” So there.

I cried when the Baker and Madge came in. Weird, I know, considering that they’re almost strangers to Katniss. They have no emotional attachment to her whatsoever, but that’s exactly what I reacted to. These people don’t know Katniss well enough, yet they came in to give her tokens and to wish her luck. I cried thinking how difficult it must have been for the Baker to face the girl who was virtually going to become his son’s murderer.

This early in the story, we can already glimpse the kind of impact Katniss will eventually have on District 12 and the entire nation, on people who barely know her but would come to care about her fate.

Chapter 4

A kind Peeta Mellark is far more dangerous to me than an unkind one. Kind people have a way of working their way inside me and rooting there. And I can’t let Peeta do this. Not where we’re going.

It’s too late for you, girl. If at that point in the Reaping you already felt numbed by the idea of killing Peeta, then this little strategy will not work now.

It’s interesting to see that despite knowing that the likelihood of being Reaped was high for both Katniss and Gale, they didn’t seem to have a planned strategy for how they will play the Game if they were reaped. Katniss seems surprised that Haymitch has a strategy in mind after he saw what Katniss and Peeta were capable of, and she was even more surprised that Peeta was already scheming on the train. Perhaps she is in denial about her odds of getting reaped, just as she is still in denial about what Gale feels for her.

♛ ♛ ♛

To be continued…