
Welcome to disc three of your Lumatere box set! This disc covers loss, hope, slate over the head moments, swiving good times, feral spear-shaking, and an ending that ties it all together. This is your disc for Quintana of Charyn.
How lucky do I feel to be in charge of the music for this particular installment? Very lucky, which is a bit odd because I admit that this one is my least favorite of the three. Even so, it contains my favorite moments of the entire series. Don’t even ask me how that math works out. Plus, this is the disc where I get to bust out alllll the love songs.
This is the book that had me laughing so hard I cried. Lucian, I am looking at you right now. I don’t think there’s any man (Gilbert included) who deserves to have a slate crashed over his head more than you do in this book.
This is the book that had me saying holy moley…under my breath and fanning myself. This woman may write YA, but she also writes one hell of a sex scene.
This is the book that made me cry at a loss I never expected, and a few others that I did.
But this is also the book that made me beam with relief when everything came together. And I admit, with a little bit of hesitation too – that ending was kind of too happy for me. And I know what you’re all yelling at me right now, because I’m yelling it at myself right now too: haven’t these people suffered enough?!! Don’t they deserve a happy ending? Yeah, yeah. What can I say? I’m the eternal Grinch.
Still, this is a wonderful end to one of my favorite YA fantasy series of all time. And now, we wait for Melina Marchetta to write something else which I’m sure will be even more brilliant. In the mean-time, here are some songs:
1) Bjork - A Hidden Place, for Froi and Quintana
Froi and Quintana are not supposed to be together, and they both know that. Their connection comes as a surprise to even them, and it’s something that they must always hide, to protect both Charyn and Lumatere. They spend most of this book separated, but when they finally reunite, it’s like this instant fire and connection that only exists when they are alone. This is a song for their relationship – hidden away.
"There lies my passion, hidden There lies my love I'll hide it under a blanket Lull it to sleep I'll keep it in a hidden place" | |
This song speaks so much to me about the laying down of pride and boundaries and the laying aside of guilt and shame.
| “Can you lie next to her And give her your heart, your heart As well as your body And can you lie next to her And confess your love, your love As well as your folly And can you kneel before the king And say I'm clean, I'm clean” |
What a story. We only get to hear about it after the fact, but I think their history could probably comprise a book of its own. This one is specifically for the betrayal and indignation I can only assume Tesadora must have felt.
"I remember when you filled my heart with joy Was I blind to the truth just there to fill the space? 'Cause now you have no interest in anything I have to say And I have allowed you to make me feel I feel so dumb What kind of fool am I That you so easily set me aside? You made a fool of me" | |
| "I've tried I've tried everything I know Anything to let you go, but I just keep on sinking I lied, when I said I was alright I am anything but alright I am anything but winning Take your world off my shoulders The weight is breaking me into pieces" |
6) Van Morrison - I'll Be Your Lover, Too, which are both for Finnikin and Isaboe.
"What if I fall and hurt myself Would you know how to fix me? What if I went and lost myself Would you know where to find me? If forgot who I am Would you please remind me? Oh, 'cause without you, things go hazy" | |
| "Reach out for me So I can be The one who's always reaching out for you I'll be your king You'll be my queen And I'll be your lover too." |
"On the landscape That nothing grows on But time still goes on And through each life of misery Everybody's got a hold on hope It's the last thing that's holding me" | |
Seriously, Irene of Attolia needs to watch her back. She has some serious competition for my favorite fictional female heroine. I mean...I don't see you fashioning your own spears, scaling huge hills, and hunting down game whilst heavily pregnant, Irene. You'd probably have those ladies in the cave all sorted out in a matter of hours though...
| "I'm all out, for the war. I guess love wasn't what I'm looking for. I don't care when you cry. I think self pity is a state of mind. I'm so hard. I'm so hard. I'm so hard." |
9) Maxwell - This Woman's Work (Kate Bush cover)
"I know you've got a little life in you left I know you've got a lotta strength left I should be crying but I just can't let it show I should be hopin' but I can't stop thinkin' All the things I should've said that I never said All the things we should've done that we never did All the things I should've given, but I didn't" | |
Also, make sure to pick up Quintana of Charyn - a very satisfying end to this series, which I wholeheartedly recommend. You can order it from Fishpondworld here, and it should be released in the U.S. and Canada in the early spring of next year.
And feel free to give me all of your suggestions for the songs I missed in the comments!