beloved404's Book Journey

Two chapters in and I’m loving the choice to have Owen address Una directly, and therefore address us, the reader, as Una. (At least that’s how I’m understanding it so far.)

I just know I'm not clocking all the symbolism that's happened so far 🥲

I love the way Alix has introduced Dominion through Owen's recollections of his meetings with Una, and his present narration. Dominion being presented in the prelude tale as a small kingdom that was saved by Una, and the Queen she rescued - is that true, or is that history being written by the victors? (edit: just remembered this was translated by Owen, i’m presuming from the old (yew?!) book he received so this may be the true story he translates)

The loss of the woods by the end of chapter two felt very symbolic to me. Not only to Owen's loss of home as he has returned from war with disillusioned eyes to Dominion, but relating to the power of Dominion itself. Perhaps as Dominion's power grows they lose sight of the true meaning/origin of Una and so her home within Dominion gets sliced away too? Now that the woods are gone, so to are Dominion's foundational ties to the truth of Una. So again they, being the victors, are writing the history (and lies) moving forward.

WE'RE FINALLY GONNA GET TO MEET UNA!!! But I have questions: how did Owen travel back in time? Is Vivian the Queen Yvanne of old? Why does Owen need to travel back, when the book was already written? Why am I terrified to read this book because I know how much it's going to hurt (I've already cried twice)?

this is so interesting to read as a history student one of the questions we ask ourselves the most is why the story was written and how it impacted our vision of it the story of una comes from a single source — no other point of comparison. and we can see in real time how much it was shaped by owen’s own perceptions of what is right to write. it is even more dangerous as he is a historian: we shape history in choosing how to tell it. i really hope we will see his patriotism evolve (or not) and how much it has been damaged by the war and he doesn’t want to tell us. a really good unreliable narrator! it still feels really disturbing to see someone defend a colonialist empire with so much patriotism (but i have faith in this story)

“After a long silence, you said, with effort, “Forgive me. I dream often of things I would rather forget. Old battles. Old wounds.” Then, a little defensively, “Many soldiers suffer so.””

oof, this was a gut-punch to read. As someone who struggles with PTSD, although not from war, the way Una speaks about her struggles and feels the need to defend herself is far too similar to how I feel. The way Alix wrote this scene as a whole feels exactly like a conversation I would and have had with family, friends and my partner and (unfortunately) how I would react to someone i may not fully trust yet witnessing my weakness.

I see myself so much in both Una and Owen at times.

It’s kinda wild how Owen keeps mentioning things he’s going to leave out of the book. He’s perpetuating (or at least, planning to perpetuate) the same misinformation he’s so surprised to learn is misinformation- rewriting a story he already knows instead of telling it the way it actually is. Which, I guess, makes sense given what we learned about his academic background earlier, I just hope we see him grow out of it.

I stayed awake most of the night, sick with guilt and want. I smoked three Lucky Stars in a row, heedless of the waste, before I turned to the book. The words came easily, pouring from the pen in a hot, spiteful rush. It was all lies, but what did I care? If I couldn't have you or heal or safe you - if I couldn't love you - then I would make all of Dominion love you, forever and ever.

Excuse me while I SCREAM. The fact that he's the one to make her into the legend, saint, Sir Una the Everlasting because he can't have her 😭 Which is probably the trigger that leads to him going to war, etc, etc.

Been keeping an eye on mentions of flowers and dragons and the colour red thus far, and it then became very intriguing to me that the Una's shield is 'a white dragon upon a red field'. This is such great imagery to symbolise Queen Yvanne and Dominion as a whole:

- In the very first interlude Una is described as a red, wet girl in a red wet circle, having killed the Prince & co. to save the Queen. Here is the emobodiment of it all, right from the start: Uma, the white dragon, covered in a field of red blood

- The barkeep tells Owen the 'little white flowers' she gives him are called Dragonscales, and these grow across Dominion (a land steeped in blood)

- There are 'white flowers' adorning Una's body in the drawing he finds alongside the tale of Sir Una Everlasting, as she's laid out for mourning. These link Una to the idea of the dragon, then again linking her to being the dragon that razes the lands into the empire of Dominion for Queen Yvanne

This is leading me to ask the question... is there really a dragon that Una must slay? There's mention of the dragon bones being found at Cavallon Keep, but I'm sure Dominion can whip up some propaganda bones if it suits them.

There's also symbolism in the idea of Una, the white dragon, defeating Dominion (symbolised in red on flags/uniform). I mentioned earlier perhaps Una is Owen and I kinda still see symbolically due to all the parallels... but maybe it's more that in order to defeat Dominion, Owen must become the true Una, not the swirling knight he's fantasised over and created, but the one who chooses against their own narrative to right wrongs…

Owen showing up at a party like 'I'm not going to get tipsy too fast and recite Montmer's Battle with the Last Dragon in Middle Mothertongue again' but then he gets a bit nervous and he's like well maybe one wine won't hurt 👀 and then he's like 'uh oh y'all, it was there in that burnt and barren place...'