Reviewer: It Was Me Signed [Report This]
Date: August 15 2023 8:14 AM Title: War Stories Over Dinner

Now that we've gotten to see our party on the road a bit, it looks as though Palledia is slowly starting to adapt past her old ways while walking that sweet path toward redemption. Of course, we still get a healthy dose of old-fashioned Griselda as well, which gives a nice balance to her development through the story.

Palledia's reaction to Annie teasing Clyde with a spanking gave off great "get off my lawn" vibes, trying to force her traditions on them instead of letting the have their fun. Svetlana having to rein in one-eyed amazon when she has designs on helping Annie make Clyde into a house husband is another food example of this, as neither Clyde nor Annie want that (or have even considered that possibility). Once again, the ex-noble is looking to impose her will on others for what she believes is the greater good.

But that effort truly comes from a place of love, though, as she wants to teach Annie how to be a "proper amazon." And it's definitely a want on her part, as she's been trying to share her wisdom with the newly minted amazon since taking her in, even when she was a "little sister." This mentor-mentee dynamic is pretty cool, as Annie is having as much influence on her as she's having on Annie, just in a way that's not obvious to either of them. Annie is the key to Griselda's redemption, not because of the quest but because of the time they spend together.

Despite Palledia clinging to outdated amazonian traditions at times in this chapter, we also saw her take some subtle, yet important steps forward and altering her view of the world as well. I thought it was a big deal that she agreed to dinner with General Rathburn. Part of her reasoning for doing so was admitting that Clyde had been useful so far in their quest, which is a big step up from planning his future as a house husband. But what happened at the dinner itself showed even more growth from her. In Amazon Country, Cora was always made fun of for talking with men about her "war stories" and amazons favored men who were domesticated rather than warriors. That she was compelled to crush the general's pelvis after talking shop at the dinner table shows her moving away from devaluing men and toward enjoying something she never would have let herself enjoy before. It turns out that she's into men warriors, too.

I'm also really liking the relationship between Palledia and Svetlana. I feel like Svetlana is someone Lady Griselda would have dismissed offhand and never gotten to know due to her laid back and at times silly demeanor. But having gotten to know the dark elf, Palledia recognizes that there's more to her than that, and there's a valued respect between the two. And because of that, we get to see the disgraced amazon react in ways we wouldn't have before when talking with Svetlana. it's a really fun dynamic.

Following Annie and Clyde's romance is interesting, primarily because it's so different from the relationships of the original Amazon Country. Annie growing up and falling in love as an imperial gives her a unique perspective on men compared to Cora, Cassidy, and company. Annie reminding Clyde that heart and bravery are what really matter after he got down on himself was not only endearing, but I don't know if even Cora, as open-minded as she was, would have been able to pull back Dirk like that if he had gone through a personal crisis like that. Annie's having fun towering over Clyde (and he's having fun being towered over), but deep down, she still sees him exactly the same way that she did before she had to worry about low ceilings, not just as someone she loves but as a man as well.

And it was great to see Shelby back again, doing Shelby things. I love the back and forth between Svetlana and her. They couldn't be more different, and seeing their unique brands of silliness clash with each other is a lot of fun to read. Also, despite Shelby always seeming to jump to the wrong conclusion, we get to see how good she is at her job. Between bribing Annie with food and getting under Palledia's skin, her interrogation skills are pretty impressive here.

I'm a little excited to see that this has been bumped up to six parts. This is shaping up great so far, and I'm really enjoying the pacing of the story as well. I look forward to seeing where this journey takes our heroes next!

Author's Response:

Annie and Clyde's relationship hasn't really changed all that much like you said, they're still two young people in love at the end of the day.

Shelby was requested by the commissioner, and while she's kind of a goof and misses some pretty obvious stuff, she's lucky and just the right amount of skilled to actually be a great inquisitor lol, she did solve the Elf affair after all right?

Our dear Palledia is finding the good parts of Lady Griselda coming to the surface, while she's got some outdated ideas on menfolk some time in exile in the Empire, along with her original "defeat" by Dirk and Cora has given her plenty to think about. As always these reviews are always a joy to read!

Reviewer: MrD Signed [Report This]
Date: August 11 2023 2:41 AM Title: War Stories Over Dinner

Always happy to see the return of Snu Snu!

And eager to see what Amazonian scale firearms can do.

Author's Response:

I figure the term "snu-snu" is popular slang among younger Amazons and Imperials, Cora used it in the original story, but Griselda would have been too stodgy to ever hear it lol. Amazon firearms are a scary thing to be sure.