Various q’s, necromancy, Thomas and shadows
herondaisies said: is it possible that james will help thomas and alastair’s relationship develop? james has shown signs that he might be the first one to (forgive) alastair, and i love the possibility of james helping his (hopefully) future brother in law ☺️
James is in an odd place because he’s stuck between Cordelia, who would of course like him to be helpful to Alastair, and his friends, who are furious at Alastair. Also you are assuming James knows Alastair likes Thomas, which I can only say that as of the beginning of the book, he definitely doesn’t. Maybe he finds out. :) I’d like to think he’d be helpful if so, but he’d have to believe that Thomas wanted him to be.
wendysx said: Hi Cassie, I would like to know if we will get more chapters about Jesse, I love him with all my heart and I would love to see more of him.
fairstalrs said: why do matthew and cordelia take a road trip?
Because Matthew is the only one with a car. :) (And they’re seeking a magical item.)
cjfritos said: Will James’s power be explained more? I find it very confusing as the turning to shadow is a side effect of seeing the other world (which is his power) yet he can turn to shadow without seeing the other world. And he supposedly cant control it but has done it many times. Also could we get a Jordelia snippet soon 🙏
Well, actually that’s a bit backwards — seeing the other world is a side effect of turning to shadow rather than the other way around. And indeed, while he has willed himself into shadow in the past — and practiced controlling the power with Jem — that doesn’t mean he can always control it. I would also note that Chain of Iron makes clear James doesn’t just have one specific “shadow” power; he has a connection to Belial that plays out in a bunch of strange magic ways, most of which are not necessarily a beneficial or controllable power but just weird stuff that happens to him because of his connection to Belial. It plays out with Lucie, too: she can see Jesse while nobody else, even James, can, because of her connection to Belial (a connection James shares, but which doesn’t play out the same way with him) which is separate from but connected to her general command-the-dead power.
As for Jordelia, I am genuinely running out of non-spoilery stuff! Not all snippets, even if they’re just a sentence or two, are created equal. You can ruin a whole book just by sharing a sentence, if the sentence is key to the plot. So I racked my brain a bit and decided this might work ;-)
Cordelia hesitated. James’s hands were firm and gentle on hers; she knew he would always be this way, gentle and determined, kind and thoughtful. Her heart beat hard and treacherous inside her chest. He had not been gentle in the Whispering Room. Not gentle with his hands on her body and his lips on hers. That had been the James she wanted, her one glimpse at the James she could not have.
mrswillherondale: Hi Cassie, I just finished my reread of Chain of Gold and the whole necromancy issue with Lucie/Grace/Jesse made me wonder: Will anyone be upset at Lucie and Grace for trying to raise Jesse instead of someone else, like Grace’s parents, or Lucie’s grandparents, or Barbara Lightwood? Will Thomas be angry?
*blink* No. Wow, no. I mean, mostly people will be upset at Lucie and Grace for trying necromancy at all. Second, the only reason they are trying it on Jesse is because he is not literally dead. He has both a consciousness that continues to exist, and a body he could return to. It is a matter of joining up that consciousness and the body, which both still exist in our world, rather than trying to bring back someone whose consciousness has long ago been extinguished, and whose body has been burned to ash. So what they’re doing is not what Ty (with terrible results) tried to do in Queen of Air and Darkness, and anyone who knows them and is reasonable (and Thomas is reasonable to a fault — even Will is reasonable!) would understand that.
Thirdly, necromancy isn’t just a bad idea because it’s bad for the necromancer. It’s a bad idea because it’s potentially really bad for the person they’re trying to raise. There is every chance that necromancy can go horribly wrong. If they were to try it on Barbara, she could be brought back as a zombie, someone possessed by a demon, or in terrible screaming permanent agony. With Jesse, they have an opportunity to do what they’re doing with someone who is aware of the risks and can consent to it. Thomas (and/or Will, or Grace’s relatives) would absolutely be furious with Lucie, and by extension Grace, if they did try to bring back Barbara/Will’s parents with their rinky-dink necromantic attempts. Not the other way around.
rhosyncymreig said: Hi! Can you share with us something about Thomastair? (Non-spoilery of course)
I haven’t shared a ton about Thomastair because anything about them is spoilery. We left them not speaking to each other, so even indicating that they have had a conversation is potentially spoilery. All I can really do — especially so close to the book release — is say that yes, they do talk FRAUGHTLY, and share this particular piece of Cassandra Jean art, a scene from COI of Thomas walking away from Alastair’s house in Cornwall Gardens.
ETA: My inbox isn’t open at the moment because DEADLINES, but I will open it up this week — keep an eye on Twitter — and again after COI comes out, for questions!
