Cassie’s character development
After reading through a bunch of RtS reviews last week, one comment in particular got me thinking. The reviewer (rating RtS pretty low) said that “it was like getting book one Cassie back, but with depression and anxiety” and that she no longer enjoyed the series as she did the earlier books. So I looked back at early Cassie to see how she compares to more recent Cassie, and the results were pretty interesting… So let’s take a look at early Cassie in TtD:
1) She was already compassionate and willing to risk herself for others. ○ She was so appalled at the suffering Tony caused others than she gave up her own security to live on the streets rather than be a part of it any longer. ○ Then even decides to acitvely risk herself and face Tony’s wrath just to go back and stop his operation. ○ When she sees her agent’s death, she actually calls Tony’s guys to talk them out of it, even knowing that she’s likely being tracked, as she is. ○ When she knows she will be shot and killed within the hour, instead of making sure she’s safely away, she goes to the club to make sure Tomas will be safe, knowing that the hitmen could easily find her there, as they do.
2) She already stood up for herself and others. ○ When her agent was about to get killed, she phoned Tony’s goons to threaten them with the Senate. ○ When that doesn’t work, she warns the FBI ○ Even while meeting the Senate for the first time, while Tony’s pitching his story to the Consul, she speaks up and confronts him on his bullshit and delivers a condemning speech. Lol.
3) She already didn’t let herself be used or manipulated. ○ Instead of feeling as a helpless teenager not being able to do anything, she refuses to be part of Tony’s schemes, and only returns to take him down. ○ While she would’ve been into Mircea as she says repeatedly, she still doesn’t agree to sex until she gets the full picture. ○ Even then, her reasoning for going along with it isn’t coercion, but that she wants to be able to use the Pythian power to help herself. ○ When Mircea tries to persuade her to return with him, she simply says no, and is outta there.
4) She already showed initiative, confidence and did what she wanted. ○ She ran away, to live on her own, as a teenager, not once but twice, because Tony’s actions were morally abhorrent to her. ○ She knowingly goes back and conspires with the feds to take Tony down. ○ Instead of relying on witness protection, she makes her own way on the streets. ○ Even when the Senate makes it clear they want her to stay at MAGIC, she doesn’t care, escapes the wards, steals a car, and mounts a solo operation (well, with Billy) to go after Jimmy.
5) She already lost most people and it didn’t get her down. ○ She knew about her parents’ horrific death, and she saw it in a vision. ○ She has seen Eugenie mutilated and murdered after she tried to take Tony down. ○ She has seen loads of crazy violent shit either in visions, from ghosts, or heard about them at Tony’s. Yet after all that, she leads a mostly normal life, works two jobs, donates clothes to charity, and looks after Tomas the stray street kid.
Normally, one would expect a character development that’s progressing as the series goes along, yet Cassie in later books actually becomes a worse heroine than she used to be. So while the scope of the story expanded, Cassie’s character didn’t really develop much (that was another common complaint in the reviews).
Sure, she has more people to look after now, like her court, Tami’s lot, etc. but she’s always looked out for others and showed compassion so it’s not something she developed on her journey.
She had to face death before as well, but now seeing Rhea die sends her into panicky fits of feeling incompetent and a failure. Apart from losing Mac, and I guess a few reporters she only met that day, the war is going irrationally well for her and yet she’s complaining about how useless she is.
She never asked for anybody’s permission, but now gets deeply upset when people question her or don’t yield to her, or tell her what to do. She ignored whatever anybody said and did her own thing, yet now she has several breakdowns in one book, requiring other people’s validation and motivational speeches.
She never had illusions about the Senate, and she references that she knows exactly that Mircea and her are negotiating, discussing terms, etc. and evaluates and decides pragmatically; now she has a self-pity party about Mircea not having been in love with her (I already pointed out that she knews this very well since TtD).
She got almost killed by vamp hitmen, taken to MAGIC, introduced to the Senate, almost killed again, traveled through time to relive traumatic memories, and still had her shit together to escape, go to Dante’s and pursue her goal in finding Jimmy. Yet now her bodyguard doing his job and saving her life sends her into depressed longing as she just lies there sniffing his bed.
As a teenager tries to trap Tony with the feds in time, because it had to be done, even despite the risks to herself or Eugenie or Rafe or anybody who might suffer if it goes wrong. Yet now she is crying and begging Pritkin to not try to save the world, which needs to be done, because she can’t live without him.
Add that to her constant insecurities about other women while she’s having two guys herself, to her taking over the Consul’s property in the hotel of Casanova owned by Mircea, especially when they are in a war and the Consul already hates her guts, and to her hypocrisy, and to her lack of self-awareness or deliberate denial, yeah, I totally understand why many readers are less than impressed with Cassie’s ‘development’ in 8 books. I’m not denying the scope of her development, like her coming into her powers, looking after way more people, and learning more about herself; but most admirable traits of her character have been a part of her since book one, while she took steps back on other fronts in addition.
