themes/tags . found family, lgbtq, magic, self discovery, forging your own destiny, self discovery, rejecting religion, questioning authority, hints at romance, ensemble cast, antagonists that aren’t really all that bad, magical beasts, culture shock, political undertones
synopsis . a pulse is seen the entire world around. it floats across the sky like aurora borealis, but its too static, too constant, too red. it is seen again, and again. a magic of unknown origins has settled in the north, somewhere under the thick ice, and the kingdoms and empires and nations and republics of the world have all stopped their petty squabbling long enough to ask: what do we do with this?
the northernmost region of vosya, a kingdom recently felled to a republic, has called a summit in the capital to discuss how to deal with this new arrival. while figureheads and their puppets gather, people of other status ask themselves: what if i were the one to uncover these secrets for myself?
from far and wide people flock to vosya in hopes of slipping past the mountain barrier and its patrols and fantasizing that they will be one of the lucky few who might survive her cold nights. what no one is prepared for is the wilderness, and the shapes that the thick shadows conceal.
north node follows six people desperate enough to try it.
characters .
jin kaifen, 16 .
a self described “ex-noble,” kaifen uses pride and anger to mask the religious insecurity that hides beneath. he is outcasted by his clan, his eyes left naked by his goddess. devoutly religious, he keeps on him two books at all times: a scroll of prayers, and a binding of his deceased mother’s poetry and prophecy. he is determined to claim this strange north magic for himself, the goddess zhuoshi, his father and the magnificient empire of yangshe.
adesawa oyekan, 17 .
with the gift of the gab, it’s hard to imagine adesawa hiding anything. as eager to talk as she is to listen, she has a warm presence that’s easy to open up to. hailing from arid west kon, she speaks no more of her motivation than “i’ve come along way for it.” strategical and relentless, but always eager to spend an evening cozy, laughing, and merry.
saoirse aleksandr minnet, 17 .
although their mother is a hero-turned-politician, saoirse would much rather be known as a light hearted musician who spreads smiles. they’re sheltered though they don’t know it, and are blind to the privilege their mother has given them. saoirse’s insecurities have lead them right into a lonely life, and by embarking on this journey they hope they might find the girl who broke their heart and win her back.
pelageya lenshka, 18 .
a young soldier with a manipulative higher-up, pelageya’s left behind her mother, half-brother and step-father to carry out her orders. on a secret mission to find the source of the power, pelageya is content to be away from the stuffy atmosphere of her hometown. brutal and resourceful, she’s prone to using her soldier status to bully locals into being her guide. a secret part of her whispers to take the power for herself, but she tries to ignore it, for the honor of her country.
illarion gabrikov, 19 .
a smuggler and deckhand on a fishing ship, illarion’s grown up in a war torn town on the east coast. orphaned by fire he’s grown up in the gangs that now run the town, looking after his sister and messing around with his friends. he’s a hardworker with the goal of being able to afford laziness, and he’ll do nearly anything for a quick buck. and when a soldier rolls into town and her usual methods gain her nothing but mockery from a lawless place, illarion decides to see just how badly she needs that guide, after all.
huang xiulan, 15 .
a young huawunu whose trained in flower magic since she was born, xiulan’s been summoned north by paycheck and honor. a princess from one of yangshe’s small clans has sent her on her behalf and with her reputation on the line, xiulan is set that she will not let her down. she sports a cold exterior that hides a sweeter, sillier inside.
“A secret admirer. You’re very fun to watch.” It’s a girl, and her accent is from somewhere very far away. Kaifen scans for her, but he sees nothing.
“Stop hiding like a coward.” There is nothing, not even a sound, a scuffle, a rattle, for a long time. His guard dissipates until his heart is no longer racing, and his fists slowly loosen and lower to his hips. He straightens his back and sniffs. If some mocking girl wants to spy on him, he won’t be happy about it, but he’s just glad to be left alone.
He turns around and steps back to take another run at the incline and screams. He takes a step back, and heel hitting nothing he thrashes his arms until he’s flung forward. He lands on his knees and pushes loose wefts of hair back from his face so he can stare up at the face that’s emerged above him. On the ledge he’s been aiming for squats a girl with black skin and tightly curled hair. She’s laughing.
Kaifen’s cheeks scorch the rest of his face until it’s all burning. He scrambles to his feet and puffs out his chest. His back is straight and shoulders high; perfect posture that he hopes to be intimidating. The girl laughs so hard she falls back off of her feet and lands on her butt, one leg tucked under her and the other hanging over the cliff. Kaifen’s pride, wounded and sulking, finds anger to help it regrow.
“Is this how you conduct yourself?” He tightens his hands into balls. “Unladylike on the side of a mountain. Do you not have a chaperone? A guard? Or are you some kind of miscreant? I truly cannot think of any reason you should be out here on your own unless you are a thief or a runaway. You’re beneath me.”
She lets him finish and leans on one arm, but doesn’t conceal her eye roll. “You’re the one who’s beneath, actually.” She kicks the rock with her heel, for emphasis. There is a charm to her voice that only makes Kaifen angrier.
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I have a sequence in my head shortly after Adesawa and Kaifen first meet where they get into an argument and, they’re both very stubborn, so they both go “Fine! I don’t need you anyway!” and decide to Go It Alone
But the trouble is, they’re headed the same way. And keep running into each other. Adesawa helps Kaifen when his foot gets stuck. Kaifen saves Adesawa when a travelling couple is harassing her. It goes back and forth like this for a couple days until they defeat a [forest beast of some kind] together and kind of begrudgingly go
“Fine. We can do this together.”
and then they’re inseperable the rest of the book :’)
