Amber and I are BACK this August for a fun new readalong! We're about to start our monthly discussion for our July Adult book (recommended by those 18+), Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong!
As a reminder, from now on, our monthly discussions will be both here on the OwlCrate blog AND on The Nest! Go check out Amber's discussion that will be full of fun extra content!
On each day we'll read a section of Immortal Longings, both on the blog and in The Nest's group, and then discuss in the comments our theories and predictions. This means there will be spoilers for each section! Beware!
Just a reminder that this will be a SPOILER discussion for chapters 7-9 of Immortal Longings, so make sure you read or are finished this section before continuing.
Who else is making bets with their readalong buddies about who is going to live or die?
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Chapter Seven:
Calla eats breakfast and speaks with August on the phone. He demands that she get her wristband back. August also tells her to be careful because Sicans may be infiltrating the city.
She notices a child behind a potted plant who has been listening to her call. He tells her that he knows who took her wristband and introduces himself as Eno. They talk and she notices he has a wristband as well. He asks about her birth body and finds out that Calla knows how to, but doesn't jump.
Eno informs Calla that he's part of the Crescent Societies and overheard his network talking about how number 86 took number 57's wristband. Calla asks who number 86 is and Eno tells her it's Anton.
Calla remembers Anton as a palace brat. Eno tells her where he's living and Calla warns him off the games. Eno leaves and then Calla hears a shriek. Another player has engaged Eno and is about to land a kill on him when Calla slices her open.
Calla shoos Eno away and tells him to find another body.
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Meanwhile,Anton is fighting with a computer at a cafe. The old owner, Sulian asks Anton when he's ever going to settle his account. Anton promises that he will while Sulian teases him about the games.
Anton is frustrated when he sees yet another bill come in from the hospital. He tosses Calla's wristband on the table and is suspicious of it as it's yet to have blinked out. Someone asks him from behind if Anton is watching footage of the Er slaughter, and sees that it's Felo, someone too young yet to jump with pale red eyes.
Anton frustratingly reminds Felo of his age and tells him to go to school. When Anton glances back he finds what he's looking for. The same swings of the sword during the Er massacre match competitor number 57, Calla.
The princess who slaughtered her family is alive.
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Chapter Eight:
August rides outside the city to the nearest rural province when a council member fails to answer communication for twenty-four hours.
He considers the province and building better infrastructure when he becomes King.
Anton and some palace guards, together with Galipei and Leida have come upon the small building where the councilman resides. He sees that the local mayor and a few civilians have taken the councilman hostage and have demands for the palace.
But before he can finish, August jumps inside him, releases the council man and jumps back out. August calls the King and the King tells him that these sworn defenders of San-Er need better protection.
He tells August to burn the province's capital to the ground. The guards move without any confirmation from August. Leida protests but August stops her. He thanks her for not making a fuss and returns to his horse as the guards burn the village to the ground.
Chapter Nine:
Chami and Yilas draw Calla a map to Anton's place. Calla leaves for it and heads down an alley. She feels odd and senses that someone has just tried to jump into her, but they fail. They always fail. The person attacks her and Calla hits back with her sword. The attacker drops but Calla's blade comes out clean. It's an empty vessel.
Calla is afraid, it's something she's not seen before but continues on toward the brothel and Anton's.
Calla enters the brothel and notices a man scribbling on a pad. She reaches inside her coat, tears her shirt and snags a steak knife from a passing waiter.
Wrapping the steak knife in her shirt she strolls over to the man and climbs into his lap, pressing the knife into his skin, and greets Anton. She demands her wristband and the man tells her to ease up.
He tosses a pocket's worth of contents onto the ground and jumps into another person. Grabbing the fallen objects, Anton runs up the stairs with his new body. Calla follows Anton upstairs into a bedroom. She corners him and Anton tells her that he can help her, calling her Princess. Calla notices a photograph of Anton's birth body next to a young girl.
Calla isn't convinced and tells Anton that if the palace finds out they're collaborating or cheating, they'll be killed. Anton suggests providing everyone with the entertainment they are craving.
Calla eventually agrees to team up, but on her terms, and tells him she'll drop by when she figures those terms out. She's accepted because she knows that Anton hates King Kasa as much as she does for murdering the girl in that photograph, August's half-sister and Anton's love, Otta.
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Meanwhile Pampi is clocking out at work. She doesn't go home but instead heads to the Hollow Temple, one of the many temples belonging to the Crescent Societies. There she asks a colleague Woya how they are progressing with the games.Woya tells Pampi that she is overconfident.
Pampi then ponders her abilities, and asks Woya if he'd like to see something extraordinary. She then throws her hand out toward Woya. He flies through the air and is battered against the temple wall. Pampi feels her qi pulse.
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I'm not sure about this Pampi person. I think Anton and Calla are in for a rude awakening...
Questions:
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👀 Why can no one jump into Calla's body? -
🥣 What do we think of Eno? Is he as trustworthy as he seems? -
🔪Calla, Anton or Pampi...who do we think will come out on top?
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