I have split my Kindle notes from this book into two posts. The portion from Kenric's cached memories will be covered in my next post.
These passages contain spoilers, so read only if you have already read this book.
Page 31 "He still has years before he gets to the point where everyone will give up on him—unless the Council finds out what Keefe can do and makes him start testing everyone in ability detecting at Foxfire." Sophie sucked in a breath. "Do you think they'd do that?" "I wouldn't put it past them. It'd make it way easier to decide who belongs at Foxfire and who doesn't. And who knows? They might even start testing everyone at birth. I'm sure they'd claim it's better for everyone to know as early as possible. But all it would do is make the Talentless be judged their entire lives."
Page 37 She waited for Lord Cassius's smile to fade before she added, "You elves like to talk about ogres as if we're these cold, brutal creatures. But I've never seen anything as cold and brutal as the way you treat your son."
Page 38 "The good news, though, is that my wife might be the most stubborn out of all of you—and she foolishly made Keefe integral to her plan. I suspect it will be her downfall—which would be rather poetic, wouldn't it?"
Page 54 Gisela laughed. "I'm actually impressed you started to suspect I'm a Conjurer. I've been so careful."
Page 54 She tapped her finger along the top of her silver box, and Sophie noticed a symbol etched into the metal: two crescents, forming a loose circle around a glowing star. Gisela had stamped the same symbol onto a letter she'd made Keefe deliver—to a human man she'd murdered soon after, along with his daughter.
Page 56 He snorted a bitter laugh. "You expect me to trust you after you've admitted to experimenting on our son, scheming against the Council, erasing my memories, and hiding an ability?"
Page 83 "Well… there were these three huge tsunamis that hit out of nowhere, and once the ocean calmed back down, three islands were gone." "Gone?" Sophie repeated. "Were people hurt?" Amy shook her head. "That's the good part. The islands were all small and uninhabited, so I guess it's not that huge of a deal."
Page 137 "I knew there would have to be a little bad to bring on true good—and before any of you judge me for that, think about the things your Black Swan order has done. Can you honestly say that none of it has caused any harm to anyone? And do you really think they've told you about all their plans and schemes? But you still play along, because you know it's necessary."
Page 146 She needs him to 'prove' something." "Prove what?" Dex asked. "No idea. She said it has something to do with our potential as a species—but she never told me any specifics."
Page 181 "Wow," Sophie said again. "I didn't know you wore pants." "There's a lot you don't know about me," Oralie said, padding across the room in her bare feet. Between the boring tank, black pants, and messy bun, she was almost unrecognizable.
Page 182 Oralie had even listed two people that Sophie mostly tried her best not to think about: "Ethan Benedict Wright II" and "Eleanor Olivia Wright."
Page 275 We need to talk—NOW! You have a lot of explaining to do. And if you try to ignore me, I'll fill your office with sasquatch poo.
Page 275 She used the last of the lipstick to draw her moonlark symbol underneath, hoping it wouldn't weird Dex out.
Page 288 Sophie scrounged under the piles of paper and dug out her memory log, pointing to the maps she'd projected. "This." Mr. Forkle's jaw fell open. "Where did you find that?" "Nope! You're here to answer my questions—and I want to know why you buried a map in my brain and never bothered to tell me about it."
Page 289 "And since I also couldn't overwhelm your conscious mind with facts and details that would make little-to-no sense while you were still living among humans, the best solution I could find was to take everything I'd learned—no matter how vague—and bury each piece as a separate memory that would trigger if it proved to be relevant, and remain hidden if not. That way you'd have what you needed precisely when you needed it, and not be distracted by anything irrelevant."
Page 289 "After all, if I knew the full significance of the information I was sharing, or exactly how it fit into the enemy's plans, I could've ended this mess ages ago."
Page 293 "Then why would Kenric save the map in his cache?" Sophie argued. "Probably the same reason I gave the memory to you." Mr. Forkle turned away, staring out the window, where Edaline was now riding the Spinosaurus around one of the pastures.
Page 294 "So for a while now I've wondered if what we're really looking at"—he held up her memory log to show everyone—"is a plan for a human sanctuary."
Page 296 "If Kenric had found proof that someone was planning to build a human sanctuary, would he really store that kind of thing in his cache?" she asked. "What better place would there be to keep such an ugly secret?" Mr. Forkle countered.
Page 296 Unless that was one of the reasons Kenric had asked Prentice to serve as his Keeper…
Page 311 "And if it makes them feel better, they could give me some sort of official title. I could be their personal Keeper." Mr. Forkle tilted his head to study her. "Is that what you want? To be the official Keeper of all the Lost Cities' secrets?"
Page 312 "It's possible that some of the answers lie in these tomes. Kenric may have kept a journal—or made notes in the margins of the books he studied."
Page 314 "The best lead we have at the moment," Sophie finished for him. "If you'd seen the look on Kenric's face when he mentioned it, you'd agree with me." "And I'd be happy to view that memory, Miss Foster," he told her, "as well as the other memories you've been withholding from me."
Page 318 He shook his head. "No, it's not. It's because you believe Elysian is connected to stellarlune. And stellarlune affects young Mr. Sencen." Sophie fell back a step, her brain flooding with denials—arguments—explanations. It took her a second to land on a better reaction: "What's wrong with that?" " 'Wrong' isn't the right word," Mr. Forkle corrected. "I'm not saying that Keefe isn't important—"
Page 344 Sophie left her hanging. "But I don't know if Kenric would." Clearly, he was willing to bend some rules if he had a secret library in an old human building. And he'd reached out to a matchmaker about Oralie and him. And he'd talked to Prentice about being his personal Keeper. But he was different when it came to Elysian.
Page 349 She'd already discovered during her other battle training that she was kind of a natural when it came to violence. Her brain just didn't know what to do with that unsettling realization.
Page 363 "You're a smart girl—you'll get there when you're ready. But. You do also have a history of being… a little quick to deny certain stuff. So even though Hunkyhair would probably clobber me for telling you this, I feel like I should make sure you know one thing, okay?" She waited for Sophie to hold her gaze before she told her, "He meant what he said in his letter—and he meant it exactly the way you thought he did before you tried to talk yourself out of it."
Page 364 "No, I mean it. You balance each other. He helps you lighten up, and you help him focus. He boosts your confidence, and you keep his ego in check. You both dive headfirst into danger, but somehow you're able to help each other play it a little smarter. And you both act more like yourselves when you're together. I could keep going, but I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to pressure you."
Page 364 "He's held on to these, like, teeny, tiny threads of hope for so long that he'll never let go on his own," Ro said quietly. "You have to tell him—and I know it'll be scary and hard, but you have to. You won't even lose him as a friend, if that's what you're worried about. He's willing to follow your lead. If you just want a buddy, he'll be the best friend he can be. But if you want more, well… I'll let you be the one to imagine what that would be like."
Page 368 Keefe would honestly be… … … …a really awesome boyfriend. He was thoughtful. And supportive. And he could be incredibly sweet—when he was actually being serious instead of joking around with everybody. Though… maybe some of his jokes with her hadn't just been teasing. Had some of it also been… flirting?
Page 369 Keefe might not be as classically handsome as Fitz—but he didn't need to be. In fact, there was something extra appealing about his crooked smile and artfully messy hair. It made him less serious. Less perfect. Less intimidating. Plus, he was smart.
Page 379 "I'm trying to save the world—which is the job you gave me, by the way." "I gave you many jobs," he told her. "One of which is to lead." "Exactly, so let me lead—" "I'm trying to. But you seem to have forgotten that the best way to lead is by example."
Page 382 Edaline reached for Sophie's hand. "What happened?" "Honestly, I'm not certain," Mr. Forkle admitted. "No one should've been able to set foot in Brumevale without our permission. I remember thinking that installing any sort of security there was a complete waste of time—but Tinker insisted we add sensors to all our properties after we put Project Moonlark into action. Clearly she's wiser than I am. We would've had no idea that anything was amiss if Wraith hadn't gotten the alert—though, sadly, by the time he made it to Brumevale, the Neverseen were gone."
Page 383 "Whatever their reason, they chose to cause an explosion unlike anything I've ever seen. Parts of the tower completely disintegrated. The rest twisted into a whole other form, as if it absorbed the force of the blast and took on the shape of the energy."
Page 386 Mr. Forkle nodded. "I've heard that as well. Supposedly it was once the scene of some sort of tragedy, but I don't know the specifics. No one does. The story's been lost over the centuries." Sophie frowned. "Tiergan made it sound like he knew." "Did he?" Mr. Forkle asked. "Or did he simply dodge your questions? Tiergan's particularly adept at misdirection." "He…" Sophie's voice trailed off as her mind replayed the exact words Tiergan had used. He'd said the person affected should be the one to tell her about Brumevale's history—which was technically true whether he knew who they were and what happened to them, or not.
Page 386 "From what I understand, Brumevale was built by an Ancient couple that have since passed away. They never had any children, and no one claims any ties to their family line. That's why I was able to take over the property without any issue."
Page 387 "I wonder how the Neverseen were able to find it, then," Edaline said. "We're trying to figure that out," Mr. Forkle told her.
Page 423 Marella's going to offer Fintan some weird flowers and hope he decides, "Who needs freedom when I can have foliage?"
Page 441 Keefe had warned her that Empaths had to be careful—that feeling too many intense emotions could make the sensations all blur together until everything started to feel the same and they basically went numb.
Page 483 Magnate Leto interrupted, gesturing to the empty armchair across from him. When she hesitated, he leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk and studying her with his piercing blue eyes—the only feature that didn't drastically change throughout his various disguises. "You can relax, Miss Foster. Nothing has happened."
Page 483 Magnate Leto patted the sides of his heavily gelled black hair.
Page 484 "And I thought it would be better to call the meeting myself, rather than risk finding more demands scrawled across my office door."
Page 485 "As far as the leak, as I said before, that's a situation that requires subtlety and patience. I am working on it. But I can't reveal anything beyond that without creating unnecessary complications."
Page 486 "Then it may comfort you to know that Councillor Oralie has raised several issues with the cache system," Magnate Leto informed her. "I'm not sure what alternatives she suggested, but she told me the Council is giving it serious consideration. And she's also been working to locate Elysian—or whatever place Kenric brought her to in that memory. Right now, her primary focus seems to be searching for the crystal Kenric used, in case he didn't destroy it. She actually thought she'd found it among Kenric's remaining belongings—but that turned out to be a crystal leading to Hushwood. The good news is, Kenric must've planned to bring her there someday, because he programmed the door to respond to her DNA." "Or he assumed she'd find Hushwood if anything happened to him," Sophie mumbled. "Also possible—though I'm sure Oralie prefers my explanation. Either way, she's now searching Hushwood in the hope that Kenric hid the crystal there—or left more details about the map. And it's a lot to sort through, so she let me know that she would be grateful for some help if you or your friends felt so inclined."
Page 487 "What are we doing to find Elysian?" "Nothing," he admitted. "I realize you disagree with that decision—and you're welcome to make your own plans with your friends. But I've lost far too many years searching for rivers that do not exist."
Page 489 Apparently, Noxflares were an "elvin plant," hybridized long ago by the Ancient Councillors. For a moment Sophie thought that proved the blossoms actually were important—but when she voiced that theory, her Mentor… laughed. When he finally stopped chuckling, he explained that the Ancient Councillors believed they should be "masters of all in order to rule all"—so they spent a great deal of time trying to do things that were far better suited for other intelligent species.
Page 490 "All right." He propped his feet up on his desk.
Page 493 "Welcome back, Miss Foster," Magnate Leto murmured. He looked far less put-together than usual, with weird creases in his hair, as if he'd been trying to drag his fingers through the crispy gelled strands.
Page 509 "Oh, it wasn't random," Marella told him. "Fintan said he'd show me what Noxflares could do, since I brought one back into his life." "Why are you and Dex staring at each other like that?" Fitz asked Sophie. "That's just… not how caches are supposed to work," Sophie explained. "No one knows what's in them until you play the actual memories."
Page 533 "Interesting," Vespera murmured. "I realize you will not want to believe this. But whatever happened to your 'Brumevale' had nothing to do with me—or my organization. It must have been Gisela, trying to frame us, though why she would bother, I do not know."
Page 541 "And getting ahead of Gisela is vital. She has stumbled across the most dangerous secret our world has ever buried—but she is still missing several key pieces at the moment."
Page 542 "Gisela has long believed that the Ancient Council—in an effort to maintain control over our growing population—chose to hold back our species by blocking access to certain vital sources of power. And she is convinced that the only way for us to reach our full potential is to expose ourselves to those natural forces."
Page 545 The same mark had been on the seal of a letter that a much younger Keefe had been tricked into delivering to Ethan Benedict Wright II in London—not long before Lady Gisela murdered him and his daughter.
Page 707 Vespera crouched to study the rocks, murmuring mostly to herself. "It has to be real. Something must be missing." Marella sucked in a breath. "Maybe it is! In the memory Fintan showed me, he was burning the Noxflares—and he kept saying 'something's missing.' "
Here are my thoughts:
On page 92, Sophie remembers Valin. I find it odd that he was mentioned and that Sophie doesn't know what happened to him. I don't put much significance on it, but I still wonder about it. My reason is because these books don't tend to mention random information that is meaningless.
On page 181, it is shocking to learn how Oralie dresses when she is by herself. She definitely puts on an act as a Councillor. We also learn that Oralie knows about Ethan and his daughter. How does she know? I assume that Mr. Forkle told her. I don't know how else she would know.
It is interesting when Sophie mentions Kenric's memories to Mr. Forkle. He plays dumb, but I think he is Kenric, simply pretending that he doesn't know. I have no doubt that Kenric would have looked at his forgotten memories, so of course he would know what they are. After all, we learn that Fintan knows his forgotten memories.
This book moves us closer to seeing who Forkle really is. Of course I've long believed that he is Kenric, and the clues are dropping faster and faster. Even Forkle's behavior is shifting. On page 490, Forkle as Leto props his feet on his desk. That's never been mentioned before. In Kenric's memories, Kenric props his feet up.
On page 493, we learn that Leto "looked far less put-together than usual, with weird creases in his hair, as if he'd been trying to drag his fingers through the crispy gelled strands." Think of Kenric's wild hair, which must be hard to tame. If he did it quickly, then he'd have weird creases in his hair. We are being told these details for a reason.
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