Tome Thursday: Morrighan

Hello everyone!

I'm reviewing something different this week, and something that I'm a little late to reading to begin with, based on the publication date. 

And while I'm still sitting on The Sinner from J. R. Ward (I'm getting there, I just ... I have to make myself do it, first), I picked up this novella at random because I'm OCD enough that if there's a book that's said to be happening BEFORE a main series, then I want to read it in chronological, not publication order.

From what I've managed to gather, a lot of people seem to think this novella should be read between some of the main books, but it's so short that I won't really have an issue picking it up again if need arises.

For the time being, I was just happy to be able to dive into a completely new world.

Mary E. Pearson is an author I haven't had the chance to read much of yet, but her Remnant Chronicles have been popping up on reviews from some of the Booktubers I follow, and it felt like sort of a sign.

If everyone else is talking about it, it deserves at least a look-see, right?

So here we go. Listen to the wind, everyone, and let's follow the Morrighan.

I literally have nothing else to offer you in terms of reviews that might come close to this one, as I have no other books from the Chronicles on here yet (hopefully I will, eventually) and I don't think I ever reviewed the books from The Hunger Games or Divergent trilogies. I may have to do that at some point, but for the time being, this is going to be the lone entry!

Morrighan is the prequel tale to the Remnant Chronicles and the characters introduced in the novella are going to prove important later on in the main trilogy, so it's at least a good idea to take some sort of look at this.

The novella introduces us to a sort of Romeo and Juliet love story, or perhaps more of a Pocahontas and John Smith in a way, though it's honestly a mix of all pieces.

Morrighan is part of the Remnants - she lives in a post-apocalyptic world (storms ravaged it, from the sound of it, or at the very least Mother Nature decided to punish its inhabitants and some small groups managed to flee beyond the mountains and to new lands), and her people have an inner knowledge, memory, honour, and a love for everything around them. They live from nature and work for what they need, as opposed to their enemies.

The Scavengers, which Jafir is part of, the young man who will become integral to the story. The Scavengers don't work - they scavenge, and they live from hand to mouth. They're nomadic and tend to follow the Remnants around so they can steal from them and live at ease.

It's how Morrighan and Jafir meet, when he finds her hidden, but refuses to reveal her location to the adults in his group, and then as they grow, they keep on meeting.

In secret, of course, because what world is this where a Remnant and Scavenger actually don't hate each other, right?

Morrighan teaches Jafir how to find food where there seemingly isn't any, and Jafir takes her with him for rides or brings her some of his hunting spoils. It's a lovely bridge between them and slowly the bond begins to strengthen, especially once the Remnants find a good valley to settle in.

Morrighan finds an abandoned tower with heaps of books, now a teen herself, or teen on the cusp of womanhood, and that's where she spends most of her time - with Jafir.

Jafir, who is initially more the Beast in this Beauty and the Beast tale than anything else, but he loves listening to Morrighan read to him, and slowly but surely the two young people fall in love, even though they know that's forbidden.

Even though they know it's almost certain death for Morrighan and her people if Jafir's father and uncle find out.

And of course they find out.

Jafir's brother tattles.

There's no honour among thieves, especially not with the war clans of the Scavengers gathering to the banners of their leader, Harik. And there's a bit of a twist, too.

Harik is actually Morrighan's father, who also had an illicit relationship with her mother, and who's been looking for his child since forever because he knows that, like the woman who birthed her, Morrighan has powers that might save his people. 

Aka, they might take them to a land where they won't have to scavenge, or fear anything but abundance.

Naturally, Morrighan gets handed over to Harik and her people are raided once again, and even more naturally (as this has to interfere with the romance) she believes that Jafir was part of the raid and so she's mad at him, but then Jafir rides up to Harik and bargains for her.

And Harik actually lets her go.

It seems like it was his one weak moment - because he wanted Morrighan so much, but he gave her away to another Scavenger so easily in the end. Maybe the two young lovers reminded him of himself and Morrighan's mother? I hope there's more about this in the actual trilogy.

Anyway, after their little spat, Morrighan and Jafir get pulled into Jafir's Scavenger group, and because she wants to save both their lives (especially Jafir's, at that) she promises his father and brother that she'll take them safely through the mountains to the land of riches and plenty, where fruit grows on trees and you only have to reach out for it.

In exchange, all she wants is to be Jafir's wife.

Naturally they don't want to give her that, because at the end of their journey, Jafir's older brother is supposed to claim her, but she kind of kills him before he can.

Jafir takes out his daddy-o, no problem, and assumes leadership over the group.

They've now reached paradise, after all - and Morrighan is pregnant with his child.

Short, full of information, and to the point, this novella might seem hasty at times, but it's a short story so it's not supposed to go into details, though I would have enjoyed some more information on Harik and the mother, as well as Morrighan's aunt, whom she believes was kidnapped and taken to the Scavengers, but Harik tells her she went of her own free will, so that sounds a lot like the Rhaegar and Lyanna mishap in A Song of Ice and Fire where people murmured one thing but something else actually happened.

All in all, however, I enjoyed it!

Jafir was dashing, if wild, and I liked that he didn't automatically lose the wildness when meeting Morrighan. I liked the gradual change in him.

The supporting characters all rounded up the story well, but it was Jafir and of course his Morrighan who carried the story. Especially as it was Morrighan herself who literally brought it to a satisfying finish with that neat slice at Jafir's brother to take him down.

And she knows, with the premonition and knowing deep in her bones, that this is just the beginning. The place she found is a sanctuary for them, but someday, sometime in the future, one of their descendants is going to be the hope that everyone needs, to right all the wrongs.

And isn't that just a brilliant segueway into the trilogy?

“We have been blessed by the gods,” he said. “The cruelties of the world are behind us now. Our child will never know them.”
I closed my eyes, wanting to believe him. Wanting to forget the blood that had been spilled by our hands, wanting to believe we could start fresh, just as my tribe had in that small vale so long ago, wanting to believe that this time our peace would last.
And then I heard a familiar voice on the wind, one I had heard so many times, calling out to me.
From the loins of Morrighan,
Hope will be born.
On its heels came a whispered name that was always just beyond my reach, not yet mine to hear, but I knew that one day my children’s children or the ones who came after would hear it.
One day hope would have a name.

Morrighan, p.80