This is the eighth blog installment of Read & React for The Fifth Season. If you’re new to the series check out the first installment here. Eventually I hope to take my notes from this and transform them into a Spoiler Free Review, but this segment will definitely be filled with spoilers since it is my thoughts as I go through the book. Reader be warned, this post is meant for discussion purposes; avert your eyes now if you wish to avoid spoilers.
7: you plus one is two
You guessed it! We’re back to second person which means we’re on Essun’s storyline again. She takes Hoa with her on the road going south. They receive many off-putting stares since the boy is so ridiculously dirty. Eventually Essun spots a bit of water and takes the boy down to it to wash off only to discover he’s abnormally white – like albino white (dare I say marble white? – I’m definitely thinking he’s the red rock eating boy from earlier). She also discovers that Hoa is seemingly able to tell where all orogenes are; and he knows where Nassun is. (It seems like because he’s made of earth he can tell where all those who can move earth are? It probably isn’t a Guardian type of thing based on the description of Guardians in the last chapter. Oh, and since he’s refused the raisins Essun tried to give him as sustenance and claims he doesn’t need to eat often I’m definitely thinking the food he actually eats are bits of red geode.)
The chapter ends on another excerpt from an old text – only this time it sounds like another/different religious text (or perhaps the story of the actual origin of this world).
IN SUMMARY
Important Places:
I mean, they’re on a road going south
Important Things:
Ehh, nothing new here unless you want to count the quote at the end of the chapter
Important People:
Hoa – he’s starkly white now that he has all of the dirty washed off of him
Personal Point of Interest
I have a pretty good hunch that Hoa is red rock eating boy from earlier, but if what we read earlier is how he was “birthed” into this world then how has he learned speech and know how to track orogenes so well?
Oh, and if you’ve gotten to the end of this post leave me a comment down below. I’m really interested to hear what people are thinking of this series.
TheBookishSock 