Storyline

OK, I also see the patterns, but lets state some more:

1) Abusive child hood with Lissa and Reah. However, their personalities are currently different coming from that abuse. I don't doubt Reah will gain in strength as the stories continue. If nothing else, Reah has a kick but alternate ego. I loved the Ra'Ak seen! Lot more intelligence in her alter form from Tory.

2) Lissa and Reah can cook. Reah though can REALLY cook. I really don't mind this repeat pattern. I love hearing about the the dishes and the art of how she is making it. I can just taste the yum factor!

3) The men just don't listen to Lissa (in the beginning) or Reah when they say warn about something. For Reah, since she is still somewhat timid, I can see the men might not yet take her serious.

So any other patterns missed?

On Bel and the wizards, I like them and I am hoping they are not the enemy, or at least not for long. I suspect that they are their to help protect or sell the planets export. After all, Asia in the historic past sold poppy. It was an golden export... although addictive and bad. So think this may end up being a royal protected export, etc. I am still hoping something turns things around so Bel and group don't have to have Reah open up her alternate ego on them.

Totally agree on all especially the last point!

More patterns are there, but I think it's better to let them come to light on their own ... watch for character development and at the same time remember both other current series.

Although ... I am surprised no one has asked about it yet ... Reah is her own mother? ... me thinks Connie needs to throw popcorn at her proof reader ... lol.

I highly suspect we will see more of the Rangers ... they are Reah's "adoptive" family and I suspect she will not let them fade into history ... I would also not be surprised to see the her recruit friends back in some form .

a note on Drake and Drew--they can transform to Dragons--that's how they fight Ra'Ak. Aurelius has no alter ego. Sorry for any confusion

I'm not saying Lissa was cold or unfeeling towards her - the things you note are good examples of Lissa caretaking. But as we saw in Blood Reunion, Lissa has a big tendency to rescue the abandoned, those without a family, and after Glinda flaked, I was just suprised Lissa didn't do more to let Reah know Lissa was available/on her side/open to questions, especially after Reah and Gavril hit it off so well. In Lissa's defense, I acknowledge that being the balance between light and Dark worlds is probably kinda time consuming.

On the Ranger Wizards - it was already established that the High Commander was a shifty sort, and that his orders are absolute, so I can easily see discovering Bel and the others were at least some what unwilling/being used. I mentioned it in my last post but didn't specify that I saw this as a pattern...various characters (especially our Mains) being sent on assignments, frequently without the support/freedom/voice needed to completely succeed at their assignment (before things blow up, anyway), and occasionally said assignments turn out to be BAD ideas. In general how the world - and some of the more annoying men of the world (Norian! and, briefly, Dragon) expect rank and file behavior from the exceptional people. Sometimes exceptional people have guard duty and paperwork, just like everyone else.

Another pattern: Our strong female not sharing information because she feels discouraged from doing so. And in Lendill's defense, the first sighting of Nods was apparently spurious and it took Reah herself deveral days to click more of the pieces together, just so she could still not tell anyone.

One more pattern: The shared abusive childhood was mentioned earlier in the thread. Both Lissa and Reah develop warrior chick traits early on when it is needed to survive. (I thing Connie points this out beautifully with the comparison between Reah and the other women in the convoy. As an aside within my aside, also interesting to note that Reah gets both nursing duties and warrior duties.) Ok, back to abusive childhoods. So far when Reah does get to the other side of the traumatic near-death moments, she seems to shut down and doesn't fall apart, ever. Which makes me think she's balling everything up completely, which means we get to watch it blow up later!!

M'Fiyahs - Did have a chuckle moment while re-reading and realized Wyatt, also, is not completely out of the realm of possibility. Which would make Griffen Reah's Father in Law. Which is almost guaranteed to end in extreme pain for Reah,