Well the main character makes some (IMO) weird relationship choices. I get that domineering male lovers are a trope of romance novels and lots of people like them but there was something really squicky about one of the guys Eugine keeps coming back to. At least to me. I mean she's constantly learning that he lied to her to manipulate her into doing something she's vehemently opposed to and I just am not comfortable with that. ETA: Actually, now that I think about it, both of the guys she's with off and on in the series lie to her and manipulate her for their own ends. She'll get mad at one then go to the other and forgive him and then find out about another lie and go back to the other and hate that guy she just left... It's really dysfunctional.
She also doesn't have a lot of female influence on her life for most of the series but that isn't the big thing.
The big one (to me) was that in the third book she is kidnapped by a man who wants to use her for the same reason that one lover of hers does and wants to unite their kingdoms. So he keeps her locked in a room for like a month and rapes her repeatedly. But - as so often happens - after she breaks free it is sort of forgotten. It's not entirely forgotten but most of that is because she's mad at one of her lovers for making the "wrong choice" about her rapist when he came to rescue her. There are a couple other times when she thinks about it vaguely but pretty much after she enacts her revenge being locked in a fucking room and raped repeatedly has very little impact on her mental well being.
The last thing is a bit of a spoiler and I wasn't the only person who was bothered by this but I'll cut it in case you don't want to read it. It's not triggering and it's not a usual problem but I just found it weird. Really weird. Especially given the fact that she wrote part of this book while pregnant. I find it a little off putting as a writer because it was lazy and off putting as a feminist since it seems like a bit of a judgement on motherhood
So I know Mead doesn't think an action heroine should be a mother and I get her reasoning but she decided to have Eugine get pregnant at the end of the second to the last book. It was a huge deal since literally the entire series is about how if she gets pregnant she might give birth to the man who will destroy humanity. So the end of the book is a big build up to her decision and what not. Then the first half of the last book is almost entirely dedicated her pregnancy and what's going to happen when her babies are born. There are some brief mentions about some other Plot Stuff that will matter later but mostly it's about the babies.
Then she has the babies. So goes to huge lengths to protect them and goes to this out of the way place for a month or something and has her children.
And almost immediately takes off.
Ok, whatever, she is an action hero but the last half of the book is so not about her children it's disturbing. And at the end she decides she's pretty much never going to see her kids even though the reason she had them hidden is no longer an issue. She decides to start a life with their father and never tell him they were his kids and then doesn't bring her kids with her. It just felt flat and strange - especially from someone about to become a mother herself though it wold have been strange in any case - and some sort of weird judgement on working mothers. After putting up with a terribly handled rape - which is something I really have issues with - and continuing with the series it felt like a massive let down. And it is the last book in the series so it's not like that will be resolved.
TW: Rape
ETA: Actually, now that I think about it, both of the guys she's with off and on in the series lie to her and manipulate her for their own ends. She'll get mad at one then go to the other and forgive him and then find out about another lie and go back to the other and hate that guy she just left... It's really dysfunctional.
She also doesn't have a lot of female influence on her life for most of the series but that isn't the big thing.
The big one (to me) was that in the third book she is kidnapped by a man who wants to use her for the same reason that one lover of hers does and wants to unite their kingdoms. So he keeps her locked in a room for like a month and rapes her repeatedly. But - as so often happens - after she breaks free it is sort of forgotten. It's not entirely forgotten but most of that is because she's mad at one of her lovers for making the "wrong choice" about her rapist when he came to rescue her. There are a couple other times when she thinks about it vaguely but pretty much after she enacts her revenge being locked in a fucking room and raped repeatedly has very little impact on her mental well being.
The last thing is a bit of a spoiler and I wasn't the only person who was bothered by this but I'll cut it in case you don't want to read it. It's not triggering and it's not a usual problem but I just found it weird. Really weird. Especially given the fact that she wrote part of this book while pregnant. I find it a little off putting as a writer because it was lazy and off putting as a feminist since it seems like a bit of a judgement on motherhood
So I know Mead doesn't think an action heroine should be a mother and I get her reasoning but she decided to have Eugine get pregnant at the end of the second to the last book. It was a huge deal since literally the entire series is about how if she gets pregnant she might give birth to the man who will destroy humanity. So the end of the book is a big build up to her decision and what not. Then the first half of the last book is almost entirely dedicated her pregnancy and what's going to happen when her babies are born. There are some brief mentions about some other Plot Stuff that will matter later but mostly it's about the babies.
Then she has the babies. So goes to huge lengths to protect them and goes to this out of the way place for a month or something and has her children.
And almost immediately takes off.
Ok, whatever, she is an action hero but the last half of the book is so not about her children it's disturbing. And at the end she decides she's pretty much never going to see her kids even though the reason she had them hidden is no longer an issue. She decides to start a life with their father and never tell him they were his kids and then doesn't bring her kids with her. It just felt flat and strange - especially from someone about to become a mother herself though it wold have been strange in any case - and some sort of weird judgement on working mothers. After putting up with a terribly handled rape - which is something I really have issues with - and continuing with the series it felt like a massive let down. And it is the last book in the series so it's not like that will be resolved.