#constance greene

I also really love Constance but I also do see how some people may have been turned off by how her character has changed. Broadly, I think you can split Constance's characterization into two parts: pre-seduction by Diogenes and post-seduction (and I mean specifically that moment in Book of the Dead). Pre-seduction she seemed, to me anyway, more mentally on par with Corrie rather than someone like Pendergast. Incredibly intelligent and well-learned, yes, but also isolated, unsure of herself, and, frankly, probably just sad when it comes to the brass tacks. Post-seduction we see the change and I think that's because for the first time she has true agency. She couldn't help becoming an orphan, her siblings dying, and she didn't really have a choice to live with Leng or get the serum. But after what Diogenes did she made the conscious decision to not end her unnatural life and become an active agent in her own existence.

For my money, I think Crimson Shore Constance is the best Constance. She's still a little fish out of water-y (like when she flubs trying to get information from others) but still is determined enough to stay with Pendergast when the mystery gets going and when she tries to put a move on him at the end. You can see a bit of her becoming more confident, if not confrontational, but she's still first and foremost an observer who isn't about to jump into something (arguably) half-cocked.

I do understand people who think she may have become a bit too erratic and OP and I don't entirely disagree, especially since so much of this development happens off screen so we don't even get to see her actually get good. You can argue it's cheap for Pendergast to also be good at basically everything he does but at least he has the background of being former military and an FBI agent so him being good at guns, stealth, reconnaissance, etc. etc., makes more sense than Constance who just reads a lot but should not have any practical experience. I'm fine with Constance with her stiletto and trying to fight or be involved in action, but Constanbo always feels a little... unrealistic to me.

I also just don't think the time travel/alternative universe travel was a good direction to go. It had it's moments but if I could change one thing about the series, I would scrap those three books and not just because they got rid of my second husbando. I don't have an issue with Constance getting some main character attention, but I wish it was done differently and in a better setting.

So my TL;DR is that I love Constance, but I understand why some people have come to dislike her and even I don't necessarily love how she's been developed. I think there's a middle ground between her being demure and OP but recently we've veered too far to the OP end of the spectrum.

Tristram spends Christmas break with Pendergast and Constance. He ends up getting a crush on Constance and is not particularly good at hiding it.

I am cringe and I am free 🧘

I will draw character crossovers with no care in the world 🧘