Raisa ana'Marianna

Flamecaster theories concerning a wizard special to my heart, spoilers under the cut

*minor spoiler alerts about the Seven Realms and none about Shattered Realms

On The Seven Realms by Cinda William Chima: There are so many reasons why I love this series and I’m probably going to forget some in the span of writing this. I am also probably not going to explain completely how I feel or totally encompass how others may feel. However, some of my favourite things about this series are the strong female characters, the all-round diversity, the excellent writing and the connections that the characters have.

There are so many strong female characters in this series. The books are set in a queendom called the Fells. My mind is constantly being wowed by this. This is a realm where only women rule the nation and there is a continual discussion of how the other patriarchal realms react to this. One of the protagonist is the princess heir Raisa and while, in the beginning, some of the actions she takes are done solely as an act of rebellion, she ultimately has her own goals and reasons for her actions. The character growth is amazing to watch the young woman go from a girl resentful of her mother to a woman who puts the needs of her country first and still takes what she wants. Although this is a queendom, there are still many patriarchal problems within the realm and Raisa slowly sorts that out. Also, Raisa was causally sexual and no one judged her for it. One thing that stood out to me was when she put Char Dunedain (a biracial woman) in charge of the army. Char replaces the old corrupt general because of her competence and understanding of the world beyond just politics and the battlefield.

As a biracial woman and someone who has been influenced by tumblr, the topic of diversity is pretty close to my heart. Many characters in this series are biracial and I love the differences in the behaviour to their mixed identities. Raisa spent a few years with her father’s family (of the Demonai Clan) who taught her much about the connection to earth, strength and stubbornness. As a princess, she struggles to balance her familial connection with the clans and the other people of the realm, including wizards. She must appease everyone. On the other hand, her sister Mellony never spent time in the clans and has no interest in doing so. She connects more with the general population of the realm and the aristocrats. This is especially important to me because people (namely me) can be mixed race and not fully identify with each culture as it is not something they were raised to be aware of. And then there is Fire Dancer who is half clan and half wizard. He is resentful of his wizard side and seeks to repress it, though he eventually comes to terms with his identity and unites the two warring cultures within him in a beautiful and powerful way.

This series does not have much in the way of LGBT diversity, but the one lesbian couple in this series has a recurring role. Chima does an excellent job of normalizing them in the views of the rest of the realms. Pearlie (who is not from the queendom) mentions how life was more difficult for her in Arden were she was an oddity, but how the people of the Fells are more accepting of her and her relationship with Talia. Mostly, this couple just fits as seamlessly into the narrative as any other couple.

And I just have to talk about Han and Raisa. In the first book (The Demon King), the pair only meet once, but their meeting is so profound that it just sticks to you and you’re perched at the edge of your seat waiting to see what they’ll do next. In both The Seven Realms and the newer Shattered Realms, Chima gives her protagonists their own inciting incidents and develops her characters into individuals with their own goals and plans long before the protagonists ever meet. And then when they do meet, the meeting doesn’t change their plans, but it does open their eyes to things they may not have seen before. Raisa and Han met in a charged and intense moment that stays with them. They impress each other and while they do part ways and don’t see each other again until the next book, they remember each other. They still carry out their plans and are wrapped up in their own story lines. However, Raisa and Han are so impressed by each other that it sticks with them.

*SPOILER ALERT

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So he is dead. You know who he is.

I can objectively and artistically see the need for his death, but I just can’t wrap my head (really, my heart) around it. 

Objectively, Han is such a strong, cunning, resourceful character that if he was alive then he’d take some or a lot of the action away from Ash. Raisa is all that too, however, she does not have the freedom to move around that her husband had. She has a duty to her queendom to stay and rule and help her people. So yeah, Han had to die and Raisa didn’t. Han’s death was also a major inciting incident for his son, sooo… yea…

I know that I should be happy that Raisa and Han got twenty-five years together, but something is stopping me. Maybe it’s that I didn’t get to read about those years. Mostly, I just can’t stop think about the end. Shel Silverstein wrote a poem that said: “There are no happy endings. Endings are the saddest part, so just give me a happy middle and a very happy start.” It is a wonderful saying, but I am a greedy person and I just wanted them to be happy forever and ever. I wanted Han and Raisa to avoid any of the tragedy of Alger and Hanalea. What is stuck in my mind is that Raisa and Han were at war throughout the entirety of their marriage and, while that didn’t tear them apart, I’m sure it was stressful and painful for them. And it seemed like Han was often away, making and carrying out war strategies. They were a powerful couple with many duties that were sure to have kept them apart at times. They could handle it, but I can’t. (sorry, this is kind of just me whining.)

And then to add to their (and my) misery, their eldest daughter is killed off in the last six months of their marriage. Grieving is something people have to do on their own. The support of family and friends is very important in times of grief, but, ultimately, it is a person’s own strength of character and their own decisions that keep them going. So, really, who knows what was happening in their relationship at this point? Obviously, they still loved each other, but what has happening behind the scenes?

And while I can’t wrap my head around Han’s death, I can’t image Raisa’s pain either. She is so incredibly strong. Her eldest daughter and her husband are killed and her son disappears for four years - that sounds unbearable. And yet, still, she rules to the best of her abilities. 

I just can’t accept a death like that. He deserved better.

I eagerly await reading about her reunion with her son.