The narrator is back. Also, the font is twice the size as the previous chapter.
Either they screwed up the text formatting for the Kindle version — something I've seen happen in other books — or it's supposed to be huge. My vision's bad, but it's not that bad. I can read stuff at arm's length just fine.
The epilogue begins with text mirroring Tookie's original introduction, talking about her mouth being "four centimeter too wide" and various other details from earlier. Except this time instead of her features being freakish, they're "unusual" and make the reader's gaze linger.
We find out that Tookie is now "kind of okay" with her hair and not okay with her large feet. She no longer looks hunched over (presumably, she grew a spine), and she doesn't look starved.
Still not buying Tookie being smart or brave. Sorry.
Tookie is standing on top of the M building. She's allowed now that Ci~L is in charge.
If Tookie is feeling guilty, she deserves to. She's friends with Ci~L, who has quite a bit of authority now. It would take less than a minute to say "can you have someone go check and see whether the friend I abandoned twice is alive or dead?" But she doesn't. Heck, Ci~L would probably leap at the chance considering how enthralled she is by Tookie and her other friends.
Tookie then thinks of something that's not ironic that she describes as ironic: the adjective of Metopia is "metopic" which means "of or pertaining to the forehead." Get it? Because Tookie's got a big forehead?
Bestosteros are trying to keep the peace while the Bellas are still having nervous breakdowns and crying because the 7Seven Tournament was cancelled. Once again, we see that the Bestosteros are useful. When are we going to see the Bellas do something useful?
Myrracle? Tookie thought, perking up. Was her sister still at Modelland, now trapped in Catwalk Corridor? Well, at least she's here, Tookie thought, stifling a giggle. Modelland is where she belongs, after all.
Yep, Bravo was completely right to call Tookie "pure and sweet." Because only a sweetheart would delight in their sister being clawed repeatedly.
Ci~L arrives, and we find out that she had slipped Tookie a note beforehand.
Meet me tonite at the south point of the M.
Princess BellaDonna (Can you flippin' believe it? I can't!)
Fierce & Love, Ci~L
The Grammar Nazi in me wants to cry when I read passages like this in a professionally published book.
Ci~L hasn't bothered to tell the panicking Bellas that she's the new BellaDonna because the Bored wants them to wait for the right time. Presumably that will be when the Bellas stop moping and start rioting.
Tookie asks what Ci~L thinks will happen to the old BellaDonna. Ci~L says that she doesn't have any authority over that, and that it's up to the Bored to decide.
So what's the point of having a BellaDonna if it's the Bored that makes all the decisions?
Also, I love the fact that Tookie and Ci~L aren't going to do anything to stop their mothers from being tortured for an accident and trying to lodge a legitimate complaint. It speaks volumes about their characters.
Ci~L tells Tookie that she'll be staying in Modelland and that the Bored wants her there. She then tells Tookie that first year is easy, but second year is much harder. I can't think of a single scene where Tookie prepared for a class, studied, or did any work outside of class. I guess second year is when they start actually assigning homework.
Ci~L tells Tookie that she'll change Modelland into a place that her "sister-friends" could have gone to, but it will be an uphill battle with the Bored.
Tookie tells Ci~L that she wants to try hard to succeed next year and that she loves it at Modelland. Ci~L tells Tookie that she should dream big. Since everything has to be spelled out for the audience, the text notes that this mirrors the advice Wingtip / Ray Faye / Ci~L's father gave Tookie earlier in the book.
Ci~L then asks Tookie if she wants to fly with her. Ci~L then gives Tookie back the SMIZE from ManAttack and Tookie wears it so she feels beautiful. Tookie climbs on Ci~L's back, and Ci~L begins to fly without her magic pouch.
Tookie then thinks back to a letter she wrote a few hours before. From an in-story perspective, it's supposed to be addressed towards other girls like Tookie. However, it reads exactly like you'd expect a letter to the reader would be.
She says that her journey hasn't been easy, and that she feels stronger because of all the struggles she's gone through. (What struggles? Stuff has been handed to her on a silver platter.) She mentions still not having a Lumière, which is misspelled as "Lumièe."
Nope. I got that last one covered. It's easy. The trick is to not have any sisters.
She continues on for about half a page, saying maybe the reader hates their body, or is bullied, etc. I feel kind of bad about the idea of mocking this section, since it is ATTEMPTING to deal with serious issues.
So I'm just going to say this: simply including a real-life issue in a book does not mean that book handles the issues well. I get what this section is meant to do, but the book's poor execution ruins it.
Tookie then says she hopes the reader finds their own special light.
Please don't.
Destroy this temple, and in three days, Tookie will raise it again.
She then asks the readers to send their strength and power to her, for when she's feeling scared. I'm not really sure complete strangers sending their strength to her would work. I'm not even sure how you would send memories, pain or strength to a real person, let alone a fictional character.
You know, this letter really shouldn't have been included in the prose. It should have been Tyra speaking directly to the reader in the Afterword.
We go back to Ci~L and Tookie flying, and Ci~L announces that she's about to teleportal but she doesn't know where.
Translation: the dangling plot threads aren't going to be resolved. Have a sequel hook instead!
And I really don't like all these new powers that Ci~L keeps pulling out. First flight and now the mystical ability for the universe to guide her to the next book where she should teleportal?
She asks if Tookie wants to go with her, and Tookie says "hells yeah!"
They fly downward, heading towards the Muse gravestones from earlier. I'm immediately reminded of the women who had limbs torn off apart by monsters not far from there. Tookie, not knowing about this, just is excited by how much fun the flying is. It's a bit jarring.
The End
This doesn't feel like the ending of the first book in a trilogy. It feels like the end of a TV show where the last episode has the heroes going off into the sunset to keep having adventures. Except with a lot more loose plot threads.
Most importantly: what happened to Hunchy? You do not spend half of a book building up a character who is planning to turn one of the protagonists into an entrée and then just end the book without resolving it. Aside from the sacrifice rumors - which turned out to be total bull - the danger that Hunchy presented was the most compelling conflict in the story.
I wouldn't have minded if the book had ended with him arriving at Modelland, or with a single line hinting that he was going try to butcher Piper in her sleep. But this feels like Tyra just forgot he existed.
In spite of supposedly becoming incredibly close to the Unicas, Tookie doesn't even consider bringing them along for the ride. The only people going on this adventure are Tookie and Ci~L. I'm guessing the two are Tyra's favorite characters based on this ending and the fact that a good chunk of the book was really about Ci~L and not Tookie.
There are so many things in this book that got brought up and then dropped. Maybe Tyra was saving them for the next two books, but it gives this book an unfinished feeling.
Up next time: The Acknowledgements
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