You weren’t lying. I’m writing up an impressions post and I will say I voluntarily decided to read the rest of it at 3am.
It’s pretty well paced and moves at a clip. Because Golden genuinely isn’t a bad writer she just tells baffling stories.
But I think it ultimately failed. Because no, I still have no god damn idea why she figured the Jailor was trustworthy.
Although I do think it suggests Sylvanas was uniquely miserable because of the soul split thing. Because Nathanos does suggest the obvious - why don’t we just duck off together Sylvanas we are functionally immortal why do we care - and she says oh happiness would be impossible.
Until later when she has the rest of her soul back.
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After death, Sylvanas just became this one note caricature of Golden’s Sylvanas and I wish we could all just agree that Golden really doesn’t understand Sylvanas enough and was not the right person to pen Sylvanas’s autobiography.
I’m so disappointed this is considered actual Sylvanas canon now 
There were parts of it that were okay. But she literally did throw everything we liked about Sylvanas in a dumpster and lit it all on fire, just to make the Jailer fit the lore.
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WAIT A MINUTE! WAIT A MINUTE! WAIT JUST A GOSH DARN MINUTE!
Ren… I’m going to need you to talk me down here…
I might be going off the deep end.
The Jailer gave Sylvanas back the remainder of her soul - possibly to render her in a coma and useless, make her feel the weight of her actions, or even feel her suffering when she’d inevitably be judged.
What if he also did it to promote her affection toward Nathanos? And, as such, he did it knowing he had already taken Nathanos’ soul and crushed it into oblivion?
You might ask why I would possibly consider such a tragic fate. It seems quite cruel. Except in light of the fact that a particular character followed her into the Maw. Quite possibly Anduin.
Fast-forward to time-dilation. They bond, he helps her with her grief, their relationship blossoms into something more?
Wrynnrunner is back?
Love child forthcoming that will unite Azeroth under one banner?
TALK ME DOWN!
TALK MY DIRTY WYRNNRUNNER SHIPPING BUTT DOWN BEFORE I GET TOO EXCITED!
I’m only half way through, but it does mention how her memory, emotions, and feeling are affected because of her change. I’m of the mind that if someone’s positive emotions and feeling are rewired they aren’t gonna make the best of choices. Her will is in tact but her emotions and feelings are not. So far, she is fighting to recall memories as she has just fought to maintain her will.
I’m happy to get some clarity about she was affected by undeath. Undeath is more than a skin disease.
I am not a wyrnnwrunner shipper. So you can sit in that canoe by youself 
as soon as I put two and two together that it was Anduin who jumps after her I was like “welp here we go again with the Wyrnnrunner shipping”… this is my punishment for participating in Teldrassil.
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Oh that’s fine. You like Pugthanos. I get it. I even have a pug.
But tell me something in there doesn’t lead to that conclusion. Otherwise I’m going to believe the savior of Azeroth is coming and s/he’s part Death and part Light.
I think they are very similar and that was supposed to be the point. I’ve always meta’d that Anduin and young Sylvanas shared an ideology of peace, but that was poorly reflected in Golden’s novel so I don’t disagree that the bare minimum to see is potential shipping. But it was supposed to be way deeper and that was not properly conveyed in the book.
They are both fools.
Fools who believe in the best of people.
There’s nothing sexual or romantic about thier tentative friendship. But shipping is free. headcanons are free. go ham.
Yeah.
I’m still kinda confused is the missing soul chunk basically magical brain damage? Because a lot of her decision making adds up in that context.
Like the Lor’Themar and Brightwing thing was weird. I can definitely see why she saw that commentary as hurtful but Sylvanas- please consider this from their perspective.
Obviously the face of a woman they watched grow up and become their superior being used as a sonic weapon is going to screw with them pretty hard.
Idk yeah probably wouldn’t have gone well if ya dropped out of a tree then and there but maybe try a letter or something.
Just tie it to an arrow and fire it near them.
“Hey guys long story but I’m me again- just much spookier. So don’t shoot”
Idk she just decides woe is me a lot rather than trying to figure out any alternative solution.
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Also did Anduin follow her into the Maw? To help with her eternal penance fetch quest?
Because if anyone should help it’d be Uther, yeah?
I agree, in hindsight it seems like she went above and beyond to make herself as unlikeable as possible.
had she just been herself than she could have possibly shown them she was still her?
but Golden also doesn’t articulate how much Sylvanas herself was porbably struggling with PTSD after Arthas. i always chalked up her coldness to having PTSD. But Golden just hinged on this “it’s not fair” hinge to make everything Sylvanas experienced reaffirm this confirmation bias and that’s what the jailer ultimately used to easily manipulate her into becoming a super villain.
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I thought it would, but the book always points out that in thier discussions, The sound of Anduin’s armor becomes familiar. The “clank” of him sitting in full plate.
So after she jumps in the Maw she hears the familiar ‘Clank’ of plate armor behind her. it’s implied that she knows that it’s Anduin who jumped in after her.
It’s still not clear though. It’s not specifically stated that it was Anduin we just have the hint of his familiar armor sound following her into the maw.
Maybe he took off his plate and threw it in afterward and he’s just running around Oibos in his underwear who knows. The kid has had it rough for the last expansion, he’s not mentally in a good place.
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I’ve always believed that its due to the curse of undeath. Otherwise, what’s so bad about the curse of undeath other than bad skin?
There are a few references to her mindstate after she was released from Arthas. The latest one I read was on pg 208
“She could remember sights and smells and sensations, but not how she felt. Her emotions seemed to be limted, if nuanced in their compactness”
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Their child shall be named Valayan. It will make people think of the word valiant, Anduin gets to start the name in honor of his father, and the name is also comprised of letters in their names.
Done.
Abeloth wasn’t originally connected to the Ones, as the first few Fate of the Jedi books - where Abeloth debuted - were released before the Mortis arc from the Clone Wars first aired.
Apart from that, I agree with everything else you said.
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Yeah ngl she comes off as thunderously dumb for just deciding the Jailor is trustworthy.
Mal’Ganis turns up. And like - Windy. This is Varimathras’s brother. You know this. If they all serve the Jailor - why did Varimathras try to kill you?
I’m just incredibly confused. Because they actually bring up Orc Shamanism but - like who are they talking to?
Also like the greviance about not being able to see your loved ones is basically valid and is this ever rectified by the game’s story?
I know they decide to discontinue the Maw but is that still an ongoing policy?
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Does Veressa evolve at all?
I’ve been saying this for over a decade:
Also page 195:
“She remembered kindness, and love, but seemed unable to feel them anymore”
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As far as I know they only said that now people have a choice where to go. But that doesn’t make sense with how the Shadowlands works.
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No Veressa is still the same.
The craving for humanoid flesh? Or humanoid suffering in the case of DKs?
Nathanos at least doesn’t seem like he’s having any trouble loving her at least. Because it’s only after she gets her soul back, which is described as ‘conscience and kindness’ returned to her that she gets she couldve been happy with him.
Christ this whole story has just been one giant
What
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