HIDE AND SEEK UNITES US ~ military adult fantasy, romance, and propaganda ~ Guns of the Dawn review 

Regarding the scene: The original options for the MC were either 1) surrender or 2) fight to the death. She doesn't feel like she can surrender (aristocrats, amiright), he can't let her go: he has an enemy unit dead to rights and they're in the middle of a *brutal* war. Her proposal is that the superior force gives a head start to the weaker force to run for it. It's an excuse/Hail Mary not to fight among the local's holy site, while giving both sides what they want (her unit gets a chance to live, his unit doesn't have to violate the holy site). "Hide and seek"/children's game was just the memory trigger for the MC. She's not actually suggesting they play hide and seek, it's more of a euphemism.

I like the idea of resolving any conflict by proposing hide & seek.

I’ve missed your long in depth book reviews! The wrap ups are great don’t get me wrong but you’re just so good at doing these kinds of critical analysises. This one has me sold!! Even though you didn’t love it I’m actually really interested

Before you even said you didn't quite like this story I was already thinking "eh", tbh. Edit: about "that scene". Tbh I think he should've just shot her before she could react. (Dark but at least interesting.) Or argued a one-on-one fight or something. Someone could've used that situation as a distraction. Everyone would just stand there otherwise. It frustrates me and I haven't even read it lol.

I had all the same issues as you and more! You’re the only one I’ve heard criticize this book, this video is so validating 📚

So you know how George RR Martin uses the war of the roses for his stuff? I think, haven't read this one, but I think he was going for the holiday truce of 1914, girls weren't playing soccer back then, so he probably just came up with a well known game that he thinks girls back then would've played, but unless it was a holiday, chances of a truce working is slim. Men are typically going to put in a sport, but women not so much (this is time specific, today, probably) so I don't know, my guess is that's what he was going for, a nonviolent game as opposed to a contact sport. Interesting choice, I definitely don't think it would've worked, but I didn't write the story either. I was worried after you said it's like P&P, that they'd end up making out or something, I need to lay off the romance it would seem, but that's one of my favorite stories, so hide and seek made me sigh with relief lol. As I don't know her character before that, I can't really say, but that's my reasoning. I'm a veteran and a woman, but that's today's mindset, not the early 1900s mindset. Considering I've seen way worse plot armor *cough rings of power*, this one doesn't bother me quite so much as I really think that's probably what he was going for. He kindof sounds like a love or hate author because people are either praising his stuff or they hate it. If I wasn't deep into the Expanse series, I'd check it out, but he's a bit low on my list, next year is Red Rising.

Hey have you heard of the book “Master of Sorrows”? I bought it without knowing anything about it and I’m currently reading it, and wow, I’m so surprised is not more well known! It’s pretty good and it has a very interesting premise: is the coming of age story of a hero who is, actually, the series’s dark lord! I really like you under hyped book recommendations, so now I’m returning the favor 😅 I think you would really like this book, the worldbuilding is very interesting as well.

I haven't read the book, so cannot speak to it. But you are not alone in your concerns with the example scene. In fact, I've gone through a three step hermeneutical process trying to write this comment (which is stupid long, offered only for engagement's sake and should be read by no one). I absolutely do not require (or even desire) "accuracy" or "realism" in fiction. But I do need for it to be real for the characters.* Plausible enough internally for the characters to take it seriously. I want fiction (that's serious in tone) to have some chance of showing me something real about the world or human experience. Whether that's connecting directly with a character or just interfacing with an author's ideas; the point is interacting with thoughts that aren't my own. I need to have some reason to believe those thoughts are worthwhile or else what's the point? Anything that makes me question whether the author takes their own subject seriously or understands it well enough to have anything interesting to say is a problem. _* At least in fiction that's in any part serious in tone. Fun is fun and comedy is comedy. Character verisimilitude may or may not be important in all genres._ That said, this might fall into the category of "Do I need an author to be an expert in warfare before I can find something worthwhile in their writing about war?" and I think the answer to that is (or at least should be) "No". I've had friends react to military fiction by pointing out that strategy A or B (usually something from real world history) would have "destroyed" one side or the other and complain that this ruined the story. I feel bad for them, as it often seems to me that their familiarity with the subject has prevented them (through distraction) from having a worthwhile experience. A positive experience that is entirely possible and more easily accessible by those without the same familiarity with the subject. That isn't really a problem with the book, just a failure of the interface between the author and a specific reader. Sometimes such things can be fixed from the reader's side by adjusting their expectations (easier said than done of course). Sometimes it can't. But either way, I'm not sure it can really be viewed as a failure on the author's part. On the third hand (we all have one of those, right?), there has to be a line somewhere. I happen to have an amount of niche knowledge about historical fencing (active HEMAist, even had the honor of helping with the translation of a couple of historical sources). Nevertheless "unrealistic" sword fights in fiction don't bother me in the least. As long as the characters take the threat seriously it doesn't matter at all whether the "moves" would actually work. But that's the sticking point. The characters have to take the threat seriously. Something about military officers in an ongoing conflict thinking that the hide & seek thing is something they could sell to their subordinates or (as pointed out in the video) that such an excuse was needed at all; strongly suggests that the characters do not take some aspect of the world seriously. Either the conflict or the intellect of the soldiers serving under them. So maybe, in that context it *_is_* a problem after all.

The Shadows of the Apt by this author series was a real treat

I’ve really loved this book! Absolutely a masterpiece. Love the cover so gorgeous 🩵💚🫶🏻🫶🏻💛💙🩵💜🩷🩷💘💘💖💜🪻🪻📚📚📙📙📖📖📖📖🌷🌷❤️🌷💞🩶💘🫶🏻💚🩵💙💙💙💙💛🩷💜💜🪻🌷🌷🌷💗💞🩶🌈🌈💓💓🩶📚📖📖📖📚📙🌈🌷💛💛🩵💗💗💘💘💞💞💓🩶🩶💙

Yeah, as a military geek, that's crazy talk. Hide and seek? If you want a "two sides playing games" thing, going with soccer between the trenches in the Great War would be a far better option. That "solution" completely breaks verisimilitude.

I liked the book for the most part, but i agree with your criticism. The thing i really didn't like was the ending. I saw what was coming 50-100 pages ago and was very excited about what will happen afterwards. Bu, we didn't get anything. And it was over in a paragraph. 😑

I'm friends with the author on Facebook :)

There are so many authors and books from recent decades booktubers keep intentionally overlooking because of view count=$. Most of them were so influential and inspiration for many later works. Just to mention Bruce Sterling and his Schismatrix Plus from 80s that has been inspiration for this whole time even for authors like A.Tchaikovsky, A.Reynolds and others.

I haven't read Guns of the Dawn, but I have read many others by the same author. He moves between a lot of genres and styles - some of his stuff just feels like completely different authors to me! That being said - can't recommend Children of Time enough!! I think it is his most known book/series.

50 minutes? Heck yeah!!! You should see if you can interview him about this book. He has a really easy form you can use on his website

I've really loved this book! I'm glad I've checked it out some time ago

Wait what, how was this video 50min?! I love your in depth review! I hope you make more of them :)

50 MINUTES 😂 my heart

More military recs please 🥺

I thought we was going to talk about 'hide and seek' the song

i read this book early this year and enjoyed it, but i think the best way i could describe it is forgetable. i barely remember anything that happend apart from broad strokes despite only having read it a few months ago

I loved the themes of the book but ultimately the pacing let it down for me. And the fact that there was NO training sequence where Emily learns to fight, I was so looking forward to that bit and then they just skipped over it 😥

I read about the author and saw he lives not far from me 😂

man i dont know why i thought this was written by the swme author as the Witcher & i was like ???? damn he's written so many books & then i realised its completely different authors & felt so stupid. but holyyy shit the hide and seek scene would yoink me out of the story sooo quick, thats actually so insane 😭

I totally get being the lone voice that doesn’t like a book. ‘Empire of Silence’ just left me cold, and I have yet to find a booktuber that does anything other than gush about it. You refer to the plot armor for Emily…in EoS Hadrian is nothing but a full set of plot armor. I DNF’d at the point where he talks his way onto the military vessel during the alien attack. Just no, the absurdity of that scene booted me out forever. Trying to imagine Hide & Seek in the current conflicts makes the whole insanity of that scene so obvious. What a bizarre choice of the author. With regards the writing of the women characters…seems Tchaikovsky writes spiders better. 😏

Another fantastic video and great job Elliot 🩷💘📚📚📚💘🩷💘📙💗💚📖🪻🧡🧡💖🌻💕🧡💙❤️🩶💗🌷🩵💜💛🩷💘🌈🩷🩷🩵🩵🌷📙💞💚🩶🌷💞💘💘📙📙💞🌈💛💚🩶🩵🌷🌷🩵💜💜