Teres

- The handling of Shra later gets really REALLY uncomfortable, with sexual overtones. So you are correct. Unfortunately.

I remember you mentioning in an earlier chapter that children are sexualized in this series, which is what immediately raised the red flags. How I wish I had been wrong...

- There are FAR better ways to make a story exciting than refusing to explain anything. Like raising the stakes by having everything go wrong, or introducing a plot twist.

That shit drives me crazy. There's a game series I like, Zero Escape, that relies a lot on this trope. So many of the mysteries could be solved in seconds if the characters would just talk to each other. I absolutely despise the "I can't tell you" plotline. Now, I'm not saying that characters keeping secrets can't be done well; I love a good dark secret, but when it's actively hindering the storytelling, gtfo with that.

- I have incredibly vivid nightmares but am also a lucid dreamer. When I have fought back against some nightmare figure that's threatening me I sure as hell haven't acted like it was a misbehaving child. I usually yell "FUCK YOU!" until it goes away.

Now, see, that's a more realistic (and better) way to deal with nightmares. Nightmares can be traumatizing, and you don't just shake your finger at and lightly scold the monsters that are trying to violently murder you.

- Because women can't ever throw a punch. They must slap ineffectually.

Oh. Oh no. I didn't even think about it like that, but I bet you're right!

- Our responsibility now isn't to undo all of that because that's impossible; it's to make amends by taking action against the injustices that are being committed now.

And that's how you deal with a situation like that. You can't change the past, but you can influence the future to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. I can understand being bitter and resentful of a race that did your own tremendous harm, but taking it out on one person just because she's a convenient punching bag for you is just... Now, maybe if he was called out for it and told that his behavior was wrong, it would be different. I'm okay with flaws like this being present in books, as long as they're depicted as flaws that need to be corrected. That doesn't feel like the case here.

- SECONDED. God I hate him. He treats everyone like shit, and especially her.

He might actually be my most hated character in the book right now. Jury's still out for the rest of the series, but holy hell does he make my blood boil.

- Since (male) Avar Banes end up with the heads of stags, that's exactly what it's foreshadowing.

...what a strange trait. And still very creepy.