My favorite chapter so far. As usual your prose is amazing and I even learned a new word (barely happens nowadays). You have a great way of writing the visions, conveying both the confusion as well as the power that is in them.
Madalynn is quickly becoming the best character to me. I loved the little character moments with both her daughter and granddaughter. Showing how her brilliance makes her forget the people around her. And who hasn't met a person like that before? Mix that with her knowledge but also the vulnerability due to her old age, and you have a great character.
Another thing I wanted to recommend you on, is how you write the magic. Vision magic can be tricky and very quickly feels as a 'deus ex machina' that is used whenever the author needs it to. So far, this doesn't seem to be the case here and I appreciate it. I am very curious to now see more of this darker part of the magic here.
Thank you so much! Her chapters are some of the hardest for me to write because of the themes involved. And as you mentioned, the magic she is used to having has a ton of potential downsides for the narrative, and I try to avoid all of those pitfalls.
Madalynn is quickly becoming the best character to me. I loved the little character moments with both her daughter and granddaughter. Showing how her brilliance makes her forget the people around her. And who hasn't met a person like that before?
Mix that with her knowledge but also the vulnerability due to her old age, and you have a great character.
Another thing I wanted to recommend you on, is how you write the magic. Vision magic can be tricky and very quickly feels as a 'deus ex machina' that is used whenever the author needs it to. So far, this doesn't seem to be the case here and I appreciate it.
I am very curious to now see more of this darker part of the magic here.