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Both Rowan and Beth are refugees who have escaped the chaos in their homeland and are curious about their new home, Voulhire. They are both naive and seem to simply follow the lead of the company they find themselves in. Curiously, both of them are in two different companies that can basically be categorized as 'good' and 'bad' respectively.
The similarities between this two characters are quite obvious and questionable. Do you think these similarities are merely a work of coincidence?

I had the same idea. I believe this is by design. The book is well thought out and is setting the stage where no one is quite what they seem. I think Beth and Galen are very similar circumstances, and I even wondered if in future books a romantic relationship develops. So far I like both of these characters.
~ Valerie

You mean Galen and Beth? They hardly meet, and Beth comes off as a minor character. They only interact a bit in book #6, before Galen returns to Cosmos and Beth remains in Caromentis. So, if the author means to have something for these two, it would be quite weird and abrupt.

I also noted the similarities in Beth and Galen's backgrounds, and I hoped that meant they would meet at some point. Four books in, however, that hasn't happened. In addition, Tysz has given her surprisingly little to do in the subsequent books. It's a shame. for I thought she had potential -- and the series could certainly use more prominent female characters.

I hadn't noticed this similarity until reading this post. I think that it is a great way for the author to show how just a slight change in who you meet or are friends in can have on your future. I haven't read the rest of the series, so this is only speculation, but I expect Galen to go on to become a hero of Voulhire who fights against the dark forces, while Beth (at least initially) will help Meldorath in achieving power in Caromentis.

I don't think that Beth is that naive, and neither is Rowan. They have life experience and they don't make their choice lightly. They have a reason for choosing a side.

raluca_mihaila wrote: ↑15 Oct 2020, 07:23 I don't think that Beth is that naive, and neither is Rowan. They have life experience and they don't make their choice lightly. They have a reason for choosing a side.

Based on the topic's paragraph, the writer probably meant Galen and Beth. Galen is portrayed as very naive in the first book even though he has grown up in a war-torn land. I think Beth gives the impression of being naive in book 1 since she is new to Cosmos.

I don't see a reason for them choosing what side they are on beyond who they happened to meet first. Perhaps this changes in later books, though. I'm only on the second book.

Krista Ash wrote: ↑16 Oct 2020, 15:27

raluca_mihaila wrote: ↑15 Oct 2020, 07:23 I don't think that Beth is that naive, and neither is Rowan. They have life experience and they don't make their choice lightly. They have a reason for choosing a side.

Based on the topic's paragraph, the writer probably meant Galen and Beth. Galen is portrayed as very naive in the first book even though he has grown up in a war-torn land. I think Beth gives the impression of being naive in book 1 since she is new to Cosmos.

I don't see a reason for them choosing what side they are on beyond who they happened to meet first. Perhaps this changes in later books, though. I'm only on the second book.

What I meant by choosing the side is that, besides the first meet, there was something else involved. I mean Beth felt that she could trust Meldorath even if she had no other proof. So she consciously chose a side.

If you mean Galen and Beth, then the answer would be yes and no.
Galen is a refugee who wanted to escape from the horrors of his homeland but Beth has come from caromentis as a curious soul out of sheer curiosity.

If you mean Galen and Beth, then no. I didn't find any similarities between the two characters. Galen is a refugee in Voulhire and Beth has come this world out of curiosity. Their company is also different - good and bad, respectively.

shravsi wrote: ↑19 Oct 2020, 12:52 If you mean Galen and Beth, then the answer would be yes and no.
Galen is a refugee who wanted to escape from the horrors of his homeland but Beth has come from caromentis as a curious soul out of sheer curiosity.

I got the impression that Beth was also trying to escape from someone in Caromentis. In the chapter introducing her, she describes taking a round-about way to coming to the physical world. Perhaps the rest of the series will make this more clear, though.

I think you meant Galen. However, I do believe these three characters have something in common but choose differently according to their personalities. This is not a matter of good vs. evil, rather of decisions. All of them are changing and running away from something, Galen from the Land of the Princes, Rowen from his past actions, and Beth from something unknown. When you are in a position like that, you have to make the best of it as it goes, so maybe is not a thing of choosing the right thing, but to make the best out of your decisions and hold responsibility of them.

Beth and Rowan played similar roles indeed. They both had a deeper knowledge of issues than their acquaintances who needed their help. Nonetheless, I do not think that their characters are a coincidence. The other books would surely reveal more of their hidden motives.

The similarity I noticed between Rowan and Beth was neither wished to go back to their homeland. Rowan expressed this to Galen when they got back to Magnum Caelum with Demetrius. Beth told Meldorath that she has no intention of going back when asked if she knew how to return to Caromentis. I still need to read the next books to figure out their reasons and if there are possible connections.

I hadn't noticed similarities between Beth and Rowan, to be honest, other than that neither had any desire to go back to where they came from. It will be interesting to see if we find out a bit more of their background going forward in the next books.