Throne of Glass | Episode 17

 WARNING: THIS PODCAST HAS SPOILERS

Join us for our version of book club as we dive into different books and tasty libations every Thursday!

This week we dive into Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

The series, which includes eight books and a prequel novella collection, chronicles her fight for freedom, her discovery of her heritage, and a final battle against dark forces threatening her world.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey Boo.

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hey Boo, are you an assassin?

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Can you tell?

SPEAKER_02 0:08

Yeah, I just thought your hood would be darker than that.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Well, I mean, you're not supposed to be able to see me, so you don't blend in with the background. Okay. I'll plan that better next time, sir. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 0:28

Hi, Boo. Hey, Boo. Welcome to Books with Boo. Spoilers.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

Woo.

unknown 0:35

Woo.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

No, I'm just wearing this because I'm kind of cold.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

It's cold in our house.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

It's cold in this house. It's some cold in this house. There's some cold in this house. There's some cold in this house. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

Let's get into it.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Uh no. So first.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Yes, beer.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Okay. So this week.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

We are drinking Drown Valley Brewing Company's Mexican lager with lime. Yes. I we were there earlier tonight and I had a few Mexican lagers, like the regular Mexican lager. And this year's batch is pretty good. I like it. It's nice and refreshing. And it's ready for May. Yeah. So may the fourth be with you. Is that what it is? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Something like that, boo. Um, yep. So this just came out today. We came out with our regular Sunny Day siesta. Yes. W, and then Sunny Day siesta with lime.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Which is the Mexican lager.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Mexican lager with lime. Um, it is very good this year. We did 21 pounds of lemon zest. Oh, sorry, lime zest. Didn't you have to do each of those? Correct, yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

Yeah, that's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

It was a lot, a lot of zesting, but that's what gives it the craftiness. Yeah. It's a labor of love.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

So good.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

All right. Well, while I pour these, will you give us the word?

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Yeah. So I picked the word. It's basically a sub-genre word to go with this series. Uh-oh. It's so full.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Bailey filled it too high. That's Bailey's fault. Bailey, I'm saying I'm I'm looking at you, Bailey.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

It's a good problem. Thanks, Bailey. Um, but my word of the week is basically a um subgenre word or words. And um by book three of this series, this series becomes a what this word is. So I figured I'd share it with you. Okay. So you can better understand it. So right now it's a fantasy. Um, I think it's an epic high fantasy the whole way through, but the word of the week is epic high fantasy. So high refers to the setting of the story. It's not gonna be on Earth, it's just gonna be a fantasy world. And right now we're in Aurelia. Forgive me if I pronounce anything wrong. I read it, I do not listen to it. And then the epic is the scale or stakes of the plot. So as the books go on, you're gonna see that the stakes are gonna get higher and higher with each book. So our word is more like a subgenre. It's epic high fantasy, and it's a subgenre of fantasy, and it combines two distinct elements that I just listed. Cool. Okay. You ready to try the beer?

SPEAKER_00 3:52

I sure am, dude.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Okay, thank you for making this. I taste the lime, but I feel like I like the other one better.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Ooh.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

Yeah, this one's still really good though. I like the original without the lime better. But this is that's pretty good. Ooh, you get more of the lime as it sits on the back of your tongue.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

I think it's crazy how much lime you can get just from one sip. Well, one one sip, yes, sure, yes. But the amount of limes that you zest. So, like zesting, and you you're only taking a little bit from the skin of the lime. It's not actual lime juice, lime squeeze, lime anything else.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

It's the outside zest.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Yeah, so it just it provides a really good flavor.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

You can definitely take it's not overwhelming, like boo. It's not overwhelming at all. It's like a good complement to it. For sure. So that one, yeah, that one's a good one. Good job, Boo. Thanks.

unknown 5:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

Okay. So should we start with like overall thoughts on the book? Sure. Do you want to go first or do you want me to? Um you should go first because I feel like you didn't like it. Um that's how we just go for it. I I know you didn't like it.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

I thought it was okay. Uh-huh. Um, it is not my cup of tea. Uh-huh. Would I pick it up and read it again? No. Um you say that now. Just wait. Right. So I say that now. Um I don't like kings and queens.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

You don't like the fantasy element.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

I don't like fantasy. And usually I I say I don't like dragons, but we haven't seen any dragons yet.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Nope.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

So I can't say that.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

That's book three. Well, book four in our reading order, but book three.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

So when it comes up, then that will be one of my arguments for why I don't like it.

SPEAKER_02 6:29

But for right when you meet Abraxos, he is peak dragon.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

I don't like, I don't like dragons though.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

Oh, just wait. He likes wildflowers.

SPEAKER_00 6:39

I mean, it'd be like, you mean like I don't like cars? And you're like, well, it would be like, well, wait until you see the Honda Civic this. And you're like, but I don't care, I don't like cars. I'm like, no, but like, just wait until you see it.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

No, your argument should be you should wait until you see the FJ40.

SPEAKER_00 6:55

Well, I mean, you like cars, so that's different.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

I like old cars. I don't like newer cars.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

We're imagining that you don't like cars.

SPEAKER_02 7:03

Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

I'm not a fan of dragons, so it doesn't matter if you're like, no, wait, you haven't seen this dragon yet, though.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

Well, what what dragons have you seen or read in the past? Like, well, uh like in shows or in movies or in books, like have you what experiences have you had with dragons?

SPEAKER_00 7:26

Not a lot because I don't like them.

SPEAKER_02 7:28

Why?

SPEAKER_00 7:29

Because there was one found the other day on Reddit.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

Yeah, dragons are real. Uh-huh. But like in books and stuff. But like we were talking about the book.

SPEAKER_02 7:41

No, like why'd you change topics? I'm not. I'm just saying, like, what gives you the impression that you're not gonna like it? You know, be like what have you seen in movies, or what have you seen in books, or what have you seen in pop culture that makes you think you're not gonna like it? Um, that's the hard-hitting question. Because whatever your answer may be, that's okay. You don't have to like it.

SPEAKER_00 8:03

I really don't know. Um, I just have never really been into dragons. Um, nah, I don't know if there's like a reason.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

It's you're just not attracted to it.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Just not attracted to it.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

That's like me. I'm not attracted to war books.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Yep. Um, I it's understandable. I have tried and I've explained this to you before. I don't know if I've said it on the page. I don't know if I've said it on the pod before, but my friends love superheroes. And I really want to be a nerd and love superheroes with them. Same because whenever they talk about it, and they also love Lord of the Rings, I like that, and things like that. So they're into that realm. I'm just not. So, like, whenever I've tried to get into superheroes, so that way I could be like, I want to nerd out. I can't. I try, I'm like, oh, this movie sucks.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

I will say they are completely different, Lord of the Rings versus superheroes, because I do not like superheroes. Like, I'll sit and watch it, and I may be entertained, but I may not. But I'm not gonna go out of my way to watch a DC or Marvel movie, but I will go out of my way to watch Lord of the Rings because I really liked Lord of the Rings, you know. Yeah, so I I think it just depends. It just depends on your preference, and that's totally okay. Like you can hate something, and I could love something, or you could be disinterested, and I could be like, you have to read this, you know?

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Like, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

I just thank you for taking a chance and reading the threat in a class series. But can I give you my initial thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 9:53

Yes, but real quick. Okay, this is how far we've been, and we have to go all this way.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Can you see it? Oh, that way.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

And this took so much time. Okay.

unknown 10:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:10

So when I first picked this up back in the day, I don't even remember when I picked it up. I think I got it to where everything was out to Queen of Shadows, which is this book right here. Boom. I got that's when I found the series. So I had three more books to go. And the first book through in a glass, in my opinion, is my least favorite book out of the whole series. Least favorite. However, when I first read it, it held my attention enough.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

Read it.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

It held my attention enough to make me go get the second book and read it. And the second book, Crown of Midnight, is what really started pulling me into it. Like, my thing with this, and this is I'll get into this soon, but you don't get a lot of Selena and like what makes her tick as a character. I can't see your face. But you don't get a lot of what makes her tick. You get the barest pieces of her. So, in a way, it's not like you can connect to her character. You can connect to her character because it's like, oh, you were in a death camp for a year and now you're being put through this, and then you have two love interests. Ignore those, by the way. You have two love interests, and then you're doing this and this, and then you become the champion, and it's entertaining to keep you in engrossed in it, but then I'm telling you from my perspective right now, when you get to that second book and onward, onward, onward, it picks up so much. And I really hope you like at least a little bit of it because out of all the series I've ever read, even though the first book is not my favorite, this series is my Roman Empire series, if that tells you anything.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 12:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

That tells me everything I need to know.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Okay. Sounds good.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

What does that mean?

SPEAKER_02 12:34

So it's like if you find a cat, like your next one. Okay. We're gonna talk about our cat then. He's gonna be our example. If you had to say what would Bernard, the cat, really like to do with his day, what would make his day complete? Would it be would it be playing with his plush balls, eating food, or laying on the dog? What would be his utmost favorite thing to do?

SPEAKER_00 13:09

Laying on the dog.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

There you go. Because I agree with that actually. He's obsessed with our dog. Our cat is obsessed, and he's playing with the curtain right now. But literally, that is what it is. Like, out of all the books I read, this book, this series has connected most with me. And I think it's because of the growth and the world building you get, and then seeing the characters evolve. Like my main takeaway from this whole series, which we'll probably talk about again, is small acts of kindness is what basically can save the world. So, do you remember at the end of the last episode when I said there was a big, big, big, big debate on when you should read the novellas? Oh, yeah. So the novellas basically take place before she went to Endovir, the death camp.

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

Okay. And I have points from Thrown a Glass, the book we just read, as to why you should read Thrown a Glass first.

SPEAKER_00 14:19

Yeah, why?

SPEAKER_02 14:20

You ready?

SPEAKER_00 14:21

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

Okay, chapter 14, page 112. Let me pull it up. My phone doesn't fall. Okay, one twelve.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

That line is really shining through on that.

SPEAKER_02 14:34

It really is. Okay. So when Kale comes to Selena's room and she's on the patio wrapped in a blanket, just sitting there, and he comes and just talks to her. Bernard, sorry. Um he asked on page one at the very end of 111, what about you then? Asking about her past. And she crossed her arms. I thought you didn't want to know anything about me. There was a ghost of a smile on his face, and he watched the sky melt into a smear of tangerine. What do your parents make of their daughter being Ardalin's assassin? My parents are dead, she said. They died when I was eight. So you her heart thundered in her chest. I was born in Tarrison, then I became an assassin, then I went to Endovier, and now I'm here, and that's it. Silence fell. Then he asked, Where'd you get that scar in your right hand? And then they went on to something she was we're willing to share. But like that is one instance, like she's not giving you the deepest parts of her past, which is why you shouldn't read the parts of her past until she's ready to tell you. That's just one example.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Yeah, that was that's why I thought you wouldn't want to read it that way.

SPEAKER_02 16:24

You'll see once you get there. Another clue is like other instances, her telling Dorian that Sam died and that was his name. Sam. Her past lover, when Dorian was teasing her. And then page 214, Dorian wished he knew more about her past. Chapter 30, page 229. He questions her history. Then chapter 32, page 242. Selena says to Nahemia, No one has called me a friend in a long time. I dot dot dot can't get words out. She couldn't get the words out to share more information about her past. Um, that one was really big though, the chapter 32 one with Nahemia. But that's why I'm like, I'm firmly on the side you should read throwing the glass first. Because we don't get a lot about the character Selena, other than what she gives us and what we see.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

Is that how you say her name?

SPEAKER_02 17:26

It's Selena.

SPEAKER_00 17:28

Selena.

SPEAKER_02 17:29

I sometimes say Selena. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

Selena.

SPEAKER_02 17:33

Yeah. But also, I'm gonna pronounce these names wrong because Manon, you haven't met her yet. That's how you pronounce her name, but I say Manon.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

Okay. Sorry, Hugh Cone.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

But yeah. So just FY. That's why you're not reading the novellas till third. Okay. So what did you think of the competition?

SPEAKER_00 18:02

I think that I found it very hunger game style. Um that's what I picked up on kind of during the whole book, was that there was a competition going on, and that some people could die, not all.

SPEAKER_02 18:23

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

That was the that there, I mean, there were differences, but I get that. Okay, there were differences, but they they were given a person to protect them, not protect them, not she had protection, but she also who was the other person that came in. There was like another person that was like, I'm here to do all the all your stuff. Um Philippa? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

That was her maid.

SPEAKER_00 18:51

Her maid, so given a maid, which kind of made me think of her um Katniss is Cinna? No, Cinna was the dresser, was the her a-boxes? Uh what's uh who's the guy? The trainer guy, though.

SPEAKER_02 19:07

Haymage?

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Haymage.

SPEAKER_02 19:10

Oh, he was their like mentor.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Mentor. So you know how they were given a mentor, plus they were in Hunger Games, they were given the designers, which was not designers, but the similarity his prep team. Yep, Portia. Um, so they didn't get as much in this book, but she had a maid, and then she also got a trainer.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

Kale.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Kale. And every time they said kale, I was like, I want a salad.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

And then you're not gonna be saying that later on. Okay, keep going.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

I don't want his kale salad.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

Kale. I want a salad. Okay, that was a good one.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

Um but I I picked up on a lot of like how she copper copied a lot of the hunger games in this.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

So I don't feel like she did. No, I feel like during that time, like if you read Divergent, if you read The Hunger Games, if you read I watched Divergent.

SPEAKER_00 20:25

Don't talk bad about that actress, lady. What's her name? Something Woodley.

SPEAKER_02 20:31

She oh, I can never say her first name. Shelle Shallen. Shaleen. Shaylin. Shailen. Thank you. Shaylen Woodley. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

Don't talk bad about my girl.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

I'm not. I loved her. I love her. She's the best.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

Okay, sorry. You said divergent.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

I don't know when she was divergent, really. Yeah, she was.

SPEAKER_00 20:49

We're not talking about that anymore.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

That's the book it was. So I don't know when this book technically came out in comparison to those, but I wouldn't be surprised. Like it was dystopian, but this is fantasy. So it's kind of different, but also I could see the similarities with that. So yeah, that's a good connection.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

They were also all training. So there was a bunch of people training. And they would go in, train against each other, see each other. So I just I just saw saw those things, similarities, and yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:27

Yeah, that's yeah, there's some similarities, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

She totally ripped the book off from the No, she didn't.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

Trust me, wait until you she did not. That so remember when I said this book is elementary, yes, compared to those books?

SPEAKER_00 21:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Because this is setting a foundation to get her into the main character into position for what's about to happen. So and Sarah's brother kicks him butt. Yeah, and just so you know, she wrote this book. Yeah, she's gonna kick butt.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Sarah.

SPEAKER_02 22:01

Yeah, with her words. She's gonna emotionally damage you. Okay. Emotionally, emotional damage. Like it's a big emotional damage. Yeah. I still ball my eyes out every time I get to certain scenes. So she initially started writing this when she was 16. So I think that helps with the fact that um the plot isn't as there. But when I was rereading it, I didn't highlight the things I wanted to talk about like I usually do with my notes. I highlighted things that I'm gonna bring up in future books. So I have highlights here for what I'm gonna say. This was referenced in book one. So she's smart about what she puts in there and what she writes about and how she phrases it. And you're not gonna see it until you read those books. Okay. But one thing I want to say is that the main character, Selena, she I feel like comes across as very arrogant. Like she's this big, big, big, big talk. I can do this, I'm holding myself back, blah, blah, blah. But you don't see it because she is holding herself back, right? Um, she's Ardalyn's assassin, so she should be the best. But you will see that once we get into the Assassin's Blade and then further books. Assassin's Blade is the novellas. So you will see she is allowed to have that arrogance. Don't laugh at me.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at myself for putting myself in the situation where I have to read or listen to all of these.

SPEAKER_02 23:52

It's gonna be so I really I am hoping so much that you like this. Or at least I hope you do. I really want you to.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

You said the first one sucks, right? Because the first one sucked.

SPEAKER_02 24:08

I didn't say it sucks, I say it's not my favorite.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Okay, because it sucked. So if it's like anything like the rest, it's gonna be a bad two months for me.

SPEAKER_02 24:16

No, out of all the books, that's my least favorite. Okay, my favorite is Queen of Shadows, which is technically the fourth book. It's this one. That's my favorite. I'm excited. Okay, cool. Woo! Um, you're not. So this book is the weakest in the series for me. Um, she comes across as arrogant. Um, but as the series matures, aka time goes on, she matures too, and you see that with everything she goes through. And I can't wait for you to see that.

SPEAKER_00 24:53

Why is she not mature now? Because she was the number one assassin. Because if you was until she got caught, because she sucks.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

She was betrayed, and she mentioned that in this book, and you'll see it how she was betrayed later on.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

Right. So that's why you don't surround people surround yourself with people that would betray you. Uh she sucks.

SPEAKER_02 25:15

It's more complicated than that. No, it's not. So remember in this book, she's 18. The main character. She's 18 years old. Yeah. How mature were you then?

SPEAKER_00 25:26

How I was very mature. Sure.

SPEAKER_02 25:30

Um I wasn't. I wasn't. I thought I was, but I wasn't. So that's why I say that.

SPEAKER_00 25:41

What color was your hair at 18?

SPEAKER_02 25:44

Brown. I had a pro I think I had a black streak in it, though.

unknown 25:48

Nice.

SPEAKER_02 25:49

Yeah, it was like right here underneath my because I had bangs then too.

SPEAKER_00 25:55

Um my dyeing phase dyed out in like middle school.

SPEAKER_02 26:00

Yeah, you used to dye your hair with your uncle. You used to bleach it. Blonde tips. So um, I feel like, well, I had a question. Does she act like an assassin or does her obsession with clothes, books, chocolate cake, candy, is that a trauma response from being in a death camp for one year? And my thing is she's reclaiming her youth because she was sent to Indovera at age 17. And she told Doreen when she broke up with him that she's never been free in her entire life. So, in a way, like her actions kind of speak to that because she ate, what was it, half a pound of candy the morning of Yolmus?

SPEAKER_00 26:47

No, it was a pound and a half.

unknown 26:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 26:53

There you go.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

Like Which made me think about what I did last night.

SPEAKER_02 26:57

Well, not as bad as me, because usually like he'll get candy, I'll eat all mine, and then he'll save his. And then when he pulls his out again, I'd say, Can I have some?

SPEAKER_00 27:07

So I usually don't like a lot of candy, but last night it was just sitting.

SPEAKER_02 27:11

It was good. It was good candy. You picked out good candy.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

No, then I woke up in the morning and I realized that I'm so fat.

SPEAKER_02 27:18

No.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

So I'm hiding behind the microphone. They can't see my double chin.

unknown 27:22

You're not. You're not.

SPEAKER_02 27:27

It's ridiculous. Keep going. But she told Orion she's never been free in her entire life. And that was chapter 52, page 395. And so you it makes you wonder, like, yeah, she didn't go to Arabin until she was eight, which we found out in the book. But before that, she was with her parents. What made her not free at that time? You know? So after these four years, so you'll find that out later, but after these four years are up, she is ready to be free. She wants no responsibilities, no act of killings. She just wants to escape. And I I would get that if like I was in that situation. You're chained to something and you just want to be free. What did you think of Nehemiah?

SPEAKER_00 28:26

That was the princess.

SPEAKER_02 28:27

Yeah, princess Nahemia Yetker. Yetger? Yetger. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 28:33

Pretty dope.

SPEAKER_02 28:34

I like how she prickly she was. How she wouldn't put up with like people like this sweating man taking me around the castle trying to give me a tour. You know, she's just like so haughty, and I'm like, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:53

Yeah. She's pretty dope. Yeah. Well try trying to learn the language. Yeah, but then she the language of the other person.

SPEAKER_02 29:03

The common tongue. She was trying to learn the common tongue. Yeah. So that's cool. But then you remember that part where she was in the library and Selena came up and she was like, What are you reading? And thinking that book is too advanced for where you are because she wasn't that far in her studies, and then Nahemia spoke perfect common tongue to her.

SPEAKER_01 29:32

No.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

You don't remember that? No. So she suspec she suspected Nahemia being behind all the desks. Because she knew about the word marks. She knew about like she was faking not knowing the common tongue. You don't remember that?

unknown 29:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:52

Not not that part.

SPEAKER_02 29:54

Well, she Selena suspected her for a second until Nahemia basically saved her after the rhetoric attack. Do you remember the rhetoric rhetoric attack?

SPEAKER_00 30:07

Who's rhetoric?

SPEAKER_02 30:09

The creature that was killing all the champions.

SPEAKER_00 30:11

Oh. No, but that no, but it was brought in by that guy. Kane? Yeah, so I I kept getting Kale and Kane confused. Um, she's like letting me out. Um, so they kept saying that like Kane was in the battlefield, not battlefield, but like in the training area with her, the main her. What's her name?

SPEAKER_02 30:41

Selena.

SPEAKER_00 30:42

Selena. And I was like, oh, okay, cool. But then they would say Kale. Kale. And I'm like, wait. Kale is the other guy. But then she would run with Kane though in the morning, right? Kale. She would run with Kale in the morning.

SPEAKER_02 31:00

Kale.

SPEAKER_00 31:01

Mr. Salad Boy.

SPEAKER_02 31:03

Yes. Kale was the prince's friend, Prince Dorian's friend. He went with him to Windovier to get her. He was the one at the opening scene dragging her through the building. Windovier? He's the one that trained with her and ate lunch with her and would randomly talk to her on her balcony. Kane was the one that was wearing the black ring, terrorizing everyone, saying, Yep, yep, yep, a little dog.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

She's the one that or he's the one that she was competing against.

SPEAKER_02 31:35

Yes.

unknown 31:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:36

Babe, I can't see her face.

unknown 31:38

Sorry.

SPEAKER_02 31:40

We were talking about nehemia. And you heard the dog. Um, so her character supports the story of the king's tyranny. Like 500 people of her people were murdered. That was kind of really sad.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

And the fact that her only friend she could go to was Selena, and then she was also like Selena was like sh she's my only friend. It's kind of sad. But overall, like Hamia's character. Like she shows that that rebellion side of things. But she's also such a great character to add depth to the story. And immediately upon like reading her about her character the first time I read this series, I was like, oh, I love her. She's my favorite. And out of this book, I will say she's probably my favorite in this book. So just want to do that little shout out. Nice. Very nice. Okay. Do you have anything to say about her? No. Okay. And then next is Kale, his back and forth. So do you remember the scene where Selena got her monthly cycles back?

SPEAKER_00 33:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 33:14

And Kale was in there and he was, um, he almost voices how wrong he was in his black and white perception of her until she got sick and she got sick on the floor. And his, I feel like his character, and you see it every time he has it like POV, is he's like, she's dangerous. She's dangerous, but she's growing on me. I feel like his character explores the conflict between loyalty, like blind loyalty, and free thinking. So I thought it was pretty cool. Yeah, yeah. I like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

She also threw up on a lot of the runs, so maybe she just couldn't handle life.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

No, if you think about her, she was in a death camp, not getting proper food, getting beaten and whipped for over, it was a year, probably over a year, in a death camp.

SPEAKER_00 34:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 34:19

What were your initial impressions about Caltane Rompier? Caltain Rompier.

SPEAKER_00 34:27

Who was that?

SPEAKER_02 34:28

She was the Duke Perrington. Duke Perrington's he brought her to the thing, and she was kind of like promised him, but wasn't promised him, and she was No Thoughts. No thoughts? No. So I find it funny that like I didn't get this my first read-through until the king's POV. But let me go ahead and pull it up. Chapter 29, page 218 to 219, at the troop perform performance with the queen, and she's lying, saying, Well, Prince Dorian told me something. The reason he doesn't come to court so often is because he's rather shy. And the queen said, Oh, he's told me that a hundred times. I was hoping you'd tell me something interesting, Lady Caltaine. Like if he's found a young woman he favors. Her face warmed, her he and her head pounded mercilessly. She wished for her pipe, but hours remained of this court session, and it wouldn't be proper to leave until Georgina departed. Georgina's the queen. I heard, that the queen said under her breath, that there's a young lady, but no one knows who. Or at least when they hear her name, it's nothing familiar. Do you know her? No, your majesty, Caltaine fought to keep the frustration from her face. What a pity. I had hoped that you of all people would know. You're such a clever girl, Caltain. Thank you, your Majesty. You are too kind. Nonsense, I'm an excellent judge of character. I knew how extraordinary you were the moment you enter entered the court. Only you are suitable for a man of Parrington's prowess. What a pity you didn't meet my Dorian first. Not enough. Not enough, Payne saying. This was her time. So basically the not enough, not enough thought, that's the first instance it happens where that thought goes through her head, and then pain follows it. And then it happens again when Parrington comes to her room when basically he catches her smoking a pipe, but she doesn't think he's caught her, but she's worried about it. Um, every time she thinks I'm not enough, or she's being like kind of manipulated by Parrington, her head pounds. And um then when Parrington, I think chapter 33, Parrington causes her to believe become jealous over Lillian, aka Selena, and then he was lying about Doring, and as she is thinking the same, starts thinking against what Parrington is saying, her head pounds worse, like more pain comes, and then she's like, actually, I should agree with you. She didn't say that, but something like that, and then her the pain in her head lessened. So we don't realize until chapter 52 that the king confirmed power was being used on Caltane, and that was page 388. So they were controlling her through pain and headaches. So in a way it's understandable that she was vap it and the someone you didn't want to be around. No one liked her.

SPEAKER_00 38:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:08

But also it's like, why are they controlling her? Like why what do they have to gain for it from it other than poisoning Selena at the end? You know? Because in that chapter 52, they're still gonna he kind of alludes to that they're still gonna use her for something. So that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 38:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:34

Poor Caltaine. Anything to say? You wanted me to hold my spot here.

SPEAKER_00 38:43

Yeah, when you first started reading it, you said something about she wanted her pipe.

SPEAKER_02 38:48

Yeah. So she would self-medicate with opium. Yeah. To try to get rid of these headaches, but they kept coming no matter what. Is that that that's what you wanted to say? Is it's wild. Yeah, smoking opium.

unknown 39:05

That's wild.

SPEAKER_02 39:12

Excuse me. And did you notice? This is basically my last thing, unless you have something. Did you notice who had a black ring in this book? Who wore a black ring? There were three people.

SPEAKER_00 39:34

I know they talked about rings a few times, but I have no idea.

SPEAKER_02 39:41

So the king, Parrington, Duke Parrington, and Kane had black rings. The king directs Parrington, and that's confirmed in chapter 52, um with his ring. And then Parrington, when Kale was w watching him at a feast or at dinner, he noticed that Parrington would get a blank stare after his ring pulsed. And because of that, which we later learned, Parrington was influencing Caltain. Then Kane when Selena was walking back to her room one night, she saw Kane in the hallway acting crazed, and she noticed a black ring. And that's when she warned Peller and Knox to stay in their rooms. So something's up with the black rings, which you will not know about until later. I know about them.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

So once again, you have insider information.

SPEAKER_02 40:57

I do. But I think you should take note of those black rings when you go into reading the next books. Okay. Okay, what's your real thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 41:17

Um, all right, so when I say this, this is nothing against you as a person. So don't take it personal.

unknown 41:26

Nope.

SPEAKER_00 41:29

I didn't like it.

SPEAKER_02 41:30

That's okay.

SPEAKER_00 41:32

I'm not into magical things, so they bring up magic. Don't like magic.

SPEAKER_02 41:38

There's no magic in this, though.

SPEAKER_00 41:40

I mean, the weird word marks are different, but they bring up magic multiple times, and then like, isn't she like the queen person thing? Like the person that comes back in her mind or whatever is like Alina. Yeah, because like she's like having flashbacks. Is that flashbacks, or is she like, what's going on?

SPEAKER_02 41:58

She's being visited by a ghost.

SPEAKER_00 42:01

It's just like I don't know. I just and now I know there's gonna be dragons coming up within one of these like 18 months that we're gonna be listening to these things. Um yeah, so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:14

Um what'd you rate this one?

SPEAKER_00 42:16

Uh it was torture for me to get through, so like a one. Oh no.

SPEAKER_02 42:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 42:30

So at least the other things that we listened to were like, oh, it's a two because at least it was entertaining. This I'm like, I don't like any of it.

unknown 42:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 42:42

So if I was just reading this for the first time, it'd be a 2.5. If I'm reading it with the knowledge I have, which I have, it's 3.5. Because I've picked up on the things that I highlighted and I told you about earlier in the episode.

SPEAKER_00 43:01

Woo!

SPEAKER_02 43:02

So we're gonna put thrown in glass down. And remember, I'm so excited. We can take a break in between every couple books if you want. Okay.

unknown 43:15

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 43:17

I hope, dope, that your attitude changed. I hope you end up liking what happens. We'll see. Okay, so the Crown of Midnight. Assassin Selena Serdothian won the brutal contest to become the king's champion, but she is far from loyal to the crown. Though she hides her secret villa villainte, her deadly charade becomes difficult when she realizes she is not only not the only one seeking justice. No one is above questioning her allegiance. Not the crown. Prince Dorian, not Kale, the captain of the guard, not even her best friend Nahemia. A foreign princess with a rebel heart. Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping led to an unspeakable tragedy. As Selena's world shatters, she will be forced to decide once and for all the once and for all where her true loyalties lie and whom she is willing to fight for. To better tell you how long this is, there are there's one more chapter in this. There's fifty-six chapters instead of fifty-five. I think that one had fifty-five. And there's four hundred and eighteen pages.

SPEAKER_01 44:52

Woo!

SPEAKER_00 44:58

I'm gonna listen to everything. I'm very excited.

SPEAKER_02 45:02

No, you're not, you're not excited.

SPEAKER_00 45:04

I don't I I'm not into this. Like I'm not into it's not this. It's I'm not into this type of story. I don't like kings. I don't like dukes.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

You don't have to be into it. I wasn't into I'm not into self-help books. But I ended up enjoying Charlemagne and what's his name, Matthew McConaughey's books.

SPEAKER_00 45:29

Those were one part. You've throwing us into an eight-part series of fake queens and witches and warlocks and magic.

SPEAKER_02 45:41

Yeah, but I feel like you're putting up such a front that you're not even willing to open up your mind to what you're about to read.

SPEAKER_00 45:49

I yeah, I have an open mind to what I'm about to read because you said the first one sucks. So I'm totally down because the first one sucked. And you didn't like the first one, right?

SPEAKER_02 45:59

It's not my favorite. I enjoyed it, but it's not my favorite.

SPEAKER_00 46:03

It's worse than the rest, right?

SPEAKER_02 46:05

Yes, in my mind, it is the worst out of all of them.

SPEAKER_00 46:08

I'm not into the things that it's into, and I haven't been since high school. Like, yeah, wasn't into Harry Potter, wasn't into any of the things that can't I wasn't into Game of Thrones, wasn't into the Ring thing, Game of Rings, Ring Um Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings. And when I was able to go back as like an adult and rewatch all those things, people would be like, do it. I tried to do the superhero thing, didn't it work? Because I'm like, oh, I want to be a nerd, I want to be into that. I want to be like that. Sounds so fun. And then I try and I'm like, the sun's out. I'm gonna go outside.

SPEAKER_02 46:51

At least you tried.

SPEAKER_00 46:52

Yeah, and that's how I feel about this. I'm just like, I'm not into okay.

SPEAKER_02 46:56

Do you want to give it a limit?

SPEAKER_00 46:58

Like, let's let's go to book three. Like, I'll do three books, and if I'm just wanna But the third book's Assassin's Blade. That doesn't mean anything to me.

SPEAKER_02 47:09

So those are the novellas. That's what happened before.

SPEAKER_00 47:12

Okay, well, so we've done this one first. Now that one second.

SPEAKER_02 47:17

So technically third would be this, but we need to read that one third.

SPEAKER_00 47:21

So we'll do that one. So that'll be our third one. And if I want to keep going after that one, I don't think you'll want to. Well, then we'll have to take a break. I mean if you want to put me through all that, you can. Okay. But it's what if we did two months of self-help?

SPEAKER_02 47:42

I'd read it. I wouldn't like it, but I'd read it. But I wouldn't be putting an attitude out there saying attitude.

SPEAKER_00 47:50

I just didn't like this. I didn't like this.

SPEAKER_02 47:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 47:54

So I'm very excited for the next one.

SPEAKER_02 47:56

I hope I hope it's an improvement.

SPEAKER_00 47:57

I hope it changes my mind, like you think it will.

SPEAKER_02 48:01

I don't think it's gonna change your mind that much based off of this conversation. But I'm just not have opinions that you don't like a style. You're totally allowed, and just like I still don't like self-help, but you introduced me to the Charlemagne one, and I was like, this is actually pretty good, even though I wouldn't I don't like that style, but I went into it with an open mind, so that's where I'm coming from. Yes, it's one book versus eight, and that book was like 250 pages.

SPEAKER_00 48:35

Some of these have a thousand pages in them.

SPEAKER_02 48:38

Only the last book has like 990 something.

SPEAKER_00 48:41

There's one, two, three, three of those books are at least way longer than what we've ever read before. And then Charlemagne's book was like half of this. So I think all of these are long. So you you read 250 pages of a Charlemagne book and a Matthew McConaughey book. You haven't we haven't done that yet, let them theory yet.

SPEAKER_02 49:07

No, buy the book.

SPEAKER_00 49:09

I'm super excited that we're able to go through all these because I know that this is your favorite series. So I am super excited to go through all these.

SPEAKER_02 49:17

But that's a lie because you're not.

SPEAKER_00 49:19

But I am. I'm really excited because you're excited. I like when you're excited.

SPEAKER_02 49:24

Please comment, like, subscribe, tell us any recommendations if you liked the Throw in a Glass series, or if you did not, or if you have any similar feelings to either one of us, that would be a very interesting conversation. And we'll see you next time.