Crown of Midnight | Episode 18

 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 Crown of Midnight 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_05 0:00

Hi, Boo.

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey, Boo.

SPEAKER_05 0:03

Uh, we're jumping into the second book this week. Before we do that, we are jumping into our drink. It's a very basic Malibu because we ran out of the nice room. This was under the cabinet. I don't know how old it is.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

It's probably really old.

SPEAKER_05 0:21

And a different Jumex. Jumex? I don't know. Huamex.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

We like the last one.

SPEAKER_05 0:30

So. Um, yeah, so the last one was really good. So we're trying a new version, new flavor. Um, different rum, different flavor. Cheers.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Cheers.

SPEAKER_05 0:40

Thanks for tuning in, everybody.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

That's actually really good together. It's so sweet, though. You're not gonna like it.

SPEAKER_05 0:56

I mean, it's decent. It's like a nice tropical drink. It'd be good on the beach. Beach or pool. Put that maybe with like more rum.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:05

And kind of like less of Malibu rum, but more maybe more like a spiced rum or something. Yeah. Um to cut through that sweetness and then flat, not flatten, but dilute it a little bit. And then put that in a big container and then serve it at the pool.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Add some strawberries in there. I think that'd be cool.

SPEAKER_05 1:24

I was at the general store the other day. General store. And I saw a big mix pack of Walmex. That's what I'm gonna call it.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Okay, we'll call it that.

SPEAKER_05 1:35

Walmex.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

It's like me with names and books. It's okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:39

Yep. Um, and it made me think that we can make so many different ones. So I want to go get that next time I'm there. I should have got it in, but I told you we'd go back together.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

We'd go back together. Well, we can get taco stuff then too.

SPEAKER_05 1:53

Well, are you ready to give me the word of the week before we jump into this really cool book by Sari Jara J. Mass?

SPEAKER_02 1:59

Yeah, it's Crown of Midnight. Spoilers, by the way, it's the second book of the Throne of Glass series. Okay. So the reason I picked this is because we had two comments when uh I shared a real slash a short about me questioning you why you didn't like dragons in reference to the throne of glass series. And uh a couple of people, it was only two, they're like, it's a wyvern. I'm probably saying that wrong. And I'm like, okay, so that's a good word of the week. Dragon versus wyvern. Uh, so I'm gonna tell you the difference between the two. Okay, okay. So a dragon, well, the fundamental difference is that dragons have four legs and two wings, while wyverns have two legs and two wings. Okay. Okay. So dragons traditionally are four-legged reptilian creatures with a pair of wings and a long tail, often portrayed as highly intelligent, fire breathing, top of the food chain type deal. And then a wyvern is bipedal, winged reptilian creatures. Bipedal. Bipedal. Bipedal?

SPEAKER_05 3:19

I don't know. I always try to correct you.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

Bipedal.

SPEAKER_05 3:22

Because you're the English major.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Yeah, but I have my moments, you know that's I know, and I gotta get all the little winds I can. Is it bipedal?

SPEAKER_05 3:30

I don't know. I think that's how most people say it. Uh but you probably say bipedal.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

I did say bipedal.

SPEAKER_05 3:35

You did, but you could probably say it for like and be accurate.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

I'm probably wrong. Um, it's a bipedal winged reptilian creature with two hind legs and with wings acting as front limbs, often viewed as more animalistic and vicious, and they rely on poisonous or barbed tails. So they have instead of fire breathing, they have barbed tails. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 4:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

And so many consider the dragon, the word dragon, to be an umbrella term, like cats. Okay. Where um wyverns are a specific subspecies like a puma or Russian blue, or pumas are cats, you know? They're just big murder mitten cats. Yeah. So that's that's the difference. Okay, cool. That would those were the words dragon versus wyvern, wyvern.

SPEAKER_05 4:36

Sweet.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

You're like, I don't care.

SPEAKER_05 4:39

Well, are you ready to jump into this really, really awesome book?

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 4:45

It really changed my mind.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

Did it?

SPEAKER_05 4:47

No, not at all.

SPEAKER_02 4:48

Okay, so tell me what your initial impressions are. First off, was it better than the first book, The Throw in a Glass book? No, no, okay, why not?

SPEAKER_05 5:02

Um, it still does not interest me.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

Okay, cool. Do you have any other initial thoughts about it?

SPEAKER_05 5:11

Yeah, I mean, there was more action. I can say that. There was more stuff. But I don't think it was a better book.

SPEAKER_06 5:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 5:21

Cool. Um, so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:27

Well, hopefully some of the things I talk about will see you make you see what I'm excited about with it.

SPEAKER_05 5:35

Yeah, I'm excited to hear what you have to say. So I'm just gonna move my mic and not chime in.

SPEAKER_02 5:42

Well, you can, I want you to chime in if I say something that is like, oh, that okay, yeah. One thing that I love about this whole series are the side stories. So, for example, Rena Goldsmith, she appeared in this book. She was the singer slash harpist slash performer. And then the other was the slave girl in Calicula, um, which is the other death camp, like the sister camp to Indovir. So chapter 15, page 119 to 120, was Rena Goldsmith. She had performed at a banquet or a welcoming home dinner feast for Holland, um, which is Dorian's brother. And she dedicated one song to the royal family, and it was a basically a song about Fey Woman and magic and all of that fun stuff, right? Everyone else, it moved them to tears. Like you saw that with Selena and Kale, or they were just utterly like entrapped with her music, right? But then the next part of that chapter, you see the king has brought her and the violinist down to the dungeons. The violinist is already dead, and then Rena Goldsmith was like basically, you cannot silence me. I sang, I got popular enough so I can sing in your halls because you need to hear that you killed my daughter, my sister, my neighbors, all of them. Um, probably way more. But she was listing her dead to the king as she was being beheaded. So it just shows like the tyranny of like the common people and the king's reign and how that has affected them.

SPEAKER_05 7:46

Nice.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

So that's just like one side story, and then spoilers, spoilers, spoilers, after Nahemia's passing, um, word eventually spread to Calicola, and um a lot of the slaves in that encampment are from Elway, which is where Nahemia is from. And word had spread that she was dead, and she was basically their beacon of hope to overturn the harsh reality of Ardilyn and the king, and um finding out she was dead, it kind of crushed that hope. And they she's basically started a revolt by killing her overseer, and then all of that.

SPEAKER_04 8:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:49

So throughout the series though, there are little snippets like that, like those two instances where it's like and I feel like it gets more more emotional as like the series goes on, but there are so there are a few moments where there are little side stories like that, and it's I feel like it just hits really hard. Did it uh impact you at all? Or did you just listen to it? Side stories? Yeah, like yeah. You're just listening.

SPEAKER_05 9:29

Yeah, it was just a story. Story in my ears.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

Story in your ears. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 9:37

I wasn't really that interested, so I didn't really pick too much out of it.

SPEAKER_02 9:41

Yeah. But you did promise to be open, so okay. So on chapter 37, page 280. On chapter in in.

SPEAKER_05 9:58

See, that's one win for the non-lit major.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

You know I always say that. But um, that's when uh Selena finds the riddle in the tomb. And chapter 40. She visits Baba Yellowlegs, and Baba Yellowlegs tells Selena the meaning of the riddle and the word keys and the word gay and all that fun stuff, everything connected to it. So it it's good to finally like get a little bit of what she's hunting for with the power. But one thing with the king's power, that is. One thing with Babit Yellow Legs on page 307 when Selena had asked I'll pay you to not speak of the prince's secrets or what he asked of you. And the witch Babit Yellowleg said, Nameless is my price. And nameless is my price is another riddle. It doesn't seem like it in that moment, but it's another riddle within itself. Um, but probably the most meaningful one that you will get out of this series. And you don't know that yet, but it involves the king, but separately, it also involves Selena. Side note on page or chapter 53 in the POV, R1 POV chapter of the king, he was thinking about the mark on Selena's brow during the final duel in Throne of Glass. And that means something along the lines of nameless, unnamed, or anonymous. Do you remember that?

SPEAKER_01 12:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

So if you connect him, or there's you can't really connect him in this book, but the nameless is my price, and the mark on her brow meant something like nameless, that suggests something is coming with that. And if you continue to listen to this series, I really, really hope you listen out for anything regarding nameless because it is very heartbreaking. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 12:42

I'll definitely keep my ear over for that. I'm excited to see what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_02 12:48

Yeah, it's uh oh my gosh. When you get to the meaning behind nameless is my price, it's like whew, it's sad.

SPEAKER_05 12:59

I'm excited to go, woo, I'm sad.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

You don't seem not excited.

SPEAKER_05 13:05

I am very excited.

SPEAKER_02 13:08

Well, speaking of excited, uh, it's not very exciting, but for the people or the characters this happened to, but the headaches and wings statements. So that continues in this book. Do you remember who started getting more headaches and who mentioned wings again?

SPEAKER_05 13:34

Uh, the person uh was getting the headaches.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

Coltane?

SPEAKER_05 13:39

Is that who it was?

SPEAKER_02 13:41

Yeah, she was getting them in book one.

SPEAKER_05 13:43

Her. She was getting the headaches.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Uh-huh. Do you remember any other mentions?

SPEAKER_05 13:49

Um.

SPEAKER_02 13:56

That's okay because I'm here. So in chapter 24, two or three, Nahemia mentions wings in the Ferian Gap. Her scouts had been going there mentioning wings, and then they never returned. Then chapter 39, Dorian tells Selena that Roland is suffering from headaches. Roland is his is his cousin.

SPEAKER_05 14:24

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

The cousin that no one really likes.

SPEAKER_05 14:27

Right.

SPEAKER_02 14:28

Chapter 31, Selena is in the dungeons with Caltain after attacking Kale. And that's page 242. She says, Caltain says, the headaches are worse. They're to take her to Morath with Parrington. In chapter 41, Selena is in the catacombs and finds the inside of the clock tower. And the clock tower is black like the rings. Remember, I said to look out for ring mentions? Yeah. Because Roland has one now. Nice. Alongside of Parrington and the king.

SPEAKER_05 15:03

Bling bling.

SPEAKER_02 15:04

Bling bling. And as she gets further into the catacombs, but then starts traveling up the inside of the clock tower, she starts getting a headache, and it keeps getting worse and worse the further she goes. And then I'm going to read something to kind of tie all that together.

SPEAKER_05 15:31

I'm really excited to see what passage you pick to read for us on the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

You are not excited.

SPEAKER_05 15:39

I am very excited for you to read a passage on the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 15:47

So after this is chapter 45, it happens after Selena views Dorian's genealogy books and after they were in the catacombs with the creature. And they were like, we're going to get a bath, we're going to eat, and then we're going to see healers. That's when this chapter happens. Selena didn't get a meal or take a bath or see a healer for her shoulder. Instead, she hurried to the dungeon, not even looking at the guards as she passed. Exhaustion ripped at her, but fear kept her moving, almost sprinting down the stairs. They want to use me. They tricked me, Caltane had said. And in Dorian's book of Ardolyn's noble noble lineages, the Rompier family had been listed as one of the strong magical line, supposedly vanished two generations ago. Sometimes I think they brought me here, Caltane had said. Not to marry Parrington, but for another purpose. Brought Caltane here the way Cain had been brought here. Cain of the White Fing Mountains, where powerful shamans had long ruled the tribes. Shamans. Her mouth went dry as she strode down, strode down the dungeon hallway to Caltane's cell. She stopped in front, staring through the bars. It was empty. All that was left inside was Selena's cloak, discarded in the kicked-up hay, as if Caltane had struggled against whoever had come to take her. Where is Caltane? The Duke Duke took her to Morath to be his wife, blah, blah, blah. Something is coming, Caltaine had whispered, and I am to greet it. My headaches are worse every day and full of all those flapping wings. Selena nearly stumbered stumbled on the step. Roland has been suffering from awful headaches lately, Dorian told her a few days ago. And now Roland, who shared Dorian's blood, had gone to Morath too. Gone or had been taken. Skipping ahead a bit. Who were you? she whispered, recalling the human heart and manlike body of the creature under the library, and what did he do to you? But Selena had a feeling she already knew the answer because that was the other thing the word keys could do, the other power that the word marks controlled, life. They hear wings in the Farin Gap, Nimi Nahemia had said. Our scouts do not come back. The king was twisting far more far worse things than mortal men. Far, far worse things. But what did he plan to do with them, with the creatures, and with people like Roland and Caltain? She needed to learn how Roland. I'm country, okay. She needed to learn how many of the word keys he had found and where the others might be.

SPEAKER_05 18:44

So Oh, that was a really cool passage. I really enjoyed that. No, you didn't. I did, boo. Stop saying I didn't after every time I say I enjoy something.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

Well, you have that tone, you're like, nah.

SPEAKER_05 18:55

Tone tone never matters.

SPEAKER_02 18:57

Yeah, it does.

unknown 18:58

No, it doesn't. Yeah, it doesn't. Yeah, it doesn't. No, it doesn't. Yeah, it doesn't.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

But basically, all of it is connected. All the headaches, all the wing mentions, the black rings, the clock tower. Then you get the chapter 53, the king's POV. On page 403, the king thinks of unleashing his new weapons he'd been forging for years in secret, including the Fer Fairy and Gap, the Dead Islands, and General Narok's Legion. And that had thought had come after he told or he had Kale tell Selena she was going to Wendolin.

SPEAKER_05 19:43

Salad boy.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Yeah, salad boy.

SPEAKER_05 19:45

I'm a salad boy.

SPEAKER_02 19:48

So it's funny reading it back because it all is so interconnected. And the first time you read it through, it's like, oh, I'm trying to figure out the little mystery that she's trying to figure out. And then it's like, oh, this kind of connects, this kind of connects. But then when you reread it, it's like, holy cow, there's so many signs to what's about to come.

SPEAKER_05 20:14

Nice. I'll have to reread it at some point to see if I pick up on any of the things that connect.

SPEAKER_02 20:22

Yeah. I think it helped like to like seeing it as you're hearing it because you're listening to it. And I know what the uh narrator's voice sounds like for the audiobooks, because like her voice is all over Instagram, and I'm assuming TikTok. I don't have TikTok, but like her voice, like I know what her voice sounds like, and it's like, oh I find her voice interesting. Nice. Yeah, it's decent. Do you enjoy it? Do you I mean listening to her tell the story? Like I know the story is not like you're oh, I want to listen to Matthew McConaughey, but it's like do you think she has a good reading voice?

SPEAKER_04 21:06

Uh her voice is okay.

SPEAKER_02 21:07

Yeah, it's fine. So I'm gonna take a sit.

SPEAKER_05 21:19

So I told you earlier that I was trying to come up with lyrics to things because like not come up with, but she would say certain things that were very close to song lyric song lyrics in there. Um and I kept thinking of them. I can't think of one right now.

SPEAKER_02 21:44

So man, if if you realize one or find one in next few podcasts, let me know. You have to write it down so we can because that'd be fun.

SPEAKER_05 21:58

This is not one of them, so don't Don't quote me on this internet, but it's stuff like when she had to give it away. And then, like in my head, like when I heard it, give it away, give it away, give it away. Give it away. Uh so there was like a lot of uh there was multiple times I say a lot, probably a handful, probably like five within the whole book, six, seven. I don't know. But I'll have to look them up or something, or Google it, or I don't know. I should have done more research. If we had a producer, producer, pull it up. No. But yeah, I I that was the best part for me.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

Hey, I like the red hot chili peppers. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 22:43

And that, like I said, that wasn't that wasn't even one. That wasn't even a real one.

SPEAKER_02 22:47

I know, but as the example. Do you have any guesses as to what that may be to me?

SPEAKER_04 23:06

The most impactful?

SPEAKER_02 23:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 23:16

No.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

No. Spoilers. Spoilers, spoilers. Nahemia's death. She's my favorite side character. And then she's snacked. She's gone.

SPEAKER_05 23:38

Yeah. I could see why you'd be upset. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

Like, dude, Nahemia. So.

SPEAKER_05 23:47

So you just said that like you were blaming her?

SPEAKER_02 23:50

No, I'm not blaming her. I'm might be blaming SJM. She had to go and kill my kill my Nahemia. But there's a reason she was killed. So on chapter 25, or in, sorry, excuse me, in chapter 25, did you catch who was talking to who? It was very like shielded language. It was like a page long. Probably not.

SPEAKER_05 24:26

What were they talking about?

SPEAKER_02 24:28

Let me pull it up. Pull it up in my hands. Twenty-five. So this is before she had passed Nehemiah. One of them has to break, the queen said to the princess. Only then can it begin. I know, the princess said softly, but the prince isn't ready. It has to be her. Then do you understand what I'm asking of you? The princess looked up toward the shaft of moonlight, spilling into the tomb. When she looked back at the ancient queen, her eyes were bright. Yes. Then do what needs to be done. The princess nodded and walked toward of the tomb. She paused on the threshold, the darkness beyond beckoning to her, and turned back to the queen. She won't understand, and when she does go over the edge, there will be nothing to pull her back. She will always find her way back. She always does. Tears formed, but the princess blinked them away. For all of us sake, for all of our sakes, I hope you're right. So they're in the tomb. Yes. And there's only one queen involved with everything, because Queen Dorian's mom, Queen Georgiana, is nowhere to be found.

SPEAKER_04 25:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

So the Queen deducing what's going on in the book has to be Elena. The ghost. And the princess. There's only one princess in this book, and that's Nahemia. And there's only one prince worth mentioning in the story, and that's not Holland. That's not Dorian's brother. It's gonna be Dorian. And then the her, who's her main character? Selena. So Nahemia and Elena were talking about breaking either Dorian or Selena. And you saw or you heard Selena's reaction after she was killed. She broke. When Nahemia would say, You must help. You're you work with the king or you could do so much, you're already defying him. She Selena would always say no. In in her head, she was saying, I'm already risking too much. I'm risking her lives by not killing these people. But then after Nahemia's death at the grave site, when she sang her dirge, or however you say it, the song, the funeral song, Selena had promised, she cut her hand and promised she would see El Wayfried, she would see the crown put back on her father's head, and all of that. So she broke, and then because of Nahemia's death, she was pushed forward to where she thought she could promise that to Nahemia's grave. So yeah, that's very impactful.

SPEAKER_05 27:38

Yeah, I felt the same way.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

Oh really?

SPEAKER_05 27:41

Uh-huh. It was I felt that it was very impactful.

SPEAKER_02 27:45

Ah, well, that was her best friend.

SPEAKER_05 27:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:49

And then imagine. Well, imagine like if you're you walk in, after learning about a threat, you well, run in, you outpace a horse because you're running so fast. We later learn that's her fee heritage. But she runs in and she sees the guards dead, and then she sees Nahemia butchered in her room. And if that was your best friend and you saw that, like how would you react? You know, it's like that would be tough.

SPEAKER_04 28:24

Yes, very tough.

SPEAKER_02 28:28

So chapter 30, page 235. Selena attacked Kale. And she had the dagger above his heart, and he was holding it up, trying to prevent her from stabbing him. And he was trying to get through to her, and he said, I'm your friend. And then she yelled, You will never be my friend. You will always be my enemy. Do you remember that part?

SPEAKER_05 29:02

I do. I was on her side there.

SPEAKER_02 29:05

Same.

SPEAKER_05 29:06

Because I think she just wanted a chop kill salad.

SPEAKER_03 29:17

Alright, sorry. Back to your really serious poison. I'm sorry. I couldn't hold myself.

SPEAKER_05 29:25

I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry. Okay, back to your seriousness. I'm really excited to hear the rest of your notes on this.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

Kill salad. Babe, that was a good one.

SPEAKER_05 29:39

Thank you.

unknown 29:42

Back to your seriousness.

SPEAKER_02 29:44

And she screams, You will never be my friend. You will always be my enemy. And that's when I feel like I knew she broke.

SPEAKER_06 29:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:54

Because before she was like, I love this man. And the only thing that stopped her from killing him was Dorian's magic. And she immediately looked at him and hissed at him because she knew that magic came from him. Or she suspected and later confirmed in a different chapter.

SPEAKER_05 30:16

Yeah, I felt the same about that.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

So fun little notes. Uh Nahemia opened Kale or not Kale. Dorian's magic in him. Did you catch that when they were at the ball and Selena and Dorian or Kale were dancing outside and Dorian saw? And then Nahime came up and she was like nonchalantly writing symbols on the window. And then she turned to him and like touched his chest as she was talking to him. She was writing symbols then too. So she's the one who unlocked his magic. Oh wow. That's why she said, It sleeps here when the when the time comes, when it awakens, do not be afraid. And he was like, What the heck's she talking about? And then of course she passed before. Yeah, he's figuring it out. I know. So sad. Um And now, what do you th what did you think of Babette Yellow Legs?

SPEAKER_05 31:31

That was a fortune teller.

SPEAKER_02 31:32

Yeah, the witch.

SPEAKER_05 31:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:36

Yeah. Did you get any impressions from her? Like, was she like scary sounding or like I could rock with her or like just sound like your typical witch you'd meet normally?

SPEAKER_05 31:49

Sounds like all the witches I've met before.

SPEAKER_02 31:51

Oh really? Yeah. How many witchers have you met?

SPEAKER_05 31:54

Three.

SPEAKER_02 31:54

Three? Did they have iron teeth and long ass nails?

SPEAKER_05 31:58

No. But now, I mean, I haven't seen them in a while. I knew them back in the day, back in my my day.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

So maybe they didn't have their iron teeth yet.

SPEAKER_05 32:07

Right. So, but maybe now they do. Maybe. Um, I should reach out to them on Facebook and see if they have iron teeth now. But I mean, they just seem like normal witches. So that's what I kind of picked up from her.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

Well, she's um for me, the description of her and how she had rusted iron teeth, and then she would suck the marrow out of.

SPEAKER_03 32:33

Sorry, I have a question.

SPEAKER_02 32:36

What?

SPEAKER_01 32:38

What?

SPEAKER_03 32:41

I'm sorry I'm trying to take this so serious, but I just have me and I have to ask. If a woman witch is a witch, is a man witch a Mitch?

SPEAKER_01 33:01

Do you guys know any Mitches out there? Uh okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 33:06

I was like, wait, no, that's warlock, but I was like, it'd be so much more funny.

SPEAKER_03 33:11

It'd be funnier if it was Mitch.

unknown 33:14

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 33:15

I'm a man witch.

SPEAKER_05 33:16

I'm a Mitch. You're a woman witch. You're a witch. Okay, sorry. It's not as funny, but uh so funny. Okay. Sorry, back to the man witch. Sorry, the man. Not the man witch, the witch. Yellow legs. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

Mitch. So funny. Okay, so it's the silliest jokes that get me.

SPEAKER_03 33:47

Back to being serious.

SPEAKER_05 33:49

I'm so excited to hear what else you have to say about this book, boo.

SPEAKER_02 33:53

I forgot what I was talking about.

SPEAKER_05 33:55

You were talking about yellow legs, the witch.

SPEAKER_02 33:57

Oh, her description.

SPEAKER_05 33:59

Yeah. And then like her teeth and stuff. We talked about that part. What else you got in your little bookie there?

SPEAKER_02 34:04

Well, I have no more really, but I just want to talk about Babit Yellow Legs.

SPEAKER_05 34:08

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 34:10

But like literally, that lady's scary. She would eat Marrow from the bones. I'm sure I know people do that, but like not regularly. Um and then like literally, she would see someone be like, man who smells like the Silver Lake, and that was Kale, and he's from the area next to the Silver Lake. Like, how would you know that? You know? So it makes you think, oh, she really is a witch. Right.

SPEAKER_04 34:37

Just your typical witch.

SPEAKER_02 34:41

Mitch.

SPEAKER_05 34:43

No, she's a she's a woman, so she's a witch.

SPEAKER_02 34:46

It's just so funny. But one parting gift after spoilers, after Selena killed her, was she left a mark, like a necklace of scars right here. It was the nails from Baba yellow legs. And um when she went down to see Mort, oh, we should talk about Mort too. When she went down to see Mort, he was like he caught her, you smell like a witch slayer. Yeah. Or something like that. And and so just know that is going to come into play in the future.

SPEAKER_05 35:21

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 35:22

Like some people or beings or things can smell it on her that she killed a witch. But that's the first little foreshadowing hint, and that was for Mort. I mentioned his name and you kind of perked up. Do you want to say something about it?

SPEAKER_05 35:41

I do. Yeah. I do actually. I'm glad that you brought him up. So I pictured Mort the whole time as now go with me on this.

SPEAKER_01 35:54

I'm going.

SPEAKER_05 35:55

I think it's Beauty and the Beast. There's a talking doorknob.

SPEAKER_01 36:00

It's so funny you said that.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

Because I've seen reels and like posts on Instagram where people are like, anytime work comes in the picture, I think of this, and then it's a picture of the talking doorknob. It's a talking door. Okay, okay. So as like I've seen that before, and I totally agree. Like after I've seen that, that's all I think about. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 36:23

Um the other two that I were thinking I was thinking of was uh the the sticks, the candlestick guys. Oh the dance around and I know who you're talking about. Whatever, but she had two of them. I don't know. Who cares?

SPEAKER_02 36:39

Him and the clock.

SPEAKER_05 36:40

The clock, the clock, yeah. Yeah, but the the doorknob, the talking doorknob. So that's what I totally pictured the whole time.

SPEAKER_02 36:47

Um that's literally on book talk, Instagram, inst uh book talk, whatever. Well, I'm not on any of that, so I'm going to Well, you are with our Instagram page for this.

SPEAKER_05 36:58

Oh, you run that really well for us.

SPEAKER_02 37:01

You're welcome. But it's on there, and I've seen that before. I'm the master account. You are, but it's it's people have made that comparison before, and the first time I saw it, I laughed so loud.

SPEAKER_05 37:13

That's what I pictured.

SPEAKER_02 37:15

Yeah. And it's funny because there are a few instances throughout this series like that where people are like SJM weren't wrote this, and then I'm picturing this. But I'm not gonna share that yet. But there are a few instances like that. Maybe we should see if you can pick up on them.

unknown 37:33

SJM.

SPEAKER_00 37:34

Sarah J.

unknown 37:35

Math.

SPEAKER_02 37:38

Sorry. So do you have any other things to say about this particular book? Maybe about the creature and the catacombs, maybe about uh the king's actions or Parrington leaving or Nahima's death, or nope.

SPEAKER_05 37:57

Um, one other thing I thought of was the name Archer. I never watched it, but there was a show named Archer. Oh yeah. Never watched it, but I mean I saw like clips and stuff from it back in the day before clips were clips. So like when I say I saw clips, like I've seen snippets of it. Um but it was a cartoon on like Cartoon Network for uh Adult Network.

SPEAKER_00 38:17

It was, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_05 38:18

Yeah, never, yeah, it was never like my thing, but um what else? What other what other things happened to do in this?

SPEAKER_02 38:26

Uh she got with Kale and then she dumped him basically a week later because of nehemia.

SPEAKER_05 38:32

When they got together, I skipped like five chapters because it took them like five chapters to get over what they were doing.

SPEAKER_02 38:38

They did there was no excuse me. There was actually that was not thank you. That was not like smuddy at all. It was just like, and they fell into each other's arm, and then it was the next part of the chapter. Like it implied that something happened, and you but then even when I was skipping, it was like later, like multiple chapters.

SPEAKER_05 39:03

It was like, oh.

SPEAKER_02 39:04

They went in the broom closet.

SPEAKER_05 39:05

We oh see, I might have skipped the broom closet because then like the next thing I heard was we untangled our legs, he stood up and put his pants back on from where he took them off. And I was like, this was still going on, so that was like three or four chapters. Fuck.

SPEAKER_02 39:18

It wasn't there was a lot that happened in between.

SPEAKER_05 39:21

Oh well. It was just Was that when the broomstick came out and danced?

SPEAKER_02 39:27

You mean the doorknob? Or more?

SPEAKER_05 39:31

No.

SPEAKER_02 39:32

The broom closet?

unknown 39:34

No.

SPEAKER_05 39:36

Do you have anything else to say about this book?

SPEAKER_02 39:39

No. Do you want to read it?

SPEAKER_05 39:43

Uh I'd probably give it like a 1-8.

SPEAKER_02 39:46

What did you give the last one?

SPEAKER_05 39:49

I think like a two, probably. Solid two.

SPEAKER_02 39:51

You gave it a one. So this is an improvement. Oh wow, look at me. I gave it a one on the last one. Yep.

unknown 39:57

Wow.

SPEAKER_05 39:58

So if I just went a 0.8 then.

SPEAKER_02 40:00

No. So if I was just you already said 1.8.

SPEAKER_05 40:03

So if I was just I thought I'd give the last one a two, though. You wrote down a one?

SPEAKER_02 40:08

Yeah, that's a there's a one point zero on my page. Right there.

SPEAKER_05 40:14

I don't know if you wrote that right. That's a two.

SPEAKER_02 40:17

That's a one right there. 1.0.

SPEAKER_04 40:21

No, that's a two.

SPEAKER_02 40:24

That's mine. This is mine. This is yours.

SPEAKER_05 40:27

Why do you have two ratings?

SPEAKER_02 40:28

Because I'm about to do it the same way here.

SPEAKER_05 40:30

Wow, that's not fair.

SPEAKER_02 40:31

If I was just reading this for the first time, I would give it a three. If I'm reading it with the knowledge I have, I give it a 3.7.

unknown 40:43

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 40:46

Alright, so what's the next book from this lady author thing?

SPEAKER_02 40:53

SJM question since I feel like I'm torturing you. Would you like to take a break or would you like to go on to the next one?

SPEAKER_05 41:01

I said I'd give it three before I finally quit, quit, or or until you gave it a break. Probably got to give it a break after the third one. So let's do one more.

SPEAKER_02 41:10

And then give it a break.

SPEAKER_05 41:11

I'm gonna give it a break after the next one. I'll do it.

SPEAKER_02 41:13

Okay, so let's do that. I'm doing them, but so we're gonna do the next one.

SPEAKER_05 41:18

She's forcing me.

SPEAKER_02 41:20

She just gave him an option. I am not forcing him. Should I go get a weapon and hold it to you? I'm for I'm not forcing him. Um, literally, though, like, okay, let's okay, you're gonna read the next one. It's the prequels, though. So it's not, it's gonna be more like the thrown in a glass stuff, but just given her history. The which one? Thrown a glass. Which one's that? The first one.

unknown 41:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 41:44

So we're gonna do that, and then we're gonna take a break.

unknown 41:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 41:48

And give you a different book, which I've already brought in here, but you will not look at.

SPEAKER_05 41:52

Okay. I'm really excited to keep going in the Thrum of Games series and go to the next one, which is hold on.

SPEAKER_02 42:04

Oh, I'm trying to set you up for the people out there. I'm really hoping he he he changes his mind as the series goes on.

SPEAKER_05 42:14

Like I don't I don't I'm not into any of the things that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 42:19

So, next one. It is our prequel.

SPEAKER_05 42:23

If I do start liking, what's the thing when you start liking your captors?

SPEAKER_02 42:28

Oh, it's uh it's uh holy cow, what is it?

SPEAKER_05 42:31

Some of our listeners right now are yelling at you. It's some munchhausen syndrome.

SPEAKER_02 42:37

No, that's like when you're faking or you're thinking you're sick or something. It's uh right, probably. Um it's I know it's something like that. I know this.

SPEAKER_05 42:51

No, by proxy thing is the sick one. Or is that when you tell someone that they're sick, you try to make them sick.

SPEAKER_02 42:56

That's my child said by proxy. That's when you say, yeah, that's my challenge.

SPEAKER_05 43:01

Uh then what is it when you when you do that?

SPEAKER_02 43:05

Like you're held captive, and then you're just like, oh, I fell in love. Um I know what you're talking about. Gosh, look at the phone.

SPEAKER_05 43:14

Okay, well, I don't want a lot of dead air because all of our viewers, all nine of them, you know, I don't want them to be like, yo. Why are they doing that?

SPEAKER_02 43:23

Okay, while you're looking that up, I will read about our prequels and it's all bound together in one called The Assassin's Blade. Okay. Selena Sardothian is the kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful Artle or Pro Selena Sardothian is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful assassins guild, she yields to no one and trusts.

SPEAKER_05 43:52

Wait, what am I looking for again?

SPEAKER_02 43:56

If someone kidnaps you and you fall in love with them. Oh, yeah. And trust only her fellow killer for hire, Sam. Do you remember that name?

SPEAKER_05 44:07

Yeah, that was her boyfriend thing.

SPEAKER_02 44:09

And he died. Yep. When Selena's scheming master, Arabin Hamill, you finally get to meet him, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts. She finds herself acting independently of his wishes and questioning her own allegiance. She will have to risk it all if she hopes to escape Arabin's clutches. And if she fails, she'll lose not just a chance at freedom, but her life. A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of the cunning assassin and her enthralling and deadly world. So we have the assassin and the pirate lord, the assassin and the healer, the assassin in the desert, the assassin in the underworld, and the assassin in the empire. So each one of these novellas are very important. FY.

SPEAKER_05 45:04

And uh what did we start with? The novies?

SPEAKER_02 45:08

Sorry?

SPEAKER_05 45:08

Did we start with the novies?

SPEAKER_02 45:10

No. Remember this? We're reading, we're not reading this in chronological order. We're reading this after the second book, which we just read.

SPEAKER_05 45:17

But the first two we read in chronology.

SPEAKER_02 45:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 45:20

And now we're doing the novy. Yes. And now when did those come out compared to the first ones?

SPEAKER_02 45:27

This is when the author recommended it, by the way. Third or fourth. So this is where is it? 2014. First book, 2012. Second book. 2013. So publication order.

SPEAKER_05 45:59

So it is chronological?

SPEAKER_02 46:01

No, because this happens before throwing a glass. So she's like six. But in her world, Selena's world, it's when she's younger. So it's pretty cool. But highly recommend because the characters in these novellas matter. You will see later if you continue with the series. But after this, we will definitely give you a little break. And I already have that book picked out, so hopefully you like it.

SPEAKER_05 46:40

Woo! I'm really excited to get into The Assassin's Blade by SJM. How many pages is in that?

SPEAKER_06 46:50

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_05 46:54

That bad boy right there. That big old bad boy book.

SPEAKER_02 46:57

Looks like the others, it's 435.

SPEAKER_05 46:59

Wow, that's a thick boy.

SPEAKER_02 47:04

I would like to think it's a girl.

SPEAKER_05 47:06

It's a thick girl. That's rude of me to say a thick girl. I can say a thick boy because I'm a boy, but if I say thick girl, that's inappropriate, but I give you permission because I'd like to think of her work as ladies. Yo, that's a thick girl.

SPEAKER_02 47:21

Because she's a strong ass independent woman.

SPEAKER_05 47:23

Stick with three C's.

SPEAKER_02 47:25

Three C's.

SPEAKER_05 47:26

Okay. Well, uh, that's really cool. Well, I mean, I'm I am really excited to continue it and to see how the characters proceed to accomplish their mission of where we're going back in time. Oh. Well, I'm really excited to go back in time to learn where the characters developed their characteristics in the beginning. So that way everything that I've read so far, and by read, I mean I hate when people say that, when I listen so far, makes more sense in my mind.

SPEAKER_02 48:06

I think it'll make more sense as the books go on.

SPEAKER_05 48:10

Neat.

SPEAKER_02 48:13

Cool.

SPEAKER_05 48:14

All right. Well, is that it? Is that everything?

SPEAKER_02 48:17

Yeah, I just know you're gonna benefit a lot from our break after this.

unknown 48:21

Ah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 48:22

I'm trying. I'm trying hard. I tried so much.

SPEAKER_02 48:25

That's why I gave you the option, but okay.

SPEAKER_05 48:27

Oh, that was one.

SPEAKER_02 48:27

Something about I tried so much.

SPEAKER_05 48:30

No. Okay, no. I'm gonna look him up. Okay, I'm gonna look him up. I'm gonna come back next week. I'm gonna re-listen to this whole book.

SPEAKER_02 48:38

Oh, that's why I forgot to talk about her 10 year anniversary of her parents' death. Okay, never mind. Peace.