The Readirect Podcast
Book Talk #4 | Iron Flame Deep Dive, Spotify Audiobooks & Recent Reads
We're back today for another Book Talk episode to discuss all things book-related we've been meaning to talk about!
Mostly, this is a deep dive into our initial reactions of Iron Flame, sequel to Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. We're talking about the book's plot, THAT SHOCKING ENDING, and our theories for future installments. Spoiler alert!!
Plus, we're discussing our thoughts on Spotify's new audiobook feature, and sharing books we've read recently.
Here's Emily's mac & cheese recipe from @mxrium on TikTok!
We're back today for another Book Talk episode to discuss all things book-related we've been meaning to talk about!
Mostly, this is a deep dive into our initial reactions of Iron Flame, sequel to Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. We're talking about the book's plot, THAT SHOCKING ENDING, and our theories for future installments. Spoiler alert!!
Plus, we're discussing our thoughts on Spotify's new audiobook feature, and sharing books we've read recently.
Here's Emily's mac & cheese recipe from @mxrium on TikTok!
Welcome to the redirect podcast. My name is Abigail Hewens and I'm Emily Rojas.
Speaker 2:The redirect podcast is a show where we shift the conversation back to this. We discuss themes from some of our favorite books and how those themes show up in real-life experiences.
Speaker 1:On today's episode, we're hopping on the mics to catch up on everything we've been reading, while we've been releasing more structured episodes, especially Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarris.
Speaker 2:The thing that we're all here for the reason we've gathered today. Sorry, I forgot to add more to say. But first, if you've been enjoying this podcast as much as we enjoyed it, we'd love for you to support us in just a few simple ways. First, you can leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or anywhere else that will let you smash that five-star button and let us know that you love the show.
Speaker 1:We would also love for you to follow us on Instagram at redirect podcast and on TikTok coming soon.
Speaker 2:Oh tea no.
Speaker 1:And finally, if you really really like the show, we'd love for you to share it with a friend. Sharing our show with a friend is the best way to help us grow our community of book-loving nerds, okay, yeah, now we're all going to do it, yeah how was your Thanksgiving? It was really good. I'm in my Thanksgiving hosting era my second year like cooking my own Thanksgiving with Zach. He helped, but we had a couple of friends over. It was really nice and we just spent then like the whole weekend. Like I took Wednesday off.
Speaker 2:Obviously we had Thursday off, I had to. Yeah, yeah, because I was cooking it was like I was literally cooking all day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's so much work. Oh my God, like mad respect to like usually moms and grandmas.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, that's what my grandfather was saying at the table on Thanksgiving. He is officially 81.
Speaker 1:He just had his birthday and he shut out free the guy free.
Speaker 2:And he said that his mom used to cook. He was like, everything on this plate my mom would have cooked herself back in those days. And then I was telling him about how you were hosting Thanksgiving this year and how much you were cooking. So I was just like, yeah, shout. Like now. I mean I cooked a one pie in the mac and cheese, which, by the way, was amazing and I'm just shouting at myself best year mac yet, and that was like exhausting, like I was so tired at the end of my cooking day. So I can only imagine that it I mean, yeah, you and all the other people who do it just by themselves, like aren't having multiple people contribute, that is amazing.
Speaker 1:We got a frozen turkey. It def has to defrost for like three days. Yes, then I had it brining for two days, so that's five days of thinking about Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2:Yeah you can have procrastinator, yeah.
Speaker 1:No, unless you buy a fresh turkey. But I got a frozen one because it was way cheaper. And then the entire day before I did like all the baking and like anything that could be prepped and then just like put in the oven, yeah. And then, like when Zach got home he made his things that he makes and this was really sweet and kind of book related but cookbook related. But Zach's mom has this edition of the Southern Living Cookbook from 1987.
Speaker 1:I think when she like got married and that's like where a lot of their favorite family recipes come from is from the Southern Living Cookbook. But it's out of print obviously because it's the 1987 edition and they've changed, they've updated the recipes obviously a lot since then because the way they did things back then was a little bit more old school. But those are like their traditions. So the last two years we've texted his mom to have her like send us pictures of the recipes, and so she did. But this year on Wednesday night we get a package in the mail and it's a copy of the book that she got from Thrift Books and sent to us like in the 1987 version. It was really thoughtful, it was really sweet. I would have cried, it was really really sweet, I know.
Speaker 2:I love that Cooking and books bring people together. That's all I'll say, exactly.
Speaker 1:So yeah, how was your Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2:It was great. I went to the beach with my family, as I have done for the past.
Speaker 1:I'm acting like I don't already know this.
Speaker 2:I know this is our sixth year going, which is kind of amazing Because we started it as a tradition, really after my grandfather passed away, as you know, telling the audience, and it's just crazy that that much time has passed. It's just a weird like not a weird, but it's like. This definitely marks that moment for me and our family. So it's like, wow, I can't believe this is our sixth year coming. You know, it just doesn't seem like it possibly could have been that long, but it was a really great time. It was very cold, I'll say so. It's mostly indoors, but did some time on the beach and the pool was like immaculately heated. It was almost hot tub level. So, although I couldn't find a bathing suit because I just moved and I couldn't find any of my bathing suits, but I did like dip, you know, the legs in and it was a great feeling.
Speaker 1:You and I have gone to the beach together many times, yeah, and really our pace of going to the beach is like spending a little bit of time on the beach. But, mostly time in proximity to the beach eating snacks. Yes, vaging, yes, and I did a lot of that so that is like you can just do it better at the beach, yes, and then, like casually, go for a walk, but yes.
Speaker 2:I think for both of us biking a lot of biking, which I'm not necessarily like laying in the sun.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no.
Speaker 2:So Thanksgiving is a great time to go. If you're looking for that vibe, yeah, so it was great, though it was great Both my brothers were there and my whole family, so I had a great Thanksgiving and I made them back in cheese. I used to take talk recipe, which I will link in the show notes, but I did put some variations on it. Most notably, I added habanero cheddar.
Speaker 2:And it was quite spicy, I'll say I probably could have just used like half a block of the habanero cheddar, but it was delicious if you like the spice.
Speaker 1:So anyways for our for our mac and cheese recipe. We updated the 1987 Southern Living Cookbook, sure by a few things, like we season the sauce differently, but we have this like smoked sea salt that we use in replacement of regular kosher salt. Yes, and it's so. I like the. I love using it and stuff like that and in like soups and stuff, because it brings smokiness without having to like cook over smoke. Yes, um, that's how we do for our mac and cheese and made a little smoky. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2:Okay. Well, speaking of Thanksgiving break, while I was at the beach I did read at least the ending of a certain book that we have to talk about, which is Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarrows, the sequel to Fourth Wing, which both of us have just read, very recently. So we really lucked out with the timing of this release and I'm seen like.
Speaker 1:I don't think this is official, but have you seen, like whispers, that she might be releasing the next one, like in Q1 of next year?
Speaker 2:I have not. The only thing I saw was December 2024. So I would be very stoked. I saw something that said that I don't have any source for this, but I saw a tick tock that said that Rebecca said she hasn't even started writing it yet, which is concerning Um, anyways, but this is reminding me.
Speaker 1:This is reminding me of our conversation. Our last episode was Jennifer Armin Trout, where she was like sometimes I read things in like Reddit threads or on Facebook for my fans. I'm like that's a really good idea. So maybe we should all be saying our ideas.
Speaker 2:If she has it, if she really might need, started writing it. We can help her to be honest, I know I think she's maybe at a point where she's like I don't really know what happens now. Yeah, let's, let's just dive in.
Speaker 1:All right, spoilers ahead.
Speaker 2:Yes. What was your first impressions like when you shut the book? What was your first thought? How did you feel?
Speaker 1:when I shut Iron Flame.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Annoyed. Okay, so Emily and I have tried really hard not to talk about this. You and I have really tried to save it for this. We texted a little bit and the first thing that Emily texted with me was something like I just finished the book I'm solving and I said that's funny. When I finished the book I was so angry and I was like I think that this really like defines the differences in our personalities.
Speaker 2:The like.
Speaker 2:I deal with upsetting news with anger and you deal with upsetting news of crying yes, yes, I have to text you because I was literally in my room, I think it, at Thanksgiving. I was trying to finish the book really fast and it was like, yeah, one of the first days I was there, so I was like speed reading it through for dinner or something, and I shut the book and I was like I have to talk to someone, like I was so overwhelmed with emotions and stress and the ending was so stressful, like it was just one thing after another and, yeah, so that's the only thing we really talked about.
Speaker 1:But it's like I was over the book. I think I, like Pete, the last 80 pages of a fantasy book are just like nuts. Okay. So I mean, if you're listening this far, you've probably read the book. But obviously at the end of the book Zaden Is a Venon. Okay, yeah, that was now. Am I just stupid, or Is everyone else still a little confused about how you become a Venon?
Speaker 2:Okay, I am also confused. I think it's basically like it seems way too easy, in my opinion, to become a Venon like you, just drop power from the ground right. Yeah, like the whole horror crux thing in Harry Potter. If we're just gonna compare, that seemed like okay, it's really hard to make you have to kill someone. You know, this is like what, if you accidentally Just like go too hard and draw your power from the ground or whatever, which it seems like it is, well, you're dragon, okay then an eyes.
Speaker 1:But here's the thing I think, like you know, when she talks about, because, because violet has two dragons, she has two power sources, sure, and she can be selective about like quote-unquote, like to use the imagery that she uses, and she's describing it like opening the door to their power, right? So I think like there is a bit of intention.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but it's just like in the heat of the moment. It seems like it was way too easy for Zaden to be like, oh my god, she's gonna die. I have to. Venon eyes. I.
Speaker 1:Mean, that's. That's why he did it right like, yeah he, he chose to draw power from the ground. He manipulated.
Speaker 2:I feel like I would like and I'm sure I am positive that soon we will get a full Zaden POV because I just feel like there was more going on with him that we didn't really see, because it felt like, okay, she's this whole time violet has been having all these dreams and then it's like, wait, where those his dreams? Like that's kind of thrown in there at the end. She's been having all these dreams like of a Venon haunting her or coming for her, or and so then it. But then you find out about his other signet and then you're like, wait, was that him the whole time? Right, it's just a lot, and so I need some more backstory.
Speaker 1:I was what was going through his mind this whole book, you know and to your point, now that we know about his secret signet, which we can talk about.
Speaker 2:That was a crazy reveal.
Speaker 1:By the way. Yeah, now that we know about that, I think we can get more of his POV because, yeah, an iron flame and I get in the last chapter Of, or like one of the last chapters of, fourth wing. I think we got a chapter from his point of view.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it was like a Special edition release.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, no, no, the very end, yeah, the very end of fourth wing there was was in his POV.
Speaker 2:That's yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So Now that we know about his secret signet, I think, okay, here's the other thing. So his secret signet. So if you don't know anything about this book, I mean basically the power that he gets from his dragon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, every, every person who has a dragon that rides them gets a special power. Basically, and it depends on the dragon and the person you know involved what it becomes, but so but most people only have one.
Speaker 1:But apparently there's like this rule that, like if one of your direct descendants was bonded to the same dragon, you're typically not supposed to be bonded to the same dragon because it can, like, amplify your powers or give you a second power. Yes, somehow they didn't got around that, I think because his dragon, skyell, was like very, very powerful, and so she was just like no yes, and Most people thought that it was not his.
Speaker 2:It was like his grandfather, but most people thought it was like his great uncle or something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which is so?
Speaker 2:they didn't, they didn't know it was his direct descend, or, yeah, his direct.
Speaker 1:So his his other signet, the one that everyone knows about, is he's a shadow wielder. Yes the secret signet is that he has kind of an ability to. He has an ability to read people's intentions. So he doesn't necessarily read people's thoughts, but you can like gauge the attitude of somebody of like what they want or what they're about to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I was a little chick in this film before and I didn't like. He's very you know it's giving Edward Cullen. Yeah, but more vague more.
Speaker 1:But Okay, the thing was violet. There's a helicopter going over my house which we're gonna hear, but violet was so pissed when she found this out.
Speaker 2:It's also illegal, by the way, to have these kind of mind-reading hours.
Speaker 1:It's against the law, it's just chaos right now in our, in our, in our world. Yeah, okay, but here's the thing and I'm gonna. I'm here for a hot take. I don't think I would be that pissed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would be like, yeah, I get it, I don't know I thought I kind of understood what she's coming from, because she's like okay, what of this is real? Then if you could read my intentions that I wanted to like, that I liked you, or that I wanted to make out with you, or that I wanted you to respond a certain way, then how much? Because, like, no matter what he says, like I didn't use it on you, like how could you not? That seems like Simly and voluntary thing to be. Like I'm reading your intention, you know. So I do kind of understand that aspect of it. I don't understand her being mad for not telling her because it's illegal.
Speaker 1:So he obviously had to know he could trust her and also she was being actively interrogated and like was under threat of her mind and her memories being read by day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:I totally why he didn't tell her. I agree the thing that to me, I was like I can see how she's angry, but I think this is again a difference in our personalities. You are a much more private person than I am, I think, and a little bit more like withholding in your personal relationships, whereas I kind of wear everything on my sleeve. So to me I was like this wouldn't anger me that much, because I feel like most of time people just know my, just say it just say well, my intentions are so, for I think for me personally, I had a hard time being like why are you so pressed about this?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. No, that makes sense. But I do like I kind of understand, but I don't know, I don't understand that much. I think she was way overreacting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I guess there had to be another conflict. So the first half the book, the conflict is a lot of conflict.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like the first half of the book, the conflict between them was that she was mad that he didn't tell her that Brennan was alive and that he like lied or, I guess, withheld information about, like this resistance and the existence of, like why we're invented all this stuff. Then he like answer trust back and it's like, yay, this is so fun. But then you're like, oh crap, we're only halfway through the book, like there's got to be another conflict, and so Then this is the new conflict is that she finds out about his stigma and yeah, also, like they're trying to raise these wards, which I thought a little bit of. That was confusing, to be honest.
Speaker 2:Like that was really confused. The wards and the runes and the yeah, wards and the runes, the runes and the wards. That was too much for me. Oh, that's where I got started to be like I'm tapping out because I don't know what you're talking about.
Speaker 1:I know that got a little murky for me too.
Speaker 2:And then I will much too much.
Speaker 1:I did like the addition of Katarina I like her a lot. I actually really liked it just like that tension and like the you know Jealousy thing. I you know Katarina Zaden's ex-girlfriend, ex fiance, ex fiance, yeah, also, I didn't love I'll say the in terms of the conflict.
Speaker 2:I do not like Zaden's whole thing where he's like just ask me. Oh, that was a bullshit. Because it's like how do I know to ask you? Hey, by the way, it's my dead brother actually alive, like stuff like that. There is no way I understand for some things, like at the end they finally talk about how Violet's mom kind of you know, blackmailed him essentially into Protecting her and that's the only reason he didn't kill her right off the bat. So I understand for things like that, where he's like obviously you know about this, just ask me. But I'm sorry she her whole thing, if she's mad he didn't mention that her dead brother is alive. Why would that ever cross your mind to ask that question? So I don't, I do not like that, that aspect of his personality, and like absolutely not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, because also there was this whole thing like in the first book. He is like the anti-dane, so Dane is like super protective of her and all this stuff, and then Zaden is like trying to help her, like it's strong so that she can yeah herself and we're like, oh, we love that he loves an independent woman or whatever.
Speaker 1:But then in the second book he kind of like reverts, yeah, to the Dane kind of thing, where he's like I'm only gonna give you the information that you need, cuz I need to yeah, I'm gonna watch that you know, and it's kind of like an egg.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is an.
Speaker 1:You can't back around, yeah, but it was weird art.
Speaker 2:But then again, so did Dane. And that brings me to my point. There is at some point going to be a love triangle.
Speaker 2:No it's gonna be. I'm telling you, she's already halfway there. She's already redeeming Dane. No, I'm telling you, no, no, I know at the end of this book, dane and her are working together again. They're on good terms. She's forgiven him, mostly. I'm saying, how does that not lead you to believe I think her and Zaden will end up together in the end? But I think she's gonna do it. I think, unfortunately, she is going to give us a love triangle. I and I've read a book like we, okay, well, I've read a book like this before, as I have you, the. What is this book called? The? The, the one where love is illegal.
Speaker 2:Oh, we talked about this pot delirium and in the whole first book in this case it's nearly, you know, 1500 pages of content. Two books. You are fully convinced that it's gonna be this one guy. And then in the next book she flips you on your head and you're like, oh my gosh, there's another guy. And I'm kind of thinking I might don't know what I feel, I just think that's what's gonna happen here. I just think I, I, she's not that like original of a thinker to not put a love triangle in this fantasy.
Speaker 1:Okay, what did to that point? I will say, I was talking about this with my friend, sarah, and she was like it is art, it is not fine art. Yes, wait, is it entertainment? Is it fine art? No, is it art? Sure, yeah, we just like it. We like it, I think. Okay, here's why I. So I hear you, and that could be true. That makes a lot of sense. Sure, I think that if she was going to do it, she would have already done it. She would have already brought Dane in, I guess. Maybe. I guess it's a five book series, but, thank you, that's the part.
Speaker 2:If it wasn't trilogy, I would say no way. Five books, you're telling me. There's not even going to be one book where she thinks about it, where she sleeps with Dane one time and she's like confused about her feelings.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing Also.
Speaker 2:I think that there's going to be something revealed, and he reads her mind and he knows about Zaden's signet, but he doesn't tell anyone because he's falling for her and she's like no, please, I can trust you.
Speaker 1:You don't think that's exactly what's going to happen? No, I don't. I don't. I think something's going to happen. I think that there is going to be something revealed. There's another secret that she doesn't know, and maybe Zaden doesn't even know, and that is that the reason. It's not that they are connected because their dragons are mates. Their dragons are mates because Zaden and Violet are mates and like they were destined, or like made it or fated, to be together or whatever, and like the dragons were destined to be together because like there's some kind of prophecy or something like that where, like, zaden and Violet had to be together, and like they have it backwards and Zaden doesn't even know that yet. And I think that is something that she would have borrowed from another, from other books too, that you know. You could say just as much.
Speaker 1:I also think other predictions here is that there's going to be something about Andarna and we still don't know. Like this whole story, like there's weird stuff going on with her, like she was in this, like dreamless sleep, and then she wasn't, and like then we find out she's not a black dragon, she's like this special other kind of dragon. So, projections about Andarna I think Andarna is going to be to somehow, whenever she's able to channel Andarna's power which she still hasn't been able to do and get a second signet, it's going to be able to heal the then inness of Zaden. Second, taren's going to die For sure. I just know this in my bones. It's going to be horrible, but Taren is going to die and she, violet's going to be able to survive it because she's still bonded to Andarna and this is going to fulfill some kind of thing and unite the realm and whatever. And I just think that the Dane thing is just too easy and maybe Dane falls in love with somebody else, sure, or probably likely.
Speaker 2:Here's my argument against that. I think everything else you're saying is right. I think Andarna's the key, obviously, like she is the key that unlocks this whole situation. I do probably think Taren is going to die or something's going to happen with that, or even Skable one of them. I think obviously that's like been talked about way too much to not.
Speaker 1:And like yet, taren even said to her in this book like you know, you weren't my first writer, but you'll be my last.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's supposed to believe, like he doesn't want to take another writer. But Taren knows he's going to die. I'm telling you yes.
Speaker 2:He's got so much wisdom he hasn't shared it with her. The dragons know stuff that that's been very.
Speaker 1:This is the same. The dragons know a lot more than they tell their writers.
Speaker 2:This is the same author who wrote in the first book this guy saying I'm definitely not going to die when I go across this parapet, and then he dies literally one page later. She's not like nuanced with the foreshadowing, so I'm all in on that. Here's my argument. And this is just about selling books and it's that obviously Zaden and Violet are going to have to be separated for a while. While he's a vending type, you know, like they're not going to be able to be together.
Speaker 1:While he's like getting treated and put this like fucking.
Speaker 2:That's probably going to be a whole.
Speaker 1:The pot with the potion or whatever this is going to be at least one book.
Speaker 2:It's going to take that time, and she has established a certain amount of romance in these books, so something's going to have to fill that place, unless she switches up the POV, which I don't think she's necessarily going to do, or throws in some flashbacks, which doesn't really make a lot of sense either, and so I think that's where Zaden are going to have some kind of the playing going on, at least for one book, and I believe everything else you're saying. I think they're going to be in game, but I'm just.
Speaker 1:I just feel that Well, all right, here's what I think. If that happens, I don't think she's ever going to go like full Dane. Yeah, I think that she's in the line. She should just be like think about it a little bit A la Bella and exactly, and then she's going to be like wait, no, I don't care if you're a Vennan.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:I just don't want it to happen.
Speaker 2:I don't want it to happen, because you know why I can feel it.
Speaker 1:I just know that Zane that's not saying I know that Dane isn't hot, I just know it.
Speaker 2:Do you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 1:And I, can't like for all of, for all of the serious reasons, I shouldn't want them to be together and all this stuff and like his personality flaws and all this stuff, just like on a surface level, he's not Zaddy, you know what I'm saying. Yes, he is just not cute. And I just know that in my bones and I'm not interested.
Speaker 2:But maybe she'll persuade us. I mean, you know, for a temporary time I too was team Jacob, so you know, you were like 12. Yeah, anyways, okay.
Speaker 1:Another thing I wanted to say is that she has, like we're saying, okay, this is entertaining, but like it's nothing crazy new. The first half of this book was the giving like order of the Phoenix, yes, where, like half the students at the school know the truth.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:No one believes them and they're all persecuted for it.
Speaker 2:And they're trying to say that there's this evil force and the admin is trying to fight them down Like, yeah, yeah, you're lying, yeah.
Speaker 1:This is why I think we should look to other pieces of, like other works to inform what's going to happen here. So this could take like a Harry Potter kind of thing where, like she would probably Taren like sacrifices himself or something like that.
Speaker 2:Some people think that Violet's dad is still alive and he is a vending. I've been seeing that. I've been seeing that, which would be very, very Potter, like something about her father, her mother, makes her destined, makes her the chosen one. I could believe that and it would explain a lot. Like he's mysteriously dead. Obviously, that doesn't mean much in this book. A lot of people are coming back from the dead, looking at Jack, looking at Brennan. He had all this information about, like he had all these folklore tales that were actually true, these illegal books, so there could be something to that.
Speaker 1:That is really obvious and I don't know why I haven't thought of it.
Speaker 2:I haven't ever thought I saw it on TikTok. I never would have thought of that myself, but I definitely think that's a legitimate Okay, that's probably going to happen.
Speaker 1:I'm also thinking, like, of this whole Romantic world, yeah, some of this stuff that you know. A lot of people were drawing similarities between this and Akatar. I would say the thing is, the reason I kind of think that Zayden is end game or I mean, obviously he's end game but like yeah, is because in Akatar, in the first book, there was a certain love interest. In the second book the love interest switches, but it doesn't switch back.
Speaker 1:And so I kind of just feel like I just feel like this whole book was setting up, the fact of like we're committed to each other. We said I love you, I do think they're end game. I just don't think that she's going to like. I think she's. I don't think that him being coming a Venon is going to be more repulsive to her than the lies and stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, but they'll, they'll overcome it in the end. I'm just saying I think there's going to be something, there's going to be a plot, like there has to be another love interest in there. I just feel like there has to be every five books. He's going away to be his Venon self. He's mad at him about all the lying.
Speaker 1:Okay, All right. Well, we'll see.
Speaker 2:I mean, we'll see whenever. Maybe Q1, maybe December 24. Rebecca, take your time, but you know, just get it out there, who cares? It's probably not gonna make a difference in the quality. Let's be honest, oh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly this is art, not fine art. Unless, rebecca, you want to come on the pod, then it is fine art, um, you know, there's.
Speaker 2:It's like look, I love Really high quality movies and TV shows. I also really love 90 day fiance, and they're different spectrums of quality. I love a lot of, you know, really great books and I love Twilight, as we have discussed.
Speaker 2:This book to me is like again. I put some my Instagram today on my review at Emily real house. That writer and I said like this is filling the Twilight hole in my adult heart. It is like not amazing. I Know a lot of people didn't like iron flame or found it to be more difficult to get through, but for me it's just amazingly fun and Well, I feel like I'm read I have a great duh.
Speaker 1:It's gonna be harder to get through because fourth wing was like that's easy to write. Like it's like the new, like it's everything is new. Yes, to be fair, she had to. She's setting up things to come, because she should. We learned a lot about the Tearish culture. We learned about runes.
Speaker 2:We learned I love these new components and like we're heading towards something. It reminded me of a much longer new moon, because new moon, honestly, is not the most exciting book.
Speaker 1:Okay, we really don't know much you learn a lot.
Speaker 2:It's that's up the Volturi. It sets up like the full conflict of wheat.
Speaker 1:We didn't even know about the wolves. Yes, the wolf, yeah.
Speaker 2:So yeah, it's. It's definitely not the book they are like most excited to reread, but it definitely also sets up a lot in the future of the series.
Speaker 1:Well, there's so many more possibilities now that we know about the magic. Yeah, so there's. It's great, everything is going to be okay.
Speaker 2:I.
Speaker 1:Promise you everything's gonna be okay and the more money that she gets and the more fame she gets, the better, but the better editors she's going to get and this is going to be okay. I like how optimistic you are. It's gonna be okay. But and before we wrap this part up, do you have any other like ideas about? Like? Obviously we think in Darna's power, once she starts channeling it, it's going to be the key to healing Venon. Do you have any other thoughts about, like, what that power might be or what's going to happen with in Darna? I?
Speaker 2:Don't know. I do definitely think she, I think there's definitely Sorry, I'm saying definitely a lot. I do think there's something that somehow the founders or the founders dragons knew about both in Darna and violet that is coming to fruition in the present day in this book series. Like there is definitely a reason that she I mean she says I've been asleep for 600 years. I chose to wake up now. Or I've been in an egg, not even asleep, I've been egged for 600 years, which is the amount of time since, you know, this whole thing was founded. I chose to wake up now. I, you know, I chose to bond with you for a reason. So obviously I think that's the chosen one.
Speaker 2:I think. There's definitely, though, something I think the founders not only knew something would need to happen with in Darna, but also something would need to happen with violet. Like there is something about her that is Required for whatever's gonna bring, you know, peace or the end of this war. I almost didn't even know. Like is it the end of the Venon, or is it like there's a way to help them, or are they on the right side? Something about you know? Like they know more, maybe their magic can help also.
Speaker 1:Like this is an even that whole idea correct. It's even further evidence to me that there's going to be some sort of like, like official, like a mating or like faded bond between Zaden and Violet, because their segments are like yin and yang, like she has the lightning, he has shadow. Yeah, I totally agree. So maybe She'll find that out soon. I don't know All right, yeah, anything else to say about that.
Speaker 2:No, but if we make anything, it like let us know we can always talk about it again.
Speaker 1:We're talking about this book at my book club on Sunday, like this isn't. This isn't the main book we're reading, because not everyone has read fourth wing Sure, but we're also like bonus. If you've read iron flame, we'll talk about it, so I might have more thoughts, yeah sad and Sunday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm really like I really honestly take things at face value. So I'm not the best at theorizing, I'm just like yeah.
Speaker 2:If the author just doesn't say it, I'm not gonna even it's not gonna cross my mind just reading the book. So I would love to hear everyone series. I love being on tick tock and just scrolling through what people think it's fun. Also, you know, like I, it's been a while since I've had a series where there's theorizing to do and yeah, it's so fun. You know, even if you don't even care, like about the books or whatever, it's just fun to be a part of a phenomenon where people are talking about it and you're guessing what's gonna happen and you don't know yet. Because you know ten years from now, everyone who's reading these books for the First time is gonna already basically know what's gonna happen, I know, and they're not gonna have that anticipation. So it's just really fun to be to talk about it.
Speaker 1:You know, it's fun to be a girl. Girls, it's just fun to be a girl and it is it's like being alive at the same time. Is Taylor Swift.
Speaker 2:It's like what are you?
Speaker 1:kidding me. How did we deserve that? We're so lucky, yeah, so lucky be alive during the release of these books. Like the world is shit, but these are fun. We're having these books are still coming out and we get to talk about them. It's very fun. Okay, that's it and other book related news. Have you listened to any audiobooks on Spotify yet?
Speaker 2:No, I just found out about this literally like two days ago. So no, I haven't okay answer your question.
Speaker 1:So they're there. I started seeing them pop up as like included with premium and I was like, okay, scam, like either, all the books are gonna suck. I'm here to tell you that, like the Emily Henry books are on food in the premium.
Speaker 2:Every book I'm seeing, yeah, is like top, you know, bestseller bestsellers.
Speaker 1:So here's the situation you get if you pay for a premium subscription you get 15 hours of free listening per month.
Speaker 2:That's pretty good, that's one to two books.
Speaker 1:Yeah, unless the book's super long. But if you listen on 1.5 speed or something like that, oh that doesn't count.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I haven't like this is not tried and tested yet because I have listened to parts of multiple books, but you know, I read and read them and listen at the same time, or, like I switch on and off. Yeah, so I haven't reached my quota, sure, but we'll see. There are still some audiobooks that are paid. Yeah, you would have to purchase separately, but I am so jazzed about this. Yeah, no, like no whole times. And they're really good titles yeah.
Speaker 2:And then, like these books on here I've been wanting to read.
Speaker 1:So yeah, or like the holds are super long on Libby, yes, so I'm kind of hoping that this also, like, helps drive down the price of some audio books. That would be great, you know in just On Libby. Yeah, totally.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a great book, Very exciting.
Speaker 1:If you listen to our podcast on Spotify, or if you just have a Spotify account or whatever there are heads up. There's some amazing titles that are really popular, like big titles.
Speaker 2:Speaking of Spotify, there's something I wanted to address on the pod because I haven't even told you about this, but apparently on Spotify, when you listen to podcasts now you can do like a Q&A. It automatically set up a Q&A for us and ask people like what did you think of this episode? For?
Speaker 1:every episode, oh, oh, and some people not like it.
Speaker 2:No, it was actually. It wasn't a bad comment but I didn't want to respond to it, because it's really nice to have Q&A.
Speaker 1:So this person said Someone asked us a question. Oh my God.
Speaker 2:They said like I loved the pod or something. I'm sorry I lost the actual original comment, but they said they love nonfiction books and they don't find them to be pretentious at all. And we probably did say that nonfiction was pretentious. But I just wanted to clarify that because I think once we transition to our recent reads, I'll share nonfiction. But both of us really like nonfiction sometimes.
Speaker 2:I think where we said it was pretentious probably or for me, I'll speak for myself is like and I don't think this person was hurt for how they're feeling. Sorry, I hope you didn't. So I'm just saying you know, to clarify, because I feel like maybe we should have given more detail, but like I feel like when I graduated college, all I was reading was nonfiction, because I was like that's all I read in college and I feel like I'm an adult now and I need to read, like self help and you know, books related to my career. And then I went through a revolution where I'm like no, I can read whatever I want. So if whatever you want includes nonfiction, I don't think that's pretentious. I think what's pretentious is when you're like all I can read is these, like or the moralizing books, yes, or like they're better, yeah it's somehow better than a romance novel or fourth wing.
Speaker 2:You know, it's obviously my beef. Finer art yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:Girl read what you like. Yeah, so you like is nonfiction. Then go off.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and nonfiction is not pretentious in itself. I think it's my mindset. It was me my mindset at the time hurry. My revolution of reading, which I'll call it from now on, was like I have to be pretentious. I have to read these books that are pretentious and like for my appearances, for what I'm reading.
Speaker 1:And now it's just better than other people. Now it's like just read whatever you want.
Speaker 2:So anyway, thank you for the Q&A and anyone else is welcome. I didn't even know that was an option, so so shocked to see that. I don't even know how I found it, honestly, but it popped up somewhere and it was amazing.
Speaker 1:Apologies if that was like a really old question. I know we are not professionals.
Speaker 2:Well, and every platform is so different. I mean, that's just behind the scenes, but it's so hard to find like these individual things on every single spot or every podcast platform. So you know, anyways, just go to our Instagram and DMS, yeah, or do the Q&A on Spotify, because that was really fun, but I didn't even know it existed, so thanks for the comment.
Speaker 1:Okay, um, oh. What have you? What have you read recently?
Speaker 2:Oh, my God.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have like my friends coming to pick me up in 15 minutes. Okay great, okay, I have a reading. I literally, okay, I have. I have only read romance books this entire month. I am I am just like on it a romance bender. Um, I was reading, like some of the British and prequels and spinoffs, okay, so I'll just kind of skip that, because I think I talked about the last one. I read icebreaker by Hannah Grace. Um the hockey, the hockey book.
Speaker 2:That is one of the um things the audio books that just popped up on Spotify. So okay, what I will say is the narrators are a little bit annoying.
Speaker 1:The voices are because it's dual perspective, so there's a female and male narrator. But, um, because I did, I listened to and read, but it was really fun. I'm getting more and more into the like what they call new adult, you know, like basically college age.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, um like, not why, but older but it's young people, um, you know, and I, that's fun, um, and so that's like a new adult book. It's cute. I really liked it, Um, I also. So we stay on Talia Hibbert on this podcast and for my book club I read a novella by her called wrapped up in you. It's very short, it's very cute. It is celebrity, normal person. It is. He fell first. It is childhood love.
Speaker 2:Say no more.
Speaker 1:Say no more. The annoying thing about this book is it was like a Kobo original, which is like the alternate Kindle. Okay, so you it's only available on E pub, which means you can't read it on your Kindle.
Speaker 1:You can only read it on your phone, However. It's only like 170 pages, so if you don't like reading on your phone, you won't have to do it for very long. But it was super, super cute, so and Christmassy and Delightful. Yes, I'm all in. And you know like she has the best characters and everything she does, she writes the best romance. So that was a gateway drug, Because then I found out she has another Christmas novella called Mary Inchemist, which is a horrible name.
Speaker 1:Sorry, but it was a great book it was a little bit longer, more spicy, and it was also very cute, very Christmassy read it. Then I was like need more Talia Hibbert. So she has this collection of three books that are all also short, very easy to get through, and I had like five days off work. I mean, I was just like chilling.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's one of those, it's called the Midnight Heat Collection and there's three books. They're standalone, you don't have to read them in order, just pick your favorite trope. It's the Princess Trap, the fake boyfriend Fiasco and the roommate risk Okay, princess Trap is fake dating and marriage of convenience okay, the fake boyfriend Fiasco, obviously, is fake dating. And also celebrity normal person yeah, I know, I mean famous athlete, normal person. Okay. And then the roommate risk is he Fell First and Friends to Levers and also Forced Proximity. Yes, that's it. That's the tweet, don't you mean?
Speaker 2:that's the X, that's the X, whatever Doesn't have the same ring to it.
Speaker 1:Talia Hibbert. I would give my life up for you, probably.
Speaker 2:I love you so much, yeah, I would as well, I recommend anything by her and I haven't even read all her books, but I would recommend anything by her. She's the best characters. She's the best characters. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, what about you? The?
Speaker 2:only other thing I've ever read is the book.
Speaker 1:Okay, what about you?
Speaker 2:The only other thing I read over Thanksgiving, which is very abnormal for me, but you know it's been that kind of year. So it has. Although I just really love this book and full disclosure, I haven't finished it yet, so I'm not even fully done, but I'm very close. I have like 50 pages left, so I feel confident enough to recommend it. It is called the Quickening, by Elizabeth Rush.
Speaker 1:Oh, I heard of this. You've heard of this. Okay, I think could say more.
Speaker 2:Okay, I found this book actually. I was in Charlotte about a month ago and I was at a bookstore, I think.
Speaker 1:I heard of it from you Probably. Okay, keep going.
Speaker 2:I was at a bookstore and I saw this and I read a little bit about, like, first of all, the cover. Just go look at it, it's a beautiful cover. It just drew it called me. So I picked it up and I was just bought a bunch of books at this time and this one I mean it has been one of the most like, beautiful, moving books I've read the entire year. It's definitely taken me a while to get through, because if you're a science girl like me, you'll like it. If not, it is pretty science heavy.
Speaker 2:But it's written by Elizabeth Rush. She is kind of a science nonfiction writer. She has written other books kind of reporting on scientific research or developments and on this one, this book, is also a Pulitzer Prize finalist. So obviously well written. She and a crew of about 50 other people who are ranging from the cooks, the sailors, the scientists, are taking a boat to Antarctica to study a glacier called the Thwaites Grave Glacier. That is essentially, to my understanding, a pretty significant glacier in terms of how it melts. How quickly it melts will really have a significant impact on the sea level rising and like the impacts of climate change are going to impact this glacier very significantly, but we don't really know a lot about it. And before this, this was one of the first or the first expedition to this specific glacier, because up till this point it has not been accessible by boat because of ice, but that's melting. So the scientists are going to study this. Most of them are climate scientists. They're studying the effects of climate change and hopefully going to be able to help us to better predict what will happen in the future.
Speaker 2:At the same time, the author, elizabeth she, has decided with her husband that once she gets back from this trip, they will start trying to have a child, and so the whole book is written not just about her trip to Antarctica, but also about her decision to have a child, the journey. She's an older mother, you know. She's kind of focused on her career, so she's in her late 30s. So it's like will I even be able to have a pregnancy?
Speaker 1:And the wrinkle of climate change.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and that's kind of the main thing. She talks to, not only the people on the. I mean, it's beautiful, she. She weaves throughout the, the narrative of what's happening. She'll like do transcriptions of interviews and she has almost every member of the ship talk about either how they were born, the story of their birth or the decision to have children. A lot of them have children and so they talk about you know what did they think about?
Speaker 2:She interviews a lot of different climate scientists and activists about if they have considered not having children. So some of them are like don't have kids, you know it's terrible for the planet, and some are like I don't know it's, it's really moving like somewhere. Like this is the thing I do. That is my act of hope, because I have hope that the world will be better and I'm working even harder to make the world better for my children.
Speaker 2:And on top of that, the third layer to this is that Antarctica and the history of exploring Antarctica and really just like ocean exploration in general, has mostly been stories about men, and so she talks a lot about like the original, like historical stories of people going to Antarctica and how it's so masculine focus and how most of the.
Speaker 2:You know, people doing these expeditions were white men, European men, and so it's just also really lovely to have like a story about women. There's a lot of like metaphors about the glacier. They talk, I think, when the glacier like sheds part of its ice, they call that calving, like it's giving birth to the ice, and I just think it's really nice to have like a woman's perspective, also about science. So it's very honestly, it's very moving. You have to be into the science because there's a lot of science. So if not, maybe skip this one, but I yeah, I think I think so many people can relate you know, whether you want to have children or not to that idea of like. Is this even a good thing to do at all, you know?
Speaker 1:and so to read the decision making and the thought that goes into either outcome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, and I think a lot of our validity of both.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think so much of our generation thinks about this a lot more than maybe even our parents did not to slight them, but I do. I think most of my friends like very seriously think about this. Whatever they end up deciding like, it's like a very thoughtful decision and so I think it's just a really like honestly, I'm almost cried so many times and it's about science, but it's just a very nice story and ultimately she does she did decide to have a kid, but it's it's like I don't know. To read about science in also a very personal and intimate way of this decision that she's literally making with her life is very enjoyable, so I would really recommend it. I've really liked the process of reading it and I'll miss it when it's over.
Speaker 1:Wow, I love that. Yeah sounds really nice. I have a recommendation for you based on that. I actually recommended this to Eric, but now I'm like hearing you talk about this. I'm like I think you would like this Three body problem and I suck because I will try really hard to pronounce the author's name. It is a excuse me, it's a translated work of fiction from Mandarin to English. Oh, by Leo C, and it is very sciency. But, it is also kind of about like saving the world and. I think you'd really like it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of like project Hail Mary and yes, I was gonna say forget his name, but that author, andy Weir, andy Weir and the other one who wrote recursion, who's that? Hold on, hold on, wait Crouch. Both of them. I really enjoy their like for science fiction Three body problem. Yes, okay, yeah, I'm really. I love a good science fiction and apparently good science nonfiction. I will definitely be checking on more of Elizabeth's words after this, but I thought this one is really a great and timely reading. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, we'll see you guys in a couple weeks. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 2:Bye, thank you, bye, bye.