1: When the Moon Hatched, ch. 1-15

In the beginning, there was only static. First came Lauren, the heart splicer, shipwright of emotion, who forged bonds stronger than steel between characters who had shared no more than a single meaningful glance, desperate for someone to read with, she called upon a friend. Then there was Khan, the phonetic herald, warden of syllables, who spoke the sacred potentiations and struck down all blasphemous tongues of those who dared say "wivern" instead of "wivern." With a single sweep, she catalogued every obscure vowel shift and soft G in the universe. And though it was grand, they dripped, grander, and deemed to bring their own mates into the fold. Enter John, keeper of recaps and smutscribe of the emoji. He emerged trailing plot summaries and laughing with unrepentant mischief, turning seven hour reads into seven minute blurbs and composing romance from mere images. Then came Kyle, weaver of endings, oracle of spoilers, whose third eye blinked open every time a prophecy was foreshadowed in chapter 3. Speaking in riddles and theories and knowing the future, only by guessing every possible thing and hoping something stuck, together these four gathered to shape their own reality with hot takes and cry counters, turning lore to laughter, prophecies to playlists, and thirst traps to theology. The mics were unmuted and the podcast was spoke into being. Their followers multiplied and the world may never know peace again. That was amazing. Amazing. Good job. One take too. Good job. Welcome to Between Pages and Friends, a book club podcast hosted by Con and Lauren. Two besties who read a lot of books and John and Kyle, their gamer turned reader husbands who've agreed to read with them. I'm Kyle. I'm Kyle. I'm Lauren. And I'm John. This is our very first episode covering When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker. If this is your very first episode of Between Pages and Friends, hi, come on in. Make yourself at home. Grab a drink. You can learn a little more about the four of us and what to expect from our podcast in our last episode titled Moonfall Series Intro. But if you want to dive right in, I respect that. Here's a little recap on our setup. This is a book club podcast. That means we record these episodes after reading each chapter section, so you can read along and listen with no spoilers for future chapters or books. You do not have to finish the entire book before listening. John and Con are reading this book for the very first time. So Kyle and I will get to help lead the discussion and capture their real-time reactions and theories along the way. We'd love to hear yours in the comments too. Once we finish reading the book, we are so excited to have Sarah A Parker joining us for a full episode to talk about it all. But before we dive into the perilogue, we do want to give a quick content warning. When the Moon Hatched is rated for audiences 18 and up, meaning it can get spicy, stabby, and very much not kid-friendly. We may be discussing themes and direct quotes from this book regarding violence, trauma, and sexual content. Please check the author's content warnings if you have specific sensitivities, as always, listen with care and maybe not outlawed at work. And if you've been here since the beginning, bless you. And if we slowly warmed our way into your heart like a morally gray love interest, it might be time to see if you're ready for that next step. For just $5 a month on Patreon, you can join our book Bestie tier and get access to our cozy discord monthly book chats. Live events and more bookish goodies. For $10 a month, you'll be part of our Found Family tier, early access to add free episodes, merch discounts, voting rights, and possibly our eternal love. No promises. 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And now, are you tired of mumbling through new fantasy names like a medieval muppet, which someone smart, beautiful, knowledgeable, and fantasy obsessed would just tell you how to say them? Well, you're in luck, because Con is here with your official pronunciation guide for When the Moon Hatched. That was so nice of you. Thank you. Wow. Read it myself. If you just came up with that all in your own. Yeah, so sweet. I'd love to. Welcome to Con's Declassified Fantasy Pronunciation Guide. This is the part of the show where we highlight all the new names and places mentioned in this chapter section. I am referencing the audiobook narrated by Sarah Molo Christensen and Fager Al Casey. And from time to time, I will also be asking Lauren to join me in referencing the written glossary and pronunciation guide in the book. She has instructed me not to look at the glossary, so I do not risk seeing spoilers. But if we have questions as we read, she'll look things up and give us some spoiler free insight. So I'm actually going to summon her right now in our first category for places, because we have the fade, the burn, and the shade. And I'm going to have Lauren tell you a little bit about them. Yes. So the fade is the middle third of the world. It's described as the girthy band of the globe. Here the clouds are always colorful as it's forever cast in the light of a golden hour. There is a massive stone wall that circles the girthy part of the world like a belt. And most of the fade civilization have built homes within it. And so that's kind of our story starts the burn is the northern third of the world. And it's always sunny here. And so it's super hot. And the shade is the southern third of the world. No sunshine reaches this area. Therefore it's forever cast in darkness. Thank you. That's so fun. It's nervous about having to do this super long pronunciation guide by myself. So I appreciate you. That's what I'm here for. I like the word summoned to a felt fancy. Yeah. Yeah. It's nice. I do typically categorize the pronunciation guide into sections. So to finish out places. There are some other places mentioned here that include the hungry hollow, orig, the loft, which is an ocean, gold, drag, boggith, gore, the air-gore planes, the botanic planes, the undercity, the ditch, Netherian, Arithia, Drelgad, the bolt, oh, I already said the botanic planes, didn't I? No. Yes. I spelled it wrong. It is botanic planes. Botanic planes. Beautiful and verdant. Yes. Start from, I'm going to start from gore. Okay. Cut. Gore, the air-gore planes, the undercity, the ditch, Netherian, Arithia, Drelgad, the botanic planes, and DOM. In characters, we have Rave, our FMC. She was also known in this chapter section as K. Mori Daffodone at the Hungry Hollow. We meet Levy, the blonde pregnant fiddler Rave performs with. Lord Taric, Relican, the red-haired nasty-ass male that Rave kills. You go, girl. Serim, the snake-like female Rave reports to in the rebel group. Fallen Rave's friend that she lost a long time ago, RIP. Essie Rave's other friend that she found as a child and promised to protect RIP again. Eloen Navan, this is our intriguing nine-year-old diary author. Hadeon is Eloen's older brother. Ruse is the shop owner at the Curly Quill. Uno is the very good shop pet at the Curly Quill. And Uno is a miskin. Lauren, can you tell us what a miskin is? Of course. According to the glossary, a miskin is a knee-high creature with white hair and complexion, buttony features and sharp teeth. They have willowy bodies that fold up like a marsupial and long-tufted tails. They can see into the future, though these visions are sporadic and subject to change. And these creatures are verbal. What? Yeah. I'm so excited. Fancy. Okay, back to our characters. We have "Rick Zarros" is the bounty hunter hired by the king. The king's name is Cadok Vegor and he's married to Queen Dothaya. Yes, Corn is the under-city librarian with a pet spangle. Knee is the pet parchment-lark that Raive keeps for a long time with the words "I need you" written on it from an unknown sender. Princess Kizari, this is Corn's niece and the current guardian of the ether stone. Do I not put Corn in here? Nope. Oops. Let me just do this right here. So sorry about that. Corn is our MMC, not to be confused with my name. This is spelled K-A-A-N. Princess Kizari is Corn's niece and the current guardian of the ether stone. Vaya, connection currently unknown, but Vaya went with Corn to find Kizari the last time she ran away. And then we have some dragons. So there are three different types of dragons. The saber-sides are from Gondrag. These are big and bulky dragons with black bronze and reddy scales. They have ferocious aptitudes that cannot be matched. Then we have molten moths from the fade or specifically from boggith. They have sharp beaks and claws, vibrant colored feathers, and they are all made of gold. and each one has unique colors and patterns. And then finally, we have moon plumes from Netheran. These are luminous dragons with leathery skin, long silky tails, and eyes of glitter and ink. All right, let's go into world building. First up, we have moonfall. So when the dragons died, they float out into the ether and calcify into moons, then fall from the sky back to the ground in a devastating collision. As a result, the gods broke apart and trapped Kayless, which is one of the gods into the ether stone, and the threads of his silver cloak that tore free, moved into orbit around the planet, allowing its residents to track the passage of time. This gives us the Aurora cycle, which is the word for a full day. Their daytime is-- they use the word day, D-A-E, to describe their daytime, and then slumber to describe their nighttime since there is no clear, like, day and night. Since their planet doesn't rotate, do you want to jump in here with these? Yeah, sure. So this was the most confusing thing for me and Kyle when we read the book the first time. So I just wanted to make sure everyone understood. The world does not turn. And so I think that's a big one, starting there. But we learn about what an Aurora cycle is. A complete Aurora cycle is the amount of time it takes for the Aurora ribbons, which are the cloak that tore free from Kayless. The Aurora ribbons to orbit the entire world once. An Aurora cycle is equivalent to a 24-hour day. So every time they talk about an Aurora cycle, it just means one day. Yeah. And then we also get into phases. So a phase is sort of like a year, and Lauren's got some more info on that as well. Yeah, a phase is 1,000 Aurora cycles. So 1,000 days equals a phase. The Aurora ribbons grow marginally thicker over the course of the phase, and then thin out on the 1,000th cycle. So this ebbing rhythm tracks the phase from start to finish. And Eon will be referenced, and that is 100 phases, which is also like 100,000 Aurora cycles. And to explain maybe ages of people, when they say they are one phase of life, that means 1,000 Aurora cycles. So they're 1-year-old. 24 phases of life is 24,000 Aurora cycles. So you might have to do some big math. But hopefully that helps out. Thank you. So with that, our timeline currently, we are in 5,165 phases after stone. I'm assuming with our current information, that stone refers to the etherstone incident when the last moon fell. Yes. The tracking of time and phases will be either after stone or before stone. And it might be referenced as like certain number of days, AS being after stone or certain number of phases, BS for before stone. Perfect. OK. And then we hear the term null, which signifies those incapable of hearing the elemental songs of the gods. And a null clip is a physical marker on the ears of nulls to signify their lack of connection to the gods. Yep. And those that have an elemental connection will have an elemental bead. These are worn to show individual can hear any of the elemental songs. They're also different depending on where a person's from, like some will wear as like earring, some will wear as necklaces or beads in their hair. Just kind of depends. Red is for fire or ignoose, blue for rain, water, clear for clothe, air, and brown for boulder. So they'll reference everyone's beads, everyone's in a while. All right. Let's wrap up world building. We have dragon blood stone. This is the currency in this realm. The fur to do off. This is the rebel group, Raeves part of, meaning from the ashes. There are elding blades. These are members of the fur to off who get sent on murder missions. And then the elding is the leader of the fur to off. And he rules the underground safe haven. We get one mention of a term, dog a morque. This is one so bonded with their dragon that they can harness its strength and wield its fire, though this is said to be more mythical than fact, which sure, sure, sure, sure. For sure, we'll talk about that later. And then Hayes Perch. This is the name of the little adolescent moon plume with the malformed wing that Raeves looks at in this chapter section. Wafes are creepy soul nibblers. Runies are those who specialize in runes. And then I'm not including every single tiny world building element here for the sake of time, because they're a million. But here are a few other capitalized or notable mentions. There are scurpee tables, elding birds, silver salmoths, spangled poop, kulk is like a cow. The trogg is sort of like trash shoots. And then we get a mention of the tri-counsel and lots of mentions of parchment lurks. And lastly, my favorite section, we have God's watch. In this realm, they are referred to as the creators. These are the gods of this book. So the first God is K-Lis, God of ether. This is like space, like empty space. K-Lis is now trapped inside the ether stone. The other four gods are Boulder, God of Ground, Rain, Goddess of Water, Claude, Goddess of Air, and Ignos, God of Fire, who was also apparently obsessed with Claude. Thank you for bearing with me through our very long pronunciation, God. We are so excited to get into this world. So here to introduce to you the background of our story, we have the Royal Reader of the Recaps. Champion of the chapters, presenter of the plot points, love of my life. Jorn. Thanks, Korn. And we have a prologue, full of things, all the things, really, so many things, great things. I don't even know how to talk through this, guys. Can you help me out here? Well, there are five gods of dragons. Three types of dragons are actually saved. They are saved from the rules and the knives. And they just see it as a ring and they stay in their respective ferd of the world. Some folks who still drag and eggs, and use them to drag or some of that, the folks who have a crush on them down the world, die that was a stage. Which is better all to blow this world. Go into a ball, have some fun, have some fun, have some fun, and then for the whole cast of vine say, well, his hailings can apparently end up in the sky. And he goes out, feet off the guard, and there is peace and death, and there is a shadow, and a spade, and a pothole, and a pothole, and a pothole, and a pothole. Time, falling, man. Thanks, guys. Well, we start our story. It was literally incredible. (laughing) Oh my God. Well, we start our story with K-Mori, traveling Bard. This is allegory, because she's actually rave in disguise. She is on her way to do something. Ah, yeah, she's a stand-in for some kind of act runs into a very large gruff dude who she definitely skirts around. And we find out that she is here as part of a quote unquote operation. She means the counterpart to her disguise at the other musician named Levy. She also noticed the large gruff dude return, odd, since it seems that he was leaving. And then they start singing the Ballad of the Fallen Moon. Some story about a saber-sive dying and becoming a moon of a moon plume next to it, giving it light. Moon plume gives it slight over until it falls, giving new life to the saber-sive who comes back down to hunt. Large gruff dude is watching intently. In addition to her target, Taric Relican and realizes she's snagged, not one, but two monsters, this lumber. After hours of singing, she takes a little break and Taric greets her outside the restroom and tries to get her to come home with him. Large gruff dude shows up and cuts the tension a bit but also allows her to slip by Tarrick. She goes to leave, but Levy catches her to pay her commission and offers to walk rave home. Raven's up showing her this weird-like orb thing which apparently means something as Levy seems to immediately understand that rave is there for Taric. Levy gives rave her contact information as Taric sonters out to follow her. She leads Taric to a portion of the fade wall and to sum up. She's not actually an all, she can hear clothe and seems quite adept, so she uses clothe to take the breath from Taric. Then bites her muller for a little contraption and her heel to like spike his foot through which I'm assuming is iron, I don't know if that said or not there. Do we get that there? No, we don't know, I don't know, I'm assuming it's iron. So now he is fairly incapacitated and can't use his ignoice against her, noise. He's apparently the leader of an under city like racket, like fighting, child trafficking, sort of thing, real scumbag this one. While she needs his handprint to open some cell doors of imprisoned children, so she takes one. Does a little torture, carving letters on his chest all the while telling him about how his quote-unquote bound gave rave all the info she needed to do this and how his family is already on their way out of the fade and then she ends him. She throws him over the edge and as she makes her way back down, season notice from the crown about how the fjure do off are the ones taking children, a little plague against them to trick folk into seeing the truth. Then she runs into large gruff dude, a bit softer in their meeting here as he asks for her real name and not the fake one she used. She knew he's also seen the body of a fake male splatted on the rocks below, which they mutually agree is not a band, but an animal and she heads on her way. We find out that she is an olding blade and a thathened for the oath, stalking the shadows and the throne and foot, seeking her target in the thylance. She finds a spot at the very top of the wall on one of the Jeffbridge's, I mean, Bobridge's, I mean crossbridge's and watches her favorite moon plume, moon moon moon moon moon moon moon moon moon moon moon moon moon moon that's a lot harder than I thought I thought this was a bit you wrote in it's really not so your favorite moon Plume Moon in the sky she watches her favorite moon Plume moon it's the M you really got to iterate the M at the end of moon Plume alright she reads the parchment letter Mark from someone named Essie, asking her to get some supplies for her. During this we learned that Rae saved Essie from the mines and has been caring for her ever since. Then we get a diary entry from Eloen Nevan, daughter of once King Queen, she's talking about her parents and their crowns and how her mom was like screaming trying to get it off one time. The next morning Rae was up and into the drift to get the items for Essie, stops by the Curly Quill run by someone named Ruse, gets things ordered but is requested by Serim. Apparently her boss and the fear tooth, they clearly have a bitter relationship. Serim, a Rooney, I'm assuming, she has a vile around her neck, apparently filled with some people's blood or maybe it's just Rae's, I'm not really sure. There are runes around it and she can use it to torture Rae. Some kind of blood behind that we learn. Samir tells Rae that she is to lay low because there's a bouncer honey on a what? A bouncer honey? Bouncer honey. Bouncer honey. You also call her Serim. Did I say Samir? You have it typed as Samir right here and I think you just read it that way. Oh, correct. Okay. There's a bouncer honey. Hello. All right. There are runes around it and she can use it to torture Rae and we find out that it's some kind of blood bind, something that has to do with magic. Serim tells Rae that she is to lay low because there's a bounty hunter on the loose hunting the fear tooth, a guy named Reckett Ralph. I mean Reck Zarros. Rae wants to go after him but Serim says no. Then we get some history of their relationship and how Serim quote unquote saved Rae and we get another diary entry from Eloen. Talks about her brother is making the journey to go steal a moon plume egg but that she knows he's probably not coming back from the journey. Rae walks out of the quill to gasps and screams a molten mall overhead flying toward the Colosseum for some kind of feeding time as other dragons join the fray. We also get a little insight here about the king but he's a quote unquote tri-bead with dual-beaded elemental bodyguards plus his dragon. So not someone you can get close to easily as an athenae of the ath. She heads to her home and stops briefly to gaze at the adolescent moon plume up in the sky. She goes down a ruined path to a hidden area and into her and Essie's house apartment. Essie has made her some tasty food and she also knows that Reck is on the prow and voices her concern which makes Rae awkward because of the whole not wanting to admit closeness to someone because everyone she does that with dies and whatever classic trope. Only in her room she gets cleaned up a little and takes out a parchment lark that she's had for five phases with the message I need you. Apparently for someone else but she's kept the parchment lark. Another diary entry from elo one. She snuck into Hadeon's sleigh to go with him to get her own moon plume egg. I mean kind of badass for like a little nine year old and you know what I'm saying? Despite his warning to stay in the hut while he goes to do what he went there to do. Then we get our first con chapter. What's this? Oh he is the king's brother as he meets with Kazari the princess, his niece. After some banter she tells him that she can hear him quote unquote and that once she started to listen and shape the language in her mind she learned too much and now she wants to find a way to set him free and oh should she hears Kayless and is apparently in love with him. She could really know something more than she's letting on but Con can't get it out of her and she ends up leaving him there alone. Rave Awakes to need the little parchment lark fluttering about. She slept an entire day basically she hears a thump upstairs quietly goes to investigate finding Essie with a fatal stab wound and bleeding out. She went to the under city without rave and was met with a hooded figure. She holds her until her last breath holds her longer as she puts the quote unquote clutter under the icy lake of her mind and moves to arm herself to the teeth vowing to find whoever did this and make them hurt. She grabs a quill unfolds knee and right to reply no you don't. Then creases an activation line to return to send her as knee takes it to leave out the window. Rave douses the area and Essie with some like alcohol type stuff or something heads out the window. That's the place on fire on the ledge. She notices a bag on the ground Essie's with the final ingredient for the diamond cap that she was making for her tooth and the dagger that killed her with writing on it under city RK a summons from wreck and as she's out on the ledge she goes through some stuff here Kyle might have some counseling notes on this later possibly I don't know. Then we start the final chapter of this section following quote unquote the other which we quickly learn is somehow rave and like not rave following the scent of wreck from the dagger and Essie's bag. She's very clearly in the advantage at night as this other and starts going just going to town on some soldiers who have apparently set a trap for her and what I can only describe as a scene straight out of a combination of like 300 blade van Helsing and maybe like kill bill. She slices and clothes her way through a bunch of dudes do a trap door pinned in a small room slash cage where she boulders some other dudes but then gets some iron in the back and further cage by a fire plume courtesy of wreck our southern and not so gentlemen taking one of his fingers right before he knocks her out and wow just wow that's where we stop. What a place to stop. Well thanks John amazing as always let's die. All right we're going to start with the map because that's the first thing you see when you open the book and I just noticed that on the map there's like these little tiny dots on there and I assume those are the moons I don't know what else it would be and there's also like a smaller one close to what would be the wall that she lives on and I know that she's like stairs at the younger the younger moon or the younger dragon that was up there and stuff so I assume that's them honestly I thought there would be more than what's on the map that I see but that is just the one thing I noticed I was unique about this map. Interesting. Cool. Fun facts. Yeah and is that like little slight wave in there supposed to be the the ether the ether ribbon. It was like a very subtle the aurora's like coming all the way down the ribbons or whatever uh-huh yeah. It's going to roar or yell us. It's kind of following the dots a little bit. That is true in this moment that would be my guess but yeah because I mean how else are you going to see it track throughout the day it would make sense that it's yeah almost a solid line obviously like they move a little bit cool but I like it. Prologue so yeah so I did forget about the glossary warning I did read through some of the glossary lips but mostly skimmed it and I don't know like I wasn't like oh my god like I didn't want to know that so but I had a note when I came to this I said yes the great flirt. I'm very important. Very important. Yeah. That made me chuck a little bit. Yeah. The only reason I said stay away from the glossary is because even what I like shared about each of the dragons or each of the like whatever like I cut a lot of that out because you learn that as you go. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it's not like it's going to give away the main plot of the story or whatever but it helps you know just go and blind and figure it out as you go. Yeah. Speaking of figuring it out as we go the gods and goddesses lore that we get right out the gate in this book you know I was so hyped about this. I had actually pulled up the book and I started reading it and I was like oh no I need to pay attention. Like I had to put it away and come back to it later I took it I took my sweet time going through this prologue. But I was also really immediately loving the writing. At the time I was assuming the more poetic vibe of the prologue was more specifically for the prologue but I love the way that she leaves it into really all of her writing and how descriptive it is but it's also like really metaphorical and honestly like mastermind level brilliance. At just from what I'm piecing together right now I'm very excited to keep going. Oh and then there was a line that said a various cacophony of folk who littered the land and snow and sand some with hearing sharper than their ears and I was like yay we have faith because I also didn't know that about this series. But then we also learned that there's like secret ruins which was really intriguing and there's a line about the silver book which is what they were referring to as the book with like ruins in it. It's at a different form of power in those rooms nobody could read or pronounce discovering that the strange markings could be wielded. Could mend bones, charm blood, glamour objects and this is just like such a fun addition to the magic system. I love reading about like ruins and I feel like different authors tend to approach them a little bit differently so I'm excited to learn more about those. That's supposed to be the book that Kayla's wrote right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah totally forgot about that. But then now they have like runes who specialize in them so I don't know if they that's like more common knowledge. The runes have special outfits. Oh yeah they do. They were like special clothes. Cream color. All like robes and stuff. Something like that. Yeah. Yeah. Cream color maybe. I thought they were purple but I guess that would make more sense. I think they're. Purple was Serim's office. Everything was purple. That's true. And nobody can have Serim's color. No. It's her color. But what about you? What I was most excited about in the prologue though is that the dragons are the moons. And I was like, this is why it's called the moonfall series. This was so cool. I loved this. Yeah, I had no idea about this either on our first read and it blew my mind. But I was also really excited that the dragons are so different from each other. Just because we read a lot of dragon books and usually all the dragons are the same except for the color. So it was fun having these like half scales or leathery skin or even feathers, which is wild. So that's super fun. And then it kind of talks a little bit in the section two about how the dragons turned into the moons. And so it says, but as castles groutaller than mountains and as kings and queens decorated their crowns with bigger sparkly or jewels. So to did folks learn how to shed dragon blood for many moon plumes, molten moths and saber ths eyes, their eternal lives were slashed. The creator did not expect their beloved beast to sail skyward in the end for many of them to plant themselves just beyond gravity's grip, curl into balls and calcify, littering the sky with tombstones with moons. They certainly did not expect those moons to fall long after they found their lofty perch for them to collide with the world in a clash of splintering doom that threatened to devastate everything that had come to be. And so I'm under the impression that these are really, really big explosions too. Like all the gods come together to literally save the world with it and stuff. So yeah, kind of crazy. It's also like such a unique world building thing. Yeah. I guess you saying it was the first time I realized it, but it's kind of funny to picture the people who like created the world and these beasts watching them die and they'd be like, oh, it's floating. Like it says they didn't expect it. Like they're like, what is going on? And then it comes crashing back down and they're like, what is going on? But I will say like we've read books, obviously. And then I've asked the question, I wonder how much of this like they plan out versus like, you know, they start writing and then, oh, I should do this later. I feel like this is one of the first books in a while that I've read where I was like, you've clearly been thinking about this for a while. And I almost wonder if she wrote it and then her editor was like, you need to have a glossary in here because what the, yeah, I'll put some definitions in there. Because like, yeah, it's crazy world building. It's like very detailed. Well, the glossary has stuff that's not in the book at all. Yeah. Like the stuff about that, the creature that's at the shop, the curvil and stuff. And then like every single creature that's listed has a description and it even says like, if it's verbal or nonverbal and like, there's just a ton of extra random information that I probably could have gone along with your pronunciation guide and added 100 things. But you'll just have to go read it yourself. And you'll just switch with the book. I can't wait. So, okay, this, the way that they, that the other gods like, ganged up on Kaelis and like, trapped him with his own runes is absolutely brutal. But then as cruel as it is, I also kind of love the idea of the guardians being chosen to wear the crown so the runes can draw from their power. Because I feel like this is such a cool way to write in a line of like, exceptionally powerful fey or like the line of kings. Because sometimes it's like, oh, he's super powerful, but there's not really a reason. And I like that there's just kind of this, you know, built in. This is why they're this powerful and this is what they're doing and they're blessed specifically by the God. So all of that was terrible, but also really cool. Yeah. Like the first one was just a mighty fey warrior known for his strength and wisdom. And then I guess everyone else just made him king and his familiar line because then it just got passed down his line. It says like skipping stones, which is kind of interesting. So it's really neat. I'm totally here for it. Yeah. Well, in the way, I haven't noticed about this later, but the way that it's worded in the prologue, I assume that it would always be the king who carried the ether stone. But then later we find out that it's through some like queens and princesses as well, which is interesting. All right. So the last line of the prologue is until one aurora rise for the first time in more than five million phases dot dot another moon fell. And my note all caps was I am so immediately invested in this book. You guys, I love this. I was talking to Lord and earlier and I was kind of hurt when I first started reading this book on the recommendation of foul and from our discord. And I told her, I just started reading this book and it's like insane in the prologue. And I feel like chapters and I'm still sort of like, you know, bedspinning. And then she was like, oh, stop reading that book because we might read it someday. And I was like, oh, so I did not salad. Yeah. Lord told me to stop reading. He was like, all right. So I was like, maybe four or five chapters in just with that much knowledge coming back into it. And finally, after reading a re-reader. I know. Well, it took me three times. Now reading the prologue to be like, okay. Yeah. That sounds about right. I really did. I took my sweet time going through the prologue. That was like the longest piece for me, I think, because I was trying to type notes as I went and do all my world building things. And there were like so many new names that that was wild. So I feel like it helped a lot with understanding the first several chapters. So speaking of which, we're jumping into chapter one. This is Raves POV and it says, this is 5,165 phases after stone. So after the prologue. My first note was that Raves' Faye, that's super fun, because I also, I mean, we knew from the prologue there are Faye, but I didn't know our FMC is Faye. So I was excited about that. And then this is more of a goofy note. But when we first meet the wave, it's just, well, well, well, isn't your soul a plump, juicy thing? And I know the wave is really creepy, but I was like, wow, what a pickup line. Turn around to rolling her hair. What? Me? What? On a more serious note. Whereas the leave and it says, there are screaming spirits desperate to speak with you. How about a small circle of your soul? Then you can hear everything they have to say. And I was like, it seems like a spiritual realm is clearly connected to the living in some way. I thought that was kind of interesting. At least that's what I took from this. On a unserious note. Every time I read that, very much read to me like, there are screaming spirits desperate to speak with you in your area. Calm down. Oh my god. Man, I always get these dumbads. I like to wake me up in the morning. Yeah, come on. Cool holding up a phone. I'm ready. Oh my god. That's amazing. Well, and describing some of the other people here after she gets past this wave, the, it says the others were wearing finely tailored coats. They're shaped, barbered in the shorn hairstyles and elemental beads hanging from their lobes. They boastful token of their ability to hear the different elemental songs, which we kind of covered in the pronunciation slash lore guide. Red for Ignos, Blue for Rain, Brown for Boulder, Cleaver Club. And I sure that was good to know. Also for like any when the moon hatched, friendship bracelets, I know we're going to enchant a con suit. You got to include the elementals that you can speak to. We actually just got back from enchant a con. Oh, that's right. Yeah. That's great. I mean, it was great. It was so fun. We traded all these friendship bracelets. And you already saw them. Yeah. So in Rae's POV, it says, when somebody tall, broad and cloaked charges down from above, I pause, unable to see much of his face, bar his strong jaw, brushed in a dark, well-shaped beard, his cloak's hood casting everything else in shadow. And I wrote, hello, good sir. How are you by chance at MMC? I love my MMC tall, broad and cloaked. I didn't shadow. Just a bunch of shadows in a trench coat. Yeah. With a well-shaped beard. Good one. Thank you. I'm glad we brought that back an episode once. Yes, good too. When they pass by each other, it says, my breath catches, then shutters free as if unwilling to part with the dense, luscious scent that might just be one of the best smells I've ever inhaled. And my first note was mates. mates. So was it mates? This also might be part of my thoughts and theories later, but that was my first note. And I was thinking of Lauren and the gift that Kyle made with the, what is it from finding him all the little birds that were like, my, my, my, my, my, my. So I was wondering here, if this is a mind reading italics situation, only because of one specific line, but I'm mostly leaning toward inner thoughts. But there was one part where they haven't actually really spoken to each other yet, but Rave is thinking, places to be, hands to sever. And then it says, a dense, graded sound crumbles out of him like it rustled loose the air shifts, I shift with it. She thought this being posed as, you know, somebody who is just, there is a performer. And then the like air changed or whatever. And he like turned around. Like it was like a whole big moment. So that was one of them. But I don't know how to note about this too. I had highlighted this too, because I think we'd maybe seen it like once or twice before up to this point. So it's like, okay, what's with the italics? Is it like a God thing when they hear the elemental song or something? But then like I came back and added to this note after this happens a few more times. I'm like, okay, I think this is clearly an just internal dialogue very simply. Yeah. It does happen a lot of times when there's like no one else around. It is just like her talking to herself. The only note that I had if it was my reading italic situation is that there was a part where he's standing right next to her still and she thinks move rave. So if it is my reading, then he does know her real name. now and then he ends up asking her for her name later and he's like not that fake name that you gave that one guy so that was really mildly note in favor of that but next she sliced another glance at tarrach relicin and her teeth gritted cheers everybody our first cheers first draw tick of the book our first teeth grit first teeth grit so we meet levy the little fiddler that she plays with and levy asks rave if she knows the song ballad of the fallen moon and i got so excited when i read this because the sequel to this book is called the ballad of falling dragons i know i assume it's the song they said the title question but the actual section where it describes the ballad of the falling moon is like so beautiful and tragic and i was like i'm only on chapter one this book is going to make me cry like i know it's going to make me cry this was the first moment where i was like crap did you cry or you just knew not here i just knew based on the writing and how deeply i was feeling all of the feelings that it was gonna happen she was gonna make me cry i didn't think it was gonna happen in this first chapter section but we'll talk about that later too and then my last note for this chapter i just had a note that rave just girls got some serious baggage and i'm also a little confused about some of this wording i will bring this up again later as well but she has this flashback here that says blotches of somebody else's blood frosted to the rags that clung to my skeletal body i am currently assuming that this was about fallen since we've gotten some other little like mentions of that as well but i'm not a hundred percent sure and then this is also the space where it says i plunge into the melody the same way i once plunged into life but with the words i've since learned how to speak armored by the horrors i've encountered since flaming horrors mind mincing horrors so i'm like at this at this point in time we really don't have a lot of information other than like a little bit about fallen but we still know hardly anything about her and i'm just i'm like already devastated learning about her background i don't even know anything yet it's like insane how i would i mean i guess it's just the writing how quickly i've attached and i feel like all of us have attached to rave and all of the characters and have like these strong feelings in chapter one like it's just really well done so shout out to Sarah the note that i had here was when she was singing and she just went off on the song and then it said her lids fluttered open i became vaguely aware of every pair of eyes in the room that had turned watching us wide with greed or wet with emotions that slipped down their painted cheeks but it's the cloaked male that steals my attention the top half of his face still hidden within the shadow cast by his hood despite it his stare reaches through the space and embraces me in an iron cloud grip i can't shake and my note here was like ooh sing to him girl what a voice i know she's amazing and then as she's leaving like the stage i guess was she's finished singing she says i came here to lure one monster and ended up snagging two and i guess it's also just with the writing that it's crazy that we get two very vague descriptions of these guys and yet i have drastically different feelings about each of them i am like sing to him yes and i'm like this guy's the literal words for the two that she has from like two sources exactly so well done i wrote that this line sounded like it came out of a Taylor Swift song i came here to lure one monster and ended up snagging two oh hundred percent it just it sounds like it yeah yeah i'm here that takes us to chapter two also p o v rave it says nothing like seven hours of straight singing without breaks to make you feel like you've swallowed a metal scouring brush then hacked it straight back up again and i was like oh i feel this so much with school starting up again and just being a music teacher and i'm gonna go to singing all day it's um-hmm i get it but also the fact that her shift was seven hours yeah all of chapter one was that was a long time and now rave and taric sat there and listened to both of them or not rave con and hark sat there this me and taric yes amazing i'm really just here to announce at this point in time that with the light blue eyes long inky hair and curves for days i officially have a crush on rave i got big fat crush on rave first one of the book chapter two i love her that's how it my next notice when taric has rave cornered outside of the bathrooms and he says with a voice like that says he tax on stair sliding down my body like an oily brush making my skin crawl i'm sure your mouth is a effing delight and i wrote ooh straight to jail straight to you right away uh and then somebody like it comes in from the outer door says we both look over a shoulder at the large cloaked male who watched me sing all slumber from the back of the room while exuding the stoicism of a stone statue and i wrote oh shit there's about to get crazy my reaction to this line was more about watched me sing all slumber because it makes sense to me that they wouldn't have days and nights since the planet doesn't spin but slumber just kept making me laugh for the first several chapters lord and i both never got over that either and like on our first re after we after we finished the book the first thing that we met with each other and sad we were like what what's going on like there's so much stuff so we had to like go through the glossary together and like look up you know explanation's like oh okay i get it i get it i get it reading through the second time now i'm with it but and this note is like a little old even now but i understand it fictionally but maybe not scientifically because it i'm no now that the aurora does move but before then i was like how are they getting this like cycle at all because it's a gold now consistently but i don't have to go through my whole long nerdy note for it now i get it the aurora's like a jump rope on the planet gotcha great way to put it for clarification for this next part because this took me a second to figure out rave shows levy a quote small glass orb transparent but for the incarnated depiction of a mythical elding bird hatching from a bulb of flame caught in the orbs depths so john mentioned this real quick in the chapter recap but i'm guessing this is like a phoenix especially considering the name because it's like the elding bird and the there pure to ath means from the ashes but i'm now assuming that this was just like a discrete way to tell levy she was with the rebellion without saying anything out loud does that make sense elding i think that's what it is to elding is also like another word for firewood or or fuel fuel that sort of thing nice okay so yes it also tracks yeah that tracks all right cool yeah that makes more sense i was thinking that this is maybe something that they like left on a body of their target or something or at the time of like the thing in her mold or help to activate it to kill them or dispose of the body or like leave a calling card type thing but that makes a little more sense why i i you would think that there would be a more convenient way to like tell people that you were with them other than like carrying around a glass orb because that just seems really yeah seems really inconvenient especially with her job and like you know i'm like it's very hands on i figured yeah but now i'm fake i'm thinking that this is more of like a almost like a paperweight situation of like that's how i take it but then it's like why if it's not useful why are you just carrying around like this random kind of odd yeah incriminating and convening right yeah right and well even even from like i don't know a company standpoint like well what are we gonna leave on bodies like well we're gonna hire a glass blower type of mission to actually make we're not gonna do just like a stamp or a signature everybody's doing that we want to stand out like this guy somebody's having to intricately make these things yeah that's true it does say in the glossary that an elding bird is a mythical bird like creature born from ashes and flames oh yeah so totally okay so not unlike not unlike a phoenix yeah yeah so almost like a feared death or something exactly that a great name for a secret rebellion and then right after rave shows her the elding bird orb levy says oh taric like confirming rave's target rave nods and levy looks down it says steric on her hands now clasping the swell of her belly a vision that does something strange to my heart makes me feel like it's going to burst and not in a nice way and i was like oh is taric the father oh that because i had no part in the companion to walk her home but that doesn't mean it's oh that's true it's sound so that's it was her bound yeah i think it was her bound but taric is taric and could totally have forced himself yeah that's very true she did say it was her bound yeah that's right but that so could be yeah i just thought it was an odd reaction when she was like oh it's for to because i'm assuming when she shows the orb somebody like levy knows that whoever there somebody like that is therefore is probably gonna die like they're there to kill them yeah that seemed pretty obvious that's a great point though i had not read it like that nice i don't know we'll see and then as she's like finishing up this about to leave to kind of lure taric and everything she says to herself companionship is something i work hard to avoid and mostly succeed the harder you care the more fragile everything seems it's easier to just not i was like oh girl is clearly going through a lot with the little snippets of whatever trauma she has and then for her to just kind of be in that very beginning like I just don't care about anything you know. - I don't know. - I don't know, you're gonna take it that way. I said, you'll add someone else said it. - That is easier to not care. (laughing) - I saw that. - I read that and I was like, yeah, same. - You're just at a really good spot at the beginning of some character development, Kyle. (laughing) - Just as the start of your character. (laughing) - Dang, this is coming late. (laughing) - You're in chapter two. - I read it as I guess just more of like an introversion thing, not like a, oh, I'm, you know, can't do it sort of thing. Maybe, maybe I guess reading in chapter two, but looking back at it after her interactions with SE and everything else, I feel like it's more of an intentional. I don't care about anything, even though she clearly does. - Yeah, I will say there were a lot of things that I initially took to be more metaphorical when she's like writing about Rae's sort of inner mind and just how her thoughts work and the way she detaches from people. And for a second, I was like, is Sarah A. Parker in any of Graham 9? 'Cause a lot of this is like really hidden close to home. (laughing) I've been reading back through some of it. After finishing chapter 15, I'm like, maybe this isn't as metaphorical as I thought. (laughing) So we'll get there too. But that takes us into chapter three. And I had, there's just like so many great highlights. I feel like there's so many good little writing snippets like things that are just quotable or just really relatable, but I did want to include this one. This one is in Race POV and it says Survival's Funny. Somewhere like a whisper, others like a scream, minds a scorched skeleton of flame forged rage that keeps me upright, keeps me moving forward. And I was like, oh, oh, oh, this is gonna be good. And not that it's good that she feels that way, but just sure. Oh, that makes for a badass FNC though, I will say that. - And speaking of, when she coaxes a clothe the siphon almost every whisper of air from Tariq's lungs, that was sick. (laughing) It follows up with Tariq sucking a struggled gas through the compacted organs. So I'm just like picturing like literally the breath just being ripped out of his lungs to the point that they like shriek down and he's like, oh my gosh. Diabolical. - Yeah. - It is really cool. - Well, and it's like that clothe is the one enjoying that. Like, yes, like, Rae was obviously there and took off the ring and whatever, but like that's all clothe making those choices and just being that way, which is wild. - It's easier. - Yeah, it's easier. You can't have it. (laughing) - It is cool though, 'cause there are obviously, I'm always on God's watch and all the books that we read and stuff, but a lot of the time, even if there's God's involvement, you don't get this much personality. Like, there's really a lot. I mean, there's so much written into even just these few lines where it's describing like, the glee she feels about this revenge and whatever. So that was crazy, but oh, the iron ring that keeps clothes, manic noise at bay though, is really interesting to me. I was mind blown at this like, seemingly direct interaction between Rae and this goddess here. And my note was like, do the gods just casually interact with people like this all the time? I was like, we're really freaking out about it. And it sounds like it, I mean, they can. Like, that's John and I were talking about this earlier and he was like, I mean, the gods have to be like, omnipresent, right? If they can just be, I don't know if you would call it summoned with this language or if they can just utilize that power, if they know the language, I'm still trying to figure that out, but is interesting. - I mean, 'cause they have their song and it sounds like the song is all the time 'cause that's why even she wanted to put the ring back on later so she could like, go to sleep basically. And so it's like, once you learn their song and their elemental music, then you can use that for something so it's like, it's crazy. - Yes, just how different you are. - 'Cause it was the song that made everything. So the same song could be used to control it. Even if you're not them, I would assume. - Nice, okay. And on my first read, I thought it was just Rave who had like this connection, but like even later, we hear that somebody just blew down the screams of the people getting eaten by dragons just so that, you know, everybody could be scared and used clothes magic for that. And you see it other places. So it's, it just seems like anyone who can hear that specific song just gets to use it if they figured it out. - I got wild. - It is super wild. And then kind of what I was talking about earlier with like that clothes herself or himself. - Is it a girl? - Herself, yeah, she's a goddess. - Herself, okay. That clothes herself is like into this evil doings with taric or whatever and it says, the goddess of air works up a howling eddy that makes my veil flutter about a love-sided grin stretches across my face. She wants to play so do I. - I was like, ooh. - It's gonna help. - Something I definitely need more information on though is we're in the middle of learning about clothes and then it says the god of fire loves to feast and I'd rather be skin to life than have him not on me again. And I was like, what does this mean? (laughing) There's like no other information. This was dropped in chapter three and then there's like nothing else. But the metal cap on the molar thing was also sick. I really loved that. And how it was like rigged to the, was it like a blade in her boot or something? And she was able to clamp down on it twice. That was so cool. - I'm assuming it was like a bolt. I think that came out of her heel. I'm assuming it was iron. I don't think it said if it was specifically but that would make sense for me if they're like affected by iron. And that was just another way for her to incapacitate and knowing their fey or whatever. - 'Cause she said how does it feel to be nullified or something? - Yeah. - Right? - Okay, yeah, that makes sense. And she treated all the null children so badly. - Yeah. - But yeah, speaking of that, he is treating those children horribly. And so she's like, "Imagine my disappointment when I discover I required your handprint to open their cells." So it's almost like he probably, I mean, I think she probably would have come after him anyways, but specifically in this moment because she needs his handprint. - And she keeps talking about his hand bleeding up to this moment. (laughing) Which one am I gonna take? And I'm like, is that just like her thing? (laughing) She takes someone's hand, but we find out it has a reason. And she like drops it down the garbage shoot to someone to use or however that works afterwards. We don't really find out, but yeah, I just thought that was really funny. And then after he's dead or right as he is, I guess, dying, she slices letters into him and seems like do this often to her victims. And it is extremely creepy and dark and whatever, but at the same time, I'm like cheering her on 'cause I'm like, yeah, tell that jerk of things and then I was like writing the note later and I was like, this is actually really a bad thing to do if you're gonna don't kill people, I guess, but also like yeah. - It's like specifically this while you're murdering someone, this is the line. - No, just like all murder, I guess, but like, you know. - So my next note here, I thought this was super interesting when it says, "Terrick's now bleeding eyes "take in the lobe of my ear, "the one supposed to be pierced with a transparent bead "to signify my ability to hear clothes "every changing riotous song." Way I see it, it would only serve to single me out as a threat to the Fades militant society. So I was thinking so far, it seemed that the beads for hearing Ignos are more common. Like she saw, it noted that she saw a lot of those but not so much of the clothe beads, so I was wondering if that was like a regional thing, like is it typical to see more of Ignos in the fade or is being able to hear clothe specifically like really, like more rare or like really rare. I feel like her level of power is really rare, but then I don't know. And having read that to single her out as a threat to the Fades militant society, it's almost like there almost could be on the lookout for people with clear beads. - Yeah, I didn't put that together. It does say a trans, - Silence from the re-readers, very nice, huh? (laughing) - I like picking the book and I was like, "Got 'em!" - I didn't pick up the book and I was like, "Is she gonna check on the regional thing?" 'Cause I was almost tempted to look at the map and we're like, "Does it say it?" That's a really rare map. - I can't really remember. - It does say the one, so like her ear, it says supposed to be pierced with a transparent bead to signify my ability to hear clothe ever changing right as song, but I think in chapter 15, it says, it she should have two. - Well yeah, 'cause she can also hear boulder technique. - I hear in chapter three, we don't know that yet. - Oh, so if I don't know, she has clothe. - We don't know she has clothe. - Yeah, you have, and so that's why the king is tribe-ed. He has three, and he's ran by by by by just two of these. - I thought for some reason I thought, okay, for some reason I thought that the number of beads was relevant to like your level of power or something. I did not put together. - No, no, no, no. - I just, you can hear it. - I love your next repeat. I literally, yeah, I was so confused by that. I did not put that together. Like I knew they were different colors, but I kept thinking like, I guess I was thinking when she saw the beads, it was like, "Oh, they have red beads in their ear." I just wasn't, was not putting together. - No. - It's like, - It's like, "Why we talk about it?" - It's like, "Why we talk about it?" - It's like, "Why we talk about it?" - God, yeah, okay. - Yeah. - Different elemental power they have made. - So they could have up to five, but we only know of like two or three. - Well, they could have up to four, unless they have the youth or something. - Well, yeah, yeah. - Yeah. - But yes, crazy. - And the king has three. - And it's just if they can even hear it. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know necessarily they have to be able to use it. It's just like, "Oh, I can hear this song." - Yeah, I can hear your beat. - You sure beat. - I think it's a lot more intense than that from a note I have later, but yes. (laughing) - The end of this chapter, where Rave is wondering about Tark's son and the other small children that are trapped there. This was another one of those moments, where I was like, miss Parker, this is diabolical, and I am really scared that I already care so deeply, for everyone she wants me to care about. I don't even know who these characters are. Most of them don't have names. They're just being mentioned here. And I'm like heartbroken, like absolutely heartbroken over them. Well, it's a real nervous for the rest of the book. It's something small that Rave cares about when she's talking about not caring. So she cares, then obviously it's important. So I'm gonna care. - Sure. - Especially Tark's own son, specifically in that story. - Yeah, I know. - I know. And then I just had a note for the end of the chapter. I just put, this was a freaking chapter. It was so good. So good. Takes us into chapter four or another Rave POV chapter. And kind of going off of, you mentioned like the ring earlier, but I just wrote the nullifying ring. It's incredible. I feel like it's such a video game thing. Like the nullifying ring. I don't know, I'll just nerd now. When she specifically named it as a nullifying ring. But it says, "I reached into my pocket and slip on my ring, the racket banging against my ear drum and slips off, leaving only the organic sounds of clothed squealing past corners without her manic laughter or slicing a song." And then when I've, and then it said, "Iron's Nulling Properties." And I was like, "Oh, okay, I thought I was just some special ring. I didn't realize that it was iron." But that would make sense too. It's do cool. - Yeah, well, I thought she was super smart. And the fact that she wears her outfit and has the exact same outfit underneath. - Yeah. - When she's like, being an assassin and kill somebody. And so it's like her outfit got all ruined. And so she just like ripped it off and had the exact same outfit underneath. It's like, "Oh, so nice." 'Cause she just used like, "Get away." (laughing) And there's like convenient garbage shoots everywhere apparently. So she could just throw 'em down and didn't have to worry about it. - So no. - It was so effing. - It's like her terrible address. - Amazing. - So this, I think this might have been the first chapter in chapter four where we get to see some artwork in the actual book, which was so cool. So there was like an actual sheet of parchment that's like designed, that's in the e-book and the physical copies. So if you've only been doing audio, I would highly recommend at least downloading the e-book or looking through a print copy or something. 'Cause there's so much that's in there that's like, "It's just so cool. "I would have had no idea if I was just doing audio." - Yeah, it's really beautiful too. And like the handwriting and everything is so well done. So you have like the flyer in the wall and the dagger later. There's just a bunch of things. So. - And it's like part of the, it's also part of the whisper sink on like, Kindle and Audible. So if you have both, it'll like, it'll still read that part of the audio book, even though it's on the graphic. So they must have like, I've just never seen that, seen it function like that before. It was really cool. - Yeah. - And the chapters themselves have nice art above them too. - Yeah. - True. - What does it read for the dagger? Does it just like what it says on the dagger? - Yeah, but it's not part of the text. It's like, it reads the text on the dagger and then keeps going down. - Okay. - Yeah, it's cool. Okay, it's time for me to fangirl now. In Raves' POV, it says, "I look up in time for a blow of wind to push back the hood of the mysterious male from the hungry hollow." First of all, I know this was clodoo and the goddess's work in this moment. She was really like, "Here, Bessie, get a good look at this male." (laughing) You need to see his face. So here's a moment for the description as well. It starts off that he's harshly chiseled, raw, fiercely beautiful, and then John had some nose here. - I wrote, of course he is, shaking my head. And then, "Drugging scent like smelted stone topped with a ladle of cream." Candle watch. - Candle watch. - Oh wow. - The candle watch. - Candle watch. - And I thought, "What the heck is a ladle of cream?" In a candle. If I saw that. - I saw that. - Smelted stone. - That's like okay. - You can continue your description. - Yeah, thank you. I will continue. - It says, "Black hair that falls just past his shoulders, half pulled back with a few loose strands, piercing eyes, the rich molten color of fired wood, thick brows, a dark beard that adds a rugged texture to his already robust appearance, a head and a half taller than me, broad chest and shoulders, bold, muscular, but please do go on, Ray, if you have my full attention." (laughing) - I just put the picture for him. K-pop demon hunter. - So the boys come round the corner and we're like, "Oh, her head gets blown back, just blinded by their beauty." - That's me on this moment, thank you. - And it continues on. It says, "He's showcasing as an old, but I know better than to assume he doesn't hear any of the elemental songs, especially given the immense energy rolling off of him, shoving against me." And I wrote, "That's not magic, honey." (laughing) - I just noticed John, he's got his hair half up. - Yes! - Yes he does. (laughing) - Now the boys care. - Love a con with a half of hair, do I, am I right? (laughing) - That's his criminal name. - So I have to note here, he finally says his first like on-page words to Rayv, and this is after seeing her kill a man mind you. He says, "Are you okay?" Those are his first words in this book. I love it, it made me laugh. - So then Rayv does go on about his appearance, and it says, "I lean more pressure into my little iron blade, which is that she's currently holding up against his crotch. That suddenly feels vastly inadequate against everything it's pressed against." I wrote a stoop observation bestie. (laughing) - He's got really long balls. (laughing) - Only paints you a mental picture. You're welcome. - She's gonna go back home to Essie and show her the dagger like it was with it, like this, but big. (laughing) - She's like, "Say when?" - And that takes us into chapter five, still with Rayv here, and her point of view, she says, "Being an elding blade, I kill. Nothing more. I certainly don't rescue that task left to others, not so comfortable getting bloody, but part of me almost yearns to this time." And I was like, "Oh, this is a title like referencing when she says an elding blade." I thought this was really cool, 'cause I think this is mentioned or she uses this phrase maybe when she's approaching like Tarek or when they are fighting or whatever, and I thought it was like a little dagger or something. I didn't know. - Yeah, I did too. - So I was like, "Oh, this is what they call like assassins for them, so this was cool." - And she's like, "If you met another elding blade, they would have taken or done this quickly, but you got me in." - Yeah, how it was phrased, I was like, "It was a dagger." - Yeah, I thought it was like a literal blade until they said, like until they talked about the elding word. - Well, the elding is like the leader of the do that. So it's like they are his, whoever they are, they're blade or whatever. - Yeah, I'm so. - Yeah. - And then she says, "Satness is like a stone that stacks inside you, making it harder to move. Ignorance is my self-preservation tonic, and I'll swear by it until I die." And I was like, "Oh, that's relatable." Relatable and it hits hard, 'cause there's a lot of times, I'll just pretend it doesn't happen or ignore it until it just creeps up on you. - Yeah, it gets you. - Ooh, it's like that. - It is. - So I was typing my notes as I read this time. Sometimes I take the notes to my phone and then I like type them all at the end of the chapter that I called. - Don't laugh at me. - Don't laugh at me. - Don't laugh at me. - He dies. - So I typed this note before I finished the chapter section, and it's, I'll just read it to you. It says, "I'm excited to meet Essie." She sounds adorably chaotic just from this parchment, and I'm looking forward to seeing their dynamic together. I'll Kyle tell the people what you wrote underneath this. - I was gonna leave it off the record, but now it can be on it. I just wrote, "Goal." - We both saw this note before you had finished. - Yeah, I was like, "Oh, she's not done." - It isn't yet. - That was not. - Yeah, that's rough. - That's rough. - That was not done. - But in this parchment that she gets from Essie, it's like classic where she's listing all the things, and then of course it's like, "And lastly, "please go to the Under City and splat." There's like a blood splatter and it's like, "And it's very, very important." It's like, "Of course, the one important thing." (laughing) - Collective. - If she had been able to do that thing, Essie wouldn't know how to go. - I know. - She would have been fine. - But for real, that's exactly it. - You would have gone to the Under City. - Let's just move on. I can't talk about this right now. - We'll get there. - I'm like five chapters, okay. - I know. - So in lieu of chapter six, we have our first diary entry. This was super interesting. So this says that it is five million 30 phases after stone. So this is 135 years prior to our current story with Rave. And this was the first moment that I was realizing that the guardian of the stone in this timeline is female, which I just wasn't expecting because of the wording of the prologue. But I'm guessing these diaries are showing us like the lead up to the first moonfall and over five million phases. And I was assuming it would have something to do with Eleman's mother. But now after reading the next couple of diary entries, I'm guessing it's her and Hadeon. So that's it. - Okay, so to go with your note, where you're surprised that the women have the. - Yeah. - Either stone. It's in chapter that Rave is talking to Serim and is talking about how she wants to just go right now and kill the king and whatever. And they're like, whoa, you can't do that. Serim says simply killing him without a thorough, well-constructed plan would leave the queen in charge. And Rave says, perfect. I throw my hands in the air, wondering why it was presented as a negative when it's exactly what the kingdom needs. And she says, this is her ancestral land she should be in charge. So it sounds like the queens, it was given originally to like a strong, say warrior, but I guess it doesn't ever save. it's male or female. And then also by this point, the bloodline is like through the queens or whatever. Yeah, I thought it was specifically worded with like male pronouns in the prologue. But at least now, that makes sense. That makes sense. Yeah, is that it is like the queen's ancestral line. Nice. So go off queen. Go off queen. And you're either stone. Oh, yeah. It says a mighty favor you're known for his strength and wisdom. Oh. That he was able to host the ether stone. But yeah, maybe he had a daughter or somebody somewhere did and then just kept doing it. Yeah. She just kept doing it. That's how family lines are made. I'm at the daughter part. I sure, sure, sure. Chapter seven. All right, back to rave, POV, about to walk into the curly quill, not wanting to stand out for being overly dressed. It says, I grabbed the tail of my veil. We were ranging it. So it's draped across my bust, hiding all my perky, pale flesh. And I was like, oh, man. And I put in the picture of that goofy looking kid with like a SpongeBob shirt. It's like he's at the family portrait or school photo or something. He's gone. Just real disappointed. Real disappointed. Yeah. Why am I even here? The curly quill though is this cute little shop. And this makes me believe I would be a runie in this world. It's got like stacks of parchment and quills and etching sticks and colorful leather bound books. Pull me in, coach. I want to be a runie. And more art for it in the book, the little sign above it. I did audio both times. Yeah. Very slowly the first time. And I can't believe I missed out on this stuff. There's so much art. We keep saying it, but there's a lot. Yeah, it's so cool. It's like the actual sign. I love it. Well, we go into the shop and Ruse is the shop owner. She has pink glasses and orange hair. So Ruse gets bonus points for being very on-brand with BP and F. Yeah. You go, girl. We also learn about like their money system here, which is like the blood stones and Ruse like pulled out this like leather book. And it says the inky straw stating my wealth, my well of wealth bleeds off the page like watery ink blown off a slippery surface before new digits appear in their place. So it's like ashy spending money. It's like magically shifting on this book. And then is it like is that all the books ever like if she went into a different store? It's there too. Like that's impressive. And I was also really confused by the blood stone because it's like dragon blood or whatever. And I'm like how do they just like carry that around? Yeah. But I guess it's just magically in these books. All right. So it's a go off John's earlier point. It was pretty video gamey that you could just go into a shop and be like, here's my money. Yeah. Good point. Yeah. I assumed it was more because that's like where Serim was. And that was how she got paid like through the fewer new outs. So I figured that was more of like her bank, I guess like they kept her money there specifically. And then maybe she does exchange money when she goes other places. But maybe it is like every place has a letter like that and they're all synced up. I don't know. It is about blood. Same error. Same error. Same error. She needed his hand print to unlock something so already. I'm like, okay, also there's some sort of like faux technology going on where I assume she's not handing a hand print to someone and they're like, yeah, that's his. Like I think I would think that's a room too probably. Yeah. More than technology. Yeah. But. No, I was just saying like faux technology because it gives that sort of tech vibe with hand print unlock stuff or like yeah, reading a book and seeing your money update and stuff. Face ID at the place next door. Yeah. What's like that, you know, the people always, the people always say there was one person who said and they were right that like any significantly advanced technology to someone who does not understand it would be magic. Yeah. Sure. The people heard. This is probably actually magic, though, to be fair. Yeah. In this fantasy book maybe. And then if you didn't love Raim already, how could you not when she like gives all her extra money to the poor and sick and hungry and she says she does it as like a quiet FU to those that think they can like play Kate, her by applying her with payments and approving her passion missions being the fiordiath, but she said it feels like I'm winning even though I'm not. She tries at least to do the right thing and help the people. This is all very monon of her. Honestly. Yes. Same energy. That's probably why I like her so much. You're super attracted to monon too. So me or Kyle, I mean, yeah, all of us. If you're not, you're wrong. So I don't even want to hear. Monon is a character from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Masks, just in case anyone listening has not read it yet. That's what we spent our first eight months on as a podcast and we had a lot of fun with those episodes. So those are all there. Whenever you're finished with this series and you're like, what do I do now while I wait for the next book? You can read Throne of Glass. So on the end of chapter seven in Raves POV, it says, my mind tunnels back to the moment's following Tarks disposal to the quiet alert I experienced toward a heavily accented male. I probably should have slaughtered, but I didn't because he smelled good. I said, this is both fair and reasonable. Your honor, proceed. Your honor. So many. Right into chapter. Eight were still in Raves POV and the muscle in Sir Eam's jaw pops. Cheers. Oh no, I'm out. Hold on. There hasn't even been that many job pop-in moments. That was good to say. That was quick. They could have had one so far. Yeah, I think there's only two in this whole chapter section. Unless you count later when the other literally clenches people's jaws. Well, if we haven't done there yet. Spoilers. Great. Now I know something else happens. The section I was supposed to read this week. All right. I have another little clarification note for myself because this took me a second. So John also explained this a little bit. But on Sir Eam's vile, Raves blood is inside the vile, likely alongside others. I'm assuming with a specific room key to her blood, that Sir Eam can use to control raves. So it sounds similar to like being enthralled to me. Like John, what did you call it? You said it was like a blood binding or you called it something like that in your recap. Yeah, they call it blood bind, which I assumed because they don't describe this, but I did read this in the glossary. Like bound is like basically marriage or whatever. Yeah. That makes sense. But it sounds like this one could be just if there's a blood bind, it's just a form of magic that you use blood to bind yourself to another person or something. It's not necessarily the marriage aspect or whatever to it. That's just what I assumed anyway. Especially in the way Sir Eam uses it. Yeah. And some do that in like a full, I trust you kind of a thing. But Sir Eam definitely uses it in a like evil, hold this over you kind of a thing. Yes. Yes. Yeah. So the end of my note said, and I hope Rave does get to destroy it. Slay your enemies girl. She's definitely like a, she doesn't want to be with them, but she also doesn't want to be the crown. It's like a lesser of two evils situation for her. She's like with the fear to ask only because they're at least trying a little bit. It's just not what she wants or whatever. Yeah. Enter Rick Zauros on the scene. He has been hired by the crown to come and put a pin in the rebellion is what Sir Eam says. Yeah. I put the little gif of that guy from the movie Bolt who's always telling the little girl, we'll just put a pin in this conversation, pin in that. That was such a deep reference. I know the girls have seen it. I knew it immediately though. Yeah. Yeah. I would not have come to mind. Any little fans out there. But we learn more about Rick and it says that every time she, she being Rave, has seen him that she's seen the bounty hunter, the metal spurs on the backs of his boots have been caked in blood and said don't need a grand imagination to work out. Who the blood belongs to likely the poor moon plume. He apparently charmed after slaughtering its former writer if the rumors are true. So even if he wasn't already the worst, he treats his dragon bad and so now he's extra the worst. Yeah. Boo, Rick Zauros. Then we get this like really interesting moment with Serim and Rave, where it basically Rave is like trying to get out of there and Serim's like your strong affinity with clothe, your skill with the blade and that savage side I glimpsed before you collapsed in the undercity the first time we met makes you an essential tool that we cannot do without. And then Rave like feels like an icy rumble builds in my chest. I cursed the day she fell upon me seeing that side of me. I barely understand myself. Not that I remember that part of our meeting, tucked beyond a veil of ice. I was all too happy to ball up and wither beneath. So it seems that Serim has seen this like other side of Rave and like on the first read, you're like reading through this and you're like what the heck does any of this mean. And then we get to other chapter and now we're like maybe it means this I guess. And so Rave says that Serim later told her that she had looked at her through black glittery eyes, face splashed in blood, canine's beard and that she knew that she was broken beyond repair and desperate need of an avenue to channel my rage. And then that's when like Serim seems to have co-washed her basically into giving her blood for this like little vile Stuff that Serim holds over her and stuff, but kind of wild that Serim knows about it That's just all of it is just crazy. Mm-hmm. Yep. I have this in my thoughts theories later We will be spiraling about it shortly Can't wait this is another one of those moments though like at the end of this chapter I had initially written like I love these descriptions of raves in her mind being like an immense frozen lake where she buries certain emotions and memories Not that I love that she has to do that to survive, but the writing and imagery is like so good because it feels very Metaphorical, but then also I feel like it's not now So we will get there as well, but I that's why I feel like the writing is really Just it's gorgeous. It's beautiful, but it also feels very like masterfully written and I'm just I've been fan probably about every tiny little thing Yes, feel so little, but then is like the biggest most important thing probably So well done So this takes us to our next diary entry and in Elements POV This is also very unserious. No, I was listening to the audio here and it says Haiti on leaves early next cycle to try and steal his own moon plume egg He has to slay there and span many slumbers and snowhuts on the way even though it is dangerous Slay is spelled as out e ig h, but I just heard he has to slay there Even though it's dangerous Haiti has to slay there. He's got to pick out a really a really stunning outfit He had this too dangerous You're slaying too hard He's really got to serve Note for this diary it was also unserious. I just said I'd love to get my hands on a butterberry chew Which is what she says she's eating and sneaking getting more of they sound both fun to say and eat It sort of tickles the same part of my brain that Turkish delight once tickled before I was betrayed by that treat Because it wasn't that great. So I hope butterberries are a real and be better But when I google them all that comes up is dog treats that weird 90s peanut butter jelly in the same jar So I kind of doubt it The goober The goober spread The gober spread Yeah, I'll take it upon myself. I'm gonna I'll make a butterberry chew and then I'll eat it I'll let it back to you. Yeah, that sounds great. That's great. The recipe. Yeah. Okay. Do that. It'll have butter and berries The recipe sounds great Perfect And 90s spread It's a free make goober There you go All right, so chapter 10 we are back with rave and I have a little note on Gets me every time I have a little note on this like God's watch slash dragon watch I guess this is more of a question it says dragon flame does not abide by the rules of nature Ignos's language can't deter it from blistering skin Melting flesh and bone destroying cities only a dog a more kick it can wield dragon flame one so bonded with their dragon that they can harness It's strength and fire though the connection is more myth and reality So this is where I put sure sure sure can't wait for rave to do this But then also does this mean that dragons are more powerful than the gods because the gods like created them right like the dragons where their creation They're called the creators, I guess, but this makes it feel like the gods have no They don't have any control over dragon fire. They were surprised when they floated in the air I guess that's true Yeah, like the whole bit yeah, I don't know anything right well We're talking earlier about how they find out how everyone has these like elemental powers and how they get their bead Or whatever and I was saying it sounds a little more serious than just like here you go And we get this like one paragraph kind of about it here in this moment where We hear like the dragons coming down and they're having basically like feeding time and she was saying that it it's going to be others Like her caught masquerading as noles says there are folk who would speak out against the king or parents of gifted children who try to keep their young from being forced Through the painful screening process required of every offspring from being shaved pierced ripped from their homes and exchange for the crown's prescription bucket of blood stone gratitude for their great contribution to the fades swelling militia So it sounds like every kid kind of has to go through this process Unless obviously parents were trying to hide them and stuff and that they are not treated very nicely And for whatever reason the fade has this militia going on So it's less than just like here's your bead at school or something Yeah, well I'm wondering too if they I'm assuming they like hear the songs at like different times in their lives It's not like there's a age or something maybe I don't know or maybe there is I don't know We don't really get that information, but my next note here This is rave speaking it says I swallow the rage boiling up my throat certain There's enough anger inside me to incinerate this city in a single blow of breath and when I read this I was like okay, so I'm assuming rave is a low-key Dominatingly powerful elemental especially when we find out that she's kind of like hiding her That she is like an elemental and that she has clothe so and then as they're talking about The king and his bodyguards and stuff says only a fool would believe I could get close enough to kill him Without a fierce amount of backup the tributed male constantly guarded by dual-beaded elementals and his vicious dragon And I was like oh yes, I smell a battle in her future And then same paragraph just a little bit later here Making my anger useless at least until the elding decides to stop clipping leaves off his malignant tree and start hacking at its roots And I just thought this was such a coincidence coming from quicks over that whole moment Just in case somebody hasn't read that yet, but yeah And this is what we referenced earlier con with talking about tri-bead and dual-beaded elementals Yeah, I mean I knew that I just didn't You realize that's what it meant. Got it. I just I knew they had different numbers of beads. That was that was all as I say I don't know Because obviously the king is kingdom is doing all this awful stuff to children I would wonder if any part of the royalty or nobility is like oh yeah, I hear it right I'll get the like how do you prove that someone can or cannot I'd be interested to know what that screening process is like and if yeah Like John said if you start hearing it later in life what do you supposed to do like just go say yeah, I hear it now Here's what it sounds like or something like that. Mm-hmm. Well, it sounds like it's not like a pleasant thing all the time Oh, yeah, how she's talking about clode and everything so maybe they just totally I don't know even eloen talked about that Or not eloen kisari the other oh, yeah in chapter 13 or whatever when she was talking about her being young and like crying all the time as a baby And all the things until they put the iron necklace on her. So maybe the kids just start freaking out Like Screaming or an aron pain or who knows what and then they're like oh, it's high pitched. It must be clode. Oh, it's this it must be You know, I don't wonder too like did they have to just teach themselves to learn the songs? It seems like it sounds like there's not like a like a school or something like this is how you can learn You know ignoses language that just it seems like they're just kind of like no do-o lingo for that. I guess yeah, right Yeah, so that's super interesting as well another note from me from Ray's point of view She says I like the cold and I can't keep a plant alive to save myself and I went babe That's familiar both true Mostly I wrote that mostly because of the plant thing because you always say like I really can't Keep a plant alive to save herself. It's kind of embarrassing, but I also do like the cold. Yeah, that's true That's true And then my last note here for the chapter when she's talking about the moon plume moon She says but for whatever reason I can't imagine not being able to open my eyes each Aurora rise look out past the ever vibrant clouds in this part of the world And see that little wonky moon with the malformed wing and I was like so that's definitely the one that's gonna come crashing down then because I Before we talked after we finished it I was thinking that our starting the story with rave was Gonna be building up at some point in the book to the moon falling like kind of how it said at the end of the prologue I was assuming like they said a moon fell and now are going to like a point in the recent future where like shortly after these events The moon's gonna fall but now after we talked it there might be another like scenario, but possibly So we'll see good theory So when yeah, so when I read this part about rave like admiring the little wonky moon plume it initially made me think It would be really sweet if these dragons were somehow like brought back to life and she gets to bond with this little guy and wield its dragon fire and stuff But now this is kind of what john and i were talking about I'm betting this is the tie-in with our diary entry chapters because this little moon is called haze perch AE and eloen's brother who's about to go try and steal a dragon egg is named haze on which is also spelled ha And Ellie knew the whole story and rave didn't want to hear it so I didn't get to hear it I'm wondering The tie-in now with like the diary entries being on a different timeline and then I don't know exactly how that's gonna happen But that's my guess for right now so Since we have silence from the gallery, I'm going to go into chapter 11. And my first note is just that this is an iconic use of magic for rape and acid. Did I call her Ellie? I called her Ellie a minute ago. Did I? My bad. My first note in chapter 11 is that this is an iconic use of magic for rape and acid to set up runes around their house to make intruders feel the urge to ship themselves or think they're being chased by a molten mall. I love that so much. I'm getting very like kids clubhouse kind of like stay out. Oh, 100%. Especially when we're being in like a trapdoor or something. She can't believe it. Absolutely that. I remember being a kid and making people crap themselves when they came in a mystic area. Just like kids. But if you could have Kyle, you would have done it. If you had runes to make a man shit himself, you absolutely would have put out such a clubhouse. Don't even try to look. Next one. I first know for this section was when Essie offered some butterman loaf with bogsberry preserve. I was like, well, that also sounds great. And then I also wrote, I haven't had bread in a while. And I think maybe anything in this book that's food is going to be very attractive to me. I just wrote here the bogsberry tastes like bogsberry. This reminded me, this is a really, this is like a deeper quote than the bolt one. But if you've ever seen mystery science theater 3000, there's one where they kept going. And smucker shrillberry preserve. Smucker with a name like smucker. Oh, man. That's what that reminded me of. That was a deep cut. That was deep though. I used to watch it all the time with my dad. I'm never seen it until I got married to Kyle. She watched about 10 minutes and I was like, what is this I quit? And I was like, okay. I'll wait till we're further into the relationship. And now that it's been brought up and reminded, it will be so hard. I also put that this world's fix it and to being made from the fissies of an animal is just pretty great. Like I love all of the detailed world building that being a part of it. And she had the whole like run down about why she needed that because a little bits of orange stuff, it was good. Yeah, at first I was like, oh my gosh, Spangled Pooh, like from Eleman's diary entries. Like the cross, you know, little tie and then the whole exchange was just that was hilarious. I love all of it. The amount of times the words Spangled Pooh, Spangled Shit or Spangled Shat is used just in this chapter section is wild. And even Kizari uses the word "Shat" whenever she's talking about like somebody's "Shat" and your mug or something with one of the ailes tasted like. And she's like, I mean, we're so poetic with words, but that one's going to come up twice. Sure. Oh, yeah. It made me laugh every time. There's only so many words for poo. I think this is when Rae was considering leaving or like not laying low like Serim kind of told her to, but she says, the only upside to being indispensable, I'm almost certain Serim won't fatally make me for the transgression. Just rough me up until she feels like she's got control again, the usual stuff. And I said unless she's in cahoots with the king or wreck or somebody. Yeah, so I don't know, man. As soon as we met her, I was a little bit suspicious of Serim. So I'm going to keep an eye on her. My next note is her and S.E. are talking and S.E. is starting to get a little emotional about how much she needs her or whatever. And it says, when the stretch of silence grows too loud, I spend looking into her big tear-filled eyes, shit. And all I could picture in this moment is like an anime style teary eyes. Like I've clearly been watching too much kpop demon hunters, but I just put a gif in here I found an anime of like the tears, welling in the eyes of the really super anime style. Yeah, like a little lip quiver. Yeah, yeah, exactly. No such thing as too much kpop demon hunters. I mean, it's true. I'm going to put my point. We literally finished it right before this recording. But yes, going with that, S.E. says like, "Rave, I can't lose you." And Rave like immediately shuts it down. Like we do not do this S.E. We work just fine the way we are. Don't break something that's not broken. And she's like, "But you're the only family I have." I was like, "Oh, this is gearing us up for the biggest heartbreak of our lives." And yeah. And Rave goes into her room and is staring at her little moon and says like, "Loving this moon feels safe. Moon falls or so rare. It'll likely always be there accepting my quiet adoration. Loving S.E. Dot dot dot." It makes me feel like I'm handling something fragile that'll break apart in my hands if I tighten my grip even the slightest bit. I don't know. She's going through it and she totally loves her, but she won't say it and then freaking chapter 14 happens and it's just all really sad. And obviously this moon is also not safe. There's no way. Obviously. And when she gets out the little, she's got the little like box or something and her little hidden compartment and she pulls it out. And I was like, "I'm so confused. Is this a pet parchment mark?" Which literally I was so disappointed because I like skimmed it because I got so excited and she said it was like flying around. I thought this was like a baby dragon or something. And I was like, "Oh my God. Did she go steal like one of the eggs?" And she's got a baby dragon. But it was a freaking parchment mark. I'm like, "Wow. That is a staggering decline in expectations there." What a so cute. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Cute piece of paper. I know here though, it's so cute and I am genuinely concerned with the level of attachment I feel to a piece of paper for a parker. But I somehow felt the same when she just, it was, once you got the like connection between the two, it was just like, "Why am I getting emotional?" It's just stupid message flying around. Yes, I know. It's just a screamer, you know what I mean? Basically, howler, screamer. But I just love that. The name is "Nee" because when it's folded up, it's part of the "I need you" part. And it's just so freaking cute. That's a little name and a way it snuggles her on the neck and. Oh. You feel like that on the mark? Like a wild knee. We found a way to work it in. I do feel like that would be super uncomfortable. Like I've folded that piece of paper, was trying to like snuggle your neck. That's probably not as cute as it sounds, but. But a five-year-old piece of paper? Oh, that's true. It's probably soft. Yeah, and that she's like opened and folded however many times and stuff. Constantly crashing into walls. Is cute. Okay. We have our last diary entry for now, right? Is this the final one? Yes. And we get our other POVs. Oh, sorry. Last diary. Oh, POVs. Ah. So the last diary entry for this section is the L-O-N-P-O-V again. And my only note was just. I think this whole thing was really short, but she says, "I came to get my own moon plume egg." And I was like, "Interesting development. I'm sure nothing could go wrong." Okay, so chapter 13, we get our first con POV, which I'm very excited about. However, I have a lot of questions. I have a lot of questions about this chapter. And this is my time to shine apparently because I'm the only one who has questions about this chapter. So I know that nobody can give me any answers about these things. So I'm just going to fire them off. We're just going to do some like a lightning round through chapter 13. And you're just going to get everything that I was thinking in my little downward spiral here. So first of all, in cons POV, it says he's thinking about Rafe and he thinks, "I know it wasn't her that it's impossible that I'm going mad and have been for phases." And I said, "Wait, what the F does this mean? Does it mean it wasn't her causing this like feeling in his chest that he was describing right before this?" or it wasn't her meaning it's impossible that Rafe is whoever he thinks she is. Like he's confusing her with someone else or he thinks that she's someone else, which I have some thoughts on later. And then in the same train of thought, he thinks still those eyes that sent that voice. And at first I was like, "This feels like a mate's thing." But I have some other thoughts about this now again. So then Princess Kazari, he's talking to her now. She's wearing the Diadem with the ether stone. So this is when I was like, "Okay, so it's passed down to each queen's daughter." It sounded like though that Kazari has been wearing it since the moment she was born. So I'm wondering why Ellowyn's not wearing it. Because in Ellowyn's diary entries, her mom is the one wearing it and she is nine phases. So I don't know if they had some kind of Diadem on her when she was a baby and then they placed the ether stone on her later or if it is literally passed off at birth. But then Kazari says, "I'm devoted to the creators now. I took the oath of chastity." So then I'm like, "Does she take an oath of chastity for a specific amount of time before she has to bear the crown until she has a child and then the child bears the crown?" I need a lot more information than what I was giving here. But she also says, "I can do whatever I want now that pause no longer afraid of me." And I don't know what this means either, but is it because she has her own dragon now? We just like. or not. Or because she's devoted to the gods now, whatever that means, so like, do the gods vow to keep the guardian alive as long as they are bearing the ether stone, because we know that they bless them with like extra power in order to do that. But then I would imagine they would be more concerned with the well-being of whoever the guardian is until they have someone to like pass it on to. So there's that. Still going strong. In Khan's POV, it says, "Beyond the curtain to wear a lone fiddle-erp, a lone fiddle-player is carving a tune in the common area." And I wrote, "Tamlin? What are you doing here?" I get that reference now. I get it. I get it. Kyle finally read Akatar. I had to throw that in here just for that. But I have more actual questions. So what is the unveiling ceremony? And why are this guy's extra busy? Because of it, it's got zero information about that, either. Kazari says, "Who shat in your stew?" And I am adding that to my phrase library immediately. Love that. Kazari also says, "Pah says only folk with weak hearts complain." So instead, I wrote my tutor hate sonnets. I'd send fluttering into the fire. Now every time I write something with my perfectly linked scripts, I want to punch them in the throat. But because she's specifically talking about this and her perfectly linked script and just like writing things that she felt like she couldn't say, I want to know she's the one who wrote the parchment-lark to Rafe because Rafe seems to think it doesn't belong to her. But I feel like it obviously does. She tried to send it away and it kept coming back. So I don't know if they know each other or if this was just like something that maybe she sent off in a moment of desperation because she maybe didn't know that it was Rafe specifically that she needed. But that's my sort of floating half-thierry for now. In Cons POV, it says, "I'd like to cut off her paws head too, though I don't say that, so I need some tea on why Con would like to cut off his own brother's head, aka the king's head." And then he also says, "Queen owes me a favor." And I wrote, "Why? What favor? All of my notes are in like all caps for this whole chapter." Then I've shocked that the princess can hear Kaelis. There's a quick note from Con about her, like the princesses childhood trauma. It says, "The echo of trauma from her start in this world, a world I've grown to hate. Need a lot more information about that." And then Kizarri says, "She began threading those words together, shaping Kaelis's language in my mind, learning dot dot dot too much." So it sounds like, like we talked about a little bit earlier, she is literally learning his language just by listening to him, which is absolutely insane. Then she says, "Because I want to help set him free." And I wrote, "Oh shit." Then she says, "And because I have fallen in love with him." And I wrote, "Oh my God, what? John, were you freaking out about this, too? You didn't have any notes here, but I was losing my mind." I felt like it was just like so random. I don't know, man. Well, I mean, I was freaking out because obviously she's had to, she's either the first, like one of the very few to be hearing Kaelis, right? Yeah. And like, so like how, I guess can she only, I guess she can only hear him through like the etherstone, I would assume. But like how they described it in the prologue is he, well, I guess he still has a song, but didn't it say that he couldn't really be heard or something like that? I don't need, I don't remember at this point now, but I mean, it is a way today is clearly going through it too. And that very first diary entry. Yeah. Yeah. And so assume that she's wearing the diadem or whatever. So it would be that she could also hear. I don't know that she would have said she fell in love with him, but I would have never had the etherstone. I feel like they're obviously like reacting in different ways though. Maybe she's, because Ari is able to understand him, like more than the mom did. I think it was because she tried to maybe because she had the same reaction at first. She said like the first time that she heard it, it was just like wailing, weeping sounds. And it was like agonizing. And so she just put the iron on or whatever and ignored it for 80 phases or something. So which means that she did I have that I don't remember if I left that note in here, but that means that because Ari's over 100 phases old because she forget the math was in there somewhere, but that she had ignored it for like 80 phases. And then she just she like made a conscious decision to listen and like actively listen and try to figure out like what the words were and what he was saying. So she really spent the time like trying to understand and maybe maybe yeah, maybe nobody's ever done that before. Yeah, but is he just swindling her to get out? That's the question. I mean, he might be. Yeah. That's very well could be. There's a little content bit here toward the end of the chapter in his POV. It says, I know too well how malignant the roots of love can be. I've suffered from the same ailment for over an eon, which is 100 phases. And I'll continue suffering until the day I die. And I just wrote T please. That is that's a lot. My last know for chapter 13. Thank you for hanging in here with me. Khan asks Kazari what she knows and she won't answer because she just said she learned too much. So I'm wondering if everything we learn in the prologue is common knowledge because a lot of that seems like it is, but maybe she's getting like, Kaelis is full side of the story or like John said, maybe he's embellishing a lot to try and convince her to release him. But honestly, it's also really sad because Kaelis was always like so lonely and he just wanted to be seen by someone. He just wanted to be included or like seen by literally anyone or paid attention to. And now he has he finally has someone who's like, like, no, he, no wonder he's probably in love with her. Nobody's ever paid that much attention to him before. Well, I'm like, he literally was the first god and then was like, let me bring in all my friends to like make this world. And then they were like, we're gonna trap you forever. He's more guy. It's so sad. But maybe he's the worst. I don't know. Maybe he deserves it because we'll find out. Okay, so that brings us to chapter 14. We're back in Rae's POV. Rae wakes up from a dream here that is described as melting flesh from my bones in slow sizzling sweeps. So that made me think back to this little random nugget about her encounter with Ignos and how he like, I forget the way they worded it now, something about his, his fire though. And she didn't want to deal with that again. So I don't know if that's something she's having dreams about. And then I just love the on page like calming technique sort of that she was trying to use to tell her body that she's okay. It says, I focus on my fingertips, then my hands, my arms moving all the way through my body, slowly loosening each muscle, convincing myself there's nothing here that wants to hurt me. I love when there's little like on page things like that in books where they're just like using something that actively helps calm them down that I feel like is also super helpful in real life. Real life don't have magic. But obviously something is there that wants to hurt her and it's wrecked. Freaking Zoros. So she goes upstairs and the moment that Rae sees Essie's bloody hands over her abdomen, I wrote all caps. No, don't do this to me already. And my next note was when in Rae's POV it says, I crush our bodies together holding her so tight, I picture my strength binding her like a bandage. And I am on the freaking cry counter in episode one of when the moon hatched. It hits so hard. And like Essie's been in one chapter. Insane. But Essie's like one of her last request is, please don't drop me down to the cold or put me in the ground. Feed me to the fire where I'll never be cold again. And so like when she leaves, she does set the whole place on fire. And she Rae finally says, I love you to her. And that's when I got the cry counter for me, even on the reread. So I am also on the cry counter for episode one. At least I'm not alone. Except except when Rae is like they're having kind of their last exchange here. And Rae was like, why didn't you get a flesh thread, Essie? Why didn't you and Essie cuts her off and says, because I knew you would always wonder if I didn't make it out. The you would think I left you like they left me. And then Rae thinks they da da da her family. And I was like, Oh my god, this is brutal. I believe this, this is not my second cry counter yet. But this was very close. And I was still like actively saw me here. This was rough. And this was like a long on page death too for it being as early as it is. John. Yes, speaking of that, when it says, I'm not sure how long I hold her bound around her body. This no longer moving, no longer warm. And I wrote, it's on how affected I am by her death. She had like a page of screen time here. But again, it's like the parchment, like it's like knee, like you get such a strong emotional connection with the way it's written, even though it's like literally a page or just a couple interactions. I think it's, I just think it just speaks well to Sarah's writing like on this how well how like quickly you connect to something like that. And then something like this happens. And even with the parchment mark, like after this happens, and she like writes on it and sends it on its way. And then like that's that's it for me. And it goes back to like acting sort of robotic. And you're like, Oh, yeah. Nice gone. Yeah, just her last thing saying, you're the family I never had as her lungs emptied with a shuttered exhale and didn't fill them again. And then it's like a chapter break like yeah. And you just have to pause and collect yourself. And I and then cry again. Yeah. And I had mentioned in the recap that she like when she goes to leave when Raive like goes to leave and she's like out on the ledge, we see her really go through something here. And we see this one time before this. But it talks about how she has this like frozen lake or something in her mind. But in this moment, it's says silver light spears up from beneath while I carve an icy grave to drop the parcels down. A curious luminosity that hunts every step, chasing me back and forth between the shore and that hole, something that would usually frighten me. And I don't know, like I get a sense that this is almost like a literal place in her mind and not so metaphorical. Like it reminds me so much of the male main character and the sort of truth series, which I've talked about on this podcast before, but they call it in that book to partition. So he like, he can partition his mind or like part of himself and lock it away. And it's like a form of very powerful magic in that book that he uses to basically survive like a really long, drawn out torture that's meant to bind him to his like torture, but he locks himself, he locks part of himself away. And then after a while, he like recalls that part of himself and he's able to come out of that time of torture basically. And I'm almost getting like a sense of that here. It seems like it's a very real place and not just a, you know, metaphorical place in her mind, just how it's described. So I'm kind of hoping that that turns into something and it isn't just kind of, I mean, it's beautifully worded either way, but I'm hoping it's more than just like a very beautifully worded description and a way for her to like deal with the trauma kind of thing. Yeah. I think it is. I have some notes for you later. Sweet. Well, this is my second cry on the cry counter in raised POV. It says, I rise back to myself, raising my hand to brush Essie's hair back from her two pale face. And then she said, you sleep and she kisses her temple and just like lingers there for a minute. And that got me and I wrote, I'm crying again. What the song? I'm like, I'm really sobbing. Laying embedded like, what 100 pages into this book, not even. Yeah. I know you texted me like all caps. I'm sobbing. John's sleeping next to me and I'm hoping you're crying. I was trying to wake him up. But as she is leaving Essie and right before she sets a whole place on fire and stuff, she says, I'm gonna find whoever did this to you. I pledge against her cold skin. I'm going to find them Essie and I'm gonna make them hurt. I was like, oh, freaking. It's about to happen. It's going down. It's like it raised. Buffer real. But yes. And then John kind of said this earlier about Ne where she like, Ray folds folds it up and like, I guess there's a specific seal on them that like sends them back and she's never actually like activated it before whatever. But on the wording, I need you. She scrolls in her own handwriting. No, you don't. And then sends it back to wherever it goes. So that's also like art in the book and you can like see it and stuff. Which is really cool. And then yeah, like you said, it kind of like goes back to like a rigid all its like personality, all its life is gone. And it's just it's gone. So she just like literally set her whole world on fire. Yep. So. As she's leaving, we talked about how she like finds like Essie's bag in the dagger and the dagger in the book is so cool. But also it's terrible. And I'm like, so I was so emotionally affected by all of this. And then I just had to write a note in here that I was like assassin to assassinate who would have thought. But like Essie's was not an assassination as much as like assassination is still murder. Like she was just like a bystander in this whole thing. Like that was not his target. He was just being an a hole. Oh yeah. Yeah. In that. So. And SS in whole. And ass ass. But yes, but using her to go after his target and lure her out. It was just like, I mean, I don't know. So Raeves still going through it says something within me shifts and a booming collision jars me from the inside out my bones locking from the impact. And there's a couple like extra senses here. But I was like, Oh, is her favorite moon going to come crashing down because of this like it was it was so descriptive. It was like a perfect descriptor for exactly that thing to happen. So I was like, Oh, are we going to get that here? Is her emotions somehow going to like call it a K-List or like, you know, that moon or whatever that, you know, is going to like bring it down. But no. I really did not know what to think of this paragraph at first, but I will be circling back after we talk about chapter 15. But yeah, right at the end of this chapter, it says a beautiful blissful numb so pure like a cold silicon bandage for my soul. So soft I can almost forget I won't get the glory of killing reczardos and avenging Essie's death. As I sink curled into the frigid comfort, I grow calm. And then it goes into chapter 15. No, no, no, no, no, it cuts her off mid sentence. When it goes into chapter 15, first of all, it's talking about what he deserves. And it literally says he deserves an italics and cuts it off and goes into chapter 15. When it goes, he deserves the other is how like the next one starts. And it's like in another sentence too. So it's yeah, yeah, it's so wild. The other the freaking others. So that's chapter 15. And my first note is in all caps. I didn't say the salon because she said the same thing. But I was like, WTF is happening. I am experiencing whiplash, but to be clear, I am obsessed with this book and not mad about the whiplash. It really is whiplash because you're like crying and sad and all these horrible things. And then all of a sudden it's like, what the fuck is going on? Wild. I just want to give a quick shout out to the audiobook narrators for this chapter. It is epic. It's not even like paragraphs that are switched back and forth or dialogue. It's like the same sentences sometimes. And it's like just the female narrator gets a word or a couple of words. And then switches back to the male narrator, narrator for a couple of words and stuff. And it's just like so well done that it makes the chapter even more insanely like freaky what the heck is happening when you hear it from like thinking that's like raves POV saying it compared to just like the general narration it switches to. It is so insane. And so if you are not an audiobook person, this is your time to get on the audio. Yes. Tell us just for the chapter. It's crazy. Especially because I mean you get in the book too, but like the other is responding to the narration. What's wrong with me? Like whoa what is going on here? It's so trippy. So good. Oh gosh. This wasn't quite as bad as my chapter 13, but I did definitely have some questions in here about the way that some things were working. So the really. The super straight forward. The first one is in like the other POV. It says, but those who kill to hurt the one she loves, the one she nests within in italics. And my note just said what? Yeah. And she's like coming up on the soldiers and stuff. She's like a lot higher up than them on one of the like bridges or whatever. And it says the other decides these fade deserve the grizzly end that's coming for them. Though she regrets not having more time to draw it out, make them weep. And I was like, if yeah, I agree. And then oh yeah, oh my god. So she like kind of makes her way down toward the first like two soldiers that are chatting or whatever. And she's starting to like throw blades and like attack them and all this stuff. It says the blade sliced toward the far side of the bridge into the eyes of two soldiers just behind the reach of her strangling tune before they have a chance to wield their own words. And I was like, oh my god. Like, and this was just the start of it. This is like when she was just starting. And like my jaw, I sent a picture to con we should post that in the discord or something. Like it was incredible. My jaw was dropped this entire chapter. It's a good chapter. And then one yeah. And once she started, once she started reciting Claude. When she started reciting the language for Claude, I was like, oh, I got a pop in the audio book because I got to hear this. And I got literal chills and goosebumps. Like it is so frickin sweet. Very well done. Yeah. Then, oh, then the POV says no longer reminiscent of her fiercely beautiful host now sharp and savage. And I said, what the F does host mean? We got a host we're nesting within. I'm I am losing my mind. Then she says, Vobont, I think is how they said that. And then the cavern shakes with boulders answer. And I was like, so it's not just clothes that she can speak to. That's right. She's double-beated, baby. Oh my gosh. Well, yeah. And she even says like there are the others POV says and a fierce powerful monster who should have to be singing from her lobe rather than a knoll clip to the tip on her ear. And so it's like confirms that it's not just this weird other something that it is brave. So yeah. Yeah. Crazy. Yeah. So she like opens up this cavern, whatever hole in the earth that people are falling into. And then it says blood and brain matter spray from the rumbling sever in the earth as it chews. It chews them up. That's pretty dope. Yeah. That's wild. I'm still I'm still so "I'm not, I'm unwell at this chapter." (laughing) And then it says, "You're the one who killed our essay. She growls and I wrote "Hour" with like 18 question marks. Oh, and then "Rave bites down on Rex Nuckel." And it says, "His finger pops free. The severed tip dropping into her mouth." And I wrote, "Oh my God, I can't breathe in this in bed. John's asleep next to me." That's like losing my damn mind. Try not to like scream over this. This is crazy. The text message conversation from you from this was top to top to your book, "Bestie Reaction." We should share it 'cause I was texting Con. - So good. - Today too, when I was like finishing it and stuff. - We'll put them in discord or maybe make a pretty solid. - Yeah, so good. - All caps. - Yeah. But with Rex, like he notices like his finger is literally bitten off, at least to a Nuckel. Whether what's how far we don't really know right now, but like crazy. And it says, "Rick Blinks, stark eyes focusing on the gory stub. Before he tips his head and roars with laughter, abusing the sound until it's bruised and weary." And so I was like, so he's like super insane, right? Like he's like a completely wild creepy. I don't even know what kind of guy. - But here's the thing. Just I literally just thought of this. How do they know like what she is? Like who else knows? Serim knows? Some saying, Kahoot's collusion. - I see what you're saying. - No, I mean. - And Serim was the one who like grounded her. - Sure. - And Essie was always sending lists to that literal shop that she was in. So she knew that it said all up. - Ray wasn't allowed to leave. Essie was gonna leave. - Serim, this slithery snake. - Mm-hmm. - Levery little snake. - Nice. - Nice. - Levering in your god. - Give me a mouth. - Oh my god. (laughing) - Guys, this is serious. Okay. (laughing) The last line of this very first chapter section says, "A blinding explosion of pain before darkness consumes her." And I wrote, "This is a very evil, very brilliant stopping point. I respect it and I hate it." - Mm-hmm. - This is the stopping point we talked about the most of any of them. - 'Cause it was like, do we do it right before Essie dies? Do we do it right after that chapter? Do we include the other chapter? - Right, yeah. - Where and so we just went for the big, big cliffhanger. So. - Yeah. - So sorry. Not sorry. So sorry. (laughing) I initially wasn't really gonna say anything counts, Lori, but since John mentioned it in your recap area about this other, I will go off what we know now at this point. And I added some stuff from what you guys had highlighted earlier because I thought it was interesting. You each highlighted something different that she said about how she controls her emotions. Let me go back and bring this up real quick. So Lauren, you said that in her head, she said, "Sadness is like stones that stack inside you, "making it harder to move, "ignorances their self-preservation, "tonic, swears by it till she dies." Connor, you highlighted, "Survival is funny, "somewhere like a whisper, others like a scream, "mind is a scorched skeleton of flame forged rage "that keeps me upright." And John, you had commented on her icy lake that she keeps all her emotions in. And I find it very interesting that she uses so many completely different elements to describe how she is keeping back these emotions. And aside from the fact that elements play a powerful part, powerful part in the story. (laughing) - Yeah, they do. - Aside from the powerful part elements play, it does give me a feeling of someone who is really trying to control those emotions, but truly doesn't know how to do that. 'Cause she has these three different metaphors that she's trying to work with, "Oh, I'm keeping it all under eyes." She's like, "No, I made a fire, "and I burn it all away from here. "Oh, I keep stone stacked up, and that's my column." And I'm like, "You are all over the place "and trying to contain whatever trauma you have, "which you definitely have, obviously." But I thought that was just a sort of an interesting look on a possible perspective on this other of a barely contained pain that she has that is hard for her to keep contained, obviously when it all overloads with Etsy. - Good stuff. - True. - Councilor Kyle. - Yeah. - But that's it. That's all our reading. So over your impressions, what characters do you have crushes on? - Like my, like I thought, I thought Quicksilver couldn't be beat. But this has some incredibly descriptive and emotional writing. Like the fight, listen, the fight in chapter 15, this is what I live for, like longer descriptive, drawn out just, oh my gosh, I look forward to more fights and battle scenes in similar fashion, incredibly intrigued by this other, as well as the dragons calcifying as the moons, love rave so far, she is clearly underestimated and a very powerful, I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually find out that she's also a tri-beat. And maybe I think it might be, maybe cool if like she doesn't necessarily know that she's a tri-beat. And we figure that out like with her at some point in the book. I think that would be cool. When they mention the king is a tri-beat with dual dead bodyguards and a dragon, I couldn't help. - Dual beads. - Dual beads, what did I say? - I said dual dead bodyguards. - What? - Two dead bodyguards. - He doesn't need that. - Don't try me that. - When they mentioned the king as a tri-beat with dual-beat bodyguards and a dragon, I couldn't help but think of Rufus Shinra and his dark star and Turks. So I'm all in, that's some Final Fantasy VII nerd him right there. So I'm all in on those bad guys, like the beads are basically materia. So I'm totally nerding out on that right now, love it. - That totally, materia. - Absolutely, yeah. - Sure, for sure. - Space and awesome. - Yeah, honey. - I am scared. The writing is brilliant and beautiful and I care so deeply about everyone already. I am like truly, I am mind blown by the writing. I am obsessed with this book. It's haunting me. I can't stop thinking about it. I am already spiraling. I've already cried. I am so nervous and I can't wait to be absolutely wrecked by the story. I'm really loving Rave as the FMC and I am so much more intrigued with her after that last chapter. I also clearly need way more information about Khan. So I'm gonna need some more of those POV chapters immediately. That would be great. - All the descriptions of Khan. - So not more descriptive information. - Anything, anything about him, really any Khan that I can get me much appreciated. Any thoughts and theories on what might be to come? - I was just kind of reflecting on some of the things. Like obviously, Serene found Rave as the other when they met, like that's the, you know, however she describes it. The savage form of her, clearly seeing how powerful Rave is, which is why she probably did the whole blood bind thing. I'm kind of hoping that the other has a somewhat different like form. I think that would be super cool. I can't help but picture like an underworld like werewolf-like in situation going on. I think Rave, - Where would you say? - Yes, that's right. That's right, I thought you'd like that one. - For Lauren's been summoned again. - I think Rave's favorite moon is the one that will fall. Like I talked about, I have a feeling that show eventually befriend Levy kind of like a, "You're hurting, I'm never gonna leave your side situation." Like once Levy, like kind of gets more into her life kind of thing. Not really sure about Khan, like clearly complicates things when he's the king's brother, but he obviously hates him. So like, I feel like that's gonna work in Rave's favor. Obviously at some point, probably in more ways than one of them, are we right? - The whole L.O.N. and Hadeon thing, like being a diary in the time stamp a bit in the past, I'm assuming they're dead. - Wapwap. - Wapwap. - And I think their parents are dead too. Like obviously, I think the king and queen now aren't their parents excited for more. - Nice. All right. - Whoo, calm down about you. - I don't have theories about everything, but I do have really ridiculous theories about one thing. So we're gonna talk about that for a minute. - All right. - You've reeled me in. (laughing) Sounds like I'm beginning of a good book. - Yeah, so the last chapter clearly sent me into a downward spiral. I had told Lauren, I was like reading it in bed. I told Lauren, I was like, I need to go to sleep. I'm gonna have some weird dreams about this book. And then like 35 minutes later, I was back with like all caps text messages again. So after further examining the text, here's where I have landed. I think that Rave somehow shares her body with a dragon. Not that she, I mean, she obviously didn't turn into a literal dragon here, but I think that's what this alternate POV is in this like the other chapter. Don't ask me how I have no idea. I'm not quite there yet. But don't. What did I do? Just saying. But I think the word host had only been used before this chapter to talk about the ether stone, but this chapter also said nesting within her, which wouldn't make any sense for a god, and we know Kaelis is still in the ether stone since the princess can hear him. So I don't think that it makes any sense for this to be like a god. So unless this is some other random creature we haven't heard of yet, like John's saying with this werewolf situation, and because of all of this language, I think that it is a dragon. At first I wasn't sure if Rave was like aware of what was happening, but now I do think that she is. I think she has some sort of like, maybe not shared consciousness, but I think she has some awareness of like when it's going to take over or that it did take over, and maybe she gets little snippets. Maybe that's what those flashbacks are, or like her dreams are pieces of like the dragon's memories, because she's not fully present for those moments. So it started with some little things, like the, well, the scent between like her and Khan. So I don't know if that has anything to do with the dragon situation, but that was, it was like very strongly worded. And then with both of them, actually like in both of their POVs, but then the line where it says, I plunge into the melody in the same way I once plunged into life, like that kind of sounds like a whole dragon situation in the prologue, like where the, I think it was a moon plume that was like that plummeted back down and it was had been like gifted life or whatever. So I don't know if that can work the opposite way, but it was saying things like, but with the words I've since learned how to speak, there were like certain ways that that was phrased where it didn't sound like I was a baby and I grew up, like I don't know, I'm still really confused by all of that. But this whole thing with like the savage side that Serim glimpsed before she had collapsed in the under city, it said, I'd looked out at her through black glittery eyes, face splashed in blood, canines, beard, whatever. But the, I think it's the moon plume dragons that are described as having eyes of glitter and ink. And then one of them is also described as inky and that's the way that they describe race hair. So I don't know if those are related either. If that's just a word, the author likes, but at the end of chapter 14, this is the thing that like really makes me feel like, this is what's happening because rereading this afterward, I was like, oh, she says, I can't do this, I can't fucking do this anymore. Something within me shifts and a booming collision jars me from the inside out. This is part that John read. My bones locking from the impact. There's like this shift inside of her. My body temperature plummet so fast, I hear my heart slow, like it's wrestling slushy blood through my veins, one sluggish beat at a time. I inhale a shutter of air that feels too warm, like pulling lava into my frosted lungs. It's coming. And then it's, she's kind of battling with it, like part of me wants to fight it, but I love feeling this like blissful numb. And then it says, I almost forget, I won't get the glory of killing rec Zarros and avenging Essie's death. But she's talking about how he deserves it and she's going to kill him right now. But her saying, I know I'm not gonna get the glory of killing him, but he deserves this really crazy gruesome death. These are all things that just make me think. 'Cause all the language is like her surrendering to whatever it is. And then it says, he deserves and it cuts off and then it goes into the other. So that's where I'm at right now. There's another level that I could take this with her being the actual, it's a saber-side. That's what it is from the ballad of the fallen moon. The imagery there with like the saber-side then the moon plume, I think it was a moon plume, is very similar to what happened with Essie just now, like in chapter 14. And then it also sounds very similar to what happened with her and Fallen at some point in the past. So there's a lot of like parallels with it. And then the second book being titled that, I'm like, I could see like a parallel storyline kind of happening. I don't love the whole tragedy side of that, but I also feel like this book is gonna wreck me. So there's my kind of red string theory that's happening there. So I love that you even wrote it on its own document. Like you know. - Yeah, I did, 'cause I caught a copy of Pace of Law stuff. - It's what I did for the counselor, no, this is what I-- - I didn't even read half of it, just now there's a lot in there. Whatever helps you organize it all for you for later. - I will say my like initial question for the other was very venom. That's what I thought of when I was reading for the first time, like, oh, very symbiote venom. - Yeah. - Sort of vibes. - Yeah, I was just completely lost. I was just WTF the whole time. And I went with the whole like, if I just keep reading, it will make sense. - Yeah. - Yeah, except I couldn't do that. - Oh yeah, we're off. - Well, you can now-- - I'll give us about five minutes. - I'll give us about five minutes so you can-- (laughing) - You get right back to it. - Yeah. - That does take us to the cry counter, which I cannot believe episode one, two of us on it. I cried once for Rave realizing that she should have said, I love you to Essie before it was too late. And this is the cry counter. There's no party club music happening. - Sorry, it follows the Rave. - John still gets, he's still over there, party. (laughing) - He's still on beat. - He's stuck in Rave with it. - And I cried two times in episode freaking one. Both of them were for Essie and Rave. And the boys still cried zero. - Zero. - Well, pop. - The jaw dropped a few times during that reading, but no cry. - So that's good, that's still something. - But what a rush. Am I right, ladies and gents? Be sure to tune in next week as we try to find out who, where, when, and why the hell is happening in this story after such a roller coaster of a start. But next week we'll be covering 16 to 30. If you aren't with us on our discord through Patreon, be sure to get in there ASAP. So you can freak out in real time with Con and John as we guide them through all, lore. You can follow us on Instagram and TikTok as well for more fun and exciting book content, updated podcast schedules, merch drops, and lots more. But as a gentle reminder, don't send any wind-to-moon has spoilers, or memes on social media, or email, or anything like that. That's Lauren and Con's gig and they'll see it first. So Lauren can read it, but Con's gonna remain in there. So better safe than sorry. We do have a specific spoiler-rific chat in the discord for each week's episode though. So if you're here to shout in there, otherwise kindly wait until we finish the book before sending that content our way. - Yep, and there you have it. The moon has hatched, the world has cracked open, and we are not okay. If your jaw is on the floor and your heart's in a chokehold, we are here with you head over to betweenpagesandfriends.com. Join us as we scream into the void and our discord, share all the theories, prep for more pain, spice, and plot twists that'll leave you and us emotionally unstable on the best way possible. Till then, stay wordy, stay nerdy, don't stress, and a stable answer. - A stable answer. - I need to go read the next chapter. - That was great. - I'm in distress. (upbeat music)