Throne of Glass FanGuide 2: What to Know Before Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows

Summary

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Fantasy Fangirls

TOG Fantasy FanGuide Episode 2: Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows

Release Date: February 9, 2026

Hosts: Nicole & Lexi

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Overview

In the second of their special four-part "Throne of Glass" FanGuide, sisters Nicole and Lexi dive into the pivotal middle books of Sarah J. Maas’s epic fantasy series: Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. The episode, packed with spoilers (with clear demarcation for spoiler-free and spoiler-filled sections), is as much a deep-dive literary analysis as it is a celebration of character arcs, key themes, and world-building shifts. The sisters blend serious discussion with laughter, sisterly banter, and a few pop-culture quips, aiming this fan-focused guide especially at readers navigating the series and seeking to make sense of the rapidly expanding lore.

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Episode Structure

• [04:23] Spoiler-Free Recap and FanGuide

  • Plot summary of previous books (Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight)
  • World-building essentials for Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows
  • Key character updates with no major plot reveals for these two books

• [57:29] Spoiler Warning!
  (“Part 2” begins: Full-series spoilers for all eight TOG books, with detailed character arcs and pivotal events for Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows)

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Spoiler-Free Section (Part 1)

Series Recap: Assassin’s Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight

• Nicole delivers a whirlwind, humorous yet precise summary of the first three books
  • Assassin's Blade: Celaena’s transformation from assassin under Arobynn’s control to a woman on her own path; formative relationships with characters like Sam, Irene Towers, and Ansel of Briarcliff, alongside the life-altering betrayal by her mentor.
  • Throne of Glass: Celaena becomes King’s Champion; the palace competition, political intrigue, magical runes, secret passages, and relationships with Dorian and Chaol begin to take shape.
  • Crown of Midnight: Explores Celaena’s slower, shadowy rebellion as King’s Assassin, her growing closeness to Chaol, the murder of her best friend Nehemia, and the shattering inflection point this causes for all main characters. Reveal of Celaena’s Fae lineage and true identity as Aelin.

[09:26–20:00] — Nicole’s Recap Highlights

• Notable quote:
  “The dramatic irony is doing backflips here, instead of killing him, she cuts Archer a deal... Ooh, it’s a slow burn, Celaena and Chaol are the poster children for friends with unresolved tension. Until finally, after an extremely heartfelt birthday dinner, the tension is resolved and bang, bang, bangity bang, I said.” — Nicole, [12:17]

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Political, Magical, and Societal Landscape Entering Heir of Fire

• The King of Adarlan’s power rooted in magical Wordkeys and wordmarks; the ongoing oppression of conquered lands.
• The fallout from Nehemia’s death sparks rebellion in slave camps.
• Introduction of Duke Parrington’s machinations in Morath.
• Key magical lore: Wordmarks (symbols that bind, summon, or control magic); Word Gates (portals between worlds); the threat of the demonic Valg.
• Wyvern breeding for a new type of airborne cavalry, with witches (Ironteeth) being recruited as riders.

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Setting & Character Updates

[31:14] Celaena/Aelin:

• Sent east across the ocean to Wendlyn by Chaol (to “assassinate royalty”—but in truth, to keep her safe), Celaena is burdened by guilt, the weight of destiny, trauma, and the enormous secret that she is actually Aelin, rightful Queen of Terrasen.

Chaol:

• Torn between loyalty to the responsibilities of captain and shifting allegiances; deeply conflicted emotions as he sends Celaena away, not knowing her true identity until the last moment.

Dorian:

• Coming to terms with his raw, forbidden magic—capable of feats no other can while magic is outlawed in Adarlan.

Aedion Ashryver in Adarlan:

• Introduced as a new player: legendary general, cousin to Aelin, suspected traitor… but is he?

New Locations:

• Wendlyn: Lush, magical, ruled by the Ashryver family (Aelin’s kin).
• Doranelle: Fae territory, ruled by immortal Queen Maeve, distant relative of Aelin.

[40:07] Family Trees and Fae Lore:

• Detailed explanation of Aelin’s lineage across Terrasen, Wendlyn, and the three immortal Fae queens (Maeve, Mab, Mora).
• Fae magic: Elemental, shape-shifting into animal forms, unique magical bonds (mates, carranam, blood oaths).

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Witch Clans & World Expansion

• [47:37] Ironteeth Witch Clans:
  • Blackbeaks (Manon’s clan; brutal, gold-eyed, value obedience and killing prowess)
  • Yellowlegs (chaotic, recently destabilized by Baba Yellowlegs’ death)
  • Bluebloods (reclusive, ritual-facing mysticism)
• Kraken Witches: Ancient rivals, nearly extinct.
• Witches are being drawn in by the King for his new wyvern cavalry—setting up new POVs and storylines.

Manon Blackbeak introduced as a major new anti-heroine.

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Non-spoilery Impressions

• Both hosts gush about the emotional and thematic strength of Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows
  • “Heir of Fire’s emotional journey is so beautiful, so raw, so healing... There is this huge shift from Crown of Midnight as the world opens up... Now that we know Celaena is Aelin, we are about to look inward at this identity she has buried so deep down.” — Lexi, [55:02]

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Heavy Spoilers Section (Part 2) [57:29+]

(Jump here only if you've read the entire Throne of Glass series!)

Major Character Arcs & Analysis

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Celaena/Aelin’s Transformation

• “Celaena’s transformation into Aelin is, in my opinion, one of the most masterful, well-paced, dig deep, raw character arcs I’ve ever read.” — Lexi, [65:16]

  • Heir of Fire opens with Celaena in severe depression, wrestling with trauma, guilt, and the legacy of those she lost—especially Nehemia (and, earlier, Sam and Lady Marion). Rowan is introduced as her mentor: refuses to let her evade pain, calls her only Aelin, and pushes her to confront her past and reclaim magic.

• Pivotal Quote:
  “It would not take a monster to destroy a monster, but light. Light to drive out darkness... At long last, Aelin... arose.” — [69:11]

• In Queen of Shadows, Aelin returns with confidence, cunning, and a sense of purpose, confronting past abusers (notably Arobynn Hamel), and leading her found family.

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Rowan & Aelin’s Relationship

• One of the most praised, slow-burn, realistic relationships in SJM’s bibliography.
  • Initially a mentorship rooted in mutual pain (“forced proximity, enemies with deeply traumatized pasts” [78:29])
  • Steeped in deep trust, blood oaths, gradual realization of their mate bond
  • Scene highlights: Sleeping for comfort (not sex), the “gold nightgown” moment, and Rowan wearing almond oil to “mark” Aelin in front of Arobynn ([124:05])
  • Respect for agency and choice runs through their story—“she exposes her neck... shows how much she trusts you.” ([125:43])

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Dorian’s Maturity and Sorrow

• Matures rapidly through the heartbreak of losing Sorscha (beheaded by his father for rebellion), and his own possession by a Valg demon via the black collar.
• Memorable moment: The trauma of Sorscha’s death:
  “Truly, one of the saddest things I’ve ever read is when Chaol is describing Dorian taking her head and trying to put it back on, as if... he could piece her together.” — Lexi, [90:01]
• Finds unexpected, flickering hope through his interaction with Manon Blackbeak, even while possessed.
• The massive reveal: The King of Adarlan was possessed by a Valg the whole time—he outlaws magic to protect Dorian, knowing he would have dangerous magic ([93:31]).

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Chaol’s Loyal, Messy Struggle

• Wrenched between duties, guilt, the need to save Dorian/Aelin, and his own crumbling identity.
• “His road to what’s right is not straight and narrow... That’s not realistic. He fucks up, he snaps at people, he takes out his own anger on them.” — Nicole, [96:24]

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Found Family & Friendships

• The “found family” theme comes to full bloom:
  “One of the book’s final scenes is so clear in my mind, when they’re all together around the table... lifting their glasses, ‘to a new world, to freedom.’ They are the next generation of leaders.” — Lexi, [142:38]

• “These two ultimately represent collaboration over competition... empowering women together. Lysandra and Aelin’s friendship blossoms from the horrors inflicted on them for so long.” — Nicole, [110:48]

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Villains: Arobynn, Maeve, Erawan

• Arobynn: Master manipulator, “psychological style villain,” ultimately out-smarted (and killed) in a moment of poetic justice (by Lysandra, not Aelin—a symbol of shared pain and revenge).
• Maeve: From legendary Fae Queen to “actual Queen of the Valg.” Early breadcrumbs laid with “a darkness to devour your soul” ([131:37]).
• Erawan: Real motivations and early foreshadowing (“one king remained trapped... named Erawan” [134:12]); the role of wordkeys underscored in shaping world events.

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Manon Blackbeak & the Witches

• Initially portrayed as “morally black” (not even gray), Manon’s journey is one of developing empathy—starting with her relationship with her wyvern, Abraxos, and complicated feelings toward her 13.

• Encounters with the Kraken witch and Asterin’s painful past deeply impact her, “helping question everything she’s been taught, and begin to forge her own path.” — Nicole, [111:08]

• Her connection with Dorian, and especially with Elide, plant seeds for both character and plot development in later books.

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Lysandra’s Redemption & Revenge

• From courtesan and rival to a fiercely loyal, magically talented friend; avenges Wesley (her lost love) and stands beside Aelin as a key member of the crew.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Bang, bang, bangity bang, I said." — Nicole, on Chaol and Celaena's slow-burn tension [12:17]
• "Light to drive out darkness... Aelin. Galathenius smiled at her, hands still outstretched. Get up, the princess said. Celaena reached across the earth between them and brushed her fingers against Aelin’s and arose." — Lexi, reading from Heir of Fire [69:11]
• "She is a self realized, fiercely independent, fire breathing bitch queen and she has outgrown him [Arobynn], to put it mildly." — Lexi, [74:15]
• "It is Rowan and Aelin together—forced proximity, enemies with deeply traumatized pasts... But it feels so natural." — Nicole, [78:29]
• "I love the moment when she says, 'She shot my Rowan!' She almost lets it slip and it's like, oh, shit." — Lexi, on mate realization [81:36]
• “Those imperfect characters are one of the reasons why the series is so rich.” — Lexi, [104:27]
• "At long last, Aelin Ashryver Galathinius was home." — Nicole, [143:34]

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Top 10 Highlights: Heir of Fire & Queen of Shadows

(Timestamps approximate; full rundown from [118:25] onward.)

1. Supporting cast in Heir of Fire: Emrys, Luca, the demi-Fae kitchen staff and their compassion, especially their role in Aelin’s recovery.
2. Rowan & Aelin's Relationship: Iconic slow burn, the “to whatever end” vow, the gold nightgown, almond oil mark, and deep trust.
3. Orchestra Scene: Mourning and revolution after the slave camp massacre ("Song of Ilway” and others) [128:21]
4. Fireheart Nickname & Foreshadowing: Rowan rekindling Aelin’s sense of self and destiny [131:04]
5. Early Maeve-as-Valg Foreshadowing: “Darkness to devour your soul” description [131:37]
6. Caltain’s Moment of Vengeance: Destroying Morath with her shadow fire, claiming agency and giving Elide the wordkey [132:36]
7. Wordmarks & Wars Revelations: Discovering the true history of the Valg war and Erawan [134:12]
8. Climax of Queen of Shadows: All storylines converging, Dorian’s rescue, the destruction of the glass castle [138:39]
9. Found Family at the Table: The series’ emotional resonance crystallizing in the dinner scene [142:38]
10. Homecoming Finale: Aelin at last stepping into Terrasen—an emotional, cathartic series high [143:34]

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Closing Thoughts

• The sisters underscore the importance of trusting the process as the world expands and new perspectives (Manon, the witches) are introduced.
  • “Trust the process friends. We promise. It's worth it. Manon is everything...”
• Praise for Sarah J. Maas’s long-range plotting and payoff across the series’ books.
• More to come: The next episode will tackle Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn (the infamous ‘tandem’ read).

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Where to Find More

• Fantasy Fangirls social: @fantasyfangirlspod (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube)
• Fan Club: fantasyfangirls.com/fanclub — offers exclusive perks, bonus content, and community events

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This FanGuide is essential listening (and now, essential reading) for TOG fans wanting to deepen their understanding before tackling the series’ final acts. For first-timers, it’s a friendly, spoiler-aware companion; for re-readers, a celebration of every slow-burn, plot twist, and cathartic reveal.

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Transcript

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Hannah Berner]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

That's where function comes in. It's National Heart Month. Huzzah. And I've personally been thinking way more about my heart health, especially since I got my function results back last time. And actually cholesterol was a really high factor on my Lab results. I'm 32. I had no idea that was something that would be a thing. It was so surprising how much I didn't know until I saw my lab results. That was just one factor of many I've been working on. That's what we love about function. It doesn't tell you what to worry about. It shows you what's actually happening in your body and it gives you opportunities to help aid it.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

With the best My therapist has been with me for almost three years now and she is a fundamental part of my support system. She has been with me through it all through my wedding, through the start of Fantasy Fangirls, through writing a first draft, through now writing a second second book first draft. And she is just my everything in my support system and has helped me so much with learning about rest and boundaries and just speaking up for myself as a people pleaser. You and I both know that is no easy fact.

[Lexi]

Sign up and get 10% [e-mail] FFG that's better. H E L P.com FFG.

[Nicole]

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast where two sisters dive deep into beloved fantasy lore, character themes, theories and more.

[Lexi]

I'm Lexi, older sister and fantasy lore nerd.

[Nicole]

And I'm Nicole, younger sister and romantic.

[Lexi]

At heart and today is Throne of Glass Fan Guide Episode two. As we continue our four part fan guide journey through this epic fantasy series, please listen closely to our spoiler warning because it is very specific and different for each of these fan guide episodes. These Throne of Glass Fan Guide episodes are split into two parts. This episode 2 part 1 contains plot spoilers for Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight. Spoilers for those three books only. If you have not read beyond those three books, this part one is for you. It's all about laying the foundation as the world and characters drastically expand in Era of Fire and Queen of Shadows. Then part two includes whole series spoilers. Remember, this is the case for all of these Throne of Glass Vanguard episodes. We will give you an OBNOXIOUS spoiler warning so you know when we move from Part one to Part two. In case you have to jump off, Part two discusses character journeys. Boy oh boy is that true for this episode in particular today. And our biggest highlights from Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. While we're on the topic of spoilers, these Throne of Glass episodes do not include spoilers for Acotar or Crescent City as much as we want them to sometimes.

[Nicole]

Oh my God.

[Lexi]

If you want our mass verse conversations, we have a three hour compilation for you to listen listen to from our 11 months of deep Diving Acotar. Link to that episode is in the show notes.

[Nicole]

So with all of that said, if you don't know a certain Queen of the Fae, you are safe to listen to part one. But dear God, not Part two. And like Lexi said, we will have a big old spoiler warning for you before we move into the whole series.

[Lexi]

Spoilers of Part two next we of Fantasy Fangirls are adults who say adult things about adult books. And in other words, friends, this podcast.

[Nicole]

Is rated R. Fear not friends, I will be talking about the nightgown. Me too. That is all we both yes. So please be mindful of those little listening ears.

[Lexi]

Additionally, we are so excited to see you at upcoming live events. On March 6th through 8th in Dallas, Texas. We will be podcast partners at Dreamers and Readers Festival. Plus, we are so excited to do a live show at the neptune Theater on April 19th in Seattle, Washington. Tickets are on sale now for you to dive deep into how to Train youn Dragon with us.

[Nicole]

Oh my gosh, we're so excited. Check out our website or the links below for more information and more events. Plus a promo code for Dreamers and readers. Also, in case you missed it, the Fantasy Fangirls Network is bopping.

[Lexi]

First up, Fantasy Fanfellas has officially launched their Season two and our very own Hayden Sanity Manager are diving deep into Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn the well of Ascension.

[Nicole]

Season one of Mistborn is out now on the Fantasy fanfellas feed and Season two has officially launched again on the Fantasy Fan Fellas feed. Be sure to give them a follow Link is in the show notes.

[Lexi]

And then last week we announced the newest show coming to you in late March. Fantasy Fan Reads will be hosted by the delightful Jess of Lost Books of Jess where this podcast will be all about celebrating the joys of reading with author interviews, cozy coffee conversations. Jess and I are definitely talking cozy fantasies. We are just so excited for this new show and especially with Jessica.

[Nicole]

More information on Fantasy Fan Reads coming soon.

[Lexi]

Last thing before we jump into Throne of Glass Fan Guide Episode two. If you love Fantasy Fangirls and want more events, more content, more community, more from the network, and just so much more all around, please check out Fantasy Fan Club which just grew to incorporate media Network offerings too.

[Nicole]

We have three Fantasy Fangirl only tiers that you can join the Hive Mind, the Spice Watchers or the Feral fans. But like Lexi said, we have just launched a Fantasy Fanfare Fellas Only tier as well as two Fantasy Fangirls Network tiers that you can get early access to, ad free episodes, goodies from the network and so much more.

[Lexi]

Join the party@Fantasy Fangirls.com Fan Club. Learn all about these new tiers and all of our benefits and really and truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us as we've turned this podcast, this media network into a dream come true. It is all because of you.

[Nicole]

And now, once upon a time, on a podcast long since burned to ash, there lived two sisters who loved their community. I just got chilled and I wrote that.

[Lexi]

All right friends, let's start this fan guide by orienting ourselves with what's happened so far in the series. So guess what? This sounds like a classic Nicole recap is in order. So gather round as Nicole recaps the first three books in this series. Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass and and Crown of Midnight. That is three books. This might be a new recap record for you, my little one. So you got this, you take it away now.

[Nicole]

Thanks, big sister. All right, Assassin's Blade. Starting with the assassin and the pirate lord, Celaena and fellow assassin Sam are on a mission to Skulls Bay under Arrowben's orders because nothing says team bonding like organized crime. Once there, they proceeded to absolutely wreck it Rolf. His entire operation like a medieval OSHA violation. In addition to destroying a huge Port of Skulls bay, they force Rolf to sign a document swearing that he will never trade slaves again. Double win because it also destroys Erebin's secret slave trade venture that was making him obscenely rich, which he absolutely will not forgive nor forget or emotionally process in a healthy way. More importantly, Sam and Celaena stop being rivals in the Assassin's Guild and actually become friends, upgrading from competitive co workers to ride or die energy. Next, the Assassin and the Healer. After returning from Skull's Bay, Selena is punished by Erebin in the most unhinged way possible. He beats the shit out of her while forcing Sam to watch, and then he exiles her on a training Assignment to the Red Desert with the Silent Assassins. On a month long journey, Celaena stops in a port town where she meets Irene Towers, a bar made with healer dreams and the biggest heart. Celaena saves her from men trying to harm her and is later patched up by Irene, who explains that she ran out of money on her way to the Torre Chesme, one of the most prestigious prestigious healing schools in the world. When Celaena leaves for the desert, she secretly leaves behind enough money for Irene to escape the barmaid life and continue her journey, along with a note that reads the world needs more healers cues Soft sobbing distant violins Emotional damage. Next, the Assassin and the Desert. Celaena arrives in the Red Desert to train with the Silent Assassins, an elite group led by the Master, where only the best survive and everyone is terrifyingly competent. What in the actual survival of the fittest is this? But even Charles Darwin could not put a to the power of friendship. Celaena forms a kinship with Ansel of Briarcliff, a fierce young warrior with a chaotic best friend energy and big dreams. Celaena eventually discovers Ansel is actually a double agent.

[Lexi]

What?

[Nicole]

And secretly working with the assassin's enemies in exchange for troops to reclaim her stolen throne. In the flatlands, the Western Wastes, Ansel betrays the Silent Assassins and Celaena, leading to a violent confrontation and battle. But despite the betrayal, Celaena lets Ansel escape as a final act of mercy, proving she is already becoming more morally complicated legend. We will soon know her as.

[Lexi]

Deep breaths.

[Nicole]

Here we go. The Assassin and the underworld. Back in Rift hold, Celaena is given a special assignment by Erebin to assassinate a client's husband. What a warm and loving welcome home present. While completing the mission, Selina starts quietly severing ties with Erebin by buying her own apartment, moving out of his control and paying off her debts like a financially responsible assassin. I'll give you one guess as to how much Erebin likes that energy. However, Celaena is captured by ultimately rescuing Sam, who finally confesses that he's in love with her because subtlety has officially left the building. After a quick smoochie spoochie in the sewer, Celaena finally sells her prized Asserian horse to pay off Sam's debts as well, so they can ride off into the future together. Ooh. But little do they know that that hope is about to be completely severed, because finally we have the assassin and the empire. Celaena and Sam are living together, completely broke, but nearly from Arabin's control. So they decide to take one last get rich quick mission so they finally have money to escape Rift Hold. The task is simple, really. Assassinate crime lord Ion Jane and his sadistic right hand man Rourke Farren. During the mission, Sam is captured, brutally tortured and killed before Celaena even knows he's in danger, emotionally obliterating both her and us readers. Enraged, Celaena completes the mission to avenge Sam, only to be captured herself and handed over to the slippery snake himself, the King of Otterlin. Like a trophy, Celaena is given nine lives in the salt mines of Andover, AKA the Cat Sentence, AKA the Trauma Factory. That kicks off Throne of Glass which brings us to Throne of Glass. That was only one book. Friends. Next One year later, Celaena Sardothian is dragged out of the Salt mines of Endovir slave camp prison Zero stars on Yelp by Kael and Prince Dorian to complete a 13 week Hunger Games adjacent competition with 23 other champions to become the Kings of Assassin. Right off the bat, we can tell that this main character Energy assassin is one of the best. But there's one pretty sus competitor looking at you, Kane. Radiating final boss energy. While the competition runs, Dorian finally activates his rizz and starts flirting with Celaena like he's on Love Island Otterlin. But all the while, Chaol, gruff, controlling, emotionally repressed army man, becomes the one she actually starts to feel safe with. There's drama here at the villa, but oh, someone is killing the champions at night. The murderer remains at large, the bod are being mutilated and runic wordmarks are being spotted. Celaena discovers secret passageways hidden behind a tapestry in her room because that seems like a good idea to explore, especially the one that leads to a tomb. I'd be in the next county if this was in my room. But this tomb holds Rif Hold's first King and queen, Elena and Gavin Havelyard. And who's that ghost? It's Elena, whose spirit appears info dumps about the ancient evil, declares Celaena the only one who can stop it, and provides almost no actionable information and vanishes like the most frustrating NPC in a video game, Celaena forms a deep bond with the Princess of Ilway Nehemia, who is intelligent, observant, and quietly powerful and actively advocating for her conquered homeland, while certainly knowing far more about the magic and fate than she's letting on. Someone start talking, please. Lady Kaltain, you can't keep your mouth shut. This stereotypical young court girl is vying for the Prince's hand in marriage. But my lord, she's engaged. Yes, to the weasel named Duke Parrington, who wants to take down Celaena Sardothian and Caltain. You're gonna help. Cause nothing bad can come from that. The murders are finally traced back to Cain, who is revealed to be using wordmarks and dark magic to summon the creatures from other realms into the castle. But of course, the final duel to be the King's champion is here, and it's down to Celaena and Cain. But just before the final brawl begins, Kaltain poisons Celaena, leaving her weakened and compromised as she enters what is essentially a magically rigged boss battle. During the duel, in which Celaena cannot determine up from down, she is attacked by an otherworldly creature, and yet somehow survives and wins thanks to critical help from Elena's spirit finally being useful, Nehemia's wordmarks, and Kaol's emotionally charged encouragement from the sidelines. Congratulations, Celaena. You are named the King's champion. But don't act out or else the evil King will kill Kael and Nehemia. Cool, dude. This King. What about that romance, though? That I don't think I ever mentioned in this recap, Celaena breaks off things with Dorian. But don't worry. That was really more like that one person you were with in middle school who does. Doesn't count. Crown of Midnight, here we come. Celaena, pretending to be the King's obedient champion, is killing as ordered while actually faking every death and quietly helping the victims escape. Because she is morally opposed to murdering innocents and professionally committed to lying, she is ordered to kill one Archer Finn, who is a courtesan and previous acquaintance of hers here in Rift hold. But he is a suspected rebel searching for for Aelin Galathinius. The dramatic irony is doing backflips here, instead of killing him, she cuts him a deal. He gets to live if he feeds her information about the rebellion. But what's that smell? Ooh, it's a slow burn. Celaena and Kaol are the poster children for friends with unresolved tension. Until finally, after an extremely heartfelt birthday dinner, the tension is resolved and bang, bang, bangity bang, I said. And nothing bonds people better than shared trauma and candlelight. Bang. Meanwhile, the King of Otter begins side eyeing Nehemia and grows suspicious of her political maneuvering. He considers detaining or harming her to force loyalty from Ilway. Not a very subtle villain move, King of Otterlin. But what's this? Kael is kidnapped by Archer Finn. Celaena rescues him in full assassin mode. Which after Archer reveals he's been working with Nehemia this whole time. The whole time. The whole time. To build a rebel movement and orchestrated a kidnapping to prove that Kaol knew Something about the king's plan to potentially hurt Nehemiah. Realizing her bestie is in immediate danger, Celaena races back to the castle, only to arrive too late, discovering Nehemia's murdered body and the surrounding bloodshed officially shattering her emotionally and spiritually. In one efficient scene, Celaena turns on Kaol for knowing the threat but not stopping it. Pretty sure it's a breakup when she claws your face so bad you scar and literally tries to kill you. But just before Celaena finishes the job, Dorian stops her. Not with his hands, not even his phantom hands, but with Frost Skrt. He has magic. Best keep this under wraps. From his father, the King. Hard pivot left because the carnival rolls into the castle grounds. Because tragedy must always be followed by some unsettling whimsy. Here Celaena meets Baba Yellowlegs, a terrifying elder of the Yellowlegs witch clan who introduces critical lore about the third Wurkies and their immense power following Baba's information and death. But we'll skirt over that for a second. Celaena investig first hiding place for a word key in Elena's tomb, only to discover the king has already taken it. Dun dun dun. With the help of word marks, a portal is opened where a demon appears and attacks a daemon with full chaos mode. Celaena and a helping Kaol battle the demon and Celaena jumps through the portal to finish it off. Suddenly she has pointy ears, elongated canines, an everlasting immortal glow. Oh, Celaena, are you Fae? Surprise. She's not only part Fae, but she wields fire magic. Kaol, realizing his ex is both magical and fae in a kingdom where both would have it be all off with her head. Kale finally makes a difficult decision to send her away to the magical allowing territory of Wendlin in an effort to keep her alive. Alright, okay. She's fine. Kaol totally saved the day. But in the books, his final moments on the dock, Celaena tells Chaol the truth about the word keys, the word gate, and a riddle for her identity as Princess Aelin, Galathinius of Terrazin. And he just sent her to her greatest allies to take back her kingdom.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

Which means a lot of products cut.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

And what's this? The King of Otterlin has been breeding wyverns in the Faerian Gap. Yes. We're calling it Wyverns instead of wyverns like we do in Empyrea. Because they call it wyverns in the audiobook. And we always go off of that. Lexi. Do you know what else this means?

[Lexi]

The King needs riders for these wyverns. Which is why he was supposed to meet with Baba Yellow Legs back in Crown of Midnight. Except then Celaena killed her. More on all that with the Witch's recruitment to the King of Otterlin's side shortly. Rebels are still at large. The group that was previously led by Archer and Nehemia. They're gathering in Otterlin. The goal of this rebel group is to plan out the best method for gathering forces for Tarasen. Now with the knowledge we have from the first few books of the series, I'd like to revisit the concept of the Word and now the Vaalg and how they play in into our present story. Remember that the Word governs and forms the foundation of this world and all others. The Word keeps the realms apart and separate. Wordmarks are drawn symbols that then perform magic. Yes. Even usable when the land is otherwise void of magic. I believe wordmarks are more powerful when drawn with a magical being's blood versus a non magical being. Or not with blood. Because you can create wordmarks with blood or without. Then there are Word Gate Gates. Black areas in the Word that allow for life to pass between the worlds. And this is where the Vulg and our stories plot come in. AKA Baba Yellowleg's Download. Vulgar Evil demons from another world who broke through one of the Word Gates on a mission to conquer this world. They used their magic to break a piece of the Word Gate into three pieces for the three V Kings. Using all three Word Keys at once. The Vault Kings could open and manipulate the Word Gate at once Will. Which could destroy this world with its power and their endless armies. Being able to come through. Fae Queen Maeve banished the Volg back to their realm but could not destroy the Word Keys or put them back in the Word Gate that they had originally come from. So she had Brannan Galathanius hide the keys on Aurelia, scattering them to prevent anyone from having access to their power. This has kept the three word keys protected. Their power unused for the past 1000 years. Years. These keys themselves are pure power that can be shaped as the wielder wills it. Now we know the king of Otterland has found one key in the tomb of Elena and Gavin. Him having this word key is how a whole continent found itself at the mercy of one man. This king has used the word key to conquer these kingdoms. And at the end of Crown of Midnight, the other two keys have yet to be found. Although Celaena and Baba Yellow Legs assume the king of Otterland probably has two words, word keys. So it's like we know he has one, but he's so powerful, he probably has two. So as Celaena slash Aelin heads toward Maeve across the great ocean, we're left wondering, number one, does Maeve have information that can help find these word keys and slash or put them back in the word gate? And number two, would she be an ally or an enemy? We just don't know yet with this fake queen. Which side is she on?

[Nicole]

Let us talk about our fmc Celaena, who has crossed the great Ocean east of Otterlin and has now landed in Wendland. Remember, Kaol made plans for her to go there. The plan to the king, at least, was for Celaena to go to Wenland and assassinate the royal family. Take their naval and military defense plans so that Otterlin's military can infiltrate them. But that's not what Kaol was expecting or wanting her to do at all. All he saw her shift in the portal into a fae and wield fire. He's terrified for her here in Otterland, where she could be killed in an instant. So he sends her away to protect her. Although he does tell Dorian that she's dangerous and that she can open portals and demons can come out, she's not a safe person to be here. Nor is she safe here. In his POV chapter, he says that this excuse to Dorian is a lie. And I do think, at least it is on the script surface. But at the end of the day, he still does believe Celaena is dangerous. So I think that there's a little bit of truth here. Way deep down. While Celaena knows that she does need to go, it is not for the reasons that Ka' o saying here. Her and Elena's spirit had a chit chat before she leaves, and they decide together that Celaena needs to do what needs to be done. Meaning it's time for you, Aylin Galathinius, to take your kingdom back. And to do that, you must embrace that you are not Celaena Sardathian. You are Aelin. But just because she's willing and ready ish to go does not mean that Celaena is happy. Go lucky about it. Her best friend just died horrifically, but she also orchestrated her own death in order to propel Celaena toward embracing who she is and what she has to do. Celaena feels like she's still that coward that Nehemia called her. And thus undeserving of the Princess of Iwe's sacrifice. Sacrifice and even more so, unworthy of running toward the uphill giant battle of saving Tercen. Celaena is a traitor after all. She was the King of Otterlin's assassin. She lied, she murdered, she thieved. She does not believe that she would be a leader, but still she goes to Wetland. Proud of you, girl. Selina does, however, share her findings with Kaol before she leaves. This is on the dock at the end of Crown of Maintenance Midnight. She needs someone to know about the evils and the greater threats that are at play given how she's about to leave the continent. Someone has to know so someone can do something about it. And that person is Kaol. Let's go point by point through what she shares with him, because this is going to be so wildly important for Kaol and where his storyline kicks off in Aerofire. She tells him about the three word keys and that the King has one maybe to she tells him about the word Gate and the person who shared all of this with her and then she killed Bobby Yellow Legs. She shares about the paper with the riddle of the three word keys. She tells them about how there should never be a door open to the Catacombs. Terrifying. And how there's a dead creature sealed beneath the library again. I would be in the next county. And that Roland and Caltain might be part of a deadly plan because of their black rings. Alarm. Alarm. Alarm. She also gives him the Eye of Elena to protect him, since it gives off a warning light for whenever Vog demons are close, and it also protects the bearer from any word magic being used against them.

[Lexi]

The Eye of Elena is a legendary magic amulet, and back during the battle with the Dark Lord Erewhon, when he was about to kill the Princess Elena, a spirit appeared and gave her the necklace. When Elena put it on, the Dark Lord Erawan could not harm her and Elena. Elena's spirit gifted the Eye of Elena to Celaena back in Throne of Glass, and it has helped her in crucial moments these first few books.

[Nicole]

And then she drops the big info in the form of a date the day her parents died. I'm shivering. I have so many chills. Which he Puts together very quickly. Good job, Chaol. That quote. Celaena Sardothian was not in league with Aelin Ash River Galathania. Celaena Sardothian was Aelin Ash River Galathenius, heir to the throne and rightful queen of Tarassin. Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

I get goosebumps.

[Nicole]

I know. I'm like, oh, my God. But remember this, because he's expecting Celaena, someone with magic, to go to a place where magic thrives, where faes walk around and never come back back. But then he learns who she is, and it's a oh, fuck moment, because he just orchestrated her getting sent to Wendlyn, where Aelin Ashriver, Galathinius's mom, is from. And the Ash Rivers are currently the ruling monarch in Wendland. So he not only sent her back to her family and a possible ally to bring back to Otterlin and take back Terasen, but also to her great aunt, Queen Maeve of Dorana. Two ruling houses that could ally with her and bring Otterlin to its knees. So, no, he accidentally set her to do the opposite of flying under the radar and disappearing, as he had hoped. In exchange, though, for backing Celaena going to Wendland, Kael makes a deal with his father, who sucks. That Kael will return to Aniel as the heir of their territory, something he absolutely does not want to do. But really quickly, while we're talking about the boys, where did things leave off with Dorian? Homeboy is trying to keep a low profile since his magic is growing and magic is illegal. And also since he has yet to master it.

[Lexi]

Yes. So let's talk about this, because Dorian, the son of the king who outlawed magic, has raw magic, the rarest and deadliest kind of magic that can be shaped into whatever form the wielder desires. And unlike anyone else, Dorian is able to wield his magic in a land where magic has disappeared. This should not be possible, no matter what.

[Nicole]

He is also very much in the dark on what the hell happened at the end of Crown of Midnight. Meaning with the portals, Celaena's true form, her magic, etc. He was injured and unconscious while Celaena and Kaol fought for their lives. So he did not see Elena shift and use magic. And he also has a very strong feeling that his best friend Kael is keeping something rather big from him.

[Lexi]

And just.

[Nicole]

Poor Dorian, he's so lonely. But we also get a new character. Well, we get a lot of new characters, but here's the one in Otterland. We get a swaggering general in the King of Otterland's army, Adien Ash River. Ooh, there's that last name again. Who is a former royal from Tarasen.

[Lexi]

He's a legendary warrior who again is a general in the King of Otterland's army. Army known as the Wolf of the North.

[Nicole]

The Wolf of The Wolf of the North. The Wolf of the North. And he's also Celaena, Aelin's cousin. I will never forgive Sarah J. Maas for doing Aelin and Aedian. That just makes my brain die. But he has just been summoned by the King to return to Rift Hold. Dun dun dun.

[Lexi]

In last week's Vanguide episode, we focused primarily on the continent of Irelia. So now let's shift our focus to where Celaena is sailing to a point across the great ocean. The kingdom of Windlin. And its capital city is Varys. Interestingly, Varys is much cleaner than Rift Hold. And it's much safer too. It's a land of plants and opportunities. Which is literally right there in the text. And the city has this crazy concept called compassion. With wealth spread between the upper and lower classes. Also remember that it is only Irelia where magic has technically disappeared. Magic can still be wielded here in Windhoe. Now to discuss the high level political landscape in Wintland. It was founded by the Fae Queen Map. Windlin is ruled by House Ash River. A family that has always been just and good. Even if they fail to send aid to Teresin or House Galphinius when they needed it 10 years ago. As of now, King Glaston. I have no idea if I'm pronouncing that right. But Glaston Ash river rules Windlass. Who happens to be uncle to Selena. Slash a Aylin.

[Nicole]

No. Feed Las Castor.

[Lexi]

Fun fact. That was my son's favorite.

[Nicole]

Song for way too long. I can see that so clearly. Oh my God.

[Lexi]

Anyway, there is Glaston's son, Prince Galen Ash River. Who is Celaena Slash, Aelin's cousin. And who she's supposed to assassinate by the King of Otterland. Order so Tldr. Celaena is supposed to kill Prince Galen Ash River. Who is her cousin.

[Nicole]

Next we have Doran El. The land of the Fae. Which shares a continent with Wenlin. And it is ruled by Maeve, the Queen of the Fae. Long distant aunt to Aelin Slash Celaena. Mainly Aelin. Mab was her great great, great. I don't know. I just. Her grandmother. Somewhere. Somewhere in the great grandmothers.

[Lexi]

All I can think of is from Emperor's new groove.

[Nicole]

Great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great Great. Okay, I'm done. Thank you very much for that demonstration. That was very on par. But we're going to shorten it to Great Grandmother because that's how they do it in the series. Mab. This great grandmother we've been going on about, Mab's sister was Maeve, who, yes, is still alive because she's immortal. Since Mab found a human mate and connected her life to his, she has long since passed friendly reminder that it was Mab who was made into a goddess known as Diana, lady of the Hunt. Which is one of the reasons that Celaena was mighty uncomfortable receiving Diana's golden arrow at the Yule mask service in Throne of Glass, she is literally receiving an arrow of her. More specifically, Aelin's great grandmother.

[Lexi]

I love the irony.

[Nicole]

On a reread Marking the border of Doranaal we have a predominant location in this story called Mistword. It's a fortress on the border of the human and the Fae lands. A Demi Fae, which is a mix of Fae and human who are seen as lesser are sent here before being deemed worthy of Doran El to train and meet Maeve's qualifications. That tells you how she is as a ruler. While we're on this topic, let's talk about the different races here because it's going to be very important for the story. There is full blooded Fae. There's gifted Demi Fae, which is a half human, half Fae with magical talents. They can typically shift into a Fae form and they are far more likely to go to Doranel on the sooner side then we have common Demi Fae, which is a half human with little to zero magical gifts. And then there are little to no humans. While we're also on the topic of Fae and Demi Fae, let's talk about their magic. Both for Fey and Demi Fae, their magic tends to appear in some sort of elemental gift. So Fire, Water, Wind, Ice. The more powerful wielders can sometimes manipulate multiple types. There are some other types of magic that can be wielded other than Elemental, but we'll hold off on those for now. Many Fae can also take an animal shape, but not so willy nilly. They're locked into one animal shape and it is typically hereditary. Fae in this world are known to also have one foot in the forest, and the animal shape is a nod to that. There are three different types of Fae magical bonds that are also important to note. There's mates. We are very familiar with this as a fantasy reader. Note that this can be interspecies though between Fae and human. Then we have Karanam, which is the ability for 2fae to share their magical well with each other and communicate almost telepathically. This is not necessarily like mates, where it's like faded in the stars. It's more so a bond so strong that you have to test out a Karenon bond with it.

[Lexi]

And it has to be compatible as well, right? Yes.

[Nicole]

So a lot of Fae don't try it because it is so rare. And last but not least, we have blood oaths which is a bond of loyalty or servitude and varies dependent on how it's wielded. Okay, we've talked a little bit about the family bonds. But because of how big a role this plays in the series, I cannot overstate that enough. And to be honest, it still confuses me. It is time to lay it all out. At least as far as we've gotten in the series. Especially because we learn now that Celaena is the lost Queen of Taris in.

[Lexi]

Aela first, thousands of years ago. We have Brannan Galathenius, the Fae King and founder of Terasen. One thousand years ago, their daughter Elena Galathinius married Gavin Haveliard and founded Otterlin. Which makes Elena and Gavin Dorian's ancestors, as we talked about last episode. Then there was another nameless child from Brannan whose bloodline generations later. So centuries and centuries later had King Orlon Galathenius ruling over Terror Tarasson. Since this King of Tarasen had no children, his nephew Ro Galathenius became heir. And Ro was Aelin's father who married Evelyn Ash River? Yes, Princess of Windland. So when Aelin's great uncle, King Orlen was killed by Otterlin 10 years ago. And his nephew and heir Aelin's father was also assassinated. That is how Aelin is now the last living heir of House Galpinius and therefore the rightful Queen of Tar. And it's also how she's related to House Ash river here in Windland. Speaking of, let's keep going with this family tree. Glaston Ash river, the current King of Windland, was brother to Evelyn Ash river, who was Aelin's mother. Again, Evelyn married Ro Galathinius, heir to the Terracen Throne. Evelyn and Ro were Aelin's parents, and thus King Glaston is her uncle.

[Nicole]

I like how all of the sudden it's like this major French ruler, Glaston, just comes in out of nowhere. There are three Fae Queens who we are going to keep hearing their names continue over and over again. They are the Fae Queens Maeve, Mab and Mora. The original rulers of the Immortal Lands first up middle sister Mora, whose animal form was a hawk. At some point in her life, she founded House Whitethorn, which continues to be a royal family in Doran El and gave birth to at least one pure blooded Fae heir to continue her line. Later, she fell in love with a human and gave up her immort mortality for him. If the name Whitethorn is ringing a bell, that's because it should. Rowan Whitethorn will be a name we will really get used to. In Heir of Fire. He is a brute, fully fey male tasked with training Celaena enough to meet Maeve's standards. And not gonna lie, he kind of sucks. He sees Aelin as unworthy, stuck up. A princess who doesn't know how to work hard. So that is Morris Line. Let's move on to the youngest sister, Mab, who founded the King of Wenland and House Ash River. Her animal form was a swan. She had water magic, which means she could both manipulate water and also heal. And she is grandmother to Gaston Ash river, who is the current King of Wendland. She fell in love with the mortal, so she also gave up her identity to be with him. And just to hit the nail on the head, she also turned into the goddess Diana, lady of the Hunt, when she died. Lastly, we have the eldest sister Maeve, who is currently the Queen of the Fae in Doran El because she never gave up her immortality. She's still kicking, she has raven hair. She's fearsome, she's eternal. She's described as a spider like queen with her features and her presence. She has a group of Fae her right hand men called the Cadre. At least Aelin calls them the Cadre. They are Maeve's elite Fae warriors. We have Gavriel Lorkhan, Fenris Connell Vaughn, and Prince Rowan Whitethorn. Though Lorkhan is second in command to Maeve.

[Lexi]

Lorkhan, my boy.

[Nicole]

Lorkhan. My boy. All right, we've got the family tree, we've got what's going on in Otterland. But we're still not done because there's yet another main group of characters and group of people we're about to meet. And that is the Witch clans.

[Lexi]

Yay for new POVs and storylines.

[Nicole]

Remember when we said that the world expands a lot in Era Fire? Well, here you go. Let's go through the two main witch groups to know before reading Heir of Fire. First we have the Iron Teeth Witches. The Big Kahuna Iron Teeth Witches all have retractable iron teeth, iron nails, and they also have clear eyelids which are great for flying. Which yes, is so fucking cool. The witches also all worship the Three Faced Goddess within the Iron Teeth witches. There are three witch clans. The Black Beaks, which are brutal killers. They spend a lot of their time hunting and killing Kraken witches. More on them in a second. They treasure obedience, discipline and brutality. They'd be a blast at parties. Gold flecked or solid gold eyes are the clan's most beloved trait and it's their heirloom of the picture purest bloodline. The Blackline clan represents the mother of the Three Faced goddess. We are going to become the most familiar with the Black Beak witches because our witch line story will follow a white haired, golden eyed Manon. I cannot state this enough. Manon is not good. She's not even morally gray. We're talking morally dark black. She is a witch who kills and kills often for sport. Manon is the leader of the 13, which we will also grow familiar with in Heir of Fire. Manon and the 12 other witches around Manon's age. They're all about 100 have been raised together and they've also trained together. They've become known amongst the Black Beak clan as the most deadly of the covens. Next, alongside the Black Beaks, we have the Yellow Legs. Ah, sound familiar, Dead Baba? The Yellowleg clan are brutal killers, slightly more unhinged than the Black Beaks, if that's even possible. They represent the crone of the Three Faced Goddess. And last but not least, we have the Blue Bloods. The clan with heavy ties to the Three Faced Goddess. They are reclusive and spend much more time on their rituals versus brutality. They are reclusive and spend much more time on their rituals. Rituals in which pain was the gateway to make magic to opening their senses. So we're talking oracles, mystics and zellics. The Blueblood Clan represents the maiden of the Three Faced Goddess. So that's all under the Iron Teeth Witches. We also have another group of witches called the Krakens. They formally led the witch kingdom in the Western Wastes. Unlike the Iron Teeth Witches, the Krakens are described as peaceful and just rulers. They are relentlessly hunted by the Blackbeak clan of the Iron Teeth, though more on this in a moment. All the Kraken witches wear blood red cloaks gifted upon them in their first bleeding. When their power comes in hot, hot, hot. Okay, what's with this bad blood between the Kraken witches and the Iron Teeth? Most specifically the Black Bee clan. After the first Fog wars, many, many Many, many years ago, Bran and Galathinius gifted the witches the Western Wastes as their kingdom and the Kraken clan ruled over them all. But 500 years later, all three clans under the Iron Teeth banded together to overthrow the Krakens in a bloody war that killed many, many of the Kraken witches and sent the rest into hiding as a last ditch effort. As the queen was dying on the battlefield, the queen of the Krakens cast a spell that said as long as the Iron Teeth banners flew, no soils would yield to them, making the literal ground of the Western Wastes, their kingdom, unlivable for the witches. So the bad blood between the Iron Teeth clans and the Krakens is simply driven by them being pissed that they are no longer allowed in their kingdom. But there's also bad blood between the Iron Teeth individual clans. Those three clans we just talked about, the Black Beaks, the Blue Bloods and the Yellow Legs, they are simply driven by competition. Who can be the most brutal, the most deadly and the most dominant clan within the Iron Teeth?

[Lexi]

The Witches are a unique magical species. As you can tell from everything Nicole's been saying here, they have near immortal mortal lifespans. But since magic disappeared from the continent 10 years ago, they age like mortals. Or at least appear like they age like mortals. For instance, if you are 90ish years old, you still look 16. But then magic goes away. 10 years later, you look 26. We know the most about Iron Teeth witches. With their advanced senses, increased speed and strength not unlike the fae, as you can tell. They typically cannot summon or wield men magic. More on all of that next episode. Ancients are said to be able to see the past, present and future. And the witches have an ability to build magical objects like their brooms. Iron wood brooms for the Iron Teeth and redwood brooms for the Krakens. But remember, no magic these days means they cannot ride on their magical brooms. Hence the importance of the Iron Teeth getting these wyverns.

[Nicole]

Each clan of the Iron Teeth witches again, the Black Beak, the Yellow Legs and the Blue Bloods has a matron or a High Witch Witch with a named heir. The Heir's foremost duty is to protect their High Witch, even if it means sacrificing themselves in the process. The Black Beak Matron is Mother Black Beak. The Heir is Manon, our main witch and Mother. Black Beak's granddaughter, Yellow Legs. Matron is formally Baba Yellow Legs, but she's kicked the bucket. So currently it is the unnamed half sister to Baba the Heir is Iskra. Yellow Leg. Legs. And then we have the Blue Blood Matron who is cressida with the heir, Petra. Blue Blood.

[Lexi]

Like I mentioned earlier, the King of Otterland needs riders for the wyverns he is breeding to be his aerial cavalry. The wyverns are how the witches tie into the larger story. In exchange for serving the king as his aerial cavalry, the Iron Teeth Witches will be allowed to keep the wyverns so the witches can use the wyverns to reclaim the Western Wastes, the former witch kingdom, from the mortals who have taken over the land. All the Iron Teeth Witches have gathered in the Therian Gap and the Omega to select a wyvern and train for battle. The witch Heirs are going to compete in war games for the title of wing leader. Did someone say they should get the wing leader?

[Nicole]

Should I get the wing leader?

[Lexi]

The wing leader in this series has the honor to lead all the clans in the sky. The greatest honor of the Iron Teeth Witches. Before we move into our whole series spoiler segment. So let's close out this part one with our typical question we like to ask. What did we think of Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows? Because not to be dramatic, but they're like top tier six star reads, in my opinion. Yes. Retweets. There is something so special about Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows for Celaena Aelin's journey. Heir of Fire's emotional journey is so beautiful, so raw, so healing. I just reread it for the first time and oh my goodness, this reading experience came, let's just say, at a moment that I really, really needed it. And there is this huge shift from Crown of Midnight to Air of Fire as the world opens up. Clearly how much we just talked about to just introduce new lore. And of course, now that we have this information about Celaena actually being Aelin, we are about to look inward at this identity she has buried so deep down. And to be right there with her as she struggles with. With it, with the responsibility it means and the trauma that she cannot face. And then there's Queen of Shadows. What a badass book. Just like the Queen in the title states, first we have Heir, then we have Queen. And that tells you plenty right there. This is the book where so many seeds planted and the first three books and the sequel come to light. And it's so exciting to see how it feels like every little thing that has happened ends up contributing or moving the story along in a bigger way. Which as a reader just makes me go, yes, like, this is one of My favorite things about especially longer series, the characters in Queen of Shadows truly shine. We fall in love with new characters, including a few of my favorites which yes, the witches are a new storyline introduced in Air of Fire and it is a running joke among readers that it's simply canon. To be bored with Manon's chapters in Heir of Fire, you might to want wonder what the hell is this doing in this book? Where are things going with these witches? Why do I have to read this? Just keep reading. Trust the process friends. We promise. It's worth it. Manon is everything. The 13, the wyverns. I love them all so much. And once you understand what's happening with these chapters which listening to this helps big time. I hope you love this side of the Throne of Glass Series 2 and it's okay if it takes you a little while.

[Nicole]

Retweet 2 to all of this. Queen of Shadows is a God tier book in my opinion. It took a few listens before I fully appreciated Heir of Fire. Yes, I definitely fell into the category of who the hell is this Manon person. Why the fuck am I supposed to care? I will also say that there's another character you meet in Queen of Shadows named Elide, who also fell under that camp for me, but those two characters in those storylines have quite quietly crept up my top list of things in the series. But I will say with Heir of Fire Aelin Celaena's storyline for that reason, it's why it feels like book one in this series. Queen of Shadows, however, is my favorite book because the relationships take first stage. I'm not talking about romantic ones, more like you know all of these characters so intimately and you see them just flourish, not always in a good way on the page. And I will add that these two books are actually where I think Dorian's storyline shines the most and not in the way that you think. This is where he fully lets go of that immature prince and steps into something that makes him a favorite character in the series. All right friends, we are about to go into our Throne of Glass spoilers section Part two too.

[Lexi]

So if you have not read all of Throne of Glass, all eight books, this is your time to say goodbye. But first some important housekeeping items.

[Nicole]

Next Monday will be episode three. Holy God, we're going through these so fast. Covering Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. The tandem read baby Remember, Part one will be spoiler free for those two books and obviously Kingdom of Ash. But we will be discussing discussing heavy spoilers from Assassin's Blade Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. Dear God. Especially Queen of Shadows as the world and the characters keep building out. And then part two will be just like this one where it is Spoilers for all of the tog books.

[Lexi]

We'd love to give the biggest warm welcome, welcome, welcome to our newest feral fans in the fan club. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for being here.

[Nicole]

Welcome, welcome, welcome. Monica F. Leanne and Lord D. Welcome.

[Lexi]

Yay. Thank you so much for joining the feral fans. We appreciate you. Welcome, welcome, welcome to this community. And friends. If you're like, hey, I want my name shouted out on the podcast and to be shouted with all this love too, join our Fan Club at fantasyfangirls.com Fan Club link is also in the show notes. We are very active on social media, we with many fan guides and lots more. So please be sure to follow us on Instagram and slash or TikTok at fantasy fangirlspod. And if you're watching this on YouTube or want to watch on YouTube, pretty please hit that subscribe button to keep following along.

[Nicole]

Also, while you're hitting buttons, don't forget to hit that five star button on whatever podcasting platform you are listening on. And if you're feeling extra generous, write a little love note in that review section. But not just for this podcast. Please, please, please, not just for this podcast podcast, but for any podcast you listen to. All right friends, before we move into our spoiler segment, we'll be right back with a quick word from our sponsors.

[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

Oh my kids had the Goodles Mac and cheese last night. They ate it up. Absolutely loved it. Healthy Mac and cheese for the win.

[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

I did it in a day. I love it. And you all know me with my marketing brain. I have pretty high standards for website tools. Squarespace delivers on these tools in every way. One thing I love is their integration. Integrated Squarespace SEO Tools Every website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto generated site map, and more. So you show up more often on search engines and bring in more of your ideal customers.

[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

Now that we could finally talk with spoilers. Celaena's transformation into Aen is, in my opinion, one of the most masterful, well paced, dig deep, raw character arcs I've ever read. I'm genuinely struggling to find the words right now that express how much this healing journey means to me personally. It's reminiscent of Silver Flames. Very different plots and characters, but I really relate to both FMC's identity struggles. Air of Fire opens with severe depression and a broken soul disconnected from any purpose. A very different Celaena than we've ever seen. Her past is closer than ever before and it's haunting her, simply hiding from it and insisting to herself that Aelin is dead. That's no longer an option. That's worked pretty well for the last 10 years. Years. Not after Nehemia's sacrifice, but right now. This compounds Celaena's brokenness. For the past 10 years she has struggled with the enormity of Lady Marian's sacrifice. Celaena took all of her fears and guilt and despair and twisted it into hate and rage. Rage that fueled her when she turned into a merciless assassin. And now Celaena feels ashamed for wasting Marian's sacrifice these past years. She feels unworthy of Aelin and hasn't tried to return home to her kingdom or even entertain the idea idea. But then someone new comes into her life and unlike Chaol, who again is what she needed at the time, this individual does not coddle her. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the story Rowan. We'll talk a lot more about their relationship through these two books shortly, but for now I want to continue with his impact on her healing journey. Rowan forces her to face the truth of her power and heritage, only calling her Aelin for one. He does not know Celaena. He's really, really the first character in this series so far that we meet who only knows her as Aelin. He does not accept her excuses or her self pity. And yeah, he's no nonsense and puts her through the wringer, not letting her suppress her pain with bravado anymore. But guess what else it does. It challenges Celaena.

[Nicole]

Aelin.

[Lexi]

It is an anchor for her to not completely spiral forever. She has been broken and she is beyond needing comfort and 10 tenderness to kick her butt. From Celaena to Aelin and all the messy personal growth that goes into it. Rowan helps her find purpose again. Which yes, is all about magic training. At least in the beginning she has been without her magic. Well except for in the Catacombs for the past 10 years, hiding it from the world because magic and fae are very illegal Celaena is a human assassin after all. But ah, Aelin is demi Fae. Aelin can shift from human into a Fae as her other form instead of being fully Fae to turn into an alien animal. And she has Mala Firebringer's fire magic and a hint of water magic. I absolutely love the Mentor and Mentee relationship between Rowan and Celaena throughout Heir of Fire and their evolving relationship. He believes in her with her magic, helping Celaena believe in herself. To reclaim her magic is to reclaim her identity as Aelin and vice versa. And throughout Era Fire, she learns that her magic is not something to fear, nor is it completely un uncontrollable. The climax of Air of Fire, where Celaena rebirths as Aelin, is so powerful, so moving, it is the moment that she stands up, ready to fight for what she believes in. For a better world, for those she loves, both who have passed and who are here now. And most of all, for herself. Because she is worthy to survive, worthy to lead this revolution. The Vaal princes have had her swallowed in darkness, and her worst memories feed and offer pain and every terrible thought she's ever had about herself. But in the midst of that darkness, she makes the conscious choice to fight for light and for her people. She will not let that light go out. She is reminded and fueled by what she is fighting for. And I don't care that this is a ridiculously long passage. I'm going to read it all so we can cry together. It would not take a monster to destroy a monster, but light. Light to drive out darkness. She was not afraid. She would remake the world. Remake it for them, those she had loved with this glorious, burning heart. A world so brilliant and prosperous that when she saw them again in the afterworld, she would not be ashamed. She would build it for her people who had survived this long and whom she would not abandon. She would make for them a kingdom such as there had never been. Even if it took until her last breath. She was their queen and she could offer them nothing, nothing less. Aelin. Galathenius smiled at her, hands still outstretched. Get up, the princess said. Celaena reached across the earth between them and brushed her fingers against Aelin's and arose.

[Nicole]

Yes. Oh my God. One word can really describe Aelin's shift in Queen of Shadows and and that is? Purpose. She has returned to Otterlin to do one thing and one thing save her kingdom and her friends along with it. Which, considering she's been running for that title for years as Celaena, is huge. Yay, Aelin. She has fully tapped into that Queen of Terassin so much that she snaps at Kael at the beginning of the book that Celaena Sardothian doesn't exist anymore. But we don't just see this in the decision to change her name back to Aegon Aelin. Everything around Aelin is different. She's still cocky, but it's no longer the snappy assassin cockiness. It's this confidence that can only be described as queenly. Which is why when she goes to Erebin and has to put on the Celaena mask, it's an off situation because she's bouncing back and forth almost with Rowan at her side and their chitter chatter and their flirtatiousness and then her interacting with her old master. And it's this moment where Ereoban sees her and he's like, oh, fuck, she's. She's the queen. She's not the person I molded anymore.

[Lexi]

I also love when she goes. She like, dawns the mask one last time after his death. And she does the whole Selena Bravo. And it's like, that's it. Like, it's. It's her final send off with Selena.

[Nicole]

And what a. What a send off it is. Oh my God. All the maneuverings around Erebin's will and how she got all this money for Tercen and Adien's like, motherfucker, oh my God. In speaking of. In addition to how she's acting with others, we start to see this cunning take center stage. She is always thinking 11, 12, 35 steps ahead of everyone else. And while at first everyone's like, wow, cool, cool, cool. This is cool. It is. Really, really starts to grade on people. Rowan and Adien most of all. I'm not even counting Chaol in this moment. I'm not gonna lie. It was real hard for me to accept this, especially after Aen realizes Rowan is her mate. But like we discussed last episode, it does make sense, given how she told Sam her plans and he was brutally killed. And that trauma lives deep within her. She views it as saving them by keeping them in the dark. Giving that she's so close to her home and even closer to Erobin, who is the definition of a snake. I get why she does it in this book. In this book, it's again that ooh, girl. Okay, you playing chess? I'm gonna have words for her at the end of Empire of Storms, though.

[Lexi]

Before Nicole takes it away with Aelin's relationship with Rowan. Let's talk about Aelin's final defeat of Eren. First of all, we have barely seen him on the Page, yet only a few scenes throughout Assassin's Page Blade. But he has haunted Celaena's conscious all through Throne of glass and crown of midnight and air of fire. In Queen of Shadows, Aelin and we readers face him embracing who she truly is and not under his control anymore, not under his influence anymore. He cannot emotionally manipulate Aelin. He shaped Celaena Sardathian. He groomed her into that person of ruthlessness, charm, confidence and deadly skill. He was the person that taught her love equals control, safety equals obedience and worth equals usefulness. But guess what? After all the growth Celaena does in Heir of Fire, to emerge as Aelin, that's when she's truly ready to face him. At the beginning of Queen of Shadows, he can't control Celaena Sardothian anymore. She doesn't exist. But even still, I love the scenes with him because AEN does still get in her head. He's that good at manipulating, at playing chess. And he talks her. She knows he is always two, three steps ahead and it's somersaults trying to keep up with what he's actually up to.

[Nicole]

Something I love about the writing, whenever they're together, honestly, whether they're together on the page or not, or it feels like he's watching over her, is that she's always thinking about what ifs, what if these five different outcomes. What could he want? What could he want? He is one of the few people she cannot read at face value.

[Lexi]

Value.

[Nicole]

She tries to see his motivations and questions it from every angle. A skill he taught her. And it's so. Oh God, it's so. Apprentice becomes the master. And I fucking love it. How it's represented in the writing style. Oh, it's so good.

[Lexi]

Yes, he is such a good villain with the way he verbally dances knowing weaknesses and doubts. And at the same time, Erebin is so desperate to be relevant to a Aelin, to get control back over her, to show her who's really boss here. After all. Errand is all about power and influence and he just reeks of you wouldn't be who you are without me giving him entitlement over her. He still feels that he is entitled to her. And in Queen of Shadows he is grappling with that and trying to nudge his way back into relevance. But Aelin is a self realized, fiercely independent, fire breath breathing bitch queen and she has outgrown him, to put it extremely mildly. He is in her way to reach her full potential. He represents an identity, a way of life, an emotional cage that she rejects and has worked damn hard to forgive herself for. He ruined her childhood and teen years with his twisted manipulation and honing her into his weapon. And he fucking orchestrated the whole thing with Sam and her going to Endovir because he was. Was jealous.

[Nicole]

And then he tried to tell her he didn't like an asshole, just be.

[Lexi]

Like, oh, I'm so sorry that happened to you. And meanwhile, there's a whole letter from Wesley being like, yeah, he made sure all of that happened. If he couldn't have control over her, then no one could have her. And he still very much has that mindset.

[Nicole]

And I'm not gonna lie, he's one of my favorite kind of villains. I'll be so straight.

[Lexi]

Oh, yeah.

[Hannah Berner]

Oh, yeah.

[Nicole]

He is like, don't get me wrong, I love the Erewhen type where they're just like larger than light, like this, this crazy, insane power, but this psych, psychological style villain where they have to interact and be almost cordial and calculate. It is such a flex on how good Sarah J. Maas was on keeping all these puzzle pieces together.

[Lexi]

Oh, my God. I will say, friends, if you like that kind of villain, I highly recommend reading the plated Prisoner series. Yes. Yes. Oh, my God.

[Nicole]

God, that's such a good. Such a good one.

[Lexi]

So with all of this in mind, I love how cold and calculated Aelin is with destroying him and getting enough money to buy an army out of it. And I will say I appreciated the whole plan and execution more on my reread because it felt the teeniest bit anticlimactic the first time I read it. Like, what do you mean? Aelin is not the one who looks in his eyes with a grand speech and kills him. But on a reread, I'm realizing that this less is more speaks of a volumes it is us readers understanding. He is not the Big Bad like he was in Assassin's Blade. He does not have that control over our main character like he used to. And Lysandra getting the kill blow. Ugh. It shows that Aelin is not the only one whose life was ruined by this man. Lysandra appreciates the revenge of the kill for her love Westley, while at the same point, Aelin just needs the closure of his death.

[Nicole]

Exactly. Exactly. Taking a hard left pivot. Let's talk about one of the other big, big, big pivotal moments in Queen of Shadows, which is Rowan and Aelin's full blown relationship. One of the reasons their relationship, in my opinion, is so special is because they don't see each other as immediate partners. Yes, there's a mate attraction, but it's really not on the page. They are both so wrapped up in their own emotional fucking trauma and. And hiding from that pain that they don't see each other. Celaena sees him as an asshole brute without a heart who you know is tied to Maeve. And Rowan sees her as a spoiled princess who doesn't know hardship. It's not until he sees a glimpse of that hardship that she's faced. This is an air of fire. And he begins to treat her like a person and vice versa. And a friendship forms. I love the moment they decide, and by they, I mean Rowan decides that they share a bed together. And it's 100% plus platonic ish.

[Lexi]

And literally to help her sleep through the night. Yeah, yeah.

[Nicole]

It's such a good twist on the one bed trope. But I'll be so honest. When I first read it, I wasn't like, oh my God, one bed. I was like, oh, this feels so natural. It feels so natural for them. Which enter exactly the reason why I love these two together. It goes forced proximity, enemies with deeply traumatized pasts. First, I mean, he quite frankly punches her in the face. Face. Although she admits she deserves it with her calling him quote Faye, like you make me understand the King of Otterlin's actions a bit more. And she was also looking to a fight where she would get the shit beat out of her. So all of that said, he still.

[Lexi]

Gets an L. I was gonna say, I do think it's a fantasy. Fangirls rule that if he hits her, he gets an automatic L. Absolutely. So Rowan, you do get an official L for punching your mate in the face. And Selena Karana, you also get an L2 for provoking him. You knew you deserved it. And I would have punched you in the face too.

[Nicole]

She was looking for a fight. She wanted someone to punch her because she felt like she deserved it. And he calls her out on that after he punches her anyway. So it starts out as that. Then it moves into friends who help each other heal. Then it moves into blood oathed Karanam who take on saving Terrace and the together. Then two lovers with the help of a gold nightgown. Despite Rowan determined to ignore the attraction that he has to his blood. Sworn queen, then to husband and wife. And lastly two mates. Even though yes, they realize it at different times. It feels so natural and never rushed. It allows for this deep trust to form between them before they say we are mated.

[Lexi]

Yes. And I think that is something that. That is a little unique. In the Throne of Glass series with how it balances and paces romance in this epic fantasy. Romance supports the main plot and our characters, and yes, it is important to them in the story, but the romance is not the driving force in the series. Like, it is an acotar. And I personally love when it is. I'm not even going to call it a slow burn, even though it technically is definitely. But it's so much so paced and feeling realistic. And that is really what these epic fantasies are about, is it is storytelling.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

Through multiple facets of people's lives. And it's not just one plot and one. All these things that I'll say, like more like trilogies are associated. Yeah, it is. We got time here, baby, so let's go.

[Nicole]

One of the things I love about this is it. I, at least I never felt like in this series, oh my God, just bang already. Because I was so annoyed with them for not doing the deed. But it's also like for. For Rowan and AEN alone, it's two thick books, two and a half thick books of waiting and waiting and waiting until we finally get that pinnacle in Empire of Storms. But even then it's not the pinnacle, because then that pinnacle of them committing to each other and being mates is in Kingdom of Ash. So it's like. It's like there's these little. I'll call them ch checkpoints that satisfy that romance as the reader, but also it's propelling these characters forward in where they are in their journeys.

[Lexi]

Exactly.

[Nicole]

Before we fully switch into Rowan and his arc for these two books, I want to talk about the moment Aelin realizes, oh, fuck, he's my mate in Queen of Shadows, when they're escaping the terrifying 13. I love seeing these two groups of people together. Astounding. Mr. Ritten shoots an arrow at Aelin and Rowan takes it for her, barely missing his heart. And this is the moment Aelin realizes he is her mate. But what I love about this is that you don't realize anything is crazy different until you reread the scene. After reading the end of Empire of Storms, we get lines like, for a moment, the world stopped and Aelin screaming. But you think it's because of their bond or their Karenam, or their friendship or their clear attraction to each other. But it's the moment that she almost loses him, that it clicks into place for her. He is her mate. And I love the moment when she says, quote, she shot my Rowan. She almost lets it slip and it's like, oh, shit. But it's not until a whole book later that Rowan will learn that Aelin is his mate. Why didn't she just tell him that they're mates? Well, because Rowan has already had one.

[Lexi]

Skirt.

[Nicole]

Well, kind of. Roughly 200 years ago, Rowan had a mate named Lyria. And my God, did he love her. They were set to have a child together, even though he didn't know it at the time. But while he was away on a mission for Maeve, Lyria was brutally killed, leaving Rowan completely broken. Quick aside, this threw me for a loop when I was first realizing, or when I was first reading this series.

[Lexi]

Me too.

[Nicole]

Yeah. Unfortunately, I did have a bit. Have a lot of big spoilers. One of them was that Rowan and Aylin were mates. God damn it. Tick tock. But hearing that he had another mate, I was like, so you can have two?

[Lexi]

That is exactly what I thought. Because that was also spoiled for me too. I thought for sure that it was like, oh, like you can have actually two mates. And it would be supporting evidence for a ship war in the Acotar fandom.

[Nicole]

Yes, but. But no, can't. You can't have two mates. Fucking Maeve knew that Rowan and Aylet. Oh, by the way, Maeve is also Queen of the Vog. She's not even Queen of the Fae. We didn't touch on this earlier because. Obvious spoilers, but that whole she's the third sister. That's not true. She just infiltrated Mab and Mora's minds, convinced them that she's her sister. Yada, yada, yada. She's the Queen of the Vog. She sucks.

[Lexi]

We'll talk about that more.

[Nicole]

The next step.

[Lexi]

Yeah, there's so many other things going.

[Nicole]

On right here, so. Fucking Queen of the Vog. Maeve knew Rowan and Aelin would be mates. So she orchestrated not only him believing that Lyria was his mate, but also she orchestrated Lyria's death. Fucking Maeve. But because of Rowan's deeply traumatic past with Lyria, Aelin didn't want to tell Rowan that they're mates because she was terrified as to how he would take it. First of all, she didn't really know how to believe it. And secondly, she didn't want him to feel guilty. Guilty for having feelings for her, having this deep bond with her when there was Lyria, who he was still mourning. She didn't want that for him. So for one and a half books, she keeps it to herself. And this is the perfect segue into Rowan's character arc from Era Fire into Queen of Shadows. Because yeah, he's a mate punching asshole. A completely broken asshole though, who blames himself for the death of his mate and believes he deserves nothing good in this world. And that anger he he feels towards himself is directly taken out onto Aelin is in his mind. This princess lost fucking everything. Yeah. But she has all the power to take it back and she's burying her head in the sand and refusing to accept it herself. It feels like a slap in the face. He could have all the power in the world, but he could not get his everything back in the form of Lyria with her being dead so slowly. As he gets to know Celaena slash Aelin more, she starts to give him a purpose to get up in the morning. Which ends in this climactic moment of him swearing the blood oath to Aelin in promise of a better world, severing his blood oath to Maeve. Thank God that in then Queen of Shadows he is determined to focus on blood oath, blood oath, blood oath, just that. Nothing more. No night dresses, that's for sure. Rowan pushes Aelin away romantically, both quote, quietly and directly, because again, he still feels like he's not worthy of any of that happiness that love could bring him. And it's almost like it would all be a huge slap in the face against Lyria and all that they shared together. Not to mention the fact that she's a queen and he's her Karen and her second. It kind of complicates things a little bit, but at the end of the day, she and him are attracted to each other. A major, major understatement. And he finally allows that attraction to manifest, acknowledging that this deepening love for Aelin and desire to seek happiness is not betraying Lyria's memory. Oh, so beautiful.

[Lexi]

It's in Era Fire that Dorian does a lot of maturing. Nicole highlighted last episode that in the first few books, Dorian is rather immature and idealistic. He's not supposed to be a three dimensional character yet, though that definitely starts taking shape in Crown of Midnight, when his I'm going to call it easy way of life is disrupted when he discovers that he has magic which is only becoming stronger now. And he's completely alone in figuring out how to manage it, how to control it, how to deal with this extremely isolating and dangerous reveal. That's how Air of Fire starts for Dorian. But the book is also a journey of him finding love and acceptance and support instead of finding love because he is the prince. It's like he's finding the love despite being the prince. With forbidden magic. Sorsha is a lowly healer who works in the Glass Castle and has loved Dorian from afar for years. In fact, I love how she namelessly appears in Crown of Midnight at the end, helping patch up our core character's wounds. After the battle with the monster in the Catacombs, she's already putting some two and two things together. Here, her own tragic life story and how Dorian's father has also ruined her upbringing and killed her parents, puts this uncomfortable truth about Dorian's father's reign right in front of him. Again, Dorian has never agreed with his father's actions, but he also hasn't been personally impacted. Remember how Nehemia called him out for his selective caring about Celaena? Back in Crown of Midnight, Sorsa helps him navigate this idea from abstract to more concrete, that he can be a different king, a better king than his father, one who, you know, protects healers instead of executing them because that's apparently a revolutionary concept. Sorsa finally humanizes the horrible impact of Otterlin's oppression on everyday citizens, and Dorian listens and cares. Like from the beginning, where he marks her village on his personal map. It's a sign of saying your home matters and his own small symbolic way of opposing his father's obliteration of her home. This unlikely romance blossoms because they each make each other feel safe and seen in a world where neither of them feel that way otherwise. Their forbidden love helps Dorian also figure out who he is without the courtly performances. A real human connection fostered on trust and respect. Not saying he didn't have that with his best friend Kael, or even his little romance with Celaena, but this is where he truly feels seen, loved and accepted for who he is. No frills or titles or anything like that. Dorian even points out to his best friend that even after Kale thinks he's evolved and accepted, he still views Dorian's magic as a problem. Sorsa, on the other hand, loves and accepts all parts of Dorian in a way his heart needed, especially at this point in time where he feels most isolated and wrong. With this revelation, he has magic. She's right there with him to experiment how he can suppress his magic. She listens and has open, real, raw conversations with him. She is his safe space when he needs it most. But sadly, their love story does not have a happy ending. Because while yes, Sorsa does love Dorian, she is also revealed to be a rebel messenger. All those letters to her friend, they were to the rebel Wren who kept pressing her for more information.

[Nicole]

Quick note about Ren here Wren was a part of the group that kidnapped Kaol back in Crown of Midnight when Nehemia was being murdered.

[Lexi]

Murdered?

[Nicole]

In Heir of Fire, Aeden is working with both Wren and Murtaugh, Ren's grandfather, as part of the rebel movement against the King of Atterlin. And Kael helps them all move into Celaena's old apartment that she bought when she was trying to get out of Erebin's clutches. I just love that Wren and Marta have no idea that they are staying in their queen's apartment. It's all. I just. It's all so connected. It's so good.

[Lexi]

Yes. Yes. And it turns out the King of Ar. Waterlin found out about her being a rebel spy. He sure does always seem to be a few steps ahead. Huh? As if. He has a ton of power in the form of two word keys and a vulg inside of him. So, against Dorian's desperate protests, the King has his love beheaded. Truly, one of the saddest things I've ever read is when Chaol is describing Dorian taking her head and trying to put it back on, as if, quote, he could piece her together together. That says everything we readers need to be able to feel from that heartbreak for Dorian.

[Nicole]

Oh, God, I forgot about that part. I know.

[Lexi]

I'm sorry. But not really, because it's so impactful.

[Nicole]

So impactful. Oh, God.

[Lexi]

But he hardly has time for despair because. Dun, dun, dun. Dorian casts out his magic right in front of his father to protect his best friend. Yes, hiding his magic is very important, but it is not worth his friend's life. Best friend, loyalty forever. And the black collar, it goes on Dorian, casting him into darkness. Remember, the Volg love to occupy magic users, and Dorian, with all of his raw power, is a prime victim. And then Dorian is possessed. For most of Queen of Shadows, we get these super short POV chapters where the Vaal Prince has him trapped in darkness within himself, and he is distant from the world and life he once knew. He didn't even get a real opportunity to mourn his love before he was encased by the Caller and the Vulg Prince. These snippets of his POV gives us glimpses that Dorian is still in there, way deep down. Especially when other main characters are arguing whether it's possible for him to still be alive underneath the Vault Prince's possession. The writing with all, all of it, the suspense we're held in with this character's soul caged in darkness and despair is fantastic. His name is never mentioned. Dorian is nameless Just like his father, the King. Only ever referenced as the Prince when he's being possessed by a Valg. And then when he meets Manon, something about the witch pulls old Dorian out of the darkness, momentarily breaking away from the Vaal prince to say. Say I'll bleed whatever color you tell me to. Yes, that's Dorian. And he'll remember Manon's name when he's again fully possessed and trapped within his own body and mind. But he will cling to knowing this name. He can't even remember sorcerers or kales, but he remembers this one. And I just love that. Manon, of all people, who is supposed to be the wing leader of bad bitches, I mean witches, who is supposed to represent the darkness. She's actually his light. Then we have the ending for Queen of Shadows. That ending where we, and specifically Dorian, have our worlds turned upside down as we learn the truth about the King of Otterlin and why he outlawed magic. Because. What do you mean? The King of Otterlin is not actually a bad guy and it's been a vulg inside him this whole time.

[Nicole]

The whole time. The whole time.

[Lexi]

And the reason he outlawed magic was because the king beneath that Vaal was able to fight and be strong enough long enough to erect the towers and make magic disappear from the continent. Because he knew his son would have magic. And he wanted to protect his magic wielding son from Erewhon and his evil. Because the stronger the magic, the better the host for a Valg to possess. Naturally, this is a mind mind fuck for anyone in Dorian's position who has just spent months possessed by a demon thanks to his father, after said father ordered Dorian's love's head chopped off among a million other atrocities, deaths, oppressive rule. I could go on and on. So no magic equals his son safe. However, I'm genuinely asking and sorry if it's said in the series, but is it explained why magic is forbidden and people with it are executed? Is that the King's doing to keep Dorian safe and to really propel this outlaw of magic? Or is it the vog's evilness to take that no magic thing several steps further because it is outlawed a year before it fully disappears.

[Nicole]

My guess is that I can't remember if it is stated or not, but I believe it is that Parrington, with the help of the King of Otterland, after he's been possessed, want it to be outlawed and no one have it because. Because they don't want people rising up against them and being more powerful as a result. So My understanding is that it was always from a place of don't give the people too much power so that we can rule over them with an iron fist.

[Lexi]

Okay, and that makes sense. And then Dorian's father himself ensured that it actually disappeared, because the Volk do.

[Nicole]

Feed off of magic.

[Lexi]

They get a lot. It's the highest risk and the highest reward. Reward. So Dorian's father just took off the.

[Nicole]

Reward part of that.

[Lexi]

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. After Dorian finds out about his father not actually being evil, but has been possessed by a vog like Dorian just was and has been fighting it to protect his son, Dorian and Aelin shatter the glass castle. And this kills his father, which understandably involves some mixed emotions. On the one hand, his father was an evil king who needed to be destroyed for all his cruelty, and on the other, he was a victim himself, and it was actually a valg inside of him that was the evil one. In fact, his real father, buried beneath, did everything he could to protect his son. But after everything that had happened, Dorian still feels the need to have a final statement to his father that his father is a liar and he deserves this. And my heart breaks for Dorian because I can only imagine these tornadoes feelings. What the King was for so many years cannot be erased by the real King's truth. But it's also not nothing whatsoever. And it'll take some time to process all these reveals and what he felt he had to do to protect the continent and, yes, get revenge for all these terrible deeds that his father did.

[Nicole]

Next, we have Kaol. Oh, sweet Kaol. These are without a doubt the toughest books for him. In Heir of Fire, Kael is officially breaking a alliances with the King as he begins working with Aedeon, Ren, and Murtaugh. But his loyalty to Dorian is still as strong, even though there is that clear rift between the two of them, with Kaol clearly holding back information from Dorian. Although I really don't blame him. If Dorian knew, he'd be in major trouble with a lot of things, and he does find out about Aelin eventually. But going back to Kaol's moral compass, that is going to be our true north when it comes to his character analysis. Right now, it is pointing at both north and south, and he's completely at this inner battle within himself. Being captain of the royal guard has quite literally been his entire personality for years, and that is not something he can just shed overnight. But one of the reasons I do love Chaol is that his road to what's right, it is not Straight and narrow. That's not realistic. He fucks up, he snaps at people, he takes out his own anger on them. And that all comes together when he, at the end of Era Fire finally picks a side. And it is not with Dorian. In his mind, he left Dorian directly, left his brother and his best friend and chose the side of the rebels. Something that will feel like a gut punch over and over and over again through Queen of Shadows. Shadows because he sees his men strung up and dead on the castle walls. He sees Dorian with a collar around his neck. Even though he tries to save him, Chaol is taking care of business and fighting what feels like an impossible war. And in Queen of Shadows, we see how that last minute decision at the end of Era Fire, it leads to a lot of inner hatred. The point blank that is in not a healthy way, even for a mid 20 year old dude. He takes it out on Aelin because her morals, he knows, or believes he knows, aren't in the right place. He is trying to fight against the King. He is trying to save Dorian, not just outright kill him. He is trying to save the captured Aiden, who is in the King's clutches because of Celaena not being here. And she returns and is his easiest emotional punching bag because he's not ready to analyze his own actions and admit he failed. And I will say it loudly and clearly, nearly all of the else, a million else, large, bold, italicized and underlined for his behavior. Mr. Kaol, just because she has a true north, that passion, that determination to save terrorison, does not mean you can take out your anger or dare I say, your jealousy on her. Jealous for her feeling like she has a purpose and a goal when he does not. Not jealous about Rowan, because that's pretty clear that he's not jealous about that. And one of the reasons I find it really hard to write him off off as just like ugh, Kale is because he is a person who values loyalty above all else. And right now that loyalty is on completely shifting sands and with nothing to grab onto, with the world literally, literally collapsing around him, he is angry. And that anger only intensifies as the glass castle breaks and his back severely injured with it. Speaking of characters who are quite decisive, let's talk about Adien. I really realize I assigned myself these two back to back.

[Lexi]

First step.

[Nicole]

You're welcome. Well, I know if I gave you 80 and it would just be you screaming, don't worry, I'm still gonna do that here shortly. I'm so glad. First up we have Aerofire. Adien, who has a black ring. Dun dun, dun. But don't worry, it's a fake. Thank goodness. I love. I love Airifier. Adien. Note I very specifically said a book attached to that name. He is funny. He's kind of an asshole. He's courageous, he's cunning. You can really see how him and Aelin are related.

[Lexi]

Yes, I agree. Air of Fire Adien is the best. I love the scene when he goes into the tavern and he's like trying to get information. And he plays it so well. I will buy beer for the person who had to travel the farthest. And then he gets so much good information from that guy. He's smart. Yes, yes. I love it. But I still may write him off later for how he treats Lysandra.

[Nicole]

100%.

[Lexi]

Yeah. By for now, yes. He is fantastic and such a fun new character to shake things up around the castle. And I even do understand him more in Queen of Shadows.

[Nicole]

We'll talk about that in a second.

[Lexi]

Yeah, well, it's later books.

[Nicole]

It's later. It's. It's really Kingdom of Ash, where I'm like, what are you thinking? What are you doing? Avian has been named Otterland's whore and traitor and unwavering, worthy to carry the sword of Orinth. But as we know, Aiden is a double agent. He's the leader of the Bane, which is a group of soldiers working against the king. Huzzah. On the outside, Aiden is that Ash river swagger. But the moment. The moment he learns that Aen is alive, we see a shift. Because on the inside, Aiden is just aching to work with Aylin to bring back their territory together. He is ready to take the blood oath and have them rule over to Harrison. They used to believe that they would rule together as a couple, but that has much more shifted. And now he's really just focused on the blood oath. The blood oath. The blood oath. Which makes this a little awkward because you see, at the end of Era Fire, Rowan takes the blood oath from Aen, Queen of Shadows. Doughboy. We see a shift, A shift in Adien. He is so unbelievably happy that Aylin is alive and she freed him from the clutches of the king.

[Lexi]

It's like he can't believe that this is real.

[Nicole]

Exactly. Yes. He's practically fangirls over the fact that she's friends with Rowan Whitethorn, who Adien has admired for a long time. Queen of Shadows. Adien feels like, though he's always on the back foot, he's Dreamed of reuniting with his group for years. But the moment it is here and it doesn't look the way he wanted it to, he gets grumpy and he acts out quite a bit.

[Lexi]

You know who he's acting like? Nicole Kale. Yes, absolutely. That too. You want to know who they're both acting like?

[Nicole]

Who? Toddlers.

[Lexi]

My children.

[Nicole]

Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

He can't have everything you want, okay? And life still has to go on.

[Nicole]

Now here's. Here's where I. I'm trying to put myself in Adien shoes rather than just giving him a slap on the wrist. He has been in charge of his crew, of the the Bane for years. It's been in his control. Everything he's done was for Terasen in the betterment in the end. And even those moments where, like you were saying, he goes to the bar and he's like, I'll buy a beer. For the person who travels the farthest when he is in control. He's a fucking genius. He's thinking 11 steps ahead. But the second that control is not taken away from him, but willingly given to his queen Aen, and the fact that it looks nothing like he thought it would, it makes him feel unimportant to the queen. And I feel like he just gets dumber each book. I'm gonna say it. I'm sorry. I feel like the second he is not in control, it's like he turns his brain off and he doesn't scheme anymore. I'm putting war scheming and just like being a smart guy in two different categories. Because Era Fireadian is a smart fucking guy and a war strategist. Kingdom of Ashes. Adien is a war strategist. What he does with Oren, he is doing his best in a situation where they are so outnumbered that they should not have lasted that long. So I give him war strategist for sure. He's not smart, though.

[Lexi]

Like.

[Nicole]

And it. It drives me crazy. It's that similarity to Kale. Do I get it? Yes. I get why he feels unimportant. I get why he suddenly turns his brain off and turns off all of his brain cells. Is it healthy? Absolutely. No. Does he still get an extra L for being a toddler when he's like.

[Lexi]

I didn't get upset?

[Nicole]

Yes, you get a. You get a L, My guy. Jesus. I'm so glad that you agree with me.

[Lexi]

All giving him a hard time aside, I wholeheartedly agree with you. Same with Kale, where I understand it and it's realism and These imperfect characters are one of the reasons why the series is so rich. And I can believe that and still hold space that I met at these boys.

[Nicole]

Yes, exactly. I unders. He has held. You know when you have this dream and this vision, and you've been working towards it for 10 years, and then suddenly it's there and it doesn't feel like the way it should, and you actually feel like you're being shat on like a little bucket. Yes, you're gonna act out. Yes, you're gonna be mad at the world. You're especially gonna be mad at the person who feels like it's not lining up with the dream that you wanted. And like you said, we can hold those teeth things.

[Lexi]

True.

[Nicole]

We can understand where he's coming from. And I can still be mad at him for how he's treating everyone, really, in this moment. Now, luckily, though, I am going to give him a big gold star here, because him and Rowan do get through their shit. And by that, I mean that Adien stops bitching about things not going his way around Rowan and their friendship and their bond over always being in the dark with Aon's plans, it begins blooming in the background of this story. And I love that Sarah J. Maas is a master at doing this, where in the background. There is a lot of character relationships being built in this series, and their brothership really takes center stage next book.

[Lexi]

It's just so sweet when Rowan calls Adien his brother for the first time and, oh, I just love it so much. Well, and then Aiden finding out who his father is, too.

[Nicole]

Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

Yeah. Owen knows right away. He and Gabriel were part of Maeve's cadre. Gabriel is still part of her cadre. Ad is half Fae. And, oh, if Maeve finds out about him, we'll explore that whole relationship between father and son in a later episode. But this was pretty big revelation for Aden as well. And it's almost like he doesn't have time to worry about all of that because it's just, go, go, go, go, go.

[Nicole]

I love that when Rowan gets to Rift hold, he's like, you're Gabriel's son. You're a shifter. He's like. Like, he's like reading tarot cards on everyone all of a sudden. Jeez. Yeah, let us have some secrets, my guy.

[Lexi]

Don't worry.

[Nicole]

Aen's got plenty from him.

[Lexi]

Now let's talk about my girl Lysandra, another character who was introduced in an early book. And we're like, okay, I don't like You. Well, that was because Celaena and Lysandra were pitted against each other back in Assassin's Blade, and back then, Celaena obviously did not like her. But I love how Lysandra has her own powerful story arc and her own strong moral values that we really, really start to see in Queen of Shadows. I know we will discuss her larger role in the story as a shape shifter specifically and key player in the series more so next episode. But for now, I'd love to focus on her character journey in Queen of Shadows, as she goes from courtesan to assassin, as she gets revenge for her love Wesley, as her secret of being a shapeshifter is revealed, and how she gets to play with her magic and her freedom once when she can again. So, real quick, let's go through the whole thing with Wesley, because this is the catalyst for her. Wesley had been Arabin's personal bodyguard and learned the secret plan two years ago when Arabin conspired with Farron to betray Celaena and Sam. In fact, in Assassin's Blade, Wesley attempted to warn Celaena not to go after Faren because he knew it was a trap and Celaena did not listen to him. At some point while Celaena was in Andover, Wesley wrote her a letter that detailed Eren's return betrayal, telling Lysandra to make sure it gets delivered. And then Wesley killed Farron and his top men for what they did to Wesley's friend Sam. In retaliation, Eren had Wesley very gruesomely murdered. In Queen of Shadows, Lysandra is finally able to give Aelin the letter. It's her peace offering. In many ways, it's proof that these two women are working against the same person. And these two women who hate him for what he's done to their loves and his need to control both Celaena and like Lysandra, in very different ways. Yes, but Lysandra and now Aelin's friendship blossoms from the horrors inflicted on them for so long. Of course, they were pitted against each other. They're each too strong willed to become friends and potentially turn on their captors. They both have had to hide their pasts, their magic, and they have both become people they don't have to accept as fact. And I love how Lysandra finds her own identity over the rest of the series, especially as a woman in particular, power with her freedom and as a shapeshifter. These two ultimately represent collaboration over competition. And that women together, lifting each other up and supporting each other, are stronger. And they are a bigger threat to the oppressive reign. In this case, each of their Masters Lysandra is the one who gets the pleasure of killing Urban, a gift from Aelin. Because Lysandra deserves her revenge on the man she's had to sleep with for years, who had her luck, love killed, who was responsible for her invisible wounds, who relished in keeping her and all the others under his thumb, keeping her weak, using her body. And then we have my other girl, Manon Blackbeak. Oh, my goodness, where do I even begin? Abraxos is a fantastic place for us to start because this small but mighty wyvern is a catalyst for Manon. He makes her acknowledge the intelligence within the Wyverns when she has been instructed they have none. That's only the very, very beginning of Manon questioning other truths her grandmother has trained her in. Manon initially wanted the biggest, the baddest Wyvern. Naturally, as the heir to the Black Beaks, as the terrifying leader, she is confident in her abilities and her obligations to her grandmother and enforcer of the Iron Teeth ways. But her empathy and her critical thinking of what she sees before her very eyes versus what, what she's told changes her mind. Realizing Abraxos is not broken or a failure of his kind. And she lifts him up. She gives him the support he needs to be able to. Oh, gosh, it sounds so cheesy. But meet his own potential. Abraxas wants to endure. He wants to push, he wants to fly. But his wings, they need a little bit of help. And that's where the spider silk comes in.

[Nicole]

Ah, we'll be talking about that a.

[Lexi]

Lot more in the coming episode. But this care for her, her beast, this understanding him and believing in him despite the odds is the first huge shift we see for Manon in Era Fire. And why that storyline is so important.

[Nicole]

I feel like another really important movement in Manon's storyline that takes her from this, like, hardened, morally black character to having that empathy and starting to question the world around her is when she learns from her second Asterin, about why. What her grandmother did to Astrun.

[Lexi]

Yes. And how several of the others know about it and Manon didn't. Yeah.

[Nicole]

Yes. And how Astrun finally decides that this is the time to tell Manon to let her in on that deep secret and to let her know this horrific thing her grandmother did. For trigger warning sake, I won't go into the story itself, but losing that child, Asterin started to break away from the ways of the witches and so started to look toward that better world that we keep talking about with Aelin and her crew. And when Manon sees that within her second, the woman she trusts more than anyone, that is when she really starts to make that momentum to I'm gonna fight for the better world too.

[Lexi]

I love that you mentioned that. Yes. And also how before she finally does tell Manon her own past, Astrun has been a thorn in Manon's side. And.

[Nicole]

Oh, she's ousted. Yeah, yeah.

[Lexi]

Manana, like who do you think you are? And that is where then those walls come down. And it's like this is why Astrin has been fighting against what Manon is trying to do. Because it isn't right.

[Nicole]

And she knows that what they're trying to do is Morath is trying to breed yellowleg witches in order to birth vog babies, which is.

[Lexi]

Well, they want the black beaks too, because they're most ruthless and powerful. Yeah.

[Nicole]

So up. And no wonder. That is another jumping point for Asterin to finally be like, I am going to tell my story. And this is hopefully what's going to be what breaks Manon off from her grandmother wanting to do this to us. Oh God, yes.

[Lexi]

And so backtracking just a little bit because it's a seed planted. It's not a big movement, but it's a seed planted is at the end of era Fire where Manon has to kill the Kraken witch who she has no idea. And we won't either. Either for more than one other book is her half sister. But again, that whole plot will be discussed in the next few episodes. This killing of this Kraken witch is supposed to be a gift. An honor. An honor from Manon to kill this Kraken. But we know what this really is. A show of power from Manon's grandmother after she dared to save a fellow witch in the war games.

[Nicole]

We can't have that soft hearted folly.

[Lexi]

Prove you're a stone cold killer. Kill her and kill this Kroken witch.

[Nicole]

She's a witch.

[Lexi]

She's a witch. As a reminder of who Manon is supposed to be. But that's where the Kroken witch challenges Manon. And this is really going to stick with Manon. And it takes root and starts shaping her. In Queen of Shadows, the Iron Teeth witches are not born evil. They are made into monsters. In other words, Manon doesn't have to be this way. She was taught to be a monster. And maybe she should open her eyes and realize she. She doesn't have to be this way. It's only part of her because her grandmother conditioned this monster into her. And it's almost like the Kraken can. She can see that there is something else within Manon, and she's reaching out and saying, you don't have to be this way. You are not born this way. You were made like this, and you can unmake yourself this way, too. All through Queen of Shadows, Manon is internally struggling with her moral compass and the fact that she apparently has one to be begin with. Yes, we see this very clearly on display with abraxos and the 13. Like Nicole's mentioning. And the entire plot about her having to answer to the men in Morath with giving witches to breed, and she never feels right about that. With the 13, and then challenging Manon, too, with her moral compass, it's pushing her to answer what is considered too far. Is there such a thing as too far? Or is Manon really and truly blindly going to follow the order orders the higher ups have given her? Her 13 know that she is better than that. They are better than that. They might be scary, mean witches, but they stick together and are collectively like, no, this is fucked up, Manon. And I love Manon's POV chapters and Queen of Shadows as she internally struggles with realizing that, wow, yeah, she is a better person than she ever imagined. And what's even more difficult is accepting that that's okay. Hey, and I also just love how much there is to unpack with Manon's character in her relationship with the lead, which feels pretty similar to how she chose Abrexos.

[Nicole]

Well, speaking of which, we may only get her in Queen of Shadows, but holy moly, she's going to be a main character going forward. Lor, Lor and Lon.

[Lexi]

I love those two. I know that they might not be one of the fan favorites, but I love Elite and Lorcan so much.

[Nicole]

I'm so glad you do. Because I love. Don't get me wrong, I've grown to love tiny but mighty Elite. Emphasis on the mighty.

[Lexi]

Well, and Elite, like Braxos, represents what the witches are supposed to detest. Weak and defenseless, physically broken, socially powerless, irrelevant. But her spirit is not broken, and she is not as submissive as she acts. Emanon recognizes that as the strength that it is. Oh, Manon has a soft spot for the small but mighty, and I love it.

[Nicole]

Well, and the fact that Elite is able to overcome all the Uncle Vernon put her through, he locked her up in a tower with an ankle she was never allowed to heal. That's a up Shit there. But for her to go through that and still be brilliant and always thinking multiple steps ahead in order to survive. She's kind of an icon. And I will. I will be the first to admit she took. Took a few reads to actually grow on me. Brett is very similar to you. He is a lead, Stan. He freaking loves her. Elite started praying to Aneth, the goddess of wise things and slow deaths. I love that. Those are the two different sides of Aneth, and those are two very different outcomes, possible outcomes for Elite in her life. Thus, the goddess caught interest in a lead and she began guiding her, which that is just such a cool parallel between her, her and Lorkin, who is guided by the God Hellas. Then to learn that Elide has iron teeth ancestry, which. Oh, my God. To make her a fellow Black Beak and then start to bond with MANON and the 13th and then literally take her under their wing. That is one of the bonds in this series that I feel like is kind of often overlooked because there's so much else going on, but it's so important for Elide because she finally feels like she's not on her own and anymore she's a part of something greater and there's this power that's within her rather than just being a mouse that's shoved into corners and being kept silent. Which this confidence boost is exactly what Ali needed before Caltain then gives her the word key that was trapped in Caltaine's arm and tells a lead to go find Celaena Sardothian, Queen of Shadows. Ends with a lead being set off with a word key to go find both ailing Galathinius and Selena Sardothian, thinking that the. They are two different people. Oh.

[Lexi]

So for the. For the word key is Elena. And then she has her own separate mission for aen. Yes.

[Nicole]

As part of Terazan, because it is a paranth in. In Terazan, and she's like, walking away from Morath, all while Morath is basically blowing up behind her in the background. It is so badass. I love it. I won't get into it yet, but.

[Lexi]

Her and Aen's reunion is one of my favorites because she doesn't even think that AEN will know who she is.

[Nicole]

And immediately she's like, your mother saved my life. Like, yes, I know who you are. Oh, my God. Yes. Yes.

[Lexi]

All right, friends, let's round out this very long episode with our top 10 highlights from ERA Fire and Queen of Shadows.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

It was very hard to pick 10, so we got a little crafty I got crafty at least. I'll kick us off with number one, Air fire side characters. Emperor Emerus. And Luca. Yes, with an extra gold star to Emerus for how he looks after Aen Selena. These Demi Fae in the kitchens give Celaena so much grace and understanding. And it's Emores who calls Rowan out on needing to give Celaena a helping hand. He was friends with her mother, Evelyn, who is from Windland, remember? Spent almost a year working in the same kitchen in Misword. And he knows exactly who's Selena Elena is. Which is exactly why it is essential for Rowan to help her rekindle hope back into her heart. Because Aelin offers a better world for all of them. Oh, and then there's sweet Luca and the way that Celaena protects him from the scary sea monster. And then she gets extra mad at Rowan for, you know, bringing Luca into this. I just love him. His naivete.

[Nicole]

The reminder of the sea monster is one reason. Like where I'm like, oh, damn, that would be such a good battle walkthrough episode. God damn it. All right, number two, Rowan and Aylin's silent shouting matches that never caused them to suspect being mates is just hilarious. And all of the italics communication in general. I'm. I am sent all of the italics because as an audiobook listener, I thought that they were speaking out loud, just quietly. And then I'm. I'm really reading this for a deep dive. And this was back also when we were doing Mass versus Madness for Acotar and I was like, that's italics. Holy.

[Lexi]

I'm gonna piggyback on this and make number two a blinket. Rowan and Aelin love letter.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

During one of the first interactions between these two, she just sticks out her tongue at him and then he just grabs it and then bites her and she shifts for the first time. The enemies slash very annoyed mentor slash Ash mint tea that gives such a delicious slow burn interwoven with rediscovering they themselves. It all just feels so well earned. The turning point, when Rowan sees the scars on Celaena's back and learns that she was at the slave camp for a year, he's completely livid with Maeve, who definitely failed to share this bit of info with him, and he feels tricked. Rowan flies halfway to the Fae Queen in his hawk form until he realizes that this would only hurt Selena, so he turns around and stays with her. That part there where he sees the side of her, literally her back for the first time, it fundamentally changes things between them. He is so ashamed at how he has judged her, and she is so worried about what he thinks of her. This is almost as vulnerable as she can be, and it makes her feel exposed.

[Nicole]

Well, and then after that, they have the tattoo moment. Yes. He tattoos on her back the story of Andover and the story of how that changed her and. Oh, my God. And then how them tattooing each other just becomes a ritual in the series whenever it's something that needs to be done. And then to have that then come into play at the end of the series when he tattoos the map home to her, when she is flying through worlds and needs help getting back. Oh, my God. It's so good.

[Lexi]

I love again how every little thing in this series has a bigger impact.

[Nicole]

Just bow down. Like, I don't read that very often anymore. Everybody. It's so good.

[Lexi]

Oh, my God. The beautiful, iconic phrase to whatever end is said for the first time in Air of Fire when Celaena says she will follow Rowan to whatever end. And he's like, what? Like to whatever end. And that is really when she shows this level of trust. And it holds so much weight for her. And especially the kind of person that she is who does not trust very easily.

[Nicole]

Well, and he feels like he should not be trusted anymore because the last time he let someone close to them, they were brutally murdered and his whole life was changed. So to hear that someone else does trust him, he's like, oh, my God, I am worthy of being that person.

[Lexi]

Yes. One of my favorite scenes in Queen of Shadows, when Rowan appears in Rift hold and Aen runs up to him. Nezarin is like, who's that? And Aiden smiles. Rowan knowing exactly who this person must be to get that kind of reaction from Aelin.

[Nicole]

Pause for a moment of appreciation for that sound going through the Internet. Whenever someone sees a bird and it's like, who's that? Rowan. And then.

[Lexi]

And it's like this bird, like, You know how we love to say Aelin is a fierce, independent woman? Yeah. Well, she is stronger when she is not alone. Yes. A good lesson for all of us friends. Her instinct is to run to Rowan. He is her safe space as he became back in era fire. This scene right here is everything that grew between them in the previous book. And she has missed him. She has wanted her partner here, her equal, her person who is not afraid of her and who supports her no matter what. And now he's here. Okay, I got another one here. We're still on number two, because I'm not done.

[Nicole]

Oh, God, I love you.

[Lexi]

We've alluded to it. Already this episode. But let's give a moment in the spotlight for the gold nightgown scene. Yes. Well, first of all, the whole nightgown bit in the series has me laughing. And especially in Queen of Shadows, where she's really wearing one for the first time. And he's like, where's the bottom part? That scene also is when she asks what color he would like to see her wear. And that's when he says, gold. Not yellow, real metallic gold. Rowan, you better be careful what you.

[Nicole]

Ask for, because don't be asked for, my guy. Ask for it point blank.

[Lexi]

Because chapters later here, Aelin is in a golden nightgown, looking like a living flame, and he wants to learn what makes the air of fire burn. Burn, baby, burn in a sexy way.

[Nicole]

I love also that it is gold. Like, so much of Aen is wrapped up in gold. There's that inner gold in her eye. Her hair is gold. Like, she is the embodiment of this golden flame. And he wants to see her in gold. That's just like that nice little foreshadowing for I. I want to see you.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Represented. Yes.

[Lexi]

Yes. And really, this scene is iconic in the series. Yes. For the fantastic fan art, all the fun feelings that we Romancy readers get, but also what it really does symbolize in their relationship. This has been a slow burn for more than a book and a half, and it will continue to be so. And throughout Queen of Shadows, these two were figuring out how to respond and act on their night. Not so platonic feelings for each other, with the nightgowns as a through line for where the relationship kind of slides in that moment. But here in the gold nightgown is Aelin saying, I choose you. This might be their last night on Earth before the big, scary impossible mission tomorrow. It's not a night for bangity bang or anything like that, but for kisses, for connection, for saying, we are in this together. And she admits to him that he makes her want to live, not survive, not exist like she has been doing, but truly live.

[Nicole]

Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

And then he holds her all through the night.

[Nicole]

Well, and then the moment where she exposes her neck to him, where that is the symbol. I mean, like, at the end of the day, these two are Fae. And even though, yes, she is half Fae, but they have this carnal instinct. And I'm not talking about, like, raw, sexy. I'm talking about, like, I am gonna show my neck to you because you could literally rip it out with your teeth. And this is me showing how much I Trust you? Yes. And I love that scene. Love it.

[Lexi]

Another classic moment when Rowan wears the almond body oil that Erebin sent for Aelin. It's Erebin's scent. And this gift is all part of the games they're playing. This is a power play from Eren wanting his scent on Aelin. Erben might not have technically met Rowan yet, but. But he knows that he's Fae and he knows that scents are everything for the fae. And Erebin is literally marking his scent on AEN right now in front of Rowan. It is him saying, no, she's under mind control. But then Rowan ones up Erebin by wearing the almond oil too and saying to Errabin, thank you for the oil. My skin was a little dry. Taking that power away from Aen's old master and showing him he knows how to put play games too. Knows exactly what Eren was trying to do. And that is not going to fly with this Fae warrior. I love that so much. And the best part is that Aelin did not know that he was going to be doing any of this. And it's such a reflection on the fact that she is not alone anymore. She is not Eren's anymore. She has Rowan. No matter what silly power tricks Eren tries, and he will always be right there to stand by her side. And just the way that she realizes all of this in real time while she's having to keep a strange straight face in front of Arabin, it's just like, ah, I love it. I love the symbolism of this and the humor act so much.

[Nicole]

I love it.

[Lexi]

I love it.

[Nicole]

Well, and then all the while, she's also wearing the dress with the golden dragon back. And first of all, fucking iconic dress. Oh my God. But the fact that it was one that Rowan wanted to see on her.

[Lexi]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

And it was this moment that she is going to dinner with Arrowbin, but she's like, I want you and I to be. It's not even together on a team because obviously. But it's her saying, I still have my eyes set that on you, even though we are going into this dangerous situation. And it's just. Oh my God. And then Rowan, of course, is just like, I'm so.

[Lexi]

Oh.

[Nicole]

And then she's like, I'm not wearing any undergarment underneath. Like, well, and then it was at.

[Lexi]

This night that it was like, Arabin's like, oh, this guy's gotta die. And yeah, he had his own plan to take out Rowan first because he knows that in order to get To Aylin. He needs to take Rowan off the.

[Nicole]

It's Sam all over again. It's Sam all over again. Block this guy. I'm so glad he's dead.

[Lexi]

Me too.

[Nicole]

Oh, God, that's so satisfying. All right, finally, to number three. It would not be right of us to talk about Era Fire without bringing up the scene where we are in no one's point of view, just a fly on the wall in a theater. A theater in which musicians step onto the stage all dressed in mourning black. This is set right after the uprising in the Eel Way Slate camp. And as a result, every slave was massacred in said camp in Calakala. Upon hearing this, the king ordered all slaves in Endovir as well to be killed. Thousands of innocents dead. So the musicians take their positions and begin to play first, the Song of Ilway, in memory of those who died in honor of those who rose up and fought for a better world. But the music doesn't just stop at Ill way. The orchestra goes on to play the Song of Fence, Harrow, then the Song of Melisande, and then the Song of Tercen. Each nation that had people in those labor camps, as if to say, you are not alone. We grieve with you. We stand with you. And we the people take up the mantle and fight united together. Which brings them to their final song, the Song of Otterlin. Not as a way to celebrate in pomp and triumph, not as a way to mourn what the nation has become. But instead. I like to believe that this final playing is twofold. One, a reminder for those who do stand with the other nations that there is room for Otolanians to join in this fight. Because there is enough divide and hate, and that is not what makes a better world. But reason number two is a check, a warning of sorts. We are watching what Atterlin does to our people. We are watching what you are doing. And we do not stand with you. And together, the musicians united. They stand, walk off the stage. I wish this part of the story ended with the standing applause and singing in the streets and toasting in bars to the people who showed great courage on that stage. But alas, sadly, it is not the case under the Otterlanian rule. By the next morning, the theater was showing shut down and musicians never seen again. Horrific. Silenced. But the echo of that bravery, I like to think, rippled into the streets. And while it might have resulted in a quiet humming of the nation's songs or silently clinking glasses in a crowded pub, speaking out in that way does have a ripple effect. Because unity speaks louder than hate is an important time for us alter remember.

[Lexi]

That there is not a good transition from that. So here we go. Number four.

[Nicole]

Fireheart.

[Lexi]

We learn that Aen's mother used to call her Fireheart. And then Rowan looks into her eyes, into the very core of who AEN is, and says Fireheart. He is not afraid of her. He is right here with her. He sees her for all that she is. He reignites the nickname with renewed strength and mean meaning and ownership. Hell yeah. She's Aylin Fireheart.

[Nicole]

Well. And I love the moment where it's. It then combines to whatever end.

[Lexi]

Fireheart. Yes.

[Nicole]

So good. Oh my God.

[Lexi]

Oh, Number five. Maeve.

[Nicole]

Duh. Just in general, because holy.

[Lexi]

The vogue foreshadowing is here early an era Fire. This is a description of Maeve. Quote. There were legends whispered over fires about the other skin Maeve wore. Duh. No one had lived to tell anything beyond shadows and claws and a darkness to devour your soul. A darkness to devour your soul, you say? That sounds an awful like what's happening to vog possessed people. Another moment as small as it is is a description for the Valg or the Vulg possessed with that they always seem to move towards someone without actually moving. We get that description with the King of Otterland in Throne of Glass. And we get it with Maeve and Air of Fire. Plus the whole thing about Maeve being extremely interested in Aelin's fire and her powers. I wonder why. And the whole word key thing too.

[Nicole]

Oh, don't. Yeah. So much.

[Lexi]

Number six. Caltain destroying a literal mountain with feminine rage.

[Nicole]

It's so relatable right now.

[Lexi]

Since Crown of Midnight we've known that Caltain hears wings. I like wyvern wings. Demons and whispers in the dungeon which alludes to magical abilities and why she has been a target of Duke Parrington's. But in Queen of Shadows we see just what's become of Kaltane. Or what she wants her captors to think. Because yes, Evolk demon has bonded with her and she appears lifeless. A shell of a person and now just a weapon with her very imperfect, impressive, very dangerous shadow fire. Kaltane used to have fire magic as a girl before Magic disappeared 10 years ago. But with the Valk bond and Word Key implanted in her arm, it manifested the fire into this black shadow fire. As it turns out, Kaltain quietly managed to kill the vulg inside her, lulling it into a false sense of security with her meekness. And then boom. She burns away the vog within her with her shot shadow fire.

[Nicole]

Just her and Queen of Shadows, full stop. Oh my God. The full circle moment that she gives Elide the word key because she wants it brought to Celaena in thanks for giving her the cloak in the dungeons in Crown of Midnight. Just what masterful storytelling. Oh, my God. The fucked up way that Parrington Erolon put a word key in her arm for her to be the vessel. God. God. And then to her, of course, blowing up a literal mountain.

[Lexi]

So good.

[Nicole]

So good, yes.

[Lexi]

And when she makes this sacrifice to blow up, it ends up being what, like a third of Morath or something? It takes a lot of Morath out and it definitely puts Erewhon back a few steps, which.

[Nicole]

Good, good, good, good.

[Lexi]

And the sacrifice is Caltain's choice to make.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

Her version of freedom. We're always talking about that word, freedom. This is how she makes her freedom happen. And it's this ownership over her path for once. There is no life beyond what has been done to her. But she can do this last act and oh boy, is she so ready for it. Because if she burns, they're burning with her.

[Nicole]

Yeah, buddy.

[Lexi]

Well.

[Nicole]

And something we talked about a lot in our Acotar coverage was choice. And I especially going into these last three books with what happens with Nameless is my price. And the. The choice not a choice that Aelin is supposedly being forced to make because of Elena's what she does with Gavin and all of this stuff like choice is about to be a huge word we come back to over and over again. And the fact that I feel like Caltaine really, I'll call it, kicks it off. I feel like really in the most badass way possible is so sick. Number seven. The moment where Aelin and crew find the old word marks and how it tells the story of the first Vaal War and how the Valgs were led by three kings. This is in Queen of Shadows. And one king remained trapped in this world after the gates were sealed. My mouse eyes twitch. Oh, my God. But the king who was trapped was named Erawan. And later, later, much later, Elena and Gavin battled him, but did not slay him as the story believes it. So Alarm, alarm, alarm. This is big news. The word marks instead tell the truth that the eye of Elena put him to sleep in a sarcophagus iron, which is terrible foreshadowing for Kingdom of Ash. And put him in a crypt beneath a black Mountain. Is there first crossover. Screaming. How do you say Black Mountain in The old language, Morath. Ah, chills. Which brings us to just the Erewhon reveal in full stop. Again, to add to the list of things that make me want to scream. It's so fucking good. In the King's final moment of lucidity at the end of Queen of Shadows, we learned that he found a key in the tomb of the king castle. This is the tomb that Celaena found in Throne of Glass. And he took that key to Morath, because that's a great idea. Where Parrington then took him to the crypt under this black mountain where Erewhon was sleeping. And then he had the king open the iron sarcophagus, and Erewhon took over Parrington's body and made his minions take the king. So smart. Erewhon. I'll give him that. Not to take the face of the kingdom like the king, but instead take the man who's pulling the strings in the background. But it does make me wonder, what the fuck was previous Parington like? Like what? What was he on? Is he not. Is he okay? I'm sure he's not. He's super dead. I can't believe he was good, like, at all.

[Lexi]

I think that he was. I just always see Weselton from, like, Frozen.

[Nicole]

Frozen.

[Lexi]

But I do think that he was probably not like, a huge player. Like, at least, like, not his own master manipulator and things like that, but he was a big person in power.

[Nicole]

And I wonder if he. Yes, definitely being a big person in power, But I wonder if just his connection and being close by, living in Morath, near the Black Mountain, where Erawan's energy was like, if something, like, seeped into him over time and he, like, slowly grew rotted, for lack of a better term.

[Lexi]

Well, because he's the one who took the king down right in the first place, and he made the king open the crypt. What if Erawan, like. Like you're saying, kind of, like, festered in and it made Duke Perington be like, oh, we gotta go do this.

[Nicole]

Exactly. I'm thinking, like, his essence, his essential oils, if you will, like, stepped up into Sept. That's not a word. Seeped up through the walls into Morath, and he just, like, over time, started being like, you know what? This Erawan guy, I think he needs to be freed.

[Lexi]

I think that's a really good idea. It's not quite what I was going.

[Nicole]

For, but Same thing.

[Lexi]

Same thing.

[Nicole]

Same.

[Lexi]

Same destination, at least. All right.

[Nicole]

Number eight. Just the climax. Nice. Of Queen of Shadows is perfection in every way. Starting off With Manon's warning of witch killer, the human is still inside of him, which changes all their plans, which were to kill Dorian, among other things.

[Lexi]

Yes, yes. Have I mentioned how I love how all the stories intersect, especially in Queen of Shadows is when it really starts coming together.

[Nicole]

It feels Game of Thronesian. It's so Game of Thrones, Ian.

[Lexi]

Yes. Which is why I will never stop shouting this from the mountaintop. Throne of Glass would be the next Game of Thrones. But going back to this warning that Manon gives to Aelin, like, you know, in the streets there, it's designed for her. Like, again, the only reason that she did this was because of them facing off against each other on the opposite sides of the battlefield. And these two very powerful women, females, they have quite a lot of respect for one another. They kind of see themselves in each other. And so here they are already kind of helping each other out. Yes, they're working together already.

[Nicole]

Yes, exactly. And then we get the heart stopping moment anticipation as Chaol and Selena. Selena, literally, because she. She's acting as Celaena entering the castle, and then when the towers blow up, which leads Lysandra to being able to shape shift into a. What is it called?

[Lexi]

Ghost leopard.

[Nicole]

Into a ghost leopard and save Rowan and Adien's asses from being absolutely obliterated by the Valg dogs.

[Lexi]

Side note, her throwing up on Lorkhan after ingesting, you know, all the human guts and blood is hilarious. And I love how she becomes a ghost leopard after learning about them from Aelin and Aiden and being like, ooh, I like this.

[Nicole]

And then she becomes the lady of the Ghost Leopard land. And then we get Dorian being freed from the collar and him in his POV chapter, getting quote, dorian. His name was Dorian. Oh, my God. I like, remember crying when I first read that. Then Dorian and Aelin blowing up the whole glass castle, leading to the V vog spell on the king breaking, and him finally having a moment of lucidity with his son before he dies, where he shares that he was actually in Terrace and to have Aelin burn the Vogue possession out of him. Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

That whole not so evil villain monologue is just reveal after reveal with what we learn about Duke Barrington as Erwan as well. Like, classic sjm, last hundred pages. You just gotta hold on to the seat of your pants.

[Nicole]

Hold on your butts, people.

[Lexi]

Yes. Oh, and Aen slipping the eye of Elena into Kale's pocket, which saves his life. And Aen using her fire magic to protect the city from all the Glass shard creating like a big glass wave.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

Oh, my gosh. I could go on and on. I love this climax number nine. I love how the found family trope truly blooms in Queen of Shadows. After everything these characters have been through separately and together. Together. One of the book's final scenes is so clear in my mind when they're all together around the table. Are they in the dining room, Nicole? Yes, in the dining room. Here they are 10 years later, lifting their glasses, quote, to a new world, to freedom. They are the next generation of leaders. They are banding together to fight evil and oppression. They are a force to be reckoned with. And against all the odds, here they are together. They are fighting for freedom as they have worked so hard to achieve for themselves, to now be able to help the continent find that freedom. To Aelin being free of Erba and Hamel's shadow, and Lysandra being free to shape shift, free from the courtesan life. Like we were saying last episode, the theme of freedom is so strong in this series. At the end of Queen of Shadows, step one is complete. They are each free. And that's what the series has built up to so far. Each of their individual stories to gain their own freedom. And then step two, free the world, AKA what the last three books of the series is all about.

[Nicole]

Yes. Oh, God, I love that. That's so good. Last, but certainly not least, number 10, the final scene in Queen of Shadows. Aelin walking into her kingdom of Tercen. Oh my God. Foe body chills at this last line. Especially, quote, at long last, Aelin ash river. Galathinius was home. Oh my God. But also in this scene, we learn that Rowan's smell of pine and snow is the same as Terasen. And he says, quote, I feel as though I've been looking for this place my entire life. I mean, insert all the mate foreshadowing, obviously, but also to know that Aelin knows in this moment that he is her mate. How that must feel to hear her mate say, I've been looking for this place my entire life. Oh, my God. Masterful book. Masterful.

[Lexi]

And there we have it, friends. That's a wrap for today's Throne of Glass fan Guide Episode two. Thank you so much for listening and tuning in to this Throne of Glass fan guide.

[Nicole]

Friendly reminders. Next Monday will be episode three, covering everything you need to know before Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. And again, part one will be spoiler free for those two books, but we will be discussing all of the spoilers from Aerofyre and Queen of Shadows. And then part two will be spoilers for all the tog books. You know, we're going basically beat by beat through the entire end of Empire of Storms, especially that last Maeve download, because. Jesus Christ.

[Lexi]

Well, and then Tower of Dawn, the spider download.

[Nicole]

Spider down. Oh, God. All right, everybody, I realized we didn't even talk about Nezer in this episode, so we have all to cover. Oh, my God. Thank you to our Throne of Glass content researcher, guest content researcher Sammy, for all of the help with these fan guides. And of course, our executive producer, AKA our sanity manager, AKA co host of Fantasy fan Fellas Hayden.

[Lexi]

Please give us a follow on Instagram and slash our TikTok at Fantasy Fangirls Pod and Fantasy Fan Fellas.

[Nicole]

And last but not least, share this episode with your fellow Throne of Glass friends. If your friend loved the first three books and they were like, oh, my God, let's start Air of Fire. But God, this annoying character named Manon Blackbeak is just making me not want to get through the book. This is a great episode to send to them so they finish the series. Yes.

[Lexi]

We will make them.

[Nicole]

We will make them. I don't know if we can. We're just voices in your ear.

[Lexi]

All right, thank you everybody, so much. We'll see you soon. Bye. Bye. What?

[Nicole]

You're Lexi? Were you on the wrong one?

[Lexi]

Yeah, I was. I did not have my setup quite ready yet, apparently, and it freaked me out.

[Nicole]

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[Hannah Berner]

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