S4 : Ep 21 - Powerless by Lauren Roberts - PART 1

Summary

Flights of Fantasy Podcast Summary

Episode: S4 : Ep 21 - Powerless by Lauren Roberts - PART 1
Release Date: October 8, 2024

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Introduction

In this episode of Flights of Fantasy, hosts Christina and Kim delve into the first part of Powerless by Lauren Roberts. Absent of the usual guest Anna, the duo immerses themselves in discussing the novel’s intricate world, complex characters, and gripping plot developments.

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Book Overview

Powerless is set in the kingdom of Ilia, a realm scarred by two devastating plagues. The first plague ravaged the population and bestowed supernatural abilities upon some survivors, creating a societal divide between the magical elites and the powerless Ordinaries. Decades later, a second, mundane illness ignites further discrimination, leading King Edric to launch the Purging, a campaign to eliminate Ordinaries to preserve the elites’ powers. The story unfolds thirty years after these events, focusing on the lingering tensions and the oppressive environment in Ilia.

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Character Discussions

1. Payton (Paden): Paden is an Ordinary who disguises herself as a psychic to survive. Trained by her late father, a renowned healer, she uses her non-magical skills to navigate a society that despises her kind.

• Christina praises Paden’s ingenuity:
  “She poses as a psychic because obviously she doesn't want to be killed... It honestly is genius." [05:27]

• Kim echoes this sentiment, highlighting Paden’s strategic deception:
  “She is an ordinary, but she is posing as a psychic because obviously she doesn't want to be killed.” [05:02]

2. Prince Kai: Kai, the kingdom’s enforcer and second son of King Edric, is burdened by his role of eliminating Ordinaries. Trained through both physical and emotional torture by his father, Kai struggles with his self-perception as a monster despite being perceived as a charming and powerful prince by others.

• Highlighted Quote from Kai:
  “I never wanted this, never wanted to be what I am today. But monsters are made, not born...” [14:20]

• Christina discusses Kai’s internal conflict and his relationships:
  “He sees himself as this monster, but he also does see him being the monster as kind of not his fault.” [15:06]

3. Prince Kit: Contrasting Kai, Kit is the naive and sheltered heir to the throne. His upbringing focused on preparing him for kingship has left him less battle-hardened, making his relationship with Paden and Kai more complex.

• Kim describes Kit’s simplicity and sheltered life:
  “He is a simplistic man... He has been sparring shirtless with Kai and... goes to the kitchen and gets some food.” [24:18]

• Christina appreciates Kit’s genuine nature:
  “I do appreciate we get little Moments of seeing him being, like, a sweet prince.” [25:12]

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Plot Points Discussed

1. The Purging Trials: The Purging Trials are Ilia’s version of the Hunger Games, held every five years to showcase the elites’ supernatural abilities. Contestants compete for glory and substantial rewards, while the trials serve as both a spectacle and a harsh measure to reinforce societal divisions.

• Kim compares the Trials to popular dystopian works:
  “It is literally the Hunger Games. Also, notes of Red Queen in here, but mainly the Hunger Games.” [37:07]

2. Paden’s Heroic Act: During the Trials, Paden saves Prince Kai from a Silencer named Micah. This act inadvertently enrolls her into the Trials, setting off a chain of events that intertwines her fate with Kai’s.

• Notable Interaction:
  Kim explains how Paden’s decision to save Kai honors her father, despite Kai being the one responsible for her father’s death.

3. Character Relationships and Development: Throughout the Trials, Paden and Kai develop a complex bond. Their interactions oscillate between tension and tenderness, revealing deeper layers of their personalities and past traumas.

• Christina highlights their evolving relationship:
  “They have some real moments of connection.” [53:59]

• Kim points out Kai’s vulnerability:
  “He’s so worried. He takes care of her, and he’s so tender...” [54:09]

4. The Resistance: Paden reconnects with the Resistance, discovering her father’s legacy and her own role within the movement. This revelation propels her into a mission to infiltrate the final day of the Trials, aiming to challenge King Edric’s oppressive regime.

• Christina summarizes the Resistance’s plans:
  “They plan on infiltrating the ball on the last day of the trials to confront the King and demand freedom for the ordinaries and the Fatals.” [48:35]

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Notable Quotes with Attribution

• Christina on Paden’s Strategy:
  “She can kind of go under the radar because how can you prove that someone is psychic?” [05:27]

• Kai’s Self-Perception:
  “I have no choice in the matter, but I won't deny what I am and I'll do what I must for my kingdom, for my king.” [14:20]

• Paden on Her Mother's Death:
  “She talks about her mother’s ring being buried with her for some reason.” [08:44]

• Kai’s Emotional Declaration:
  “I finally let myself do it, let that last piece of attachment to her lock into place. Just saying her name felt intimate, personal somehow.” [54:46]

• Romantic Tension Between Kai and Paden:
  “Remind me to make you smile like that again when you aren't dying. And I have all the time in the world to memorize it.” [55:27]

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Hosts’ Opinions and Critiques

Character Depth:

• Christina expresses a desire for more depth in Paden’s interactions with others, particularly how her psychic façade affects her social dynamics beyond initial scenes. She also critiques the superficial portrayal of Prince Kit, wishing for more meaningful development to enhance his relationship with Paden.

  “I wish there was a little more throughout of maybe people being, like, scared she's gonna read them...” [06:10]

• Kim agrees, noting that some plot points, such as the unclear purpose of the voting system in the Trials, felt underdeveloped and left unanswered.

  “I don't understand why that was ever even a thing. I guess for her to kind of behave at the beginning.” [52:20]

Plot Execution:

• The hosts find parallels between the Purging Trials and other dystopian narratives like the Hunger Games and Red Queen, appreciating the homage but also noting where the Comparisons fall short in execution.

Romantic Elements:

• Both hosts revel in the evolving romantic tension between Paden and Kai, finding their interactions both nostalgic and fresh. However, they also question the plausibility of certain character actions and plot developments, such as the seamless progression of Kai’s affection towards Paden.

  “This whole trial is just like a play with me. Distract me. And it's just so good.” [58:27]

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Conclusion

Christina and Kim thoroughly dissect the first part of Powerless, applauding its world-building and character dynamics while critiquing areas that lacked depth or clarity. Their passionate discussion highlights key themes of power, survival, and the complexities of relationships forged in adversity. The hosts express eager anticipation for part two, promising to explore the remaining trials and the chaotic culmination of the novel’s events.

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Notable Quotations from the Episode

• “I never wanted this, never wanted to be what I am today. But monsters are made, not born...” — Prince Kai
  [14:20]

• “Remind me to make you smile like that again when you aren't dying. And I have all the time in the world to memorize it.” — Prince Kai
  [55:27]

• “You are the perfect new recruit for this mission.” — Kim’s discussion on the Resistance's plans
  [50:31]

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Final Thoughts

Listeners will find Christina and Kim’s insightful and candid discussions both entertaining and thought-provoking, making this episode a must-listen for fans of Powerless and those intrigued by intricate fantasy narratives. Their balanced viewpoints offer a comprehensive understanding of the novel’s strengths and shortcomings, fostering a deeper appreciation for Lauren Roberts’ work.

Stay tuned for the next episode, where Christina and Kim will continue their exploration of Powerless with even more intense and emotional discussions.

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Support the Podcast:
If you love Flights of Fantasy, consider supporting the podcast through their Patreon for exclusive content and chapter chats. Follow them on Instagram at @FlightsOfFantasyPodcast and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Cheers and happy reading!

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to Flights of Fantasy, your podcast book club. I am Christina and I'm joined by one of my book besties, Kim, tonight. Hi, Kim.

[B]

Hello.

[A]

Hello, book bestie. Oh, my goodness. This episode is brought to you by Dutch Bros. Big smiles, rocking tunes and epic drinks. Dutch Bros is all about you. Choose from a variety of customizable handcrafted beverages like our rebel energy drinks, coffees, teas and more. Download the Dutch Bros app for a free medium drink. Plus find your nearest shop, order ahead and start earning rewards offer valid for new app users only. Free medium drink Reward upon registration. 14 day expiration terms apply. See DutchBros.com as we are missing Anna, but we are here to discuss Powerless.

[B]

Powerless. Oh my gosh.

[A]

We are so welcome to Powerless.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Part one, part un of the for powerless.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We are just so giddy and excited to talk about this book.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. But first, Kim has some very special people that we want to shout out.

[B]

I sure do. Tonight we are going to be shouting out some of our tier 2 patrons like we always do. So tonight we are going to be shouting out Amy Reed, Caitlin, Moni Hickman, Lauren Fedich, and Rachel Halverson.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Thank you guys so, so much for supporting us and we just appreciate it.

[A]

So much and we love you so, so, so much and we couldn't do this without you. And if you are interested in joining our Patreon fam, please, please join us over there. We absolutely love to get to spend time with you guys there and to make all the fun extra content over there for you.

[B]

It's so fun.

[A]

Okay, so also Kim, can you hit us with that spoiler warning? We gotta warn some spoils.

[B]

We gotta not spoil some stuff. So obviously we are gonna be doing like Christina said, two parts. But we are going into this with the knowledge of the entire book. We are gonna be mainly focusing on the first half of the book in this episode. But just to be safe, we think just have read the whole book before you hop on and join us.

[A]

Of course, we'll be coming to it with the knowledge of the whole book. Yeah, plot wise we'll be focusing on part one, but like we're gonna be talking about it as if we know the whole big crazy ending. So if you don't know that crazy ending, go read it. We'll be here waiting for you when you're done.

[B]

We absolutely will. Okay, let's dive in.

[A]

Wow. Oh my gosh. A fun new world. It's been a while since we built a new world together, Kim.

[B]

I know.

[A]

We Built it brick by brick. Okay, here we go.

[B]

We did.

[A]

Okay, so this world, guys, we are in kingdom called Ilya. Alright, so decades ago, a devastating illness known as the plague swept through the kingdom, killing thousands, while also imbuing some of the survivors of the sickness with supernatural powers. Okay, quote, the fast became exceptionally faster, the strong became unbeatable, and those who lurked in the shadows could become the shadows. Dozens of supernatural abilities were bestowed upon the aliens alone. All varying in strength, purpose and power. Gifts given as a reward for surviving. But not all of those who survived the plague were gifted with abilities. Thus dividing our society between the magical elites and the powerless Ordinaries. All right, so fast forwarding several decades later, another sickness has swept through this kingdom. All right, but this one, oh no. But this one is a common like non magical sickness. It's like a run of the mill flu. However, King Edric's healers use the opportunity to, quote, claim that Ordinaries were carrying an undetectable disease, saying it was likely the reason they hadn't developed abilities and that extended exposure to the ordinaries would dwindle the Elite's powers. Oh, bad day to be an ordinary.

[B]

So truly.

[A]

Thus began the Purging. All right, so in the purging in this world, the Ordinaries were banished to the Scorches, which is the desert to the there's like towns around other kingdoms. So like really they were banished to the Scorches to try to make it through to safety in like the other kingdoms? Yeah, most did not. Because the scorches, as you can tell by the name, are not a pleasant place to be.

[B]

No, no.

[A]

But yes, they were banished to protect Ilia from their disease. And the king decreed that any remaining Ordinaries found in the kingdom would be executed.

[B]

Oh dear.

[A]

All right, so present day, our story takes place through three decades later. And at the beginning of our journey, the Ordinaries are still hunted and killed for fear that they might contaminate the elites. That is our history of the kingdom of Ilia and the sicknesses that have got us here today.

[B]

Yeah, it's not good. It's not great.

[A]

They need some health care in Ilya.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

But this is a dual POV. So I think let's talk about our POVs first. Our fun new characters. Yes, we had so much fun with these characters. So, okay, let's start with pay. Kim, take us away with Payton.

[B]

Okay, so, so Paden. Paden is basically, she is an ordinary, but she is posing as a psychic because obviously she doesn't want to be killed. And she has been training with her dad, who was a really well known healer. He has passed away, but she has been training her whole life, basically to read people pick up on context clues, and that is how she poses as a psychic. And it's considered a mundane ability. So it's like a non elite power. And so she can kind of go under the radar because how can you prove that someone is psychic?

[A]

Honestly, it's genius.

[B]

It honestly is.

[A]

Whenever I was reading this, I was like, oh, my gosh, how would someone not pick up on this? And then every time she did it in scenes, I was like, oh, this is genius. This is brilliant.

[B]

Genius.

[A]

Her dad really thought this through.

[B]

He did.

[A]

Truly. It made me think multiple times, why would anyone think it's cool that she's a psychic?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then I was like, oh, well, no, this is perfect. Because it isn't cool. It's random and mundane, and that's why no one cares about it.

[B]

Exactly. Because it's not flashy.

[A]

Although I will say, say I wish that people cared a little more in the trials. It's almost like people just forgot that, like, everyone else's power is really important. It's like, oh, she has this, he has this, whatever. And it's just never addressed again after. In the interview, she reads that that guy is gonna propose because she sees the ring box.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, that whole thing was cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I wish there was a little more throughout of maybe people being, like, scared she's gonna read them or like, oh, did you pick up on that? And her having to pretend like she picked up on it. It just never is an issue to anyone.

[B]

Ever forgot until you said that, that it never came up again. No, quite literally never, never.

[A]

The only time is when Kai is flirty bantering with her and it's like, oh, do you didn't see that psychic? And she's like, but not in the trials.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I just feel like there was an opportunity there for.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

One of the other contestants.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To, like, be scared of her reading something or assume that she had read something or.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Want her to prove herself again somehow. I don't know. It just really went away very quickly.

[B]

This is. I'm literally. I'm literally stunned because I did not notice this at all. And it feels like something I would have picked up on and had a real problem with. So this is honestly blowing my mind right now because I completely forgot that she's just treated as if she's just a ordinary.

[A]

No, I really Thought the king was gonna realize or Kit was gonna realize or Kai was gonna realize. And, like, just everyone's like, oh, the silencer didn't affect her because of xyz. All right, all right. Well, no one thinks that's sketchy. Let's keep going. She proved. And it was cool. She proved herself. Like, that was neat. That was a high stakes situation. But it was not enough to fulfill the need for everyone. The entire book, I feel.

[B]

Yeah. Because, like, in every trial, everyone else's abilities very much gets brought into it.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

They're used. Like, you said so much throughout the trial and. Because Kai also uses them.

[A]

Yes. And we talk about them a lot in the trials. It's a big part of it. It's a big, like, yeah. Oh, well, she's doing this and he's doing this. Like, we're all thinking about each other's powers a lot. And it's like just no one thinks about hers.

[B]

No one thinks about, like, hey, it's weird that Peyton hasn't used any of her power ever at all to do anything.

[A]

Like, no one's nervous about it. I mean, I guess that's kind of full circle of what we were saying at the beginning that. Why would you be nervous about it? Because it is a mundane, silly power.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So I guess that's why no one's thinking about it. But it just felt like, as the reader, I was thinking about it.

[B]

I mean, this is so valid. It's crazy.

[A]

Sorry. Back to Peyton. Yes. Tell me more.

[B]

So, yes, her dad trained her to read people. He was killed by the king. We later find out that it's was actually Kai, but it was on behalf of the king for being a part of the resistance. And her mother died when Paden was a baby from an illness.

[A]

Is that all we know, that it was an illness.

[B]

Literally the only sentence for a kingdom.

[A]

That has a lot of illnesses. You'd think they'd give us more detail there.

[B]

Why is everybody so ill?

[A]

Which illness? The first one or the second one?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Also, did she remember her. How old was she? She was little, right?

[B]

She was a baby.

[A]

Like, very little.

[B]

It doesn't say in childbirth, but it says when she was a baby. Because she talks about her mother's ring being buried with her for some reason. Because she has her dad's ring.

[A]

She has fathers. Yeah.

[B]

And it was like. Because she was a weak human and my father loved her anyways. And I was like, okay, but, like, what was wrong with her? Why are people just.

[A]

I mean, also, you're A weak human, too?

[B]

Yeah. And you're alive.

[A]

Well, you're not weak. You're very strong. But, like, you are ordinary.

[B]

So ordinary.

[A]

Wait, was her dad ordinary?

[B]

No, he was a healer.

[A]

No, he was a healer. Right, right. Okay.

[B]

I mean, yes, he was a healer, but he wasn't like Kai or Kit level, like elite power. So I love how he's like, he loved her anyways and he tried to protect her, but she was a dumb, weak human and she just died.

[A]

She couldn't remember how to pretend to be a psychic. So. Yeah, also, she died from an illness and he's a healer. Like, okay, sorry, it's too many questions. Why didn't you heal her?

[B]

Why didn't you heal her?

[A]

Literally? They talk so much about what a great healer he was. Like, he went to the palace to heal people. He's a big time healer.

[B]

He was renowned. She talks about it, like, renowned. In the loot. People would come from all over to see him.

[A]

He went to the palace when they, like, didn't have enough healers or something.

[B]

Oh, right. And yet he couldn't heal her. This illness, See, this is what makes me think, like, I don't know, is there something else?

[A]

Is there something else there or is this just sloppy writing?

[B]

Right?

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

I don't know. But okay, so Peyton ordinary pretend to be a psychic. All she has in this sad, sad life in the loot is her friend Adina and their trash fort.

[A]

Oh, God, it's so sad. I can't. The fact that we started this book with them literally just sleeping in garbage on cobblestones.

[B]

I was like, this is garbage really low. Also, you know, we talked about in one of our chapter chats. So Peyton's old house is empty because she can't bear to live there because that's where her father died. I understand, but if the alternative is sleeping in a trash fort, I'll go sleep in the bathtub. Like, I'll find a way.

[A]

I get it. There's trauma there. But if I'm Medina, I'm like, we're gonna face that together. Because there's an empty house down the block and I'm in a cardboard box. So I'm gonna need you to take me to the mattress at the house that you own.

[B]

But we said even if you couldn't go in there, you guys couldn't go get the mattresses and bring them into the trash fort. So you're not sleeping on the ground.

[A]

Even a couch cushion, a blanket, a throw pillow. I don't Know anything. Go get some extra clothes there. I understand the trauma, but send Idina in.

[B]

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

[A]

Send her in.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly.

[B]

I don't understand why we could not have pilfered some things.

[A]

Agreed. Because it's yours. One.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And then when she does go back later, it is like no one's lived there. There's cobwebs everywhere. So I was like, oh, this was just wasted stuff. You could have been had all this.

[B]

You're in your trash fort for no reason. You're just suffering.

[A]

No one else even looted it.

[B]

It was all yours to loot it.

[A]

Loot.

[B]

It wasn't even looted. So, like, come on.

[A]

I do. I appreciate the trauma. It is very traumatic, I'm sure, in that house, but, like, sure. She gets through a lot of trauma. I think she could have done it.

[B]

I think she could have overcome.

[A]

I'm wondering if it's like, she's scared that whoever killed her dad would see her go back there and, like, she's not safe to be there. Maybe because she's an ordinary or something. I don't know. I think two nights in the trash fort and I'd be like, I'll risk it. Let's go.

[B]

Yeah. I literally be like, I'll overcome it. I'm fine.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. She. All she has is Adina, which. Yeah, that's. That's rough.

[B]

And they've been together since she was 13. Five years ago was when her dad died. And she's been out on the streets ever since then. So she is now 18 and they're just little besties. And it's very sweet, sad to look back on.

[A]

We'll talk about Adina more. Yeah. Later.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I wished more for her. Same in general.

[B]

But you know who I didn't wish for more from?

[A]

Who?

[B]

A prince named Kai named Madakai.

[A]

Oh, well, funny you should mention him. Should we talk about him?

[B]

Let's talk about him.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. Prince Kai. PI. So, guys, I loved this male lead. I know that everyone told us we were going to. I knew there was such a big following of Kai in this book. And I see it, I get it, and I am here for it.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

He is everything we want him to be in a YA lead.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

People had pitched him as morally gray. I think that he toes that line interestingly, between actually morally gray or not. Let's save that for when we talk about Abigail. We're going to discuss it. Yeah. Most of the time he's A sweet sweetie.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We see him talk poorly about himself more than we see him actually do bad things. Okay. But our sweet, maybe Morley Gray Prince Sexy Kai, is the second son of King Edric. He is also the kingdom's enforcer, which means he is, among other things, the one tasked to kill the ordinaries and also anyone else the king tells him to kill. So he is a very powerful wielder, which is a really rare, really cool ability, which gives him the ability to use the power of any elite within reach. I love that we gave him this power. It was so cool to see him use it at random times. And it was. I mean, duh. Of course he's the enforcer. If he has this power, like, this is like the coolest, most end all, be all power, like, duh, duh. But it was really cool to see him get to use everyone else's powers and, like, yeah, just make him even more powerful.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. So training to become the enforcer, wow. Has just been Prince Kai's entire life. It's like his whole purpose, his whole existence has been training to be this enforcer, specifically to be his brother's enforcer when he becomes the king. But he is also his dad's enforcer, and this training itself was very cruelly led by his father. I mean, guys, this included physical torture. It was emotional torture. There's a part where he says, quote, he learned my weaknesses and made sure they were eradicated. It's truly cruel and awful from anyone, but especially your father.

[B]

Yeah. Like, remember the scene where Hayden finds out that Kai is afraid of heights and his dad made him climb to the top of, like, the highest tree in the kingdom, like, over and over again until he got used to it.

[A]

Over and over again. And he would be crying, like, the amount of therapy you would need that your father's making you do that and not making your brother. There's just so many layers and levels there. I. Oh, my God. And on that note, this is a quote from Kai talking about his role as the enforcer. He says, I never wanted this, never wanted to be what I am today. But monsters are made, not born. And I had no choice in the matter. I have no choice in the matter, but I won't deny what I am and I'll do what I must for my kingdom, for my king. It's this. He doesn't want to be doing it. He sees himself as this monster, but he also does see him being the monster as kind of not his fault.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But his dad made him into this.

[B]

I think that's fair.

[A]

Oh, completely fair. Completely valid. I wish he would put more fault on his dad, honestly. But this ultimately led to the Kai we meet here in the story, who has just built all these emotional walls, the highest walls you can build. He wears all these masks. The use of the word masks is really interesting throughout the story. We say it a whole lot.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he really uses those, though, to keep himself guarded, keep himself away. And we also see him a lot of times just blatantly ignore his own pain or distress and, like, he just isn't allowed to have that. That's just not a thing he's allowed to have. He's not allowed to be vulnerable, which is why everything with Pei feels so new and different and giddy. Okay, so another interesting note. We kind of talked about this, but he sees himself as a monster. But I think it's really interesting that everyone we see around him in the palace where he has grown up and everyone knows him the best, no one's scared of him. Like, we see him in the kitchens and girls are, like, blushing and giddy and flirting and like, Gale is throwing him apples and he's kissing her on the cheek. And at the same time, he's calling himself this monster. And it's like, these are the people you grew up with, and they see you as this great prince, this guy that we're blushing over and giddy over. No one's, like, cowering from you in the streets in Lut. Yes. But it was an interesting moment there that, like, he sees himself as this monster when actually people who know him aren't really scared of him.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So how much of this is him telling himself this to make himself feel better about what he has to do, or not feel better, but just accept what he has to do? Like, these people don't see him kill people.

[B]

Yeah, right, Right.

[A]

And. But that's another reason that I think the dual POV really works well here, because in other books, one we actually just very recently read, we talked about how a dual POV really would have helped us understand our male lead more. And a lot of his rudeness, banter moments, if we could have understood his depth of. If he wasn't trying to be rude, it would have helped us like him more earlier. And I think from the get go here, there is no question from that moment they meet that he likes her and he is immediately attracted to her and he cares about her. And even the sassiest of cocky bastard lines from him that's never in question because we've seen him talk about wanting to drown in her eyes from the second she came on page with him.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's just. That's never a question. So I loved that in this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That we get to see him demonstrate this, like, empathy and protectiveness. And honestly, we get to see him have this strong moral code that is very important.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we get to see him resent his father, which is also very important because then we, as the reader, differentiate them early on.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Which is, you know, vital.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. But speaking of fathers and childhoods, so it was really interesting in chapter 45, Peyton brings up that they have actually had very similar childhoods and similar upbringings and struggles. And before she. She, being Peyton, mentioned that. I truly didn't really think about it, but they did. They were both forced to hide who they are and be someone else. They didn't really ask to be. They were trained as children to become what they had to be. And they were both trained by their fathers, like, aggressively throughout their whole childhood. Like, their childhood was spent being physically trained by their father. And the way Peyton describes it is the difference is one of them was doing it out of love and one out of greed.

[B]

So true.

[A]

And that's what made them so different and also similar. She also says people aren't born strong, they're made that way. And the prince and I know that better than most. And seeing it through that lens, it's really adds another layer, I think, to their love story of them, like, finding each other and seeing that in each other.

[B]

Yeah, definitely.

[A]

This inner strength of, like, we've both gone through so much that has gotten us here. And, I mean, love him, but, like, what's Kit gone through? You know, literally nothing. And so it's this level of their understanding each other on that depth.

[B]

Definitely. And I think that was really important for them to both have that way to, you know, relate to each other and have that connection of when, you know, she's like, how do you not hate your father? And he says, because he made me strong. And she can relate to that.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Not the hating your father, but that her father was the one who made her strong.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And so they can have that immediate bond.

[A]

And she's like, oh, I understand that, because I understand how important it is to feel strong and to not feel powerless. Look at that.

[B]

Powerless.

[A]

Wow. All right. So a really important thing about Kai that we've touched on briefly already, but it is. It is important, and we cannot not talk about it, is Abigail is this child. So the amount of time we've spent thinking about this child.

[B]

It's not healthy. But we're here.

[A]

All right. So as a refresher, Kai gets a mission. It's our first mission we really see on page to go and eradicate a child ordinary in loot in the slums. So immediately I'm going, surely he's not going to kill this little girl. Surely, surely this isn't going to happen. This is ya. He's clearly our male lead. Surely this is not happening. This is a beloved Booktok book and it is like a YA book. I know what we're doing here and this is in it.

[B]

Right?

[A]

And he didn't kind of. I was really, really certain I would have died on this hill and I would be dead on the hill right now. That he at some point going to reveal to us that he had some sort of secret out for the families he sent into the scorches. Like this was his thing that he did where he would take them and he would get them out there and he'd be like, I'm giving you a chance. And then he would be like, but wink, wink over that sand dune there's a guy who works for me and he's going to take you in his dune buggy. Dune buggy in his. Whatever they use to get across the sand and into this secret tunnel passageway into this kingdom or something. I have an agreement with him. I truly in my heart of hearts thought it was coming.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And it. It didn't.

[B]

Nope.

[A]

It didn't.

[B]

It didn't. And in fact, he doubled down and brought it up in his own mind to himself later that while he may not have like, killed her with his hands, he sent her and her family off into the desert and quote unquote, like, sent them to their death.

[A]

And that's what I'm. Okay, so he gave them a chance.

[B]

But was it really a chance?

[A]

Was it a chance? But then also okay, if he really thought that he was sending them like to die, but maybe he's just like, I don't know, I'll let you die together.

[B]

That's literally what he said. He literally was like, well, at least they'll die together.

[A]

And it's like, great, cool. That's really helpful.

[B]

That's not traumatic at all.

[A]

At all. You're talking about small children. So. Yeah, cool, cool, great.

[B]

Yeah. I didn't love this.

[A]

Why? If he thought that they were going off, really going off their death, then why did he give her that dagger?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

He gives little girl the dagger and he's like, Cuz every girl deserves something as beautiful and dangerous as she is. And like, gifts her a dagger. So, like, if you really think she's about to go die, wouldn't you be like, well, first of all, just gift her some water or some food.

[B]

Or some food. Or like a face covering to protect her.

[A]

What's she gonna use with a dagger in the sand? That's what I'm saying. Like, I think he thought that she was gonna get somewhere. Why would he give her a dagger?

[B]

He brings it up later when Peyton reads his mind. First she's like, oh, you're feeling guilty about something.

[A]

Yes. She can tell he's feeling guilty. Yeah.

[B]

So he's feeling guilty. And then he, in his mind, references it later. He does, and is like, yeah, I may not have killed her, but I bet I sent them to their doom, I think is what he says. And I'm like, okay, I don't love that. I'm gonna be real honest with you.

[A]

I really don't. Because I feel like if there weren't kids involved, I would have been more okay with it.

[B]

Right.

[A]

If it was like he went to go find that wife and she was hidden in a basement and they were adults and he was like, I'm gonna kill her. And turns out he like blinked her to him and the two of them were like, gonna face the desert together. I was like, oh, they'll be. Somehow I. Like, I would think they would be fine somehow, but like, the fact that it' with three little kids, I was like, there's no way. There's no way that he's gonna do this.

[B]

They have no possessions on them. Like, they don't have water, they don't have food, they don't have, like, shelter from the sun. It's literally just them. You're not giving them a fighting chance. Could we give them a little.

[A]

And I understand that the people are watching and the things and like, he has to send them out there, but also, again, gift them water. I really feel like he could have a situation like an underground railroad tunnel situation. Someone from the door kingdom, and they could just get them.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Maybe it'll come up in reckless. I don't think it will.

[B]

I don't think it will.

[A]

I spent this whole book hoping so I'll just keep hoping.

[B]

Yeah, we'll keep just dying on this hill.

[A]

It just feels like it's so out of place in this for him to do that. But I guess not. He does think of himself as a monster.

[B]

He kills a couple people in this.

[A]

Book, but they're not children. I feel like the children's where I can't get past it.

[B]

I know. I. I am more bothered to be fair.

[A]

This whole thing is that he didn't kill the child. Like, I do. I understand that. The whole thing is that he didn't kill Abigail and he was supposed to go kill her.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But it just feels like. Like, why. Why do that? And then be like, well, off you go to the scorches into the great unknown. Like, with nothing into the end. Here's a dagger, though.

[B]

Yeah. Like, are they all just supposed to stab each other and put each other out of their misery?

[A]

Oh, God.

[B]

I don't know why.

[A]

No. What are we using the dagger for, exactly? What are you hunting in the sand, exactly?

[B]

Because I was like, oh, maybe hunting. It's the desert snakes. I don't know.

[A]

Oh, well, we do know there's snakes around.

[B]

So at that point, as we've said, I would just. I'd be like, forget it. I don't even. Just take me now. Like, you want to send me out there with no water. The only animal is a snake. We all know how. I don't like snakes.

[A]

What the hell am I supposed to do with this goddamn dagger? Are you kidding me?

[B]

Yeah, like, oh, gee, thanks, Kai. So helpful. Off you go.

[A]

Oh, Lordy Lou. Anyways, all right, so Mission Abigail, that was really stressful for us.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we clearly have a lot of thoughts. Something else we do want to talk about, though, is one of our other main characters, Kitty Cat.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Prince Kit Kim. Tell us some things about Prince Kit.

[B]

Well, you know, he's a simplistic man. I'll tell you that much.

[A]

He's a simple man.

[B]

There's not much to him right now. Okay. Right now, it's book one.

[A]

At the end of this book, maybe, but we're gonna wait. We're gonna save that.

[B]

Maybe. But, you know, beginning of the book, he's, like, giving very golden retriever energy. He's just, like, happy to be there and doesn't seem to be, like, much to him because he's lived a very sheltered life. He's the heir to the throne. He's never fought. He's not killing anybody, not been in a battle. He basically just spars shirtless with Kai and, like, goes to the kitchen and gets. Gets some food and then, like, goes and studies with his dad.

[A]

He's living the good life, Kit, you know?

[B]

Yes, the good life.

[A]

The naive, sheltered, not appropriate life. But he's, you know.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I do appreciate we get little Moments of seeing him being, like, a sweet prince. Like, he's not, like, a pompous asshole, which I appreciate.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But naive is a good word.

[B]

I wish he was a little. I felt like his character was very surfacey. And I wish that we would have maybe gotten to see a little bit more depth to his character, because I think it would have made me like the scenes of him in Peyton a little bit more if I just felt like she wasn't totally playing him and he's just this dumb, dumb, like, going along with it and, like, agreed, not thinking logically about, like, why is she doing this? Could she have ulterior motives? I don't know. I feel like, as a prince, you would be on high alert for people using you. And he just. There is no alert.

[A]

No. I think he's so distracted by her feminine wiles. He's like, her silver hair. I don't have any brain cells.

[B]

They're all gone.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You looked me in the eyes. I'm dead. Here's a tunnel. Let's go. I do think maybe book two, that we're gonna get some. I don't even know where we're going with him, but let's talk about that.

[B]

I'm scared. I'm scared. But at the beginning, we do see Peyton talk a lot about how Kit looks just like his father. He has the same eyes. It's just like looking at his father. And she has a really hard time with it. Brings it up quite a lot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

She has to, like, hide her disgust for him, and he immediately wants to start having a relationship with her.

[A]

Like, immediate.

[B]

Immediately he sees her, the silver hair, and he's like, well, I want you.

[A]

He's like, this girl who won't like me in the eyes. That's the one I want.

[B]

That's the one I want. I want to take her to the ball, and I want to spend time with her. And then as the book goes on and she gets to know him better and develops a relationship with him, she does start to say that, like, oh, he doesn't like his father. After all, he looks like Kit, and it's like, kay, are you just saying that, or is it because you're using him? Tbd. Tbd.

[A]

The eyes. We talk about the green eyes so much, and it's just extra annoying. Now, having finished that, I thought we talked about the green eyes so much because they, like, were burned into her memory of that night. And turns out that's not even the case because he wasn't even there.

[B]

Correct. Christina, Correct.

[A]

So, like, where did we have this even feeling about the green eyes from in the first place? But fine.

[B]

Yep. Turns out it was all a lie. Literally all lie. But what's not a lie is that Kit and Kai love each other very much. They are the sweetest little brothers. We love their sibling dynamic. They are such cuties. They are half brothers. Kit's mother died in childbirth, which was confusing to me. At the end, I was already on a rampage and I was like, why is he saying he's an orphan? His mother's just grieving. Just give her some grace.

[A]

She's just upstairs. It's fine.

[B]

She's here. She might be absentee, but she's grieving her husband.

[A]

You're not Orphan Annie.

[B]

Yeah. I literally was like, why is he acting like he's Orphan Annie? Yeah. Turns out that his mother.

[A]

They are half brothers.

[B]

Yeah, they are half brothers. It's Kai's mother that's still alive. Deepest apologies, Kit, but oh, my gosh, they are just so cute. They have some really cute moments. Obviously, we talked about the sparring. I love it. I love it.

[A]

Immediate jump into the book. The first image we get of them is them sparring and laughing. And they're these princes and they have this dynamic and they're so comfortable in the castle and they're like, in the kitchens and running around. And something about it immediately felt like, ya, nostalgic to me.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

About these, like, sweet princes who I wanted to know more about. And yeah, it just felt fun and sweet. I don't know. Something about their dynamic in the beginning is one of the first things I really loved in the book.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, it obviously reminds us of. Of a friendship in Throne of Glass series that we won't get into, but it just reminded me of that. And, you know, we're just a sucker for, like, platonic male friendships. We love to see it.

[A]

We love to see it.

[B]

Yes. So there are obviously quite a few differences between Kit and Kai. So Kai says I lack Kit's caring. Like, he lacks my callousness. He's patient, personable, and fit for the throne. Like, I'm fit for the battlefield. A king where I am a killer. And not only are they very different people, but they also have very different relationships with their father. Obviously. Christina touched upon the insane, evil torture that the king has put Kai through to make him this enforcer. And Kai says Kit's relationship with our father is far different from mine. They spend time pouring over paperwork and bonding over their positions while father instructs my brother on how to follow in his footsteps. And Kit will do just that. He will do anything to make the king proud, and he always has. Me, on the other hand, I'm not the heir. I'm the expendable son, the future enforcer that my father has molded and sent on missions for years. My brother and I have very different roles, very different relationships with our father, but because of it, Kit will make a great king, and I will be his killer.

[A]

Oh, God, it just makes me sad. Kit will be a great king, and I will be his killer.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. It's so sad seeing that dynamic. Kit is trying so hard to get his father's approval and, like, just sit there and be like a puppy, kind of to his dad. And, I mean, Kai, too. Like, there's a moment where his dad barely smiles at him and he's like, I instinctively want more of what he's giving me. It's just.

[B]

Yeah, it's really sad.

[A]

Where is the queen here to help with this balance? My God, Truly.

[B]

But then they're like, oh. He looks at the queen. He has the sweetest smile, only for her, and he's so happy with her. And I'm like, this man is a psychopath.

[A]

I was confused about that, I have to say. We're supposed to think they were cute. Like, he was like, oh, yes. Smiley was like, oh, sweetie. And like, oh, the smile he only gives to her. He loves her. I was like, am I supposed to like this man now? He is the big bad in the book. Can we just leave it at that?

[B]

Stop trying to make him likable.

[A]

Yeah. Also, I pictured him old. Old.

[B]

Me too.

[A]

And I think he's supposed to be, like, handsome.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, like, youngish.

[B]

No.

[A]

And every big bad king in my book is, like, old, old.

[B]

Yeah. I didn't understand what we were doing with. I don't feel bad for him. I don't like him. I don't feel anything for him. He's terrible.

[A]

He's terrible. I also don't like the queen because I'm like, you let him do this to Kai.

[B]

That's your son.

[A]

Therefore you're a terrible mother. Yeah.

[B]

Truly. If anyone should be calling themselves an orphan, it's Kai, because both of his parents just suck.

[A]

Absolutely. Okay, so next up, let's jump back into plot a little bit. Okay, so let's talk about the meet cute. They've met their meeting. It's cute. Okay, so, all right, we're in loot, guys. Kai has just sent Abigail and her family off into the desert. But don't worry, they have a dagger.

[B]

So it's all going to be fine.

[A]

No water, but a dagger. So he sent them off, and he is in loot alley, where sneaky pickpocket Pay sees him. Sees him, and she's like, wow, look at that wealthy looking, handsome man. He is my next victim. I'm going to engineer a way to go stumble into him and steal the coins in his, like, little pouch.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

So she does that, and immediately we get banter. Immediately we get looking each other's eyes, talking about the color of our eyes, our smiles, our dimples, our auras. It's just immediate connections. Yeah, and the banter is bantering. At the end of this scene, there's a line where he says, do you always fall into the arms of handsome strangers, or is this a new thing for you? His question displays that dimple again, and she just says, no, only the cocky ones.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

And walks away. It's so good. I loved it. I also loved that we got to see this from both their POVs, because we got to see them both innately attracted.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

They both talked about the eye colors. They both. Oh. Which also, he says her eyes are the ocean and he's drowning. There's a lot of water things. But he also says that they're the shade of a forget me not, which is the flower he gives her later, which is interesting.

[B]

Oh, my God, I did not pick up on that. That's so cool.

[A]

Me either.

[B]

Tell us.

[A]

Point this in here. Okay, so, yes, she also calls him a pretty boy with pretty words, which you point out in chapter chats is really interesting because it is so not a monster. It's so not this killer. It's something that he would never call himself, but clearly he's presenting to the world.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So, okay, soon after this, long story short, he tries to get mugged, and in the process, like, oh, that little pickpocket stole my coins. Oh, yeah. And then he gets in a fight with the muggers, and then a silencer shows up. This silencer is Micah. We find out later who is this silencer who is just living his life and saw Kai there, who is never usually, like, out and about in the alley.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And apparently Kai killed someone that Micah loved. I really wish we could have found out more about that. I felt like there was going to be some sort of love story there. No. And Micah was gonna get released. It was gonna be a whole big thing, but nope, I. I developed this whole headcanon where he was actually in Love with one of the girls in the room. Meeting room for the Resistance. And he thought she was dead, but she was actually alive. None of that's real. Okay, well, thanks. Okay, so Silencer Micah, he shows up, and he is like, I'm gonna use my Silencer power on you. Bam, Prince Kai. And if you are a Silencer, you can strip. Okay. A Silencer can strip you of your ability, making you no more than an ordinary, while also incapacitating you with pain.

[B]

Fun.

[A]

So it's really bad, News Bears. It's a scary, scary power. Powerful power. Also important to note here, there are people who got powers from the plague that were not elites. They're called the Fatals, and those are the Silencers, mind readers and controllers. And these people were just, like, too dangerous. So they were also banished with the ordinaries, except for one of each that the king keeps in his court so that he can use them as he needs because. So he's a piece of trash.

[B]

The Silencer was just around.

[A]

He was, like, pretending to not. I think he was there illegally to.

[B]

Not be a Silencer. I got it. But he saw Kai and couldn't help himself.

[A]

And that's exactly. He was like, should have been lit on the down low. And instead was like, there's Kai. I have to take my revenge for some loved one.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So he attacks him. And then Paden sees a crowd gathers. Here's a commotion. It's like, what's. What's going on over there?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

She goes and looks, and she recognizes the handsome stranger that she just stole from and flirted with on the ground, incapacitated with pain. He is, like, crumbled up in pain. It's bad. It's really bad.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so Peyton has a flashback to watching her father being killed, and because of this, decides to help this stranger to honor, pretty much honor his memory, which is wild because he's the one that killed her father in this flashback. So ironic.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. But doesn't matter. I went back and read it today. This flashback moment of her deciding to help him to understand. Like, if she actually sees him. Sees someone in this moment and she doesn't, she hears him being stabbed, and then she sees him slumped down the chair, and she runs to him. So she doesn't actually see anyone, like, running out in this flashback.

[B]

Okay. I was gonna say okay.

[A]

Later, she talks about it when she's, like, in the ending, but in this first part, when she's talking about having flashes as the Silencer and she's deciding to help him or not.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

She doesn't actually say she sees the King.

[B]

Got it. Okay.

[A]

All right. Okay. So ironic, isn't it ironic Alanis Morissette. Okay, so she then is like, I'm gonna attack this Silencer. I'm going to help this poor random man that I flirted with. And this is a fun moment because the Silencer tries to use his power to suppress her power. But, haha, jokes on you. I have no power, so your power can't do anything to me. And therefore this Silencer, as most elites, depend solely on their ability, and so they're not as physically strong and trained. And so she just, like, kicks his ass. And it's so fun to see.

[B]

It's so great.

[A]

And you see him be like, wait, why? Why doesn't my power work on you? And she just doesn't care that that's a thing that everyone can see. I guess because her dad was a smart, smart cookie and gave her a lie to say about why Silencers and people couldn't sense her power because it's mundane in her brain or something, and finicky. But she does kick his ass and she does knock him unconscious, thus saving Prince Kai and making her the Silver Savior, which people call her because her hair is silver.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

There's a great moment where, like, the Imperials rush in to help Kai finally, and they're like, your Highness, whatever. And she's like, oh, fuck. She, like, realizes who he is and tries to get away, and he, like, stops her. And she's like, oh, God damn it.

[B]

Damn it.

[A]

Why didn't I just take your money? Anyways, okay, so Kim, take us away. We're getting into the meat of it now.

[B]

Okay, so because she saved Prince Kai, she has unwittingly, basically entered herself into the Purging Trials.

[A]

Somehow the people vote for you.

[B]

I guess. They voted her.

[A]

And they're like, we like you so much. We want you to go die. Yeah, pretty much.

[B]

We are so thankful that you saved Prince Kai, but we would like for you to go die. So we are going to enter you into the Purging Trials. So we're gonna do a quick summary of what they are, but we can't not mention that it is literally the Hunger Games. Okay. Yeah, quite literally, almost verbatim, the Hunger Games.

[A]

So there's also notes of Red Queen in here, but mainly the Hunger Games. To us.

[B]

To us. That's what we picked up on the most.

[A]

To her credit, Lauren Roberts has said the way she pitched this book was it's a mix of Red Queen and Hunger Games. Okay, so like, she's got it.

[B]

She's aware. Good, because it would be hard to not be aware. So, the Purging Trial. So in honor of the Great Purging over three decades ago, the Trials were created to showcase the people's supernatural abilities and bring honor to only the elites in the kingdom. Okay, because everybody else doesn't matter.

[A]

The ordinaires are gone.

[B]

They're garbage. Yep, they're gone. And they're garbage. So the Purging Trials happens every five years. The young elites are chosen to compete in these Games for both the glory and enough shillings to build your own comfy castle while you try to escape the trauma the Trials cause you.

[A]

All right, well.

[B]

Well, that's word for word, the Hunger Games.

[A]

But anyways, so, yeah, all right, so it's every five years. That is good to know. I was a little confused about that timeline, so thank you for that knowledge. But yeah, the glory and the money. Yeah. I mean, it. Like, it worked in Hunger Games, it works here. It was really fun. The Trials are fun, but my God, was it the Hunger Games?

[B]

It was, yeah. But. So we're going to do a quick run through of the contestants. Kai is obviously a wielder. Andy Shapeshifter. Jax is a blink. Blair is a telly. Ace is an illusionist. Braxton is a Brawny. Hera is a veil. Sadie is a cloner. And Peyton is a psychic. Yeah. Like Christina said, I loved seeing all the different powers and personalities. It was very, very tropey. But it worked in this situation. It was super fun and. Yeah, it works.

[A]

It was fun. It was fun. It works for a reason. It allowed us so many fun things to play with.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In the story.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

Other fun things in the story that we have to play with.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay, so we're gonna rapid fire through some of our fun early Kai and Pei, like, flirty moments. Okay, so the first one we have on here that we have to talk about is the moment. It's after the dinner, and they're in the hallway because their rooms are across the hall, and they end up with the both the knives to each other's necks.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

It's so cute. It's so pretty. It's so sexy. And she kind of disarms him and he's like, haha smirks. And then he's like. He says in his head, like, all right, let's play. And then he gets the knife from behind her back that she thinks is hidden and puts it against her neck.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, My God. Okay, so this is our favorite line from the scene. So she says, mark my words, Prince. I will be your undoing. Kai's pov. Okay. I lean in, ignoring the knife against my throat as I murmur, oh, darling, I look forward to it. Shut up, shut up, shut up. Also, something about leaning into the knife.

[B]

I was like, oh, oh, wow.

[A]

What are we doing?

[B]

And why am I into it?

[A]

Why am I into it? Also, I just love the idea of someone coming out in the hallway to, like, brush their teeth and their PJs and like. Oh, my God.

[B]

Oh, God.

[A]

What. What is.

[B]

I'm so sorry.

[A]

What's happening? Are you killing each other? Are you flirting? Is this. Should I be watching this? What's happening?

[B]

Both. I don't know.

[A]

Both for a YA book. Like, I didn't know we were gonna be doing BDSM knife play. What's happening? Okay, so next up, in one of the sparring sessions, there's a lot of sparring session fun content here. Another thing the trials allow us is a lot of training sparring stuff. So one of them. This is the first time they actually spar, and it's like, fun, sexy, cute. Spar.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, it's in all our books. The training montage of the fighting on the mats. It's gonna happen, and we're gonna love it. Yeah. So they're leaving that moment, okay. And she says, oh, and Kai, she calls, her voice casual, and then I'm ducking. She spun, throwing the knife so suddenly I barely had time to dodge before it sank into the wooden target a few feet behind me. I don't want your mercy. Next time we fight. Impress me.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

So good.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

And that was a direct callback to when he in lute is like, show me your psychic ability. And he says to her, impress me, darling.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so she. Then in a moment, someone goes, impress me. Oh, okay. And then only other one we really want to mention here is this midnight dance lesson moment. Something about him coming to her room and being like, come with me, and just leaning against the doorway. The amount of times this man leans in doorways and smirks was. I mean, I ate it up every time, but I feel like it's every page. Every time there's a doorway, he will lean in it and he will smile with that dimple, and it will be great, but it will happen like it's. There's no way. It's not happening. Give him any proximity to a door, he's gonna lean in it like it's Gonna happen. He's gonna smirk. I think there was one page that happened twice on one page.

[B]

I mean, I believe that it's very much like, you know, another character picking lint off their clothing all the time. It's the same situation. They have a go to move, and.

[A]

It'S leaning in the doorway.

[B]

Yeah. And smirking.

[A]

Okay, so leans in the doorway, takes her to do dance lessons, and he takes her to his room, guys. To his private quarters.

[B]

Quarters.

[A]

Big deal. Vulnerability, breaking down walls. And love to see it again. He leans in his doorway. Okay. But no. So they're in his room, and they're doing these dance cousins. And it's really sweet. And she's all nervous, and, you know, the forced proximity to the dancing, and it's very, very cute. At a point she says, like, okay, I'll another dance for a question. And I just. I love this dynamic. Like, something about him stealing her away in the middle the night to go do dance lessons in his room so that she would be a better dancer for the ball that she's going to with his brother was just chef's kiss all around. The angst.

[B]

Shut up.

[A]

The angst, the drama. That's what we're here for.

[B]

I love it. So speaking of the ball, Kit has asked Paden to be his partner to the first ball. And of course, Paden has to be different. And usually the women of Ilia wear green. And she says, no, no. I'm going to be the silver savior, and I'm going to wear silver.

[A]

Silver. Hello. Also, we should note who made this dress.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Adina.

[A]

Adina's back. Pei did forget about her for a minute, as did we. And then she was like, oh, you know, who's a seamstress? And she brought her ultimately to her doom. But she did bring her into the castle.

[B]

Did you feel like she brought her ultimately.

[A]

It's not funny, but it's not funny.

[B]

Ultimately, to her doom. But, I mean, but she did get.

[A]

To live in a castle for a little bit.

[B]

Yeah, that was probably fun.

[A]

Did you feel like we could have done more with Adina in the castle?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I feel like all we got from her, we brought her into the castle just for her to have a few scenes of, like, look at this dress.

[B]

Yep. That's pretty cool.

[A]

Look at that dress.

[B]

I wish we would have seen more from Adina. I wish that they would have, like, debriefed more after some of the trials.

[A]

Yeah. That was a perfect person for us to get that conversation with. Yes. We got, like, one giddy kind of conversation about Kai, but, like, I just thought we could have used her more.

[B]

Agreement. Yeah. So basically, she's dressed in silver. Kit and Kai are going feral over her. And Kai is really jealous. He's watching Peyton dance with Kit. It's super, super angsty. And then Peyton is dancing with this creepy guy who's kind of touching her and whatever. And Kai, okay, so she's dancing with this guy, and the guy says, you're a vision. And then Kai, from out of nowhere says, she is, isn't she? And, like, they look over and see Kai, and he goes, I'll be stealing her now. Kai says simply, oh, yes, yes. Steal her. You steal her.

[A]

You steal her. You steal her. Steal her away. I love this. And, like, we get to see him be this enforcer and the prince in this moment, he knows how to do the court politics, but, like, in sexy ways.

[B]

Make it sexy. Enforcer, but make it sexy. So they're dancing, fighting breaks out. Kai covers her body. Oh, he's, like, cradling her head. It's so great. So she sees a rebels attacking with strips of leather on their faces. And she realizes that the boy that she stole the leather and the note from in the market is one of the rebels.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And they're attacking the ball and everybody. So, like, chaos ensues.

[A]

This was wild. Yeah.

[B]

Peyton won't leave. So Kai says, all right, flips her over his shoulder and just marches her out of there.

[A]

I loved it.

[B]

I loved it.

[A]

I loved this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This was the first time we got to see, like, real sexy enforcer Kai. He was, like, barking orders and was like, no, you're coming with me. No, you're. Yeah, no, you're getting in that safe room. And I was like, oh, God. Okay, sir.

[B]

Okay. So, yes, Paden goes to a safe room with Kit. Kit is also upset that he can't fight him, and Kai get into a little tiff about it, but ultimately not gonna happen.

[A]

It's very sweet. Yeah.

[B]

Pit. Pit.

[A]

Oh, my God. Would that be their couple name? Pitt?

[B]

Couple name.

[A]

Oh, Pit.

[B]

Oh, Pit. I mean, that is the worst couple.

[A]

Name, but also fitting for them, like. Like, Pit, you know, like, what are you gonna do? Oh, God. Wow.

[B]

Okay, so paid intoxicate in the safe room, and she's trying to play the part, you know, play the part. And he tells her all about the Resistance and kind of how that happened and who they are and all of this stuff. They have a little moment of connection there. We'll talk more about the resistance in a minute. So the room gets cleared. She goes. And no. So the room is cleared, but yet Kai is in the corner with a knife in his back, and no one is attending to him.

[A]

Literally. This man who is all their boss and the most powerful one of all of them is crumpled, bleeding on what I think of as, like, a state elevated. Like a thing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And just everyone's going about their merry way, cleaning up glass, doing things like. Oh, that's run of the milk. Eyes always bleeding on things like. Like what?

[B]

Why is no one attending to this?

[A]

Concerned. Well, you know who is concerned is Pei.

[B]

She rushes over to him, and, oh, my God. They just have this really sweet moment. And he's like, okay, well, I need you to pull the knife out, and then I can heal myself, but I can't pull the knife out of myself, I guess. And so she does, and he heals himself, and there's lots of banter, and there's lots of just, like, sweet sexual tension and angst, but, like.

[A]

But, like, also make it, like, concern. Sweet and protective. He's like, are you hurt?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And she's like, you have a dagger in your body. I'm fine.

[B]

He's like, yeah, whatever. I don't care.

[A]

But did you see a healer? And I'm like, oh, God.

[B]

Oh, God. Like, it's just. So anyways, she pulls a knife out, he heals himself. And as they're walking away, he says, do me a favor, darling. And she says, and what's that? Promise me you'll stay alive long enough to stab me in the back. And then Peyton goes, that's been my goal all along, Prince.

[A]

Oh, God. Y'all, the levels of this.

[B]

It might be cheesy. I don't even care.

[A]

It is cheesy. I ate it up with a spoon. Num, num, num. Also, though, what about the end, though? He thinks that she did.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This is, like, kind of full circle, though, to the end, where he's like, you did stab me in the back.

[B]

Like, a foreshadowing to, like, you did live long enough.

[A]

But she didn't really. She didn't really.

[B]

And his father sucks, so I don't care.

[A]

Yeah, I don't think he's gonna be upset about the father. I think he's gonna be upset about the.

[B]

Yeah, you're right. Fine. That's valid.

[A]

Fine. But, like, get over it. Okay, fine.

[B]

But move on. God, let it go already. It's been, like, two days.

[A]

It's been like. Yeah, my God. Come on. Okay, everybody, so here's a Good time for us to make a little pit stop and talk about the resistance.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which is our. You know, it's our run of the mill rebel group, you guys. It's the ordinaries. They've banned together over the years, as you would think they would.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They're fighting against the king and the kingdom because of what has been done to them. As they would. Okay. Things that are important to note, though they also have some important and powerful fatals that are helping them who are also banished, as we talked about, I. E. Micah and those people. Okay, so. But the real resistance info dump stuff we learn is actually from when she sneaks into her old house. She got through the TAMA to do that.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Sneaks into her old house because of the secret message that she stole. Right. About the meeting there.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And surprise. It's Lenny. Lenny's there.

[B]

Guys.

[A]

Lenny. Hello? Lenny.

[B]

Hey, Lynn.

[A]

Okay, wait. I do have to pause here and tell you something about Lenny. Listeners. Okay, so if any of you listen to the audible, you're aware of this. But if any of you did not listen to the audible, I need to impart some knowledge with you that in the audible, Lenny has a Southern accent, like a Southern drawl. And I couldn't get over it. I couldn't get over it, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Every time I then read his words on Paige, I mean, truly, he's like, oh, Princess. Oh, like you're gonna kick my ass. Like, it's. It's. It's a. A Southern. He's a Southern man. And he's like, oh, well, note to self, Princess doesn't like being called Princess.

[B]

I just.

[A]

What is happening? Where are we?

[B]

What was the choice to do this?

[A]

Look, I have so much respect for audio narrators, for voice actors, and that is hard, girl.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

For in her chapters, to do a separate voice for pay and Kai and Lenny and all these people and Callum. I get it. Like, make one of them different. Sure. Self.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But also, it's his dialogue in particular. Being Southern is so funny. I just. Can't everyone do yourself a favor and go listen to Southern Lenny? Yeah, but surprise. Lanny's lair. Also surprise. Turns out in your old house, there was a secret passageway behind a bookshelf that leads to a secret cellar under your dad's study. And there's a resistance meeting going on right now downstairs. So let's come on down to the meeting. So she does. She goes. She sits in this circle with these people. We don't need to rehash who the people are. The main takeaway is Callum is, like, kind of the leader. And he reveals he was a friend of her father's. He's also a mind reader. Oh. He also reveals that her dad was a resistance leader. He didn't tell her to keep her safe, but he was a big time resistance leader and that's why he was murdered. Okay. So they also revealed to her that the resistance has been working hard. And they are now officially ready to make themselves known. Present themselves. And they are planning to infiltrate the bowl on the last day of the trials. They plan on confronting the King and demanding freedom for the ordinaries and the Fatals. Not the most well thought out plan, but they have thought out that what they need to get in is a specific tunnel. There's one tunnel that will get from loot into, like, under the bowl where they need to be.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And they're like, you are the perfect new recruit for this mission. What we need you to do is use your feminine wiles to convince Prince Kit to tell you where the tunnel is and tell us so that we can get in there and infiltrate the last day of the Trials.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

She feels, like, kind of weird about it, but most of her. Her feelings in this moment are she's thankful and grateful that she has a cause. She feels excited to feel like she's doing something. She feels she has a purpose and isn't just sitting around in the castle with these people who are out to get her. Which I feel that I think that's valid.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But it also really then presents this. The whole rest of the book struggle with her and Kit of she has to play him even more now of like, oh, no, I really need to play you. I need you to like me enough to do this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And through that, we see her start to not like him in a romantic way. I don't think. Well, we can get into that later. But I don't think she ever really does. But like him in a way that she wants to make an effort to make him a better prince and make him a better person. And, like, she sees potential in him to be a better future king. He's not just like, useless trash. He's like, he could be better than he is.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that is also an interesting dynamic in these scenes too. She's playing him, but she's also challenging him, which is very important in his trajectory. So let's do the Trials.

[B]

Okay. The first trial. Oh, man. So we wake up. Everyone's been drugged. We're in a Forest surprise. We wake up. You have no idea. Kai knows where they are because his father used to bring him here to torture him. That's neither here nor there. They have like really tight armbands on Terrible. So they're playing a really intense game of capture the armband because you have to like, cut it off. And you can't cut it off without, like, hurting the person in while doing it. Okay, so there's gonna be blood. It's gonna be brutal. Everyone's been separated. There's no supplies, but sometimes there are supplies that are randomly dropped.

[A]

Oh, my God. It has to do with the votes, which we don't understand. Which are pointless.

[B]

They're pointless. You guys, Guys.

[A]

The voting system, the poll, why was it there?

[B]

Did not make any sense.

[A]

It just went away.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

There was no reason for it.

[B]

It never got brought up again. Hardly ever.

[A]

No, it was like, oh, well, gotta get the pulse. You gotta get the. It was almost like she was like, well, it can't be exactly Hunger Games. So let's just do that one time instead of the whole time.

[B]

And then that's it.

[A]

Like, Right. Cuz wasn't that the whole thing? They talked. People have to like you.

[B]

Yes. People have to like you and you have to.

[A]

What did the boats do?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Pass the first one.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

There was no ranking system. There was no, like, oh, if you're in the top five, you get like an extra weapon or you get.

[A]

At some point the king asked her, have you seen the polls? And she was like, yeah. And she said what the polls were, but literally why? There's no reason.

[B]

But for what?

[A]

Why?

[B]

What are you ranking them for?

[A]

Why? What did that get them? Nothing.

[B]

I literally don't understand. Because it's not like in the Hunger Games. If somebody liked what you were doing, they could directly drop something to you. It seems like things were just dropped random. And it wasn't really about, like, who happened to be there at the time. It was just kind of like, here's a tonic that can cure everything for whoever finds it first.

[A]

Right. So what's the point in the people liking you?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

What does that get you as a contestant?

[B]

Because remember, she's like, oh, when she does the interview, she's like, oh, gotta have other people like me. People need to like me.

[A]

Oh yeah, It's a whole thing. She's like, oh, I see Blair putting on this show. She wants people to like them. Like they dropped the votes and the things on the way out. But, like, what did those votes do?

[B]

It's really confusing, and I don't understand why that was ever even a thing. I guess for her to kind of behave at the beginning.

[A]

Yeah, I like the idea of it. I just wish we would have done something with it.

[B]

Yeah, that would have been nice.

[A]

Yeah. But we didn't, you know, that would have been nice. That would have been cool. There were some cool things in this trial, though.

[B]

Yes, very cool. So Peyton gets into a fight with Ace. She stabs him, but she is gravely injured. And she finally stumbles into Kai's campsite.

[A]

Convenient.

[B]

Oh, there he is.

[A]

Convenient.

[B]

And he uses some tonic that just was on the ground because of course it was. And he saves her.

[A]

It's real cute.

[B]

He's real worried. So he's so worried. He takes care of her, and he's so tender and like she says, I've never seen him so worried, so full of emotion. His cool mask had cracked, shattered, splintered into a million pieces. And he's like, hey, hey, hey. And he calls her Pay for the first time. This is when he calls her Pay. And she smiles. Like, she just instinctively smiles. And he says, remind me to make you smile like that again when you aren't dying. And I have all the time in the world to memorize it.

[A]

Are you serious right now? I forgot that was in there. Can you read it again?

[B]

Yeah. He says, remind me to make you smile like that again when you aren't dying. And I have all the time in the world to memorize it.

[A]

Wow, that's a good line.

[B]

So he heals her, but he still has to stitch her up. And to take her mind off of this stitching, he decides to, like, rile her up and be, like, a little bit of a cocky so that her mind is, like, focused on being mean to him and sparring with him and not the stitching that's taking place of her wound. And she realizes what he's doing, but he's already done. I just love this. Oh, my God, there's so many good quotes from this part. He said. So I said her name again and again. I finally let myself do it, let that last piece of attachment to her lock into place. Just saying her name felt intimate, personal somehow. And now I forever want her name on my lips and rolling off my tongue until I'm drunk on the taste and sound of it.

[A]

What? Sir.

[B]

Sir.

[A]

Sir. And this is all just from saying her name out loud?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

This declaration is from, like I said, Pay. I love It.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

Also, keep in mind the stakes. Like, we're in a trial. We're in the whispers of the woods, like, she almost died. And he's like, yeah, I want to be drunk off saying your name on my lips. And it's like, oh, God.

[B]

Oh, my God. It's just so good.

[A]

He loved it.

[B]

It's great.

[A]

It gets even better.

[B]

It gets even better. They fight some wolves. Now Kai is injured, and Peyton has to be the one to take care of him.

[A]

Flip flop.

[B]

And this whole scene, this whole trial sets up just some really, really wonderful conversations between the two of them. They really open up to each other. They're vulnerable with each other. They have some real moments of connection. And I just loved it so much.

[A]

Me too.

[B]

Too. I loved it.

[A]

Me too.

[B]

It was great.

[A]

I loved it.

[B]

Oh, but then you know what they do?

[A]

Christina, tell me what they do.

[B]

They slow dance in the forest.

[A]

Oh, God damn it.

[B]

Under the stars.

[A]

Did I love this? This imagery? We're in the stars, we're in the whispers, and we're like, bloody and dirty, but we still look hot.

[B]

Yeah, of course, of course.

[A]

And he's like, dance with me. And you're like, what? No. Oh, God. Okay. And it's so sweet and lovely.

[B]

Precious.

[A]

Precious is a perfect word.

[B]

Yes. Okay, this is Kai's pov. And then we just. Just sway. No fancy footwork, no waltz to step in time to. Just us in the middle of a forest surrounded by thousands of winking stars. Her lashes flutter and then her fingers are laced behind my neck.

[A]

Stop it.

[B]

I loved this so much. I thought this was so freaking cute.

[A]

Me too. I thought this was really romantic.

[B]

So romantic.

[A]

I think it felt earned. Like, it felt like it made sense.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That we were here now.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

That they would be vulnerable like this.

[B]

Totally. Totally. They've had some like. Like real intense moments together, and I think that brings out, like, you bond a lot quicker in moments like that.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Unfortunately, Sadie does show up to clock block them, and she's like, I really hate to do this, but, like, I do need your armbands, so you can either give them to me or I'm gonna kill you.

[A]

Right? And they're like, that's what you think?

[B]

Kai's literally like, okay. But they do battle, and Sadie almost kills Peyton and then Kai kills her, and then he buries her body and puts. Puts flowers on her grave, essentially for Peyton, because she says, like, oh, you did that. That was really good of you to do for her. And he was like, oh, I didn't do it for her. And then, like, gives her a look that's like, it was for you. Because Peyton's very upset about it.

[A]

And, you know, it was so thoughtfully, very thoughtful towards her in that moment. Like, he did it for her without her having to watch it or be a part of it. It was, like, for her. So she. As it happened.

[B]

Yeah. So she. She's kind of freaking out, cuz obviously, I'm sure this is bringing up negative feelings about her father and seeing him die. And so she's kind of having, like, a little bit of a panic attack. And he's like, hey, look at me, all right? Don't look at her, look at me. And he says, focus on my eyes. I know how much you like to stare into them. Focus on the dimples you try to convince yourself you hate. Even though I know you look for them. Every time I smile. Focus on my lips. Don't be shy. I know this wouldn't be the first time.

[A]

Shut up.

[B]

And so she, like, brings herself out of it and it's so cute.

[A]

What a great play with me. Moment. Distraction moment. Like, I just love that.

[B]

Yes. This whole trial is just like a play with me. Distract me. And it's just so good. Okay, Christina, this line.

[A]

Oh, tell me, which one is it?

[B]

This is. It's incredible. He said, I'll save your life again and again, aimlessly, hoping you will allow me to stay in it.

[A]

Oh, Jesus Christ.

[B]

I mean, come on.

[A]

Sweet, tortured soul of a prince.

[B]

He is a tortured soul.

[A]

I will keep doing this over and over that you just allow me to stay in your life. Not love me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Not be mine. Just like, let me be in your orbit.

[B]

Yes. This. It's so sweet. Okay, so the only thing to note is there is a big final battle. And through a series of events, Ace illusions himself slash Jax.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And Kai, like, throws a throwing star, thinks it's Ace, and turns out it was Jacks. This was rough. I was panicking. I was like, oh, oh, no, no.

[A]

And Kai is. He's screaming. He's saying, no, no, no. And in his head, he's like, my little brother, little brother. And then he's saying. He's like, voice is cracking, he's crying, and he's just like, no, no.

[B]

And, oh, it's so sad.

[A]

God, guys, this was rough.

[B]

I was like, I'm about to be real upset if Jax dies. Like, I'm about to be real upset because he's like, the little brother, and it's just so sweet. So he picks him up and he runs into the crowd. There's a crowd watching this part. And he knows that there's probably going to be a healer in the crowd. And remember, Kai can wield anyone's abilities handy. So he, like, sprints into this crowd and just, like, falls to the ground, and he heals him. And it is just so sweet. And I was like, God damn it, Ace. I want you dead now.

[A]

Agreed. I was like, can somebody kill this? I wanted him to be like, jacks, you're okay. Let's do a nice big hug. I gotta go kill Ace.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

That's what I wanted.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I'm glad we saved it till later, I guess, but. Oh, my God.

[B]

Oh, God, it was rough. That was an intense scene, for sure.

[A]

And because we've just fallen even more in love with Kai. And then you see him just, like, devastated.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, totally.

[A]

Okay. All right, so next up, we got ball number two, guys.

[B]

Here we go.

[A]

All right, we're at a new ball. She's in a red dress this time. Still not green. Still breaking the rules, but she's in red. Okay, so she dances with Kit for a minute, and then Blair's like, I'm a bitch. I'm gonna steal him. And she's like, fine, okay. But she crashes into Kai and spills her wine on him. Turns out Kai is a little drunk. And when Kai is a little drunk, he is even cuter than usual. I know it's crazy. That's possible, but it is.

[B]

It is.

[A]

So he then admits to her that the reason he's been drinking is because he's, like, jealous and been watching her dance with his brother, which I felt big that he was admitting that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

One of my favorite lines from this little back and forth is, he says, will you forever be the prize I'm aimlessly trying to win? And then she says, is that all I am to you? A trophy? A small smile twitches his lips as he shakes his head at me. Oh, darling, a trophy implies that I want it earned, it, deserve it. But if I get to have you, it will be because you let me, Christina. Because you let me.

[B]

If that does not make you jump him, I truly don't know what would do it.

[A]

Nope. Honestly. Take me now.

[B]

Take, like, Swoon.

[A]

So swoony. Swoon.

[B]

So swoony.

[A]

Swoon.

[B]

Swoon. Swoon. Swoon.

[A]

Swoon.

[B]

Swoon city.

[A]

If you let me. Swoon city. God damn it. Swoon city. Because you let me, guys.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

All right, there's another thing where she's like, I Like, your smile. It's very cute. And he's like, even with my stupid dimples. And she's like, even with your stupid dimples, Azer.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Okay, so, but here's another cute, cute part. All right? So she has a panic attack. She's like, oh, my God, I have feelings. And he. He's stressing me out. But also, there's people, and it's too much. And he's like, hey, wait, what's wrong? And then she says she can't breathe. And he is guiding her outside. He's like, whispering in her ear. And he's like, just a little further. Hold on. It's okay. And then he gets her outside and he says, hey, hey, hey, look at me. And he's like. Like, hey, hey, hey, look at me. He says softly, more softly than I've ever heard him speak. And then she still can't breathe. And so he. He does undo that corset. Oh, he undoes those laces skillfully, I might add. Of course, skillfully. Doesn't take him any time. He knows what he's doing.

[B]

It's sexy. It's skillful.

[A]

And does that corset. And he doesn't even tell her. He just goes behind her and undoes it. And she's like, can breathe. And she's like, oh, my God, because her dress is falling down.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. So then he's like, are you feeling better? And she like, yes. And they, like, kind of banter for a minute.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then he's like, I'm gonna walk you to your rooms. You should go to bed. You've had a night.

[B]

A time.

[A]

Yeah, A time. As have I. I am drunk.

[B]

I am so drunk.

[A]

It turns out none of this gets to happen. But fine. I'll walk you to your rooms. And then she says, you don't need to do that. And he says, you're right. I don't. He threads my arm through his as we begin walking through the crowded garden toward the castle. But I want to. I duck my head and smile. I could get used to you being a gentleman, Azer. And I could get used to being one for you, Gray.

[B]

It's just so stinking cute being one for you.

[A]

For you. This is what I mean in this book. That it felt like nostalgic. Ya. Like I was squealing and like. Like kicking my feet.

[B]

Kicking my.

[A]

In a way that feels different than in adult romance. It feels like this ya angstiness of like, he could be a gentleman for you. Right? Yeah.

[B]

It's just Cute. Yeah, it's cute. It's a little more innocent. And I think in a lot of the books that we read, it's like they're being very sexy or it's set in a moment of, like, steamy time.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so you're kind of just wrapped up in that. But, like, this is just pure. It, like almost brings you back to being a teenager yourself.

[A]

Like, it felt so. Oh, yeah, I don't know, giddy and, like, nostalgic and it was just. It was really great. Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They don't actually get to go retire for the evening. Instead, there's something else that happens. Kim, lead us through. Lead us through this next fun little surprise from the King.

[B]

Yeah. So this is what we call the ball brawl. Okay.

[A]

We've coined the term. It's really clever.

[B]

Yes. Christina coined the term ball brawl. And I was like, we've got to keep this in here and you'll hear why in a second. So the King decided that the ball was boring and he wants all the contestants to fight each other for reasons unknown, likely because he just sucks. And the only thing Christina and I care to speak about with this ball brawl is a scene that happens where. So Peyton walks into the ball brawl and she looks over and there's like torches and it's dark and they're in this, like, arena. And Kai has poured water all over himself in an effort to sober himself up before the fight. And he is drenched and his shirt is see through.

[A]

He's taking his jacket off. He has a white shirt on.

[B]

He's taking his jacket off. It's white shirt, obviously see through now. His hair is tousled and wet. He's dripping water.

[A]

Guys, I need you to picture this with the flame lighting and the sleeves rolled up. And he's drenched himself in water.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, yeah. He's maybe like breathing heavily, you know, he's like, oh, for sure.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Okay. Keep that in your mind. Picture it. And so he fights. He does. Great. Of course he does. And then Peyton has to go fight Blair. And as she's walking to go fight Blair, he grabs her wrist and, like, pulls her to him quickly and sexily.

[A]

We might add, both in unison. Very, very effectively, very quick, very sexy.

[B]

And he, like, whips her around and, like, pulls her in close to him and he dips his head down to whisper in her ear and he's like, giving her pointers and he's like, you can do this. You're stronger than her. You know, go for this. Like, she's Not a physical fighter. You can do this. And she's, like, looking up, and it's just. It's so hot and so sexy.

[A]

It was peak, Kai. I was like, are you kidding? Are you kidding me? We just got two pages ago. This character being like, I could be a genius gentleman for you. And then he's, like, drenched, and in this fighting arena is like, you go for the. She will do this. Like you. Sexy whispers.

[B]

Oh, sexy whispers.

[A]

And this is the same man. What get you a man who can do both, truly.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

It's aim for the stars.

[B]

Aim for the stars. And so, like, he whispers to her, and then when he's done, he, like, tugs the end of her braid and winks at her and walks away.

[A]

Shut up. I forgot about the braid tug. He tugs her braid. Oh, God damn it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Hey. The amount that when he winks, it's the sexiest thing that's ever happened.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

If my husband winked at me, I'd be like, what are you doing?

[B]

I'd be like, what am I doing?

[A]

I'd probably giggle. I mean, I'd be like, what was that?

[B]

Why are you winking?

[A]

Who was that? That was silly. I wouldn't be like, take me. You know?

[B]

But would he also be with the torches, shirtless, drenched, sleeves rolled up?

[A]

See, you know, we've never been in that situation, so who knows?

[B]

So who knows?

[A]

You know, I just gotta get a torchlit fighting arena.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And get him a white shirt, drench him in some water.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then ask him to grab me quickly and sexily and whisper some pointers.

[B]

I think we could make this happen.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think this is not out of the realm of possibility.

[A]

No. I mean, you know, this is what marriage is. That's what you signed up for.

[B]

This is what marriage is.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. That's literally all I care to talk about.

[A]

That's. I was about to say that's the most important part of the ball. Brawl. There's other things that happen, but none of it's as important as that. Okay, so next trial. This is our second trial, guys. We've just come from our second ball. They had to brawl at that ball all night. Okay? They are tired, they are sore, and turns out they're drugged again. How do they keep drugging them? Like, how?

[B]

I don't know. How are you not aware of this happening?

[A]

There's no way all of them are drinking. You know what I mean? I feel like.

[B]

No.

[A]

How are they drugging them?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Truly, it doesn't really make any sense because Kai especially should be, like, really on the alert for anyone, like, entering his bedroom. Unaware.

[A]

Right. Like, I don't think Kai sleeps well. I think he's, like, on alert for sure. There's something happens five miles away.

[B]

I hear it.

[A]

I hear it. I don't know how you would drug all of them unless you, like. I don't know.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

All right, so they are all drugged again, and they all wake up on Mount Plummet. If the name doesn't tell you it's a tall, tall mount. Okay. So they are actually split up into teams for this. So after a night of all brawling and, like, tensions are tip top high. This trial, turns out we had to do teamwork.

[B]

Yay.

[A]

So they're split up into teams and they get a note that's pretty much like, be a team. You gotta be a team. And the only way to win is to teamwork makes the dream work. Okay, get to the top.

[B]

Yep, exactly. There we go.

[A]

So the teams are Kai, Andy, Blair, and Braxton. I keep forgetting Braxton's still alive.

[B]

Ditto.

[A]

And pay Jax. And Ace is our other team.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

All right, so both teams climbing up mountain from both sides. Bad things happen on both sides. There's snakes on Kai, Andy, Blair, and Braxton's side, which, like, my good God, was terrifying.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

They are, like, throwing them with Blair's power. Andy gets bit. The snakes in and of itself were quite horrifying, quite scary to me. I didn't care for it, but Andy's not doing well. But then magically is okay. We're a little confused on that.

[B]

That was confusing to me because she was very much near death and then got to the mountaintop and was like, time to fight. Capture the flag.

[A]

Fighting. Okay. Anyways, unclear. I meant to go back and reread that. So, yeah, so that all happens the other side, you know, Pei almost falls because Ace does another illusion, ironically, with a snake, and then they have to get to the top. Okay, so everyone does reach the top, though, and they're like, new rules.

[B]

Yay.

[A]

Now it's capped to the flag. Kill each other, brawl to death. Go. And Pei is like, let's fucking go. Yes. I've been wanting to kill Ace. I'm so excited.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

She goes to kill him. He's still doing illusions. She has a great moment where she's like, you can't scare me with myself. I love myself and my trauma. It's made me who I am. Yeah, it was beautiful. Her trajectory, but I just felt like there was other stuff going on here for sure. So the main thing, though, that happens here is that all happens. She's like, I'm gonna kill Ace. But she looks at. At Kai, and she sees Kai, and she has a moment where, without saying it out loud, just doing their mental little mind speaks, she's like, no, this is Kai's kill, and I'm gonna give it to him. And she gives Kai this kill of Ace, and he says to her, go win this damn thing, Gray. And she goes and she gets that flag. And everything about this moment was Chef's kiss.

[B]

I loved this. I loved her giving the kill to him because she knew that it was really for him. And it. And he looks back at her and is like, go. And she's like, what? And he's like, go, win this damn thing, Greg.

[A]

And she's like, I will. I deserve it. And he's like, hell, yeah, you do. I'm such a supportive king. You go win this thing.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And I'm gonna kill Ace. Over here behind you. And she's capturing the flag, and he's killing Ace. And it was, like, really great.

[B]

It's incredible. Absolutely loved it.

[A]

I loved it. And what a great place to end this evening.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This is the end of our second trial. We're gonna pick up our next episode with the third trial and the. The absolute lunacy, chaotic show that is the end of this book.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It is wild. We wanted to have an adequate amount of time to discuss it because there is lots of feelings and lots of things that we need to get out.

[A]

We spent so much this book being like, we know everything that's gonna happen. This and this and this and this and this is gonna happen.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then we. We didn't. We didn't actually know. No.

[B]

Spoiler alert. We didn't.

[A]

We knew a lot, but we didn't know a lot as well. Yeah. So for sure. What a fun time, though. So fun.

[B]

So fun. Yeah. Cannot wait to pick up with part two. That will be coming out very soon. And yes, we do also have chapter chats for these over on our patreon for tier 2, if you want even more of our thoughts as we read in real time. So fun to do those. And our link to our Patreon will be in our show notes, and you should also follow us on Instagram at Flights of Fantasy podcast and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. And until next time, cheers and happy reading.

[A]

Cheers. Thanks for listening. Bye.