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- [00:00]
Christina
Want to try a free sample of berry pie? Oh yeah, I do.
- [00:04]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Wait, can something this small really throw.
- [00:06]
Christina
My body off balance?
- [00:07]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Time to consult the online experts.
- [00:10]
Anna
One bite will destroy your metabolism. Drink butter coffee instead to kill cravings. What? Is it really that bad? I had protein this morning. Right? Ugh. But it looks so good. Only eat after walking 10,000 steps. Pie is only two steps from here.
- [00:28]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Am I overthinking again?
- [00:29]
Anna
Oh, the kids would really love this. Fruit ruins insulin sensitivity. Never eat after 7pm One cheat day. Cut carbs fast for 48 hours.
- [00:42]
Christina
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- [01:00]
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- [01:56]
Christina
Welcome to Flights of Fantasy, your Romantasy podcast book club. I'm Christina, joined by my book besties, Kim and Anna, and together we're diving into the characters, theories, lore and magic behind all your favorite fantasy romance books.
- [02:17]
Anna
Hello listeners. You guys spoke and we listened. The Wolf King and the Night Prince were clearly beloved by so many of you. So Christina and I are so excited to be covering these books over the next few weeks. But before we give our official spoiler warning, Christina has some announcements.
- [02:33]
Christina
I surely do. So first of all, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has already rated and reviewed the show. It really does make a huge, huge difference for us. So please, if you have a moment, come go rate and review the show wherever you're listening. And we are sending you a big, big, big hug. Also reminder what we've got going on over on Patreon this month. Oh my gosh, so many fun things in our acotar cauldron Chat series. I am breaking down everything we know and all of the theories surrounding Moore's power of truth, including one I have recently really convinced myself of. We had so much fun with that one. Also, Anna has her recent Reads video chat coming out next week, which everyone is in our SJM series. We're covering a very pivotal scene in Queen of Shadows this month. Our Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk read along chapter chat videos are all out and our trending pages episodes covering Shield of Sparrows and Silver Elite are all out. We have got so much going on. We've got two tiers, something for everybody, ad free early access, and even the exclusive full video access of every single episode, all of our backlog. So come join all of the fun over@patreon.com Flightsof fantasy podcast. We would absolutely love, love, love to welcome you into our Patreon family.
- [03:54]
Anna
Yes.
- [03:54]
Christina
Also speaking of Patreon, let's shout out some tier 2 book batches. Today we are shouting out Brandy, Mel, and Meredith. Hi.
- [04:05]
Anna
Hi.
- [04:06]
Christina
Yay. Oh, guys, thank you so, so, so much. We're so appreciative of you. You are incredible. We love you with our whole hearts. And thank you. You are the heart of the moon, all three of you. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being you. Yes, thank you. All right, so let's do our spoiler warning. Anna.
- [04:28]
Anna
All right, listeners, time for your official spoiler warning. Now, it's no secret that we read the Wolf King and the Night Prince back to back over the summer, and there's just no way for us to genuinely talk about the Wolf King without bringing in what we know from the Night Prince.
- [04:42]
Christina
Yes.
- [04:42]
Anna
There's just no way.
- [04:44]
Christina
No.
- [04:44]
Anna
So this episode will include spoilers for both books in Lauren Powell Freeman's series. If you haven't read them yet, now's your chance to hit pause and come back later. But if you're all caught up on the Wolf King and the Night Prince, then buckle up and let's go.
- [05:01]
Christina
I'm so excited.
- [05:02]
Anna
I'm so excited.
- [05:03]
Christina
God, these books are so good.
- [05:05]
Anna
This was just such a joy. I'm, like, so excited to dive in.
- [05:07]
Christina
It was absolutely exactly what we wanted and what we needed, and it just was so much fun.
- [05:14]
Anna
All right, my fellow Night Goddesses, we have a new book, a new world and new magic. So you know what that means.
- [05:21]
Christina
World building with Adam.
- [05:24]
Anna
I'm gonna be honest, I found this world really fun to read, and I think it's because it was very tangible in how easy it was to digest yes. It wasn't overly complex. And I mean that in like a good way. Like, it was just easy breezy, but fun. I could feel the crisp air, I could see the mountains. I could hear the raindrops on the locks. I loved it.
- [05:46]
Christina
Oh, God, the locks, the locks.
- [05:48]
Anna
And it was just a delightful setting and I ate it up. But let's kick off with the general landscape. It's essentially Great Britain, everyone. So let's break this down. We have the Southlands, which is the human kingdom where Aurora is from. The hatred of the wolves, it's ingrained into this kingdom, generations of hatred. And the Southlands is essentially England on the map. Okay, then we move. Above the Southlands are the borderlands. This is a contested region of land. The humans rule for the most part, but the wolves are constantly trying to invade, gain a stronghold, and as we'll see in a little bit when we open up the story. But this is where a lot of the wolves are captured and then horrible things are done to them. The dog fights. We'll get there.
- [06:34]
Christina
Oh, yeah.
- [06:34]
Anna
But a little history fact that was new to me is that the borderlands, if the Southlands are England, the borderlands are this, like we said, contested region of land in the book in history between Scotland and England. When they were fighting, the borderlands were called the debatable lands. Like this little strip in the middle.
- [06:56]
Christina
Interesting.
- [06:57]
Anna
The borderlands, the debatable lands, it's all contested. It makes sense. So again, it's a map of Great Britain.
- [07:03]
Christina
Again, maps, real maps, fantasy maps.
- [07:06]
Anna
We love them.
- [07:06]
Christina
Overlapping.
- [07:07]
Anna
So then if we move further north above the borderlands, we have the northlands. This is where the wolf clans reside. Okay. It's rugged terrain, lots of foothills and lochs, which, if you don't know, are lakes and locks.
- [07:20]
Christina
Yes.
- [07:21]
Anna
And this is basically representative of Scotland, the Highlands. Okay, well, the further we go up, we enter the Highlands.
- [07:27]
Christina
Yes.
- [07:27]
Anna
So with that, of course, we're getting that Scottish Highlander vibe. There's, you know, England in the south, Scotland in the north. We have kilts, we've got Scottish brogues, and then we have the wolf clans. So there's two main clans we're just going to mention. Right here we have Highfell, which. Where is the one that Callum is Laird, the alpha. They don't call them lairds, they call them the alpha because it's a. It's a shifter.
- [07:48]
Christina
I was going to say. What is that?
- [07:50]
Anna
Sorry. It's.
- [07:51]
Christina
Sorry.
- [07:51]
Anna
So the Alphas, because it's a shifter book, that's what they're called. But in my Scottish, like, Highlander books that I read, the lord would be, like in England, the laird is what they would call the lord of the clan in Scotland.
- [08:06]
Christina
Yes. Here we go. This is why I need your history brain.
- [08:09]
Anna
So Callum. Callum is the alpha. And then we have Lothell, which actually is really more important in book two. But Lofel is what Blake is Alpha of. That's his clan.
- [08:19]
Christina
Yes.
- [08:20]
Anna
There's other ones, but those are the two big ones that really are important going forward right now. And then we have the King of Wolves, and that is James, who is Callum's brother. Their father was king before them, and Callum could have defeated his brother and taken the title of Wolf King, but he didn't want to kill his own brother. And honestly, from the conversations in the book, it doesn't really appear that he particularly wants to rule anyway. No, but it does leave James claim to the throne. It's not contested, but there is, I guess, in the wolf dynamic, it can seem, it can be a bit of a weakness, the fact that they didn't fight to the death, that Callum took a step aside, essentially, and was like, you have it, brother.
- [09:00]
Christina
Yes.
- [09:01]
Anna
Okay. So to round out our world building, I'm going to quickly touch upon the magic system and really just more. It's the lore that is setting us up in this book and then obviously becomes very important in book two.
- [09:13]
Christina
Yes.
- [09:14]
Anna
So here is the legend behind all of this. Basically, we have the Elder Wolf. He was the first wolf when humans invaded the Northlands. He was mortally wounded until the moon herself came down from the sky, breaking the rules of the gods and shared her dangerous power with him. And that's what. Actually, that's what turned him into a wolf. He was just a normal person. I'm guessing his last name was Elder Wolf.
- [09:35]
Christina
I was going to say, was his name Elder? And then he became a wolf and now he's remembered as Elder.
- [09:40]
Anna
Yeah, that's what I think it is.
- [09:42]
Christina
Or is he that oldest wolf, like he's their elder?
- [09:45]
Anna
Both.
- [09:46]
Christina
And he's a wolf.
- [09:47]
Anna
I feel like it's that thing with lore where names, like, change over time to fit the situation 100%.
- [09:54]
Christina
In the tellings of this by the campfires and the locks and the things they were. Like, his name was once Ben. And then through the course of time, it's just easier to tell the children, he's the Elder Wolf, the first wolf. They remember it better. It's more logical storytelling.
- [10:09]
Anna
Yes, exactly. Okay, so she fell in love with him. She gives him the Ability to change. And that's how he gained the ability to heal, to transform, to fight back. But of course, nothing is that simple. The sun, jealous of the moon and the elder wolf's bond, punished them both. The moon goddess was banished, locked in the sky by the God of night and the sun God. And the elder wolf, what his fate was, was he was. The wolf was caged inside of him and only able to break free on nights when the moon was closest, AKA the full moon. But here is also the twist. The moon's love was so strong that she tore out her own heart again lore, and cast it down to earth so that the elder wolf could always have a piece of her with him. And that relic is a Gaelic term that I'm not going to even attempt to pronounce, but it translates into the heart of the moon.
- [11:02]
Christina
Correct?
- [11:02]
Anna
Correct, correct. And legends say that whoever possesses it will gain power to shift at will. And of course, then that gives them a major. Not just that person who holds it, but essentially all wolves, if they can hold it, would be able to shift at wool rather than being beholden to the full moon.
- [11:17]
Christina
Yes. I thought this was a really fun, interesting play on the typical shifter wolf magic. On the typical lore in that it's just kind of ingrained in us at this point that werewolves need the full moon. And I think it was a fun idea by Lauren to. Okay, but what if that's actually holding us back? That's like a curse put on us. We should be able to do it all the time. Which makes them more shifters than werewolves. Like the idea that maybe they are ultimately trying to get back to what we think of as shifters. We can shift anytime we want. And right now they're kind of cursed to be werewolves. I thought it was an interesting way of keeping it understandable, keeping it not too complicated.
- [11:56]
Anna
Christina just. This is moving us into, like, our next section, which is what we love, but between the three of us, you and I love reading shifter books, but you, I feel like, are the queen of shifter is like a fun ku thing that you love to read on your side.
- [12:10]
Christina
Yes. Yeah. I went through a huge shifter phase on Ku fantasy of just, I mean, all realms, all ranges so much. And I feel like there are certain elements that she took where it makes sense, but they're like, not the ones that would need too much explanation. We're not getting into the omegas and the stuff and the, like, all of that. We're not nodding here, but we.
- [12:32]
Anna
But we'll leave Ali Hazelow to that.
- [12:34]
Christina
One But I did love what she pulled, and it made it very accessible while being fun. And, yeah, that shifter dynamic, the stuff we love about the shifter books in a Highlander Scottish setting was stunning. I loved it. It was just like, oh, we love all these things. Just Catn.
- [12:55]
Anna
Yeah, totally Catn.
- [12:56]
Christina
It was very much giving these major Outlander vibes, like, specifically season one to three, when they're really in Scotland, which little fact is actually the reason that Anna loves a man in a kilt in the first place. I think that really started that. That journey for you.
- [13:08]
Anna
That started. That sparked my journey. And then everyone's always like, oh, well, do you love Scottish Highlander books? So you must love the Outlander series. I was like, yeah, but I just need everyone to understand that my Highlander books that I read now are, like, a little bit more raunchy. Well, not that Outlander isn't raunchy, but it's not as epic. They're like 300 pages. We're warring clans and we steal the last. It is literally the setup of this book is all of my Highlander books. They're so formulaic. But that's why I loved this.
- [13:38]
Christina
Exactly.
- [13:38]
Anna
It was so comforting to read in a way.
- [13:41]
Christina
Truly. I haven't read as much Highlander romance as you. I mean, Anna, she reads Highlander romance. She went to Scotland last year. I mean, we should just call you Rory. Anna is Aurora. Did you buy Ben a kilt when you were there? I feel like you should.
- [13:52]
Anna
I should have. I should have. I tried to convince them to go to the Highland Games. Unfortunately, we were missing it by, like, a day, and it would have been really hard to get to, but I was like, damn, I really want to see some strong, brawny men in his kilt hurling, like, logs of wood. Yeah. Tree trucks. Oh, my God.
- [14:09]
Christina
Oh, one day we'll do that as a girls trip. It'll be great.
- [14:11]
Anna
Great.
- [14:11]
Christina
Just two lassies at the Highlander Games. But so back to this. So we really. We loved this classic Highlander trope, like you said. Right. Of the female main character gets stolen away by this rival clan.
- [14:21]
Anna
Yes.
- [14:22]
Christina
And, you know, we're here for that and all. But specifically, we really loved this version of it. And especially because at no point in this did Callum make us feel uncomfortable. Like, from the very beginning, he makes a very specific point to give her a choice.
- [14:38]
Anna
Yes.
- [14:38]
Christina
Choice. We're going to talk about choice a lot. Pin it for in a little bit. But that is just such an important distinction, because in this trope, in its most really Traditional form, it typically lends itself to our female leads being powerless and being treated like this pawn. And here, although, yes, she, she was technically taken and technically kind of used as a pawn throughout all of this, she's actually given more agency and more respect and she feels more empowered than she ever has before. So that dynamic kind of made the trope feel safe. We never felt uncomfy with Callum. We understood his intentions were good from the beginning. Like, it felt very empowering instead of problematic from the get go.
- [15:22]
Anna
I agree. I also just really quick, before you move on, Christina, I was speaking with another friend who read this book and she was like, I want to read more of these Highlander romances. And so. Hi, Cheryl, I'm talking about you. So I recommended her a bunch and I have always thought this, but I've never. I don't think I've ever voiced it out loud. But then she voiced it to me and I was like, oh, my God, I'm so glad you had the same thought. She was like, because she reads mafia books. Highlander books are like the introductory gateway drug to mafia because they are always. It's warring clans, like a warring mafia families. They are like, you know, kidnapping the lasses. But the men are such simps for the women. They're never actually in danger.
- [16:00]
Christina
They.
- [16:01]
Anna
And they're always like these feisty Italian women in the books, in my mafia books. But in here they're like feisty Scottish women.
- [16:07]
Christina
Yes.
- [16:08]
Anna
We were talking. She was like, this is literally like 1600s mafia books.
- [16:14]
Christina
And I was like, that is what I know.
- [16:16]
Anna
And so listeners, if you like mafia, you might want to try one of my Highlander books and feel free to like, you know, leave a comment and I will send you some.
- [16:23]
Christina
Yes.
- [16:24]
Anna
Or vice versa.
- [16:25]
Christina
What a perfect crossover. Those elements being the same just with different settings. Yes.
- [16:29]
Anna
It's a joy. It's so fun. Okay.
- [16:32]
Christina
Love, love, love that. So something else that we love, love, loved. Here was the audiobook version of Wolf King and the Night Prince. This was so fun. So if you do enjoy audiobooks, I would highly recommend this one. It just, it made the experience really fun. And throughout the course of these books, the two of us both read them and listened to them in different times in different ways, which was really fun and different for us. So we kind of like affected our experience in cool ways and enhanced it, I think.
- [17:02]
Anna
Totally.
- [17:03]
Christina
Especially the accents. They really helped paint the picture here. And I mean, let's be real. A sexy Scottish man saying like, last, like, and I. And like, bonnie last. Yeah. But like, you look Bonnie. Yeah, all these things a Scottish sexy man saying them in my ear is way more effective at painting the picture than me reading on page because like.
- [17:25]
Anna
Which you're going to encounter in a minute when Chrissy and I read these scenes. And we were not even going to attempt. Yes, I did Brigadoon in high school, but I'm not going to attempt to redo my Scottish accent.
- [17:36]
Christina
This is a Brigadoon. Okay, I'm not prepared.
- [17:39]
Anna
Not prepared.
- [17:40]
Christina
Oh, God.
- [17:41]
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- [18:35]
Anna
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- [19:05]
Christina
Okay. But yeah, I just, I love that. The accents, the voice actors did an amazing job.
- [19:11]
Anna
Blake's voice.
- [19:12]
Christina
Okay, so let's talk about Blake's voice for a second. So, interesting note, in book one, in Wolf King, Blake does not have his own narrator.
- [19:22]
Anna
Nope.
- [19:22]
Christina
The character of Blake is voiced by our female narrator, who is Zara Hampton Brown. And Zara does an amazing job. However, in book two, when we get an actual voice actor cast as Blake, and then we have her cast and then we have Callum as well. We have the three voice actors together. That's when the audiobook really, absolutely soared for me. I mean, I was actually really frustrated that Blake didn't have his own voice actor cast in that role for book one.
- [19:54]
Anna
And I had no idea because I didn't listen to book one until, oh, Right. I listened to book two. I read book one, listened to part of book two, and then it wasn't until I was doing the outline that I went back and downloaded book one to listen to kind of remind myself. And I was like, where is Blake?
- [20:11]
Christina
Why is she voicing him? But you know what? When we were going through this outline, Anna and I, we realized that even in the moment, that felt frustrating and annoyed that he didn't have his own voice actor. Now, thinking about it and putting our podcast hat on, we really do think that was on purpose, because I think that would have a trillion percent given away the fact that Blake is important and a possible love interest.
- [20:36]
Anna
Yeah, I think it would have hinted at something before she wanted it to be known.
- [20:41]
Christina
Exactly. I would have 100% started clocking things earlier, I think, if he had his own casting. So I do wonder if that was a little bit on purpose. But, yeah, just so many things we loved in this book. I love the romance, the tropes here. This is such a perfect example of enemies to lovers. We get some forced proximity. I just. I loved the characters, I loved the romance, I love the setting. We'll go through different pieces and moments and plot moments and devices as we go, but just overall, absolutely loved what she did here and the world that she brought us into.
- [21:15]
Anna
Yes. So let's dive into the story. And this book opens with a bang. Lauren is really painting us a vivid scene here. We're at what the humans call a dog fight, which is so dehumanizing, it's essentially captured wolves who are forced to fight gladiator style. It's brutal, it's dirty. And Aurora, our princess, our leading lady, hates it. She's forced to watch beside her father, the king, and now also her betrothed, Sebastian, who is. He is literally the worst. Guys, we're going to get there. But he is disgusting. But he is the lord of the Borderlands, which, remember, is the contested area of land between the humans and the wolves.
- [21:54]
Christina
Debated lands, history lesson.
- [21:55]
Anna
Yep. So she suffers through the first few battles, and then a young boy is brought out to fight. And we later learn, of course, that that's Ryan. He's. I can't remember if he's 16 or 18. I think he's 18.
- [22:06]
Christina
I think he's 18.
- [22:07]
Anna
He's young, but he's young.
- [22:08]
Christina
Yes.
- [22:09]
Anna
And also who comes out to fight him is this big, brawny man. Wolf man.
- [22:16]
Christina
This alpha man. He's such a man. He's such a man.
- [22:19]
Anna
And I love this quote. It says the larger Male is the epitome of the wild and rugged mountains where he must have come from. He is tall with a strong jawline, and his muscular body looks like it's carved from rock. I was like, oh, yes. Like, as soon as that was said, I was like, well, hello, love interest.
- [22:35]
Christina
Hundred percent. Hello. Nice to meet you, sir.
- [22:38]
Anna
Hello, nice to meet you.
- [22:39]
Christina
Yes, how do you do? Wild and rugged like the mountains. Nice to meet you. I assume, be our love interest. And I'm excited.
- [22:45]
Anna
I'm very excited. So Aurora becomes very distraught because she's. First of all, she stares down who we later know is obviously Callum, but she stares down this alpha male, and it's known that he is the alpha and he's making Ryan submit in that moment. He's using his, like, Alpha power, energy, whatever. And Ryan is submitting, and she becomes really nervous and distraught because she doesn't want the boy to die. I don't think Callum would have killed him.
- [23:09]
Christina
Well, he says later he was clocking her and knew that he needed to get a rise out of Rory to save Ryan.
- [23:15]
Anna
Yes.
- [23:16]
Christina
So I think that was his, like. Yeah, that was his plan.
- [23:18]
Anna
That was his plan.
- [23:19]
Christina
He was never going to actually hurt him. And I think he dislocates his arm instead of breaking his arm because he can pop it back in. He's, like, strategic about it.
- [23:25]
Anna
He's very strategic.
- [23:26]
Christina
But I do wonder what the ultimate plan was, because later Callum was like, I knew you would save him because I saw that you had the hatred in your eyes. But also, that's a risky little game. What were you going to do if you didn't see Rory killing Ryan? We all just gotta, like, battle. Battle it out here. You're in a stadium of people, like, battle our way out to the door.
- [23:47]
Anna
Yeah, but he doesn't have the rest of his wolves.
- [23:49]
Christina
Yeah, they're all.
- [23:50]
Anna
They're all in the kennels, which is also another awful name.
- [23:53]
Christina
Okay, okay.
- [23:54]
Anna
So Aurora, like I said, is very distraught about this, and she basically stops the battle, like, yells and screams and stands up. She makes a scene, and it's embarrassing to her father and to Sebastian.
- [24:04]
Christina
Oh, these silly women with their emotions. They can't handle these things.
- [24:08]
Anna
He literally makes a joke like that. And then he turns to her and he says this. And as if I didn't already, like, clock him as the bad guy. This is so disgusting. He turns to her and he says, you know, if you have a fondness for these creatures and wish to be taken like a common mutt, that can be arranged Tomorrow night after the ceremony. Who knows? Perhaps I will throw you into the kennels afterward. Perhaps I will even let this alpha have a go with you, seeing as you denied him his kill.
- [24:34]
Christina
Wow. Okay. Villain energy. We're not morally gray. We're just evil.
- [24:38]
Anna
We're just evil. And this is twofold. We're setting Sebastian up as a bad guy, but it also gives Aurora this scary image that these wolves are animals and that they'll take her like a common mutt.
- [24:50]
Christina
And she later sees that in the kennel.
- [24:52]
Anna
Exactly.
- [24:53]
Christina
Yeah.
- [24:54]
Anna
So anyways, Callum and Ryan are taken to the kennels, and Aurora basically sneaks out later and she disguises herself as a lady of the night.
- [25:04]
Christina
Oh, my God. Which is hilarious. This girl who is like, oh, my goodness, Thou shalt not kiss my cheek in public, that is little too fasa. Is like, I'm just gonna go pretend to be a prostitute. Pretend to be a prostitute girl. It's just. It's hilarious.
- [25:18]
Anna
It's hilarious.
- [25:19]
Christina
I love this, though. And, you know, she's gotta do what she's gotta do. This is her feistiness coming out.
- [25:23]
Anna
Yeah, exactly. And so she, you know, she gets there, and this is where we actually get to see Callum. And he's gruff and he's sweaty, and he doesn't have a shirt on.
- [25:33]
Christina
And he's like, you know, car from rock mountains.
- [25:36]
Anna
And she's trying to use her, like, you know, healing skills that she's learned over the years from, like, tending to her mother. And she's trying to heal Ryan and tend to his wound. And. And meanwhile, Callum's like, just give me the boy. Like, let me. Let me just.
- [25:50]
Christina
God damn it, just give me.
- [25:52]
Anna
And she's like, no, don't touch him. Don't hurt him. And he's like. He's like, lass, I'm not gonna hurt the boy. Like, he's a member of my clan.
- [25:57]
Christina
And he's like, just let me pop his arm back into place. This is all way more strategic than, you know. Just, please, you are interrupting our plan. I love that he has this whole plan in place the whole time, too. Like, she's like, oh, well, what will you do? You're in so much trouble. And he's like, that's cute. That's on purpose. Yeah.
- [26:14]
Anna
And, yeah, it's cute that you think I was captured by accident. All of this was by design. Yeah.
- [26:19]
Christina
Mastermind.
- [26:20]
Anna
Mastermind. So anyways, so she's there, she's tending to Ryan, and then a real lady of the night appears.
- [26:27]
Christina
Yes.
- [26:27]
Anna
And she Color Aurora shocked by the behavior I was.
- [26:33]
Christina
She almost has a panic attack. Yes.
- [26:34]
Anna
And also, this is like, chapter two of the book, and this woman is going down. Also, it's Magnus, who is a disgusting human. We'll get to a lot of him in book two, but he is awful. And this lady of the night is on her knees, and then it's doggy style. And. And the way Aurora cannot even function. And Callum was like, eyes here. Look at me. Ignore them. Eyes on me. And she's shaking. Her whole body's, like, blushing. And then she realizes. She realizes. Yeah, but this is important because she realizes that that doggy style that's happening right now is, like, what Sebastian was hinting at. And she's like, that's what's gonna happen to me. And she gets really scared. And Callum turns to her and he says, he won't touch you, meaning Sebastian. And she's like, but he's to be my husband. Like, I don't have a choice in this. And he's like, no, he isn't.
- [27:31]
Christina
Oh, it's so good. It's so.
- [27:33]
Anna
And you're like, what does that mean, Kahlo?
- [27:35]
Christina
Immediately, I was like, I'm in. I am in. I was. I was like, I'm. I. Like, this. This is fun. But that. This interaction of. He won't touch you. He's. To my husband. No, he isn't.
- [27:45]
Anna
No.
- [27:45]
Christina
Okay, sir.
- [27:47]
Anna
Also, then Aurora being like, all right, well, like, I know that's. That's cute that you say that, but, like, you're. You're trapped here. I don't know what you think you're going to do.
- [27:56]
Christina
So, like, that's delusional, because you're in a kennel. So I, like, don't know what you think that's going to happen here, sir. And then he's like, that's cute. I'm here on purpose. Yeah, I. This whole thing with the lady of the night really served a few purposes. One, it got this sweetness of Callum coming out. It really showed that juxtaposition there of him being, like, nice guy, not scary compared to Magnus in that moment. Also showed us how naive she really is, how little she actually knows, and, like, where she is on that spectrum.
- [28:27]
Anna
On that spectrum. And pin this moment for later when we get to the sexy forest scene.
- [28:33]
Christina
Yes, it's important. And then also, I think, showed us that Lauren is not afraid to go there. Like, it showed us also the range of spectrum of, like, okay, we're gonna get some steam, because if she's using Even these terms and this stuff. And, like, showing it to us this early, like, we can feel assured that it is. It. It will. It's coming later.
- [28:56]
Anna
Yeah, totally.
- [28:57]
Christina
Yeah.
- [28:57]
Anna
Okay, so we're going to quickly just kind of move on from here. But there is the great escape. Callum follows through. He breaks free of the kennels with Ryan and Magnus and other people. And of course, he goes to Rory. He collects her, and, well, he. He. He's kind of like, do you want to come with me? And she's like, no, I really don't know. And he's like, do you want to marry Sebastian? She's like, nope, I don't want to do that. So, yeah, let's go.
- [29:17]
Christina
Yeah.
- [29:18]
Anna
She's like a very willing captive, 100%.
- [29:23]
Christina
And he does. He gives her a choice. He's like, after they've escaped and she's hit the guy over the head with the skillet. Like, the girl entangled. Yes. He looks at her and he's like, okay, you can run right now, and I won't follow you.
- [29:36]
Anna
Yeah, you served your purpose. I just needed you to get out of the castle.
- [29:39]
Christina
Yes. Or you can come with me, and I promise you that no one will touch you. And she's like, well, I'm gonna choose you, sir. That's what I'm gonna choose. Which was the right choice.
- [29:50]
Anna
And there's a moment here before we move on to discussing Aurora, when they are leaving, and he gives her that choice. She says, I'll come with you. And he grabs her to put her on the horse, and it's in that moment that it goes. A look of confusion crossed his face, and I clocked that so fast. I was like, well, that's a mating.
- [30:08]
Christina
Bond, 1 trillion percent. The way I was like, mates, mates, mates. You're spelling it out for us, Lord.
- [30:14]
Anna
He's confused.
- [30:15]
Christina
And the way we were wrong.
- [30:16]
Anna
The way we were wrong.
- [30:18]
Christina
Now, the boy was probably just confused. Callum gets confused. He's just probably confused, you know? He's like, huh? Oh, well, do I put her in front or behind? Or, like, what's the protocol? Like, what do I. Yeah, yeah. Do women wear these dresses? This is very Bonnie of her. I don't know. I don't know, but. Oh, my gosh. Okay. Yeah. So moving on, let's talk about Aurora for a minute. What a great female main character. I really enjoyed her. She's very smart. She's very brave and feisty, while also being very soft. And, yes, she is a little naive at times. And we will get there but overall, I just, I really, I loved the layers we got from her. She felt to me like a real princess. Yeah, she wasn't entitled, but her struggles made sense. Like her, the way her brain operated was logical to me and from her upbringing. And there's this quote she says, quote, I wonder if my body, this vessel that I trap my soul within, is slowly turning to stone. A statue for men like Sebastian to look at that has no purpose, no desire, no feeling. And this really just sets the scene of where she has been her whole life, what she feels like. Her purpose is this wildness in her that is so pushed down, so tamped down that she is made of stone. Sight of it. And this is just recurring theme for Aurora. And we'll even begin to see her have this like recurring nightmare where she is the statue and people are looking at her and she can't speak and no one pays her any attention. It's like she's not even there. It's really, really cool. And the statue is obviously, you know, this metaphor for her being trapped, like she says in the quote. But it's just, I think really well done. At some point we see her in a dream with Blake, break the stone. I just, I love the stone, the use of the statue, I really love it.
- [32:10]
Anna
I feel like it's a strong visual too, as a reader to understand. And like you said, it's a great follow through when we get to the nightmares and her being stone, her nightmares are always people staring at her and talking about her, but her never being able to react because she's stone. And then Blake appearing in her dreams later and saying, I wonder when you'll start to fight back.
- [32:34]
Christina
Yes.
- [32:35]
Anna
And it's this. It's a really good metaphor for how she feels.
- [32:41]
Christina
Yes, I totally agree. For how she feels for where she is at the start of the book. So when we get to End of Night Prince, I want to come back to this and see like this is, this is where we started with her. And we're at the beginning of the arc and then at the end of Night, Prince will be at the middle.
- [32:57]
Anna
We started at the bottom, now we're at the top.
- [32:59]
Christina
Exactly. Exactly.
- [33:00]
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- [33:56]
Anna
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- [34:25]
Christina
Wow. Do we have so far to go, but okay. Another thing we loved about Aurora as a character is seeing her wield her clothing as a weapon and as an armor at the same time. Her dresses are like her battle gear here, and multiple times throughout the book, we see her nervous about the state of her dress and her hair. And that's not about vanity in these moments so much as it's her way to steel herself against whatever's going to be thrown at her. This is the one weapon that she's been able to wield up until now is her clothing, is her appearance, is how she can position herself within this court, within this world. And one of my favorite examples of this is when she's about to go meet James, AKA the Wolf King for the first time, and she's deciding between this very innocent, demure, pretty white dress and a very striking, badass, powerful black dress. And she asked Callum, like, which dress would your king prefer? And he's like looking out the window, distracted, literally. He's like, what? What? And she's like, which dress? And he barely looks at her and he's like, ah, they're both great. You'll look beautiful no matter what. Like, it'll be great. Like sweetie. And she literally says, that's not the point. Oh God, never mind, you're truly useless. So then she goes to Blake's room and she's wearing the whites to be her dress. She's chosen that one. And she thinks that I wore a dress similar to this when I was presented to Sebast. Did it make me feel like I was weak and upon? Yes. But it's ultimately what that future king wanted. It's what I needed to use and wield in that moment.
- [36:09]
Anna
Like you said, to her point, she uses it as an armor. She uses it as armor. And she knows that presenting herself as a weak pawn to Sebastian would help her in the long run.
- [36:17]
Christina
Yes, she has to play the part, and that's how she's playing the part. But as Blake reminds us, that was playing the part with men, not with wolves. And so she goes to Blake's room and. And he looks at her and he says, you're not planning on meeting the Wolf King dressed like that, are you? It's so good. And she's like, what's wrong with my dress?
- [36:36]
Anna
What every woman wants to hear.
- [36:38]
Christina
It's. Yeah. Like, oh, my God. And then she's like, what do you mean, what's wrong with my dress? And he says, you look like a pretty doll. And then she thinks. And he's saying that like it's a bad thing, which is different than what she's always been told. But then he says to her, do you want to face the Wolf King as a queen or a doll? It's so good. And that's the first time he's like, someone's pushed this. Someone's told her there's another game to play. There is another reversal, there's another option. And he tells her then that James likes his women bold. And so then she's like, oh, shit, I gotta change into the black dress.
- [37:14]
Anna
Yeah.
- [37:14]
Christina
I love this moment because it really showed us specifically how she wields clothing and how she can maybe change that game, how it can also be empowering to her now. But this is also, to me, the first moment that I really clocked the potential for a love triangle. This specific juxtaposition and how it was written. Because Callum, in this moment feels extra, kind of like brute ish. In this moment, Callum being like, ah, whatever, you'll look beautiful.
- [37:38]
Anna
It's fine. It doesn't matter.
- [37:39]
Christina
You'll look beautiful. And then her immediately going to Blake and Blake saying, no, do you want to face the Wolf King as a queen or a doll? Pushing her, empowering her, showing her that he is also calculating. He's also playing the game. Something about this. I was like, oh, Lauren.
- [37:54]
Anna
Yeah. Which I feel like also really shows where both of them grew up.
- [37:59]
Christina
Yes.
- [37:59]
Anna
Because I think, you know, Blake grew up in the Southlands just like Aurora did. We'll find out. Right. Very different upbringing, but still grew up there. And I think both of them understand the games of men and how to play the game in a Courtly way.
- [38:15]
Christina
Yes.
- [38:16]
Anna
And granted, they are in Wolf Kingdom, and she said she makes the mistakes. She's playing the game. She made the wrong choice in dress. And it's Blake, though, who knows what she's trying to do. And he's like, that's the wrong choice. You're gonna want to wear the black dress.
- [38:28]
Christina
Yeah.
- [38:28]
Anna
Callum, on the other hand, goes back to the fact that he didn't want to be king. He doesn't understand how to play these games. He doesn't want to. That's not a bad thing.
- [38:36]
Christina
Yes.
- [38:37]
Anna
That's just not what he's about.
- [38:38]
Christina
I totally agree. And one, he doesn't want to, but also, he's never had to. He's never had to. He's never been in a situation where he had to.
- [38:47]
Anna
Very good point, Christina.
- [38:48]
Christina
Where Blake has and Aurora has.
- [38:50]
Anna
Yes.
- [38:51]
Christina
Yeah, yeah. Anyway, okay, so back to Aurora. I love seeing her slowly become more empowered as this book goes on. Seeing her, like, own her own story and her future. And she says this at the very end of the book to James, quote, I will not be a pawn in another game between men. And I love seeing that again. Arc that where we're going started from the bottom, now we're here. And it just takes us back to this realistic princess. She's always had to play this part, and everything she does is about survival. And her entire life has been dedicated to fulfilling her duty and about being what everyone told her to be and just like, honestly, tending to the egos of men.
- [39:23]
Anna
Yes.
- [39:23]
Christina
But then again, we get this from Blake later. Quote, why be a pawn when you could be a queen? And then goes on to say, because the most powerful piece on the chessboard is the queen. Oh, God. It's good.
- [39:36]
Anna
I love it.
- [39:36]
Christina
It's good.
- [39:37]
Anna
It's moments like this where I was like, I like Callum. But Blake.
- [39:42]
Christina
But Blake, though.
- [39:43]
Anna
But Blake.
- [39:44]
Christina
But what? But what are we doing? Because I'm confused.
- [39:47]
Anna
I'm confused on my feelings.
- [39:48]
Christina
How am I supposed to feel right now?
- [39:50]
Anna
Yes.
- [39:50]
Christina
Okay. Another big part of her character is this reoccurring theme of choice. We have talked about it. We will continue to talk about it here. But from the beginning, the choice to against her fiance and her father to help Ryan, the choice to leave the human lands, the choice in wearing the collar, which is the whole thing. The choice in how Aurora presents herself to the wolves. And finally, at the end of the book, the choice on whether to take Sebastian's life. And I just love this quote from her mother. Quote, they will make you feel as if you have no choice. But there is always a choice. Have courage, little one. Oh, God.
- [40:22]
Anna
That. Have courage, little one. I know. I love that one.
- [40:26]
Christina
Okay. But then also kind of full circle here with her empowerment. She says to Callum, quote, there's always a choice. It may not be an easy choice, but it is a choice nonetheless.
- [40:35]
Anna
And it's so true.
- [40:37]
Christina
It's true, it's true. And it's this again, she is brave while also being soft. And we see her be feisty and she's in a safe place to be feisty, and it's just so fun.
- [40:46]
Anna
And I think this theme of choice throughout the book, it goes back to, like, also her feeling like a statue. And that's why choice is so important to her. And when it's taken away from her, it becomes a big deal.
- [40:56]
Christina
Yes.
- [40:56]
Anna
She doesn't like to have her choice taken away when she's finally just all of a sudden feeling like she has autonomy over herself.
- [41:02]
Christina
Exactly. And that's huge to remember. When we get to the callers, when we get to a lot of things in book two.
- [41:07]
Anna
Book two, yeah.
- [41:07]
Christina
Also, we want to note the story scars she has on her back from being whipped by the high priest as a child. My God, this poor girl.
- [41:13]
Anna
Awful.
- [41:14]
Christina
It's really horrible. And Blake also has the same ones. We do find this out from Blake because he tells Callum, it's an old Southlands tradition, if they suspect you have wolf genes, they try to beat the wolf into submission. That's awful. It's really horrible. And. But in that moment, too, we're really, really hammering in here one of many times that girl, you. You are a wolf girl. You are a wolf.
- [41:37]
Anna
You are a wolf girl.
- [41:39]
Christina
I need you to wake up. I need you to think about this.
- [41:43]
Anna
The head in the sand are a wolf. Yeah.
- [41:45]
Christina
Yeah.
- [41:45]
Anna
I feel like it's just Blake who's, like, immediately clocks. Ah, she's probably a wolf with no question. I'm not gonna tell anybody.
- [41:51]
Christina
And I do think that's because he's also a half wolf and she's half wolf. So, like, I get it. But he truly. He's the only one that's like, I am pushing you to your full potential and I'm the only one clocking that you could be a wolf because you are a wolf. This is not really a spoiler for the Kindred's Curse series, but it was really giving dm. We're like, girlfriend, I need you to look alive.
- [42:09]
Anna
I need you to look alive.
- [42:10]
Christina
Read the room. Look at the facts.
- [42:11]
Anna
They're laid out in front of you. I mean, literally from the beginning, Rora's like, well, I was a sickly child. I was a sickly child. And I had bad blood, they said. And I'm like, okay, bad blood in the southlands. What else could that mean? Then you had wolf jeans.
- [42:27]
Christina
I mean, that coupled with her being like, oh, the full moon is coming. Something wild and restless is inside me. I feel alive, but it must just be everyone else's excitement around me in the castle, like, no.
- [42:39]
Anna
And then she's like, I heal quickly. And I'm like, do you?
- [42:42]
Christina
Oh, do you? Do you?
- [42:45]
Anna
Whatever could that be about, ma'?
- [42:48]
Christina
Am? Context clues. Okay. Yes. And, like, the first full moon. And you know the quotes here. The air is hot, claustrophobic. I need to get out of here. I need to feel the wind and taste the mountains. I. I can't. I need the freshness of the rain to touch my face. And I need to see the infinite sky, even if it is not my goddess that lights it tonight. Something inside me screams, fight, fight, fight.
- [43:09]
Anna
Because her wolf wants to be released.
- [43:12]
Christina
I mean, like, we're not. I think she's trying to be subtle here. She's like, oh, no, no. We're wolf. We're wolf. We're wolf.
- [43:16]
Anna
We're wolf.
- [43:17]
Christina
But you equals wolf.
- [43:18]
Anna
Yes.
- [43:18]
Christina
Oh, my God. Okay.
- [43:20]
Anna
All right, so let's move on to Callum. I mean, we were all in from the beginning immediately. Yes. He reminds me so much of the Scottish lairs I've seen in my Highland romances. He's big, gruff, thick Scottish brogue, but he's like a gentle giant. He's so sweet with Aurora.
- [43:35]
Christina
I loved him from the beginning. I really did. I loved him.
- [43:38]
Anna
I did, too.
- [43:39]
Christina
It's what she needs. It's what she needs. I mean, she needs both of them in different ways. But I really loved Callum and her's interaction. I loved them.
- [43:47]
Anna
I was all in.
- [43:48]
Christina
I still do. Yeah, in a way.
- [43:50]
Anna
So I do want to chat about a couple quotes that I feel like really kind of help set up Callum's character that we're going to see, especially as we move into book two. But one in particular is something that Blake says to him. And what Blake says is, quote, you're not a kidnapper, Callum. You're a savior. Perhaps you told yourself that you brought her here for the heart of the moon, but we both know the truth. You saw a woman needed to saving, and you wanted to be the one to do so.
- [44:16]
Christina
I mean, where's the lie?
- [44:18]
Anna
Yeah. This is Very interesting, because Blake says this to him and at first read, it sounds. It's like a compliment in a way, like, you know, you didn't bring her here as a bargaining chip. You saw a woman who needed saving, but at the same time, when you reread it, it's not a dig, but I think it's almost like a hard truth that Callum needs to face in a way that he always wants to be the white knight.
- [44:38]
Christina
Yes.
- [44:38]
Anna
And he's like, you're not. You're just playing her white knight. You saw a woman, you thought she needed saving and you just did it. But you haven't stopped to think, like, what can I do in the long run to make this better and to.
- [44:51]
Christina
Play the game and to allow her to be something besides, you know, just.
- [44:54]
Anna
Being a damsel in distress.
- [44:56]
Christina
Exactly.
- [44:57]
Anna
And she doesn't want to be that. She claims she's not that. She says, I'm not a damsel and I'm not in distress as. As Meg says in. In Hercules.
- [45:05]
Christina
I love that.
- [45:07]
Anna
But I do love this. I feel like Blake has clocked Callum in that way.
- [45:10]
Christina
It was interesting that Lauren put it in here for the reader, too, because you're right, it does twofold. It makes you understand that, one, they have a history. Blake and Callum. Yeah. And two, that maybe this is a pattern for Callum, even if it's a good pattern of rescuing a woman who needs saving. It's just like, where it's already laying, that groundwork of, does he do this a lot or is this. Is this what he likes in her or liked in her? Was attracted to? You know, like, that's.
- [45:37]
Anna
Yeah. That he wants to be the caretaker. He wants to feel needed in that.
- [45:41]
Christina
Way which, like, in some dynamics, works.
- [45:43]
Anna
That does. Yeah. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because I don't feel like he puts her under his thumb.
- [45:48]
Christina
No.
- [45:48]
Anna
I don't feel like he makes her feel small.
- [45:50]
Christina
No.
- [45:51]
Anna
But I think there is a big part of him, and maybe it's because of his mother and the way his father treated his mother, and he couldn't be his mother's savior that, like, it could be that type of complex. Let's go to therapy. We can talk it out 100%. And because you also have Blake, who we find out in book two, saves his half sister, Elsie. So, you know, there are aspects of them both saving those that they love. I just think that it's done in different ways, so. And I'm excited to talk about that when we get to that in book two.
- [46:19]
Christina
But Agreed. Agreed.
- [46:21]
Anna
We also have this quote where Callum is being very vulnerable. I do love this about Callum. He is vulnerable. He is open with Aurora and he shares this. He says, my father was a difficult male. He was the Alpha of Haifa before me, and he believed that leadership was all about dominance and bending others to your will. If you're not a wolf, you're a sheep. He would say he did not treat his people well, nor did he treat my mother well. And I feel like this is a huge part of Callum's intrinsic drive. It comes from his awareness of how toxic his father was and he does not want to become him. And I think there can be a part that can overcorrect, because then he says this, and this is Callum saying this. He goes, but when does protectiveness become possessiveness? And that is incredibly self aware.
- [47:13]
Christina
Absolutely. It's so self aware. And it's really one of the pieces here that makes you fall in love with him.
- [47:18]
Anna
He's communicating. He's sharing about his past family trauma. He's explaining, this is why I am the way that I am, which is huge.
- [47:25]
Christina
No man has ever shared with her anything. No man has ever been. Like, I'm vulnerable in any sort of way.
- [47:30]
Anna
And this is. Take me as I am. Sorry, guys. This is a musical episode.
- [47:35]
Christina
I was meant to be.
- [47:37]
Anna
And, like, I feel like he really is. He's presenting himself, I feel like, under no uncertain terms does Callum ever hide who he is. And it's one of the reasons why, when he does get a little protective in book two, especially even in those moments that he takes a step back and he's like, I'm sorry. Like, this is just. This is hard for me. That is his nature. And I really do think it stems from, as a boy, watching his father abuse his mother. And he just feels this need to protect and cherish. He even uses that. He uses that word a lot in book two, Cherish those he loves. He doesn't ever want her to fear Aurora, to fear him.
- [48:15]
Christina
Hi, guys.
- [48:16]
Anna
Here's my morning routine. First, I drink olive oil. Like, a lot of it. Yep, that's good. Then I stare at a red light. It's the kind that helps your cells positively glow.
- [48:29]
Christina
Oh, wow. Wow.
- [48:31]
Anna
Really bright. Okay, next I take an ice bath. That's how you melt your fat and fix your. I don't know, other stuff.
- [48:40]
Christina
Ooh.
- [48:41]
Anna
Yep, feeling super healthy. Can't fit my toes. Breakfast is raw liver. Unless I'm fasting for 36 hours. Cause that resets your whole, like, everything. Okay, here we Go real good.
- [48:57]
Christina
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- [49:14]
Anna
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- [49:16]
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- [50:10]
Christina
Yes. Honestly, the upbringing he had, this is the best case scenario, Truly.
- [50:14]
Anna
Anyways, one last thing I want to clock about Callum before I move on to Blake is this really interesting moment after the full moon where Callum and Aurora are kissing for the first time and he abruptly stops and he pulls back and it's getting hot and heavy and he seems shaken and he can't finish a sentence. He's like, I don't finish feel. I can't. He can't get the words out. And I think it's supposed to confuse readers. At least it confused me the first time because I was like, oh, he's feeling the mating bond. It's his wolf. He's recognizing his mate 1 trillion percent.
- [50:43]
Christina
Like, no doubt in my mind. That was the best.
- [50:45]
Anna
I was like, oh, mates.
- [50:46]
Christina
Yeah.
- [50:46]
Anna
But then I read obviously, Book two, and we're like, oh, wrong. So on my reread, I was like, wait a second. This is after the full moon. This is after Aurora has been around shifters and she's really feeling this, like, in her. She's feeling this fight, fight, fight. Remember, like the quote that you read. And as we also know, she is the heart of the moon. And I wonder if in this moment, this passion so close to the high moon, because he says the wolf is still very much alive in him because the night just happened. I wonder if it's her innate heart of the moon goddess power pulling at his wolf. Yeah, and he is even mistaking it as a mating ball. Because I really think that. I think Callum, in his mind, heart, wants to be her mate so badly.
- [51:29]
Christina
Oh, of course. I think he really wants it.
- [51:31]
Anna
And I think it confuses us, the reader. But when you read it back, I'm like, oh, my God, that is her goddess power pulling at his wolf.
- [51:40]
Christina
That's exactly what it is. And every time he says he's confused, that's probably why we were thinking, oh, confused. I E, duh, you're mates. No, confused, because he's like, I've never felt this before, this strange pull to my wolf. Which then he's also clocking his mates. Turns out we're all wrong. It's because she's the heart of the moon and the wolf is trying to be polite.
- [51:58]
Anna
It's because he doesn't have. He doesn't need. If you have the heart of the moon, you don't need the moon to shift. And he's probably like. He keeps saying, like, my wolf is so at my surface, I can't control him. And it's in these big, passionate moments in book two where she has a hard time controlling her wolf. So I can only imagine in these heightened emotional states that he is like, wow, why is this so hard for me? I'm normally not like this.
- [52:19]
Christina
What? I've never felt this before. What is this feeling? Something new.
- [52:24]
Anna
Anyways, okay, so that was really fun. Also, there's a couple Acotar and Tog comparisons that we are gonna save for the end of part two of the Wolf King for next week. For next week's episode. So I just clock those and we'll come back to them later.
- [52:38]
Christina
Yes. If you're wondering, why have they not discussed that? Because believe me, that is a big topic in our DMs.
- [52:44]
Anna
Yes. So we will save that, though, for the end of part two of the Wolf King episode.
- [52:48]
Christina
We promise. It's coming. Exactly. Okay, so let's talk Blake for a minute. What a fun character that I didn't know I needed in this book. Before Blake was introduced, I was having a good time, and then Blake got introduced and I was like, wow, this makes sense. This is so much more layered. I'm so into it. He's like our dark, broody shadow daddy.
- [53:07]
Anna
Love it.
- [53:07]
Christina
He doesn't really have shadows, but I feel like he should.
- [53:11]
Anna
I mean, night.
- [53:12]
Christina
Yeah, Night.
- [53:13]
Anna
Dark.
- [53:13]
Christina
It's dark. Shadows. It's dark. Yeah. Anna, what was your first impression of Blake?
- [53:17]
Anna
Oh, I was very confused because Callum is the embodiment, like I said, of all My Highlander men. And this. This was very much a Highlander romance to me. But Blake is all of my fantasy men.
- [53:27]
Christina
Right?
- [53:28]
Anna
I literally, at one point, I was like, is this gonna be who I choose? I was like, I do not hate this at all. If it is going to be at.
- [53:36]
Christina
Some point, I text Ed and I was like, field trip to Bristlebrook. Let's go, let's go.
- [53:42]
Anna
You know, I love it.
- [53:44]
Christina
But I was all.
- [53:45]
Anna
I was very confused because I do really. I really do enjoy Callum. And I don't. I don't think he is going to be evil, but Blake is very morally gray, so he's just.
- [53:56]
Christina
It's so fun to see him be so cunning and calculated and ahead of everyone, just like, all the time.
- [54:02]
Anna
He's playing chess.
- [54:04]
Christina
Yes.
- [54:04]
Anna
Everybody else is an idiot playing checkers. And he's playing chess.
- [54:08]
Christina
Absolutely, he's playing chess. Everyone else is playing Go Fish.
- [54:11]
Anna
They're not even on the board.
- [54:13]
Christina
No, there's no board games. It's cards. Oh. I just love him so much and I think he's just such a cool character. And, yeah, he's sexy and he's sad and he's sweet and it's so good. I promise we're going to explore his character very deeply in Night Prince. Like, that's where that's going to really come into play. But right now we just want to note how much of an enigma he is in book one. He really is like, we are like, what do we do? How do we feel? How are we proceeding vis a vis Blake? Okay, so a really fun moment with him, though, that we just want to talk about really quick is this caller scene. But first, let's talk about callers in general. This was a really interesting tool to put in the story. I thought it was really creative storytelling, this collar. So it's important to note that Callum and Blake both feel like these are archaic. But essentially, wearing the collar signifies that a female is taken. They compare it to a wedding ring. It's very much like, she is mine. And overall, the whole point here is just to afford protection to Aurora, because let's not forget, she is the daughter of the human king and engaged to this horrible man who puts them all in fighting rings and kennels and skins.
- [55:24]
Anna
Wolves and wears fur coats between her father and Sebastian. Her father and Sebastian are responsible for countless deaths of wolves.
- [55:31]
Christina
Yes, yes.
- [55:32]
Anna
Awful.
- [55:32]
Christina
She could not be in the more dangerous situation. And he's like, just wear this necklace and you'll be safe. And you can walk around and have Your freedom. And she's like, I absolutely would never. It's demeaning. I would sit here in my room and not leave and read these books. Books about medical experiments and have you bring me breakfast. Bye. Bye. Now granted again. We gotta give her grace because of what we talked about a few minutes ago.
- [55:53]
Anna
She wants autonomy.
- [55:54]
Christina
She wants autonomy. But I did grow weary. I was like, just wear the damn collar.
- [55:58]
Anna
So put the damn collar on.
- [56:01]
Christina
Yeah, so she does. Eventually, thankfully. But then. So Callum leaves, but she should be fine because she had the collar on. No, she takes it off, puts it onto a bedside table, and then Isla. Oh, my God, this bitch. Then Isla steals it. Steals the collar, like, pretty much making her vulnerable. Yeah, Right? And then Magnus. Oh, God. Reason number 12 trillion. We hate him. He's disgusting. He tries to sexually assault Aurora because she is not protected. She doesn't have the collar on. She's fair game. But don't worry, she doesn't need the collar. She has a shadow daddy. Even though it doesn't have shadows. She has a night daddy.
- [56:36]
Anna
Yeah.
- [56:36]
Christina
So Blake enters and he saves her from Magnus, and in that moment, from behind her, places his own collar on her throat. It's so good. This plot twist was so fun. It's the drama. It's so delicious. And we're like, oh, God, Callum's gonna get back and be so mad.
- [56:54]
Anna
Daddy's gonna be so mad.
- [56:56]
Christina
Daddy's gonna be so mad. But she didn't have a choice but, like, oh, my God, it's so good, because Callum's just spent so long telling her how important this damn caller is and how, like, special it is, and now he's gonna come back and she's gonna be wearing Blake's. Well, yes, that's exactly what happens. But it's even more dramatic because he comes back and he's hurt like the silver bullet with wolfsbane poison. And he sees that. He's like, what is that on your neck? Bah. And then she's like, you're hurt. I gotta get Blake. And he's like, don't you bring him in here right now. I swear to God, I am hanging out by a thread that you're wearing his collar. And she's like, he has to save you. So, like, I'm gonna kick you off my leg real quick. You be there. She, like, collapsed.
- [57:31]
Anna
He's like. He's like, I'm fine.
- [57:32]
Christina
Oh, he's not doing well.
- [57:33]
Anna
He, like, passes out, and she's like, all right, well, I'm gonna go get Blake.
- [57:37]
Christina
Okay? So Blake pretty much administers the antidote, but Callum's wolf isn't fighting off the poison for whatever reason. Like, he needs the wolf to come to the surface. So Blake's like, how do I do this? I provoke him. So then Blake describes all of these, like, sexy things that he wants to do with Aurora to get a rise out of Callum. And in the process, just all of us become puddles on the floor, this morally gray, sexy Blake. And all of a sudden, he's, like, talking about going down on her. He's talking about how he's gonna sit on James's throne while she goes down on him. I was dying.
- [58:12]
Anna
I was like, oh, my God, Blake Wild.
- [58:14]
Christina
Oh, my God.
- [58:15]
Anna
Cause it comes out of nowhere.
- [58:17]
Christina
You're like, oh, my God.
- [58:17]
Anna
Why are we talking about this? The man is dying. Then you realize, oh, he's provoking the wolf. Got it.
- [58:23]
Christina
Yes. And so he has to actually go so far as to. To kiss Aurora. Aurora is none too pleased. Which fair. The girl wants autonomy. Don't force a kiss on her.
- [58:32]
Anna
No, we don't do that.
- [58:33]
Christina
We don't like it. And this is a piece where we're building Blake to be a little morally gray. Like, I do. I get it. But ultimately this was effective, and ultimately it works. And Callum's wolf rises, we get the antidote. He wakes up.
- [58:45]
Anna
Yes.
- [58:45]
Christina
So again, playing the long game. Again, 20 steps ahead of everyone. And honestly, he enjoyed getting a rise out of the. And it was really fun to see. All right, another big piece of Blake that we have to talk about is the thunderstorms. Reveal that he's terrified of these storms. He's like a little boy. She finds him whimpering and comforts him. And in that, she hums a lullaby that her mother used to sing to her. And it's the same song that Blake then asked the orchestra to play later at the ball because it's like a well known wolf melody about the elder wolf and his love for the moon. How interesting.
- [59:20]
Anna
I know. I was like. And that's another little clue that you were a wolf. Dared a girl.
- [59:24]
Christina
Dear girl, I didn't have my podcast hat on fully when I was reading this. I wasn't trying to.
- [59:29]
Anna
Like, we weren't planning on doing episodes.
- [59:31]
Christina
Exactly.
- [59:32]
Anna
We were just having fun.
- [59:33]
Christina
Exactly. I was really kind of along for the ride when it came to what Blake's past was in the Southlands, like, how he would know the song and she would and all these things. But I loved the undercurrent of this with the song and the seeing how the song is used. Also, another thing to note about Blake just showing us another piece where he is vulnerable, where we see this humanizing, sweet side to him that no one else sees but Rory, is that we realize that Blake doesn't like to shift. So when there's the full moon and everyone else shifts, he's actively trying to suppress his wolf because he's so traumatized from his time in the Southlands. And it's knowing what we know now and how absolutely horrific Alexander's experiments were, it is absolutely no wonder he tries to suppress. That is so valid, but it's just so sad. And it's another piece that we get as the reader here that you're like, wow, am I supposed to feel about Blake? What's happening? It's just so tricky.
- [60:23]
Anna
It's so tricky. It's done so well.
- [60:26]
Christina
It is.
- [60:26]
Anna
Lauren has done a really good job with Blake's character. Gosh, there's just so much I can't wait to get to in book two. Yes, well, that wraps up part one of the Wolf King episode and we cannot wait to have you guys back next week where we will discuss some favorite romance moments and of course, the very exciting ending.
- [60:43]
Christina
Yes, so much to break down there. We can't wait.
- [60:46]
Anna
Can't wait. So we'll see you next time.
- [60:48]
Christina
Cheers and happy reading. Cheers and happy reading. Bye.
- [60:51]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Well, friends, that wraps up another episode of Flights of Fantasy podcast. Don't forget to join our book club community on Instagram and tick tock at Flights of Fantasy Podcast where you can share your thoughts, theories and favorite moments with us and fellow listeners. Listeners, we'd love to hear from you. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us spread the magic of Romantasy to even more book lovers. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep reading, and remember, every good story deserves to take flight. You just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy. Just use Indeed. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other job sites. With Indeed sponsored Jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates so you can reach the people you want faster. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on indeed have 45% more applications than non sponsored jobs. Don't wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com Arts, just go to Indeed.com Arts right now. And support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need.
- [62:23]
Anna
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