Overhyped & Not Hyped Enough

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Overhyped & Not Hyped Enough"

Episode Title: Overhyped & Not Hyped Enough
Release Date: May 21, 2025
Podcast: I'll Read What She's Reading
Hosts: Reggie, Mikayla, and Kennedy

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Introduction to the Episode

In this highly anticipated episode of "I'll Read What She's Reading," the trio—Reggie, Mikayla, and Kennedy—delve into a topic frequently requested by their audience: overhyped and under-hyped books. The hosts candidly share their personal experiences and perspectives, navigating the challenging landscape shaped by social media buzz and reader expectations.

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Overhyped Books

1. Light Lark by Alex Aster

Kennedy initiates the discussion by addressing Light Lark, highlighting her disappointment with the series despite Alex Aster's evident talent in writing banter.
“The Light Lark series just was really repetitive... and then when I found out that there was going to be another book and she didn't end the series where she said she was going to, it honestly kind of turned me off from the series in general.” [02:33]

She emphasizes that the book felt predictable and the extended series diluted her initial enthusiasm.
“When we say a book is overhyped, it's subjective... it just weren't met.” [04:07]

2. Quicksilver by Michaela Hart

Reggie discusses Quicksilver, acknowledging its bestseller status but expressing that it felt recycled and predictable compared to other fantasy novels.
“It's a very big book, and I applaud her for that... but I just... a lot of it felt predictable.” [05:08]

Kennedy concurs, mentioning high expectations fueled by social media leading to unmet standards.
“It's a little overhyped, but I'm not like, I don't hate it. It's not a terrible book.” [06:34]

3. The Poppy War by RF Kuang

Reggie shares a mixed review of The Poppy War, noting its epic nature and emotional depth but feeling it didn't live up to the extensive hype.
“I was expecting, like, so much more from it... I'm just a little let down.” [07:24]

Kennedy points out the unique pacing of the series but acknowledges its extensive presence on BookTok contributed to its overhype.
“There are so many factors that play into whether a book is overhyped... I've seen this before.” [09:19]

4. The Boys of Tommen Series

Kennedy voices her struggle with this series due to its focus on high school-aged characters, making the content feel inappropriate for her age group.
“I have a really, really hard time with high school aged kids... it's just overhyped.” [12:40]

Reggie empathizes, discussing the harsh online criticism they receive when expressing differing opinions.
“When we did this episode last time... people just going off about how horrible we must be.” [14:25]

5. Spark of the Everflame by Pencole

Reggie expresses frustration with the delayed releases and high expectations set by the series' popularity.
“It's a very simple to follow... but it just sucked because I had much higher expectations.” [20:55]

Kennedy reflects on how reading journey and maturity impact the reception of such books, noting that what once thrilled her now feels less impactful.
“Things like that get thrown around very nonchalantly on BookTok... give it a few days and you might be like, you know, I don't know about this.” [25:01]

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Under-Hyped Books

1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Kennedy champions Vicious as an underappreciated gem, praising its anti-hero narrative and unique take on villain origins.
“Vicious was so good, and it doesn't get talked about enough.” [40:06]

She laments that newer works by Schwab overshadow this standout book, urging listeners to explore it.
“It's super old... it's one of her older books.” [40:06]

2. The Blighted Stars by Megan O'Keefe

Reggie introduces The Blighted Stars as a hidden treasure in the sci-fi romance genre, despite limited exposure on social media.
“It's a sci-fi romance... stranded on a dying planet together.” [46:02]

Kennedy expresses excitement about the book's unique elements and anticipates it gaining more traction.
“There's some really cool elements to it... it's really fun.” [48:02]

3. Ghosted by J.M. Darhauer

Kennedy highlights Ghosted as a wholesome romance that doesn't receive much attention outside a niche BookTuber's recommendations.
“It's a great romance... it's a great romance book that's wholesome.” [51:21]

She appreciates the book's emotional depth and the dynamic between the main characters, despite not being the best romance she's read.
“Everything else was so great... it's a great romance.” [51:21]

4. War of Lost Hearts Series by Carissa Broadbent

Reggie recommends the War of Lost Hearts series, noting its epic love story and unique fantasy elements that often go unnoticed.
“There's some really cool elements to it that I haven't seen in other fantasy books... it's really great.” [55:49]

He encourages listeners to explore the series, especially those who enjoy deep emotional narratives intertwined with fantasy.
“If you like... if you read that series. You haven't read Daughter of no Worlds yet, give it a go.” [55:49]

5. Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonham Young

Reggie praises Hannah Bonham Young's works as underrated romances with rich emotional depth and unique character development.
“She has a lot of representation for a lot of different things that sometimes you don't see a lot in books.” [64:15]

Kennedy emphasizes the author's ability to create unique characters and foster emotional connections, calling her an up-and-coming romance author.
“She's the next big romance author, I'm convinced.” [66:49]

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Impact of Social Media and BookTok

The hosts explore how platforms like BookTok heavily influence book popularity and reader expectations. They discuss the pressure of hype, where extensive online praise can lead to unmet expectations and personal disappointment.
“Where you see things plays in a reader's mind. That affects a reader, but it does so much for an author.” [68:23]

Reggie and Kennedy reflect on the challenges of separating personal opinions from the collective buzz, acknowledging the subjectivity of reading.
“Reading is subjective... it's fine. But being a book critic online is hard.” [70:30]

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Personal Preferences and Reading Journeys

Mikayla shares her efforts to reduce criticism and approach books without preconceived notions, aiming to enhance her reading enjoyment.
“I also tried to be less harsh of a critic... I'm losing my enjoyment of reading because I was being so critical.” [67:30]

Reggie discusses his journey of trying to branch out from hyped books, expressing concerns about future reads not meeting expectations.
“I'm just saving it for a rainy day. I'm scared to do it.” [62:10]

Kennedy talks about the need to formulate her own opinions and stay true to her reading preferences, despite external pressures.
“I was gonna say I don't see these books talked about enough... it's hard to be on BookTok to stay within the trends.” [71:05]

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Final Thoughts and Moving Forward

The episode concludes with the hosts acknowledging the subjectivity of book preferences and the importance of embracing diverse opinions. They encourage listeners to explore books independently of social media hype and to celebrate varied perspectives in reading.

Mikayla expresses a desire to reconnect with books without the burden of external expectations:
“I'm trying to go into books with nothing preconceived. I just want to experience it.” [66:53]

Reggie emphasizes the balance between appreciating popular books and maintaining personal reading standards:
“How would your feelings about a book depend. There's so many factors that play into it.” [68:23]

Kennedy reiterates the need for individual reading experiences, encouraging listeners to separate personal opinions from widespread trends:
“I think for me, I just have to be very happy for people who are so excited about books...” [71:05]

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Conclusion

In "Overhyped & Not Hyped Enough," Reggie, Mikayla, and Kennedy offer an insightful exploration of the intricate dance between book popularity and personal preference. Through honest discussions and relatable experiences, they empower listeners to navigate their reading journeys with confidence and authenticity, free from the constraints of external hype.

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Note: Timestamps correspond to the moments when notable quotes were made during the episode.

Transcript

[Kennedy]

Foreign.

[Mikayla]

Hi, guys. Welcome back to I'll read what she's reading. I'm Mikayla.

[Reggie]

I'm Reggie.

[Kennedy]

And I'm Kennedy.

[Mikayla]

Today we have an anticipated episode from you guys. We've been requested to do this multiple times and I feel like I don't know why we haven't done it.

[Kennedy]

We've only done it once.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, yeah.

[Kennedy]

I fear we have not. Well, for me, the reason why I haven't been super gung ho about this is because I read a lot of appropriately appropriately hyped books.

[Reggie]

Yeah, yeah, same.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. So. But we're gonna do it.

[Reggie]

Sorry I didn't explain what we were doing.

[Mikayla]

We're gonna be doing overhyped and under hyped books.

[Reggie]

I think our. The first time we did it was overhyped and not hyped enough. I think we want to say not hyped enough.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, sure.

[Kennedy]

Overhyped. We did. We did. Also appropriately hyped. But like I said, I read a lot of appropriately hyped books, so there'd.

[Mikayla]

Be a lot in that list.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, we're just. We're keeping it to overhyped, not hyped enough.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, yeah.

[Reggie]

Which one are we starting with?

[Kennedy]

What if we end on a positive, you know, with our under. Under hyped.

[Mikayla]

Let's start with books. Okay.

[Kennedy]

Kennedy. Oh, I'm going to go first. Oh, okay.

[Reggie]

Going down the line.

[Kennedy]

My first book on this list is Light Lark by Alex Aster.

[Reggie]

That's a good one.

[Kennedy]

And about that one, that series in general, I made it to. What is the second book called Night Bin Nightbane. I made it halfway through Nightbane and DNF'd it. You know, it just wasn't it. I will say Alex can write really good banter. I have yet to read her romance book she came out with recently, and I can see how her writing would thrive really well in a romance setting. When it came to the Light Lark series, it just was really repetitive. And then when I found out that there was going to be a whole nother book and she didn't end the series where she said she was going to, it honestly kind of turned me off from the series in general. I heard from a lot of people, they were really upset that she did not finish the series.

[Mikayla]

Like she said, I love a good trilogy. Like, why can't we just trilogy.

[Kennedy]

The last thing I will say about this series is it was just really predictable. When I read the first book, I knew it was going to happen. And then I continued in the second book, started listening to it. And then I was listening to it on three times speed. And when I got to three times speed, I said, you know, why am I doing this? Why am I listening to this book? I'm obviously not enjoying it. I'm just going to not finish it. So. And I don't think I planned originally when I DNF'd it, it was a soft DNF and I said, oh, I'll finish the series when, you know, the last book comes out. No, it's not happening for me. Just wasn't my cup of tea.

[Mikayla]

You know, I forgot about that book. And I, I would agree with the Overhype. It's not on my list, but I would agree.

[Reggie]

Yeah. So haven't even read it. I don't really have much of a desire to after.

[Mikayla]

And you know what?

[Kennedy]

Let's. Let's just say this. When we say a book is overhyped, it's subjective, you know, 100 you listening may love any of the books that we say that are overhyped. And that's totally fine. It's also not a diss on the author because once again, I think any of these authors that I'm saying who wrote these books, number one, I could never write a book. And number two, there are strong. They have strong suits to their writing. It just everybody talked about it too much on booktok and then I had high expectations and it just weren't met. And is that the author's fault?

[Mikayla]

No, no, actually.

[Kennedy]

Well, with Light Lark, maybe, yes. But usually it's just social media's fault. It's not anything against the author.

[Mikayla]

I will say. She's very good at marketing her book.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

But it just had these expectations that were not met because of her marketing.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

But it made me buy it. So about it.

[Kennedy]

She got her money.

[Mikayla]

She got my money. Okay. I don't. I wonder if this is gonna be on their list. Maybe not.

[Kennedy]

Maybe Quicksilver, that was the first one I put on my list.

[Mikayla]

I. Okay. It's not like I completely hated it. Yeah. It just. I fear people were hyping it up a little too much. Especially when we saw, you know, movie deal or TV show deal. I was like, oh, yes, sign me up. No, unsigned me up. I'll let you guys speak your piece on it.

[Reggie]

You know, we, we've done. We did Quicksilver as a book club book episode. Yeah. If you listen to our Quicksilver episode, you know our thoughts on the book. But I think, to put it briefly, I think that, you know, we've just read Much better fantasy books. And I feel like. I personally felt like some of the things we read in that book felt like recycled material a little bit. And I hate to say that because I can respect and appreciate the time and effort that. Sorry. We were laughing at Michaela's dog. Sorry. That Cali Hart put into the book. Like, I. I gave her a lot of credit for. I think it's a bestseller. I don't know. It's. It's a very big book, and I applaud her for that. And it's. It's no hate to her, but I just. Yeah, I. A lot of it felt predictable. There are things about it that were still really great that I enjoyed, but overall, it just fell really flat for me because I was just like, yeah, I've seen this before. I get it. I've read this a lot. We sound like such haters. So I don't want to sound like I'm being such a hater, but concepts.

[Mikayla]

I really liked about it.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I think I rated it, like, three and a half stars. It wasn't a bad book. It just. Wrong book, wrong time, you know?

[Mikayla]

Overhyped.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. If I would have read it earlier on in my reading journey, I probably would have ate it up. You know, there's so many factors that play into whether a book is overhyped. And also, I heard. I saw so many things about that book for a month, and so then, once again, it's put on a pedestal and then just didn't work for me. But if you loved that book, I love that for you. I wish I could love every single book. And I'm sure there's books that I love that you're like, girl, that is overhyped. And that's okay.

[Reggie]

Yeah, it's fine. You guys probably are not going to agree with this one. And when I say this book, I do not mean that it's a bad book by any means. It was still a fantastic book. But it was one of those situations where I was expecting, like, so much more from it. I don't even know what I was expecting. The Poppy War.

[Mikayla]

Oh.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

I was.

[Reggie]

Here's the thing. I can't. I haven't. These two are on the third book, so I haven't even continued on since the first one. I've been kind of hesitant to decide if I'm going to, like, continue. And I know it probably gets better. And it's not that I didn't like it. I just feel like I had seen so much on TikTok for, like, so long, like, over the past, like, two years of how this is. And it. The thing is, they're right about it being very epic and, you know, breaking your heart a little bit. I don't even really know. This is just a me thing, so that's why this. I almost didn't put this on a list, but since you said Quicksilver.

[Mikayla]

Sorry.

[Reggie]

It's okay. Um. Yeah. I still thought it was a really good book. I still enjoyed it. I don't know what I was expecting from it, but I was just, like, a little let down for some reason. I can't really tell you why. I think I just. Maybe. I don't know, maybe I thought I was gonna have, like, a bigger reaction to the book, but when it was over, I was just kind of like, okay, yeah. And it's funny because, like, now that I'm, like, thinking of certain things in the book, I'm like, yeah, that was awesome. And, like, that was insane. But for some reason, it just didn't, like, hit me as hard as I think it maybe hits other people. I don't know. So, like, I do want to continue on, for sure. It's not that I, you know, I just. That was just like one that. A minuscule, overhyped one that came to my brain. So I'm sure if I continued on, I would probably take back what I said and, like, as maybe the series as a whole, I'd be like, oh, yeah, I don't know. Maybe that was a bad one to say. I didn't. I didn't. Couldn't think of another one. My other two are a little more. Definitely more over hyped.

[Kennedy]

But I think the Poppy War is hard because. Is so vastly different than from.

[Mikayla]

Wow.

[Kennedy]

It is so vastly different from other fantasy books I've read. The pacing is really interesting. RF Kuang's pacing is not really linear. I feel like it's very up and down, and I feel like that's a very consistent thing over all three of the books. I'm halfway through the last Poppy War book, but I will say that I. Whenever I watched or saw TikToks, I never really saw people talk about singular books in the Poppy War. I feel like I always saw them talk about this series as a whole. So, yeah, I don't know. I can definitely see why it would be overhyped because that's one of the books that is. That series is one of the first series I really ever saw on Booktok was the Poppy War. And so for two years, you've Been seeing people post about Poppy War. And so then to read the first one and just be like, oh, that was it.

[Mikayla]

I can.

[Reggie]

And it's not that I was like, super disappointed.

[Kennedy]

Right.

[Reggie]

I still, like, I can't remember what I read it, but like, I still liked it. And there were things in that book that I will never forget. But I just. I don't know, it was just one of those things that I was really excited, really excited to read it, even though I didn't know what to expect. And then I just kind of was left a little underwhelmed. And you're probably thinking, are you kidding me? That ending of that you were underwhelmed? I don't know. Make it make sense. I don't know.

[Kennedy]

It's just.

[Reggie]

That's just. That's just a me thing.

[Mikayla]

So, okay, it's back to you.

[Kennedy]

It's back to me.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

I'm scared to say this one. Why? Because it has a cult following and it is a me problem. I'm not saying the writing was bad. I'm not saying the story was bad. I'm saying it's a me personal problem. And my personal preference. The Boys of Tom and Series. Oh, and I'm sorry, you guys, I'm so sorry. The main reason why, for me personally, it is overhyped is I have a really, really hard time with high school aged kids. Now you're probably thinking to yourself, kennedy, didn't you know that it was high school aged kids? No, I did it.

[Reggie]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

I don't read synopsises. All I knew was it was. I keep wanting to say hockey. It's not hockey. It's rug.

[Reggie]

Nope.

[Kennedy]

Rugby.

[Reggie]

No.

[Kennedy]

What is it?

[Mikayla]

I don't remember what it is, but it's not rugby. I can't think.

[Kennedy]

Oh, my gosh.

[Mikayla]

It's like. No, no, no version of rugby. Hold on, hold on.

[Reggie]

They're Irish.

[Mikayla]

Yes. Yes.

[Reggie]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Mikayla]

Irish.

[Kennedy]

No.

[Mikayla]

Orange, green. And I think one of my reviews was crying in orange, green and white. Okay, hold on. I don't. It's like. Is it. It's rugby.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Mikayla]

Says rugby.

[Kennedy]

Is that what they call it?

[Reggie]

I thought they had a different word for rugby. Union is the dominant form of rugby in Ireland.

[Mikayla]

Maybe they call it uni.

[Kennedy]

They're in anyways.

[Mikayla]

Okay, maybe it is rugby. I'm sorry, I was thinking of something different.

[Kennedy]

Rugby and high school kids, I struggle with. There's the content. Just like made me feel weird as a 28 year old girl hearing about high school kids. There's like certain things that the main male character talks about 247 that I was just like, I feel weird. You are like 17 and I feel like a gross woman. I don't.

[Reggie]

I don't.

[Kennedy]

I don't know how to describe it. I will say though, I think I did end up reading it like three and a half or four stars. So I'm not saying it's a bad book. I just think I don't know if I'll continue on in the series. And also it's the high school age kids, if they were college aged, I probably would like it a lot more. I'm not saying it's not emotional. I'm not saying I didn't cry because I did cry. It's just everybody says that it's their favorite series of all time. I swear, every TikTok. I've never seen anybody post a TikTok saying they didn't like it. So I feel maybe you should do it. Just the outlier rage bait. I'm scared.

[Reggie]

Put that clip.

[Kennedy]

You know, there. There are so many series that people feel so passionate about and that is one of them. And I'm scared.

[Mikayla]

I'm scared.

[Reggie]

But you want to know what? And we say this on the podcast all the time, but, like, reading is subjective and it baffles me. Like, I know that when you love something so much and someone says, I didn't love it, like, I know it's so hard to not take it personally. I get it. But what I don't understand is the people that are so vicious about it. Like, when we did this episode last time, we posted some clips from it. We still get comments to this day of people just going off about how horrible we must be or how uneducated we are.

[Kennedy]

Oh, the fact that I didn't like Song of Achilles, people called me illiterate.

[Reggie]

Yeah. And it's just. You know what? It's like, you're the.

[Mikayla]

I am maybe a little.

[Reggie]

So the way you feel about a book depend. There's so many factors that play into it. And so I mean, if you want to comment, I mean, more comments for us, that's like more engagement. Like, sure, go ahead. But like, I just will never understand, like, the bullying side of books because you know what I mean? It just doesn't make sense to me. But I'm like, sure.

[Mikayla]

I do feel like. Not that I would ever support bullying. I feel like there are people who intentionally say they dislike books to be different.

[Reggie]

Yes.

[Mikayla]

Or like, because everyone likes a book, they're like, I don't understand why people like this book. Yeah. I'm like, just. Can you just like, like, I. I feel like especially popular books, people have to be on polarizing spectrums. Like where it's the worst book they've ever read in their entire life or it's the best book. I'm like, why can't you just be indifferent about it? Yeah. Um, I feel like. Yeah. Not that I would ever con consent to bullying at all, but it's really interesting to see when people decide to not like a book because it's popular.

[Reggie]

Yeah. I also just can't get behind the fact, like, if there was a book that I absolutely hated, I can't imagine myself like, going online being like, I am going to absolutely roast the crap out of this book.

[Kennedy]

Or also, if someone posted a bad review about one of my favorite books, I just scroll. I'm just like, oh, you didn't like it?

[Mikayla]

Okay, bye.

[Kennedy]

I don't need to call.

[Reggie]

It could hurt your feelings for a second. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

But also it's a stranger on the Internet. Like, yeah, like, you know, it hurts my feeling. Like, it sucks more when your friends don't like a book that you like. That's different. The last thing I will say about the Boys of Tommen.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Series, there is no reason for keeping 13, which is the second book, to have a two part audiobook. Okay. It was two parts. I had to listen to the first part and then wait for the second part on Libby. And both of them were like 20 hours.

[Reggie]

That's crazy.

[Kennedy]

It was so long. It's like almost a thousand pages. It's like 930something pages. That's crazy.

[Mikayla]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

Still very sad. Very sad. Very sad. Just not my cup of tea.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I ate it up. Not that I loved it.

[Reggie]

Did you finish it?

[Mikayla]

Well, technically, the series, there's like a second.

[Kennedy]

It's like from different point of views.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. I. I feel like indifferent about it. Maybe it is a little overhyped. I will say it's a little overhyped, but I'm not like, I don't hate it. It's not a terrible book.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. I don't hate it. It's a little long. I hate it. It's just overhyped. I don't hate it. It's just overhyped.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I agree. I agree. Yeah, I agree. It's me.

[Reggie]

Yes.

[Mikayla]

Okay. Zodiac Academy. Okay. Okay. I. I don't know. I have such a complex feelings for.

[Kennedy]

This series and I just. I just am thinking about what occurs in that series. And I'm just like, okay.

[Mikayla]

There are some aspects that I eat up and then some aspects that I just cannot get with the program. I can't. I can't stand it. I can't. I literally DNF'd because of something I can't stand.

[Kennedy]

Lance Ryan, though.

[Mikayla]

Oh, yes. Anyways, it's.

[Kennedy]

It's kind of like a car crash. You know, it's a mess, but you can't stop looking at it. Yeah, that sounded horrible. But that's a saying, right?

[Reggie]

Yeah, it's like a car crash you can't look away from. Yeah. You don't want to look at it, but you're so intrigued. Like.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, yeah. I just. Also.

[Kennedy]

Why.

[Mikayla]

Why is it I don't even know how many.

[Kennedy]

1200 books.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. And then you got the. The novellas and then the boy.

[Kennedy]

The boy versions and.

[Reggie]

Yeah, yeah, I will say I was like kind of intrigued because of just how things you had said about it, the two of you. And then I saw a tick tock one day of a girl literally carrying all. All of the books. She was like my preferred reading order for Zodiac Academy. And I just took one look at that and I was like, I can't. I. I don't have the time.

[Mikayla]

I just think it could be shortened. If I think about the first few, I'm like, it's routine.

[Reggie]

What's the name of the author?

[Mikayla]

What's.

[Kennedy]

There's two. Caroline Peckham and.

[Reggie]

Oh, isn't it like a husband and wife? No, it's the graphic audios. Is a husband and wife.

[Kennedy]

Caroline Peckham and Suzanne Valencia.

[Reggie]

What if he was telling me that maybe I'm making that up.

[Mikayla]

Also?

[Kennedy]

Just. There's a certain character in that book that I would actually like to just. Huh.

[Mikayla]

There's actually quite a few that I would like. The pranks.

[Kennedy]

Pranks.

[Mikayla]

Gotta stop it.

[Kennedy]

It's like a prank war with.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Mystical beings in college.

[Mikayla]

But they're not just like pranks. They're like cutting hair off and drowning.

[Kennedy]

And drowning. Yeah, it's. Yeah. And then they're. Yeah. Quite traumatizing, actually. It's a lot.

[Reggie]

Yeah. I just want you guys to like, like poorly explain them to me and that's. I'm satisfied with that.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Clue though.

[Kennedy]

Lance Orion, I'm telling you.

[Mikayla]

Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I'm done.

[Reggie]

Okay. I will go next. I. I always feel like I talk about the same book.

[Kennedy]

Oh, no.

[Reggie]

Yes. I'm gonna go with Spark of the Everflame.

[Kennedy]

Oh.

[Mikayla]

Oh.

[Reggie]

I didn't Hate the series. I mean, I do. I. I'm a little annoyed that I started it when I did because when I started the series I thought that the Burn of the Ever Flame. I can't keep them all straight. Heat of the Ever Flame. Glow of the Everflame. Anyways, the one that isn't out yet, when I started the first one, it was said that it was going to be released in the summer. Like in the summer or something. And that's now been changed to like, it's not. We still got like another year and a half maybe. I don't know.

[Mikayla]

That sounds to me crazy.

[Kennedy]

So.

[Reggie]

Which is funny because she has like the first four chapters online that you can go in and read. So I'm like, that's interesting to me.

[Mikayla]

Why didn't she just release the book?

[Reggie]

I don't know.

[Mikayla]

I don't know.

[Reggie]

I don't know what Pencole's deal is.

[Mikayla]

But do you know if that's going to be the last book or if the series.

[Reggie]

I don't know. I think based on how the third. Third one, fourth one ends, I can see that maybe the last one. It could be the last one. I don't know. But I still like ate it up because it was just very simple. I was very intrigued by the plot and it didn't take a lot of brain power. I listened to all of them. Do I recommend you read them? I would probably. Wait. If you haven't read them, I would. I would still suggest you maybe read them. Because I do think that the last book's gonna be pretty cool. But like, it just sucks because I. There's a lot that I've already forgotten. There's like, it's not like a super memorable series to me. Like, there's just not a ton of things that stick out. Because there were some things I was like, okay, yeah, I expected that. Also, the female main character is the most infuriated character. You know, everybody, everybody agrees. But then people still are like. And when I started it, we did like had done a question box on our Instagram story saying like, what is the best book you read in 2023 or 2024? I don't even remember when I read these, you guys. But so many of you said that the Spark of the Ever Flame was like the best series you ever read. Or it was like you. Everyone was talking about how amazing it was. And I'm so glad that so many of you love it. But also one of the books is like a 36 hour audiobook.

[Kennedy]

I was Just like, that is insane.

[Reggie]

Yeah. But I mean, I was still, like, really intrigued by the story, but there are just a few things that, like, I can't say without spoiling the book, unfortunately. I wish I could tell you because then you kind of be like, okay, yeah, I can see why that would be, like, really overhyped. But I don't want to say that because I want you to just go into it. If you decide to read it, you will be hooked from the first. Like, the first book is really good. Very cool concept. The magic system's really cool. The Slow burn. I feel, like, confident saying that. And, yeah, it's just very simple to, like, follow. And I thought the audiobook was great, but I just. As things progressed, I just was like, this is what, like, so many people said that this was their favorite series they've ever read, and I just was a little shocked by that. So, you know, it's like, there's elements to it that you're going to be like, yeah, that makes sense. I've read that a few times. You know, that's just, you know, there's some things in there that you'll. Won't be a surprise to you. But, yeah, I was just like, I really thought I was going to love it. I also really hate when someone compares it to a series I already really love. Everyone was like, this is the next Acadar. This is. Yeah. And I was just like, okay, it's better than A Court of Mist and Fury. And I was like, what? No, it's not.

[Kennedy]

You know, I think things like that get thrown around very nonchalantly on Book talk. This is my favorite series of all time, or compared to, you know, whatever. And there's sometimes where I do that. And I talked about it a little, actually. Maybe it wasn't this episode. I think a lot of us have recency bias where it's like, we just finished a book and they're like, this is the best book I've ever read. Give it a few days and you might be like, you know, I don't know about this. So, yeah, maybe that was the case with that. I don't know. I kind of forgot you read that series, if I'm being honest.

[Reggie]

Yeah, I. It's one of those things where I still would recommend, like, I still think you guys might enjoy it. I think there's things about it that you probably wouldn't love. And you'd be like, I know you won't like the female main character, and maybe you don't want me to Tell you, people don't want to know certain things in books. I understand that, but, like, I'm just, like, warning you. She's, like, a little insufferable, but maybe you guys don't like that. I'm saying that if you're like that, maybe that makes you not want to read it, but still, like, it's. So if you're looking for especially, like, a good audiobook, I know sometimes a lot of people don't like to listen to fantasy books as audiobooks because, you know, you're trying to, like, put all the pieces together, and there's so many characters. It's really, really simple. So that's what I really liked about it. It was really easy to follow. Yeah. But it just. I just. I don't know. I guess I just had much higher expectations. I thought after the first book, I was like, okay, yeah, I think I might see what people are talking about a little bit. No.

[Kennedy]

Dang.

[Reggie]

So just. I would recommend waiting a few months or a year before you decide to read it, because I. I fear that the next book's gonna come out and I will have forgotten everything that happened, and I don't want to read them again.

[Kennedy]

Well, yeah, I was gonna say, it doesn't sound like it's something that you want to reread. Someone somewhere is gonna have a YouTube recap for you because they're very.

[Mikayla]

Remember the first book.

[Reggie]

I could tell you everything that happens. The first book, second book, third book. I know how the third book ends, and maybe that's good enough for me. But I'm like, what happened to this character? And where's it? Like, I just. Yeah. So I'm sorry if you guys. If anyone listening is like, that's your favorite series of all time. I love that for you, but I just. It just didn't hit. Make the mark. It didn't hit the mark.

[Kennedy]

And that's okay.

[Mikayla]

It was all over social media for a few months, I feel like.

[Reggie]

And I feel. And no one's talking about it anymore.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

So I think it's just because everyone's waiting for the next.

[Mikayla]

The next book.

[Reggie]

But, yeah.

[Mikayla]

All right.

[Reggie]

Sorry. I feel like I talk really long. Like, I never. I noticed I'm really tired right now. I don't know how long I'm talking for.

[Kennedy]

Here's the problem. I have been scrolling on my Goodreads trying to find another book that I'm like, this is very overhyped. And honestly, any of the ones that I'm thinking maybe are a little overhyped I'm genuinely scared to say, but, like, that's so sad to say. And I think I'm going to settle on this series. And before you start screaming at me, before you start screaming at your car speaker or whatever, hear me out.

[Mikayla]

Okay. I don't know. What is it?

[Kennedy]

The Shatter Me series. Oh, okay. And the only reason I'm saying, and I don't even really want to say it's super talked about right now, but I'm. I'm really having a hard time coming up with another book that I'm like, this is so overhyped for me. Once again, I read a lot of pro. Properly overhyped books. Books. I was gonna say Quicksilver. I was gonna say Zodiac Academy.

[Mikayla]

So sorry, but it's okay.

[Kennedy]

I'm just gonna go with Shatter Me. And once again, I'm not saying I did not enjoy this series because I did enjoy it. I think, once again, just at my age, I think it felt just really young to me. It. It read like those dystopian books that I read in middle school. And if I would have had access to Shatter Me in middle school, I would have eaten it up. I also will say that I was committed and I read every single novella. I bought every single novella. I paid for every single novella on my Kindle. And the novellas were a little bit pointless to me. It just basically was like retold in another person's perspective. And Mikayla has said this a lot of times, she hates going back in time. I do as well. And so I would finish a book and then I'd have to go back in time and see it from another character's point of view, which wasn't always fun. It just. It has a lot of redeeming qualities. Like, I love our male main character. Honestly, I really liked our female main character. It was fun, but just where I'm at in my life, I think it just felt really young.

[Mikayla]

It's a little bit more juvenile, for sure.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. And I think I had this time period where I was reading a lot of young adult fantasy books, and I just.

[Reggie]

It's just.

[Kennedy]

They just don't work for me how they used to. And so when I get on Tick Tock and see people recommending it, recommending it, recommending it. You know what I mean? And I'm scared to say that because I know a lot of people really love the series and it's. It's a good series, don't get me wrong. I just wish I would have had this 15 years ago.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

And when the new book came out like a few weeks ago, I wasn't dying to read it. I'm not dying to read it. Will I read it? Maybe. But yeah, it's not a diss on the author. She's very talented. She has other books. Right. Have you read them? I've heard good things about the other books too.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

I don't think they're. Are they young adult Frick so. And that's just because I couldn't think of another.

[Mikayla]

Well, it's one of those things where they're young adult but the characters aren't.

[Kennedy]

And it makes a difference. It does make a difference, you know. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

You know?

[Kennedy]

Yeah. So I'm sorry if you love shatter.

[Mikayla]

Me and I feel like it probably was my fault. I may have overhyped it for you. No, I don't remember.

[Kennedy]

That's the thing. I read this book like two, I read these books two summers ago. I just read a lot of properly hyped books. Okay. I've said that five times today. But it's good. Just.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, maybe. I don't know. I don't know. I wouldn't say it's like super over hyped on TikTok. Like it's not like a super popular book on booktok. But I will say the reviews were screamy, you know, very high esteemed and I was just like, yeah, it's remarkably bright creatures. Dude.

[Kennedy]

I just got. I. I literally was gonna start listening to this because the movie comes out soon.

[Reggie]

Really.

[Mikayla]

It does.

[Kennedy]

So they just, well, they just, they just finished filming.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Oh, I haven' seen anything.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. Just wasn't my cup of tea and it was. I don't know why I thought it was going to be something different than what it was. But it is exactly what you think it's going to be. Yeah. I don't know.

[Kennedy]

I, I am a little open to. It's a book I would listen to. It's not a book I'm going to physically read. I'd be, I'd be open to listening to it. I remember seeing you like on Goodreads saying you were reading it and it surprised me. She tried to branch out.

[Mikayla]

I tried to branch out. Yeah, no, I think it's because. I don't know. I think, I don't know who I talked to. Maybe it was my mom that she's told me she really liked it. Or maybe she was like, yeah, it was okay. I was like, I just want to, I want to know why she thought it was okay. Or like why she loved it. The best way to describe it, in my opinion, is like, what, What?

[Kennedy]

Malibu.

[Reggie]

Malibu Rising.

[Mikayla]

Malibu Rising. Like a.

[Kennedy]

Not with an octopus.

[Mikayla]

It's just like a lot of different stories that seem kind of pointless to me.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

So, yeah, that's like how I could describe it. Not that they're anything similar. Like, there's just like. I don't even know. I think there's four different stories, maybe even five different stories that happen in the book. And it's just like, a little bit pointless.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

To me. But I know some people, really. Here's the thing. I can see why people would really like it because it comes across as a little bit, like, deep. And I just. I'm not a very deep person.

[Kennedy]

No. Yeah, that's fine.

[Mikayla]

So I don't know. So I don't know.

[Reggie]

It was just a little.

[Mikayla]

It's a. It was a teensy bit overhyped and I felt very much in the minority because I really didn't like. Was one of those books where I just didn't like it as much. So.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. Not that I would ever dissuade you guys from reading it because you guys probably and potentially could actually really like it. So.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

All right. I also read a lot of appropriately hyped books. I really have my. One of my goals this year was to try to, like, branch out of, like, I don't know, I really wanted to try to read books because I want to read them and not because other people are reading them.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

You know, I haven't done amazing at that so far, but I don't know, I'm having a really hard time thinking of which one I want to say, but I'm going to go with this one. Does not mean I disliked the book maybe a little bit. I'm gonna go with the Carwall series.

[Mikayla]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

Kate, I feel like that's a good one for you.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, that's a.

[Kennedy]

That's a good one.

[Reggie]

And you want to know what I'm trying to think about it. I don't think I have ever seen a bad, like a less than, like, four star review of any of those books on my Goodreads. I've only seen people talk about how much they loved it. And so I just went in thinking, like, it wasn't like, this is gonna be the best series I've ever read, but I was just like, yeah, I'm gonna love it. And I remember, like, the fir. I. Maybe I made the mistake of listening to him, but I remember, like, giving it a try. Of listening. And then I was like, if I don't wanna. If I decide I don't wanna listen to them, I will physically read them. And honestly, like, I was halfway through the first book, and I was just like, this is great. Like, the vibes are there. I was really intrigued. And then, like, I think of that series and everything just kind of, like, meshes together. And I remember, like, I got halfway through the third book and I was just like. I remember, like, taking my headphones out and I was like, I can't DNF this. I can't DNF it. But, like, I. And I powered through, but I don't know. Like, I just was kind of like. I don't want to say. Maybe I was underwhelmed. I mean, I loved the vibes. I loved that it felt very different. Like, it was a refreshing read for me. But I don't. I think I just waited way too long to read it. I think that's the biggest thing. And I, like, there's so many other series I think of that feel very similar to how I was feeling about starting Car Ball that I'm really excited to read, that I've been putting off for so long that, like, I'm now scared to start them because I'm like, it might be like a carball thing again where I'm like, I just did not live up to the hype of everything. And I just remember seeing so many. I don't know, I would see so many, like, this aesthetic. Like, if you like this aesthetic, you'll love carball. And I was just like, yes, give it to me. But then sometimes I was like, okay, like, she's going on and on and on and on about describing this one thing that I'd forget what was going on in the plot. And I feel like it kind of took me out of the story. They're still very fun. I would recommend them. I know a lot of people really like them, but I just really, really wish I would have read it long, a longer time ago.

[Kennedy]

So, yeah, that's what I was going to say is. Is probably just where you're at in, like, your reading journey and who you are as a reader. Because maybe if I. I feel like if I read those books now, I probably wouldn't like them as much as I did when I read them two years ago. You just. You're just more mature. You're just a more mature reader.

[Reggie]

And I don't. It's not even. Because it's like, young adult that. And it's like I'm too old for this. I just think that like I'm learning that I just really like a big epic story and Carball's just fun and it's. I'm not always in like the mood for fun. Like I want to have fun and I like a fun book, but I'm like, I want a lot more like depth and those just feel like, woohoo, this is fun to me. And I don't know, I know you guys are probably thinking, no, like there's more to it than just like fun. But like, I don't know.

[Kennedy]

I'm saying, like, I mean, it's kind of. I want to call them cozy, but it definitely errs on the more cozy whimsical side than epic fantasy.

[Reggie]

Oh yes.

[Kennedy]

So.

[Reggie]

And sometimes I don't want an epic fantasy because I. I'm like, I've just read a lot of that recently and I thought maybe it would be a good palate cleanser. I don't know, it just didn't do it for me. Like it's done it for other people. And I was actually really sad about it. Like I really tried. I really did. So it's okay.

[Mikayla]

It's okay.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, it's okay.

[Reggie]

I know. Like, how do you given me those books? Like, yeah. Two years ago. Even like way before then, anytime before then, I would have been. I would have eaten it up, I'm sure.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. So I feel that. I get it. We get it.

[Mikayla]

All right, now we're going into our. Do we say it?

[Kennedy]

Not hyped enough. We've been chatty, ending on a happy, happy note.

[Mikayla]

Happy note.

[Kennedy]

I'm going first.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Okay. Now the last time we did this, some of the books we recommended, we posted them on TikTok and people are like, those are, those are hyped. What do you mean? Okay, the way that I see it, I don't see these books talked about enough on booktok. Maybe on your for you page, they come up a lot. For me, the three books I'm mentioning rarely come up on my for you page. Don't get mad at me if they come up on yours.

[Mikayla]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

The first book I'm going to say, and this author is hyped. Okay. I'm not saying this author is not hyped. She's very hyped. However, her other books get talked about way more than this one. And I honestly think that this one is my favorite book by her. I'm going to say Vicious by V E Schwab. Okay. It's kind of this anti hero story. It's got a little bit of a villain origin story in there. Almost like experiment gone wrong. People get powers. And I'm also mentioning this because bless Ve Schwab's soul. She finally gave us a release date for the third book in this series. And I'm so excited. Not gonna lie, the second book isn't great, but the first one, Vicious, was so good, and it doesn't get talked about enough. Her other books, like I said, get talked about way more. I think it's because they are newer, and Vicious is like 12, 15 years old. It's super old. Don't quote me on that. It's one of her older books.

[Reggie]

A few episodes back, we said something about. I don't think we've updated this on the podcast. Oh, we said something. I'm like, yeah, maybe we'll meet Ve Schwab. We actually did, very recently, and the only book of hers that I've read is the Invisible Life of Addie Larue. And after meeting her, I am just like, I have to read. Give me all her books right now. I need to read all of them. Just the way that she speaks, the way that she talks about her books, I just. Would you rec. Let's see. Because what are the other ones? Scythe.

[Kennedy]

No. Darker Shade of Magic.

[Reggie]

Darker Shade of Magic. Which one should I read? Because I do want to. I am going to read Barrier Bones in the Midnight Soil.

[Mikayla]

Probably shorter than Dark Shade of Magic.

[Kennedy]

But Darker Shades of Magic is complete. Yeah, I mean, they're just two different. But I mean, I don't know.

[Mikayla]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Kennedy]

I don't know.

[Mikayla]

I don't know.

[Kennedy]

I would say Vicious, but the sec. The second book wasn't my favorite. It's honestly probably my least favorite book I've read by here. But the first one was my favorite book written by her. So do with that what you will.

[Reggie]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. Oh, it's me.

[Kennedy]

You're up.

[Mikayla]

I'm gonna say fourth Wing. Just kidding.

[Kennedy]

That is not hyped at all. What is that book like?

[Mikayla]

I don't know.

[Kennedy]

Very under the Radar Dragons.

[Mikayla]

I really had a hard time with this one, and I feel like. I don't know if we said it enough, like, appropriately hide books.

[Kennedy]

Wait, we haven't said that at all.

[Mikayla]

What?

[Kennedy]

Real. This is the first time I'm hearing.

[Reggie]

Every time I say that.

[Kennedy]

I'm going.

[Mikayla]

To say the Lachlan series. And here's the thing. I think it's fantastic. Not my favorite series I've ever read. There's something that is, like, important to the plot but does nothing for the plot that kind of bugs me. So I won't say, like, the book has no faults that makes sense, but I like the vibes. The vibes were vibing with me.

[Reggie]

What is it about?

[Kennedy]

It's pirates, right? No. Oh, no. Sorry. No, it's okay. No.

[Mikayla]

Oh.

[Reggie]

Oh, I know. Yeah. Okay. It's like.

[Mikayla]

I don't know.

[Kennedy]

It does.

[Mikayla]

It doesn't ex. Explicitly say this, but it was giving me. It's giving me, like, Irish Viking vibes.

[Reggie]

Love.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

But it's not, like, explicitly say, like, they're Vikings. And then, like, the main character has red hair and, like, all of her siblings do too. So, like, that gives very, like, Irish, almost, like, brave. Ish vibes. I don't know. It was just really. It was really fun. Really fun. It's. I bought the series, like, two years ago, didn't touch them. I don't even know how I found them. I just feel like they're not talked about a lot and I thought they were fantastic.

[Kennedy]

So who's it by?

[Mikayla]

It's by two.

[Kennedy]

Oh, okay.

[Mikayla]

Yes. Robin D. Mal. Mal. And.

[Kennedy]

You'Ve shared this on, like, a currently. I'm currently reading segment.

[Mikayla]

Yes.

[Reggie]

Is it new adult? Young adult?

[Mikayla]

I think it's Robin. Oh, my gosh.

[Kennedy]

I swear you did this the last time you talked about. I know I did.

[Mikayla]

I did the Lachlan series. Robin D. Mel and Ellie Madison. Okay, I. I want to say. I want to say it's like, in the middle. I don't think. If I try to remember. I don't think it's ever explicit, but it's not like. Nah, I don't know how to scream.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

You know the. The 10. Yes. Yes. That's a great way to describe it, but it literally starts with vodka. Vodka is the beginning of the story.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

Vodka.

[Kennedy]

Love that.

[Mikayla]

All right, so.

[Reggie]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

Anyways, I don't know if you guys will ever read it, but. Yeah, I just. It's. It's the first thing that came to my brain that I'm like, I don't really see anything about this.

[Reggie]

I know I've literally only ever heard you talk about it, so I feel like you're giving our listeners a good suggestion there.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I don't. It's technically fantasy, but. Yeah. Anyways, I can't say anything.

[Reggie]

Fantasy shmanishy.

[Mikayla]

Fantasy shmanishy. If you guys ever read it, you'll know what part I'm talking about. Where I'm like, what is this ad?

[Reggie]

Okay, it's for fun.

[Mikayla]

It's for the vibes. It's for the vibes.

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[Mikayla]

Okay, continue.

[Reggie]

All right, well, I'm gonna go with. Hold on, I gotta think of. Okay, I'm gonna go with the Blighted Stars.

[Kennedy]

I knew you were gonna say that.

[Reggie]

By Megan o' Keefe. I think that's how you say her name. I was listening to the audiobook. I think that's what they said in the beginning. And here's the thing. I know that Kennedy and Kayla probably really want to read this because it's not talked about. And they know that I was really excited to read it. I rated it pretty highly. So I don't want to, like, give you guys any sort of, like, preconceived notions about what I. I don't know. This is just a introduction to the book to give you a feel for it. And let me tell you, when I say that this book is. I started this book and I've been wanting to read it based off of one TikTok. I've literally only seen this book talked about one single time on TikTok. Okay, so let me enlighten you. It is a sci fi romance. Okay. And I think it's only three books. I just started the first one today. Or the second one. The second one today. It is a great book. It is a great book. I don't, like. I said I don't want to, like, say too much because I don't want anyone going in with, like. I don't want to over hype it for you, if you will, but it's a sci fi romance. Essentially. There is a. The male main character is. I'm not going to say too much about him, but he's. He's kind of a nerd. He loves biology and he loves learning about rocks. Okay. You're like, wow, that's boring. No, just you wait. Okay. The female main character is his enemy pretty much. Okay, I'll leave it at that. And they are stranded on a dying planet together.

[Kennedy]

Love.

[Reggie]

Okay, that's all I'm going to say because there's so many more things I could tell you that you might be like, oh yeah, now I really want to read it for more that I could tell you. But I feel like it's one of those things you just gotta like go in just knowing that.

[Kennedy]

It'S.

[Reggie]

There's some really cool elements to it. Honestly, there's a few things about it I'm still really confused about. I need to go on YouTube and see. I need someone to explain a few of the elements of this. I would. It's not magic system technology. It was like my brain was hurting a little bit. But it is really great. And it's not like a super long book there. I posted a reaction to me finishing the book because I listened to the ending and like there's literally the whiplash that you guys get watching me finish this book. It's like I'm sitting there like freaking out like so mad about something and then two seconds later I'm like jumping up and down and I'm squealing. It is really. It's just really fun. It's literally something I like I said one. I've seen one single TikTok about it so I just want. I don't know why people aren't talking about it more. I think it's because a lot of people maybe just get really caught up in the romanticy, the fantasy side of booktok. I feel like that's a lot of what I see. And yeah, I'm like, I've learned. I love sci fi. Give me a sci fi romance. Like yeah, well.

[Kennedy]

And I don't feel like there's a lot of sci fi romance out there. It's just straight up sci fi.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

You know what I mean? I saw the same tick tock I'm pretty sure that you saw.

[Mikayla]

So I just haven't gotten to it yet.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, it's like something I'm gonna love. I'm very excited.

[Reggie]

I hope you guys do. I mean I like I said I've only read the first one. I have no idea what to expect for the next two. But.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I'll get to it. I'll get to.

[Mikayla]

I have 26 week wait.

[Kennedy]

I don't know. I don't even. I don't even think I have it on my Libby app. I don't even. I should Probably.

[Reggie]

I do have it on my audible.

[Kennedy]

I should probably go.

[Reggie]

I feel like Audible is so tempting sometimes because it's like they know that you are in the market for said book. Because when I went on there, like, Kennedy's was like, it's only $6 on Audible.

[Kennedy]

Hold up. I can get it right now.

[Reggie]

Joking.

[Mikayla]

The audiobook.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Mikayla]

She's got.

[Kennedy]

I got that, ID library card, baby.

[Mikayla]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

That's tempting. Something.

[Reggie]

Anyways, there you have it. The Blightest Stars by Megan o' Keefe.

[Kennedy]

All right.

[Mikayla]

Love it.

[Reggie]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

My next book, I wouldn't say it's under hyped, but it is under hyped if you are familiar with a very small, small booktuber named Sarah Karoly. She's talked about this book on her channel before. She actually talked about it in the podcast episode we did with her and she inspired me to read it. Okay. The book is called ghosted by J.M. darhauer. It's a romance book. Okay. And this is just right up my alley because let me just tell you, we have a woman who has a daughter. Enter famous superhero actor. Yeah, sounds good. Yes.

[Reggie]

I'm loving it.

[Kennedy]

I actually, you know, I'm not saying it's the best romance book I've ever read. And honestly, ironically, I did give it four and a half stars. I docked a star because I didn't really love the romance aspect of the book. Like the relationship for some reason didn't really work for me. Everything else was so great. There's. I don't want to tell you what the trope is of the book, but I'm pretty sure if you read the synopsis, you will know what the trope is of the book. I just am a sucker for kids in romance books. You know, just the adult relationships with the kids that really warmed my heart. And I don't feel like it's a romance book that gets talked about a lot other than Sarah Corolly talks about it. So you. I guess you could say it's hyped.

[Mikayla]

But hyped by the small, small book.

[Kennedy]

Talker named Sarah Crowley. It was really, really good. I thought it was great. And I actually, I read it on my Kindle. I can't remember if it was on Kindle Unlimited or not, but I highlighted a lot of stuff from that book.

[Reggie]

It was just sweet.

[Kennedy]

Is it going to be a five star read for you? Probably not, but it's. It's a great romance. It's a great romance book that's wholesome.

[Mikayla]

And.

[Kennedy]

Has a superhero actor that I pictured as Chris Evans, so can't complain about that.

[Mikayla]

Wow. When you said enter famous superhero actor, I immediately went, Chris Evans.

[Kennedy]

Well, and also the main male character name is Johnny. So then like Johnny Storm, Chris Evans, it just.

[Mikayla]

Johnny Flame on. Sorry, I just blew your speakers. It's midnight. Okay.

[Kennedy]

We're getting a little unhinged.

[Mikayla]

I'm getting a little loopy.

[Kennedy]

All right, Mikayla.

[Reggie]

Also side tangent. I can't wait for you guys to read the Blighted Stars for the sake of when I tell you guys who I picture as the male main character, Andrew Garfield. I'm not going to tell you. You will never guess. You will literally never guess.

[Mikayla]

Guess.

[Kennedy]

We'll see.

[Mikayla]

That was my first thought. Okay, so maybe I feel like it's. Yeah, I think it's just gaining traction. Stealing the words from Kennedy because I feel like her other series is more popular and it's Jennifer Lynn Barnes, the Naturals. I think they're great.

[Reggie]

I.

[Mikayla]

They're not my favorite, but I just feel like. I don't know, like I didn't even know that the Naturals existed until not too long ago.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Because, like, I feel like I saw a lot about like the Inheritance games and I mean, I feel like that's like kind of the OG Book talk books. Was the Inheritance games like one of them? And so the Naturals is just like fun, fun. Not really fun. Like, I don't even know how to describe it.

[Kennedy]

It's like Criminal Minds slash CSI for teens.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, yeah. No, I. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Reggie]

I feel like that's how you guys have described it to me because I have not read that yet.

[Mikayla]

I would also say it kind of has similar ish vibes. Not the same as the Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Yeah, not the same.

[Kennedy]

They're like adjacent.

[Mikayla]

It's like more official. Yeah, it's adjacent. Sorry. Okay. That's it. That's my one or second one? Yeah, second one.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

I don't even know what I said for the first one. Okay.

[Reggie]

I'm gonna say this one because it's. I truly don't feel like anyone really talks about it. Like when I think of people making tiktoks of it, I'm like, have I ever seen a tick tock about this? Which kind of surprises me because there's another series I feel like kind of overshadows it. So I'm gonna say the War of Lost Hearts series by Carissa Broadbent, Daughter of no Worlds. If you have heard of Serpent in the Wings of Night and you haven't heard of Daughter of no Worlds? That doesn't really surprise me because like I said, I don't. I truly can't think of any tick tocks I've seen about it. Can you guys? I don't know.

[Kennedy]

I've seen a few. I feel like it's gaining more traction now.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

But definitely covers and nobody likes them. Okay.

[Mikayla]

To be fair, I think the covers itself are very beautiful. I just don't think they fit the vibe of the series. I agree. Like, the covers are, I think, are so cool and unique, but I just wouldn't pick those for the series.

[Reggie]

Yeah, I agree. Same, same. But yeah, it is. It's a really great series. I know that like all three of us maybe struggled a little bit with the pacing of the books, but for me, that's like my only complaint. There's some really cool elements to it that I haven't seen in other fantasy books. Um, there's, you know, a great love story. It's very epic. It will make you cry. I laughed from time to like, I. There's so much that I love about it and I just don't think it gets enough attention because of Serpent in the Wings of Night. Like that. I do. I will say that Serpent Wings of Night I think is better. Like the Crowns of Nyaxia series. It's very well done. But yeah, if you like, if you read that series. You haven't read Daughter of no Worlds yet, give it a go. I mean, I'd probably suggest maybe reading Serpents before War of Lost Hearts. Yeah. But it's really, really great. And I do plan on reading those again. I think not for like a while, but I think I would like them more reading them a second time. I think so. Yeah. I. The male main character in that one is just like the biggest gooey cinnamon roll. And I just.

[Kennedy]

He is a cinnamon roll baby.

[Reggie]

I'm a big fan.

[Kennedy]

He just. Cinnamon roll baby.

[Reggie]

Yeah. Sorry. If you're hearing any yawning, it is midnight.

[Kennedy]

We're tired.

[Mikayla]

Okay.

[Reggie]

So the energy.

[Kennedy]

All right. I'm gonna bring the energy back. Okay. I'm gonna talk about this book because I think there's other books by this author once again who that get talked about more. I'm gonna say Wayward Pines by Blake Crouch. It's a three book series. It actually was adapted into a TV show like 20 years ago. Never watched it because I can't. Like, it looks a little cringy because, you know, old shows. But basically I'm going to kind of Tell you guys a brief synopsis of the first book. So you have our main character, our male main character. He's searching for two missing FBI agents. He's in the Secret service. He ends up getting in a car crash. And then he ends up in this town in Idaho. And they won't let him leave. He has no phone, has no id. He can't leave. And it's a three book series. And I remember finishing the third book being like, huh, what? It's a little creepy, a little eerie. It would be a really good October read.

[Reggie]

Honestly, I think I need to save those for October. I've been. I have them on my Libby, but I keep for craft.

[Kennedy]

Like they're really, they're really short. They're a great lesson. I listened to them driving home from a photo shoot at night in the forest. That was a mistake. I had to turn it off because I got scared. But they're not like that scary. But they would be a really good October read. Blake Crouch's earlier writing airs more on the horror side, like horror thriller. His new writing is more sci fi thriller. So yeah, give it a try this October.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I love it. Mine is going to be in general. Okay. Because everyone, everyone knows Fourth Wing. Rebecca Yarros. Her other books are not talked about very much at all.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

And I think they're fantastic. So if you have not read anything else by Rebecca Yarros besides the Fourth Wing series, you're doing yourself a disservice.

[Reggie]

They're really good.

[Mikayla]

They're really good. So I'm. I wouldn't say there's like one that maybe like is was so under hyped. I think all of them compared to Fourth Wing obviously are very under hyped.

[Kennedy]

So. Yeah.

[Reggie]

Which one's your favorite? Because there's a few you haven't read.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I've.

[Reggie]

I haven't read her like older ones and I haven't read the last letter.

[Mikayla]

I haven't read the last letter either. Let's see. I think I've only read Variation in the Likely event.

[Reggie]

The things we leave unfinished.

[Mikayla]

Things we leave Unfinished. I think those are the only three I've read of hers. I think if I had to pick one, I would pick Things we leave Unfinished. But all of them were fantastic. I really liked them.

[Kennedy]

She writes military romances and she does it very well.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I really, I don't know. And the Likely event was also really not fun, but like fun at the same time.

[Kennedy]

I would say Variation's my least favorite.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I Almost wanted more Coastal Guard stuff, if that makes sense. Yeah. Anyways, sorry, that was a weird side tension. Go read the other books. I just need to. I need to read the last letter.

[Reggie]

I'm scared.

[Mikayla]

I just. The audiobook is not.

[Kennedy]

I have no comment.

[Mikayla]

The audiobook is not available on my Libby. So I just haven't yet. I would have to read it physically. So that's it.

[Reggie]

I think it's on Kindle Unlimited.

[Kennedy]

Hey, listen, if you ever want to borrow my Kindle, I'll let you borrow it to read that test drive. A Kindle.

[Mikayla]

Okay. Yeah, I, that's not helpful, Reggie.

[Kennedy]

I can't read it on kind of limited.

[Reggie]

I, I, I've been wanting to read that book for a long time, but I am scared. So just do it.

[Mikayla]

Rip the band aid off.

[Kennedy]

I'm just keeping.

[Reggie]

I gotta save it for. I gotta save it for a time when I know I'm gonna need it. I'm just not. Maybe I need. It is not the right word anyways. I'm just saving it for a rainy day.

[Kennedy]

I don't read it on the beach. That's all I'm gonna say.

[Mikayla]

Oh, I thought you got a beach. Really had the. Yeah, yeah.

[Kennedy]

Guys, I read the last letter on the beach in Hawaii.

[Reggie]

Not a beach read.

[Kennedy]

I think.

[Mikayla]

What are you talking about? You are not emotional at all.

[Kennedy]

No, no, no, not at all. No.

[Reggie]

I'm not gonna lie. I was going to say what Michaela said.

[Mikayla]

I'm so sorry.

[Reggie]

That's okay. No, no, no, no. Let me say something. That was my, my next thing. Or. Yeah, but I've only read. I guess I forgot to do. Okay, I'm going to say out on a Limb by Hannah Bonham Young. Honestly, any of her other books. I've only read the out on a Limb books. So there's out on a Limb and then out of the woods. And there's just something really special about her books. If you haven't read any of her books, if you want to be convinced to read her books, go look at. Go listen to our interview that we did with her a couple months ago. She is so incredible. And we got to know her really well from that interview. And I just, I love that interview. Just feeling so good. She just has a beautiful, beautiful perspective on life. And the way that she approaches her books is really, really cool. I feel like, you know, a lot of romance books, you kind of know what to expect. But I feel like knowing how she writes her books and where some of her ideas come from is just really Inspiring and not something I hear a lot of authors talk about a lot. There's a lot that she's put from her personal life into her books. Out on a Limb. Read that one first, and then you can read out of the woods just so you. I mean, I guess it doesn't matter too much, but, you know, if there's one thing we're really passionate about on this podcast, it's reading books in the order that the author wants you to read them in, you know, but out on the Limb is really great because while I feel like the plot itself, there wasn't really a ton to it. There was so much emotional depth, and it was just very beautiful. And then out on out of the woods, she. This is really cool. If you are somebody who maybe got married really young or met your significant other really young, or if you're married, you've been married for a while, and you want to read a book about people who are already married or already together. She did that really well. And I feel like I can't think of too many books I've read. I can maybe think of one other one I've read where they're, like, already married and it's their story. Anyways. I just think she has, like, a really diff. Like, she has a very cool take on her books, and she's got, like, a lot of representation for a lot of different things that sometimes you don't see a lot in books. And I really appreciate that. So I think she's starting. I. I don't know. I. I feel like she's pretty underrated.

[Kennedy]

I feel like she's gaining.

[Mikayla]

She's gaining a little bit of traction.

[Reggie]

I just flood her goodreads with adding to your tbr. Like, read them. I think if you're looking for, you know, a new romance author to discover, she's a great one.

[Kennedy]

She writes really unique characters. Every book that I've read, her two main characters don't feel like someone I've already read about, if that makes sense at all.

[Reggie]

She gets to know her characters really well.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

I feel. Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off.

[Mikayla]

No, no, no. Yeah, She's. She is very underrated.

[Kennedy]

She's very underrated. Yeah. Did you guys see she did a.

[Mikayla]

Panel with Abby Jimenez?

[Kennedy]

Oh, yeah. And the fireman came. Yes. You want to know what? Hannah Bonham Young is on the up and up. She's the next big romance author, I'm convinced. Yeah, I will stand by that.

[Mikayla]

So, yeah.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Her tick tocks are so Funny, too.

[Kennedy]

She's just.

[Reggie]

She's so. She's hilarious.

[Mikayla]

She's so funny.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Awesome.

[Mikayla]

Well, I don't know about you guys, but this year especially, or maybe the past few months in the future, I am trying to, like, switch my mindset when it comes to books and not letting the hypeness get to my brain. Yeah. I'm trying to go into books with nothing preconceived. I just want to experience it. Like, I know nothing.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

And I know sometimes that's hard to go into it not knowing anything when we're chronically online and we have to know what books are getting popular. And I feel like I've really. And I've also tried to be less harsh of a critic. Yeah. Because I feel like I was losing my enjoyment in reading because I was being so critical about things. I'm like, but what does that matter? But I. I do. I think you can be critical. I think there is time and place for it. But I was losing my enjoyment of read. Yeah. So I. This episode was actually kind of hard because I feel like I've been trying to not be so critical of books.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Same.

[Mikayla]

But there were some that just really stuck out.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

For the under or overhyped.

[Reggie]

So I also wanted to say it's hard because, you know, you see some books getting a lot of traction. Like right now, Silver Elite. It's all over my for you page. Like, I. And I don't listen to the. Like, I saw one TikTok about it where someone was talking about it, and I was like, oh, that sounds cool. And now it's like, every video on my for you page is that. Am I excited to read it based off what I know about it already? Heck, yeah. But, like, I. It, like, scares me to. To read it. Even though, like, I'm looking forward to reading it now. You know what I mean? But I think about it and I'm like, where would some of these authors be without people hyping up their books? That I'm like, I can't. Like, I want to be angry that it's all over my for you page. Because I'm like, oh, I'm. Here we go again. Like, am I going to be disappointed and. Or am I going to go in with too high of expectations? Who knows? But, like, I can appreciate that people love a book and they want to go online and talk about it. That's kind of a lot of what our podcast is about. But it's so hard because there's, like, a fine line between you know, you see, it's just how often you see things plays in a reader's mind. Like, that affects a reader, but, like, it does so much for an author. And so that's what's hard is because.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I kind of miss the days where it was almost like the fourth wing days where it was really popular, but that didn't affect our reading experience at all. Yeah. Because we all rated it 5 stars and it was appropriately hyped, but, like, it was very hyped on Tick Tock before we picked it up. Right. I kind of missed that day where I just didn't put any thought into, like, everyone's hyping it up.

[Reggie]

Everyone.

[Mikayla]

I'm scared to read it. Like, I don't know. It's like it's. I have had a mind shift when it comes to my reading and I hate it. I'm trying to get out of it.

[Reggie]

Because there are so many books that we shared in this episode that we were so excited about because they were so hyped and then it just sucks to be disappointed.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I. I think for me, I just have to be very happy for people who are so excited about books, but also, like, almost sever my brain in a sense where I'm so excited for them. And I love that they love this book, but that doesn't immediately mean that I'm going to love this book. And also, sometimes it's hard being on Book Talk to stay within the trends.

[Mikayla]

Right.

[Kennedy]

We see these books that are really, really popular and we immediately want to jump on them and read them. But sometimes it's nice to, you know, this book is hyped. There's another book that's going to come along in three days, and then we're going to forget about the other one. And then when we're ready to read it, hopefully the hype is kind died down in our brains. It even happened with, like, Abby Jimenez's book. When that book first came out, all I was seeing was negative reviews. I'm not kidding you. Every single time someone talked about it, it was negative. So I was like, I'm gonna separate myself from this. I'm going to put off reading this book until I can forget about what everybody else said and formulate my own opinion. You know, it's. It's hard being. It's so hard being a book creator. That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying, like, to be chronically online is hard and to separate yourself from the hype.

[Mikayla]

But, like, forming your own opinions.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Mikayla]

And I also think it's beautiful when we all have different opinions.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

But it's sometimes hard because people can be very critical when you have a different opinion.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Mikayla]

So sorry, this has been a long episode, you guys. Thank you so much for listening, you guys. We'll probably be doing this next year sometime when we've put a few more books under our belt. We'll see you guys next week.

[Kennedy]

Bye.

[Reggie]

Welcome to Sky Talkers. I'm your host, Charlotte.

[E]

Hey everyone, I'm your other host, Caitlyn. From interviews with the cast of the latest show on Disney, to in depth discussions about themes in Star wars, to deep dives into the behind the scenes of Lucasfilm, we hope that when you tune into Skytalkers, you feel like you're a part of the conversation.

[Reggie]

Our goal from the beginning of Skytalkers was to create a space where we.

[Kennedy]

Could talk about Star wars in the way we wanted to.

[Reggie]

Caitlin and I are lifelong best friends who love Star wars and have been podcasting about the galaxy far, far away since 2017.

[E]

Join us Join us weekly in laughing, obsessing, and exploring all the parts of our favorite galaxy. Whether you've been a fan for over 40 years or just a few months.

[Reggie]

Listen to new episodes of Skytalkers every Thursday. Wherever you get your podcasts, this has been a 58 Ember production. For more shows, please visit the 58Ember channel 58ember.com or find us media on socials.