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- [00:00]
Kennedy
Foreign.
- [00:09]
Reggie
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to I'll read what she's reading. I'm Reggie.
- [00:13]
Mikayla
I'm Mikayla.
- [00:14]
Kennedy
And I'm Kennedy.
- [00:15]
Reggie
And today we're discussing the poppy war by R.F. kuang. And what a doozy.
- [00:23]
Kennedy
Mm.
- [00:25]
Reggie
I. I don't, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into with this book, but wow. We have a lot to discuss, so we're gonna get started with that and at the end of our episode, we will be telling you our book club book for April.
- [00:41]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [00:41]
Kennedy
Yeah. Wow.
- [00:42]
Mikayla
That's crazy.
- [00:42]
Reggie
The most popular book release month of the year.
- [00:47]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [00:48]
Reggie
I bet you're on your toes wondering, what are they gonna pick which one? There's like six, seven or eight books that are releasing in April.
- [00:55]
Mikayla
It was actually a really, really hard pick, but we feel, we feel confident about it. So.
- [01:02]
Reggie
So stay tuned.
- [01:03]
Mikayla
We're just sprinkle a little breadcrumbs.
- [01:06]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [01:09]
Mikayla
Did I just say that? Sprinkling little bread crumbs for you guys.
- [01:14]
Reggie
Yeah. So yeah, this is, this is going to be a spoilery episode for the Poppy war. So if you haven't read the book, you can join us next Wednesday or join us the beginning of next month for our book club book. Go to our Instagram to go see what that is. And yeah, let's, let's begin with our ratings because we start off every book club episode and we don't talk about the book with each other. This is a new thing we've done the past few months. We don't discuss anything about the book unless it's like a fable update. We don't share anything. So I have no idea what you guys have rated this book. Does anyone want to go first?
- [01:58]
Mikayla
I don't know, does anyone? Like, I'm kind of like unsure of my rating still.
- [02:03]
Kennedy
I mean, I did finish this book like three weeks ago, so I feel like I know cuz I've sat for a while.
- [02:08]
Reggie
Go first then.
- [02:09]
Kennedy
So for me, I'm going to rate it 4 stars. At the beginning of the book I was like, oh, this is going to be a five star read when. When she's at the college. And just the beginning, I was locked in. I was obsessed. I was eating it up and then towards the middle it lost me for a second. And then at the end it brought me back in and I'm very stingy and I think these two are also very stingy with their five star reads. So a lot of the books I feel like for our book Club we rate 4 stars just because it's just not quite there. It just needed like a little bit more. And I'm confident that maybe the next few books in the series, they will be five stars reads. But yeah, it just lost me a little bit in the middle. But this was so unique. I've never read an Asian inspired fantasy. I've never watched a TV show. I mean, I've seen Mulan, but other than that, I haven't really dove into this type of fiction. And I was obsessed. It was so unique and I loved a lot of the characters, which we'll get into some of my favorites a little bit later. But for me, literally the only reason I didn't give it five stars was just the middle lull. And also the ending didn't have me wanting to get into the next book. It kind of just fell a little flat for me almost. But yeah, overall obsessed Love.
- [03:34]
Reggie
I feel very similar to the way you felt about this book. Specifically about you saying how at the beginning you were like just so enthralled and thinking it was going to be this big five star read for you. I felt the exact same way. I also felt like the middle. I. And here's the thing. I think so I'm gonna. I'm gonna give it three stars. I do think I would have rated it four stars had I not had this weird little reading funk that I got in because I got to that little like lull in the middle. Which is interesting because when I was reading some like Goodreads reviews, a lot of people felt like they weren't bored at all. And. But then people in our fable were saying like, I'm having a hard time getting through this book. So just kind of goes to show that everyone had a different. Has a different experience with this book. But yeah, the.
- [04:27]
Kennedy
There.
- [04:27]
Reggie
It got to a point where. And it's just this is probably just a me problem. I was so tired on a Sunday and I was like laying on the couch and I was like, I just want to read. And I read two chapters and those chapters are long. I could not tell you what I had. Like, I finished them and I was like, I don't even know what I just read. And I think it was because I was just so tired. And then I had to kind of like go back and read them again. And it just. Me, I just took myself out of the book for a little bit and I had a hard time getting back into it because of that. So I think a lot of it was a me problem. I. I think I ruined my reading experience a little bit. By doing that unintentionally. But I did love how unique it was. I, I think I was really captivated by this book because of the fact that it is based on true events. So I did really like that, even though I didn't like it at the same time because of how heartbreaking and so, like, sad it is. But yeah, I, I, I will say though, the one thing I did really like, the ending because it wasn't really what I was expecting. And it does, I will say, like, in the middle I was like, I don't know if I'm gonna continue on reading these books, but after the ending I was like, maybe I will. So I don't know. I have, like, very conflicting feelings. So that's why I'm like giving it a three. Because there was a lot that I really loved. But I just, that middle part really just threw me for a loop. And my reading experience, I didn't set myself up for a good time, unfortunately. But yeah, sorry, I just talked in circles. But no, Michaela, that was great.
- [06:14]
Mikayla
Um, I was kind of debating between like four, four and a half, but I think I'm gonna stick with four. And I feel similar to you guys. It was really, it was really funny because there is, like, moments where I was having, like, conversations with myself where I was like, I did not expect the book to go in the direction that it did.
- [06:38]
Kennedy
100.
- [06:38]
Mikayla
And it's not like I knew everything that was going to happen in the book, but it just like, kind of threw me a loop. Kind of threw me through a loop with like, the direction that everything went. And it's not that I disliked it, but it kind of was like, oh, like, I wasn't expecting this, you know, to happen or like the storyline to go in this direction. And I really, I really, really liked it. I, I kind of like how it made me question a lot of, like, moral things. And I feel like it was really great. But there were some parts where I think they were necessary, but they were harder to read and like, get through. And not necessarily that they were hard topics, but it was just like, I don't really know what direction this book is going in. Kind of like, you know, the Lowell parts that they were saying, like the middle portion. And I feel like I was in a little bit of a reading slump and so I kind of had a little bit of a harder time getting through the book. Not that I didn't like it, but I just, my, my motivation to read was really at an all time low during this book and so maybe, maybe it's one of those books where you'll grow to appreciate the first book after you read the second and third. But I do see the potential for the second and potentially third to be like five star books. Because I feel like definitely this was a book that kind of had to set everything up and. Yeah. And I kind of. Yeah, the ending. I was like, I wish she would have. You know, this is me loving cliffhangers. Yeah, there kind of was a cliffhanger, but not really. And it's just like one of those books where you can be like, okay, this portion, it's almost like a season, right? Like a season of a show where, like, it's kind of like everything's a little bit resolved, but you know where the next book is going to go. Maybe, I don't know, after this first book, I have no idea maybe where the direction of the second book is going to go. But yeah, I thought it was four. I can understand why people would have a harder time with this book for sure, because I know a lot of people. I was reading some comments like, I'm having a really hard time getting through this book. It is. Yeah, it's a little bit more heavy on, like, topics. And I was gaslighting myself into thinking some things just because it's more normal for things to be added into books. And, like, it wasn't in there. And so I think it kind of was fun for it to be so different.
- [09:24]
Kennedy
Reading this book was kind of a trip for me because I haven't. I've only ever read. I've only ever read one other RF Kuang book, but it was quite literally a complete 180. From this book, I read Yellowface. And just to see how diverse she can write between those two books was a really cool experience for me because they are not alike in any way, shape or form. To see her go from kind of just the straight fiction to this epic war fantasy book was insane. And I just think RF Kuang has such a talent.
- [10:00]
Reggie
She wrote this book when she was 22. Is that right?
- [10:03]
Kennedy
I have no idea.
- [10:04]
Mikayla
She was 19.
- [10:05]
Reggie
Or maybe it was published when she was 22. Yeah, she is incredible.
- [10:11]
Kennedy
And there were so many times reading this where I would read certain quotes and I would have to stop and be like, wow, that is top tier.
- [10:21]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [10:21]
Kennedy
So many quotable things in our fable group. I was seeing so many people do. Yeah, little quote sticker thingy.
- [10:26]
Mikayla
I loved it.
- [10:27]
Kennedy
Yeah, I'm obsessed. RF Kuang is top tier in my book.
- [10:32]
Reggie
Yeah, she's In a league of her own, for sure. And she. I was listening briefly to someone was kind of like, I was watching a YouTube video on kind of, like, the history of the Poppy War and, like, RF Kuang in her story a little bit. So I only got, like, a little glimpse of it. But just hearing, like, what she studied in school and, like, all the schooling she's done and all the things that she has done from the time that this book was published is wild to me. Like, just major props to her.
- [11:06]
Mikayla
She's a smart gal.
- [11:07]
Reggie
She did her research. She knew her stuff. And I feel like I finished this book, and I had such a big appreciation for just overall history and just. Yeah, like, the time and effort that she put into this story, so.
- [11:28]
Kennedy
Well, you know, sometimes you read books and you feel dumber after reading them. I felt maybe a little bit smarter after this book. I don't know why. I don't know if it's because I learned so much about the history and culture. I have no idea, but I felt a little smarter, you know?
- [11:45]
Reggie
Yeah. I wish I felt more like that when I read books.
- [11:48]
Kennedy
So most of the time, I'm like, oh, my IQ dropped two points after this book.
- [11:55]
Reggie
All right, let's discuss our faves and our least faves, starting with the faves. I'll start with one, if you guys don't mind. I feel like there's probably, like. Would you say, like, four? There's three parts in the book. Correct. Out of the three parts, which were your favorites? Because I think you said the. Was the first part your favorite.
- [12:17]
Kennedy
I would say, yeah. Part one was probably my favorite, and then part three and part two was my least favorite.
- [12:22]
Reggie
Yeah, I would say I really liked part one because I. I mean, the chapters were long. I'll just really quickly say that that was, like, a least faith. But I. There was so much that happened by, like, the end of the first chapter that I was surprised at how quickly I was just drawn into the story and so invested. I loved seeing her just journey to getting to the school, and I was. It was really refreshing to. Maybe I shouldn't say refreshing, because I know there's other fantasy books that have a similar ish story. Okay, I say that, like, loosely, but she was someone who chose to do this. Like, she wasn't being forced into anything with, like, the school part. Like, she wanted to study for that. She wanted to go, and she worked her booty off. And it was so exciting to read about all of that that she just put everything into it. And for Me. That was, like, my favorite part of the whole book because I just thought her character development was very interesting in this book. But specifically in the beginning, I really enjoyed. Yeah. Her meeting everybody at the school and just that overall first part. I guess that's not anything, like, super specific.
- [13:55]
Kennedy
That's okay.
- [13:58]
Reggie
But, yeah, it was really fun to read all that. And just seeing where every. Like, especially after the book ended, seeing where everyone started from the beginning to where they ended up was one of my favorite parts, like the. Just the overall character relationships.
- [14:20]
Kennedy
So I remember reading it being like, so much happened in this book.
- [14:26]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [14:26]
Kennedy
From the beginning to the end. It's almost like there was three books written, genuinely. Part one, Part two, and Part three, which I appreciate and love. One thing that I liked, and this isn't on my list, but I kind of liked how she skipped over. I feel like there was a little bit of a time, like, kind of time jumps. There wasn't a lot of repetitiveness. There wasn't. Let's have them train and train and train and train and train for five chapters. And we're like, okay, we get it. They're training. It was talked about and touched on, but it wasn't harped on, if that makes sense. Yeah.
- [15:00]
Reggie
Everything felt very intentional, which I really like.
- [15:02]
Kennedy
Yeah. Which. The book was long, but it didn't. There was a time where it felt long, but it also didn't feel long, I think.
- [15:09]
Mikayla
Okay, I agree. The beginning part was probably my. My most favorite. And I feel like I was the most heavily invested in the beginning. But one specific thing that I was, like, screaming, kicking my feet at was when Najah and Rin were fighting the. I forget his name. The General together.
- [15:37]
Kennedy
I don't think we know his.
- [15:39]
Mikayla
The.
- [15:39]
Kennedy
You're talking about the Federation General, right? I don't know if we know his name.
- [15:42]
Mikayla
I can't remember. But that. It probably was my favorite part because they had this really, like, hate for each other. But then at the end of the day, they were fighting for the same thing. And so I just really loved that they, like, despise each other so much. And then when it came down to the nitty gritty, they were fighting for the same thing. And so, like, when they, like, were. He came and, like, helped. He got, like, stabbed, and then she, you know, finished it off. I just loved that part. I was like, ah, let's go. I love that part. So that was probably, like, my most favorite part. And then when he, like, came when she was with the Psych.
- [16:29]
Kennedy
Yes.
- [16:29]
Mikayla
And then. And he Shows up with like, I. I just loved because, like, I just. I don't. I had an inkling that there it was not gonna last with hatred.
- [16:41]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [16:42]
Mikayla
If that makes sense. And so, like, I just loved how they were kind of trying to figure out this relationship of like, we hate each other so much when we were competing against each other. But, like, we need to try to mend a friendship, you know?
- [16:58]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [16:59]
Kennedy
Well. And it was kind of ironic when he showed up to. I know the name of. Starts with K. The city that they're in.
- [17:08]
Mikayla
Okay, okay.
- [17:10]
Kennedy
Coeur d'alene. Coeur d'alene. That's the city that the psycher in. I think it's almost like she was craving that familiar, familiar face. And so he showed up and she was like, oh, my gosh. And also, I think that fight was the turning point in their relationship when they decided that they could probably be friends. Yeah, that was super epic. Yeah. Love that.
- [17:34]
Mikayla
I have.
- [17:35]
Kennedy
I don't have like a specific. Well, I do. I have a very specific quote that I really loved, but kind of a little bit more broad. Things that I really, really loved is I just feel like these characters were so complex. There were so many layers and they changed so much throughout the story, which I really, really liked. And I really loved Rin's journey to be. To being the anti hero. Like she starts. And I never would have thought that at the end of the book she would have lit up and killed all of these people. Never would have thought that she would have became this person that literally killed an entire city. Because at one point in the book, I'm trying to remember where. Where it's at, but there's this. She has this internal monologue or in this internal struggle of she doesn't know if she could ever actually kill anyone. She doesn't know if she's strong enough for that. And then by the end of the book, she kills hundreds of people. So I really liked that. And I think it was such. Mikayla kind of talked about this earlier, but there were so many moral dilemmas in this book that I really enjoyed kind of having this experience within myself wondering who is actually the bad guy and who's the good guy, who to root for, who is actually doing good in this war. I thought that was really interesting and fun. And there were just so many characters that I loved. And the side characters. I always love the side characters. I don't know what it is, but Katay and Kitai. Is that how you say it? Yeah. I didn't listen to the book, you guys.
- [19:13]
Mikayla
Sorry.
- [19:13]
Kennedy
So if I'm. If I'm butchering the names, I'm so sorry, Kitai. And is it Zhang? Wong? No, the Lord guy. Is it Wong, how you pronounce the name?
- [19:24]
Mikayla
The Lore Master Zhuang.
- [19:27]
Reggie
Yeah, the Lore Master.
- [19:29]
Kennedy
Zhang.
- [19:30]
Reggie
Zhang Katai.
- [19:32]
Kennedy
Zhang.
- [19:33]
Mikayla
I actually don't know. I can't remember.
- [19:36]
Kennedy
Who was the other one? Rams? No, Ramza. Ramsa. The kid in the psych. That blows everything up. I was obsessed with them. So overall I just think it was so good and so different. Oh, I was also gonna say, sorry, the quote that I was obsessed with and I found myself relating to Rin a lot because I have a type A personality. I have this like high achieving personality. And like if I fail at something or if I don't do something to my best ability, it's like it eats me alive. And I feel like Rin is very much that way. So there was this quote and it was one of my Goodreads updates. It's on page 95 and it is. Achievement was a high. Failure was worse than withdrawal. And I was like, I read that and I closed my book and I was just like, that is me in a nutshell. I get this high when I get praise or I achieve something and if I fail, it's like the end of the world. So Rin was me in that moment. Last thing I'll say is I do have the special edition of the book. And so reading throughout the book and being able to turn a page and have this insanely gorgeous illustration of certain scenes made my reading experience so much fun. I'm not saying you need to go run and buy the special edition or the collector's edition, but they were incredibly well done and it helped me picture things that much more.
- [21:11]
Reggie
Were the illustrations the same artist from the COVID Because I did learn that the COVID was drawn by the same artist that did the Avatar. What's called the Last Air Appendix.
- [21:29]
Kennedy
Avatar.
- [21:30]
Reggie
Avatar, yeah, Avatar.
- [21:32]
Kennedy
I don't know. I don't know. I would assume yes.
- [21:35]
Reggie
Anime.
- [21:36]
Kennedy
I would assume yes.
- [21:38]
Mikayla
So I feel like it had a similar style as like the.
- [21:42]
Reggie
I thought that was kind of original that she got them to do that.
- [21:45]
Kennedy
Whoever you're talking about, like the special edition cover, are you talking about the original?
- [21:49]
Reggie
I'm talking about the original Poppy War cover. I was just wondering if it was the same.
- [21:53]
Kennedy
I'm not sure, but I have no idea.
- [21:56]
Reggie
But they were and I thought that was kind of cool.
- [21:58]
Kennedy
They were insane. Yeah, they were so good.
- [22:01]
Reggie
Yeah, that's way cool. I meant to ask you how the illustrations were.
- [22:06]
Kennedy
So they were really good. I'm sure someone somewhere has posted them. I was going to post more in the fable group chat. I only posted one, but yeah, there was. I believe there was one illustration. I can't remember if it's when Rin and how do you say his name? Naj. No, I can't remember if it's their original fight in the combat class when she gets kicked out, or if it's at the end of the school year when they're fighting each other in the ring. There was this epic illustration of them fighting and it was so good. It was so good. I'll have to post them to our Instagram so you guys can see them.
- [22:48]
Reggie
But I'll be honest. When it comes to protein powders, I'm picky. I want something that tastes amazing, has clean ingredients and doesn't have that weird chalky texture. And I finally found it with Clean Simple Eats. Their protein powder is made with the best ingredients. It's grass fed, no seed oils and no artificial junk. My personal favorite is the mint chocolate cookie. It seriously tastes like a milkshake.
- [23:09]
Kennedy
And when I'm on the go, they're clear. Protein in a can is a lifesaver. It's just eight ingredients, low lactose, super light, and still has 20 grams of grass fed whey protein. So if you're looking for a way to hit your protein goals without sacrificing flavor or reading time, check out Clean Simple Eats. I promise you're going to love it.
- [23:27]
Mikayla
Their protein powder is honestly the best I've ever had. Visit cleansimpleats.com and use code read 20 at checkout for 20% off your first order. That's clean simple eats.com code R E A D20 for 20 off your first order link is also in the show notes.
- [23:51]
Reggie
Yeah, cool.
- [23:53]
Mikayla
We're moving on to our lease faves now. Yeah, I feel like we might say that all the same thing. Maybe not, but I feel like it was unnecessary.
- [24:03]
Kennedy
You go first.
- [24:03]
Mikayla
Oh, the chapter 21.
- [24:06]
Kennedy
Oh yeah.
- [24:07]
Mikayla
I mean it was my favorite thing to read, but I feel like it was necessary.
- [24:12]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [24:12]
Reggie
Oh, a hundred percent.
- [24:13]
Mikayla
You know, like I don't know. And then maybe like the, the it's me problem, the L for me in the beginning or I mean middle. I don't know it. I feel like there's not a lot of things that I can like nitpick with, like being my least favorite thing. It's the reason why similar to Kennedy was couldn't rate it 5 stars is it wasn't quite there, at least for me. So. But like, as far as least faves. I think chapter 21 was the hardest chapter to read.
- [24:49]
Reggie
Oh, I think that's like, the hardest thing I've ever read, ever.
- [24:54]
Kennedy
I felt physically ill. Yeah, so did I. A fun fact about me is I don't have a sense of smell. But reading that chapter, for some reason there was this smell that I could just smell that I knew that was there in that environment while they were walking around. And it, like, actually made me want to vomit. But, yeah, I. I do think it was a necessary evil because this war is completely brutal. And I don't know, we'll get into it later, but this specific chapter is inspired by something that actually happened. And we'll talk about it a little bit later, which is so sad.
- [25:36]
Reggie
But yeah, it was gut wrenching.
- [25:38]
Mikayla
Is that like your least favorite part? You would think or.
- [25:40]
Kennedy
The only thing I put as my least favorite is how long the chapters were. That was obviously my least favorite part.
- [25:47]
Mikayla
I have a question. Do you know me? I don't know. Maybe next time we have an author, we needed to ask about, like, chapter links and, like, why some people have longer chapter lengths and why some people have shorter ones. Like, I genuinely want to know, like, the thought process behind chapter.
- [26:06]
Kennedy
No, seriously. Seriously.
- [26:07]
Mikayla
Because it's not like, I don't know, maybe it's to make the story run better, but I feel like if she would have, like, broken up some of the chapters, I wouldn't have been upset.
- [26:19]
Kennedy
Or I would say, honestly, that was my least favorite part. And then just that little lull.
- [26:24]
Reggie
Yeah, I. One thing for me to add is that, like, there were a few times I had, like, a hard time completely understanding what was going on. I feel like that's part of, like, that was expected. Yeah, there were a few times where I was had to, like, go back and, like, read a paragraph again because I was like, wait, what is happening right now?
- [26:43]
Kennedy
I think for me, the most confusing chapter was. Let me see. I don't know what chapter it was. I'm so sorry. It's a chapter where her. And once again, you guys, I didn't listen to any much of this, so I don't know how to pronounce his name. Chagan. Chagan the seer.
- [27:03]
Mikayla
Yeah, I'm sorry.
- [27:06]
Kennedy
I'm sorry for butchering these names, but that whole chapter, when they go up to the gods with the hexagrams and the fortune telling, that's not the proper way to Describe it, but that's how I'm going to describe it. That was really confusing for me.
- [27:21]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [27:21]
Kennedy
But it's interesting because someone in our fable group mentioned. I mean, it makes sense, but there's actually a study of, like, hexagrams. That's a real legit thing. And so this person wrote in Human Design the hexagram that she gets. It's called the Taming Power of the Great or the Gate of the Egoist. In Gene Keys, the frequency shifts from the shadow of pride to the gift of artfulness and the city of invisibility. So it's kind of interesting that there's all these real things woven into this fantasy book. I don't know. Makes me kind of want to, like, look into that stuff a little bit more.
- [28:03]
Reggie
Yeah, I saw that comment and I thought that that was interesting because I knew nothing about that. I like when people can educate me.
- [28:08]
Kennedy
Oh, 100%.
- [28:09]
Reggie
So I just loved seeing people get excited about certain things in the book that maybe they weren't expecting to read about that they knew about. Because I honestly went into this book pretty blind. I wish I knew more about this history and the more that I've learned about it since. This book has been very enlightening.
- [28:35]
Mikayla
So we're going to share some thoughts that we had while reading and kind of try to go in the order of events and does anyone want to start? Because I feel like we talked a lot about the beginning. Poor, for sure. You know, like, I found it really. I mean, Rin took it very far with, like, how far she went to, like, get into the school and, like, would it suggest people doing that?
- [29:02]
Kennedy
And, like, she's burning herself.
- [29:04]
Mikayla
But I find it very, like, not motivational, but, like, invigorating. Like, you can do hard things. Like, that was, like. It was just really something different than. Because I feel like a lot of books we read, things come really easy and natural to, you know, main characters. And Rin was already smart, but she, like, trained herself to be smart and, like, remember things. And I just. I just. I love that portion. And I forgot which one mentioned about the character development. I think it was Gyukan or. I can't remember. It was just very interesting to see her at the very beginning to the end.
- [29:47]
Kennedy
Oh, yeah, 100%.
- [29:49]
Reggie
Like, she's almost unrecognizable, yet it was like, she did. She. She could do anything she put her mind to. She's like, a good example of that, but also isn't there. I don't remember who says it or Maybe she says it something about like becoming the thing that you hate. Maybe I'm.
- [30:07]
Kennedy
It's either her.
- [30:09]
Reggie
I wish I could have written down John, John, John. But yeah, it's like, yeah, she kind of became that thing that she never thought she would be. But then it's like she. Every step she took to get there. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah, her character development was very interesting to watch unfold.
- [30:33]
Kennedy
It was like forward character development and then backward character development. It was.
- [30:37]
Mikayla
It was interesting.
- [30:37]
Kennedy
Really unique. And I was obsessed with it.
- [30:40]
Mikayla
I.
- [30:40]
Kennedy
To Mikayla's point, I thought it was really cool because a lot of the fantasy books you read about these women who are trying to. They have this end goal, right. They're always doing these physical things. They're training physically. While Rin obviously did end up training. Training physically. The beginning, it was all mental. She was memorizing these texts and it was a test of her. Her. Her mental ability, not her physical ability, which I thought was really cool.
- [31:06]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [31:07]
Kennedy
Super unique. Someone. I was reading a Goodreads review and apparently whether or not RF Kuang meant to do this, this reviewer said that the kiju, which is the test that she takes, it was a real exam system in ancient China, but it was a series of tests taken as an assessment of the outcome of one's education to eventually qualify them for a job, not as a college entrance exam. So in the United States, think like your medical boards instead of like the SAT or the act. So I mean, that makes sense that they would have exams similar in China. But yeah, it was just interesting to me to hear that it's based on something that actually happens, which I think a lot of this book is based on things. So that's kind of cool. Following kind of like after she Goes to Sin Guard. I was obsessed with Jung from the moment he stepped on that little stage in front of everyone. The fact that he was just this misfit in this group of teachers, I mean, it was probably pretty glaringly obvious for everyone. Maybe not. But obviously I knew he was gonna be a bigger part of the story. There's no way he sticks out like a sore thumb and he's not. I just loved him. The fact that everybody thought he was this low level professor, nobody really cared what he had to say, when in reality he's like one of the most powerful beings.
- [32:39]
Mikayla
Just was Chef's kiss during that whole montage of her training with Zhuang.
- [32:51]
Kennedy
I.
- [32:52]
Mikayla
This is so bad. And I hate that I went this way. It just reminded me of Kung Fu Panda.
- [32:58]
Kennedy
Literally. Okay, I. I wasn't gonna say this, but Jung, I pictured Jack Black the entire time.
- [33:03]
Reggie
Oh, okay.
- [33:04]
Mikayla
I pictured Rin as. I forget. Po.
- [33:10]
Reggie
Po.
- [33:10]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [33:11]
Mikayla
Because not that Rin is the same as Poe, but, like, kind of this. Oh, I wrote it down. An underestimated student, like, very. Rin was very underestimated because of the background she came from. And then Juang, I couldn't decide between Master Shifu or the turtle because you know how the turtle is kind of, like, talks in, like, riddles and, like, very whimsical, but, like, he. He knows what he's doing. And, like, Master Shifu making Po do, like, these training montages that don't make sense, but then later make sense. That's just what I was going to. And I was eating it up because I was like, wait, this is really cool. Anyways, that's. That. That's what I could think of was going for Panda.
- [34:06]
Reggie
Love it.
- [34:07]
Kennedy
Yeah. I literally pictured Jung as Jack Black. Now, I know he would never be cast in the adaptation. You're obviously not going to cast a white man as that character. But for some reason, I don't know if it's just the way he acted at the first bit.
- [34:19]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [34:19]
Kennedy
But that's the only person I could picture for the first one.
- [34:22]
Mikayla
Like an unserious. Yeah, Like. Yeah, yeah.
- [34:25]
Kennedy
Very Zen. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know.
- [34:28]
Mikayla
So toxin riddles. Yeah. Like, what were you even saying? Anyways, sorry. Love that. Do you have anything you want to add?
- [34:38]
Reggie
I don't think so.
- [34:39]
Mikayla
Okay.
- [34:39]
Kennedy
Sorry.
- [34:39]
Mikayla
I was going to go to the next thing. I felt very different about this character towards the end. But Alton, I was obsessed with the mysteriousness. And then I really loved how he was kind of. What's the word? Like, everyone wanted to beat him.
- [35:00]
Kennedy
He was like, put on this pedestal kind of.
- [35:02]
Mikayla
And I loved how everyone was like, I want to beat him. And I just loved, like, the mysteriousness of him and being the Sealy.
- [35:12]
Reggie
What?
- [35:15]
Mikayla
I can't think of. Yeah. Sorry. Isn't there another book that's like, Sealy?
- [35:21]
Kennedy
I don't know.
- [35:22]
Mikayla
Okay.
- [35:23]
Kennedy
Sirly Spear.
- [35:24]
Mikayla
Spierly. Gosh dang it. And you kind of want to, like, know more info. And then you called it about Ren. I had no idea. I didn't call it.
- [35:36]
Kennedy
I was just like, there's gotta be something. And I swear, at one point it was mentioned, like, about. She was hot. And I was like, oh, she's gotta be spear. And then also she was a war orphan. And I was like, okay. That's gotta come into play somehow.
- [35:50]
Reggie
I figured that was the case because I've seen. Just kind of seemed inevitable a little bit. But I liked it. But, yeah, Alton was.
- [36:03]
Mikayla
Oh, yeah.
- [36:04]
Reggie
There was a comment on the fable. Someone said something like, I can't believe I'm, like, this many pages in. And I'm realizing, like, there is. There's not any room. Like, I'm eating this up and I'm realizing there's no romance. So I kind of kept being like, ooh. And then I was like, I kind of gotta, like, take myself, take the romance out of my brain for a second because this book didn't need it.
- [36:30]
Kennedy
Well, I feel like if there would have been a heavy romance, romantic underlying plot, it would have. It just didn't feel very on brand for Rin. No, she. That wasn't her priority. While I do think there was a.
- [36:42]
Mikayla
Little bit of romance, I was gaslighting myself.
- [36:48]
Kennedy
Yeah, I saw your comment on Fable.
- [36:51]
Reggie
Oh, I didn't see it. What did you say?
- [36:53]
Kennedy
Okay.
- [36:53]
Mikayla
So I felt like there was this weird dynamic between Najah Rin and Alton Alton.
- [37:02]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [37:04]
Mikayla
But obviously.
- [37:07]
Kennedy
That didn't happen.
- [37:08]
Mikayla
That didn't happen. I was gaslighting myself. I was like, what's going on? I was really. I was trying to put things in the book that weren't in there.
- [37:18]
Kennedy
I don't know.
- [37:19]
Mikayla
There was this weird. Especially with Alton, it's like, brotherly. But then she, like.
- [37:25]
Kennedy
Then she was, like, attracted to him kind of. Yeah. Yeah.
- [37:27]
Mikayla
I don't know. Is. I don't know. It was a weird. Weird.
- [37:30]
Reggie
I was getting whiplash.
- [37:31]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [37:32]
Kennedy
Well, at one point, there was a comment made, and someone was like, are you guys gonna bring back the Spearlies? Like, are you guys gonna have babies? But then obviously Wren cannot have children.
- [37:47]
Mikayla
But, yeah.
- [37:50]
Kennedy
And then obviously Alton dies.
- [37:52]
Reggie
But, yeah, that was.
- [37:54]
Kennedy
Yeah, but we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. We're getting a little ahead of ourselves. Yeah.
- [37:57]
Mikayla
Sorry.
- [37:58]
Kennedy
No, it's okay. I don't know if there's anything in between that you guys want to talk about, but.
- [38:04]
Mikayla
But when?
- [38:06]
Kennedy
Oh, I mean, obviously, we kind of already touched on it, but we have the Nezha and Rin battle sequence where they're taking on this big bad guy. Okay. I'm so sorry. I'm going back. Sorry. We're jumping all over the place. But something that I found really kind of wholesome a little bit was when Kitai. Is that how you say his name, Took Rin during one of the breaks and took him to his house.
- [38:30]
Mikayla
That Was cute.
- [38:31]
Kennedy
The.
- [38:32]
Mikayla
The babies. The little babies with the wieners.
- [38:35]
Kennedy
Yes. No, but literally, the illustration. There was an illustration of that scene. And there's just this little baby statue, like. Yeah.
- [38:42]
Mikayla
Sprays out like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [38:44]
Kennedy
So cute. I just thought. Kitai, Kitai, Kitai, Kitai. I'm sorry, you guys. Katai and Rin's relationship just warmed my heart.
- [38:53]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [38:53]
Kennedy
And then later on, we see this. We have this scene where I actually was sobbing. We'll get to it.
- [38:58]
Mikayla
But, yeah.
- [39:00]
Kennedy
Okay. Yeah, okay. So following, you know, she gets shipped off to be with the Psych. The only thing I could picture while this whole interaction is happening where she's with this band of misfits who. They don't know what the heck to do with them. Not that they're criminals. All I could picture was Suicide Squad.
- [39:20]
Mikayla
Yeah. You commented that on Goodreads. And I was like, what? And then I got. I'm like, ah, yes. Yes.
- [39:28]
Kennedy
Yeah. I don't know why. It just was like, this government is taking these people. They're on their own little team. Yeah. And they are tasked with things that nobody else can do.
- [39:40]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [39:41]
Kennedy
I don't know why. It just was like, Suicide Squad. So that was fun for me.
- [39:46]
Mikayla
I feel like that's where it, like, took the sharpest turn for me.
- [39:50]
Kennedy
Oh, yeah.
- [39:51]
Mikayla
I was like, okay, okay, we're doing this. I don't know where this is going, but we're doing it.
- [39:57]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [39:57]
Reggie
If that's. I feel like that's kind of like my every chapter. That's kind of how I felt from then on.
- [40:03]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [40:03]
Reggie
I was like, okay, all right.
- [40:05]
Kennedy
And around that time when she gets shipped there, we kind of get this little additional pov. And I was a little confused from. I can't remember his name, but he was the leader of the Psych. He was on that ship. And the Empress, you kind of get that little seed where you're like, oh, maybe she's not as good as we think she is. Which was really interesting at first. I was pissed off. I'm like, why are we getting this random person's point of view? And then kind of made sense, but, like, switches. Yeah.
- [40:36]
Mikayla
And then that's where I started to feel these. It, Like, Alton's character development started to change, too.
- [40:51]
Kennedy
Kind of started to hate him.
- [40:52]
Mikayla
But I feel like there was foreshadowing. One Zhuang was talking about him to Ren.
- [41:03]
Reggie
But when you hear his, like, backstory. Yeah. Tells her, like, everything.
- [41:07]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [41:07]
Mikayla
Yes. About, like, how he's worse than Rin is with, like, the approval and the need to succeed. Like, that's why Zhuang didn't train him because it's almost like he couldn't control it. And it was. Yeah. Anyway, so I. It was like a love hate relationship with him. I don't know.
- [41:32]
Kennedy
Because you loved him. Because you empathize with him. Because he's a spear and he has this anger within him that honestly is warranted because his whole island was basically destroyed. It was really. And obviously she did this on purpose. But the contrasting values of Zhuang and Alton, because their teachings were complete opposite.
- [41:54]
Mikayla
And I didn't know what was the right answer.
- [41:59]
Reggie
And I kind of feel like that plays a part and role into a lot of the decisions that Rin made. Like seeing where she ends up from where she began to where she ended was all dependent on a lot of. Not all dependent, but the way that she was like her masters played a big role in that.
- [42:21]
Kennedy
Yeah. Like how she was taught. Yeah.
- [42:25]
Mikayla
I have to say, with the psych, the part that had me laughing out loud was. I can't remember his name. The pyromaniac that loves exploding things.
- [42:36]
Kennedy
Ramza.
- [42:36]
Mikayla
Ramza. When he exploded something and the building.
- [42:41]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [42:42]
Mikayla
And then Rin had to be like, it was an accident.
- [42:44]
Kennedy
When he's young.
- [42:45]
Mikayla
Right.
- [42:45]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [42:46]
Mikayla
And so I just thought that was so funny because I just like how Rin was like, it was just an accident. It was an unfortunate accident.
- [42:55]
Kennedy
Well. And can you just picture all of these people with such differing powers? I mean, you have a guy that's water. I was having a hard time picturing, like, was he literally just a human standing but water? I don't know.
- [43:11]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [43:11]
Kennedy
And then you have the guy that's. I don't know if he turned into a monkey or. You know what I mean?
- [43:18]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [43:19]
Kennedy
He had. He was gaining power from the monkey God, I believe. I'm not sure. And then you have Alton and Rin, and then you have the twins. Just the dynamics was so interesting. Something I have to kind of put in here is. And maybe this isn't the right spot to put it in, but every time Rin and Alton would light up, all I could picture was Jack. Jack.
- [43:48]
Reggie
You know what? That's. That's a fair comparison.
- [43:50]
Kennedy
Jack. Jack gets upset. And then he just like lights on fire.
- [43:53]
Mikayla
Like Johnny from Flame On. Flame On.
- [43:57]
Kennedy
Yeah. I don't know why. It just. It just kept popping into my brain.
- [44:00]
Reggie
But the dynamic of the staring, it's not the same. I've just been on my Hunger Games grind. Like, you know, like their costume. When Their costumes light up on the parade. I was kind of like. And they're kind of like, pissed off face.
- [44:15]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [44:16]
Reggie
I was kind of picturing flames like that, but then I'm like, no, they've got to be. It's got to be more like of.
- [44:20]
Kennedy
A massive, like, like, flame on, Johnny. Yeah.
- [44:24]
Mikayla
No, I'm out.
- [44:25]
Kennedy
Like, everything's on fire.
- [44:26]
Reggie
Jack, Jack, that's.
- [44:27]
Mikayla
This girl is.
- [44:28]
Reggie
Yep, that's the one. Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack.
- [44:31]
Kennedy
For sure. For sure.
- [44:33]
Reggie
Just all our. I guess. I guess Kung Fu Panda isn't Disney, but, you know, sometimes your brain just.
- [44:39]
Kennedy
Has to make connections in any way.
- [44:41]
Reggie
Well, yeah, we love an Unhinged fan cast.
- [44:44]
Kennedy
I don't know. I don't know. Then I feel like the next kind of part that I want to talk about is the gas. Oh, yeah. With Nezha. Do you guys think he's really dead? No, I don't think he is either. I think he's alive, but, you know.
- [45:06]
Mikayla
I think he's alive, but also, I'm like, he's almost died twice.
- [45:12]
Kennedy
He's alive. I think he's alive.
- [45:14]
Mikayla
I think.
- [45:14]
Reggie
I didn't really think about it.
- [45:17]
Kennedy
I think he just. He'll come back and play a bigger part. I don't know why. I just have that feeling.
- [45:24]
Mikayla
Yeah, I have a feeling, too, that he's alive.
- [45:26]
Kennedy
Like, she obviously was super upset at Alton for not allowing her to go and get him, but I just don't feel like we got enough from Rin grieving his, quote, death that he's not. He's. He's.
- [45:38]
Mikayla
He's alive.
- [45:40]
Reggie
That makes sense.
- [45:41]
Kennedy
I don't know.
- [45:42]
Reggie
I don't know why I didn't really think about it.
- [45:44]
Kennedy
It was also giving another very popular book. It was written after this book, the Crawling. Ah, yeah. Ah. It won't say what book.
- [45:55]
Mikayla
Yes, yes.
- [45:56]
Kennedy
I was connecting the mental dots. Yeah, Crawling. Yeah.
- [46:03]
Mikayla
I gotcha.
- [46:04]
Kennedy
Yeah, same thing. Different. Yeah.
- [46:07]
Mikayla
I don't know. I just feel like Naja's story is not. It's not done done, but it could also be like a spirit for. I don't know.
- [46:16]
Kennedy
I don't know.
- [46:16]
Mikayla
I just feel like he plays their bigger role. He may not be like, alive alive. I don't know. I don't know.
- [46:23]
Kennedy
I don't know where this book, the next book is going, but I just have the gut feeling. I don't know why.
- [46:29]
Mikayla
Well, then, no, I won't skip this part. Never mind. Just kidding.
- [46:33]
Reggie
Was that the part you're going to say that made you sob?
- [46:36]
Kennedy
Oh, no, it was in chapter 21. So I don't know if we want to jump that far towards chapter 21.
- [46:42]
Mikayla
Cuz that was Katai.
- [46:44]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [46:46]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [46:46]
Kennedy
Are we jumping there?
- [46:49]
Reggie
I'm trying to think before then.
- [46:51]
Mikayla
Before.
- [46:51]
Kennedy
Oh, yes, yes.
- [46:52]
Mikayla
Okay.
- [46:53]
Kennedy
Okay.
- [46:53]
Mikayla
This was actually the turning point. Ah, no, I think this was before the gas. Because Alton like grabs Rin.
- [47:03]
Kennedy
Oh, yes.
- [47:04]
Mikayla
And then a jaw was like, what the heck happened? Mm, love that.
- [47:09]
Kennedy
Mm, love that.
- [47:10]
Mikayla
Because Alton, I was like, whatever you doing, bro.
- [47:13]
Kennedy
What the heck?
- [47:14]
Mikayla
What's going on? It just. You're turning into this monster.
- [47:17]
Kennedy
Well, just illustrated how he had zero control.
- [47:20]
Mikayla
Yeah, zero at that point. Also, was it so shocking to you guys when he was just like this?
- [47:27]
Kennedy
What?
- [47:28]
Mikayla
It was the drug.
- [47:29]
Kennedy
Opium.
- [47:30]
Mikayla
Opium addict. I didn't expect that.
- [47:32]
Kennedy
He's just chilling in the corner.
- [47:34]
Reggie
Yeah, yeah, I didn't. But it made sense to me though, once you knew, you know which we don't have to get into this too much, but like the opium stuff, I was thinking that it was kind of like when I was reading the book, I just thought it was something she added, but like. No, the whole opium thing is like a whole thing in history with the British and.
- [47:57]
Kennedy
And China.
- [48:00]
Reggie
It's wild.
- [48:01]
Mikayla
It's crazy.
- [48:02]
Reggie
I was like reading about that today and I was like, holy cow. So yeah, that was like a big deal anyways. But yeah, it made a lot of sense. I mean, the poor.
- [48:14]
Mikayla
Yeah, poor guy was not in control of.
- [48:17]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [48:18]
Kennedy
No.
- [48:18]
Mikayla
Anything.
- [48:19]
Kennedy
No.
- [48:19]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [48:20]
Mikayla
So. Okay. No.
- [48:22]
Kennedy
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- [48:40]
Reggie
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- [49:00]
Mikayla
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- [49:27]
Kennedy
Is it. I don't know. Before reading this book, I had heard people check the trigger warnings. This is a really dark series. And starting it, I just was thinking, I don't understand. Not that I didn't understand, but I was just like, I don't. Maybe it's the next books that get really dark. Then chapter 21 hit, and I was like, this is what everybody is talking about. I have never read anything that was so detailed, so disturbing in a book before. And I don't know if I'll ever read anything like that again. The scene, I mean, the entire chapter just had me sobbing the atrocities that happened at Goal. What was the city's name? Golan Nis. Golan Nis. I'm not saying it right. It was horrific. I do remember when Rin is running around trying to find Kitai and just screaming his name and screaming his name, sobbed. And then she found him sobbed. And then when you see Venka sobbed, like, that entire chapter just was like one punch after the other after the other after the other. And for those of you who are listening, I watched this YouTube video. I can't remember the creator's name, but he basically was kind of talking about all the Chinese history that is entwined in Poppy War. And what is the. There's a certain. There was a massacre. I can't remember the name. Can you guys? Did you guys. Do you guys know what I'm talking about? Basically, there was a war between. Between. Between China and Japan.
- [51:20]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [51:20]
Kennedy
And there was a massacre that this whole chapter was inspired by. And that just truly breaks my heart and makes me so sick to my stomach.
- [51:30]
Mikayla
I think RF Kuang named it the Forgotten Holocaust. Like, I don't. I think there is an actual name, but she. It's like something. Something forgotten Holocaust. And in the back of her books, she has, like, sources for all of her info that you can, like, go and read. And she's like, it's very detailed and specific to where I got the inspiration for chapter 21 so well.
- [52:04]
Kennedy
And I think in this video that this creator made. When this episode goes live, maybe I'll share this video because it was really insightful. There was a lot of information, not even just from chapter 21. He had kind of explained, I think Kitai might have said this, where they were basically competing to see how many people they could kill. There was two generals that actually did that to see how many people they could kill. And just the fact that when fiction blends with reality, it just Like, I. I don't even have words to describe just how horrific that is. And just the fact that I've never even heard about it honestly breaks my heart until this book.
- [52:46]
Reggie
Yeah. So, yeah. Well said.
- [52:50]
Mikayla
It was. Yeah.
- [52:52]
Reggie
I was listening to it, and I was in my car, and I literally had to. There was parts like they. Something would start to be said, and I literally just had to, like, turn my volume down. And I felt kind of bad because I'm like. I feel like I should be.
- [53:09]
Kennedy
Like.
- [53:09]
Reggie
Not skipping out on any of this because it is something that has probably actually happened. But I found myself, like, I finished that chapter, and I had. I drove in silence for a very long time, just kind of, like, letting things settle. Because there's a lot of heartbreaking things I've read in books. But, yeah, like you said, like, nothing to that extent. And then. Yeah. To know that stuff like that has actually happened, it's just not something that you ever forget.
- [53:48]
Kennedy
I just appreciate that this book caused me to learn something that I didn't know about. And, yeah, I think it also.
- [53:58]
Mikayla
It sucks reading that stuff. But I personally think if she would have dulled anything down, it wouldn't have shown how brutal war is. And I feel like war, it's terrible. And I especially feel like for fantasy books, sometimes you don't grasp the concept of, like, how terrible it is. And I think in my brain, it really just solidified that. I feel like there's a lot that authors kind of don't. They, like, kind of skim over, but I think was necessary to show how brutal the war was. And, yeah, it was. It was. It was crazy. It was crazy.
- [54:48]
Reggie
Yeah. The book would have been a lot different had she glossed over.
- [54:52]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [54:52]
Reggie
Any detail so well.
- [54:56]
Kennedy
And I think that moment, as well as when her and Alton get taken to be test subjects, I think that solidified in Rin's brain the rage that she had and the. What's the word I'm looking for? The vengeance she wanted to have. I think that was kind of the turning point for her, that, like, there was no going back.
- [55:21]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [55:23]
Mikayla
So I feel like we're getting towards the end. Is there anything else? I. I feel very conflicted towards the end of the book because I understand what Rin did, but I also think she did the exact same thing. Oh, 100%, you know, and so I'm.
- [55:44]
Reggie
Like, yeah, she became the person. Yeah.
- [55:47]
Kennedy
She became what she hated.
- [55:48]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [55:49]
Kennedy
Literally going back to what Reggie said earlier.
- [55:50]
Mikayla
Yeah. And I'm. I don't know how I feel about her.
- [55:54]
Kennedy
Well, it's the anti hero.
- [55:57]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [55:57]
Kennedy
You know, you. You don't. I don't know. It's. And part of the reason that I enjoyed this book was, like, the fact that Rin, most of the time, wasn't super likable.
- [56:08]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [56:09]
Kennedy
She wasn't this person that you always rooted for because she kind of had this edge to her. But I don't know. I. I don't know how I feel about the end. The only. I kind of feel like Kitai is going to be her saving grace.
- [56:22]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [56:22]
Kennedy
Because everybody on that boat not. I got. Maybe you guys disagree. I got the vibe that the psych. And everybody on the boat wasn't really disappointed in Rin. And Kitai was the only one that.
- [56:33]
Mikayla
Was like, what you did was wrong.
- [56:36]
Kennedy
And I love him for that.
- [56:39]
Reggie
Yeah. I was trying to find a.
- [56:44]
Mikayla
It's almost like, sorry, oh, no, you don't.
- [56:46]
Reggie
Go for it. I was gonna say there was a comment I saw on a YouTube video, and I thought this was, like, an interesting perspective. So, um, someone said I must be a terrible person because I don't actually feel that Rin is that bad of a person. She definitely does some horrific things, but for most of the book, I think she's a young girl who's reacting normally to the failure of her mentor figures. She's never had anyone there for her until Cinegard. And even then, the people who are trying to teach her basically give up on her the moment she shows signs of not agreeing with them. Everyone's quick to judge her, but nobody around her offers her any other options. Basically a just run away. Don't be a monster, too. When she's essentially staring in the face of extinction, the only people who stay by her are those who encourage her rage. So why wouldn't she give in to the rage? Which I just thought was kind of uninteresting.
- [57:37]
Mikayla
Yeah, I see. I didn't think. I didn't have a problem with Rain. Like, I liked her until the very end. And not saying I don't like her. I just feel like I have this moral dilemma that I'm like, mm, totally. I'm. I just feel like my brain is. No matter what, it's an evil thing.
- [57:59]
Kennedy
Yeah. It's very black and white. Yes. Yes. But in her mind, there's gray.
- [58:02]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [58:03]
Kennedy
Yeah. I'm really interested to see in the. Where the next book goes and if it's going to be centered around Rin having this inner turmoil of. Is what I did right or wrong? Mm. I don't I. I don't know.
- [58:19]
Mikayla
I don't know. It's.
- [58:21]
Kennedy
I definitely did not see the book ending that way.
- [58:23]
Reggie
Oh, same.
- [58:24]
Kennedy
I had no idea how I thought it was gonna end, but it. Not like that one.
- [58:29]
Mikayla
You think Alton's dead, right? Like, yeah, I think he's dead. Okay.
- [58:33]
Reggie
But I thought makes her the last, which makes things. And like the stakes. Yeah. A little higher.
- [58:41]
Kennedy
But also going back on what I literally just said, I don't know if she's going to feel remorse because she gave herself to the Phoenix.
- [58:48]
Mikayla
Yeah. I feel like maybe the second book is maybe fighting the Phoenix, like, within herself. Because I feel like it was kind of towards the end that she kind of was, you know, a little bit. Like, I can't. I can't different differentiate between, like, myself and the Phoenix. So maybe like this.
- [59:13]
Reggie
Oh, I like. Yeah.
- [59:14]
Mikayla
And maybe Kitai, like, kind of trying to pull her out because Alton did the same thing for.
- [59:22]
Kennedy
The.
- [59:23]
Mikayla
Yes.
- [59:23]
Kennedy
What is his name? I know his name. Hold on.
- [59:25]
Mikayla
You know what I'm saying?
- [59:26]
Kennedy
Like, he did it for Suni.
- [59:27]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [59:28]
Kennedy
Yes.
- [59:28]
Mikayla
So I don't know. That's where I'm thinking maybe.
- [59:31]
Kennedy
Maybe Nezha coming back. He's her. He's her grounding person.
- [59:39]
Mikayla
I don't know.
- [59:39]
Kennedy
So I don't have many theories for the next book. I. After reading this, I don't think I could even guess where she's gonna take it. Yeah.
- [59:49]
Mikayla
Remind me. So the end of the book, it's towards the Empress, right? That's where their. Their goal is. Is, like.
- [60:00]
Kennedy
Maybe it'll be them against the Empress. Them overtaking her.
- [60:04]
Mikayla
Yeah.
- [60:05]
Kennedy
Was it.
- [60:05]
Mikayla
Wasn't that, like, the plan at the very end?
- [60:08]
Kennedy
Correct.
- [60:09]
Reggie
Left the site, told everyone.
- [60:12]
Mikayla
Yeah, she kind of left the psych for.
- [60:15]
Kennedy
Yeah, well, the psycher on the boat with her. Yeah, she's with the psych. Yeah, I'm pretty sure.
- [60:20]
Mikayla
Oh, yeah, maybe I didn't catch that.
- [60:23]
Reggie
Yeah. Because she's with the psych. But the Empress, they find out that.
- [60:27]
Mikayla
She rinse with the psych.
- [60:28]
Kennedy
Yeah, I think so.
- [60:29]
Mikayla
Yeah. No, I'm saying with the Empress.
- [60:31]
Kennedy
Oh, yeah.
- [60:32]
Mikayla
She's not with the Empress.
- [60:33]
Kennedy
Oh, no, no, she's with rinse. With the psych.
- [60:35]
Mikayla
I was like, the Empress is on the boat?
- [60:37]
Kennedy
No, no, no. Sorry. No, no. I thought when you said she, I thought you meant Rin. Yes, yeah, yeah, I get it. I get it. Because she. You find. Rin finds out that the reason essentially why Golan NYS got attacked was because of the Empress. Yeah, yeah. She told them where everybody was going to be.
- [60:57]
Reggie
She was doing a little tattletale.
- [60:58]
Kennedy
Yeah.
- [60:58]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [60:59]
Mikayla
Okay.
- [60:59]
Reggie
Yeah.
- [61:00]
Kennedy
Well, wild.
- [61:02]
Reggie
What a ride that was. And we are buckling up for books two and three. Mm. We hope you enjoyed the Poppy War, and if you didn't, maybe you will enjoy our April book club book, which is the Conditions of Will by Jessa Hastings.
- [61:21]
Kennedy
Yay.
- [61:22]
Reggie
And if I just have to say, if you are still listening and you have missed our episode that recently came out with Jessa Hastings, I really encourage you guys to go listen, go watch. She is so brilliant and has such a beautiful mind, and we really appreciate the feedback that we've gotten on that episode and just are really grateful for Jess's time that she took. And after talking to her, I am even more excited to dive into this book. And it's standalone.
- [61:56]
Kennedy
It's. Yeah.
- [61:57]
Mikayla
Even if you haven't read any of her other books, Jessa even suggested starting with this one because it's a standalone one.
- [62:04]
Kennedy
Yeah. Also, this isn't a spoiler or anything, but the main character of the Conditions of Will does make a cameo in the Magnolia park series. So if you've read Magnolia Parks, you might recognize her name.
- [62:17]
Reggie
Yeah. So everybody go tune into that if you would like. And she even gives you a little more of a glimpse into what to expect from that book. But yeah, thanks so much for tuning into this episode. And as a reminder, you can follow along with our monthly book club book books on our Fable, which is linked on our TikTok and our Instagram bio. It's a fun place to be. And yeah, can't wait to read along with you guys next month. Thanks for tuning in. Leave us a review if you like this episode and we'll see you guys next week. Bye.