Podcast
Ravin' Girls: A Raven Cycle Podcast
Hosted by Shannon Pack and Nievita Hartness · EN
We’re Shannon and Nievita, and we’re the Ravin’ Girls! Welcome to our Raven Cycle podcast, where we analyze Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle as a cycle, taking a look at the connections and foreshadowing running throughout the series. We dissect the themes of the books, discuss the arcs of the wonderfully complex characters, and take “Deep Dives” on the origins, folklore, mythology, history, and fandom that surrounds this iconic young adult series.
Each episode covers 3-5 chapters worth of material, and each book has its own self-contained Season. We often cover Maggie Stiefvater’s new novels or other related works in Special Episodes. New episodes release on the first and third Thursdays of every month. Join us as we follow the adventures of four dysfunctional teenagers and their dead Welsh boyfriend!
47episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ravin' Girls Episode 27: Circular Chicken
Jul 26, 201901:21:59Tap to summarizeWelcome to Season 2 Episode 27, where we cover Chapters 44-49 of The Dream Thieves! So much angst, practically every character hits bottom. That means the only thing left is up, right? Nievita tells basically everyone except Kavinsky to eff off, and Shannon calls Greenmantle a b*tthole which is basically the same thing. We talk symbolism in Feng Shui and Japanese buffets, and disagree on the extent that K is responsible for Cabeswater’s disappearance. There are some tears--but possibly not from who you would expect. Calla gives our first solid hints about how time works in The Chicken Cycle, and we award our most expansive MVC yet! DEEP DIVE: Stereotypes and Media Tropes relating to Joseph Kavinsky (from approx. the 20:29 minute mark to 30:01, depending on your player) CAUTION: In our Deep Dive we discuss the broad history of media portrayals of queerness and ethnicity. While we always try to be as sensitive as possible, we understand that this is a much more nuanced topic than we can possibly cover in 10 minutes. Please exercise caution while listening if you find this topic personally sensitive. Love! Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes Subscribe at: https://ravingirls.podiant.co or wherever you get your podcasts, and please comment, rate, or review! - - - - - Next Episodes: 8/8/19-- Ravin’ Girls S2 Episode 28, covering chapters 50-53 of TDT 8/22/19-- Ravin' Girls S2 Episode 29, covering chapters 54-59 of TDT Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes - - - - - Links to Articles, Websites, and Other Discussions: Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com - - - - - Acknowledgements: The Raven Cycle and all affiliated properties (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and The Raven King) are copyright Maggie Stiefvater and Scholastic, Inc. The Ravin’ Girls reference these properties for the purpose of literary analysis. Intro and Outro music by Damiano Baldoni, used under CC Attribution License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Lost_Dinasty/ The original tracks have been edited for the podcast. Ravin’ Girls logo and banner art © 2018 Mio Mäkijärvi, All Rights Reserved. Please visit http://kojotei.tumblr.com/ for more information.
Transcribe →Ravin' Girls SpEp: Call Down the Hawk Sampler
Jul 4, 201901:16:42Tap to summarizeWelcome to the Call Down The Hawk Special Episode!!! Where we cover the excerpt released by Scholastic, Prologue-Chapter 8. So many new characters! So many new things to be worried about! SO MUCH EXCITEMENT! Find out what Shannon would have called the black market, what 90’s British cartoon Nievita thinks might be related to dreamers, the possible meaning behind the new dream-forest’s name, and what we found most shocking and satisfying about the excerpt. We answer (or ramble) some listener questions, and grade our past predictions for the Dreamer Trilogy as Confirmed, Denied, or Unknown. Are we possibly psychic? It’s up to you to decide! NOTES: There was an announcement today (7/3/19) about Ronan’s birthday in the final version of Call Down The Hawk being changed from the listed date in the preview excerpt, to keep in line with events from The Raven King. Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes Subscribe at: https://ravingirls.podiant.co or wherever you get your podcasts, and please comment, rate, or review! - - - - - Next Episodes: 7/18/19-- Ravin’ Girls S2 Episode 27, covering chapters 44-49 of TDT Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes - - - - - Links to Articles, Websites, and Other Discussions: Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com - - - - - Acknowledgements: The Raven Cycle and all affiliated properties, including Call Down The Hawk and the Dreamer Trilogy, are copyright Maggie Stiefvater and Scholastic, Inc. The Ravin’ Girls reference these properties for the purpose of literary analysis. Intro and Outro music by Damiano Baldoni, used under CC Attribution License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Lost_Dinasty/ The original tracks have been edited for the podcast. Captain Zed theme song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH7ULRtRWWs, property of DiC Enterprises CNN “State of the Union”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRYmh6vrDfs Ravin’ Girls logo and banner art © 2018 Mio Mäkijärvi, All Rights Reserved. Please visit http://kojotei.tumblr.com/ for more information.
Transcribe →Ravin' Girls Episode 26: Tiny Irish Flag
Jun 13, 201901:15:18Tap to summarizeWelcome to Season 2 Episode 26, where we cover Chapters 40-43 of The Dream Thieves! Gansey gets disturbing texts from Ronan’s phone, Adam has gone missing, and Ronan and Kavinsky are out having a Dagobah moment. We tackle (no pun intended) the Great Dick Pic Controversy, and question how many times Shannon read through the books before she thought Ronan was “okay”. We find out what autocorrect has decided Glendower’s poet should be named, and talk about a disturbing number of bodies stuffed in trees. Shannon wonders if we should continue our Fast and the Furious franchise by watching Tokyo Drift and comes down firmly on the side of Team Adam, and Nievita talks about her dream Raven Cycle cosplay accessory. We also mangle a lot of Welsh words. We’re sorry. We tried. DEEP DIVE: Hywel Sele and Related Legends (from approx. the 16:57 minute mark to 29:37, depending on your player) Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes Subscribe at: https://ravingirls.podiant.co or wherever you get your podcasts, and please comment, rate, or review! - - - - - Next Episodes: 6/27/19-- Ravin’ Girls S2 Episode 27, covering chapters 44-49 of TDT Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes - - - - - Links to Articles, Websites, and Other Discussions: Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com - - - - - Acknowledgements: The Raven Cycle and all affiliated properties (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and The Raven King) are copyright Maggie Stiefvater and Scholastic, Inc. The Ravin’ Girls reference these properties for the purpose of literary analysis. The Dream Thieves audiobook excerpts narrated by Will Patton and copyright Scholastic Audio 2013. Intro and Outro music by Damiano Baldoni, used under CC Attribution License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Lost_Dinasty/ The original tracks have been edited for the podcast. Бела Жига by Ъпсурт (Bela Jiga by Upsurt) copyright managed by Facing The Sun (http://facingthesun.eu/#/bela_jiga) -- fair use. Track available through Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/samuil-slavchev/cyqxwnuedjaz or Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bela-Jiga-Single-Upsurt/dp/B009REFPPU for download Ravin’ Girls logo and banner art © 2018 Mio Mäkijärvi, All Rights Reserved. Please visit http://kojotei.tumblr.com/ for more information.
Transcribe →Ravin' Girls Episode 25: The Sweet Spot
May 19, 201901:22:42Tap to summarizeWelcome to Season 2 Episode 25, where we cover Chapters 34-39 of The Dream Thieves! Ronan puts the dreamed Camaro keys to the test by seeking some street racing Zen with Joseph Kavinsky, but gets a collision of epic proportions instead. Meanwhile a different, but no less destructive, type of collision is happening at the Gansey mansion between Adam and RCG3. Looks like lots of things are going to end up broken tonight! We also talk about the fastest cars we’ve ever driven, how street racing relates to Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and the perfect TV show visuals. Shannon calls Ronan “bro”, Kavinsky is weirdly compared to a white knight rescuing a damsel, and Nievita rants about the legality of abandoning a car (not to mention nightmarish bodies) on the side of the road in Virginia. LISTENER QUESTIONS: Instead of a Deep Dive this time, we answered listener questions from approx. the 1:05:42 minute mark to 1:19:42, depending on your player) Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes Subscribe at: https://ravingirls.podiant.co or wherever you get your podcasts, and please comment, rate, or review! - - - - - Next Episodes: 6/6/19-- Ravin’ Girls S2 Episode 26, covering chapters 40-43 of The Dream Thieves 6/20/19-- Ravin' Girls S2 Episode 27, covering chapters 44-49 of The Dream Thieves Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes - - - - - Links to Articles, Websites, and Other Discussions: Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com - - - - - Acknowledgements: The Raven Cycle and all affiliated properties (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and The Raven King) are copyright Maggie Stiefvater and Scholastic, Inc. The Ravin’ Girls reference these properties for the purpose of literary analysis. Intro and Outro music by Damiano Baldoni, used under CC Attribution License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Lost_Dinasty/ The original tracks have been edited for the podcast. Ravin’ Girls logo and banner art © 2018 Mio Mäkijärvi, All Rights Reserved. Please visit http://kojotei.tumblr.com/ for more information.
Transcribe →Ravin' Girls Episode 24: Dangerously Hipster Tendencies
Apr 18, 201901:34:30Tap to summarizeWelcome to Season 2 Episode 24, where we cover Chapters 31-33 of The Dream Thieves! The Dad-friend leaves town for a party and everyone goes crazy! Ronan uses his dream-keys to start the Pig and illegally takes Matthew back to their childhood home, Blue and Noah poke into all the crevices of Monmouth and get frisky on Gansey’s bed, and meanwhile the only bright spot for Adam and Gansey is an old guy talking about pigeons. Shannon talks about the car she wishes she could take out of her dreams, Nievita gets caught up in the physiology of ghosts, and we both give our picks for Gansey’s favorite Beatles’ song. Plus, you get DOUBLE the DEEP DIVE! DEEP DIVE: PIGEONS!!! And… Sir Thomas Malory (from approx. the 12:01 minute mark to 25:11, depending on your player) Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes Subscribe at: https://ravingirls.podiant.co or wherever you get your podcasts, and please comment, rate, or review! - - - - - Next Episodes: 5/2/19-- Ravin’ Girls S2 Episode 25, covering chapters 34-39 of TDT Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes - - - - - Links to Articles, Websites, and Other Discussions: Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com - - - - - Acknowledgements: The Raven Cycle and all affiliated properties (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and The Raven King) are copyright Maggie Stiefvater and Scholastic, Inc. The Ravin’ Girls reference these properties for the purpose of literary analysis. Intro and Outro music by Damiano Baldoni, used under CC Attribution License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Lost_Dinasty/ The original tracks have been edited for the podcast. Ravin’ Girls logo and banner art © 2018 Mio Mäkijärvi, All Rights Reserved. Please visit http://kojotei.tumblr.com/ for more information.
Transcribe →Ravin' Girls Episode 23: All of the "A's"
Mar 24, 201901:12:59Tap to summarizeWelcome to Season 2 Episode 23, where we cover Chapters 27-30 of The Dream Thieves! Everyone’s on fire at Kavinsky’s substance party, including the Mitsubishi! Ronan and Gansey visit another king’s kingdom, Maura and the Gray Man go on a date where Maura steals yet another piece of his property, and Ronan has a very, very symbolic dream. We also agree that the 80’s were a weird time, Shannon discusses the legality of fireworks, Nievita points out the most unbelievable part of the whole book, and we discuss which one of us would be more likely to follow the other person in a car on a date. MINI DEEP DIVE: The myth of Pygmalion (from approx. the 19:56 minute mark to 23:32, depending on your player) Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes Subscribe at: https://ravingirls.podiant.co or wherever you get your podcasts, and please comment, rate, or review! - - - - - Next Episodes: 4/4/19-- Ravin’ Girls S2 Episode 24, covering chapters 31-33 of TDT 4/18/19-- Ravin' Girls S2 Episode 25, covering chapters 34-39 of TDT Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes - - - - - Links to Articles, Websites, and Other Discussions: Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com - - - - - Acknowledgements: The Raven Cycle and all affiliated properties (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and The Raven King) are copyright Maggie Stiefvater and Scholastic, Inc. The Ravin’ Girls reference these properties for the purpose of literary analysis. Intro and Outro music by Damiano Baldoni, used under CC Attribution License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Lost_Dinasty/ The original tracks have been edited for the podcast. The following sound effects and music were edited and used under Attribution Noncommercial Creative Commons Licenses: https://freesound.org/people/homejrande/sounds/17375/ https://freesound.org/people/tallareta/sounds/192328/ https://freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/74899/ https://freesound.org/people/northern87/sounds/369983/ https://freesound.org/people/kangaroovindaloo/sounds/161934/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u4HkZI2dzc Ravin’ Girls logo and banner art © 2018 Mio Mäkijärvi, All Rights Reserved. Please visit http://kojotei.tumblr.com/ for more information.
Transcribe →Ravin' Girls Episode 22: The Kinks Are Always A Problem
Mar 7, 201901:24:31Tap to summarizeWelcome to Season 2 Episode 22, where we cover Chapters 23-26 of The Dream Thieves! The Gray Man breaks into Monmouth while flirting with Maura, the Gangsey and Orla make a sweaty and frustrating boat trip to discover some enigmatic clues, and Blue meets her mom’s new suitor while rehearsing The Little Mermaid with Noah. We talk about the Gray Man’s life motto, who has the cutest pet names (spoiler: it’s Mr. Gray’s rental car), and if we would rather live at 300 Fox Way or The Barns. Shannon has an adorable accent, Nievita acts out a piece of fan art (great podcast content for sure), we wonder Who Wore It Best, and we all find out why Alfred was So Damned Great! DEEP DIVE: Alfred the Great (from approx. the 13:18 minute mark to 21:24, depending on your player) Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes Subscribe at: https://ravingirls.podiant.co or wherever you get your podcasts, and please comment, rate, or review! - - - - - Next Episodes: 3/21/19-- Ravin’ Girls S2 Episode 23, covering chapters 27-30 of TDT 4/4/19-- Ravin' Girls S2 Episode 24, covering chapters 31-33 of TDT Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes - - - - - Links to Articles, Websites, and Other Discussions: Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com - - - - - Acknowledgements: The Raven Cycle and all affiliated properties (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and The Raven King) are copyright Maggie Stiefvater and Scholastic, Inc. The Ravin’ Girls reference these properties for the purpose of literary analysis. Intro and Outro music by Damiano Baldoni, used under CC Attribution License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Lost_Dinasty/ The original tracks have been edited for the podcast. Rondeau (the theme from "Masterpiece Theatre") in public domain, performance by New York Trumpet Ensemble: https://youtu.be/V6bIh2HQA44 Ravin’ Girls logo and banner art © 2018 Mio Mäkijärvi, All Rights Reserved. Please visit http://kojotei.tumblr.com/ for more information. trc, ravencycle, ravenboys, maggiestiefvater, ravencyclepodcast, episode22, ravingirls, podcast, yalit, literaryanalysis, literary, analysis, raven, cycle, boys, king, dream, thieves, lily, blue, trb, tdt, bllb, trk, theravenboys, thedreamthieves, bluelily, theravenking, maggie, stiefvater
Transcribe →Ravin' Girls Episode 21: The Devil's Junk
Feb 21, 201901:16:27Tap to summarizeWelcome to Season 2 Episode 21, where we cover Chapters 19-22 of The Dream Thieves! The Gangsey make an illegal trip to Ronan’s childhood home to get rid of yet another body. Ronan apparently dislikes light fixtures and psychics but loves his baby brother. Shannon connects the origins of some Sleeping Beauty stories to our good pal Geoffrey of Monmouth and reveals that she has a list of people she would bury a body for. Nievita admits to her childhood career aspirations and favorite Disney villainess, and we debate whether the term “Cat Room” refers to real cats or cat-shaped figurines. MINI DEEP DIVE #1: The Origins of Sleeping Beauty (from approx. the 39:56 minute mark to 44:27, depending on your player) MINI DEEP DIVE #2: Coyote as Mythological Figure (from approx. the 52:10 minute mark to 55:41, depending on your player) Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes Subscribe at: https://ravingirls.podiant.co or wherever you get your podcasts, and please comment, rate, or review! - - - - - Next Episodes: 3/7/19-- Ravin’ Girls S2 Episode 22, covering chapters 23-26 of TDT 3/21/19-- Ravin' Girls S2 Episode 23, covering chapters 27-30 of TDT Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes - - - - - Links to Articles, Websites, and Other Discussions: Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com - - - - - Acknowledgements: The Raven Cycle and all affiliated properties (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and The Raven King) are copyright Maggie Stiefvater and Scholastic, Inc. The Ravin’ Girls reference these properties for the purpose of literary analysis. The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Traditional: Performed by Loreena McKennitt, ℗ 2012 Quinlan Road Limited Intro and Outro music by Damiano Baldoni, used under CC Attribution License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Lost_Dinasty/ The original tracks have been edited for the podcast. Ravin’ Girls logo and banner art © 2018 Mio Mäkijärvi, All Rights Reserved. Please visit http://kojotei.tumblr.com/ for more information.
Transcribe →Ravin' Girls Episode 20: Silent Hill Flashbacks
Feb 8, 201901:18:43Tap to summarizeWelcome to Season 2 Episode 20, where we cover Chapters 15-18 of The Dream Thieves! The Gangsey head back to visit their mystical talking tree friends for the first time since Adam made his bargain, but what’s this? A whole forest is gone! The Pig once again breaks down in a plot-convenient way, and Ronan has terrible dreams… some of which escape his head. We talk about what a drama queen Ronan can be, how Gansey can apparently use a smooth pick-up line on everyone except Blue, the parallels between Ronan’s mask dream and incidents in The Raven King, and how even Goddesses can sometimes make poor fashion choices. DEEP DIVE: The Mythology of Dreams (from approx. the 29:30 minute mark to 42:28, depending on your player) Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes Subscribe at: https://ravingirls.podiant.co or wherever you get your podcasts, and please comment, rate, or review! - - - - - Next Episodes: 2/21/19-- Ravin’ Girls S2 Episode 21, covering chapters 19-22 of TDT 3/7/19-- Ravin' Girls S2 Episode 22, covering chapters 23-26 of TDT Past Episode Guide: https://ravingirls.tumblr.com/episodes - - - - - Links to Articles, Websites, and Other Discussions: Find our complete shownotes on WordPress: https://ravingirls.wordpress.com - - - - - Acknowledgements: The Raven Cycle and all affiliated properties (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and The Raven King) are copyright Maggie Stiefvater and Scholastic, Inc. The Ravin’ Girls reference these properties for the purpose of literary analysis. Intro and Outro music by Damiano Baldoni, used under CC Attribution License: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Damiano_Baldoni/Lost_Dinasty/ The original tracks have been edited for the podcast. Ravin’ Girls logo and banner art © 2018 Mio Mäkijärvi, All Rights Reserved. Please visit http://kojotei.tumblr.com/ for more information.
Transcribe →Ravin' Girls: A Very Special Announcement!
Feb 7, 201900:00:54Tap to summarizeWelcome to a very exciting announcement that we've all been waiting for! The first book of Maggie Stiefavter's new Dreamer Trilogy, Call Down The Hawk, will be released on November 5th, 2019. WHOOHOO!
Transcribe →