Of Swords and Soulmates
Is this a kissing book? Of Swords and Soulmates features two couples (and sometimes more), with varying reading preferences and experiences, as they read, listen, and sometimes watch romantasy stories and discuss plot, fantasy elements, romance, spice, theories, and more. Join us for our non-expert opinions as we discuss, argue, rave, rant, and hopefully entertain. We may just help you find your next reading obsession or at least contribute to that TBR list!
Of Swords and Soulmates
"Ivy & Bone" - Witches, Devils, and Emotional Journeys
This episode kicks off with thrilling news from the Fabled Fantasy event in Orlando and their innovative app that helps attendees navigate schedules and panels. Plus, discover the stunning special edition release of Naomi Novik's Scholomance series from Fairy Loot, complete with redesigned covers and exclusive artwork. Then, we shift our focus to the upcoming deluxe edition of "The Hunger Games" set by Barnes & Noble—discussing its aesthetics, practicality, and the importance of matching book covers for collectors. Listen as we debate the potential for future additions to the series and the excitement they bring.
Finally, join Ash, Kelly, Jonathan, and Mari as we review a captivating Hades and Persephone re-telling novel about a witch named Prue and her pact with a devil named Cyrus. From the book's pacing and character perspectives to the psychological and emotional layers of Prue's journey, we unpack it all with humor and candor. We also engage in a spirited debate with funny commentary about the nature of character descriptions, bound romance, and even into Greek mythology smashed together with other mythology.
Finally, don't miss our lively discussion about the highs and lows of James Cameron's "Avatar," followed by an update on our podcast promotion and book club activities.
Links from the News Segment and Show:
- Fabled Fantasy events app is live
- Link to Website for the App
- Download the Guidebook app and use code Rhysand to find them. You can see the venue map as well as workshop descriptions, panelists, etc
- FairyLoot is doing a special edition of Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series
- Link to FairyLoot
- Early Access will take place as follows on July 29th:
- 1pm BST: UK/INT active subscribers.4pm BST: US/Canada active subscribers.
- If they have any stock remaining, these will be available in the Fairy Trove to the general public on July 30th at 1pm BST for UK/INT customers and 4pm BST for US/Canada customers.
- Barnes & Nobles is doing a deluxe edition of the Hunger Games
- Link to B&N Site
- 4 book paperback boxed set with sprayed edges, stenciled artwork, and all new covers
- $67.96 available for preorder now and will be released Feb 4, 2025
- Link to B&N Site
- Romantasy Book Convention (Orlando 2024)
- This episode's book is Ivy and Bone by R. L. Perez.
Follow us:
Instagram - @ofswordsandsoulmates
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/ofswordsandsoulmates
Views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants. The hosts make no claim to be literary experts and their opinions are exactly that opinions. All creative works discussed or reviewed are the intellectual property of the creators of said stories and is being used under the Fair Use Doctrine.
Mari:Hello and welcome to Of Swords and Soulmates, a podcast where we read, watch and discuss romancy stories. I'm one of your hosts, mari, and with me I have Kelly.
Kelly:Hey, it's Kelly. Of course we also have Ashley.
Ashley:Hey guys, it's Ashley. We also have Jonathan.
Jonathan:Always looking after your six JP. What's good.
Mari:So today we are going to be discussing Ivy and Bone by RL Perez, but first, as always, we're going to go over some little news and tidbits and things. One of the ones I wanted to talk about is that the app for Fabled Fantasy, which is the romancy event that's happening in October in Orlando that we're going to be going to, their app is finally live, so you can download the app and you can start to see some of their programming and like what the hotel venue area looks like a little map of it. So basically, you're downloading the app that's called the guidebook app and then when you, once you download it, you put in the code and the code is recent and it'll take you to their particular event so you can see what's happened, like the full schedule of what's happening each of the days. You can see where everything's going to be located in the venue and you can see the panels and things that are happening, like when they are, what they'll be talking about and who the panelists are. You can't like sign up for any panels or book signings or any of that kind of stuff Yet it looks like you'll be able to as of August 1st if there's anything you want to sign up for, but I was like just looking through them it looked interesting, like I'd say.
Mari:Some of them are discussion based, like panels and things, and then some are for for writers, like things like how to write believable meet cute, how to, you know, write a morally gray villain or morally gray main character Seemed interesting. You know the programming and whatnot they have going on. Have any of you guys looked at it yet?
Jonathan:No, what's the passphrase for the group Recent.
Mari:R-H-Y-S-A-N-D.
Ashley:We're all actively doing this oh yeah.
Mari:There we are have you guys ever been to an event that that has like an app like for it?
Mari:no, I mean I've, I've been, yeah, I have that like I think the only one I've been to that does apps is dragon con in atlanta and their app is very large, it downloads every year and it has all their programming on it. This guidebook app for the Fable of Fantasy seemed pretty, you know, pretty well laid out Like they're telling you what's there. A lot of the information isn't fully on there yet. Like a lot there's still a lot of like TBD. So I guess they're still working on who maybe some of their panelists are going to be, but it's still cool to see what to expect.
Ashley:Behind closed doors, the exploration of sensuality and romanticism.
Mari:Mm-hmm.
Ashley:What a fun time. Yeah, tangled bodies, tangled plots.
Jonathan:I like how you're getting like you get super excited right now. I'm stoked.
Ashley:I love a good plan. I don't want to make the plan.
Jonathan:Lustful legends and mesmerizing mythology. What's dual POV tricks?
Mari:Oh, dual point of view so that's something we've come across in some of the books we've read, where the chapters flip from different characters, point of view that's pretty cool yeah, which is a tool that I see a lot.
Mari:I think I probably first I mainly associate it with romance. Books like rom-com and contemporary romance do that a lot, um, but I think in fantasy after at least for me in in you know my reading history after game of thrones got big, it seemed like a lot of fantasy started doing the multiple point of view since george rr martin did that interesting.
Jonathan:yeah, I like that and you're, and you're right. Like a lot of the books are kind of they flip back and forth even uh, I think some of the more popular ones where they flip back and forth between the perspective and their point of view, that's pretty cool to make the voices distinct enough, like that you know who you're reading so you don't get confused, because I know for me.
Mari:But there were like a billion characters in game of thrones. But for me in game of thrones some of that happened. I was like wait, who is this person? When did we last know what they were going on? They've been put on hold for like 16 chapters. I have no idea who they are. So I had some of that with Game of Thrones.
Jonathan:And it's easier from the audiobook perspective too. Right, because then the whole it goes from this I am, I'm this person, and then it's all right. Well, I'm this person. Now, like it changed that. It's very definitive. What are you laughing at?
Mari:Don't laugh at him stop I'm imagining you doing sock puppets with these voices. That's all.
Jonathan:That's all I'm saying do I have my camera on? Is that? How did you know? Oh, my goodness all right.
Mari:So the other news I had on here is that fairy loot, which is another subscription service for for fancy you, fancy edition books and whatnot, they're doing a special edition of Naomi Novik's Scholomance series, which the basic Scholomance series is actually really pretty. It's three books, it's a lot of black and gold, but this one is going to be redesigned covers, foil on the hardcovers, digitally sprayed edges, character artwork on the endpapers and it's going to be digitally signed. It's three books, it's $107, and it's set to ship in September, october. But the dates when it becomes live like if you're a Fairyloot member, it's like July 29th and if you're not part of the Fairyloot elite, then it's on July 30th, for whatever books are left.
Jonathan:How do you feel about digitally signed? Do you think that adds value?
Mari:I do not.
Jonathan:Okay, cool, I was like hmm.
Ashley:He was having very mixed feelings about that.
Mari:Yeah, like I like when they do like a little digital letter, like an author's letter in there, where it'll be like the author talking about maybe how they came up with the idea or a difficulty they had with it. I like that because I think that adds value to the story, like maybe not monetary value, but it just adds a little another like perspective to the story. But as far as just like an actual digital signature, I think, if anything, it confuses the issue on down the road because I could see people trying to sell books as like oh, this is signed by the author, look, and if you didn't know what you were looking for, you could not be getting what you thought you were getting. You know for like things on down the line for resale and whatnot.
Kelly:Yeah, this sounds like some NFT type crap.
Mari:A lot of things are doing digital signatures now, which I understand. I mean it's easier on the author because I know signing your name a billion times is not great for anyone's wrist and hand and whatnot, but yeah, they're pretty. Did you guys read the Scholomance series or read anything by Naomi Novik before? I don't think so. The Scholomance series is interesting. It is a. It's three books. It's basically set in a world where magic exists and when kids have magic, monsters come after them so they're not safe out in the world. So this school exists where it's the only place for kids to learn magic kids who are magic, to learn magic and to be safe from the monsters that go after them. But the school itself is very dangerous. The school is also trying to kill you. So it's three books of these kids trying to learn magic. And I say kids, I think they're probably mid to late high school, like around that age.
Jonathan:Hold on, hold on, hold on these is it? Is there like a groundskeeper in this who likes, who likes animals, and maybe there's a bad guy without a nose and like just an elder, an elder gay man in robes? No, this whole, no, no it's a whole different sounds like okay, okay, whole different. Is there like a short green alien looking magician who rules the?
Mari:roost Nope. And then, like a Samuel L Jackson type dude with a purple wand, maybe no, it feels almost like a video game the way the magic works there, because you have mana, but when you do spells you use up your energy. But if you've used up your energy for the day and monsters come after you, you just die. Like people die all the time. This is like parapet version of school of magic, like lots of people die in this and the main character is not super like, she's not likable.
Mari:In a lot of ways she kind of is a very unlikable character and she's okay with that. So it's kind of an interesting viewpoint. It was fine. It's not my favorite Naomi Novik work but I enjoyed them. I read them all, I would say if anyone is interested in reading any Naomi Novik. She did Uprooted, which is a standalone Very good, like Howl's Moving Castle style energy, and then she also did Spinning Silver, which is a really good story to read in, like the wintertime it's kind of a Ice Fae retelling, but both of those feel very like folktale, very folksy kind of retellings. And then she's got an older series that's called the temerary series, which is the napoleonic wars, but there are dragons involved in the wars you know what I will sign up for anything that involves a dragon right right.
Mari:So the temerary series if you can find it is, it's a good one. It's like the other giant dragons that they ride on and they I mean they're like airplanes basically in terms of like how they use them in battle. But they do the whole bonding thing, kind of like in Fourth Wing, that, those in Anne McCaffrey. It's that style of dragon where they have personalities and things. It's a fun world. But if anyone's interested in the fancy version of the Scholomance series, it now exists.
Ashley:I mean, I think the Amazon ones are quite fancy.
Mari:Yeah, like the basic ones are the ones I have and I think they're pretty. They're pretty, they're plenty fine for me. Yeah.
Ashley:And they're on sale right now, guys.
Jonathan:Don't give them a shout out. Sorry, bezos, ain't paying you.
Kelly:We pay.
Jonathan:Bezos the other way around. Wait till that sponsorship comes floating through, then you can shout him out SpaceX. All you want then? Is that the same?
Ashley:company.
Jonathan:It's a totally different company. What does he call his rocket ship company?
Ashley:Why are you looking at?
Kelly:me, is that Blue Origin?
Jonathan:Yeah, there we go, get a free ride on a rocket ship. Ashley, she's just not looking. She's ignoring me.
Ashley:this is like the majority of our marriage that's because the Hunger Games are up next on our list. That's what.
Mari:I was about to say, like Ashley's time is coming. So we have talked about the Hunger Games a little bit recently. So Barnes Noble is doing a deluxe edition like a re-release of the Hunger Games, and they're really pretty. It's a four-book paperback set with sprayed edges, it's got like stenciled artwork, it's got brand new covers. It's going to be four of them and it's $67.96 if you pre-order it now, and it'll be released in February of 2025, february 4th 2025.
Kelly:I think this is a bad choice. This is a bad deal because there's a new book coming out and you know that they will not have the new book match this style.
Ashley:Right, the last book doesn't match these.
Kelly:Well, if you look at the preview image, oh, it has the songbird Right.
Ashley:It has the song and it's part of the set, so you get that nice. Looking at the preview image oh, it has the songbirds.
Kelly:Right, it has the song and it's part of the set. So you get that nice looking at the spines, you get the nice look on your shelf, but you know that the fifth book, when it comes out, is probably not going to match it and you'll end up with that horrible effect of having one book look completely different.
Ashley:Right. Who says that the next book's going to be any good? We might not even want to acknowledge the next one.
Kelly:That's a fair point.
Ashley:I didn't love Songbirds and Snakes.
Jonathan:I've been recovering these books. I've just been recovering them in such a long-term process.
Mari:Oh, that's what I was thinking. We can have Jonathan just recover it.
Ashley:As pretty as these are, I feel like they should be darker. Yes, this is not a happy yeah, should be darker.
Mari:Yes, this is not a happy Story.
Ashley:Yeah, it's dystopian. Yeah, I feel like the teal went overboard.
Mari:Right, it's like we have what I felt about the three dark crowns Kandari Blake special releases. They're beautiful, but they're like white and pastel. Yeah, we kind of miss them.
Ashley:That's kind of a dark story, right, they're beautiful, they're on sale. I don't know where they'll be, because we're recording this a little bit earlier, obviously. Right, but it is very pretty.
Mari:It is Like the colors caught my attention. They're pretty, so I was like, ooh, ash needs to know about this, ash must know I'm going to give her a jam All.
Mari:So now we're going to be moving on to our little review and talk about Ivy and Bone by RL Perez. We chose her book because she's going to be at the Fabled Fantasy event, and so we did the whole random number generator and came up with her name and then went with this book of the stuff she's done, because she's done a good. She's written a good many books. This was published in on September 3rd of 2022. I'm going to read the synopsis and then we'll talk about the details.
Mari:A little bit Dangerous deal with the devil gives one witch more than she bargained for. Prue is an earth witch blessed with power from the triple goddess. Still mourning the loss of her twin sister, prue summons the devil himself from the underworld, intent on bringing her sister back from the dead. But when she meets him, a handsome man named Cyrus, he is more deadly and alluring than she anticipated. Prue tricks him into binding his blood with hers, granting her access to his powers over the dead. But the bond also unlocks the gates to the underworld, unleashing the spirits within. Now Cyrus is bound to her in more ways than one. Desperate to close the gates and save the mortal realm from unholy destruction, prue and Cyrus must work together to undo their bargain. But against her better judgment, prue is enthralled by his seductive nature and she finds herself falling for the devil himself. So what did you guys think?
Jonathan:Ash, you want to go first?
Ashley:I can go first. I liked the book. It was a good book.
Jonathan:Non-spoilery Don't spoil it. I know I was digging deep for the non-spoilery. Put that meat bat in the fridge.
Ashley:There was a lot of potential in this book. Not a five star for me, but I would be curious to read at least one more to see where it's going. It definitely caught interest.
Mari:So what would you say is an overall rating for you Three?
Ashley:It was a three Kelly, what did?
Jonathan:you think Kelly go first.
Kelly:Sorry, no, no, no, go ahead Jonathan.
Jonathan:Just diving right in there Face first. I gave it a face first four. What'd you think, Kelly?
Kelly:I gave it a three. I think there was some interesting stuff, but then there was some stuff that just didn't work for me, mari.
Mari:Yeah, for me it was a 3.2. It was a little disjointed feeling and I will say this is the first one of the books we've reviewed that I listened to completely. So I did the Jonathan Method and did an audio of this. I didn't physically read it, I read it with my ears. So that may have something to do with me having trouble getting into it. I read it with my ears, so that may have something to do with me having trouble getting into it. But yeah, to me it felt a little whiplashy on some of the emotions and what some of the characters did. It is labeled the Hades and Persephone retelling, so I knew what I was getting into. It's very popular these past few years to do Hades and Persephone retelling, so I knew what I was getting into. It's very popular these past few years to do Hades and Persephone retellings, so I kind of had an idea of where it was going. So I would say just kind of middle of the road. Three for me.
Kelly:I don't think it was just the audio book that felt with last year a little disjointed, if I felt that way. Reading it, I felt that the transitions between points of view, between the characters, was kind of rough. It wasn't a very smooth transition from her point of view to his point of view and so forth.
Jonathan:Interesting. Interesting I definitely the term. It hadn't dawned on me about whiplash, but yeah, I could. I mean I could see that I didn't get that from the different POVs but I definitely got it from how the pendulum swung, certain points in the story just overall is that a euphemism for penis?
Ashley:no, we'll get into that jonathan was very concerned about the abrupt penis talk what in the book?
Kelly:yeah yeah, it was five minutes. And he said and then it was there, in your face I listened to the first part of the audiobook with mari while we were on a road trip and when you know he he appeared in it. I was and she was like describing him. I was like. I looked at marina, said she's gonna go right to describing his dick and that's exactly what happened, do you remember? I think I even called the right adjective.
Jonathan:Yeah, it was definitely one of those things where I where were we? Were we at Universal? When I was like, hey, yeah, like we need a term for how, like a way to gauge spice based on how rapidly things are deployed.
Mari:All right, so do we want to move on? Kelly, do read the little spoiler thing, so we can go into a little bit more detail.
Kelly:Sure. So from this point forward, in the podcast we will be discussing spoilers. So if you have not read the book and you don't want to be spoiled, then you probably should stop the episode and finish reading it and come back later. Or if you don't care about spoilers, continue on Chapter six Rock out with your cock out.
Ashley:I didn't even think it was chapter six. I don't know, I feel like it was like chapter three.
Jonathan:I've been waiting for two weeks to talk about this guy's dick.
Ashley:Tell us all about it.
Jonathan:I don't know. You know what I think about when I see this character visually.
Mari:That I don't know, you know what I think about when I when I see this character visually.
Kelly:That I think obviously you know clearly, clearly actually that's exactly what I'm thinking about.
Jonathan:I'm thinking about do you remember, like the first x-men on like vhs with blue guy who like and then like into the next room, but then, like you got this like fork tail thing and you've got like a crawler yeah, right, except like, pale, pale, like uh, what was that? Uh, what was that guy? Uh, the albino movie, um, uh, was that, was it powder yeah, so like cross those, take like a powder and then take, would you say, nightcrawler, smash them together just like that, and then albino tatted up cock was.
Ashley:Was his penis tatted.
Jonathan:I don't know.
Mari:They said half his body.
Kelly:Half his entire body.
Mari:So I just kind of assumed. Yeah half.
Jonathan:I mean why not? He's the king of hell.
Mari:Can we?
Jonathan:ask her.
Ashley:Now I need to know.
Kelly:Can you do an important question that needs to be solved?
Jonathan:Call her up, tell her we're going to need some visuals here.
Ashley:No, I just need to know that one part, the.
Mari:American people demand answers, so we're going to go up to her booth we need a closer. Listen, we got a question.
Kelly:Let's get a microphone and the recording device and we can just do. A segment of this is what the readers want to know.
Mari:Inquiring minds. You know what the personality, though, of him, of Cyrus, reminded me of is the Cruel Prince. The main dude from Cruel Prince I've completely blanked on his name Judas the Chickie. Oh my God, Ash, you read Cruel Prince, right? Or did you just read that? Oh no, I God, Ash, you read Cruel Prince right, or did you just read the two?
Jonathan:No, I did. She got a little snooty.
Ashley:Look on her face, because now I can't remember his name, is it?
Mari:Cassian. No, I want to say it starts with a C, cardin. Oh my God, cardin. There we go.
Jonathan:Cardin or Cardan.
Mari:Cardin. Okay, he reminds me of that personality in that he's got this whole entitled brat thing. He was like, yes, I'm God of the Underworld. Have I told you that I'm God of the Underworld? Did you know that I'm God of the Underworld? Did you know I'm all powerful? Yes, Apparently.
Kelly:Being God of the Underworld is like being a pilot. You must tell everyone that you're a pilot.
Ashley:So you must tell everyone you're a god of the underworld oh well, I think he had a complex a little bit right I didn't get a complex, absolutely.
Mari:He didn't get a complex he totally had a complex he was like, not the oldest brother, and yet he he was in charge of, of the underworld he was the most powerful he absolutely had a complex, he made himself the most powerful he was the most powerful of them. He was addicted to power. I put that he's an addict and that they all need therapy. I literally wrote that in my notes.
Jonathan:There was some jealousy. There's some longing for familial bonds.
Mari:That popped up when he was like you know he had some big daddy issues Complex.
Jonathan:These witches are powerful but they work together kind of thing. And he was like I wish I had that kind of family.
Kelly:He had issues. Why does every Romanesie book have a character with daddy issues? Why is that always happening?
Ashley:Well, because if they didn't have issues, Kelly, there wouldn't be much of a story. At least one has to have major issues.
Mari:Yeah, I think you're required to either have parent issues or the parent has to be dead, like if Disney movies have taught us nothing. You either have to have an evil step parent or your parents have to be dead for a story to happen. Truth, yeah.
Kelly:I mean, that's the classic, because it's always a trope in literature, because if you introduce a character who's an orphan, you immediately have sympathy for them.
Mari:Yeah.
Kelly:That's why the orphan trope is so often used.
Mari:Yeah. So I will say I think I would have DNF'd this book if I was reading it on my own if it wasn't for this and I'm glad I finished it because it was a better book. I think if I had DNF'd I would have missed out on it. It's a better book than I thought it was going to be and I went ahead and read the sequel and I like the sequel much better.
Ashley:You read the sequel already. I did, yeah, overachiever.
Mari:So the sequel is told from her sister's viewpoint. It's Mona's viewpoint and I liked Mona exponentially better. And this is where it's like a lot of these reviews are like hey, they're literally just our opinions, because I think I like the second book better, because I like Mona better, not because it was necessarily written drastically different than the first book.
Ashley:I was just gonna ask is this the instance of the Stolen Throne, where the first book was a little rough and then Kelly really liked the second book because it had better editing?
Kelly:Yeah, maybe.
Mari:Like I mean, maybe she warmed up a little bit and maybe because you knew a little bit more about what was going on in the world by the second book. But I definitely liked Mona character a lot more. I thought Mona was somebody that I was rooting for, liked the Mona character a lot more. I thought Mona was somebody that I was rooting for. To me, prue was. Prue reminded me of I don't know what I would call this trope, but it's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sabrina from the rebooted show on Netflix. It's this magical, young, magical female character, bratty character, who is told not to do something, knows not to do something, knows there are consequences for doing this thing, does it anyways, and then everybody's got to work together to save the world again. To me it just felt like Prue was very not smart in her choices not smart in her choices and, very like, not aware of the world.
Ashley:You know there was.
Ashley:There was a point that I actually it's the only thing I highlighted in the book and it's when prue had turned to her mother at the, you know, at the at the beginning of the story, where they, the town, was being attacked now for the second time, she had already summoned cyrus, the devil right, this, this king, prince of hell, person, and so, after they contain the spirits and they save the town for the time being, she basically, you know, turns to her mother after her mother's, reprimanding her for all the things that you just said.
Ashley:She turns to her mother and she says it should have been me and you know it, meaning that it are siblings. There's been a time in our lives where we thought I'm not the favorite child, right, like I'm not the golden child. And to have had that situation where she turned to the only parent that she's ever known, the only blood relation parent that she's ever known, and said it shouldn't have been my sister that died, it should have been me and you know it, and to not be corrected in any way, shape or form, has got to be devastating, right.
Kelly:Oh yeah, it's got to be devastating, because when I was reading that part, I immediately thought of the movie Stand by Me. And there's that scene where the main character, who's played by Will Wheaton I can't remember his name, was it Gordy? Anyway, he's like getting his stuff, he has to go and get some stuff or whatever, and it's like he's like flashes back and remembers his dad looking at him because you know his brother died or whatever, and his dad looking at him and saying it should have been you and like that's like a moment where you get like just a surge of incredible sympathy for that character, Because you're right.
Kelly:Actually, if you have siblings, you grew up like grew up with siblings. You never believed your parents saying I love you all the same, so you always felt like somebody. One of the siblings was the favored one, so to be told and shown that you're not the favored one or you're less than one of your other siblings is definitely devastating.
Ashley:Yeah, or that you should have died instead of the other one. You cannot be the favorite and they still want you alive. You know what I mean. So when we talk about complexes, when we talk about bad decisions, or you know that she should have been smarter. No man, she was as broken as Cyrus, if not more, than the only person who had ever unequivocally loved her was dead, and there was an overwhelming knowledge amongst her immediate family in town that it shouldn't have been her sister that died, it should have been her.
Kelly:Right, and see, that's why I disagree with you, mari, when you say this problem was of her own making, because I think that her mom acting like this and the whole idea that it should have been you and Mona should have lived, is what drove her to make the decision to do everything to bring Mona back and her dying in an exchange.
Ashley:And set that determination, though right, Because you can make a decision and be like, oh shit, I screwed up. I don't think she ever had that point in her head. She was just like nope, I've got to see this through. It shouldn't have been her, it should have been me.
Kelly:Right. So I think that whole idea of it should have been me was ground into her by everyone around her in her community and by her mom. She was psychologically abused and emotionally abused into that situation and making that decision. It wasn't her fault.
Mari:Why did Mona die?
Jonathan:Mona didn't die.
Ashley:Well, spoiler. I know we're there.
Mari:But originally, why did Mona die? I know we're there.
Ashley:But originally, why did Mona die? Originally Mona died because they needed a blood sacrifice after and I could be confusing the title, is it the Book of the Eyes, something like that? So this grimoire had been opened for whatever reason. I don't think they go into very specific detail on to that, except that maybe someone was called to it. Detail onto that, except that maybe someone was called to it. But I think the sisters right, both went into the book to find a way to stop a prophecy that involved the killing of one of the twins, so one of the twins was supposed to die the entire time yeah so they both opened the book, looking for a different avenue.
Ashley:Opening the book is what opened the portal to the underworld and the town was attacked and it required a blood sacrifice to stop the that first attack right and mona sacrificed herself or she was to sacrifice, right?
Mari:yeah, so you know this. This goes into the whole like mythology, fantasy element. It's all prophesied. So like one of them was going to die because it's in the prophecy in this world. But basically, mona died because they decided to open this book that they weren't supposed to be opening. So, as a result of them doing this thing that everyone told them not to do, one of them had to die. Did they know?
Ashley:they weren't supposed to open it. I mean, I thought they looked at it just as another grimoire, like I don't think they knew how bad it was, or how.
Kelly:That was my impression too, that it wasn't like you must not read from the Book of the Dead type scenario. It was a. I think this book, you know this book in the forbidden section of the library, has some answers.
Mari:I got the impression that it was hidden away. They weren't supposed to be. You know it was in the forbidden section, like they weren't supposed to be doing it. A book that screams when you open it, not?
Ashley:not a great thing it should be a turnoff, should be a red flag but I mean, if that's, if you're a witch and you're used to dealing with stuff like that.
Kelly:Yeah, I mean you have this prophecy over hanging over your head between you and a witch, and you're used to dealing with stuff like that. Yeah, I mean you have this prophecy hanging over your head between you and your sister and that one of you is going to die and you don't know which one it's going to be.
Ashley:And not even sister. We're talking twins, right.
Kelly:Right.
Ashley:That's as close as it gets.
Kelly:And it feels pretty obvious that they were so close because maybe mom was a little bit absent or whatever. So I don't know. I can see them being desperate enough to do things and go into forbidden sections of the library, so to speak, in order to try and find answers, because that's the whole point of any in any fiction that we read, where there's the prophecy or whatever, there's always going to be people who try to go against the prophecy, fight against the prophecy, whatever to defy it.
Ashley:What do you think, Jonathan? We need a tiebreaker.
Jonathan:I don't think it was her fault at all. I think they knew what they were doing, you're on Mari's side.
Ashley:This is interesting, kelly, I think that genuinely.
Jonathan:I think she missed her sister and then she kicked this whole thing off because she was trying to go and rescue her sister. There was the love that was there. I think it was a pleasant surprise to discover that. She was kind of trapped between two spaces.
Ashley:Right.
Jonathan:She definitely had some trouble owning sister's magic. It wasn't her magic, yeah, magic yeah, no the power of the maiden yeah if she had passed, it would have, she would have inherited that power yeah, but the power that she had throughout this book was her own power I also think that mom did what she did to protect prue shut the front door.
Ashley:Yeah, no, absolutely not you don't think that.
Jonathan:You know, you don't think when she was like uh, hey, have you been listening?
Ashley:yeah, because she needed prue to go get mona.
Jonathan:No, yes, no well at that point, once you're committed, you're committed no, I don't think she was a pawn. You're kidding me.
Ashley:Did you not hear the first 10 minutes before I was said? What do you think, Jonathan?
Jonathan:Yeah, I don't think Prue was a pawn. I think Prue was vulnerable. She acted, she followed her heart and it led her to a point of happily, of no return, like there's no going. Once she fucked that spell up, there was no going back.
Ashley:Yeah, but the mom wasn't siding with Prue.
Jonathan:No, the mom was pissed off. Mom was like why didn't she just shut up and leave well enough, alone, kind of thing. Now I have to make sure my daughter's safe through this. I mean, there was. You know there are some lies that were discovered along the way, but you know.
Ashley:Mari, do we find out who the dad is in book two? No, I think there was potential in the story like what you guys were calling it some whiplash and stuff. I think there's more to the story that it just wasn't as clean in the first book and kind of a you know alluding to. So I don't think it was my favorite book of the year, but I'm interested enough to to read the second one. We haven't done any.
Mari:The second one was good, yeah, I liked the second one All right. So fantasy what do we think about fantasy elements in this book?
Kelly:Don't everyone talk at once. I was going to say don't fight, jonathan, jonathan.
Jonathan:Oh, fantasy, let's see, I thought the fantasy was pretty good in this book. I'm going to give it a four, I think you know, although the stuff is kind of it felt maybe like a used fantasy, if that makes sense. Fast forward to the banging. You got to bang the magic on a little bit faster for me.
Ashley:What we're learning, listeners, is that Jonathan does not like a slow burn. Apparently, yeah.
Jonathan:Not at all. Get hot under the collar If you're going to have the unveiling of Tatcock in Chapter 6, and then you're going to wait until what Chapter 25 to have the unveiling of of tat cock in chapter six, and then you're going to wait till what chapter 25 to have the banging. But you're going to tease me with a little bean bopper in between in a like what a dank cave.
Jonathan:That's not cool the tat cock wasn't enough for you no, although I'm not gonna lie, I like to think of some dude jogging through the neighborhood with it bouncing off of his quad a little bit, a little slapper, a little knee slapper there. You know that had to happen. She was like follow me home, okay, some giant man with horns tatted up and like a donger just flapping as he walks home, and then mom's there just like ugh.
Ashley:Kelly, you can't edit any of this out.
Kelly:It, mom's there, just like oh, kelly, you can't edit any of this out. It's beautiful, oh no, no, no, we're not editing any of this out.
Ashley:Not this part anyway.
Kelly:I think we may have inadvertently introduced a new fantasy romancy rule here, like Chekhov's gun in literature, where you know in plays, where if you have a, if somebody has a gun or mentions a gun in the first part of the first act of a play, that means somebody is going to get shot later with it. So do we have a Chekhov's cock here? If a cock is seen or described early enough in the book, that means that eventually there will be a bangening with it.
Mari:It has to be used, yeah, by the end of the book, absolutely.
Jonathan:I think it was pretty apparent early on, when she was like I hate this man Look at that cock that was going to. And then the next chapter from his perspective was like this witch, she's trapped me. Look at that bosom. Like one sentence.
Kelly:That's like the whiplash. Slow your roll there, Jonathan. We're on fantasy, not romance or spice.
Jonathan:Oh sorry, fantasy Pause. Romance or spice. Oh sorry, fantasy, put a pin in it. Putting a pin in it okay, so fantasy for me.
Mari:I literally wrote smash magic now I know what jonathan means when he says smash magic and, to be fair, I think that may have been because, like, it was labeled a hades and persephone romance and I have been starting with probably last year I I've been hardcore reading a lot of Hades and Persephone stories. I did not have a Greek myth period growing up where I got into those myths, but I definitely got into Lore, olympus last year, the graphic novels and then Neon Gods, katie Roberts and some other, just Hades and Persephone retellings. The old, like the traditional Hades and Persephone story, is that Hades abducts and or rapes Persephone. The modern retellings that we all have is very much more of a romance, a romance situation. I mean, if anything, she abducted him, she, she summoned him.
Mari:In this version I thought that the like greek myth stuff smashed together with like the witch stuff was a was too smash magic-y for me. So for me, fantasy was a three. It was fine. It wasn't like super great, but it was fine. Ash, it was a three and a was fine, it wasn't like super great, but it was fine.
Ashley:Ash, it was a three and a half. Like I say this I think this is the third or fourth time I've said the word Like I saw the potential. There was a lot of like. I felt like cross pollination, so like you had Osiris slash Cyrus right, that's not Greek. And then you had witches. I don't even think witches are really Greek, but there could be a section of mythology that I'm missing there. Then you had Earth Mother Gaia. Is that Greek?
Mari:No, I don't think Gaia is Greek.
Ashley:And so there was smash magic in that a lot of different magical tropes were kind of thrown together. And so again, I was interested, because you know, there's an author that I read and one of the lines that they use in the series is that all the stories are true, right? So meaning that all of the mythology comes from something that is true, meaning that all of the mythology comes from something that is true. So I don't mind the mashup, but it was a little confusing. It wasn't quite as clean, but it was interesting. It was interesting magic. They had magic that depleted, right, it wasn't never-ending Hogwarts magic, you know, she had earth magic. He had death magic Kill them all, what do I care? And princes of hell? Right, that's not, I don't know that that's specifically any type of mythology. I think that's Christian, I guess mythology, yeah, I was going to say like regular.
Jonathan:Gaia is.
Ashley:Greek.
Mari:You didn't even have hell, you had the underworld. Like Hades is not the devil.
Ashley:Are you looking it up?
Mari:Yeah, but is she Greek mythology?
Ashley:Yeah, greek mythology. Yeah, gaia is Greek mythology.
Kelly:She's the mother of Earth, the mother goddess, and her union with the god of heaven is where all the other gods and stuff came from.
Mari:Yeah, Is that where, like the Titans came from?
Jonathan:Yes, so offspring, okay, so they're like the proto, they're like the grandparents of like Zeus and whatnot.
Mari:Okay, okay.
Kelly:So I didn't. I don't know. I had some issues with the fantasy stuff just because of my own personal dislike of constant use of the same tropes over and over again. So you know the use of the triple goddess, geez, it seems like almost every story. If there's a witch, there's the triple goddess. You know, there's the crone, the mother, the maiden.
Jonathan:Bringing that again, Like a holy trinity.
Kelly:The magic was interesting. I think I agree with Ashley. It was interesting that some of their powers could become exhausted. But I don't know, it just didn't seem consistent Like sometimes she could use his power, sometimes she couldn't. There was a lot of little inconsistencies in that. I did like near when they had one of the battles, how she used the ability to manipulate plants and vines and stuff, how she had them, like poisonous plants come up and touch their skin and then shoved you know, the vine shoved down their throat and I was like, okay, it was an interesting use of the magic as far as using plant magic offensively.
Kelly:So I thought that was interesting.
Mari:Choke on the hemlock.
Kelly:Yeah, that was a nice, interesting change as far as using magic offensively instead of blasting with magic or whatever.
Jonathan:It's Groot's entire shtick.
Ashley:What about the romance, jonathan? What do you think about the romance, jonathan? I?
Jonathan:think I've been very clear. It started hot, fizzled a little bit, popped again like a sparkler and then went out and then bang-a-ning unleashed. I think she tried to reverse, bang him Like hey, we got to do this, Get on it now. Boom. And then he was like no, and then they were like on second thought yeah. This is a tough one. This is a tough one. Am I rating it off a tactic?
Mari:No, that's spice, that's going gonna be a whole other thing, romance.
Jonathan:What do you think? Um, you know, I think I'm gonna give the. You know I'm gonna breathe three, I'm gonna do a three, because I feel like it was implied it was. It was just, it was gonna happen. Oh, look at his dick, oh, look at her bosom. And you knew what's going to happen. Like it was a, it was a, it was a dead giveaway from the, from the moment you cracked the binding boom. Kelly, what'd you think? Where you at? Where you at with the romance?
Kelly:uh, I would have to say I think the romance was a three. I think there was some good romance and build up into the romance where you could start to see the romance actually form, instead of this being a what do you mean, we're married? Type scenario. Overall I thought it was OK, I guess maybe better than average, certainly not the worst we've read, but it just it felt like a lot of stuttering into the romance instead of it being kind of smooth, a smooth build up into it. What about you, ashley?
Ashley:I thought it was a three. The whole forced marriage thing isn't a new trope and there's that you have to go on a journey to learn about the other partner right, especially when you're talking about like God marriage, because you can't really undo that. I think the part that made it a three for me was how, like when they decided they were all in right, like when they realized that they were on the same page and that this is what they wanted to do, it was you are mine and I am yours, and it grounded them. So that was good romance for me. Solid three.
Mari:Yeah, for me, the romance was a four. For me, the romance was the strongest element in this book. I do I feel like they did. They went on a journey, they got to know each other and then, once the slow burn happened and they were actually in it for each other, they were each other's ride or die. You know, I think that Prue, having lost Mona and, you know, having lost the idea of what she had as a mother, was needing an anchor, was needing someone in her corner. And Cyrus the same thing, like Cyrus's whole journey is. He's been in search of this power, but he's also like he's got the power and he's lonely. He's got these siblings that he can't trust, for the most part other than Evander, and they were good together. I enjoyed, I enjoyed the romance, I thought they fit well together and I thought that they were very believable. So, yeah, four for romance for me. All right, jonathan, here's your time, spice.
Ashley:Spice how many fire sticks?
Jonathan:Fire sticks. Is that what this is, fire?
Ashley:sticks or flames, tamales, oh tamales, how many tat dicks.
Jonathan:Am I giving this Right?
Ashley:If they made a coloring book?
Jonathan:Is that what you would color? Would there be like? Would you just rub the pencil right through? There are expletive coloring books and so if they came out with one that was a penis that was half tatted if there was nightcrawler powder, tat dick. You're in there. He's tall dude in this story too, did we talk? Does he have hair? What kind of hair does this dude have?
Mari:white hair, silver hair, silver hair streak is he tan?
Jonathan:because I don't see him as tan, but is he tan?
Ashley:I think. I don't think he's tan, I think she's darker than he is.
Jonathan:Okay. What's the? Is she olive skinned?
Ashley:he said brown brown.
Jonathan:Okay, all right is, I think she.
Mari:She's a like in all the artwork and fan artwork and stuff I've seen from the author's website. She's definitely like a person of color what is? It very mediterranean do we have images of him yes oh, I need to see an image he's got like long silver hair with a strip of black in it, he's got the half tattoos, he's got the horns, silver eyes, and then she was described as wild hair, full lips, dark skin um lavender eyes lavender eyes, that's a.
Jonathan:Those are. That's an interesting it's very rare oh yeah, there is an image there.
Ashley:Yep, it's definitely so change your spice level, for you, I mean he looks like a goober in this image, but it's, it looks like it.
Jonathan:It looks like ai made this image and was just like, hmm, we need some horns, throw on some extra horns. But like overall, I it does it. It throws off, uh, nightcrawler powder vibes to me. It's the only image I see of him, though all right.
Ashley:I mean there's not a lot of sun in the underworld.
Jonathan:There's fire you think you'd. You'd think you'd be a little toasty, you know what?
Ashley:I'm talking about Kelly. Is there UV in fire?
Kelly:No, there's no UV in fire.
Ashley:Well, you just said because I was like there's no sunlight, but have you ever stuck?
Jonathan:something in the oven too long. Okay, marshmallow, think about marshmallow in campfire.
Ashley:I don't think that's how it works with him.
Jonathan:It gets real fucking good when it's toasty baby. I think it could work like that. Have you ever? No, Anyway, let's get back to the spice.
Ashley:Yes, please.
Jonathan:This picture of him here, bride of the Shadow King. Wait, that's a whole different story, never mind.
Mari:Focus Focusing.
Jonathan:They turn on the spice and then they turn it off, and they should have ramped it up. If you're gonna roller coaster me, roller coaster me a little bit faster. Don't leave 12 chapters in between a little finger bat does that mean ride you? Huh, what are you talking about?
Jonathan:you said roller coaster, yeah, take me up high and then drop me off a cliff and then put me on a tilt world, for you know 12 chapters and then bop a bean and then you're good for another six chapters. That's not cool. Take me all the way up, bring me down, take me back up what's your spice level bro? I'm gonna give it, I'm gonna give it stalling so hard.
Ashley:I don't know why because I'm struggling here.
Jonathan:I'm gonna give it a three and a half because kelly's up kelly, what do you think?
Kelly:so I think I'm would say the spice was a three I.
Kelly:It was there, it happened it was there it happened, the only thing I thought that was interesting was and I feel like this is part of the spice and not the romance is that cyrus is definitely a bottom. He is definitely a bottom, he is definitely wanting to be submissive to her, because that was kind of painted out several times. There was one part where she told him I have the bookmark at 50%, so I don't know what page number that is. But she said of course, you aren't, I own you remember, and it says ordinarily her words would have ignited his anger but for some reason they sent a thrill shooting up his bones. So yeah, if he's not wanting to be a sub, then I don't know what's going on there. I mean, I'm not saying it's wrong or anything, I just think that was a nice, it was an interesting part of the spice there yeah, I dig it.
Jonathan:I'm picking up what you're putting down, smelling what you're stepping in.
Kelly:All right, ashley, what did you think?
Ashley:I thought it was a two.
Jonathan:A two Interesting, even with tat cock.
Ashley:I mean, I didn't. It's unconfirmed. That might spice it up for me. If we confirm that there are actual tattoos on the penis, do you think it would also be on the balls?
Jonathan:No.
Ashley:I mean if it's half his body, if it's straight down the middle If it's half the body. You can't do the penis and not the testicles, it's on the front.
Jonathan:It's on the tip, ashley. It's not on the no. Is it on the tip? It's on the tip.
Ashley:So many questions.
Jonathan:Why would you tattoo balls? Why?
Ashley:would you tattoo a penis?
Jonathan:You haven't seen as many. I mean like I haven't seen a ton of them, but I've seen my own.
Ashley:You've seen your own fair share of tatted penises. No.
Jonathan:I'm just saying, like it's you.
Ashley:Just have questions.
Jonathan:Should you go?
Ashley:They had sex, like they had sex twice. They went to third base. It wasn't very spicy and there was far more romance than there was spice for me.
Jonathan:What's third base?
Ashley:You should look that up.
Mari:I agree with Ash, I had it as a two as well for spice. For me it may have been because I had a hard time connecting to the pro character. I just didn't feel the spice from them Definitely felt more romance than spice. I think part of it too, was I was trying, I had a hard time getting a handle on the power dynamics, so like I believe he couldn't lie to her, but I wasn't sure if she could control him or not because she, you know, did the whole blood bonding spell thing. So then I'm like there's some consent issues with that. It gets a little cloudy, it gets a little nebulous, so I don't know, like I said, the spice for this particular one didn't hit anywhere near as well. The second book in this series Better Spice, markedly better spice quality for me, for my tastes. Anything else before we move on to the cover All right, so the cover is done by Blue Raven.
Mari:Book Covers is the name of the company. There really is only one cover, the standard one, which is a blue background with a skull like a white bone cream skull, and then it's got some roses and ivy around it. There is a special edition of this book that was done as a Kickstarter by the author. It's really pretty. It's black and gold and gilded and everything, and there's actually some still available if anyone's interested in getting the special edition version of this series.
Mari:But there are four books in this series. The fourth one is coming out, I believe, this year in November. So I believe that the Kickstarter is just for the first three. So you're going to get into that whole Hunger Games situation that we just talked about, where the first, if you get them from that special edition, the first three are going to get into that whole hunger, hunger game situation that we just talked about, where the first, if you get them from that special edition, the first three are going to look completely different than the fourth one. Oh, I lied, the fourth one comes out february 2025. So what did we think about the cover? Um, how well it reflected the book, whether or not it would make you pick it up yeah, I think it's an accurate representation.
Jonathan:it's's got Ivy and Bone on the cover. I think that fits. It's simple enough. So I would pick this book up if it was part of a set, but not solo. If this was just the one book, I'm not picking it up, but if it was a set in the same style I would probably take it. I like sets like that.
Mari:Okay, so what are you rating it? How many paintbrushes?
Jonathan:As part of a set. I'm going to give it a three and a half paintbrush Solo. I'm going to give it a two. Kelly, you're up.
Kelly:I think the cover was nice. It was nice and simple. I think it fairly well represented some of what was in the book. Had they done anything more, it could have given anything away about the plot of the book, but there is, like I've said before, there's elegance and simplicity. So I don't think the cover wasn't anything that was oh my God, it's amazing. And it wasn't anything that it was. Oh, this is a terrible cover as far as representing you know, and drawing you in. So I would say it's a three, ashley.
Ashley:I'd say it's a three and a half. It's a very nice cover. I thought it well represented the book. I appreciated how the title was within the book, like used in the story. I don't know that it would have made me pick it up and buy it, which is why I'm reading it so averagely, but it was a nice. It was a nice cover. There's a decent cover marie.
Mari:Uh, for me it's a three. Yeah, basically it's got a skull on it, so I would look at it because I'm me, so I would pick it up like it does.
Mari:It is indicative of what's in the book, because you have the rose magic and the ivy magic and the death magic with the skull. The only thing I would have changed, rad, it would have been like putting some sort of like a pomegranate or some pomegranate seeds or something for the whole Hades and Persephone mythology, because that's very indicative of that. But yeah, I would say it's fine.
Jonathan:Middle of the line, so I'd say it's a three middle of the road. Do we think it's a kissing book? Hmm, is it a kissing? Yes it is. I don't think this story could advance without if there wasn't the banging. It doesn't happen because he need, otherwise his brother is gonna murk mona and get get the best out of Mona and then he's just rules it. So yeah, I think the the the banging is it was. It was protective, it was. It wasn't protect, it was unprotected sex, but it was protective sex.
Ashley:Sorry. I'm sorry. That was actually very aware of you. That was more than I thought it was going to be.
Mari:Ash was very surprised.
Ashley:I didn't think you paid that much attention.
Jonathan:Sorry, Dare I say hats off.
Ashley:Hats off. You know I was going to say it was not a kissing book. I think a lot of the story progressed without the romance forced or chosen plays or discusses a prophecy. Then these things are, you know, for lack of funnier or better. Language is just meant to be like. These two were probably very much meant to find each other. I don't know that we're going to get a happily ever after out of it, but yeah, I think it's a kissing book I thought you just said it wasn't a kiss.
Ashley:I I said at the beginning oh, All right Welcome aboard. I guess you stopped paying attention.
Mari:Welcome aboard.
Ashley:Gosh.
Mari:Kelly.
Kelly:So I think it is a kissing book. It took a while to get there. I agree with Ashley on that Because the romance and them together is what basically thwarted, or is going to maybe potentially thwart, gaia, but also because I think the romantic bond between Mona and Prue Well, we are in agreement, then, because I also agree that it's a kissing book.
Mari:Yeah, I believe that the familial love between the sisters they truly loved each other 100% and that gets even more developed in the second book. And I mean I rated the romance element the highest in this book. So I mean I definitely believe the romance is there. I think that if they hadn't fallen in love and worked together on both of their goals, they would have failed on all counts. Like Cyrus would have lost control of the underworld if she hadn't been helping and she would not have been able to get to Mona if he hadn't been helping. Like the story wouldn't have been the story it is if they hadn't fallen in love and been there for each other. Look at us. I know All right For rapid fire, we went with Avatar.
Ashley:So Not the airbender. Yeah, let's make it clear.
Kelly:We're talking about the James Cameron movie avatar.
Mari:Yeah, the blue people.
Jonathan:Blue kitty cats.
Kelly:Dances with wolves in space.
Mari:All right, kelly, what do you think?
Kelly:No, it's 100% hot garbage.
Ashley:Such blasphemy.
Kelly:It's a horrible movie.
Ashley:It's not.
Kelly:It is a horrible movie. It's not. It is a terrible movie. It is literally dances with wolves in space. For God's sakes, they're looking for unobtainium, which was a term that was always used in science fiction writing as, oh I don't know what to call this thing that's essential to the plot, so I'm just going to call it unobtainium. It was just so bad. It was such a bad movie. I can't believe they're making so many sequels of it. The only thing good about that movie was, I guess, the impressiveness of the use of 3D at the time.
Mari:All right, all right. So another strong opinion then would be Ash, since you were a guest.
Ashley:What do you think? This is absolutely a kissing, a kissing book. Absolutely, it all would have gone to hell halfway through if this had not been a kissing book. And so it's not a book, like obviously it's a movie. If it were a book, I would read it because it would probably be better. However, there is magic, there is sci-fi. We're in a whole. Not only are we in space, we're in a whole different planet, not even a planet. We're on a moon of a planet, okay, and we are with an entirely different species.
Jonathan:It's a moon, it's not just a planet.
Ashley:Pandora's a moon. I just taught him something, guys, we're not even dealing with like a comparable human species, an entirely different species of entity that has a religion, that has a hierarchy, that has magic, that has way more common sense than the human race. Let's be honest. And if the two main characters hadn't come together as deeply as they did, the entire race would have been obliterated. What's-his-name would have died and not come back. There was no coming back from that if he had died-died. I thought it was a beautiful story, maybe not the best story. I mean we're not talking like 1997 Titanic.
Jonathan:That was a shitty story, you shut up.
Ashley:What is wrong with you, men?
Jonathan:It's about a boat that sinks.
Kelly:Don't get me started on Titanic, no separate separate, separate rapid fire.
Ashley:That's definitely a kissing book. It is a romantic-y. It is all the fantasy and all the romance for all the right reasons. Avatar, not the last.
Mari:Jonathan, what do you think?
Jonathan:The blue cat people. That was a. I'm going to say, yeah, I think it was a kid, it was a kissing book. Although I have some reservations here, I I agree with. I agree with Kelly. It was a shitty story. It was just dumb. I hate that movie. The best thing that came out of that movie the ride at Disney, at Animal Kingdom. That is an awesome ride, but the story sucks. I think that the I'm also kind of mildly upset because I have a hard time seeing Blue Cat Lady with anyone other than Star-Lord. That pisses me off.
Ashley:I can't with you right now. Mari it's Mari's turn Okay.
Mari:So to be honest, I've only ever seen this movie once. I saw it in the movie theaters when it came out, with my family, because that's what we did. We went to the movie theaters and I remember being blown away by the 3D. I thought it was a beautiful looking movie and I will still say that it is a beautiful looking movie.
Mari:I have a hard time feeling the romance in this movie. I don't like it. I'm sorry it's not. It's not my favorite story either in this movie. I don't like it. I'm sorry it's not my favorite story either. It feels very colonialist and so you have this once again, consent and imbalance of power like Pocahontas kind of story thing going on, where, if you have a colonizing, conquering force, is it really love or is it just what are you going to do? You don't really have autonomy and choice in this situation. Yeah, I'm not a fan of the story. I I don't remember feeling like it was a love story. I don't remember feeling like there was a a beautiful love story in it. But, like I said, full disclosure, I've only seen it once and it was literally like I think it came out christmas weekend or something like we yeah, I watched.
Ashley:It came out christmas weekend or something like we yeah I watched it like that weekend you should watch, definitely watch it again, I think you don't have to watch it again.
Jonathan:You do have to watch it again.
Ashley:I do think it's a great love story and so, like I can get where, like the colonizer, part of it could very much distract from the you know the meaning behind it. But he, he adapts, he, he goes all in and yeah, initially it's, you know, to prove himself and because he's a soldier and you know there are other ulterior motives, but I do think that he falls just head over heels in love with her, whether or not it's reciprocated, oh yes.
Mari:And only because it reciprocates at the end does Wrap it up.
Kelly:I'm so sad for all of you.
Jonathan:You can beat that. For me I don't give a shit, so sad. So for now, for me.
Mari:Pending a rewatch, I would say no, but I'm willing to rewatch it, so I'll let you know, ash.
Ashley:When you do circle back. I need closure.
Mari:All right, is there anything else anybody wants to talk about before we wrap it up?
Jonathan:I'm good, I'm solid, I'm solid.
Ashley:I feel like we covered a lot this time.
Mari:We really did. Yeah, all right. So thanks for listening to Of Swords and Soulmates. Before we go, make sure to check out the show notes, rate and review us on your podcast app of choice, and follow us on instagram at of swords and soulmates. We're also in blue sky threads same username or join us on our facebook page of swords and soulmates or on our website of swords and soulmatescom and also on youtube same username. If you'd like to offera suggestion for a future rapid fire question, reach out to us on any of these options.
Mari:Also, we've been reading books leading up to Fabled Fantasy. That are going to be the authors that are there, but we're coming up pretty soon where we're going to be free for all, open to reading anything that could potentially be romantic. So we'll be looking to get some input from you guys at that point and that's how you would reach out to us. If you'd like to read along with us as we prep for new episodes, follow us on Goodreads at Of Swords and Soulmates. We hope you'll join us in two weeks for our next episode when we review the Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. Bye-bye, see you.
