Besties and the Books Podcast

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The season of the crows has officially returned and as slightly spooky, elder emo, introverted book girls, it’s our time to shine. 
We invite you to cozy up with a blanket and a crispy Alani, light that overpriced candle, and watch Edward Cullen lean his awkward fingers against tables and trees in the background while we talk fall. (It’s like talking “shop” or “business” but much more serious.) Because we have a fever, and the only prescription is more Halloween! 
Today is a no-homework-required mess-around. We chat about this year’s fall hopefuls, favorite recent spooky reads, and then have some fun guessing popular horror books and movies based off of one star reviews. We even add in some spooky stories from Reddit and a smash or pass to fit the season. 
We hope this episode gets you in the mood and helps ward off the impending darkness-at-5pm doom. 
Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)
Shop our Merch line | *  https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com
Check out these narrator interviews? ⬇️
Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger! 
https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ
Check out these author interviews? ⬇️
We go behind the book with NYT Bestselling author Autumn Krause and The Gods Will Sing Our Song: https://youtu.be/656QHeao6F4?si=VMLZ-zAa6pltOio9
THE Sheila Masterson yaps with us about going trad & her book community phenomenon The Poison Daughter! https://youtu.be/V9MpoOX3CyQ?si=TMLPJeBNcSrpxYou
We interviewed Penn Cole about Burn of the Everflame & the end of the Kindred’s Curse Saga! https://youtu.be/nYDN-XCTkbM?si=ivFq7kWg6rNGWP6j
CJ Leede talks with us about impactful feminist horror and always writing outside the box: https://youtu.be/jb0DW2ap3Ds?si=gCUkr-vvFQAFMxw2
____
Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:
Ashley is wearing: a Vans Warped Tour Hoodie  |  https://vanswarpedtourmerch.com/
Liz is wearing : a “Final Girl” Tshirt from @ShadowBoundSpines | https://shadowboundspines.com/products/final-girl-tee-gildan 
Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!
Support the show
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@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz 
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife 

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix

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Burn of the Everflame, book four and the final installation in The Kindred’s Curse Saga by Penn Cole is the talk of the town in the Romantasy world. Today we’re doing our deep dive, reviewing one of the most anticipated releases of the year… and our opinions might be different than you think. 
After deep diving Spark, Glow, and Heat and having the lovely Penn Cole on the podcast twice to talk about strong female characters, deep themes, and writing under pressure, was Burn what we thought it would be? Did it live up to the expectations we had for the end of Diem and Luther’s story? And when all is said and done, what rating did we officially give it? 
Stick around for special commentary from Penn herself on the emotional ending to her debut series, and get our star rating, spice rating, five sentence summary, faves and least favorites, and our discussion… in detail… about whether Luther is still book boyfriend material or not. 
Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)
Shop our Merch line | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com
Check out these narrator interviews? ⬇️
Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger! 
https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ
Check out these author interviews? ⬇️
Watch our Spoiler-Free interview with the Author Penn Cole herself all about Burn of the Everflame https://youtu.be/nYDN-XCTkbM?si=gUv1FBT3ugk7Fyho
We go behind the book with Autumn Krause and The Gods Will Sing Our Song https://youtu.be/656QHeao6F4?si=VMLZ-zAa6pltOio9
THE Sheila Masterson yaps with us about going trad & her NYT Bestseller The Poison Daughter! Don’t miss it! https://youtu.be/V9MpoOX3CyQ?si=e2uOKPVRQjsIhVCb
Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNE
____
Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:
Ashley is wearing: Vans Warped Tour Hoodie https://vanswarpedtourmerch.com/
Liz is wearing : A “I Still Read Fairytales” Villian Crew by @shadowboundspines | https://shadowboundspines.com/products/i-still-read-fairytales-just-for-the-villains-now-crewneck?_pos=13&_sid=5377b326e&_ss=r
Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!
Support the show
YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz 
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife 

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix

Send us Fan Mail
This deep dive coverage of Light Bringer was the most difficult in this bonus series to film. Pierce Brown… you have unapologetically broken us with this book and we do not know if we can forgive you. Ashley took a whole star away from her spoiler free rating for the pain and suffering. Did Liz feel the same way? Do you? 
In today’s final episode (for now!) in our Red Rising bonus series we will not only be discussing in great detail every aspect of how Light Bringer made us feel, we’ll also be revealing our favorite book in the series so far, and how we rank them from “worst” to best.” That way when the series is completed we can jump back in, read the new book (or books), reflect, and do our final rating and ranking. If we’ve learned anything in these past few months it’s that anything can change at any moment. And even when you think you’re ready for the pain, you’re not. 
We kicked off Sci-Fi Summer with a full-length episode introducing the genre and setting the scene for a closer analysis of science fiction. Next, we covered the original trilogy in detail, books one and two of the second trilogy and have officially rated every book a resounding five stars. Last week’s episode had us truly wondering what Brown was going to pull off next, and he did not disappoint. Can we talk about Hangar 17B? 🫠😭🥴
Today we’re diving into book six and the last available installation in the series: Light Bringer. Darrow is making a comeback in a way we’ve never seen, training not just his body, but his mind in the ways of “the force,” but is it enough? Old decisions come back to haunt our favorite characters, and just when everything seems to be crumbling around them, unlikely alliances are made. How long until we can expect Red God? And what are our unanswered questions and predictions? 
We bring you our spoiler free reviews, “Five Sentence Summary” and all our faves and least faves, but also discuss sci-fi themes, differences and similarities to fantasy, the romance, genre miscategorization, lore and fun facts, quotes, character growth and relatability, and most importantly… themes. And lastly, we’ll be taking the Sons of Ares prequels, conspiracy theories, and spinoffs. What else should be cover? Because truly, we are not ready to leave this world behind. 
Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)
Shop our Merch line | * https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com
Check out these narrator interviews? ⬇️
Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger! 
https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ
Check out these author interviews? ⬇️
Penn Cole talks with us about Strong Female Characters, Feminist Themes, and her debut bestselling Spark of the Everflame Series! https://youtu.be/7ukNImyoObw?si=7C3Y9kOUMN4hfcKb
We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4
Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNE
Nikki St. Crowe, the queen of spicy fairy tale retellings chats with us about diving into the land of Oz with West of Wicked! https://youtu.be/wwFYSDKcbtE?si=X6iNmUVAE6Xhmv7B
____
Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:
Ashley is wearing an “Undead Readers Club” from @BookBabeDesigns | https://bookbabedesigns.com
 Liz is wearing: our branded besties and the books beanie | https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com
Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!
Support the show
YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz 
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife 

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix

Send us Fan Mail
Today we’re bringing you our deep dive coverage for The Gods Will Sing Our Song as the follow up to our extremely impactful author interview with young adult romantasy author Autumn Krause. Autumn is the author of four novels (so far): A Dress for the Wicked, Before the Devil Knows You’re Here, Grave Flowers, and OUT NOW… her very timely and extremely important fourth novel The Gods Will Sing Our Song, inspired by her own family’s experiences in the World War 2 Japanese American Incarceration Camps.
We met the lovely and beautiful Autumn at Romantasycon LA where we had the privilege of interviewing her for the Gothica panel, chatting all things horror, dark fantasy, and gothic themes and just knew she was an instant bestie with a big message to share. We encourage you all to pick up this book and experience the perfect balance of fantasy storytelling and real-world history, and listen to our previous interview with Autumn to learn about her family’s experiences and the impact Japanese American incarceration during World War 2 had on this book. 
We give our star and spice ratings, least and most favorites, five sentence summary, and discuss the important tie-ins with real US history, the balance of reality and lived experience with fantasy and folklore, and even go over important facts we should all know. 
Recently an offering editor at auction described The Gods Will Sing Our Song as a book that changes the way we look at the world. They said that “Books like these have the power to break our hearts and remake them. They open our eyes to injustice and bring a sense of catharsis to those who’ve encountered its sharp edge. They shout to be seen and heard and remembered - just as we must remember those who came before us, whose joys and scars go on to guide our own life stories. In my opinion, The Gods Will Sing Our Song is exactly such a book.” And we could not agree more. 
Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)
Shop our Merch line | *  https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com
Check out these narrator interviews? ⬇️
Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger! 
https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ
Check out these author interviews? ⬇️
We go behind the book with Autumn Krause and The Gods Will Sing Our Song https://youtu.be/656QHeao6F4?si=VMLZ-zAa6pltOio9
THE Sheila Masterson yaps with us about going trad & her NYT Bestseller The Poison Daughter! Don’t miss it! https://youtu.be/V9MpoOX3CyQ?si=e2uOKPVRQjsIhVCb
We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4
Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNE
____
Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:
Ashley is wearing: A shirt from Gideon’s Bakehouse | https://merch.gideonsbakehouse.com/
Liz is wearing : A Down the Bond Starborn Crop Tee | Code: Bestiesandthebooks https://www.downthebond.com
Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!
Support the show
YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz 
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife 

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix

Send us Fan Mail
Tis’ a Dark Age Indeed…👯‍♀️US: 🆘We are officially sending out a distress signal to anyone in the galaxy who is willing to listen! 📣Pierce Brown!? Are you out there?! If so, please send help because we’re pretty sure we’re not gonna make it! 
…Wait… what was that? 
😈Pierce Brown: “The old rage in colder ways, for they alone decide how to spend the young.” 
US: 🥺🥺
We’re not going to sugarcoat the truth for you. If you’ve made it this far, you already know that things are not looking good for our heroes of the Republic. In fact, things are extremely dire as the war wages and each character is forced to confront their worst fears. Has all of this death and horror been for nothing? Is Eo’s dream dead? Do any of us really have the power to rewrite our destiny and choose to live for something more, or are we fated to be crushed under the oppressor’s heel? 
We kicked off Sci-Fi Summer with a full-length episode introducing the genre and setting the scene for a closer analysis of science fiction. Next, we covered the original trilogy in detail, book one of the second trilogy and have officially rated every book a resounding five stars. Last week’s episode had us living in fear, and our intuition couldn’t have been more spot on because in Dark Age there is something genuinely unspeakable lurking in every shadow… in a way we never saw coming. 
Today we’re diving into book five: Dark Age, the middle book of the second major plot arc and what is now being referred to as the “Iron Gold Trilogy.” Political games are being played on an expert level, bloodlines are revealed so new leaders can ascend, and the disturbing jump scare to top all disturbing jump scares now lives rent free in both of our minds. 
We bring you our spoiler free reviews, “Five Sentence Summary” and all our faves and least faves, but also discuss sci-fi themes, differences and similarities to fantasy, the romance, genre miscategorization, lore and fun facts, quotes, character growth and relatability, and most importantly… themes. And lastly, we’ll be asking ourselves why this isn’t considered a horror novel, especially after Pierce himself said that fear was the central theme of this book. Bravo, Goodman. And congratulations on fulfilling your goal. We’re terrified. 
Next week we’ll continue our coverage with the FINAL available installation in the Red Rising series: Light Bringer. How will we feel after all is said and done, and how uncivilized will we become waiting for Red God, the official conclusion?
Red Rising Character Art mentioned: @redmurphy.art on IG
Don't be shy, subscribe! New Podcasts every Tuesday!! (And sometimes Friday!…)
Shop our Merch line | *  https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com
Check out these narrator interviews? ⬇️
Anthony Palmini gives us the lowdown on what it’s like to voice act Rhysand, Kingfisher, AND Slade Ravinger! 
https://youtu.be/zcCyrlZ5Jcc?si=2k7ULbRPgZl_5pUJ
Check out these author interviews? ⬇️
Penn Cole talks with us about Strong Female Characters, Feminist Themes, and her debut bestselling Spark of the Everflame Series! https://youtu.be/7ukNImyoObw?si=7C3Y9kOUMN4hfcKb
We interviewed Callie Hart all about her NYT Bestseller Quicksilver! Watch it here! https://youtu.be/CED5s7qDBdQ?si=8xtIRO1IzX6Rsld4
Check the official Follow Up Author Interview with Lindsay Straube of the Split or Swallow Universe all about Between Two Kings! https://youtu.be/OW1cxXTVcTc?si=oOxVIzbIheET_bNE
Nikki St. Crowe, the queen of spicy fairy tale retellings chats with us about diving into the land of Oz with West of Wicked! https://youtu.be/wwFYSDKcbtE?si=X6iNmUVAE6Xhmv7B
____
Shop Bookish Merch we are wearing:
Ashley is wearing: a hoodie from @TheLastBookStore
Liz is wearing: our branded besties and the books beanie https://besties-and-the-books-shop.fourthwall.com
And an Anne of Green Gables “I Can’t I’m in the Depths of Despair!” T-shirt from Amazon | * https://amzn.to/4zYfTME
Any link with an * is an affiliate link through the service Magic Links and is eligible for a commission to us with no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support our podcast!
Support the show
YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Podcast Platforms
@BestiesandtheBooksPodcast

Besties and the Book Club on Fable!
https://fable.co/bestiesandthebookclub-474863489358

Liz 
Instagram | TikTok
@TheRealLifeVeganWife 

Ashley
Instagram | TikTok
@AshleyEllix