Long Story Short: Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli
Long Story Short? We dove back into a fantasy world (the first since our The Knight and the Moth episode!), and we yapped about Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli, book one in her Artefacts of Ouranos series! We're excited to tell you why this book should be moved to the top of your TBR!
Please note that our podcast is 18+ and our episodes may contain adult language and themes
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Music by Dani LaCroix
Transcript
Baby.
Speaker A:Let the games begin.
Speaker A:Let the games begin.
Speaker A:Let the games begin.
Speaker A:Are you ready for it?
Speaker B:Welcome to the Other side of the Page, a bookish podcast where we yap about the books we love and the.
Speaker A:Songs that give us main character energy.
Speaker B:We are here to sift through the chaos that is our TBR and to.
Speaker A:Let you know why a book might just be your next favorite read.
Speaker B:I'm Brit, dramatic plot twist lover and champion for MMCs needing to be more pathetic and down bad.
Speaker A:And I'm Hannah Rita, released five books at once and a detailed fantasy map enthusiast.
Speaker B:Every Wednesday press play on a brand new bookish episode.
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Speaker B:A shining five stars on your preferred platform because it helps us so much with visibility.
Speaker A:Yes, and this week we are diving back into fantasy with Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tooley.
Speaker B:Yes, we'll be talking about our song choices alongside the plot, chatting about our favorite moments and this one we had a lot of fun with.
Speaker B:So grab an iced coffee or iced chai and let's turn the page together.
Speaker A:Dear reader, going to read the synopsis right off the back of the book.
Speaker A:Beautiful 10 women, a deadly contest Only one can win the Sun King's heart Laura has endured 12 long years of torment under the Aurora King's rule.
Speaker A:Her only desire is to escape and pay him back for every moment of misery she's endured.
Speaker A:When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the rival Sun King, Laura is thrust into the spotlight as she competes against nine other tributes for the role of Queen.
Speaker A:If she wins his heart, she'll earn her freedom and finally get her revenge.
Speaker A:But Lore doesn't belong in the Sun Queen trials.
Speaker A:Not only does she not understand why she was freed, she isn't a citizen of the Sun King's court.
Speaker A:The other tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lore is removed from the competition permanently.
Speaker A:Now Lore must win, because if she loses, she dies.
Speaker A:Or worse, she'll be returned to the evil and now vengeful Aurora King.
Speaker A:And we think you should read this book if you want a romance set in a fantasy world with some adventure along the way.
Speaker B:Yes, and you might want to avoid this book if any of the following are potentially triggering for you Sexual Content Violence Death Sexual assault Rape Injury Injury Detail Death of a Parent life threatening challenges.
Speaker B:It is a high stakes trial situation though.
Speaker B:The voice is kind of funny and it is set in like a really cool fantasy world.
Speaker B:But just be aware.
Speaker B:Hey.
Speaker B:Heading on in.
Speaker B:Of those things.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker A:The fun part.
Speaker B:The fun part.
Speaker B:Our song choices.
Speaker B:What song did you come with today?
Speaker A:Yes, I came with Lord's cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
Speaker B:I almost picked a Lord song.
Speaker B:I was between royals and team and I think I even thought about Yellow Flicker Beat for a minute there.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think I. I threw that out.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I was like, I was looking at some Lord songs.
Speaker A:Yeah, you said royals and team.
Speaker A:And then I got thinking.
Speaker A:I was like, oh, Yellow Flicker Beat.
Speaker A:Then I was like, oh, wait, Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
Speaker A:Her cover of that.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's a good one.
Speaker B:I went a little off the beaten path for my song.
Speaker B:It is an older song.
Speaker B:This band isn't even together anymore, unfortunately.
Speaker B:But I actually picked Barton Hollow by the Civil wars for like one very specific line.
Speaker B:And just kind of the vibes.
Speaker B:We'll go over it in a minute.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's a little.
Speaker B:It's an odd.
Speaker B:It's an oddball choice.
Speaker B:I'm not gon.
Speaker B:But like, once I picked it, I was like, I'm with it, you know?
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:Once the song calls to you, it's there, it's there.
Speaker B:And sometimes we go by vibes.
Speaker B:Sometimes it's every lyric to the song.
Speaker B:So it'll be fine.
Speaker B:But now we are heading into our pages turned in bridges burned section and we will be discover.
Speaker B:We will be discovering.
Speaker B:We'll be discovering so much.
Speaker B:We will be discussing the trial, the Sun Queen cover to cover.
Speaker B:Spoilers are ahead.
Speaker B:And I. I will be spoiling something straight out of the gate.
Speaker B:Straight out of the gate.
Speaker B:So if you have not read Trial of the Sun Queen, please pause.
Speaker B:Go pick it up.
Speaker B:It is on Kindle Unlimited and the audiobooks are all on hoopla.
Speaker B:Please go read it.
Speaker B:This is a series that, like, we had no idea what to expect, but then became fully engrossed in and could not put down.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:We will also be doing our absolute best to not blur the lines of any of the following books.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:I just have a little section at the end that we'll be talking of a little bit about it through it.
Speaker A:But I read these All Within.
Speaker A:I think with all within basically less.
Speaker B:Than two weeks literally, Hannah blew through these books.
Speaker A:So some lines are going to be blurred.
Speaker A:But I think the first book is very distinct and I think I can Separate some of the things there.
Speaker B:Perfect.
Speaker A:But let's start with our theme lyrics.
Speaker B:Lyrics.
Speaker A:So my theme lyric is, it's my own design.
Speaker A:It's my own remorse.
Speaker A:Help me to.
Speaker A:Help me to decide.
Speaker A:Help me make the most of freedom of End of pleasure.
Speaker A:And so I picked the song.
Speaker A:It's a cover of a Tears for Fear song.
Speaker A:And I liked Lord's version because I feel like, well, one, it's Lord.
Speaker A:But two, I think her version is more, like, vibey and darker and kind of speaks to our female main character perspective more with these trials and the Kings both having interest in her.
Speaker A:And, you know, everybody kind of wants to rule the world in this royalty trials type deal.
Speaker A:But, like, this lyric parallels her getting, like, pulled from her world that she knows.
Speaker A:And she kind of has this remorse of, like, leaving her family and by her design.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Her bloodline and what that means.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And just her feeling of trying to decide, like, how to make the most of, like, okay, if I get free, you know, help me make the most of my freedom.
Speaker A:But also, like, this pleasure that she's, like, finding these friendships and, like, you know, Atlas the Sun King is showing interest in her and just kind of with that is getting her into that, like, headspace of Everybody wants to rule the world.
Speaker A:And what does that mean?
Speaker B:It's such a good song, Such a good pick.
Speaker A:I side note, I did get to see Tears for Fears with Weezer at Coachella back in the day.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Which is actually pretty cool.
Speaker B:That's fun.
Speaker B:That would be a cool set.
Speaker B:My theme lyric is this song doesn't have a lot of lyrics to it, but this one says, I'm a dead man walking here, but that's the least of all my fears.
Speaker B:And like I said, this song up front is kind of an oddball choice, but the root of the song is about consequences of shame and regret and quote, unquote, like, sinning.
Speaker B:It's kind of had, like, this religious undertone to it, but there's something about it.
Speaker B:That lyric that I'm a dead man walking here, but that's the least of all my fears fully connected me to Laura's backstory, which we're going to talk about here in a minute, because I. I kind of need to jump out of the gate with it straight away, but I felt it from the beginning.
Speaker B:And there was this, like, weird disconnect where, like, yes, she was afraid of what was happening in the trials, but there was an undertone of her being afraid of something else happening, of being discovered, of being found out of, like, something sinister laying in it, and I just.
Speaker B:I ran with it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I like it.
Speaker A:I'm gonna have to listen to it because I know, like, a few Civil War songs, so I'll need to.
Speaker B:Well, they sing on Safe and Sound with Taylor Swift for the Hunker games, and so they.
Speaker B:Their harmonies are just beautiful.
Speaker B:But we're gonna kick things off here because we have not touched a fantasy on the podcast since we did the Night in the Moth, and we've done a lot of fantasy in the past.
Speaker B:So, like, how did it feel being back in a fantasy world?
Speaker A:I missed it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I missed it.
Speaker A:I mean, but I've.
Speaker A:I feel like I've read certain fantasies, like, spread out, but I haven't really read, like, a whole series in a while.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So it was nice to jump back in.
Speaker A:I wish the map was a little more detailed.
Speaker A:It didn't feel super detailed, but, you know, that's okay on me.
Speaker A:But I liked it.
Speaker A:I liked being back in fantasy.
Speaker B:What about you?
Speaker B:I had str.
Speaker B:Like, I've been wanting to read fantasy again, but I've been struggling to pick up fantasy.
Speaker B:I've really been leaning into horror and romance recently.
Speaker B:That's just, like, even, like, a dystopian mystery series.
Speaker B:I just read the We Were Pines trilogy, which we're not covering, but by the way, phenomenal series by Blake Crouch.
Speaker B:I highly recommend it.
Speaker B:So I was like, oh, God.
Speaker B:Like, is the world building gonna.
Speaker B:Like, I was afraid that, like, I wouldn't be able to get, like, immersed in the world.
Speaker B:But what I love about this book in the series is that it is a very detailed world, but it is so digestible.
Speaker B:It is so easy to understand, and I felt like I was put right back in.
Speaker B:And is this, like, a super original concept?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:We've seen so many fantasy books with trials and stuff, but something about this has the single most addictive quality.
Speaker B:I can't explain it.
Speaker B:I was like, why does it feel like this is laced with a hard drug that I shouldn't be taking?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I think, too, because it's, like, classified as, like, fantasy romance.
Speaker A:So it's, like, romance at the heart with fantasy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I think that's what helped, too.
Speaker A:But I think the way that the world was built was, like, it was slowly built.
Speaker A:Like, we were, like, learning as we go.
Speaker A:And, yes, I think that helped.
Speaker A:Instead of, like, world dumping and, like, info dump beginning.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So this book takes place in the world of Ouranos.
Speaker A:And I know.
Speaker A:I read the first three Books, physically.
Speaker A:Then the last book, I couldn't get in time, and I couldn't find my Kindle.
Speaker A:And so I was like, all right, I'm doing the audiobook.
Speaker A:So I did, like, half and half the last one, because I finally found my Kindle.
Speaker A:So some of these words, I, like, forget the pronunciation of it, because when you're reading it, you pronounce it one way and everything.
Speaker A:So, yeah, just feel free to correct.
Speaker B:Me, Brett, to be fair, we'll see if I even remember how to say these words, because, like, you know, you're listening, you're in it.
Speaker B:You're in the vibes in the world.
Speaker B:Who knows?
Speaker B:Who knows?
Speaker B:But, right, we're going to talk about our FMC lore, and I have to.
Speaker B:I have to talk about my quote, one of my first quotes, because I am a sucker for a killer opening line in a book.
Speaker B:And this book starts with, that took my soap.
Speaker B:Is it stole or is it took?
Speaker B:Hold on.
Speaker B:Yeah, that took my soap.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I just wanted to make sure.
Speaker B:But, yeah, that bitch took my soap.
Speaker B:And, like, immediately, I'm in.
Speaker B:I'm sold.
Speaker B:I'm in this.
Speaker B:But she's talking about.
Speaker A:Yeah, because it's like, well, like, oh, yeah, okay.
Speaker A:I'm reading this fantasy book, and it's, like, talking about soap right away.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:It's so good, though, because, no, she got thrown into prison when she was 12, and her backstory is incredibly mysterious to us until, you know, the very end, when we make it to the end of the trial, she's talking to the mirror like, we're.
Speaker B:We're doing all this.
Speaker B:I, like, unfortunately, I don't know if it's because, like, we just read so much or, like, I don't know what it is, but immediately I texted Hannah because she was two and a half books ahead of me at this point, and I was like, this bitch has royal lineage.
Speaker B:She's definitely part of this.
Speaker B:Like, I. I can.
Speaker B:I sense it.
Speaker B:I can feel it.
Speaker B:And, like, obviously, the breadcrumbs are there, but if you're just, like, brain off high vibes, I think that you could have, like, be surprised by the end.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:This is, like, one of your introductories to, like, fantasy, too.
Speaker A:Yes, definitely.
Speaker A:So, yeah.
Speaker A:So at.
Speaker A:In prison, Lor gets in a fight over soap that she got by doing unspeakable things with some very bad people.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:And so she gets in this fight, like, all hell breaks loose, and she's sent to this place called the Hollow, where, like, basically, she's just like, like, stranded alone in this, like, scary hole in the ground?
Speaker A:Basically, yeah.
Speaker A:The prison that she's in is in the Aurora.
Speaker A:So there's like, what, seven, eight different places to eight.
Speaker B:Look at our map.
Speaker B:Let us look at our map.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Speaker A:Seven.
Speaker A:Seven, yes.
Speaker B:Seven or eight.
Speaker B:We're close enough, you know.
Speaker A:Seven.
Speaker A:There's seven, yeah.
Speaker A:Perfect.
Speaker A:So prison in this Aurora, overlooked by the Aurora King and who, like, we can tell, like, lore has some beef with, like, she does not like this Aurora King guy, but somebody takes her this prison and this punishment, and then she wakes up in Aphelion.
Speaker A:Aphelion.
Speaker B:Aphelion.
Speaker B:I think Aphelion.
Speaker B:Aphelion.
Speaker A:The Sun Court.
Speaker B:Aon.
Speaker B:Sounds right to me in my brain.
Speaker A:So good enough.
Speaker A:It's highlighted because I didn't know.
Speaker B:Perfect.
Speaker A:And she finds out she is the final tribute to compete in something called the Sun Trial Queen.
Speaker A:The Sun Trial Queen.
Speaker A:The Sun Queen Trials.
Speaker B:You know, we're having a time.
Speaker B:We're.
Speaker B:We're having a time.
Speaker B:It's fine.
Speaker B:And the legend is that the final tribute is from the umbra, which is like the human portion, the slums, essentially, of Aphelion.
Speaker B:And they have told her to pretend like she's from there, but is told that the Aurora King picked her specifically.
Speaker B:And I was frustrated with her when no one would tell her how and why she was there.
Speaker B:She's like, tell me.
Speaker B:And everyone's like, he, he, he, he.
Speaker B:You're in a palace.
Speaker B:Be happy.
Speaker B:He, he, he, you're going to compete in deadly trials.
Speaker B:He, like, be thankful that we plucked you from your death's doorstep.
Speaker B:But I was with her.
Speaker B:I was like, someone tell her why she's here, please.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And so, as it goes, like, we find out the Sun Trial Queen.
Speaker A:Sun Trial Queen.
Speaker A:That's just the new name.
Speaker B:That is our new name.
Speaker A:Moving forward started centuries ago when the Sun King couldn't decide who to bond with, so he made all his suitors go through these trials.
Speaker B:Men, dude.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like, what was your opinion on this?
Speaker A:Like, what was your thoughts on these trials?
Speaker B:Okay, listen, I was just like, I like your indecision was that great that you're going to make women compete and die over you.
Speaker B:Like it.
Speaker B:But again, that is such a man thing to do.
Speaker B:Like, it's such a manly.
Speaker A:Because that's how, like, they would just, like, they would decide between them.
Speaker A:Like, yes, women would not take that.
Speaker A:But, yeah.
Speaker A:So these trials, right, we find out that the king is looking to bond with a queen and the bonding will give him access to his full power.
Speaker A:Because there's like all these classifications of Fae and there's a High Fae, and by bonding with like, your person turns you into an Imperial Fae, which there can only be two in each.
Speaker A:Like, Court Land.
Speaker B:I don't know those.
Speaker B:The trials are crazy, though.
Speaker B:Like, there was one over shark infested waters with trivia and then poor Lore who has been in prison since she was 12.
Speaker B:And it's all trivia about, like, the Sun Core and like the Sun King and the Prince and like, why they, like, do things and what the favorite color is.
Speaker B:But this is where we kind of discover.
Speaker B:We discovered that Atlas seems to have taken a particular liking to Lore and she doesn't quite put two and two together.
Speaker B:And this is.
Speaker B:I was like, Lore, he's not giving other tributes.
Speaker B:Like, no.
Speaker B:In, like, his personal diaries.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:But real quick.
Speaker A:So during the shark infested trial, one of my favorite quotes is, I might not know who the.
Speaker A:Because, yes, Lore, like, gets asked, like, who the.
Speaker A:The king is.
Speaker A:Like the 37th king or whatever.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And she's like, I might not know who the 37th king of Aphelion was, but at least I know how to throw a punch.
Speaker A:And because she, like, punches whatever is in the water trying to.
Speaker B:Yes, but.
Speaker A:Yes, continue.
Speaker A:Yes, but yeah, I just want to be just like, giving her things and.
Speaker B:He'S like, spending some time with her and things are getting a little, like, hot and heavy and he's like, giving her private dinners and is kind of seducing her.
Speaker B:And there was like a lot of public shame around women too.
Speaker B:And I really loved how Nisha hit on, like, power dynamics, power imbalances, gender inequality and all of that without it feeling like, forced or heavy handed.
Speaker B:It was just simply woven into the world and the way that the world was built.
Speaker B:The way that the essentially like the handler of the.
Speaker B:The women, like, told them that they were to remain pure and like, it is their responsibility to maintain these, like, primal urges of these famous, like, males.
Speaker B:And she's publicly shamed for being, quote, unquote, impure, when in fact, like most of the time it was because she was raped or assaulted in prison or as a means to not die or.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Or coerced too.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, coerced.
Speaker B:Like all of this stuff.
Speaker B:But I really love when books very seamlessly weave that into their world and it feels intentional with a very strong message behind it without feeling like I'm being beat over the head with this, you know, type of information.
Speaker B:But I Being someone who does read a lot, I think that this does take, you know, come into play for us.
Speaker B:Like, I was sitting there going, atlas, there's no way.
Speaker B:This man is not a shady.
Speaker B:There's simply no way.
Speaker A:He was giving me such tamlin vibes.
Speaker A:Okay, that's all I'm gonna compare it.
Speaker B:To, because Gabriel was giving me Lucian vibes, and I said him when he's right there.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Him when he's right there.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Like.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And that's all.
Speaker B:That's the only reference.
Speaker A:That's the only.
Speaker B:Yeah, but like, I'm just saying, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm so glad you said that, because in my head I was like, Gabriel was fox right there.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And he's right there.
Speaker B:And you're falling for this pr.
Speaker B:This beguiled prince who's trying to ruin your life.
Speaker B:And Gabriel, the hot Fae man is right there, the grumpy bodyguard.
Speaker B:I mean, I'm so happy with where the story has turned.
Speaker A:And then, like, later we get, like, Gabriel's perspective and, like, his character's POV has like an accent.
Speaker A:And I'm like, why?
Speaker A:Why couldn't you.
Speaker A:Have you gotten there yet?
Speaker A:Okay, well, spoiler.
Speaker B:Listen, I'm ready.
Speaker A:It's not really like a.
Speaker B:A huge.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, it could be for anything.
Speaker A:So Gabriel is Laura's warder, which means he is assigned to make sure that Lore competes and is, like, stays in the games.
Speaker A:And she.
Speaker A:He's like, assigned to her, and he.
Speaker A:It seems like he's close with Atlas, which he turns out to be the captain of the guard or whatever.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:But he, like, kind of hates Laura.
Speaker A:He's like, I don't understand why he's.
Speaker A:Why she's here.
Speaker A:Like, why Atlas has, like, such a take in her.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And he's just like, whatever.
Speaker A:And then one of the trials takes place with a masquerade ball, and the warders are supposed to give instructions to their tributes about, like, their mark and their mark's precious item that they need to secure.
Speaker A:And Laura's pissed because it's about that time that, like, the supposed to start, and she's like, can't find Gabriel, and he's just like, off messing around with some other people.
Speaker B:He's.
Speaker B:He was living his life.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:And so Gabriel gives Lore her instructions, and it turns out she needs to get something from the Aurora Prince, the land where she wants revenge on the king.
Speaker A:And they dance and there's like a spark and it's like, interesting.
Speaker A:Interesting.
Speaker A:Laura's, like, trying to get information from him about this ring that, like, Gabriel told her was the precious item.
Speaker A:And he's like, oh, this stupid thing.
Speaker A:Like, I got it off like, a street.
Speaker A:A street vendor.
Speaker A:And Laura's like, what?
Speaker A:This not some precious family heirloom.
Speaker A:Like, I think Gabriel lied to me.
Speaker A:And, like, and she makes a scene and Atlas freaks out and bans the Aurora Prince from his court.
Speaker B:And, yeah, it was a wild journey, but.
Speaker B:But there was something in my gut that was like, Gabriel didn't do that.
Speaker B:Like, he didn't give her false information.
Speaker B:He definitely did that with intention.
Speaker B:And obviously, I'm not super far in, but I. I've always had suspicions that Gabriel does not like Atlas as much as he had led on.
Speaker B:But also, Lore in the Aurora Prince had, like, you said, this, like, spark forming.
Speaker B:And then I immediately texted Hannah and said, well, I know what's happening.
Speaker A:I mean, if you listen to our last episode, it was.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker B:She's thankful for something.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And I mean, he is.
Speaker A:Like, you said, he has a.
Speaker A:His own POV in book one, so, like, he's an important person for sure.
Speaker B:But Book two?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Anyway, anyway, so the Tributes are going through their.
Speaker B:Right, they are going the.
Speaker B:Through it.
Speaker B:Some want to quit because they can't stand to be with Atlas.
Speaker B:Two of the Tributes that kind of befriended Lore are secretly in love and then join the trials because their family expected it out of them, but they would like to go be lovers together.
Speaker B:Also, like, I thought that the relationships were very interesting.
Speaker B:Like, the.
Speaker B:The relationships of the Tributes, especially, because, like, we very much gloss over the ones that just die.
Speaker B:They're just.
Speaker B:Oops, y. Oh, gone.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker A:Like, no.
Speaker A:Even, like, you know, in the Hunger Games, like the cannon with the picture.
Speaker B:Yeah, no cannon.
Speaker B:They just one got eaten by a shark, we think.
Speaker B:But also, during the trials, Lore had felt like a couple of weird things happen where, like, I should have died.
Speaker B:I should have fallen.
Speaker B:I should have done this.
Speaker B:But something always was stopping her, which that gave me, like, a little bit of, like, Violet on the Gauntlet vibes.
Speaker B:Just, like, a little bit.
Speaker B:Even though it's, you know, obviously different.
Speaker B:But it gave me, like, that sort of energy.
Speaker B:But then it is.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's slipped.
Speaker B:It is let out.
Speaker B:That, again, this is supposed to be the one and done trial.
Speaker B:However, this is the second trial that Atlas is hosting.
Speaker B:That Atlas is hosting.
Speaker B:And the first one ended because all of the Tributes died and no one knows why and.
Speaker B:Or will not say why.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's wild.
Speaker A:You do find out why?
Speaker A:Later.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But, yeah, I was like, it's not supposed to happen.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker A:I'm like, what.
Speaker A:What is going on here?
Speaker A:Like, that's when I was like, yeah, Atlas, I don't trust him at all.
Speaker A:Like, he's.
Speaker A:Don't trust him.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:There was a.
Speaker B:One of my quotes, actually, real quick, was that night, he'd let me think I was special.
Speaker B:But I remind myself that I am nothing, and it will always be that way.
Speaker B:Lore really, really tried to ground herself when it came to Atlas, but it was very, very difficult for her to see beyond the charm, the special treatment, the seduction, the, you know, breaking all of the rules that you're not supposed to in their position.
Speaker A:So the trials continue, and we get to the final trial, and it's like they're in this cave and they're cold, and then Laura kind of figures it all out, and then it keeps going.
Speaker A:And they're, like, getting chased by these monsters and, like, this maze and.
Speaker B:And they're like.
Speaker A:They're like loved ones.
Speaker B:Projections.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Of, like, their family members are in there.
Speaker B:So, like, her brother and sister that are not her brother and sister because she's protected them due to their lineage.
Speaker B:When they were in Nestraza, because Tristan and Willow are still in Nestraza, she was just plucked out of there.
Speaker B:And they very much believe her to be dead because she was in the Hollow.
Speaker B:Like, it's a whole thing.
Speaker B:Before the final trial, though, she does overhear a conversation between Gabriel and Atlas that says that by any means necessary, Lore is the one that is supposed to win, and by any means necessary, they are required to keep her alive and get her through the trial.
Speaker A:Gabriel's like, what the.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:He's like Atlas.
Speaker A:But he won't say it because he doesn't really.
Speaker A:And surprise, surprise, Lore beats the final trial and ends up winning.
Speaker A:And so she gets to stand in front of the mirror, which, as the series goes on to.
Speaker A:You find out more about, like, the artifacts.
Speaker A:Yes, Because I think it is called.
Speaker B:The Artifacts of Ourano series.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So the artifacts.
Speaker A:There's like, one for every court.
Speaker A:And I think it's cool.
Speaker A:Like, in the map, even, like, next to each of the courts, they have what the artifact is.
Speaker A:So, like, Celestia is like the diadem.
Speaker A:I forget what tour is.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:It looks like just.
Speaker B:It do be looking like a rock, but, like.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Aphelion is the mirror.
Speaker B:Is that like a scepter for the woodlands?
Speaker A:Yeah, it's a staff.
Speaker A:The Queendom of hearts.
Speaker A:A crown.
Speaker A:The aurora is the torch.
Speaker A:And then alluvion, it's a coral, but I don't know why.
Speaker A:It's like a spear.
Speaker B:Looks like a trident almost.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So I thought it was cool.
Speaker A:But so in aphelion, the artifact is the mirror.
Speaker A:So I'm picturing, like, this giant, like, mirror, you know?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:So the winner of the trials stands for the mirror, and then the mirror confirms if she's the true queen.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And so the mirror, like, speaks to Lore in, like, a very lengthy, lengthy spiel.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And it basically tldr is like, she's not the Sun Queen.
Speaker A:It can never happen again.
Speaker A:And what else, Brit?
Speaker B:It calls her your highness.
Speaker B:I believe.
Speaker A:I believe so.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I believe it's your highness.
Speaker B:I don't believe it's your majesty yet.
Speaker B:Because she would technically be considered a princess of Genovia.
Speaker A:No, she does.
Speaker A:It does say your majesty.
Speaker B:It is your majesty.
Speaker B:Okay, cool.
Speaker B:Oh, because technically, she is next in line.
Speaker B:Like, lineage wise, the primary.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:But we find out that she is from heart, which is the lost realm, essentially, that has not had a ruler.
Speaker B:Atlas is pissed.
Speaker B:He's pissed.
Speaker B:And she was like, he.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker B:The mirror told me, no, give it to my biggest rival in the entire trials.
Speaker B:And Atlas is like, no, you.
Speaker B:And because the other.
Speaker B:What's her name?
Speaker B:That dumb.
Speaker B:God, I hate Appia.
Speaker B:Oh, Apprecia can get.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:She also made it through the trial.
Speaker B:Like, she survived the trial.
Speaker B:So she is also allowed to stand in front of the mirror.
Speaker B:And when she does it, it lights up, and she is confirmed to be the next Sun Queen.
Speaker B:And so they take Lore, lock her up in the dungeon, and the book ends with her being taken to somewhere safe, quote, unquote.
Speaker A:And I will read the last line of the book right now.
Speaker B:Please do.
Speaker A:This is an epilogue that I really enjoyed.
Speaker A:So the last sentence of this last two sentences, technically, is.
Speaker A: Hello, prisoner: Speaker A:Welcome back to the Aurora.
Speaker A:And that's how it ends.
Speaker A:And that's when I was like, give me book two.
Speaker A:Yep, give it to me.
Speaker A:We're going.
Speaker B:I was planning on reading something else, but I just immediately went on hoopla and said, next.
Speaker B:Next in line, please.
Speaker A:And so a couple of my lyrics kind of sum up, like, the ending and a little bit there.
Speaker A:But one is like, welcome to your life.
Speaker A:There's no turning back.
Speaker A:And I feel like that's where Laura's at right now.
Speaker A:Like, okay, you Know, I.
Speaker A:She's what, 24 now, I think, roughly.
Speaker A:So it's like, all right, welcome to your life.
Speaker A:Like, there's no turning back.
Speaker A:Like, it's time to reclaim your heritage and all that stuff, all of that that goes with it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And the other lyric I have is, nothing ever lasts forever.
Speaker A:Everybody wants to rule the world.
Speaker A:And again, just that, you know, with the trial and being royalty and, you know, everybody wants a piece of her, too.
Speaker A:And then I just got Britney Spears.
Speaker A:Like, man, you want a piece of me?
Speaker A:Lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Speaker A:Anyway, but, yeah.
Speaker A:So, yeah.
Speaker A:Any other things for quotes or lyrics for you?
Speaker B:I just have this.
Speaker B:This chunk here that says, ain't going back to Barton Hollow.
Speaker B:Devil gonna follow me ere I go Won't do me no good Washing in the river can't no preacher man save my soul.
Speaker B:And this was like, Laura's refusal to return to Nestraza, but also, like, hiding her identity and basically her saying that, like, yes, she wanted to, like, get revenge on the Aurora King, but the thought of returning to where she was was.
Speaker B:She had, like, hope because of Tristan and Willow, but, like, the devil was going to follow her no matter what.
Speaker B:Her lineage, her history, her hidden identity, the Aurora King, knowing who she was, doing all of this horrible stuff to her that we find out about in book two.
Speaker B:And, like, watching that unfold, like, can't no preacher man save my soul.
Speaker B:Nothing that was done could have saved her from her past unfolding, from her lineage, hitting her eventually.
Speaker B:Like, there's truly nothing that stopped the bloodline.
Speaker B:Like, even if she was still in Estraza, even if it would have caught up to her, it would have caught up to her eventually.
Speaker B:And so that's really why I had that.
Speaker B:That one there.
Speaker B:Another interesting quote that I had in here, too, was, nothing actually belongs to anyone here.
Speaker B:Everything is on temporary loan, including our bodies and definitely our souls.
Speaker B:And that was just a very bleak, but also very apt description, I think, for what life was like for the prisoners and being taken as a child and just all of the horrible things that happened.
Speaker B:But the book, this one, focuses so heavily on the trials that when we shift to book two, because we are going to have some spoilers for the rest of the series coming up here, it takes a really interesting turn and it, like, it.
Speaker B:This series has, like, sunken, like, full bite teeth in me, and it will not let go.
Speaker A:All right, we ready to go into.
Speaker B:Spoiler for the rest of the series?
Speaker B:Well, you're gonna have to unspoil because I know.
Speaker B:Still not.
Speaker B:I'm not caught up, but that's okay.
Speaker A:I know I won't do the whole thing, but.
Speaker B:Yes, but.
Speaker A:So this spoiler section is what did the mirror tell you?
Speaker A:So if you have not read anything past book one, thank you so much for listening.
Speaker A:We'll see you next week about 20, 26.
Speaker B:We sure will.
Speaker A:However, if you've read where are you?
Speaker A:How are.
Speaker A:How far away?
Speaker B:I am 60 into book two.
Speaker A:Okay, so if you've read most of book two, then stick around.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:So what did you.
Speaker A:What do you think about, like, finding out about the lineage, that she is, like, heart and everything?
Speaker A:Like, what do you know so far?
Speaker B:So I know that that, like, that makes sense.
Speaker B:That makes a ton of sense.
Speaker B:What is the.
Speaker B:Okay, real quick.
Speaker B:What is the other pov?
Speaker B:C. Cecil, is it?
Speaker A:Oh, sirs.
Speaker B:Yes, sir.
Speaker B:So I think that getting the flashback accounts from Cerse is a very interesting way to tie in the world building and how everything sort of, like, collapsed on the back end and how Cerse was supposed to tie to the Sun King when the mirror told her, this cannot happen again.
Speaker B:It's definitely in line with the dominoes falling into place on Circe's side.
Speaker B:But also the fact that, like, I knew the minute that Nadir and Lore touched, I was like, hannah, this is a fated mate situation.
Speaker B:I know it.
Speaker B:I just fucking know it.
Speaker B:But I love that we get Cerse's falling in love with the Woodland Prince and, like, their fated mate situation happening.
Speaker B:And, like, so rather than it being just, like, fully confirmed on page, we're having it confirmed in this, like, past version of, like, the sensations they're experiencing and, like, the feral behavior, the unbelievable feral behavior that they have for each other.
Speaker B:So I really love the way that we're getting the lineage and the history and.
Speaker B:And everything that we're finding out and where I am in the book.
Speaker B:Circe has just gone.
Speaker B:Is it I.
Speaker B:The details are escaping me, but I think she talked to.
Speaker B:Was it the Aurora King and basically was like, I'm going to undermine my mother.
Speaker B:Make a deal.
Speaker A:He comes with, like, baby Nadir.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:So, like, I'm gonna undermine my mom.
Speaker B:Be part of, like, take on our armies.
Speaker B:We'll give you the Woodland Army.
Speaker B:I will not tie to the sun.
Speaker B:I will not tie to the Sun.
Speaker A:Court.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:The thing that is most important to me is my crown, and so that's kind of where I am there.
Speaker B:And Nadir and Lore finally, like, listen, Hannah did give me a minor spoiler, and I know that they don't officially bang in this book, but there was a little.
Speaker B:There was some, like, minor banging.
Speaker B:And I was like, thank.
Speaker B:Because every chapter within the deer, he's just like.
Speaker A:He's just so, like, down bad and.
Speaker B:Just, like, so horny all the time.
Speaker A:But I feel like, too, it's like he's, like, repressing this, like, bond.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Like, very clearly, like, pushing.
Speaker B:I feel like he's like.
Speaker A:I mean, he's very, like, protective and very, like.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And, like, possessive.
Speaker A:Possessive.
Speaker B:Yes, you can feel.
Speaker A:But he's also, like, very respectful.
Speaker A:And I think that's why I like him, too, because, like, anytime Laura's like, no.
Speaker A:He's like, okay.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:Like, you tell me.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And I. I just love that because Atlas, like, when she said no, there was a caveat.
Speaker B:There was an asterisk by it, and he would say, but what about this and what about that?
Speaker B:Or.
Speaker B:And then it would end with a guilty, like, oh, I guess you're right.
Speaker B:Like, I guess we should, I suppose.
Speaker B:And with Nadir, it is a very hard and fast.
Speaker B:No, but that man, I love him.
Speaker B:Yes, I love him.
Speaker B:And I also think it's important to note that they are, like, people of color.
Speaker B:And it is so nice to hear about, like, a rich and vibrant culture and, like, the spices that they use in Nadir's court and, like, just this, like, different, like, practices and different type of worlds and like, it.
Speaker B:I think it's so nice to have that, like, rooted cultural pieces in.
Speaker B:In there.
Speaker B:Especially in stark contrast to the Sun Court.
Speaker B:To, like.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:To have, like, just how rich everything is with Nadir.
Speaker A:Yes, I agree.
Speaker A:So when I wrote this, I was not finished with the series.
Speaker A:Now I am finished with the series.
Speaker A:So I do know how it ends.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:And I don't know.
Speaker A:I don't know if I would have guessed how it would end.
Speaker A:But where.
Speaker A:Where do you think it's gonna un.
Speaker A:Unravel?
Speaker B:I feel like there's going to be, like, they're going to find the crown at some point.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:The crown has to be found at some point.
Speaker A:I mean, it's.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:It's one of the artifacts.
Speaker B:It's literally called the artifacts of Vranos.
Speaker B:Like, she has to claim her power somehow.
Speaker B:One of the siblings is probably going to die, is my guess.
Speaker B:And also, I think that her and Adir will be separated for a period of time for some either treasonous reason or like, some sort of, like, war or something, and they'll have to fight for each other.
Speaker B:But I don't exactly know how it's going to end.
Speaker B:And I think I'll probably have a better grasp on, like, timelines once I finish the second book because I feel like we're still in this, like, waiting phase where we're, like, learning information, but we don't have, like, a full plan in motion.
Speaker B:Like, we're searching for something, but we haven't found anything.
Speaker B:And it is more obviously, because it has romance at the heart of it.
Speaker B:It's been more of the relationship stakes right now, and I'm excited to see, like, where the.
Speaker B:The political stakes are gonna meld with the two.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's fair.
Speaker A:All right, we'll touch base after.
Speaker B:We'll talk.
Speaker B:We'll talk.
Speaker A:But yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah, this was kind of like, real quick.
Speaker B:This is kind of like a throwback episode.
Speaker A:Yeah, I liked it.
Speaker B:I kind of missed it.
Speaker B:We did, like, like a full plot go over.
Speaker B:Like, we haven't done one of these in, like.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker A:And I just want.
Speaker A:I want it noted, too, that I did most of this outline just from memory.
Speaker A:I did not look at the book.
Speaker B:I just.
Speaker A:Just wrote it out there.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker B:It's amazing.
Speaker A:But thank you so much for turning the pages with us this week and talking about the artifacts of Ouranos and Nadir.
Speaker A:Be sure to follow us on Instagram.
Speaker A:Tik Tok Patreon.
Speaker A: ewsletter that'll come out in: Speaker A:I promise.
Speaker A:Going on air.
Speaker A:I promise.
Speaker B:We gotta promise.
Speaker A:And yeah, just to keep up with.
Speaker B:Us and please, please drop a review in a five star rating of the podcast on your preferred platform and share it with your bookish besties.
Speaker A:Next year, we are getting excited for a new year.
Speaker B:Oh, next year.
Speaker A:I'm ready to go.
Speaker A: g excited for the new year of: Speaker B: Blank Space episode about the: Speaker A:So forever and always keep reading with kindness.
Speaker B:Bye, everyone.
Speaker A:See y. Sa.
