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Stories That Shape Us: Heir of Fire and the Power of Self-Acceptance
19 Plays4 months ago
Hello, beautiful souls! In this literary episode of Growing With Sol, my bestie Priscilla and I are diving into Heir of Fire, the third installment in Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series.
The book that shifts the book series into something bigger, darker, and more emotional.
Major spoiler alert!
We break down Aelin’s journey from self-hatred to self-acceptance, the impact of loss and grief, and what her transformation teaches us about resilience and healing. So if you haven’t read the book yet, proceed with caution!
This book takes us deep into self-acceptance, healing, and stepping into your power, themes that hit hard in both fantasy and real life.
If you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt, guilt, or finding your place in the world, this conversation is for you. And of course, we couldn’t discuss Heir of Fire without talking about Rowan’s tough-love approach, Chaol’s identity crisis, and Dorian’s unexpected awakening.
What did Heir of Fire teach you about growth, healing, or reclaiming your power? DM me or share your thoughts on socials!
About my bestie Priscilla:
Priscilla De Lara is originally from California now living in Milan, Italy working in international education. She is a lover of food, traveling, and reading! Fun fact: Priscilla was a college radio DJ.
Connect with Priscilla on TikTok @priscillainitaly
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Send in questions: contact+podcast@marisolmoran.com
We might just have the same taste in books. Check out my Book List.
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Have a favorite book you’d love for us to deep dive into? Or maybe there’s a story that’s inspired your own growth journey? DM me or leave a comment with your suggestion. We’d love to feature it in a future episode!
See you in the next one, where we’ll be diving into Heir of Fire! Until then, keep growing.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Growing with Soul' Podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello beautiful souls and welcome back to another installment of growing with
Exploring 'Air Fire' by Sarah J. Mass
00:00:05
Speaker
soul. Today is another episode, having to do with literature, we're going to be talking about air fire by Sarah J mass. And I'm very excited to get into it and talk about these characters that feel like friends and their emotional health and mental health journeys as well.
Introduction of Co-host Priscilla
00:00:23
Speaker
I am again accompanied by my BFF Priscilla, who is again the person who got me into all these books. So she's the reason why I'm obsessed and think about nothing else other than Aylin Galathenius.
Discussion on Mental Health Themes
00:00:34
Speaker
Just so you are all aware, this episode is going to be covering some pretty intense stuff regarding mental health.
00:00:41
Speaker
the main character does have some very dark thoughts about her life as to and also as to whether or not she should still be around. So please keep in mind that we we might get into some pretty heavy topics regarding that and regarding depression as well. Though the depression piece is kind of par for the course for this podcast. I talk about that often enough.
Spoiler Warning for 'The Runner Glass' Series
00:01:00
Speaker
We might get into some rated R conversation. It is a possibility, even though there is no spice in this book. Just be aware of that. We might talk about it anyway because we are going to be talking about Rowan and also lots of spoilers, lots and lots of spoilers for all of The Runner Glass. So if you haven't finished the whole series yet, go do that and then come back. Or listen with caution if you don't care about spoilers.
00:01:30
Speaker
Anyway, so let's go ahead and get into
Synopsis of 'Air Fire'
00:01:32
Speaker
it. I'm going to start off with a brief synopsis of Aerofire, then we'll dive right in.
00:01:39
Speaker
Aerofire begins with Selena Sardothian not doing much of anything other than gambling and drinking away in Wenlin, decidedly not completing her mission from the King of Averlin. She's then whisked away by Rowan Whitethorne for intense magic training.
00:01:54
Speaker
so she can get into Dora now to speak with her horrible Aunt Maeve. Meanwhile, in Adderlyn, Prince Dorian struggles with his forbidden magic and Cale wrestles with divided loyalties. Love that for him. New threats emerge as witch clans led by the ruthless Menon Blackbeak prepare for war. and Ultimately, this installment is a story of self-discovery, resilience, and the rise of a queen ready to reclaim her throne.
Selena's Character Development
00:02:24
Speaker
So to begin, we are going to start with our conversation about Selena and ultimately her journey in this book. I definitely saw her journey as going from self-hatred to self-acceptance and there's so much in her story that i was really surprised that i didn't see the first time that i read it because as someone who has experienced intense self-loathing and like just self-hatred it's one of the reasons why i really connected with nesta from akatar so the fact that i didn't catch on to it as much the first time i read this book really shocks me because this time around i was like oh like she
00:03:09
Speaker
It's not that she thinks just poorly of herself. She really hates herself for the actions that she thinks that she hasn't done. Which is something else that really messed me or like pissed me off. When reading last book and this book, people always being like, you did nothing for the last eight years. Like, bitch, she was a child.
00:03:29
Speaker
Like she was, she was a kid. What was she supposed to do? Anyway, um, but going from that part where she rejected herself, hated herself so much, then ultimately being like, I am ailing Galathenias and I'm going to get my throne back. Oh, just like the significance of that. Loved it. Um, but what were your thoughts overall about like her journey and what she went through?
Nehemia's Role and Impact
00:03:52
Speaker
I, rereading this was kind of angry in the beginning because I felt like I was still upset that they killed off Nehemia as a way to kind of get Aylin off of her butt as a way to get her to do what she needed to do. So the fact that we're introduced to Selena, Aylin. Again, in the beginning of the book, and she's drunk, felt like a step back. But it goes back to what you were saying, that like there's so much self-hatred and self-destruction that she would take that step back.
World-Building in 'Air Fire'
00:04:30
Speaker
But the half the first half of the book, for me, I just felt like I had to reread some of the pages a couple of times because so much information is thrown at us. And I understand that it's a lot of world building.
00:04:42
Speaker
a lot of information that doesn't necessarily make sense but makes sense afterward after this book. So I, again, was a little bit angry in the beginning and then I do have some qualms regarding her development and how that development came about with Rowan.
00:05:03
Speaker
Yeah, we're definitely going to get into the Rowan piece. I feel like, I feel like Era of Fire is that pivotal moment in terms of the genre of the series, where the first three books, and I'm including Assassin's Blade in that, they're very much fantasy.
Complex Friendship: Selena and Nehemia
00:05:22
Speaker
And then this is sort of that bridge to romanticy, I think for the Throne of Glass series.
00:05:27
Speaker
So we're definitely going to be talking about Rowan. But before we do that, I do want to touch on a piece of what you mentioned with Nehemia. That was one of my biggest, like,
00:05:40
Speaker
I have a lot of thoughts about their friendship and part of me always thought that maybe I'm the crazy one in the fandom because people talk about their friendship and how like people love Nehemia and all this stuff. Like I never really, not that I didn't like her, I didn't appreciate how she was in their friendship because there was just so many secrets. And for me personally, like that's not a good friend.
00:06:07
Speaker
yeah So I was like, okay, maybe maybe I'm being too judgmental. But then in this book, we get Aylin finally admitting at one point, and I think she might've been speaking to Rowan about how she was so angry at Nehemia.
Selena's Journey of Healing
00:06:26
Speaker
And she was angry at her for keeping secrets, and she was angry at her for orchestrating her death.
00:06:32
Speaker
And she was, and she felt almost ashamed that she was so angry at her friend for basically this, this sacrifice that she made. yeah But I think she has every right to be angry. And I think that moment was so healing for her to admit and to vocalize. When it happened, I was like her cheerleader, like, yes, be angry. like Admit that you're angry. like Feel it, express it, because what happened was so fucked up. That, and I think it goes back to the way that you
00:07:07
Speaker
i I liked Nehemia. I liked her potential. I felt like we were robbed of a good character, but they were friends for a couple of months, like three, four months maybe, Max. And I felt like Aylin was grieving Nehemia like someone grieves a lover and not a friend that you've just made. I understand that now looking back, I think Aylin saw Nehemia as a friend, Nehemia saw Aylin as ah a way to forward forward her agenda.
00:07:38
Speaker
Like obviously they had cute moments, but they were, I don't, I think Nehemia was a little bit more just removed from the friendship, which again goes back to like trusting her with the secrets. Cause even though Aylind kept her identity a secret, she was a little bit more forthcoming and open.
00:07:56
Speaker
No, that's fucking gold. yeah like You hit the nail on the head. that You voiced my thoughts and my emotions and my opinions on this perfectly. Alien was Nahimia's friend. Nahimia was not Aylin's friend, 100%.
00:08:10
Speaker
you Yeah, it was a political hour. I'm so mad again.
Trust Issues: Selena and Cale
00:08:14
Speaker
yeah
00:08:18
Speaker
But yeah, it's true. Like you could see like how, I mean, she became a drunk as a way to grieve and to be angry and all those feelings felt like it was too much for their short relationship, which shows that she was starved for friendship, starved for love, that she just held on to Nehemia and this Again, she she was too trusting. She was too trusting of her and she was too trusting of Cale, which I know that you have different views on Cale, but I mean, him struggling with loyalties in this book to me showed that she was too trusting of him because he could have totally, you know, told them who she was and she would have been captured. They would have tried to go
Cale's Emotional Turmoil
00:09:06
Speaker
get her.
00:09:08
Speaker
Do you think that Kayle would have ah told the king that she was Aylin? Not necessarily, but I think Aylin was too sure ah that he wouldn't for the amount of time that they had known each other and not to mention his like complete 180 from like the hatred in the beginning to them you know being lovers for a week or two weeks, however, and then him being so surprised that she's actually killing people after we spent like a couple of books of him just railing on her for being an assassin and looking down on her. So he was an emotional roller coaster, and I felt like she was too trusting that he would he wouldn't you know go a different direction after she dropped the bomb of who she was.
00:09:52
Speaker
I could see that, but I think what negates that is one, the fact that she was leaving. Like, logistically speaking, she was running away to another continent. So how's the team gonna find her? I mean, they can send people, they have spies. I feel like if you really wanted to find her He would have, not to mention who he actually is. it's Yes. I think it's possible, but one, the fact that she was running away logistically made it more difficult for the King to capture her, and also the fact that Dorian now also has magic, changes the game. Yeah. Especially for Kael, because if there is one true love in Kael's life, it is Dorian. Right. so
00:10:47
Speaker
Like that, I think that definitely added to her safety and in her being able to trust him. But also... Okay, maybe this is a conversation for another time and I don't want to do any spoilers. But pardon me, I had this thought yesterday listening to another podcast ah that i I love, Fantasy Fangirls. They were talking about Fourth Wing and talking about Dane and Dane being a tragic character.
00:11:15
Speaker
And part of me kind of thought like, is, is Dane the kale above on this fourth wing? 100%. Or like, you know, like, sneaky. So I kind of feel judgmental.
00:11:29
Speaker
and has an like a ah gross arc, sure, but. Right, right. But I kind of i think I like Kale more than I like Dane. But in terms of Kale, I feel like the fact that he did love her also changes things. And yeah, it was only like a week long relationship, but they also had a strong friendship in that first year as well because she was there for like what a year year and a half I think in the castle a year so in the beginning they were building a friendship which was the foundation of their little room romantic relationship yeah and then just I think that what makes it kind of a
00:12:17
Speaker
difficult for the fandom to wrap our minds around it because like time-wise it's so short, yeah but it's so packed with these huge emotional moments and traumatic moments where like Kale literally murdered someone for her. Yeah sure that was like there for him. Yeah so I feel like even though it was like a weak official relationship, their relationship spanned much longer than that. So I Could Kel have been swayed to tell the king? Maybe. But given the other context, I don't think so. Yeah. That's true. That's true.
Rowan's Training Methods
00:12:57
Speaker
Can we talk about Rowan? Yes. david Tell me your thoughts on Rowan first. As a number one Rowan fan, I did not like him in this book. I understand
00:13:13
Speaker
And we all do at the end, right? Yeah. At the end, we find out like why he acted the way that he did, but I felt like his actions didn't really make sense.
00:13:25
Speaker
One, without even try like attempting to make the situation better for him, because who wants to be actively hating someone, especially if you have a task. So I feel like he was really extra in holding on to that. And it was probably spending more energy to act the way he did than just being neutral or just ignoring her, just you know ah not doing what he was doing.
00:13:50
Speaker
and Her resistance to him, I think, is goes hand in hand with her likely being in Aries. She was just upset, acting a little bit child childish, but she was young. But Rowan, I think when he punches her, like she's a human. He's trying to get her to shift. He punches her.
00:14:15
Speaker
she's a human in a human's body. He would have broken her face. So he had to basically throw the punch in a way that it wouldn't. So like he had that the the capacity to think of that. So he didn't have to punch her, but he chose to.
00:14:37
Speaker
Yeah, you know that scene. but I didn't hate it as much the second time I read it. And I remember texting you about it. yeah go a Like I get it, but also like you are a like a full fae, like completely different. Yeah. So he had the ability to do that. He could have just given a snarky comment back, like equally as hurtful. Like he already did know how to push her buttons. So I felt like the punch was just.
00:15:08
Speaker
Like it was very childish of him.
00:15:13
Speaker
And again, why the physical violence. They had a lot of that. Yeah. To the point where Emrys had to tell Rowan something. Yeah. Like that's how much they were fighting. Whether it was physically or like cursing each other out. Like she or just saying like horrible mean things. Like they were so mean to each other.
00:15:37
Speaker
And like I don't fully understand where Rowan was coming from being so mean off the bat. While I was reading, part of me thought that maybe it was because he was he was being this angry and this like mean to her to make her angry and make her shift. I thought maybe for a while that was what his tactic was, but how would he have known to do that yeah from the very beginning?
00:16:03
Speaker
Now he was nasty from the beginning and it honestly wasn't strategic because if she's his queen's niece and she's trying to, but like it all seems like she's going to join her aunt, the queen and take over at Arlen and go to war, blah, blah, blah. So if she were to do that and he trains her, why would he want her to hate him and not be able to work alongside him in the future?
00:16:34
Speaker
Like it would have been advantageous to do that. Like play nice. Yeah. With your boss's family member. It's going to be outrank you at some point probably. Yeah. i It doesn't make sense to me. I don't know. like i I don't fully get it. Part of me kind of wonders that maybe part of it is that, which we would need a Rowan Pov, but maybe because he was i also texted you this as well the first time we see Rowan he's in his hawk form in Maurice so he's been watching her for a while yeah and I know that mating bonds don't like they're not immediate all the time
00:17:24
Speaker
But maybe he was feeling something,
Rowan's Internal Conflicts
00:17:28
Speaker
some kind of cold cold. And he didn't like it. And he didn't like it. And it was confusing because he thinks that he already had his mate. And he thinks he failed his mate.
00:17:39
Speaker
So now he's getting like mating spidey senses around her and he he's confused and he's angry and it brings up a lot of, like it's triggering for him. yeah And maybe that's why he treats her that way to like keep the distance even more. That that makes sense to me then. Like he just hasn't felt anything for so long and now he's feeling something. Cause pretty much like we pretty much think he's celibate.
00:18:08
Speaker
he's like on the hate train self-hate train which maybe he is and this is i think it's a queen of shadow thing and if it is i'm totally breaking it up when i get to i'm gonna highlight it copy and paste but there's a reference i believe in queen of shadows where like him and Lorcan used to go out and about in the town together. Do you think that was prior his mate? And he's just been depressed since his mate died. Well, when did the mate die? I think it was like 200 years before Aylin. How old are they? Like Lorcan's really old, like 700. Lorcan's old as shit. He's like
00:18:56
Speaker
like 700 or something like that, right? I think so. I think that's a lot of time because I don't think it'd be recent because him and Lorcan seem to not get along in the bigger. In this book, they don't seem to. And then also Queen of Shadows, obviously. So something must have happened between Lorcan and Eroan because Queen of Shadows. Could have been the Maytime.
00:19:23
Speaker
It could have been, he just went, cause he went like, he went MIA for like, what was it? 10 years or so? He just peaced out, abandoned his duties. Probably doing what Aylin was doing and getting drunk and he's just judging.
00:19:41
Speaker
Wow, what's up with that? and I think but we got that in Akatar. and Now we're getting it here. What the hell? Yeah. Let the women have vices. That personal development doesn't have to happen with strenuous hikes to show that the women are out of shape, punches, violence. Like it could come out, like if this is the next book for Akatar, but if Elaine's book has hikes or something physical like triathlon, I'm going to be so pissed.
00:20:17
Speaker
I'll be pissed too, also, because if it has to do with, I don't want to, I don't want to get into it. I don't give any spoilers or nothing for that. But like, if it has to do with one of my favorite characters ever, and if you follow me on social media, that you know who that is. He just, that would be out of character for him. Yeah, I feel like it would be a cute development and like very clapping.
00:20:45
Speaker
but Completely other topic. I want that to be the slowest of burns and it'd be absolutely delicious. But conversation for another time. Speaking of slow burns though, Aylin and Rowan. Like this is true. I've seen a lot of books that are like, oh, enemies tell lovers, but they're not really enemies. Like they are enemies in this book.
00:21:10
Speaker
They definitely start off that way because they're like, they're, they literally describe her as being bruised so much. Yeah. Especially in the beginning before Emrys says something. And she's very, so they're definitely in. But I think they ate all of the weight back, but she was skeletal when they found her.
00:21:31
Speaker
Yeah, so she was extremely thin, always in her human form until about maybe halfway through the book or so. She finally starts shifting into her fae form more consistently. I mean, from a bite.
00:21:51
Speaker
Which was like, what did you think of the scenes reading it a second time? Cause the first time I'll say I liked it. Cause I was like, Ooh, what's going to happen? But this time around I felt uncomfortable. With him biting her? Yeah. Like I understand that fairies are more primal and aggressive. Um, so it makes sense that like it would get her to shift, but it's still physical abuse.
00:22:22
Speaker
Okay. Maybe this is where I'm weird. Yeah. No, but like, I'm also like looking at it now. I'm just like, why was he like the punching and like the fighting? So I, the first time around that I read it, I absolutely hated the whole punching thing. And I did not like Rowan because of it. Like that was my, like,
00:22:45
Speaker
deal breaker. Yeah. And then the first time I read the biting thing, because he bit her twice, right? Or just the once? No, just the once. Just the ones. Okay. So I was confused cause I was like, he's not a vampire. Why is he doing this? This is weird. But the second time reading it still didn't care for the punching, but I understood it more. And then with the biting, I was, I was there for it. I was like, yeah, let's do it again. Never apologize though. Like he told her the story of like, why he's like this, but like he never apologized, right? I don't remember an apology.
Character Apologies in SJM Books
00:23:23
Speaker
No, I don't think he apologized at all. I don't think she wanted him to apologize because her response was like, he's not my man's anymore. I think yeah he's like, I can't bite, you know, the female of another male. And she was just like, we're not together. Yeah. Not don't bite me again, but we're not together. It's just a light that like there was an apology from from him because like she apologized to Emrys on her knees for like being mean to him. yeah and Which made me think that like um the in the other books, Rhys never apologized to Feyre for what all the stuff he did it under the mount. And I think he just had like he told her the excuses. So it's like, why can't the Sarah men just say sorry?
00:24:19
Speaker
I don't know. I don't know. ah so I just noticed that like the like the development of like the female characters and the male characters. It's definitely what we don't. Let me think.
00:24:37
Speaker
because I definitely don't like that. It's something that I noticed um with a definitely face end. And then now pointed it out with Rowan, which Rowan wasn't my favorite to begin with, kind of for these types of reasons. yeah um And I'm trying to think like, which SJM man do we ever see actually apologize to his partner? I want to say,
00:25:05
Speaker
In Kale's book, we might see that. And I kind of skimmed through that book. I read that book with a fucking fine tooth comb. I ate that shit up. No. Okay, I might get hate. But I think Tower of Dawn is my favorite book in the whole series. Please take it back.
00:25:26
Speaker
No, I'm not digging it back. I'll only read it with more attention second time around, but I skim through that book. I'm surprised you didn't do the tandem read the first time. No. It had to do with Kale, I just had no interest. um I'm hoping to be proved wrong with this reread, so. um Yeah.
00:25:48
Speaker
But no, I think it'd be a valid point because the healing process is both... Overall, I kind of think like the intention is like a sweet thing, but in reality, when we look at the details, it's much more problematic because time and again, we see in all SJM literature that healing happens between mates.
Critique of Healing in SJM Books
00:26:13
Speaker
Like at this point, that's like the formula. I think at now it's a little bit of a dead giveaway that somebody's a faded mate, but also I'm a sap and I eat it up every day. Really? Mochi's having opinions about mating bonds. so
00:26:32
Speaker
But in terms of the mating bonds, I think it's a dead giveaway that when the people are there to heal each other, it's like, oh yeah, they're totally mates. know which is beautiful and like wonderful and just lovely. But then when we look at the details of it, you're right. Like we never see the men really all that like apologize. I think maybe Kale, maybe this is my bias, but I want to say maybe Lorcan apologizes to a lead at some point. Maybe, I don't know, I could be wrong. And I think that might be it. Side characters.
00:27:10
Speaker
Right. I haven't read Crescent City in a while. Maybe Hunt i mean after his first major F up. Like Hunt is very much kind of to me cut from the similar cloth to Rowan, like backgrounds, self-hatred, they're both strong. They both are kind of like military type characters, but like Hunt was much, was never violent, like Rowan. I mean, he was not a human. He's not a human. Right. His, we when we get to Crescent City, we'll talk about it in more detail, but like his,
00:27:49
Speaker
his mistakes were very different, like his negatives were different from what Rowan's are. yeah So i yeah, I feel like there's definitely something to be said for the way we see healing and personal development take place in these books. And if we're looking at Aylin specifically,
00:28:09
Speaker
um
00:28:11
Speaker
I think that ultimately she's the one who is in charge of her healing. And we see her actively fight against what Rowan says, even when he does try to tell her that like, why don't you try to save Tarasen? Because she goes into detail about how she made a promise to free Illwee.
00:28:30
Speaker
and how she wants to save the slaves, and like that's it. And he's like, well, what about Tarrison? Those are your people. That's your land. like What are you going to do about that? And she's like, nope, nope, nope, nope, completely reticent. So ultimately, she is in charge of her own healing and finally claiming it for herself.
00:28:48
Speaker
but Yeah, these men are putting the women through the ringer and out. It's a little problematic, Sarah. I mean, he he ends on a high note at the end. like they I like the relationship. I like that they didn't immediately become a couple and get together. And theyre there was hardly any romance in this book when it comes to them, because it would have felt too abrupt. like um A mating bond snapping would not have been enough.
00:29:18
Speaker
for me e as a reader to accept like the behavior of both of them in the beginning of the book, the first half. So I like the friendship that they build, that they go from like actual friends, potential partners, and working toward so similar goals. Then the abusive, I'm your mentor, I don't want to be here, and we're going to be punching each other. Right. Yeah, I agree. I think that the fact that it is a little bit more of a slow burn definitely builds it up, especially like coming from the first time I read it and me, like my deal breaker, like I did not like, I don't think I liked Rowan until Queen of Shadows. Yeah, you did. it I remember we talked about it. I was like, Oh, I love Rowan. You're like, I was not about it at all.
00:30:07
Speaker
Which is very different because i I'm again, I'm right here right now. I love Lorcan and the introduction to these two characters is very different when it comes to the the woman in their lives. yeah Like immediately Lorcan's like, here take my shirt. Yeah, like he was complete opposite Golden Retriever in the body of a What is it? what what What dog would he be?
00:30:30
Speaker
ah get over and like heros so secret but He's like, I don't know, Doberman Pincher attitude, but like secretly golden retriever. hello Exactly. Ideal right there. But ultimately I do think that how the relationship is beginning is a really beautiful thing and seeing Aylin go from and I want to think I want to point out that that's a huge thing for herself as well, because her attachment to her name
00:31:10
Speaker
is so important. Like her her rejecting the name Ailinga Alithinius, basically her entire life, being given the name Selena Sardothian by Erebin and that being who she is and achieving success with that name.
Selena's Identity and Mental Health
00:31:29
Speaker
And then having to also have some secrecy around it because people couldn't know who she is, just that Selena Sardothian is a badass and will murder you.
00:31:38
Speaker
And then she survives the minds of Endevere by reminding herself who she is. Because she does tell Rowan that in the minds there's a point where basically the slave masters put you in like the darkest pits of the the mind and they keep you there for days and people go crazy.
00:32:00
Speaker
you're in the dark, you're isolated. And the only reason she maintained any semblance of her sanity is because she kept reminding herself like, I am Selena Sardothian, I am Selena Sardothian. So like that attachment to her identity is pivotal to her mental health. So going from that to then embracing Alien Galathenes at the end of it is such a beautiful i don't know I don't know if allegory is the right word, but like symbol of her journey. And I think that was very beautifully done. Okay, so we have a little bit of time left. Do you want to touch on Hale and Dorian and even a little bit of Menon if we get there?
Dorian's Relationships and Loneliness
00:32:46
Speaker
Yes, Dorian completely crushed my heart in this book because he was so in love with Selena.
00:32:56
Speaker
And then completely, like she leaves and I think it's like the day after gets with like, what was her name? Sorsha. Sorsha, what was her name? Yes. Yeah, like they don't know each other. She was so naive, like had been in love with him, watching him from the shadows for years. And she knew of the relationship, right? Like the staff knew that they were together. She knew about both of the relationships. She knew all the tea. And for her to think like she's nothing but a rebound. I'm sorry, like super silly girl.
00:33:34
Speaker
And like him, like falling in love, okay, Dorian, calm down. But as I'm saying, like all of the SJM, like the pacing and all the relationships is so fast. And they're so young, but I felt, I did not feel bad for Dorian, Kale, and Aylin for their failed relationships, ah like in this book.
00:33:58
Speaker
Like it's, it showed that neither the relationship between Selena, Aylin, and Dorian was real enough. It was very surface level, and the same goes with, even though it reads as stronger, the kale and Aylin relationship, surface level. So it did not feel bad that they had failed relationships after seeing how they behaved in this book, and the hell of Dorian. I think that's fair. More fun.
00:34:28
Speaker
so quickly with like him And him knowing like he was putting this girl in danger that was completely out of character for him because he's always been so careful. So it was just like like him spiraling dealing with the fact that he has to keep a secret of like his his magic and using her as a distraction that ultimately gets her.
00:34:51
Speaker
And that's 100% true. But I think in terms of like Dorian and where he's coming from, the first time I read these books, I did not realize how lonely Dorian is for the first three books. Like at all, like literally it's his whole life has been just turned upside down. He has no one to reach out to. Kael for various reasons is keeping his distance. Selena's not there anymore.
00:35:22
Speaker
He doesn't have his people. He doesn't have his group. And so that I think that's one of the reasons why he is a little bit more reckless in getting involved with Sorsha. But I also want to point out, because you mentioned that like he didn't love her all that much. And I don't think he did either. I think he was just really lonely and needed someone. But in that scene where Sorsha is killed by the king,
00:35:49
Speaker
like The guy is holding the sword over her head for like a while. yeah And like Dorian, he's making a case to like save her and all that stuff, but he's not really doing much. And she gets her head lobbed off. And then, and then, mind you, Dorian has raw magic, okay? Raw magic. So he can do whatever the fuck he wants with his magic.
00:36:15
Speaker
imagination's the limit. And then in that scene, someone's about to freaking murder Kale with a little bow and arrow action. Dorian freezes everything at the mere, the audacity that someone had in trying to murder his BFF. Yeah, but not the girl he's in love with. and Yeah. yeah So she could get murdered all day, but don't you even scratch Kale. Yeah, don't even pretend to like want to do him harm. o Yeah, no, that was silly. And I just want to say at the end when after Dorian sacrifices himself and Kale runs off and he's pauses and he's like, I love you. Oh my God. and They just needed to get together or without Rowan, it could have just been a throughput and they would have been happy. Yes, 100%.
00:37:14
Speaker
I feel that's more of a AO3. I'm sure this is a fanfic. Which, if you guys have that fanfic, please send it to me. Yeah, the white shoes. of that Yes. but fifty And the boyfriends are boyfriends.
Dorian and Cale's Friendship
00:37:31
Speaker
its Exactly, but yeah Dorian I Understand like he was lonely. I think it's just a pacing like you mentioned like everything just happened so fast um in small's worth of time that It did seem out of character and it seemed like a weird way to cope for him Because he had been lonely before I mean, I think we kind of saw that not to be extend up now But like you could tell he was the, he was putting on the fake charming smiles for everyone and pretending to be this like ladies man and really he was a lonely prince.
00:38:09
Speaker
Yeah, I think that his main like anchor, his person, was Kael. And like for various reasons, he no longer had Kael. One, we see Kael wanting to keep distance because he's afraid that if for whatever reason, the king questions him.
00:38:28
Speaker
like he might break or something, like they might get information about Dorian out of him. So he just doesn't want to know. um And then also keeping his distance also for the sake of Dorian, because he doesn't want Dorian to know anything about him working with Aedion and basically becoming a rebel and keeping his distance for the sake of Dorian as well. Which also, Dorian is the ultimate motivation for everything that Kael does.
00:38:57
Speaker
Yeah, they're in love. like Oh my god. like Literally, we need to just like read everything through through a queer lens. Not in spoiler, but Menon with like both of them on a leash. Wait, with who? With both Dorian and Kale. Menon just being like the mom. Oh. Yeah, but then?
00:39:24
Speaker
Not with Dorian. Dorian claims are later. Sure. I think he would have been fine with Kale. I think he would have been fine with Kale too.
00:39:37
Speaker
but
00:39:39
Speaker
But... Wow. Okay, hopefully he stops. Yeah. Honorable mention though before we go is Menon Blackbeak because she also went through a huge journey as well ah in terms of development, which was the second time around, really nice to witness.
Menon's Emotional Growth
00:39:59
Speaker
The first time around, I was like, who the F is this? I don't care. I have no attachment to this character. Why are we spending so much time with them? The second time, those parts weren't written in a very engaging way.
00:40:14
Speaker
but seeing the journey of Manon go from fully believing and behaving as if she doesn't have a heart to developing compassion, compassion, and then also embracing her community that are the 13 Anabraxos. But what did you think?
00:40:33
Speaker
No, it took a while for me. I mean, I think I had to read the whole series to really, really appreciate her. I feel like the scenes weren't, to me, like you said, written in an engaging way. like We get the introduction, but it lacked something special. Like we could have gotten a little bit of backstory that was a little bit more compelling because I did find myself the first time around really kind of skipping. Like there are a lot of videos like online of people getting to her chapters. They haven't read the whole series and just like sounds of like disappointment and just like skipping.
00:41:12
Speaker
And I feel like that was a disservice because it she gets so much better and like the introduction to her world and her community is so much better later on. Yeah, I think that's true. I feel like if it was written a little better.
00:41:28
Speaker
we could have cared so much more about her journey in that beginning portion. Because it does set us up for her to essentially turn the tides for all of the witches in Erolea.
Themes of Loyalty and Compassion
00:41:43
Speaker
Yeah. And the fact that like we just didn't, I think as a fandom in the very beginning, we just didn't care for so long. And we're such a pivotal part of her journey is unfortunate because Like, she basically was emotionally abused by her grandmother her whole life. Yeah. Lied to. Like, and just kind of like fed the Kool-Aid. And she was, she lapped it up. Like she was cool with it. Like she believed that this was her reality. And then
00:42:20
Speaker
scene in terms of who were people who like woke her up i think astrin definitely because astrin made it very clear that like i'm loyal to you over the over the matron like i'm loyal to you and even menon is like When did I deserve this kind of loyalty? Like, how did this happen? And then after that, we get a Braxos. And a Braxos is this thing created from evil who has a heart, has a mate eventually, and loves to smell the wildflowers. Like, what? Yeah, I think I didn't appreciate that at all the first time around. Yeah, I didn't either.
00:43:05
Speaker
But overall I am very excited about the next half of the series and where we're going to see Aylin go next. oh We are going to take a little bit of a pause in terms of moving forward and we are going to go back in time a little bit and read Assassin's Blade next.
00:43:23
Speaker
before we fully move on to what I believe to be the second half of the Throne of Glass series. So next episode is going to be Assassin's Blade. We're going to be taking a deep dive into that. So definitely stay tuned. If you made it this far, I appreciate you. Don't forget to follow along, like the podcast, leave a review because it definitely helps. Also, let us know in the comments what your thoughts were on Aylin and Rowan because clearly we have some opinions about the both of them in this episode.
00:43:53
Speaker
and naturally I will be seeing you in the next one. Thanks!